Working It (14 page)

Without warning, she moved forward and hit the
stop button, bringing them to a jarring halt. “What are you doing?”

She didn't answer. Instead, she dropped her portfolio, pinned him against the wall of the elevator, and pressed her body against his.

Her eyes were wide and her breathing was shallow, and she moved on him before he could blink. Next thing he knew, her mouth was ravishing his, her arms curled around his neck, pulling him to her. Her tongue, that wonderfully wicked tongue of hers, was slipping between his lips and teasing him. His body reacted instantly—he'd been tensed with sexual awareness for a week, and now he sprang to life, groaning as he dragged her body along his. She moaned, and he couldn't help it…he reached down to that short skirt of hers, only to find that her stockings were thigh-highs, a fact barely concealed by the hem. He groaned as his fingers sought her out…she stood on tiptoe, tilting her head back. He ignored the fact that they were in an elevator, in one of his most important client's office buildings. Just before his last big sale of the road trip. All he could think of was her—the taste of her, the feel of her beneath him. The dampness of her panties beneath his probing fingers, the silk of her throat beneath his lips.

He found her mouth again, kissing her deeply. She stroked against the bulge in his pants, and her mouth stifled the groan he uttered at the feel of her. Before he could do anything about it, though, she pulled away, out of his reach. After her warmth, the air-conditioned elevator felt like an arctic zone.

“You're probably wondering about my timing,” she said unevenly.

“For a start,” he said with a grimace, trying to get his raging blood under control. “I thought you said…”

“I know.” She was leaning against the opposite wall. “I didn't really mean to do this…now, I mean. I meant to do this today. I just…”

He waited. “You just what? Have always had this thing for elevators?” He glanced around. He doubted he'd look at elevators the same way again, either.

“I've wanted you,” she said with quiet conviction. “Even when I said that it was a bad idea. Even when I told you we shouldn't. And it's only gotten stronger.”

She looked at the ceiling for a moment, as if gathering her thoughts. Then her green eyes trained on him, solemn and dark.

“I've never felt this way about anybody. I enjoy spending time with you, but I always want more. I have trouble sleeping…and when I do sleep, I dream about you. About us. About you making love to me…”

He closed his eyes, her words doing as much to him as her body had. He'd felt the same way—but hearing her, in that husky-rough voice of hers, talk about him moving inside of her, feeling her surround him, only made the memories of him making love to her more vibrant.

“Jade,” he said, his body throbbing, “I want to do all of those things to you. Just…I can't. Not now.” He looked at her. “You understand, right?”

She smiled wistfully. “I know. And I really thought I could hold out until after the meeting. I'm sorry.”

He didn't want her to be sorry. In fact, the last thing he wanted to do was to switch gears and focus on business. For a brief, foolish moment, he thought about doing just that…restarting the elevator, taking it back to the first floor, and heading right back to the hotel
room. Forget about the meeting, about Reardon, about the whole thing. They'd make love all night and all the next day, and worry about California and the Inesco project some other time. Maybe not ever.

But Robson Steel is depending on this.

Like it or not, she was right the first time—they couldn't screw this up. “Just one more meeting.”

She smiled. “Okay.”

“I'll get through it quickly.”

“Do what you have to do,” she assured him, straightening her skirt and taking several deep breaths.

What he had to do, he thought, was bury himself in her. As soon as possible.

After the meeting.

She got the elevator started again, and he clenched his teeth, staring at her…wanting her.

Ty Reardon would never realize exactly what sort of sacrifice he had made to offer him this deal today, Drew thought when the doors opened on the twenty-third floor and he and Jade stepped out as if nothing had happened. But by God, he'd better make it worth it.

“Drew?” Jade said just before they got to the conference room.

He turned to her. “Yes?”

She leaned up, and he could feel the breath tickle his ear as she whispered, “I don't suppose you could hurry.”

He glanced at his watch. “This will be the quickest meeting you've ever seen.”

 

T
HEY DIDN'T MAKE IT
three steps into his room before she had her arms around his neck, pulling herself to
him. She sensed blindly that he shut the door behind them even as his mouth searched out hers.

“That
was
one of the quickest meetings I've ever seen,” she said, laughing as he reached for her.

He kissed her, hard, then pulled back to reveal a grin. “I made a few concessions. I think he realized what a hurry I was in.” He smiled at her. “I told him it was an emergency, and we had to get back as soon as possible. That it was very, very important.”

She registered a warmth radiating from her chest, all the way out to her extremities. He was like a warrior, capturing her mouth fiercely. Her tongue mated with his, and she thrilled at the taste of him. She worked on the buttons of his shirt, needing to feel all that hot, smooth skin beneath the cotton Oxford. Their arms tangled as he went to work on her blouse, and they wound up bursting into ragged laughter.

“I've wanted you so much,” he said, kissing her between words as he worked at a button.

“I know. I know,” she said, finally tugging his shirt out of the waistband of his slacks and pulling it off of his shoulders. She was stopped by the fact that his cuffs were buttoned. She didn't even pause to unbutton them. She leaned up, feeling the heat coming off of him in waves, and bit his shoulder, gently. “Take me, Drew.”

She registered the sound of cloth tearing as he pulled his shirt off of his wrists, impatiently. He was bare-chested, just as she remembered him from the first time she'd knocked on his hotel room door. Then, he'd looked devilish. Now, he looked ravenous…and he was staring at her.

“I'll buy you a new shirt,” he said just before taking her blouse into his hands and literally tearing it off of her. It should have incensed her, but all she could think
was he was delirious, fierce for her. She wanted him to. She wanted to tear things off of him. Her hands flew to the fly of his pants, taking only a moment to rub her palm over the hardness of his cock as he closed his eyes and took a quick, gasping breath. Then she had his pants undone and was pushing them impatiently open, undoing the boxers. She was still wearing a skirt, and he was pushing it up on her hip, backing her up against the wall. Next thing she knew, she was being lifted, propped up.

“Drew,” she gasped. She wiggled as he tugged at her thigh-highs, kicking off her shoes as he pulled the impeding stockings off of her. Her thong panties were soaked, and his fingers pushing the bit of cloth out of his way was almost her undoing. She moaned, rubbing against his probing fingers.

“Condom. Damn it.”

She wrapped her legs around his waist and he groaned. He carried her to the table, propping her up on it. His cock brushed against the damp curls between her legs, and she whimpered, instinct pushing her against him before sanity pushed her away, breathing hard.

“Hurry,” she said, tugging at him as he got the foil packet opened and rolled the condom on. Then he plunged into her, and she gasped. She was already wet and ready for him, but his size filled her, plowing into her.
“Drew!”

He didn't move her to the bed, although it seemed as if he would. Instead, he pressed her back against the wall, the animal-like frenzy of his entering her making her even hotter. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him deeper into her, leaning back. He cupped her breasts, still cased in her bra, as he moved into her
with strong, steady strokes. “That feels so damned good,” he said between gritted teeth as his body moved into hers.

She held him, biting him gently at the base of his neck even as she raised and lowered herself onto his erection. He gasped, gripping her hips, tilting her, grinding against her. She kissed him, feeling his tongue in her mouth even as the length of his erection stroked hypnotically inside of her. She almost passed out from the sensation of it.

“I don't want to hear,” he said as he pressed into her, “about how this is wrong. How I feel about you isn't wrong.”

“No,” she said as he plunged inside of her, the coldness of the wall a counterpoint to the heat of his body. “No. It's not wrong. Oh, please, harder.”

“Yes,” he said, leaning his forehead against her collarbone and driving into her. She whimpered from the feel of him, rolling her hips to feel the delicious friction of him. “Jade, I want you.”

“Uh…Oh, yeah. Oh, Drew,
yes,
” she moaned as he started moving faster, feeling the hard heat of his erection sliding against her clit. She was clutching at his shoulders, gripping at him with her thighs, even as he continued driving against her, endlessly stoking the sensual fire inside of her.

“Drew!”
she shouted, feeling her body clutch him. Her climax roared through her like a train.

“Jade…Jade!” He slammed into her, and she felt the aftershocks of another climax as he pressed her there against the wall.

After a moment he shifted their weight, angling toward the bed. They collapsed on top of it with a soft
bounce, and she gasped…then started laughing, weakly.

“We're going to kill each other one of these days,” she muttered, then kissed him lightly…lingering over it.

“But we're going to keep doing it, right?”

There was weight to that question, she realized as he peered down at her, his bangs sweaty…his heart in his eyes. He wanted no more rationale of client ethics. No more reasons. No more barriers. No more regrets.

“Yes,” she breathed. “We're going to keep doing it.”

J
ADE WAS LYING SIDEWAYS
on a large, luxurious king-size bed. It was a far cry from the small, tacky motel rooms that they'd stayed in for the past three weeks.

“I can't believe this is our last night on the road,” Drew said.

“I can't believe you got this incredible hotel room,” she said. They were in Las Vegas, and they'd be driving back to San Angelo the next day. He'd indulged in a large room at one of the more expensive hotels on the strip. The place was sumptuous, but still tasteful. The room was decorated in cream and gold, with understated decorations. The only really decadent thing in the place was the spa tub, deep enough for four people, a nod toward the city and its preferences.

“I figured it's the least I could do.” They'd checked in that afternoon, intent on seeing the sights…but hadn't managed to leave the room yet. He was wearing a terry-cloth robe, matching the one she was currently wrapped up in. “After all those hours in the car, all those lumpy, wretched beds…Robson Steel can shell out for a little R and R for two of their hardest-working proponents.”

She laughed as he popped the cork from the bottle of champagne he'd ordered. “I figured you'd wait to celebrate until after the investor meeting,” she said, stretching out. They'd be hitting that spa tub pretty
soon. She could almost feel the hot water on her aching muscles.

His smile was hot, a mix of pure sunlight and sex appeal. “I thought we could celebrate both times.”

She sat up, revising her reverie. She could almost feel the hot water, and
him,
together.

They were
definitely
going to hit the spa tub.

She was about to make that suggestion when her cell phone rang. She'd been charging it, since she had let the battery go dead that week. She glanced at the small display, then groaned.

“What?”

“It's my boss.”

He nuzzled her neck. “Don't answer it.”

“I haven't checked in all week. She probably thinks I'm dead.” Still, she couldn't help but feel the beginnings of arousal as he kissed the hollow of her collarbone, nipped at the sensitive skin at the base of her throat. “Why don't you fill up the tub? Then I'll get her off the phone, and we can, uh, soak a bit.”

“Like the way you think, lady.” Reluctantly he pulled away. She watched him head for the bathroom as she clicked the phone on.

“This is Jade.”

“Where have you been?” Betsy's voice was high-pitched, a little frenetic. Unusual, for her usually collected boss. “I've been trying to get a hold of you for days.”

Jade winced. “Sorry. This week has been crazy. What's wrong?” She felt a little knot of panic in her stomach. She'd been checking e-mails. Had she missed something? One of her regular clients had some kind of crisis she wasn't aware of? She'd never been out of contact with the office for an entire week before…

“No, nothing wrong. But there's a new client that we're trying to land. I need your help, Jade.”

Jade quickly moved to the desk, grabbing the hotel stationery and a pen. “Shoot.”

“I need you to brainstorm some approaches for a personal digital assistant thing. You know, one of those hand-held electronic jobs. How would you make that press worthy?”

“Personal digital assistant thing. Press angles. Got it.” Jade realized that her mind was a complete blank. “Um…let me think about it. I'll e-mail you some ideas.”

“I need them by tonight, Jade. I know you're working on your little pet crusade, but it's time you got back to work, especially if you still want that promotion. At least, that's my assumption.”

“Of course I still want it,” Jade said, reacting to the testiness in her mentor's voice. Jeez. She'd been out of the office for three weeks, and this was the reaction? She felt her warm cocoon of relaxation start to fray around the edges. “I'll come up with ideas tonight and e-mail them to you. Do me a favor and e-mail me anything you have on the client themselves—maybe there's an angle there.”

“That's my girl,” Betsy said, her voice a little more smug. “I'll keep an eye out for your e-mail. I was starting to think you were losing your edge, there.”

Jade didn't even answer that one, even though she felt her blood burn a little at the accusation. “Trust me, I haven't lost my edge.”

“Good. Well, finish up. We need you here in the office.”

“I know, I know. I'll talk to you later.” Jade hung
up, then shut the phone off. She didn't want to talk to Betsy again.

She didn't notice the tension creeping over her as she frowned at the paper. What was press worthy about something people bought to keep track of their schedules? Not very sexy, she thought, doodling. Ordinarily she would have five ideas jotted down before she'd hung up the phone. This was some of her bread and butter—that was what had helped her get as far as she had. That was why Betsy asked for her to be on her team. She'd helped Betsy land more clients, and she'd even worked on a few of them.

All of that will change once I get the promotion.
She'd be working from anywhere in the world, for one thing. She wouldn't be doing lackey work for Betsy. Of course, she wouldn't be home a whole lot, either.

And she'd be nowhere near San Angelo. The thought disquieted her, more than she wanted to admit.

“Jade? You okay?” Drew's voice sounded amplified from the echo of the cavernous bathroom. “The tub's almost filled.”

“Right.” Was she losing her edge? Of course not. Well, she'd been on the road for three weeks, for pity's sake. That was enough to…

No. She wasn't losing her edge.

She wrote the words “organizer,” “electronic” and “Assistant” down, then halfheartedly started to cluster word associations. She was so intent on her task that she jumped when Drew kissed her on the back of her neck.

“The water's ready…and I've got to admit, I'm pretty ready myself.” He glanced over her shoulder. “What are you doing?”

“Betsy needs some help tonight.” She almost
flinched when his hands came down on her shoulders. Then she groaned as he started to knead the tension out of her sore muscles. “I just need to brainstorm some press angles for this hand-held electronic organizer thing. And send her an e-mail tonight.”

“How long is that going to take?”

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. His fingers felt like heaven. “I don't know. At this rate, it's going to take hours. I feel like my brain's on autopilot.”

“Why don't you just relax,” he suggested. “You're pretty fried. Get in the tub with me. I've got some patented relaxation techniques that might help out.”

The rumble of his voice sent sensual shivers through her. “You're trying to get me to avoid work,” she said, trying for sternness and failing miserably.

“Damned right,” he said, then leaned down and kissed her—a slow, lingering, serious kind of a kiss. “I mean it, Jade. You're too stressed out. Let it wait for a couple of hours. You'll be better for it.”

She put up a token resistance. “But…”

He tugged at her hands and she let him lead her to the bathroom. “Shh,” he said. “I know your work is important to you. But you need to let it go for a little bit. You're under too much pressure. Let me help you out.”

She sighed. When was the last time someone had offered that? Or for that matter, had noticed that she needed a little tender loving care? With that in mind, she let him reach for the sash of her robe, tugging the knot undone and letting the robe fall open, revealing the naked skin beneath. She smiled.

“Since you ask so nicely,” she said, and leaned in for another mind-blowing kiss.

 

D
REW PARKED
in the lot of Robson Steel, staring at the old gray building as if he'd never seen it before. It had
been three weeks, but he felt as though it was even longer…and he meant that in a good way. As cliché as it might sound, he felt like a different person. Sure, he had several serious sales under his belt, and that helped his confidence. He'd learned a lot, he'd accomplished a lot. But that wasn't what put the spring in his step as he got out of his car. He looked over to where Jade was climbing out of the passenger seat.

Jade.
She had made all the difference. He'd never met another woman like her—and he doubted he would again.

“You ready?” She stepped close to him. “It's probably going to be a jungle in there.”

“I'm ready.” He started to lean in to kiss her, since she was looking simply kissable in the late-morning sunlight. But he remembered at the last minute their agreement—they weren't going to advertise their relationship.

That is, he was calling it a relationship. He wasn't sure what she thought about it.

She'd spent the past week waking up in his arms. He damned well was calling it a relationship.

“Come on. Let's see what the mice have been up to while the cat's been away.”

She was smiling, a confident sort of grin. He watched as she strutted toward the factory as if she owned it. Since he did own it, he wondered if he'd ever come close to such a sure attitude. He imagined once the investor meeting was landed, he would. And now, thanks to her tutelage, he was more confident that the investor meeting would go smoothly than he was about anything. She was incredible, sexy, devastating,
gorgeous, flirtatious, fun. But more than any of that, she was good at what she did—both in sales, and in teaching. He had no doubts.

Well…almost no doubts.

They walked into the building together, and several of the factory workers were nudging each other, saying hello to him, asking him how it went. He gave them a thumbs-up, smiling broadly. They seemed heartened. However, they also seemed a little…

“Thank God you're back.”

Mrs. Packard hadn't changed a bit since the last time he'd seen her—not that she would, he supposed. “And good morning to you, Mrs. P.”

“The place has gone to hell in a handbasket,” she said without preamble, “and Ken's about ready to jump off the roof.”

He sighed. “I see not much has changed.”

“I've got a pot of coffee going, and there are reports on your desk. We've been fighting off creditors, we've been denied shipment on supplies, and the delivery trucks are threatening to sue us,” she said, standing and escorting him to his office, frowning at Jade as she did so. “What are you going to want to do first?”

“Get my bearings,” he said, feeling his stomach start to tighten as he surveyed the chaos of paperwork that now littered his desk. “Jesus. I'm gone for three weeks, and the factory does everything but catch fire.”

“Oh, did Ken tell you about that?” Mrs. Packard looked at him with a solemn expression.

He blinked at her.

“Just kidding,” she said, her voice never even changing inflection. “Do you want me to send Ken in?”

“I'll call him when I'm ready. Thanks, Mrs. Pack
ard,” he said, the bravura he'd walked in with waning quickly. He sat. Jade sat across from him.

“Wow,” she said, looking around. “Just…wow.”

“This is insane,” he muttered, sifting through the paperwork. There were a lot of official-looking letters, stuff with red stamps of Cancelled on it. He swallowed hard.

She stood quickly, walking over to him. “Don't.”

“Don't what?” He could barely register what she was saying. It looked like the factory was on the brink of bankruptcy. The success of the sales he got suddenly meant nothing. Less than nothing. He'd been deluding himself. He might as well throw in the towel on the thought of the investor meeting. With this? How was he going to…

To his surprise, she grabbed his face, angling him toward her. “Listen to me,” she said, her voice low and impassioned. “You're going to be fine. This is all temporary stuff. I know you. I believe in you. You can do this.”

“Jade, have you looked at…”

“Shh.” She leaned forward and kissed him gently. “Yes, I saw. But remember what I told you? Nobody screws up on my watch. You'll be fine.”

He sighed. “I wish I had your confidence sometimes.”

Her green eyes glowed. “You do have my confidence, Drew.”

He smiled, and would have leaned up for another kiss, but Ken walked in, ruining their moment. “Drew! Thank God you're here.”

“When did people stop saying hello and start saying ‘Drew, thank God you're here' instead?” Drew muttered.

Ken ignored his little joke. “I've got about twenty fires to put out, the most important being the suppliers. If we don't get some more ore, we are hosed. We have
got
to get more materials in the pipeline!” He stopped, midtirade. “Oh. Hello, Ms. Morrow.”

“Jade, please.” She smiled. “I imagine you've got a lot to talk about with your boss. Do you have an empty office anywhere that I might use? I want to work on your presentation slides a little bit before I call it quits.”

“You'll still be around, though, right?” Drew knew Ken was probably wondering about his attachment. A blind man could have seen that there was something between Drew and his sexy consultant from the minute he walked in the room. But Drew didn't care.

Jade smiled as she got up. “Yes. I'll still be here.”

Ken pointed her to a tiny empty office just down the hall. Actually, it was more like a supply room with an old desk in it, but she didn't complain. Drew wasn't surprised. The woman was a fighter.

Well, so was he.

Nine hours and about a million phone calls later, Drew was rubbing at his eyes, feeling the tension between his shoulder blades like a massive vise. The good news was that he'd managed to get their next shipment released with some fast talking and only a few personal favors. The bad news was, it was the last time he'd be able to. He'd used up all of his good grace in one day.