His to Possess (7 page)

“Not at all. I’m told you did an excellent job, as usual.”

Melanie smiled, clearly pleased at his approval.

“Jessica, I need you back upstairs.”

She stood up, and reached for the empty tray on the table so she could dispose of
her cup and the plate with her half-eaten muffin.

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle that,” Melanie said.

Jessica grabbed her purse and followed Dane out the door of the cafeteria to the elevators.
They stepped inside and the doors closed behind them.

His masculine presence filled the small space, and his closeness made her skin prickle
in awareness.

“It’s about that call you took for me this morning from Brenhart and Saunders.”

From what she had learned about the business so far, Jessica knew Ranier Industries
had been in talks with Brenhart and Saunders to form a partnership to develop a lighter,
more efficient battery for electric cars so the vehicles could travel longer on a
single charge. This was a new direction for Ranier and she knew the project was very
important to Dane.

“It turns out what I thought was just a meeting with their board is actually a banquet
to honor their founder. I need to arrive in a tux and I need you by my side.”

“Me?”

“I’ll have the opportunity to make a lot of inside contacts, and to talk with some
of the senior staff on the development team directly. You can track the contacts and
their information and take any notes I need.”

“Of course.” Clearly, she’d be working late tonight. He had warned her that would
happen on occasion. It wasn’t like she had anything going on this evening. “What time?”

Since this was a formal affair, she’d have to leave early to get ready, and that meant
soon. She wondered if the one little black dress she had would do. It wasn’t long
or elegant, but maybe Melanie could loan her some jewelry or a nice shawl to dress
it up.

“My driver will pick us up here at six.” He glanced at his watch. “That gives us two
hours.”

“Oh, well, I’ll have to rush home to get changed. Maybe I should go directly to the
event.”

“No time. I need you to go pick up my tux at the dry cleaners before they close. I’ll
arrange a dress for you.” The elevator door opened and she followed his brisk pace
back to his office. “It should be here by the time you get back.”

“I don’t understand. How will you get me a dress?”

He gestured her into the office and closed the door behind him, then sat down at his
laptop sitting on the meeting table and opened a window. “Here she is, Roberto.”

She sat down and stared at the attractive man with black hair and deep, brown eyes
staring back at her from the screen. “Good to meet you, Ms. Long. What are your measurements?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“If I’m going to pick out a dress for you, I need to know the size.”

“Oh, I’m an eight.”

He laughed, dismissing her words. “If you don’t have your exact measurements, just
tell me your bra size. I’ll stay away from anything fitted at the waist and hips.”
He held a pen and small notebook in his hand. “So…?”

“You want my bra size?”

She was very conscious of Dane sitting in the chair right beside her. She couldn’t
help remembering when she’d stripped her bra off in front of him, then how he’d gazed
at her naked breasts with heat simmering in his eyes.

“It’s … um … 34C.”

Her cheeks flamed as he wrote down the information. It was just very unsettling sitting
in a business office with two men discussing her bra size.

He also asked her shoe size and various preferences in dress color and shoe style.
She swore if he asked her weight, she’d walk away.

“Now stand up and turn around. Make sure I can see you in the camera.”

She stood up, feeling a little ridiculous, and started to turn.

“Wait. Take your jacket off first. I want to get an idea of your body type.”

She shed her jacket and turned around, then sat down again.

“Good, now lean in close to the camera.” He narrowed his eyes as he examined her face.
“Nice bone structure. Your eyes are a lovely shade of green.” He jotted more things
in his notebook then disappeared from the screen.

She glanced at Dane. “Wouldn’t it just be easier for me to go home?”

“Roberto is my personal shopper. He’s at one of the most exclusive women’s stores
in the city right now. Don’t worry.”

Roberto appeared again. “I have two dresses here I think would be perfect.” He held
up a pale blue one with a high-waisted bodice that glittered with beads and sequins.
“It all depends on what it looks like against your skin tone. I can’t tell for sure
with this computer monitor. I think the safer choice would be this one.” He held up
a lovely black dress in a silky fabric. It looked so rich and elegant. “Okay, I can
tell by your expression that this is the one. I’ll have them send it right over.”

*   *   *

Jessica happily escaped to the street, on her way to pick up Dane’s tuxedo. It had
cooled off a bit since this morning, so she pulled her jacket tighter around her.
She walked the couple of blocks to the dry cleaners, paid for the suit with the company
credit card Dane had given her, then quickly walked back to the office.

The lobby was empty except for the security staff at the desk, and when she arrived
on the executive floor, Melanie was gone. Dane must have told her Jessica would be
working late. She walked to Dane’s office and went in. The lovely black dress Roberto
had shown her was draped over one of the leather chairs. She carefully laid Dane’s
tux on the couch, careful not to wrinkle it, then lifted the clear plastic that was
covering the dress and ran her hand over the silky fabric.

“There you are.”

She turned around and her eyes widened as she saw Dane standing in the center of the
office wearing only a towel. His thick hair was damp and his face was freshly shaven.
Seeing his broad, naked chest and breathing in his musky aftershave triggered memories
of the two of them entwined in an intimate embrace. She sucked in a breath, not wanting
to go there. To remember how their naked bodies had arched together, his hot, hard
masculinity and authoritative attitude overwhelming her with the desire to do things
she’d never done before.

He walked toward her and she held her breath. Was he going to sweep her into his arms?
If he consumed her lips in a breathless kiss, she knew she would not be able to resist
him. Not once her hands came in contact with his chest. It would be too much. She
would succumb.

But he stepped right past her to the tuxedo lying on the couch. He tore back the plastic
and pulled out the hanger with the white shirt.

“Good. I couldn’t remember if I had sent in a shirt with it.” He tossed the shirt
on the back of the couch and walked to a cupboard near his desk, then retrieved a
pair of boxers and some socks from a drawer inside.

Then he dropped his towel. Her gaze dropped to his big, dangling cock, even though
she tried to stop it. Oh, God, she couldn’t help remembering it big and hard. And
so long.

He pulled on his boxers, then sat down on the chair to pull on the socks.

“Aren’t you going to get changed?” he asked.

“Um…” A little rattled, she snatched up the dress and glanced around, then started
for the door.

“Where are you going?”

“The ladies’ room.”

“We don’t have time.”

“But … I can’t change here.”

“Why not? I’ve seen you totally naked. Seeing a little lingerie is no big deal.”

Her heart lurched. “It’s a big deal to me.”

He chuckled. “All right. Use my private bathroom then.”

Of course. She carried the dress to the open door behind him, then slipped inside.

“Wait.”

She stopped and turned toward him again.

He picked up a small bag from his desk and lifted something out of it, then held it
up. A strapless black bra.

“Roberto sent this. The straps on the dress are pretty skinny.”

She stared at the spaghetti straps and knew her current bra just wouldn’t work. She
walked toward him and held out her hand. When he gave her the bra, the brush of his
fingers on her skin sent quivers through her. He still wore just his boxers, his beautifully
sculpted chest bare.

It would be so easy to acquiesce to the demands of her body and stroke the contours
of his chest, surrendering to the raging attraction between them.

She closed her fingers around the bra. “Thanks.”

She turned and walked back to the bathroom, trying to ignore the sight of his rippling
muscles as he pulled on his shirt.

She closed the door behind her. The steamy air was filled with the scent of his soap.
She hung the dress on the hook on the back of the door and slid off her suit jacket.
As she began to unfasten the buttons of her blouse, she couldn’t help but think of
the sight of him when he’d dropped the towel, revealing his sexy, naked body.

She slid her blouse from her shoulders and laid it neatly on the counter. She unzipped
her skirt and dropped it to the floor, only then realizing that she’d worn a thong
today because this skirt was a bitch when it came to showing panty lines. If she had
changed in the other room, he would have gotten an eyeful of her naked ass.

She unhooked her bra and tugged it off, then put on the black bra, which was cut low
and pushed her breasts high. She remembered his handsome, teasing face when he’d suggested
she change in his office.

There was no doubt what that would have led to. Excitement quivered through her at
the thought.

So who said you couldn’t have sex with your boss?

She sucked in a breath.
Your common sense. That’s who.

She swept up the filmy plastic covering the dress and freed it from the hanger, anxious
to cover herself before she lost all common sense and opened the door to give in to
their attraction.

She dove into the dress and pulled up the zipper, then smoothed down the fabric.

She glanced at the silky, flowing garment. It made her feel like a princess. She turned
to face the full length mirror. The dress suited her figure perfectly. The deep neckline
revealed the soft swell of her breasts then cascaded in a fluid line to the floor.
It made her look soft and feminine. And sexy.

A knock sounded at the door. “Come in,” she said.

The door opened and there stood Dane, devastatingly handsome in his tuxedo.

His eyes glimmered as his gaze swept down her body. “You look sensational in that.”

He walked into the room and stepped behind her. His powerful presence sent her senses
off kilter. He stood so close, gazing at her in the mirror. It felt incredibly … intimate.

Her breath caught as his fingers brushed along the back of her neck, but then she
realized he was just fastening the hook at the top of the zipper.

“I think your hair would look nice down.” He unfastened the barrette at the back of
her head, and the mass of glossy black hair tumbled down. He gently arranged it over
her shoulders.

“Beautiful.” The approving glint in his eyes pleased her.

They stood like that for a moment, their gazes locked in the reflective glass of the
mirror. Her heart thumped loudly and she longed for him to touch her.

But then he stepped back. “We really need to go.”

*   *   *

Moments later, they hurried out the front door of the building to the waiting limousine.

Dane couldn’t take his eyes off Jessica as they sat in the large ballroom that shimmered
with soft light from the candles on the table and the light reflected from the crystals
on the dimmed chandeliers above. The waiter refilled their wine glasses as they enjoyed
their lobster bisque.

She had done very well keeping up with him while he’d networked before dinner, as
he’d struck up conversations with the development staff, the marketing people, and
the other senior staff of Brenhart and Saunders. The whole time, he’d never seen her
jot anything down, yet when he’d questioned her about a couple of points he wanted
to ensure he remembered, she had the information right at hand. He was sure she had
a notebook in that small evening bag which Roberto had sent over with the dress, but
in keeping with the social feel of the evening, she was doing an excellent job of
being discreet with her note-taking.

He’d gleaned a lot of useful information over cocktails, and now it was time to relax
and enjoy the evening. Especially with such a lovely companion by his side. She looked
absolutely stunning in that dress. The accessories Roberto had included really enhanced
the elegance. From the lovely oval ruby surrounded by diamonds that hung around her
neck, glittering in the candlelight, right down to the red-bottomed black stiletto
heels. Even the black evening bag glittered.

But what he really loved was how the dress hugged her breasts, dipping low between
them to reveal a delightful amount of rounded flesh. He sipped his wine, thinking
how much he would love to sweep her away and take her back to his apartment, then
slip first one thin strap, then the other, off her shoulders to reveal even more of
those luscious breasts.

He remembered those soft breasts filling his hands. The feel of the hard nipples against
his tongue. Heat rushed through him at the memory. He wanted to see them again now.
To touch and worship them.

But that was not to be.

The waiter took their empty soup bowls and placed the main course in front of each
of them. The two seats beside Dane were empty and the development people on the other
side of Jessica were talking amongst themselves about some design issue.

He turned to Jessica. “Are you enjoying your dinner?”

It was a delectable cut of prime rib, with roast potatoes and asparagus.

“Delicious.”

“And are you enjoying living in Philadelphia so far?”

“Yes, I really like the city. I miss my family, of course, but I enjoy sharing an
apartment with Melanie. She’s been showing me around, so it’s been a lot easier to
transition than it would have been.”