The Geek Tycoon (4 page)

He couldn’t imagine what she was up to since they’d just eaten, but having her out of the room was a relief. Although he had excellent powers of concentration under normal conditions, being alone in this house with Charlotte was frying his circuits. Instead of thinking about electronics he was thinking about sex.

A carpeted staircase that led to the second floor drew his attention. With no other doorways nearby, he made a guess that the bedrooms were upstairs. That information didn’t affect his work unless she had wireless speakers in her bedroom. She hadn’t mentioned anything like that, but he’d added that feature to his system.

He should at least ask. “Do you have speakers upstairs?”

“Yes,” she called back. “Two in my bedroom. They don’t work, either.”

“They will.”

“That would be wonderful.” She turned on a mixer.

It was a very domestic sound and suddenly he had the oddest feeling, as if he’d stepped into an alternate reality in which he was living with Charlotte. How ridiculous. Just because she drove a Prius didn’t mean she was ready to date a nerd, let alone live with one.

Blowing out a breath, he got to work. He was deep into the job when the most amazing scent drifted out from the kitchen. As he identified what it was, his mouth began to water. Putting together her entertainment system felt a little like foreplay, although she’d laugh if she knew how it affected him.

But the buzz he got from configuring components was nothing compared to his visceral reaction to that delicious aroma. He was already jacked up from being alone with her and fooling with her electronics. Now she was baking cookies.

C
harlotte could have happily watched
Tony put components together. When he’d rolled back his sleeves she’d noted with considerable interest the manly look of his forearms. They weren’t bulging with muscles but they appeared strong and capable. Desire had stirred in her. Silly when he’d merely rolled back his sleeves.

He’d done it so matter-of-factly that he couldn’t have intended to arouse her. Yet the simple action had initiated a surge of sexual awareness that wouldn’t go away. He favored long-sleeved dress shirts these days so she hadn’t seen his bare arms since high school. They’d been skinnier then.

She’d hoped to hang around to enjoy seeing those forearms flex as he worked the kinks out of her entertainment system. He could probably work the kinks out of her personal system, too, although she didn’t have much hope of that happening after the conversation they’d had about office policy.

But he hadn’t sounded enthusiastic about being observed and knowing his personality that made sense. Some men wanted to be admired and fussed over while they accomplished a task. Tony wasn’t one of those men and she liked that about him.

That left her with an itch she couldn’t scratch and the need to do something physical, even something sensual. A package of chocolate chips had been sitting in her cupboard for a month because she hadn’t found the time to make cookies. If she baked them now she could give some to Tony as a gesture of thanks.

Mixing up the ingredients should have taken her mind off sex, but instead the hum of the beaters reminded her of the vibrator she kept upstairs. She’d bought it after her divorce as part of a plan not to date until she’d figured out what she wanted in a man. Now the
what
had morphed into a
who
and he was right in the next room.

For all the good that did her. If she was only in danger of ruining the friendship, she might consider trying to seduce him tonight. At dinner he’d shown signs of being interested in her, but that didn’t jibe with his plan to create a non-fraternizing policy. Her hormones begged her to throw caution to the winds and test his dedication to that idea.

After all, they were alone and only one floor away from her bedroom. Tony had amazing powers of concentration and she’d often fantasized what would happen if he ever trained all that mental firepower on making love to her. But tonight, despite his reaction to her, he wasn’t in favor of office romances. Jeopardizing their friendship plus her job didn’t seem very smart.

The first batch of cookies came out of the oven and she inhaled the sweet aroma. Apparently she’d have to be satisfied with nibbling on them instead of on Tony. Using a spatula, she transferred them from the baking sheets to the waxed paper she’d spread on the counter.

Partially melted chocolate dotted the warm, soft dough. When one cookie broke on impact, she justified eating it although she had to be careful not to burn her tongue. It tasted amazing and she tried to convince herself it could replace sex.

“I used to love eating the dough.”

She turned to find Tony standing in the kitchen doorway looking longingly in her direction. But since she was standing right by the cookies and the bowl of cookie dough, they could be the attraction. She opened a drawer, grabbed a spoon and held it out. “Help yourself.”

“Thanks.” Walking over to her, he took the spoon and scooped out some dough. Then he turned the spoon upside down before putting it in his mouth so he could scrape it clean with his tongue. And he moaned.

His appreciative moan resonated deep in her lady parts.
He’s your boss and you don’t even know if he likes you in that way.
She had a tough time remembering the parameters when he stood in her kitchen sucking on a spoonful of cookie dough.

After licking every last trace away, he gazed at her. “Even better than I remembered.”

“I got the recipe from our family chef before I left home.”

“So you bake cookies a lot?”

“Not really.” She realized he’d drifted closer, within touching distance. “But I’ve decided to do it more often.”

“Excellent idea.” His voice had taken on a husky quality. “The world needs more chocolate chip cookies.”

“Oh, I agree. Could be the answer to world peace.” Her heart beat faster. With any other man, she’d think he was going to kiss her. He had that certain gleam in his eyes that men had when they were about to make a move.

She held his gaze. He’d never looked at her this way before and his breathing had definitely changed. Good grief, he
was
going to kiss her!

She wondered if he’d considered how that would affect his proposed office policy. She wouldn’t remind him. If he made the first move, that changed everything. She waited, heart pounding.

With a groan of frustration, he turned away and tossed the spoon on the counter. “God, how I want you!”

She gasped. “You . . . do?”

“Yes, damn it!” He spun around and glared at her. “And I swore I would never let you know.”

“Why?”

He took a breath and started to answer but then he shook his head. “Never mind.”

Since he hadn’t given their working relationship as a reason, she had a hunch the issue went deeper than that. She swallowed. “When did you take this oath of silence?”

“At the first school dance in seventh grade.”

Seventh grade. Dear God. No wonder he hadn’t asked her to dance that night. She’d thought he wasn’t into dancing. He’d wanted her for years? She couldn’t get her head around it. “But you’ve had girlfriends.”

“Of course I’ve had girlfriends. I vowed to stay silent not celibate.”

Then she had a new thought, a happy thought. “Did you hire me thinking we might eventually get together now that I’m single?”

“Hell, no.”

The finality of that answer told her all she needed to know. He’d hidden his feelings because he was convinced she’d reject him. At one time she might have, so he’d been wise to be cautious. Her voice softened. “Then why did you hire me?”

“Because you’d be an asset to the company.”

“That’s it?”

“No.” He ran his fingers through his already mussed hair. “I loved the idea that I’d get to see you five days a week.”

Her heart softened like warm cookie dough. “I’ve loved that, too.”

“And now it’s over, right?” His voice filled with anguish. “You’re quitting.”

“Quitting? No!”

“But you used the past tense,
loved
. Or maybe it’s past perfect –
I have loved
. But it’s definitely in the past and not the present.”

“You’re overthinking it.”

“A habit of mine.”

“For your information, I have no intention of quitting, although it would solve our problem. And we do have one.”

“I’m well aware of it. I just admitted to lusting after one of my employees. If you want to laugh and make fun of me, go right ahead. I wouldn’t blame you in the least.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“No, really, it’s okay. I make no sense whatsoever. At dinner I told you the company needed a policy about this very thing and here I am longing to violate the policy before it’s even written.”

Every word out of his mouth was an incredible gift. “You can’t know how much that means to me.”

“You like that I’m wishy-washy?”

“I adore it. One person’s wishy-washy is another person’s flexible approach to life.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

She took a deep breath and turned off the oven. The time for chit-chat was over. “Tony, I freely admit I haven’t always appreciated how great you are, but now I get it. I’ve had a chance to observe you in your element – this company. I love your easygoing management style and the camaraderie with the guys. Working closely with you I’ve . . . been affected in ways that aren’t strictly professional.”

He looked at her in stunned silence. Obviously he hadn’t expected to hear that. Ever.

“In other words, I think you’re extremely sexy and I want you, too. Desperately.”

He sucked in a breath.

“But you’re concerned about office romances lousing up the company dynamic and I –”

“To hell with that.” Tossing his glasses on the counter, he pulled her into his arms and his mouth came down on hers.

Her startled exclamation of surprise meant her mouth was open at the time, and he took full advantage of the opportunity. At the first touch of his lips she went rigid with shock. Tony was kissing her! There was no going back, now.

Then he put his tongue in her mouth and there
really
was no going back. The blatant suggestion in each thrust sent a lightning bolt of sensation through every nerve. Shaking in reaction, she clutched his shoulders for support and her fingertips encountered firm muscle beneath the soft cotton of his shirt.

She wanted to feel those muscles move without the barrier of clothing. He must have had the same idea, because he’d started unbuttoning her blouse.

Catching his hands, she drew away from his eager mouth.

He went very still and his voice was strained. “Please don’t tell me to stop.”

“Only until we get upstairs.”

“Logical move.” He grabbed her hand and started out of the kitchen.

“There’s nothing logical about this.” Breathing hard, she hurried to keep up with his long strides. “There could be consequences.”

He came to an abrupt stop. “You don’t have condoms?”

“I do. Upstairs.”

“Excellent.” Still clutching her hand, he headed for the staircase.

“I meant emotional consequences. Professional consequences.”

He turned at the base of the steps and gathered her into his arms. “Are you worried?”

“Not when you’re kissing me.”

“I can fix that.” And he proceeded to wipe out every single reservation with his talented mouth and tongue. Cupping her bottom, he scooped her in close and settled the bulge of his cock between her thighs.

He was so hard, so hot, so exactly what she wanted right this minute. She plastered herself against him and wished their clothes would melt. A few more minutes of this and they might.

They were both panting when he lifted his head to gaze down at her. “Better, now?”

“Mm.”

“Let’s go.” Catching her hand again, he started up the stairs.

“Can you see where you’re going?”

“Well enough.”

Dizzy with anticipation, she followed. “End of the hall.”

“I figured.” Halfway there he turned and pulled her close for another potent kiss. “Don’t want you to lose momentum,” he whispered against her mouth. “Besides, you taste like cookies.” And he delved deep.

She was so involved in the kiss and the way her body tightened in response that she didn’t realize he’d backed her against the wall until she felt it touch her shoulder blades. He’d also unbuttoned her blouse the rest of the way and had begun kissing his way to the hollow of her throat.

Now that her blouse hung open he was free to cup her lace-covered breasts and flip open the front clasp of her bra. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears as he licked one erect nipple and captured it between his teeth. Moaning, she arched her back. He accepted the invitation and drew her aching nipple into his mouth.

Heaven
. Closing her eyes, she reveled in the sensation that intensified the longer he lavished attention on her tingling breast. Her body clenched, wanting more, wanting . . . oh, yes, his hand there, stroking her through the damp fabric of her slacks. He unbuckled her belt and unfastened the button and zipper with the dexterity of a man who could install a motherboard without breaking a sweat.

When those nimble fingers slipped inside her drenched panties, she knew she was in the hands of a master. He found his way unerringly to her base of operations and proceeded to drive her out of her mind. Her climax hit with devastating force and she cried out, overcome by the rich pleasure.

Slowly he withdrew his damp fingers and trailed them over her stomach, between her quivering breasts and up to her mouth where he stroked them over her bottom lip. “It’s the first time you’ve come for me,” he murmured. “But it won’t be the last.”

Just like that, she was wild for him again. Grabbing him by the back of the head, she drew him down and gave him an open-mouthed kiss that told him how much she agreed with that sexy statement. One orgasm in the hallway was only the beginning.

To her surprise, he picked her up and carried her the rest of the way. She hadn’t expected that, but the gesture thrilled her. Laying her on the bed, he followed her down. As he pressed her to the yielding surface, she felt the hard ridge of his cock against her thigh.

The next chapter of their sexual saga was about to occur and the box of condoms weren’t within reach. Cupping his cheeks, she forced his head up. “Condoms are in my bathroom.”

He stared down at her, his eyes glazed with lust. “What?”

“In the bathroom. One of us has to get them.”

Gradually comprehension dawned. “Oh.” He took a shaky breath. “Where’s your bathroom?”

“Through the door behind you. The box is under the sink.”

With obvious effort he pushed himself off the bed. “Don’t go away.”

“Not a chance.”

He was back in no time and set the box firmly on the bedside table. “Only six.”

She gulped. “
Only
?”

“When a man has waited almost fifteen years, six might not be enough.” He stripped off his shirt.

Taking her cue from the urgency in his voice, she wiggled out of her slacks and panties. Then she sat up so she could slip off her blouse and bra.

As she did, he came to a full stop and stared at her.

That made her self-conscious enough to pull her blouse together again.

He groaned. “Please don’t.”

“But I’m not your type.”

“Who says?”

“Me. You date skinny flat-chested women.”

He heaved a sigh. “Good hypothesis, wrong conclusion. You’re my type, Charlotte.”

She had trouble believing he’d wanted her but instead had sex with skinny ladies. “Then why pick women who were the exact opposite?”