Suddenly Sexy by Susanna Carr Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Susanna Carr
Perry whistling the Murder, She Wrote theme song as he walked down the hall. She was very aware that the office door was wide open. She knew the people in the nearby cubicles were trying to listen in as they pretended to work. She was tempted to slam the door shut, but that would create more interest in her colleagues.
“You have no right to change our agreement,” she whispered fiercely.
“I have every right,” he said as he straightened his desk.
“Why am I the only one on probation?” She briefly looked over her shoulder before lowering her voice. “Is this because you lost a bet?”
He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe she would question his decision. “Everything about the premarital screening is dependent on the decoy. If you can’t entrap our target, we need to find someone who can.”
“I seduced you,” she pointed out. “Is that proof enough that I can be a decoy?” Julie cringed, wishing she hadn’t said those words.
He shot a cautionary glance.
“What more do you want?” she asked as exasperation bled into her voice. “Another demonstration?”
Oh, crap. She couldn’t believe she said that. Actually, she could. She wanted to demonstrate how she felt. She wanted another chance to roll around his desk. Her skin was still flushed, her veins buzzing with excitement and the longing inside her was a low, insistent ache.
She watched with a mix of trepidation and exhilaration as Eric rounded the desk. She saw the guarded expression in his eyes and disappointment crashed inside her. He wasn’t going to let her get close to him again.
“This conversation is over. I need to meet with Perry.”
She followed him out of his office. “I know that you’re angry because you lost the deal. But that doesn’t give you the right to make me suffer. You never struck me as petty.”
Eric turned and she had to stop abruptly or risk plowing into his lean, muscular chest. She looked up into his stormy blue eyes.
“Don’t you get it?” he asked. “You are my responsibility. Your safety is my top priority. I know it’s not yours.”
She shrugged at the idea. “It is.”
“I predict that on your first assignment you will throw yourself headfirst into danger to succeed. I’m not going to tolerate that.”
He was correct in assuming she would do anything to succeed, but she would take calculated risks. “I don’t need to be protected. I am going to be an equal member of this team.”
“That position needs to be earned.” The look in his eye indicated she had a long way to go. “A team member, a partner, has to prove to be reliable and trustworthy.”
She had all those qualities. Every boring, unglamorous one of them. “Ask anyone in this office and they’ll tell you how dependable I am.”
“I don’t need to ask anyone. Right now I don’t trust you.”
That hurt, but she knew why he felt that way. “I understand that.” She raised her hands in surrender. “The bet was a bad idea, but I want you to know that I wouldn’t have made it with just anyone.”
“Doesn’t matter. Today the only thing you proved to me is that you’re not the woman I thought you were.”
Julie’s mouth fell open as she watched Eric leave and walk to Perry’s office. What did that mean? That she wasn’t a Goody Two-shoes? That the girl next door was just as dangerous to his senses as the femme fatale he met in exotic cities?
What it really meant was that she messed up. Big-time. She leaned against the wall and sighed. Sure, she got the assignment but she lost the chance to have something special with Eric.
* * *
E RIC WAS DETERMINED TO spend the next day in his office. He needed to clear his head and stay away from Julie. He didn’t want to look at her, hear her laugh or inhale her perfume.
Though it didn’t take long for him to acknowledge that barricading himself in his office wasn’t going to work.
He heard her familiar footsteps in the hallway. As much as he tried to ignore
“You have no right to change our agreement,” she whispered fiercely.
“I have every right,” he said as he straightened his desk.
“Why am I the only one on probation?” She briefly looked over her shoulder before lowering her voice. “Is this because you lost a bet?”
He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe she would question his decision. “Everything about the premarital screening is dependent on the decoy. If you can’t entrap our target, we need to find someone who can.”
“I seduced you,” she pointed out. “Is that proof enough that I can be a decoy?” Julie cringed, wishing she hadn’t said those words.
He shot a cautionary glance.
“What more do you want?” she asked as exasperation bled into her voice. “Another demonstration?”
Oh, crap. She couldn’t believe she said that. Actually, she could. She wanted to demonstrate how she felt. She wanted another chance to roll around his desk. Her skin was still flushed, her veins buzzing with excitement and the longing inside her was a low, insistent ache.
She watched with a mix of trepidation and exhilaration as Eric rounded the desk. She saw the guarded expression in his eyes and disappointment crashed inside her. He wasn’t going to let her get close to him again.
“This conversation is over. I need to meet with Perry.”
She followed him out of his office. “I know that you’re angry because you lost the deal. But that doesn’t give you the right to make me suffer. You never struck me as petty.”
Eric turned and she had to stop abruptly or risk plowing into his lean, muscular chest. She looked up into his stormy blue eyes.
“Don’t you get it?” he asked. “You are my responsibility. Your safety is my top priority. I know it’s not yours.”
She shrugged at the idea. “It is.”
“I predict that on your first assignment you will throw yourself headfirst into danger to succeed. I’m not going to tolerate that.”
He was correct in assuming she would do anything to succeed, but she would take calculated risks. “I don’t need to be protected. I am going to be an equal member of this team.”
“That position needs to be earned.” The look in his eye indicated she had a long way to go. “A team member, a partner, has to prove to be reliable and trustworthy.”
She had all those qualities. Every boring, unglamorous one of them. “Ask anyone in this office and they’ll tell you how dependable I am.”
“I don’t need to ask anyone. Right now I don’t trust you.”
That hurt, but she knew why he felt that way. “I understand that.” She raised her hands in surrender. “The bet was a bad idea, but I want you to know that I wouldn’t have made it with just anyone.”
“Doesn’t matter. Today the only thing you proved to me is that you’re not the woman I thought you were.”
Julie’s mouth fell open as she watched Eric leave and walk to Perry’s office. What did that mean? That she wasn’t a Goody Two-shoes? That the girl next door was just as dangerous to his senses as the femme fatale he met in exotic cities?
What it really meant was that she messed up. Big-time. She leaned against the wall and sighed. Sure, she got the assignment but she lost the chance to have something special with Eric.
* * *
E RIC WAS DETERMINED TO spend the next day in his office. He needed to clear his head and stay away from Julie. He didn’t want to look at her, hear her laugh or inhale her perfume.
Though it didn’t take long for him to acknowledge that barricading himself in his office wasn’t going to work.
He heard her familiar footsteps in the hallway. As much as he tried to ignore