Page 68 of Office Intrigue (Office Intrigue Duet 1)
The waitress delivered our drinks and I grabbed the glass and took a sip. “I’d prefer not to discuss it.”
I tried not to take work home with me. I worked a lot of hours as it was. Although I didn’t necessarily arrive at the office at the ass-crack of dawn, I did work late into the evenings, most of the time on conference calls or looking over presentations.
Not that I was complaining. Business was good and the money was great, so I had nothing to bitch about.
“How’d Luci seem to you today?” Landon asked me directly.
I gave a brief shrug. “I didn’t see much of her. Why?”
He shrugged also.
Ben grinned. “She seemed far less…frustrated than she did on Tuesday. I think we did a number on her.”
I grinned as I took another sip of my scotch. We’d purposely worked Luci into a frenzy on Tuesday, and apparently, we’d achieved our goal. It hadn’t been with cruel intentions, mind you. We simply wanted to see how far we could push her before she snapped. I was happy to say the woman had far more patience than most people.
“I’m just glad you took the edge off,” Justin said to Ben, leaning back in his chair.
“Took the edge off?” Ben chuckled. “I think I did more than that.”
Justin grinned, but his attention was on his drink. “I wish I could’ve been there to see it.”
“She was far more relaxed today,” Landon noted. “But I think she’s expecting more from us.”
I couldn’t keep from asking, “More how?”
“More attention,” Justin supplied. “I don’t think she was kidding when she made her request.”
“Sexual attention?” I frowned. “More than we’ve given her this week?”
“Yes.”
I glanced at my partners. “I’m more than happy to provide that, but I don’t want to hurt her.” Nor did I want her to think we were simply in it for sex. Granted, the sex was intensely satisfying, but even I knew we needed to get to know her as we progressed. When it came to Domination and submission, it was far more than sexual. There was an intimacy that would forge a bond. That was my overall objective where Luci was concerned.
Not that I was opposed to riding her hard and often. As it was, I wanted far more than I was getting.
“She’s definitely a feisty one,” Landon noted with a grin. “I think she’s gonna give us all a run for our money.”
“She didn’t even bat an eyelash when I called her into my office Monday afternoon and fucked her over the back of the chair.” Justin grabbed his menu as the waitress arrived.
That was something I didn’t want to think long and hard about. I didn’t have any claims to the girl, but truthfully, I wanted more of her time, more of her attention. For myself. And my brother.
Several minutes later we had ordered dinner and more drinks were delivered. While my partners talked about…whatever, my mind was elsewhere. On Luci, to be more specific.
I couldn’t seem to get her out of my head, which was new for me. I’d been a sexual Dominant since I was old enough to know what it meant. I’d never had an issue with women, never gone without sex unless it was my choice. Yet when I thought about Luci, I wasn’t merely thinking about sex.
And that fucking bothered me.
I liked the girl. I liked how fucking hot she was when she came. But I also liked her smile, the way she laughed so easily, and the way she treated people. She was getting under my skin in a way I wasn’t comfortable with.
Glancing over at Landon, I wondered what he thought of her. We hadn’t had much discussion about Luci. Perhaps that was because we both knew she was more than what we’d originally bargained for. Hell, I’d learned that before we even offered her the office arrangement.
“What’s on your mind, Moore?”
Justin’s question pulled me from my thoughts.
“Just tryin’ to relax,” I told him, once again reaching for my drink.
“Or you’re plotting what to do with our feisty little secretary tomorrow,” Justin countered.
I cocked one eyebrow. “Are you saying it’s my turn again?”
He waved me off. “We aren’t taking turns.”
No, technically, we weren’t. We were letting things play out naturally.
Sort of.
I was trying to be cognizant of everyone’s time with Luci. I knew myself, knew if I were to unleash on her, I would dominate not only her body but also her time. It was a part of me that I was attempting to keep reined in.
Unfortunately, if instances such as what played out between Ben and Luci on Tuesday night happened too much more, I wasn’t sure I would be able to control myself.
And that, I knew, was a recipe for disaster.
Twenty-Seven
THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK was relatively quiet. With Justin away on business for most of the week and the other three busy handling client issues and concerns, I was able to get everything nailed down for the upcoming quarterly meeting. I was stoked about the opportunity and pleased when my bosses informed me that I would be leading it from beginning to end.
