They were at his place, and he was fixing her a drink. She looked round at the living room with interest. The whole art deco thing was really cool; this was no bachelor pad but a real, lived-in kind of home, with lots of room and a calming atmosphere. So why wasn’t she calm?
“Thank you,” she said when he handed her the cocktail. She took a hasty gulp, and then had to cough, forcing off the nerves. But then he sat right next to her, and her calm nosedived once again. He’d taken off his jacket and was now in his blue dress shirt, unbuttoned at the column of his throat.
“Nervous?” he asked softly almost in her ear, as one arm was slung behind her over the top of the couch.
She paused before answering his question. “I’m…not sure. Should I be?”
“You’re in my lair, Zara. Maybe you’re right to be a little jumpy. You never know what may happen.” His words were slightly teasing, a mere drawl, but the factuality in them caused a thumping to start in her chest. She felt him take her glass from her now stiff fingers, placing it next to his on a nearby coffee table.
Despite what he’d said, she didn’t feel even the least bit threatened. He was the most dangerously handsome, irresistible man she’d ever met, and she could understand why her body yearned for him. True, Zara had felt passion and desire before. But never like this.
No man had ever overtaken her senses so much that just with his voice; he brewed a sense of longing deep within her feminine core. This longing swirled between her thighs like a molten pot, slickening her secret places with anticipation. She felt his breath linger sensuously on the back of her neck. One hand lay casually across the back of the couch, the other on his lap, so he wasn’t touching her in any way. Except with his lips, which now trailed the length of her nape.
This first act of intimacy was electrifying; it made her acutely aware of him even more than before. His maleness, his firm yet appealing persona, made her acknowledge that he was the man, and she the woman. In many ways, she longed for him to show her the essence of this distinction.
“The things I want to do to you,” he said huskily, teasing the tiny hairs on her skin with his stirring voice, “…And the things I want you to do to me…” She heard him draw in a ragged breath, then he added, “I will have you, Zara. I will make you mine, completely. It’s something I’ve always imagined, and wanted. Needed with a passion that blots out everything else. Even now with you so close, inhaling your delicious scent, has got me rock hard. Do you have any idea what if feels like to want someone so bad?”
Zara’s senses were reeling from the sensations created by his words, his nearness. “I think I do,” she breathed, or more like gasped, since she was hardly capable of taking in any air. His words shocked and thrilled her. She sat quite still; savoring the feel of his lips pressing on her sensitive skin with those hard, warm kisses.
Oh, she definitely had an idea of what he meant. She’d felt it from the very first day she’d seen him. Even then she knew he’d have the power to take away her very individuality. Deep down inside, she knew she’d be ready to do whatever he asked. That was why she’d concealed her feelings so much in the past. That was why she’d acted the prim and proper secretary, never even letting herself hope. Because she was afraid of what would happen if she gave in totally to her own desires.
“Zara. Look at me.”
His soft words made her blink, and she finally turned to face him for the first time since he’d taken his place so close to her.
She drew in a breath at the glinting heat in his eyes, jolted by the knowledge of just how close they were seated. She could see the dark flecks in his blue eyes, the tiny pores on his smooth skin, and the defined shape of his lips. She couldn’t seem to tear her eyes from them as he continued speaking.
“I’d like to tell myself that you’re as on fire for me as I am for you,” he teased, lifting a hand to stroke through her straight blonde hair. “That if I probe you now, beneath your panties, I will find you soaking wet. And I haven’t even kissed or properly touched you yet.”
Zara squeezed her thighs together as if worried he might actually start with his “probing”. He seemed to be smiling now, almost like he could read her thoughts. “I will have to find out later. Right now though, I want to discover just how good you are at taking orders. I know in the office you’re quite at ease letting me know I’m the boss. Tonight, however…I want the same obedience but in a very different way.”
“Chase…”
“Ssh,” he said softly, placing a finger on her lips, and she pursed up. From her head to her toes, she was tingling, filled with the dreadful desire to please him, and frightened of the prospect of failing him in any way.
He went on speaking in that light, soft tone. “You will call me Sir.” His eyes held hers compellingly, and she almost forgot to breathe as his words sank into her brain.
“Zara...I liked it when you first started at your job, and you were always in a flurry around me. It took weeks to make you feel at ease in my presence, to even speak my name. And for tonight, I want you to go back to being that same sweet and shy Miss. Zara Page, who blushed when I so much as spoke to her. I want you to obey my every command, no matter what. And never complain, no matter what. Do you think you can do that?”
Zara gulped, not even thinking first before replying. “Yes. Sir.”
“Good girl,” he all but sighed, before leaning back. His hand was still in her hair, stroking at her roots, his touch soothing. But then he withdrew that too, right before telling her quietly to take off her clothes.
A day earlier…
Zara thought it was great to see both her bosses in such a good mood. Working as their executive legal secretary for the past six months had made her start to look upon their triumphs as her own.
“We did it, Chase,” Matt boomed to his partner as all three of them made their way out of the courthouse and into the bright noonday sun.
“Well, losing was never an option,” Chase replied.
Zara fought not to roll her eyes. The arrogant, very self-assured Chase Morgan had of course predicted their victory months ago.
“Exactly,” Matt said in his deep, almost growling tone. “And with a team like ours, success is a foregone conclusion – am I right, Zara?” His relentless smug face had a wide grin as he wrapped a cheerful arm around her shoulders. “We certainly couldn’t have pulled it off without you.”
Zara couldn’t hold back a good-natured huff, though she felt flushed with pleasure. Matt added, “I’m serious. Your hard work and dedication in the past few months went a long way to get us to the finish line.”
“Matt’s right,” Chase replied, his own voice smoother, richer, and more stirring. Zara had to force herself to meet his piercing dark green eyes. “For a legal secretary fresh out of business school, you did a great job.”
These mildly-spoken words of praise did more to her insides than Zara would like to admit –even to herself. For goodness sake, she wasn’t a dim-witted teen! One would think that after six months, she’d be over her Chase Morgan crush. Pathetically, such was not the case.
Not that anyone could blame her. In fact, Zara was sure that some, especially women, would even sympathize. Chase Morgan was, after all, sinfully handsome. A little above six feet tall, he had the lithe, solid build of an athlete, which was always snugly fitted in expensive, designer suits. He had raven black hair, a square-cut face and emerald eyes that were fringed by enviously thick, dark lashes.
He was one of the most successful young lawyers in the city, and he and Matt had been running their own thriving law firm for years. Matt was just as good a lawyer, but perhaps not so lethally attractive. He was more the big, burly type, with floppy brown hair and a charismatic smile. He’d made Zara feel at ease from the first day, and he was a great boss, too.
She finally smiled at them both, maintaining the same poise which had got her through six hapless months of mooning and fantasizing over Chase. “Thanks for the accolades, kind sirs,” she said lightly, “I sure hope it comes with a raise.”
The two men laughed, and Matt replied, “Well, you certainly deserve one. We will take care of first thing next week.” And then, he turned to his partner. “In fact, I have an idea. Why don’t we celebrate together? We can’t let this monumental feat go unsung. I propose dinner, tomorrow evening, at Tom Lanke’s.”
“Sounds perfect,” Chase said with a nod. “I’m free tomorrow.”
“Zara?” Matt questioned, turning his brown-eyed gaze on her.
Zara hesitated. Tom Lanke was the most upscale restaurant in town. Michelin-starred, classy, very pricey…Overall, not a place she popped in everyday for a bite. She was already panicking as she wondered if she even had anything suitable to wear. “I…well, okay,” she mumbled at last, clutching her leather fold-all to her chest and seeing the hours of dreadful expectation stretching ahead till the dinner date.
* * *
Zara wasn’t sure what to make of their expressions when she arrived at the restaurant that fateful evening. The blend of amazement and admiration she saw, finally assured her that her choice of outfit and general appearance had not been a miss. Whether it was a “hit” still remained to be seen…
“Hello, Matt, Chase,” she said breezily, a smile on her lips as she looked at them in turns. She clutched tighter on her purse when her eyes held Chase’s and caught the intense look on his face. She could swear that his eyes were blazing over her snugly clothed, generously curved frame.
It was almost like he was actually seeing her for the first time. Fighting to maintain her trusty poise, she quirked a teasing brow at both men, who stood there staring.
“Zara, you look ravishing,” Matt exclaimed cheerfully as they all took their seats at last. “We almost didn’t recognize you.”
“Yes…quite a transformation,” Chase said in agreement. “At last we see what Ms. Page has been hiding beneath those severe suits of hers.”
As he spoke, she could feel his gaze lingering for a moment on her full, firm bust sheathed in its low-necked bodice. She wondered if her outfit wasn’t, literally, too over the top? Her usually well-bound double D-cup br**sts were virtually spilling from their restraints, and the deep hint of cl**vage was sure to catch attention from her male dinner companions. There was at least one particular man’s interest she hoped to spark that evening…
Okay, she’d admitted it. All this was for Chase. Her fancy outfit, her makeup, her hair – she’d spent the whole day sprucing up just to shed her schoolmarm secretary image and show what she felt was her more appealing, feminine side. If this didn’t get Chase to notice her, she figured, then nothing ever will.
“Well,” she said with a playful smile at them, “Considering how upscale this restaurant is, I felt that wearing jeans or a tracksuit would sort of…lower the ambiance. Besides, you both look far from rough yourselves.”