Page 42 of Flirting with the CEO

I caressed her cheek with my fingertips, tracing the contour of her mouth, then swallowed as I stepped back.

"You already know my father had another family."

Her eyes dimmed, and she nodded.

"The other woman was someone he worked with for a while," I continued. She rolled her shoulders back, interlacing her fingers in front of her. "She moved away after a bit, and he always used work as an excuse to fly over there and be with his other family. They lived in Maine—" I shook my head.Why the hell am I even talking about this? She doesn't need to know all the details."Anyway, long story short, I promised myself that I’d never start something with a woman I worked with. And here I am, breaking my rule. I can't help but draw comparisons between me and my father."

"Colton." Her voice shook as she walked to the kitchen island. "I don't know everything that transpired. But even though I've only known you for a short while, I can tell with certainty that you're nothing like your father."

"You can't possibly know that."

She smiled, poking my chest. "Yes, I can. I have a sixth sense when it comes to people, and you are not a jackass. Grumpy and a workaholic, yes, but not a jackass. That's the difference," she said, turning around. "I want that wine." She pointed at a bottle of Maxwell’s pinot noir.

"Great choice." I took it out of the fridge. It had two dial controls, with separate temperatures for white and red wine. I immediately uncorked the bottle, then poured it in two glasses.

"To a great evening," she toasted as we clinked glasses.

"For the start of something great. This evening did not go as I'd planned, but I have the rest of it to make it up to you."

She smiled, taking a sip. "Just so you know, I think we're off to a fantastic start.”

“You deserve more than sex in a gym, and I'm going to give it to you. I just lost my head completely."

"That is music to my ears," she said. Her stomach grumbled loudly as she took another sip of wine. "This will go straight to my head, but I have a feeling you'll take advantage of me anyway."

"Zoey," I growled.

"I'm totally on board with that, in case you were wondering." She pushed her ass back, straight into my crotch, and then rubbed herself against me briefly. I was already getting semihard.

"Woman, goddamn it. I already mauled you in the gym."

"So you agree?"

"Fuck yes," I said. "It's not very gentlemanly of me."

"No, but it will be so satisfying."

Zoey was something else completely. She loved life and having fun and was determined to enjoy herself every moment. I was sure she’d had her fair share of rough times, too, but she wasn’t letting that get her down.

"Tell me more about your family," I said.

"Well, as I told you, there are three of us. I'm the youngest. I've got two older brothers."

"That must have been interesting growing up."

"Oh, it was," she murmured in a soft voice. "The boys are super protective of me."

"I agree with that. If I had a sister, I'd be protective of her as well."

"We’re also close because we shared a room for years."

I frowned. "You shared a room?"

"We didn’t have much space, so we couldn't each have our own room. My parents wanted to give me their room when I hit puberty, but no way could I let them sleep on the couch. Anyway, we came up with creative solutions so we could have some semblance of privacy. My mother painted this gorgeous partition for me and put it in front of my bed. I still have it in my apartment. My parents always had artists' souls. They did their best to take care of us, though we never had a lot. As soon as my brothers and I were of legal working age, we also pitched in to the family finances."

There was absolutely no accusation in her voice or resentment about her parents' financial situation. I was surprised about that. Some would be very bitter.

I'd never met someone with such a positive outlook on life.

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