Baiting the Boss (13 page)

…

The honk of a passing car roused Grace from her slumber. Yawning, she arched her back only to find herself trapped under a large, heavy arm splayed across her waist. Reality stabbed at her, punching the breath from her lungs. Jack was in bed with her, his naked body entwined with hers.

Oh God, so much for keeping her distance. She had to get away from here before Jack woke up. The thought of his eyes opening and glimmering at her with memories of last night made her insides gnash. She couldn’t risk him guessing the truth of how she felt about him. She slithered out from under his arm, freezing as he shifted under the sheets. For what felt like an eternity, she held her breath while he tossed about, but eventually he settled back into sleep, and she was able to gather up some clean clothes and slip out of the bedroom.

She dashed to the bathroom and started her shower. As she soaped her skin under the steaming water, she couldn’t avoid the evidence of last night’s torrid lovemaking. Jack’s bites on her shoulders, her crushed lips, the pleasurable pang lingering between her thighs. The languorous sensation snaking through her body. She bit her lip and scrubbed harder.

Her midnight mating with Jack had been wild, primitive, and utterly crazy. She couldn’t believe she was that same woman who’d cavorted with Jack so tigerishly. And all because she’d been dreaming about him, fantasizing about him loving her. But he didn’t love her. Last night had been all about lust, not love.

Falling in love with Jack Macintyre was the stupidest thing she could have done. He was completely wrong for her. He was her employer, to all intents and purposes, and he was still in love with his late wife. He liked drifting around the Pacific and had no plans to settle down any time soon. She was merely a pleasant interlude to ease the tension of his brief stay in Sydney. They came from different worlds, had different goals and needs. The only thing they shared was a blistering sexual chemistry, but that was just a temporary thing, brought on by their proximity. Thank God that proximity would end today. Jack would check into a hotel, and she wouldn’t be tempted to give in to her carnal urges again. In a few days he would be gone, and most likely she wouldn’t see him again for a long time, if ever.

She dressed in her usual skirt and blouse and pulled on stockings before hurrying to the kitchen. Jack and Rose were standing there, making idle conversation over the coffee press. She stopped short at the sight of him, unable to look away. Mussed and unshaven, Jack looked deeply satisfied, like he’d had great sex the night before.

“Hi there. Jack and I were just introducing ourselves.” Rose gave Grace a wide smile, the cheeky sparkle in her eye warning she’d have plenty to say to Grace in private.

“Oh, that’s good,” Grace muttered as she pulled a mug out of a cupboard.

Jack lifted the coffee press and filled her mug. “Sleep well?” He grinned, lazy and relaxed and far too confident for her liking.

She cleared her throat. “Tolerably.”

“Well, I had the most amazing dream last night.”

His wicked grin set her pulses hammering. Incredibly, heat moistened between her thighs.
Unbelievable
. She was getting aroused right here in the kitchen with her best friend looking on. Wrapping one leg around the other to stem the throb in her body, she took a deep gulp of her coffee. “Oh. That’s nice,” she gabbled into her mug.

His grin widened. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

“Jack tells me he’s moving into a hotel today,” Rose said. “What a pity. We’ve just met.”

“I’m sure we’ll meet again.” He rinsed out his empty mug and set it on the draining board. “If you don’t mind, I’ll grab a shower now.”

“Go right ahead.” Rose waved him away, smiling brilliantly. “I’m still off work, so take all the time you want.” When Jack had left, she leaned toward Grace and whispered loudly, “Phew, what a hottie! If I’d known he looked like that, I’d gladly have shared my bed with him last night.”

Grace frowned at her friend. “Rose…”

“Oh, I’m just teasing. I know whose bed he shared last night.”

“It’s not what you think. He’s not my…my…” Grace floundered for the right word.

“He must be something special to put that gooey look on your face.”

“Gooey? No way.”

Rose peered closer at Grace. “Mm, let me see. Swollen lips, eyes at half-mast, and one heck of a hickey on your neck. Yup, I’d say you look all gooed up.”

Grace thunked down her coffee mug and pulled up the collar of her shirt to hide the love bite. “Okay, I’ll admit last night was terrific, but it’s not going to happen again.”

Rose’s mouth sagged open. “You must be joking. You have a gorgeous hunk like that and you’re not going to do the horizontal tango with him for as long as you can? What a waste.”

Grace had done the horizontal tango with him twice now, and if she continued to do so, she would only fall further and further in love with him. She couldn’t let that happen.

“Jack is just a…a friend, and I’d like to keep it that way.” She hurried away before her flatmate could say anything more, determined to be out of the apartment before Jack finished his shower.

A few hours later she burst into her office and slammed the door behind her, her blood pressure skyrocketing. She didn’t know how she’d managed to cross the distance between Lachlan’s office and her own without exploding. Now she wanted to yell and stamp her feet.

This was the last straw! When Lachlan had casually informed her that she was required to help Louisa organize the foundation ball, she’d thought she’d misheard, but he’d been deadly serious. She’d protested, suggesting it was a task more appropriate for Penny, his assistant, and that she already had the graduate recruitment program to supervise, but he’d dismissed her concerns with an impatient wave. Penny was too cowed to be effective with Louisa, and the foundation ball was more important than a few graduates. He wanted her full attention on this task, and besides, he had added, it had already been decided among the family the night before.

That was the part that had Grace grinding her teeth the hardest. The Macintyre family en masse had decided she had nothing better to do than to run around cleaning up after them. And that included Jack. The thought of him agreeing with his grandfather that she was suited to the task stung her more than anything.

As her temper seethed, the door of her office opened, and Jack walked in.

“I saw you storming in here,” he began, then stopped as he took in her furious expression. “You’ve heard about the ball, then.”

“Yes,” she hissed through clenched teeth. “From your grandfather. Not you, even though you already knew last night.”

He had the grace to look shamefaced. “I’m sorry. I should have told you. I argued with Lachlan not to dump you with this mess, but he wouldn’t listen. I’ll talk to him again.”

“No, I don’t want you to do that! I’m just—I’m just so disappointed that you chose to keep this from me.” Her voice cracked. She’d thought she and Jack were at least friends, but she’d been mistaken.

“You’re right. I shouldn’t have done that.” His expression darkened. “I didn’t realize you’d be this upset with me.”

Her breath caught in her throat. In the heat of the moment, she was running perilously close to revealing her true feelings about him. Hauling in her frayed emotions, she made herself speak more moderately.

“No, I’m upset with your grandfather wasting my time. Honestly, I felt more useful helping you out on Filemu Island than organizing this charity ball.” She forced herself to shrug philosophically. “But I guess it’s just for a few days. Maybe I overreacted. It’s not that much of a big deal.”

Taken in isolation, helping out with the ball wasn’t a big deal, but it was a symptom of everything that was wrong with her job at Macintyre’s, and she knew this was something she had to tackle soon.

“My grandfather doesn’t appreciate you, but I do.” Jack moved closer, his voice dropping to a husky murmur. “I hope I can make it up to you. Soon. I’ve booked a suite at the InterContinental.”

Her concerns about work faded. She backed away, crossing her arms. “That’s good. I’m sure you’ll be comfortable there.”

“It’s very comfortable. The spa bath has a view of the harbor, and it’s big enough for two.”

The backs of her shaky legs met the edge of her desk. She’d run out of maneuvering space. Jack’s grin hooked her heart as he closed in on her.

“Now look,” she blurted in a panic, “about last night…”

“I was wondering when we’d get around to last night.” He stroked her arm gently, from shoulder to elbow, agitating all her senses. “Last night was sensational. I never knew you could be so wild and rampant and so goddamn sexy. I can’t stop thinking about it.”

She swallowed, battling the pleasure of his caress and his words. “Well, you’ll have to. I didn’t mean for last night to happen. I don’t know what came over me. You mustn’t think it’s anything more than a—a crazy aberration that happened while I was half-asleep and not aware of what I was doing.”

His fingers closed around her upper arm. “You’re not wriggling out of this one, Grace. You knew exactly what you were doing. I woke up with your beautiful backside rubbing into my crotch.”

Her cheeks flamed even as her blood started to sing. “You’re not completely innocent! I woke up to find your hand on my breast.”

A smile wreathed his face. “Mmm. Seems we were both dreaming the same fantasy. Come on, Grace. Just admit you enjoyed the hot animal sex we had last night.”

She couldn’t breathe properly with Jack standing so close to her. His legs rubbed up against her, the strength of his hand penetrated her silk shirt, and the sensuality radiating off him was enough to drown her. “Okay, I admit it, but it was an accident.”

His grip on her arm softened as he began to stroke her inner elbow. “No one will know if you spend the night with me at my hotel. And we won’t have your flatmate across the hall cramping our style.”

Good grief, did last night count as cramping his style? What would he do to her if he had free rein all night? The possibilities sent a feverish lust thrumming through her, but she commanded herself not to give in.

She lifted her chin. “How long are you staying in Sydney?”

His fingers stilled. The fervor in his eyes cooled a notch. “I’ve been persuaded to stay for the ball. I intend on leaving soon after that.”

The pit of her stomach fell away, but she managed to mask her feelings. “You’ve patched things up with your grandfather, then.”

“He’s still trying to pressure me into rejoining Macintyre’s, but my message is slowly getting through.” His expression firmed. “He won’t like it when I leave, but he’ll accept it.”

“I see. I’m glad you’ve resolved things, but I’m not going to be your consolation squeeze while you count down the days until your departure.”

“Consolation squeeze? What the hell do you mean by that?”

She made herself meet his eyes. “I’m not going to have a passing affair with you, Jack. You’ll be gone in a week’s time, and when you leave, I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror without regrets.”

“Christ, is it so wrong to enjoy making love? Do you regret the pleasure we gave one another last night, or at the falls?” Holding her by both arms, he made her face him. “Well, do you? Because I don’t. Not one minute of it.”

The passion burning in his eyes constricted her throat. “I don’t either, but—”

Her words were cut off as he pulled her into his arms. “No buts. Don’t qualify the experiences with second thoughts. Just say they were incredible and leave it at that.” His hands tightened. “Well, Grace?”

The force of his personality embraced her as surely as his arms. Before she knew it, her hands were coasting over his chest, and when she glanced up at him, his mouth was already slanting toward hers. She savored his fiery kiss, bowing her back and grasping his shoulders to bring herself closer to him. Rifling his fingers through her hair, he cradled her head in one hand, all the better to consume her mouth. Their tongues slid together in a moist dance, their lips sucking and nibbling and tasting, their bodies melded together. She could sense the lust combusting in him and felt her own fever leaping in response. His hands roved demandingly over her back, imprinting her through her thin silk shirt, before he reached lower and captured her buttocks in both greedy hands. A moan of pure hunger escaped her.

The sound of something heavy falling thudded into her eardrums. Grace glanced up, and her heart dropped to her toes. The door to her office was wide open, and framed in the hallway were three people staring at her and Jack in shocked disbelief. Her heart tumbled even further as she saw it was Penny, Lachlan’s assistant, and two of Grace’s male colleagues whom she met on a daily basis. One of them picked up the file that had fallen to the ground and handed it to Penny, all of them still gaping in silence.

Jack disentangled himself from her, his hand remaining on the small of her back.

“Sorry. We didn’t mean to disturb you.” Penny’s eyes, as big as saucers, were glued to Grace.

Her blood ran cold as she realized her skirt was rucked up and her silk shirt was irreparably crushed, evidence of Jack’s wandering hands. Heat flushed her cheeks as she tugged at her clothes and tried to fix the hair escaping from her clip.

“Carry on,” Jack said in a deep voice, sounding remarkably collected.

One of the men shot a wink at Grace before moving off with the others. Grace flew across the room to shut the door and leaned against it.

“Oh, God.” She groaned. “Did you see that wink? Neil, of all people. He’s the worst gossip in the building, and the second worst is Penny. In fifteen minutes, it’ll be all over that you and I were caught canoodling.”

“Canoodling. I like that word.” Jack straightened his tie and smoothed the wrinkles from his shirt. “Sounds like something you could eat. Canoodle
arrabbiata
.”

“How can you be so blasé about it? This is exactly what I was afraid of, and now it’s happened.” She gnawed at her knuckle. “Everyone in the whole company will think I’m having an affair with you. Oh, damn it all!”

Gently he took her hand from her teeth. “Grace, I’m sorry those people saw us. I realize how embarrassing it is for you, but the gossip will die down eventually.”