Page 28 of Enticing the Fixer

Some people find peace in the mountains or the tranquil waters of the Caribbean. I’ve got the dirty Missouri River. God, even that makes me sound pathetic.

Knock. Knock.We both turn to see Leo standing in the doorway. “Hi, no one was at the front desk.”

Heat flames across my face. Please don’t tell me he heard that tirade, and there’s more proof that I’m incompetent. I failed to instruct my assistant to shut the door as we discussed the business privately.

“I’m sorry.” Valeria unlaces her legs and stands. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“I’m Leo.” He clears his throat. “Leo Peng from accounting. I need to speak with Ms. Monroe for a moment.”

Valeria spins to face me. “Is that okay?”

“Sure.” I might as well pour lemon juice on my wounds.

After she apologizes for no one being at the front desk, she introduces herself and exits the room.

“Is it okay to shut the door?” Leo waits at the opening between mine and Valeria’s offices.

“Why not?” I shrug. At this point, I’m too tired to have this or any other conversation. I feel like I’ve gone three rounds with a heavy-weight boxer and been kicked onto my ass in each round.

Once he shuts the door, he swipes his palms on his pants. “Listen, I don’t know how to tell you this.”

“Well, just rip it off like a Band-Aid. It’s not like anything you say can make today worse. I screwed my newest employee this weekend.”

“Was it that bad?” He takes a step closer, and the air in the room crackles. He’s the most gorgeous man I’ve ever met. Tall. Muscular but not in an over-the-top way. Dark hair. Beautiful chocolate brown eyes. And that mouth. God, I know everything that mouth can do.

“No. It was that good.” My heart lurches into my throat.I did not just say that.My hand flies to my mouth as I stare at him in shock. No matter what I intend to say to the man, the truth comes out. It’s ridiculous.

One corner of his mouth rises into a grin. “That sounds like a good day to me.”

“Well, it’s not. The board members took turns throwing punches at me.”

His eyes narrow into slits as his body stills. “I’m assuming you mean that metaphorically. Not literally.”

“Yes. I meant it metaphorically. No one touched me.” My eyes glue themselves to his mouth, and I can’t look away.

By the time he’s standing in front of me, my fingers itch to touch him so bad that I have to clasp them together.

“That’s good because if anyone touched you, I’d have to touch them back.” Lord, is this man for real? The butterflies in my belly flutter. He cups my cheek. “Why did you disappear?”

“I told you.” I close my eyes and lean into his palm. The overwhelming sense of peace that floods over me, lets me know I’m in deep shit. I can’t explain it, but when I’m with him, it feels right. I feel right. “I can’t do this.”

“Me, either.” His lips trail along my jaw. “I shouldn’t be here, but I can’t stay away from you. Knowing you’re somewhere in the building, and I wasn’t there touching you, pisses me off.”

I inhale, taking in his musky scent. “You shouldn’t be here. I’ve had a bad day.”

“Baby, that seems to be my specialty. When you’re having a bad day, I make all your troubles disappear.”

“No.” I tilt my head, giving him more access to my neck as he kisses and nibbles along my flesh. “You make more trouble for me. Now I’ve got an HR nightmare on my hands. And a complex about being too old. And–”

He grabs the back of my head and slams his mouth over mine, and I forget everything. All I feel is him. His hard body, pressing against mine. His teeth, scrapping along my bottom lip, dragging it down so he can plunder. And plunder he does. I grab fistfuls of his dress shirt and hold on as my knees buckle.

He brushes the pile of mail to the side and sets me on the desk. “I know how to make your bad day go away.”

The heat in his eyes makes the walls of my sex convulse. I can’t. I shouldn’t. He steps between my legs, nudging them apart and pushing my skirt high on my thighs. Oh, fuck it. I grab the buckle of his belt.

Chapter Thirteen

Leo

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