Page 7 of The Naughty List

He slides my body down the front of his, placing me unsteadily on the ground. He reaches around me, opening the passenger door to his Tesla X. I widen my stance, ready to refuse getting in when he forcefully hooks his hand behind my neck and pulls me to within mere inches of his face.

“Of course you drive a Tesla,” I mutter.

“Don’t create more of a scene, Miss Flowers. Just get in the fucking car or I’ll make a scene of my own and trust me, it will put yours to shame.” A shudder runs down my spine at his almost whispered words.

“I’m not easily bullied, Mr. Wells,” I retort confidently. “In fact, I think you’re all talk.” I mirror his whispered tone back to him as I defiantly push a finger into his chest with a cocky smirk. I barely make contact with it, though, before he grabs my hand and pulls it over my head while backing me up against the car. He pins my arm above me as he tightens his grip on the back of my neck, pulling my face to his until his lips are on mine.

I’m confused as to what is happening as the distance between our bodies disappears and I can feel him pressed firmly against me. He tips my head slightly as his lips begin to move against mine. It’s only soft for a second before he delves his tongue into my mouth. He swirls it around mine once, twice, then pulls mine into his mouth and sucks on it. The sensation shoots straight to my core and I immediately want more. But before I can reciprocate, he’s broken the kiss.

“Jesus, why the fuck do you insist on making everything so damn difficult?” He pants. He releases my hand and neck and spins me around to put me in the passenger seat. This time I don’t fight him. I’m dizzy and confused and extremely turned on. He pulls the seat belt over me and then leans in a little further to threaten me once again.

“Next time you insist on defying me and making a scene, I promise you, the punishment won’t be so nice.” He slams the door and walks around to his side and climbs in.

I don’t know what the hell just happened but I know for damn sure that any momentary laps in judgment I’ve had over the years where I’ve wondered, if even for a brief second, what Damon Wells would be like in bed, I just got my answer and I can guarantee I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon.

3

DAMON

Why the hell did I have to kiss her?

I know why I did it. I’ve wanted to kiss her smart, sexy mouth since about fifteen minutes into our first interview. You’d think a woman that calls me an arrogant prick wouldn’t get the job but that’s when I knew I had to hire her. I didn’t want a kiss-ass or a pushover; I wanted someone who would be my right hand and call me on my shit. That’s exactly what Kate is. I trust her more than anyone and I know she has zero reason to ever lie to me to keep her job.

I’m sure I’m a clinical head case, and I probably have all sorts of shit I need to work through in therapy. But the only way I’ve been able to put a dividing line between us is to be as unappealing to her as possible. I’m not an idiot; I see the way she looks at me when she thinks I’m not looking. It’s the way most women look at me. The problem isn’t that I don’t still drool over her as well; it’s that I don’t want to be the guy that breaks her heart. So I maintain my arrogant, heartless prick ways around her so that even if she finds me attractive, she’d rather deal with disposing of my dead body than waking up next to me.

“There’s a Pilot about thirty minutes outside the city that I always stop at. Obviously you don’t need gas but they have the best road trip snacks and there’s a Starbucks across the street.” She doesn’t look at me when she talks, instead staring out the passenger window. I’m actually surprised she didn’t fly into me and rip my head off once I got in the car. Maybe she’s still in shock.

“Sounds good to me.”

We drive the rest of the way to the Pilot station in silence. I follow her around the giant gas station as she grabs a few snacks. I step away and grab some water for us before meeting her at the counter and handing my credit card to the cashier.

“I can pay for my own stuff.”

“I’m aware, but I can pay for it as well.” I want to offer her a smile when I respond but there’s zero amusement on her face as she grabs her things and rolls her eyes. We pretty much repeat the same process in the Starbucks drive-through. Only this time she lunges across my seat with her app open, trying to get the cashier to scan hers instead of mine. I win.

“What was with the of course you drive a Tesla comment earlier? What’s wrong with a Tesla?” I ask as she takes a drink of her coffee.

“Nothing, it’s a fine car.” Her answer is clipped.

“So basically anything that I do is going to piss you off?”

“How would you feel right now if your boss showed up to your apartment and carried you kicking and screaming out of your place after going through your shit and then kidnapped you?” I can’t hold back, and I burst out laughing at how dramatic she’s being.

“I didn’t kidnap you, Kate. You agreed that I would take you home for the holidays. The only reason you put up such a fight is because you can’t stand me for some reason and you insist on always making everything difficult instead of putting aside your disdain for me so that you can at least enjoy the holidays with your family.”

She doesn’t respond right away, just sulks in silence while she continues drinking her coffee.

“It’s not that I can’t stand you,” she finally says quietly. “You’re just always so mean. It’s like you can’t ever let a single dig get by you.”

“Might I remind you that you’re the one who first started all this in our interview. You called me an arrogant prick, Kate. Not exactly starting off on the right foot.”

“You laughed when I said it and you deserved it; you told me that I was indistinguishable from the fifty other candidates you had so why should you spend another second interviewing me.”

“Yeah, and yet you still took the job.” I give her my best smile and it actually makes her laugh a little.

“Thanks.”

“For?” I raise an eyebrow and she lets out a dramatic sigh before answering.

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