STEP BY STEP by Clarissa Black Read Free Book Online Page B

was. “I need you to come into my office.”

 
    “Um,” I stalled. “I’m kind of indisposed
right now.”

 
    “Indisposed?” he echoed.

 
    The warm coffee that glued my blouse to
my skin was beginning to cool, leaving a sickeningly gross sensation on my
skin. I was going to have to figure out a way to get out of there, run home,
and change clothes, without anyone noticing.

 
    “Can I meet you in an hour?” I asked.

 
    “An hour? No, no,” he said. “We need to
talk now.”

 
    “I can’t,” I said to him. I didn’t want
him to see me looking like a drowned rat. I secretly loved that he found me
attractive, as confusing as that was, and I’d have been mortified for him to
see me looking less than put together.

 
    “You’re acting weird,” he said. I paused;
not knowing what to say, and then I heard the click of his receiver as he hung
up.

 
    Relieved that I’d bought myself a little
time, I stood up and grabbed my purse. The second I reached for my door handle
to leave my office, I felt a little resistance on the other side. As I pulled
the door open, Mr. Woodfield was standing opposite
me, his hand also gripped on the doorknob.

 
    His eyes scanned me up and down, resting
for a moment on my soaking blouse that was practically see through at that
point.

 
    Suddenly vulnerable, I crossed my arms
across my chest and took a step back. “I need to run home and change.”

 
    He stepped into my office, shutting the
door behind him. He had that hungry, insatiable look in his eyes again.

 
    “What are you doing?” I asked, my voice
meek and unsure.

 
    He stepped closer towards me, reaching
his hand over to grab my delicate wrist and to pull me into him. His eyes
locked into mine, he unbuttoned my blouse, one button at a time. Standing in
his space, breathing him in, it took everything I had not to completely submit
to him.

 
    When my blouse was fully unbuttoned, he
slid it off, pulling it softly down my shoulders and inadvertently tickling a
trail with his fingertips in the process. I closed my eyes, half wanting him to
kiss me again like he did the night before, but have chiding myself for being
so unprofessional and inappropriate.

 
    Standing before him, shirtless and at his
mercy, I saw something different in his eyes. I watched as he reached over to a
closet behind the door. I’d seen it before, but I never bothered using it. I
didn’t have much to put in my office yet, and since I was only going to be here
a few months, I didn’t want to make myself too much at home.

 
    “Here,” he said. He pulled out a silk,
Aztec-print blouse that had been hanging on a hanger in the closet. “Put this
on.”

 
    I grabbed it, holding it out in front of
me. It was a size 6, perfect for me, and I slipped it on. The soft, silk felt
wonderful against my skin, and I could tell it wasn’t a cheap top.

 
    I opened my lips to ask him where it came
from, but then I remembered. We were in Sapphire Hart’s old office. That was
her old closet. I was standing there in her old shirt.

 
    “Thank you,” I said. I smoothed the
blouse into place, grateful that it went with my tan slacks, and tried to
collect myself in his powerful presence. Seeing a softer side of him gave me
hope: hope that maybe he wasn’t such a controlling asshole all of the time.

 
    “So you needed me?”   I asked, trying to pretend that that
hadn’t just happened.

 
    “Yes,” he said with pause in his voice as
his icy blue eyes studied mine. “We need to talk about last night.”

 
    “Last night?” I played dumb, but I knew
exactly what he meant.

 
    “The kiss…” he said. His brows furrowed
as he licked his lips and stared deep into my eyes. He cleared his throat and
pressed his hands into his hips, trying to stifle something. He seemed
conflicted.

 
    “Oh, the kiss,” I echoed, trying to act
casual and hide the fact that it was all I could think about. “What about