She shook her head and her hair tumbled down around her shoulders. He’d loosened the pins, which fell onto the hardwood floor. Her hair was long, so much longer than he’d realized. It reached nearly to her waist. And it was thick and wavy. How had he never noticed how damn sexy it was? How damn sexy she was?
“I want to leave,” she said, her voice steadier now as if she’d forced herself to stop stammering.
He stepped back and swept his arm toward the door. “Go ahead.” He’d never had to hold a woman against her will. Usually he was the one who had to fight to escape.
Bette moved forward but swayed slightly. Maybe she’d had more to drink than he’d thought, which was another good reason to stop. Because despite what she claimed, she wanted him. He could easily change her mind about staying with just another kiss, another caress...
And he was tempted to do just that because he wanted her, so much that it surprised him. She could have betrayed his and his partners’ practice. She could be a con, like him, like his father. Maybe the cardigan sweater and black-framed glasses were just part of the act and the lingerie was the real her.
Was that why he was suddenly attracted to her, because he hadn’t had a challenge in so long? Bette Monroe might pose his greatest challenge yet. He watched as she walked toward the door, watched her hips rock back and forth beneath that tight, sexy skirt. And he swallowed a groan of desire.
Then she stopped, halfway to the door, and turned back to him and said, “I won’t be coming back.”
He arched a brow. “Really?”
“I am not working out a two-week notice,” she said, and her voice wasn’t just steady. It was dead calm with determination.
He grinned at the challenge she was going to pose. Then he told her, with equal determination, “Yes, you are.”
She shook her head, tumbling all that glorious dark hair around her shoulders and over the cardigan. The thick tresses hid some of the red bustier he’d revealed. He’d always been a sucker for brunettes.
Had she known that? Was that why she’d interviewed to be his assistant two years ago? Had she been working him all this time?
“No,” she said. “I can’t work with you now.”
He shrugged. “Why not? Because I kissed you?” He intended to do a hell of a lot more than that to her. Over and over again. Now he wanted to see what was beneath that lingerie. He wanted to touch and taste every inch of her silky skin.
She nodded. “That’s sexual harassment.”
“You already turned in your resignation,” he reminded her. It was probably a fine line, but he was a damn good lawyer. His employment agreements were indisputable. “And you will serve out your notice, just as stipulated in your contract.”
“But—but...” Her mouth fell open on a gasp. “You can’t want me to work here still.”
Knowing that she was probably the mole, no, he shouldn’t want her to work at Street Legal a second longer. But he would be careful to keep her away from all the case files.
He had other plans for keeping her busy. His body throbbed as some of the images he intended to act out flashed through his mind. Her on her knees, sucking on his cock.
Her sexy bare ass bent over his desk as he drove himself inside her...
Sweat broke out on his lip as tension gripped his body. He intended to sensually torment and seduce her into revealing her betrayal. But all of the thoughts of how he would do that were torturing him.
“Oh, I intend to work you,” he warned her as he stepped closer to her. His chest bumped against her breasts, which rose with her pants for breath so much that they nearly spilled over the top of the bustier. “Long and hard...”
And that was just him.
She gasped again, and her dark eyes widened even more with shock. And that desire she kept denying. “You can’t make me do anything but work,” she insisted, her voice husky and breathless.
He nodded but a grin tugged at his lips. “We’ll see...”
She had no idea how persuasive he could be. He had never turned his charm on her before. But he fully intended to do that now.
He was going to seduce the office mole. He was going to con the con until she revealed all her secrets and begged to stay with him—in the office and in bed.
* * *
It was just a dream. That was all it had been. It couldn’t have actually happened last Friday night. Simon Kramer couldn’t have really hit on her.
On Bette Monroe.
He hadn’t kissed her, hadn’t touched her...hadn’t hinted at wanting to do even more to her.
No. It was just a dream. And convincing herself of that was the only way she’d managed to come in to the office on Monday morning. That and that damn contract she’d signed. She had no doubt that he would enforce it had she decided to not work out her two-week notice.
The elevator bell dinged as the car reached the top floor. When the doors slid open, she sucked in a deep breath—bracing herself before she stepped out onto the floor for the Street Legal law practice. It was just two weeks. She’d lasted two years working for Simon Kramer, which—by his own admission—was longer than most of his previous assistants had.
Two weeks was nothing.
She lifted her chin and forced a smile for the receptionist as she walked past him on her way to her office. Miguel nodded in return. The former gang member looked more like a bouncer than a receptionist, which was appropriate since he often had to act more like a bouncer than a receptionist. His voice was like deep velvet, though, when he answered the phone. “Street Legal, how may I help you?”
Would he help her if she asked? Not if she needed help with Simon Kramer. Miguel was fiercely loyal to the managing partner of Street Legal. But she wouldn’t need help. Simon wasn’t going to attack her. Even if what had happened Friday night hadn’t been a dream, he hadn’t attacked.
He had seduced, which was far more dangerous. An attack she could have fought off. Even before moving to New York City six years ago, she had taken self-defense classes. She also carried Mace in her purse. She was prepared for an attack. She was not prepared for Simon Kramer’s charm.
She couldn’t believe she’d managed to walk away from him Friday night, that she hadn’t been tempted to stay and find out if he was as good as all his ex-lovers had claimed. If he was the best...
She shivered and shook her head. No. He didn’t tempt her. Not at all.
Liar, she called herself like he had called her that night.
The minute she stepped into her office, he turned that charm on her, grinning at her from where he reclined in her chair, his feet up on her desk. That grin stole away the breath she’d drawn. He was so damn good-looking. The grin didn’t just curve his sensual lips and show his perfectly straight white teeth; it made his blue eyes sparkle, highlighting the glint of mischief in them.
As if she’d looked directly at the sun, she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. But when she opened them again, he was still there. Ignoring her pounding pulse and heart, she narrowed her eyes and focused on him. Sure, his masculine beauty would probably burn her retinas, but she risked it to study him. Despite the grin and the relaxed posture, he had tension in his broad shoulders and the rigid line of his jaw.
Something was bothering him. She doubted he was that upset about her resignation. Sure, hiring a new assistant would be an inconvenience, but he’d barely noticed let alone appreciated her these past two years.
His grin widened, and he greeted her with a “Good morning, sunshine.”
The greeting was more apt for him. With his golden-blond hair and sparkling smile,