“Ooh, let’s dance!” he continued, not missing a beat. “I told you this group was good, right?” he said, and before she could agree or disagree, Tony was dragging her onto the dance floor. As he did, she glanced over her shoulder in time to see Max, his gaze locked with hers as a woman she recognized from upper management touched his arm, speaking to him in earnest.
Nikki barely held on to the frustrated sigh. She knew she wasn’t the only one who had her eyes on Max Stele.
* * *
“May I interrupt?”
Breathless from the exertion of dancing to not one but three back-to-back songs, Nikki turned and nearly collided with the hard wall of Max’s chest.
“Oh, my,” she said, her hands touching the granitelike wall of his chest, her fingers sinking into the soft, silk fabric of his shirt.
For the past two hours, between Tony keeping her busy talking—aka gossiping his damn head off—dancing, eating and drinking, and basically having the best time she’d had in years, she had been unable to continue her “mission,” as she thought of it. That was probably a good thing, as after that first encounter Nikki hadn’t been within ten feet of Max.
After the first dance, she’d begged off dancing again and had searched out Max, only to find him again surrounded by a bevy of women. All looking beautiful, all with one look on each of their faces: lust for Max Stele.
Refusing to let that ruin her good time, she’d allowed Tony to drag her onto the dance floor again and even accepted dance invites from some of her colleagues as well as men who’d come to the party as guests.
Occasionally she’d catch glimpses of him in the party throng, but as the night had worn on, folks had gotten bolder and more liquored up and the office party had acquired an all-out club vibe: dancing, singing, drinking...and many, many hookups, she noted.
“And I ain’t mad at ’em...are you, boo?” Tony had asked her at one point when they’d caught several employees acting in a way she knew they’d be embarrassed as hell about come Monday morning.
But it wasn’t Monday morning, and everyone was having a goooood time, she thought, giggling, the free-flowing alcohol and great music agreeing with her as she nodded her head at Tony, cosigning on his statement. Nope. She was definitely not mad at anyone for enjoying the event.
So when she bumped into him, spinning away from her current partner’s arms and smack dab into his, she raised her eyes and her hands seemed to, of their own volition, come up and touch his chest. Her fingers widened, as did her eyes, when she felt the...strength of the hard wall.
Hmm.
The man was fine, she thought. And in the words of her friend, she most definitely wasn’t mad at that fact, she thought, and giggled.
He smiled down at her. Placed a thick finger beneath her chin and raised her eyes to meet his. “Having a good time, baby?” he asked.
Any other time, a man calling her “baby,” particularly one she didn’t know, would immediately turn her off.
But when Max called her that... She kept her eyes on his, unable to look away as she held her breath, feeling a blush warm her face.
“I’ve been watching you all night. Dancing, having a good time.”
“It’s...it’s been wonderful, all of this,” she said, breaking eye contact to glance around.
At that moment, the bandleader grabbed the microphone and announced a small break, and immediately the sounds of a popular, bluesy R & B song filled the ballroom. Couples began to sway together to the music.
She swallowed, unable to look at him.
But he wasn’t allowing her even that. He brought her face back around, locking his gaze with hers as he wrapped an arm around her waist, bringing her even tighter, more flush against his body as he began to sway them in unison to the music.
The lights had been dimmed even more and although she knew no one could see her expression, she felt as though her lust for this man was on display for all the world to see.
Her lust made her feel vulnerable. Exposed.
“And seeing you having a good time has made me quite excited,” he murmured low, for her ears only.
Her eyes widened and she inhaled a sharp breath.
His shaft pressed hotly, thickly against her stomach while his hand moved up and down her back. She moaned, her eyes closing as she exhaled the long breath she’d been holding.
Damn.
He did this to her and they were both fully clothed. She was on fire for him....
“More,” he whispered, bending his head down so that their foreheads nearly touched.
Startled, her eyes flew open and glanced up at him, their gazes locking.
A soft frown creased her brows. “Excuse me?”
“I want you more.”
She gulped. It was as though he read her mind. There was no way she could hide from him.
She stared up into his beautiful emerald-green eyes, which blazed down at her. Watching her.... She read his need, one that matched her own.
She felt a rash of goose bumps feather down her legs, something that happened whenever she was sexually aroused.
It had been so long since that had happened, she’d forgotten the telling goose bumps appeared without fail when she was...wet.
She clenched her legs together, her core seeming to throb. Inhaling a deep breath, she broke eye contact with him, forcing herself to look away.
This is insane, she thought, her heartbeat racing out of control.
“It’s okay,” he breathed against her ear, again reading her mind. But it was as though he held some sort of key or magic wand, because as soon as he voiced the assuring words, she felt the tension begin to ease from her. When he hugged her tightly, she allowed her body to meld, once again, into his.
As they danced, their bodies moved as one, in perfect harmony, as though they’d practiced for years. They naturally seemed to catch the other’s rhythm with the ease of seasoned pros.
This connection...whatever they had was unlike anything Nikki had ever felt. Maybe it was the wine making her feel this way, she thought. Maybe it was her desire to let loose and enjoy. To enjoy being a woman and all that meant. Maybe it was the fact that he was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. Or maybe a combination of all of the above.
As she pressed her cheek against his chest, their bodies moving as one to the slow beat of the love song, she didn’t care what it was. She knew one thing and one thing only. She wanted this man to sex her up six ways to Sunday. And she wanted him in the worst kind of way.
A smile kicked up the corner of her mouth.
She moved her head from his chest, suddenly aware, afraid someone was watching, that someone would see what he was doing to her, even though her desire was not overt.
“I want you so damn bad, Nikki Francine Danes. In the worst way.”
And just like that, her desire and lust for him grew exponentially. His seductive pronouncement, whispered in her ear, made her glad she’d worn panties. If she hadn’t, her cream would be running down her legs right about now, she thought. She bit back a groan and restrained herself from grinding her body against his.
“Come with me, Nikki. I have a room in the hotel,” he said, and Nikki watched his sensual lips as they framed the words.
Without thinking, she lifted a finger to trace his mouth.
So