She knew what she was up against the moment she stepped into his office. The problem was he had left her with a craving she was helpless to appease until he said the word. Somehow she thought he had done that on purpose, establishing who calls the shots in the little game they found themselves playing.
They had danced around each other over the past couple of days. She would take one step forward, he would take two back. Always out of reach. Always cool. While she was slowly being driven nuts by lust. If he was trying to teach her a lesson, Sarah wasn’t appreciating his method of teaching.
The buzz of the doorbell made her start. Thoughts of him on her doorstep with bedroom eyes and a can of whipped cream had her heart stumbling over itself in excitement.
“Sarah? Are you home?” Marcy’s voice boomed from the entryway leaving her libido to pout in the corner.
“Kitchen.”
“Are you ready … ” Marcy stopped short when she saw Sarah’s rather impressive state of laziness. “Who died?”
“What? Can’t a girl lounge around her own house in ancient pajamas without a tragedy?”
“Well yeah, for the normal people.”
She arched a brow at her friend standing shocked in the doorway. “And that would make me …”
“Impressively overpunctual.” Marcy smiled. “Are you going to get ready or do you plan on displaying this in all its glory to the citizens of Chicago?”
“Give me fifteen minutes.” She sighed and went to make sure she didn’t scare the hardened population of the greater Chicago area.
***
“What was all that about anyway?” Marcy asked while Sarah locked up.
“Mental preparedness.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, my panties have been on fire for three days and the man with the … equipment to put it out has been invited to our weekly dinner.”
Sarah didn’t mean to snap but apparently this level of horny made her a smidgen cranky.
“I see.” She could practically hear the smirk in her friend’s reply.
“Not now,” she nearly growled. This thing with Falon was turning her into an animal. “You invited him. Whatever made you decide that was a good idea I’ll never know—”
“The steam rising from your panties gave me the idea. Not all of us are blind.”
“But you did.” She continued as if she didn’t hear Marcy’s lewd comment. “And now you are responsible for whatever mess you have created.”
“What mess?” Marcy asked sweetly.
“The smoldering puddle of need I leave Mr. Falon Wolfe in by the end of the evening.”
Marcy threw her head back in laughter and Sarah felt the first real smile in the last three days part her lips. Two could play at this game.
***
Falon checked the time on his watch for what felt like the hundredth time. He wasn’t sure if he was checking because he was regretting accepting the dinner invitation or out of impatience to see Sarah.
He hadn’t touched her in nearly thirty-six hours and the lack of contact was affecting him more than he cared to admit. He told himself it was because he was being extra cautious with her. She called to him in an elemental way that left him with an uncomfortable ache in his chest he didn’t care to examine too closely.
“What time did you say they would be here?” he asked Frank. Again.
“Marcy said they should be here by seven-thirty.”
Frank shifted in his seat like he was nervous. When he checked his own watch, Falon got the feeling he was missing something. What was going on?
But before he could question him, Frank sat straighter, his gaze focused over Falon’s shoulder. “Here they come.”
When he turned, Falon wished the other man would have warned him. He struggled not to choke on his tongue, which felt suddenly too large for his mouth. If he thought the dress he forced Sarah to wear the other night was sexy, it didn’t hold a candle to the number she had on tonight. Cream lace hugged her curves from mid-thigh to breasts. Her shoulders were left bare by the strapless dress causing his once dry mouth to flood. Any minute now he was bound to do a passable impression of that randy cartoon wolf, bugging eyes and all.
“Holy hell,” he said.
“You can say that again.” Frank sounded almost as awestruck as Falon was sure he did.
Forcing his eyes from all that lace and creamy skin he could see why. Marcy went all out for the evening as well in a midnight blue dress so tight he wasn’t sure how she was going to manage to sit. Not distracted for long, his eyes focused back on Sarah and the halo of red curls that framed her gingersnap bedroom eyes. Male pride rumbled through him when he realized he had put that look there. She wanted him. Now if only he could control himself long enough to give them both what they wanted. And Lord, how he wanted.
“Gentlemen,” Marcy greeted them. “Please, don’t get up.”
The wicked look she gave Frank said it all. She knew it would be rather embarrassing for them if they managed to get to their feet.
“Have we kept you waiting long?” she asked as she slid into the seat next to Frank.
“Didn’t notice,” Frank answered, not taking his eyes off of the brunette bombshell to his left.
Falon felt Sarah take her place next to him like a physical caress. His body drew to attention making him shift in his seat to find some relief. He had until the end of dinner to get himself under control. Another cold shower just wasn’t going to do the trick tonight. Not with Sarah wrapped so deliciously in that innocent-looking lace.
Someone clearing their throat pulled him from the wicked plans he had for her. “I’m sorry what?”
“What would you like to drink, sir?” their rather annoyed looking waiter asked.
“Whisky. On the rocks.” He had been so lost in his thoughts he hadn’t noticed the man’s approach or the others ordering. “Better make that a double.” He was going to need it.
***
Sarah was going worship the ground Marcy walked on if tonight went as planned. She hadn’t been sure about the dress, but she had assured her that it was just the thing to get Falon’s tongue wagging. She had been right. Sarah had practically seen it roll out of the man’s mouth when he spotted them across the restaurant.
Sliding into the seat next to his, she felt the awareness arc between them like a living thing. It was a needy beast demanding they fulfill it.
“So do you think you can turn the agency around?” Frank’s question drew her attention away from the many, many ways she planned on being fulfilled in the next few hours.
“Absolutely,” Falon answered after swallowing half his drink. “You have a solid, if not small, client base. Now that I have all the behind-the-scenes details handled I’ll be moving on to creating a new face for the agency. Something to carry it into the future.”
She listened as he outlined the new marketing strategy and media campaign he had in the works for Maxwell, Williams, and Blake. He truly did have some wonderful ideas. Not that she was surprised, he didn’t get where he was today without being good at what he did. But studying him she could tell there was a difference between being good at something and having a passion for it. She wasn’t sure he had a passion for anything.
“What do you say about going dancing?” Marcy asked the table.
Sarah nearly snickered when Falon’s firm jaw ticked. He must be remembering the last time they all had gone out dancing.
“I’m in,” she piped up just as the waiter was delivering their entrees. She saw the night ending in a very different way from the last.