Page 13 of Beguiled

My head was swimming, his words echoing. There wasn’t a chance that… No. No way.

“Thank you, sir. I appreciate that.” When I opened the door, I thought I heard him chuckle.

“There’s one more thing, Saige. I tend to savor children for dessert instead of breakfast. It gives me something to look forward to in my dull drudgery of a life.”

CHAPTER 3

Stash

Deliciously decadent and destructive.

My thoughts. About her. A woman I shouldn’t desire in such a primal way or any way at all.

But I did.

What was the saying? One taste was never enough?

I’d thought of my assistant often and at all times of the day after sharing such a passionate experience. Few women if any had created the kind of need that had managed to furrow into my system. Try as I may, and I definitely had done so, I couldn’t erase the memory or the desire. My only jollies were pushing her limits. It was very enjoyable because she could give it right back.

I yanked off my glasses, tossing them aside and immediately rubbing my eyes. The ache behind them had nothing to do with coffee or exhaustion, although I’d gotten little sleep lately.

The dull throbbing at my temple bore a name and had for weeks. No, months.

Saige Fucking Mitchell.

Angel bez kryl’yev

An angel with no wings.

Otherwise known as a temptress extraordinaire.

Very few people challenged me.

In fact, I couldn’t remember the last time anyone had done so. At least not since I’d taken the position as CFO of the Chertov Corporation or as Enforcer to the Pakhan and my cousin. In Moscow. In Sicily. In New York. There wasn’t a single man who’d pushed what were self-imposed limitations because my reputation always preceded me.

My eyes fell down the length of Saige’s long legs, amused that she’d worn tennis shoes to the meeting. For the first time, it was as if I’d made her nervous. One of the reasons she’d been hired, other than her impressive resume, had been her attitude at the Christmas party that had carried into our interview. There was no mistaking our connection, although we’d done a damn good job on pretense.

The quick look over her shoulder allowed a thrill. What the hell was I doing playing games with her? The moment was brief, but the spark that we’d both felt throughout the conversation kept the air in the room charged.

Witnessing a flash of her temper the moment she’d realized that I’d read her email was priceless. And exactly what I’d been going for.

Perhaps the game being played was unforgivable, but I was the boss.

Albeit briefly, I’d even been gifted the joy of seeing her almost lose her perfect calm, launching into me. I’d felt it before, her longing to tell me exactly what she thought and we were this close.

Laughing, I rubbed my jaw, allowing myself to take a few moments envisioning what her expression must have been when she realized I’d read her email.

Truth be told, I’d been surprised she’d made such a mistake in sending it to me instead of her intended party. I wondered if Tawny had ever received it. I didn’t know her friend, but I could tell the two were close. Then again, the juicy mental lapse had been late at night, perhaps just before she’d gone to bed.

Saige Mitchell.

There it was again, the thought of her name dredging up wanton desires that shouldn’t cross my mind. Ever.

Boring. The woman had called me boring? Seriously? What was boring about me? And I did not have eight of the same suits lined up one by one. Maybe four.

With a slight shake of my head, I could laugh at myself. She’d pegged me just like I’d done with her.

As I took a deep breath while mentally enunciating the syllables in her name, I realized her perfume lingered in my personal space. Lightly floral with a hint of citrus. The scent was exactly what I’d expect a woman with full intention of remaining professional would select.