When Nadia had arrived in person, he’d thought he might have more success persuading her face-to-face their relationship was over. Some people thought he was quite scary, but apparently, he was losing his touch. Also, he began to suspect Kim was right, and the woman was unstable.
Nadia crossed her long legs and leaned even farther forward, giving him a great view of her cleavage, but she did absolutely nothing for him. She never had. She’d been convenient, and at the time, the arrangement had seemed mutually beneficial.
“You wouldn’t have gone out with me if you hadn’t cared.”
He sighed. “We made an agreement. You wanted to save face. Remember?”
“I know you just went along with that, thinking I wasn’t ready for a relationship.”
“And you cried.” He realized immediately he’d made a strategic mistake by reminding her that he was a sucker for a woman who cried. She blinked, and her eyes glistened. Jesus, she was good.
“I know you really want me.”
“No, I don’t.”
“You just didn’t want to take advantage when I was vulnerable.”
Jake was beginning to believe that “vulnerable” and “Nadia” were mutually exclusive. She was like a juggernaut, impervious to any obstacles in her path.
As she rose to her feet, he girded himself to stay in his seat and not show signs of fear. But as Kim pointed out, Nadia was more than a little scary. She strolled around the desk and came to a halt only inches away, so close he could breathe in the cloying scent of her perfume.
“But I’m over the past, Jake, and I’m ready to move on. With you.” He opened his mouth, but she was already speaking again, so he clamped his lips shut and waited for a break in her momentum. “You’re not seeing anyone else, and I know it’s because you want me.” She leaned closer and rested her hand on his shoulder. “And you can have me, Jake.”
He flinched but held himself immobile.
A light glinted in her eyes. Maniacal zeal? Insanity?
“I thought you wanted that girl who works for you—the plain one. But I asked around and it’s obvious she’s nothing to you. Just someone you feel responsible for.” She trailed one scarlet-tipped finger down his cheek. “You’re a nice man, Jake, but you can’t be responsible for everyone. These people will take advantage of you. You need to let them go.”
Now he knew whom to blame—Kim. If she’d only give in and admit they were supposed to be together, then Nadia would no doubt back off.
But it didn’t look like Kim was ready to admit anything. Or even to talk to him. And they needed to talk.
Kim worked harder than anyone else in the company. However much he hated the idea, he had to give her the promotion she’d been asking for. By holding her back, he was proving her accusation of being a total control freak.
He’d tell her soon. But to do that he had to actually see her, and that wasn’t happening. She’d either turned invisible or she monitored his movements and made herself scarce whenever he was around, probably ducking under her desk or slipping out of the room. Though he’d checked the rosters and she’d hardly been in the building. He’d thought to confront her once or twice in the evenings and found himself outside her door. But there had been no response to his rings.
How the hell was he supposed to show her that they were meant to be together when they were never…together? What he needed to do was get her to the point where she couldn’t live without him, where her body craved his. Make it so she couldn’t stop thinking about sex and how good it could be between them.
What she needed was a good dose of sexual frustration. Like he was suffering.
If he played this right, she’d be begging him for it. She’d probably be stripping off and laying herself on his desk, screaming, “Take me, take me.”
And just maybe, he’d give in and give her what they both needed. Fuck her right there on his—
“We should go to lunch.” Nadia jerked him from his daydream. “Talk about our future.”
Shit, she was persistent. “Sorry, but I have an important meeting.”
“How can anything be more important than our future? Let me show you how good we can be together.” She edged even closer.
Enough.
He slipped his finger under the desk and pressed his panic button. Then pressed it again in case Margie thought he wasn’t panicking enough yet. He’d seen his assistant’s air of amusement as she’d shown Nadia in. That woman needed to work on her sense of humor.
Nadia’s lips puckered into a pout. Jake leaned back in his chair as far as he could go. And the door opened.
“Your really important meeting is here, sir,” Margie said from the doorway.
Since when had Margie called him sir? She was definitely finding this funny. “Good.” He exhaled loudly. Getting rid of Nadia was going to take drastic measures. He didn’t like to use them, but he’d run out of all other options. Maybe he had led her on—though he didn’t believe so.
A scowl flashed across her face, but she stepped away. “Never mind. I’ll see you at your father’s party tomorrow night. We can talk then.”
She’d be at the party? That was news to him.
She turned and strolled from the room, swaying her skinny hips. He wasn’t impressed.
Margie closed the door behind her. “Stalker trouble?” she asked with a grin.
“Do not let that woman in here again,” he said. “And get hold of my mother.”
A minute later, he picked up the phone. He didn’t bother with any pleasantries, just got down to business. “Did you invite Nadia to Dad’s birthday party?”
“Well, she sort of invited herself. But I know you’ve been seeing her. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that.”
“I’m not seeing her.”
“Oh. That’s not what Nadia said. She made it sound as though you two were serious.”
What a surprise. “And why would you want to talk to me about it anyway? It’s a long time since you gave me girlfriend advice.”
“I presumed you knew what you were doing. Until Nadia.”
“Why until Nadia? She’s your best friend’s daughter—I thought you’d approve.”
“Well, she is, but Sadie was hardly stable, and I’m afraid Nadia has inherited that.”
“Thank you for telling me before now, Mother.”
“After she invited herself—which I thought a little odd—I talked to Sadie. Apparently, Nadia has had a few issues with drugs. It’s what ended her last relationship, and she’s a little unpredictable right now.”