Surprise Seduction (13 page)

Mel cleared his throat behind her, but her gaze never left Chase’s.
 
She’d never seen him appear so wild.
 
His green eyes glittered in a way he’d never looked at her.
 
Green fire tempting her with its hot flames.

“You’re not leaving with Mel.”
 
His tone threatened that to disagree with him would bring on Armageddon.

“Chase, I need to explain...”

His eyes closed as if he struggled to keep his temper under control.
 
“He’s not the kind of lover you want.”

To this comment, Mel chuckled.
 
“I suppose you are?”

Chase gave a slow shake of his head.
 
“Not me.”

Oh, God.
 
He planned to tell Mel she preferred women.
 
Alcohol, frustration, embarrassment and other mixed emotions overwhelmed her.
 
Her chin fell, along with her confidence.

Everything was ruined.
 
Her magical Cinderella transformation that was supposed to have swept him off his feet.
 
He didn’t look impressed.
 
“Look, we’ll leave your office.
 
No harm done,” she spoke softly, her voice breaking.
 
She averted her gaze.

“Adrienne.”

“I’m leaving with Mel.”
 
She might need him to help her get home with the way her stomach was starting to cramp again.

“The hell you are.”

Mel coughed.
 
“Adrienne?”

She gave a helpless look to him, and shrugged in defeat.

“You two work this out.
 
I’m going back to the party.
 
Catch me later, Adrienne.
 
We’ll talk,” Mel said before pulling her to him.
 
He kissed her forehead.

 
After Mel disappeared out the door, Adrienne turned to Chase.

“What do you think you’re doing with him in my office?”

His accusatory words caused her to bristle.
 
Alcohol and frustration loosened her inhibitions.

“What did it look like I was doing?”
 
Unaccustomed sarcasm rolled from her lips as naturally as if it’d been there all along.
 
“Of all people, I’d think you’d know.”

His gaze lowered to her lips.

“Oh, I know what you were doing all right.
 
The question is,
do
you
?”
 
Now that Mel had left the room, Chase’s voice lowered, losing its angry edge.

Her nerves crumbled.

No, she didn’t know, but she’d been trying to figure out what she needed to do, what she wanted for her future.
 
She couldn’t tell Chase that, though.
 
Not now.

“You’ve ruined my life.”
 
A gush of tears followed her irrational accusation.
 
She covered her face with her hands and sobbed.

Chase couldn’t believe the words coming out of Adrienne’s mouth.
 
He’d stepped into an episode of The Twilight Zone.

This couldn’t be happening.

He’d left his own hot, willing date who he didn’t want, to come to the rescue of his assistant who set his body on fire.
 
Only, she accused him of ruining her life for rescuing her from Mel, even though she preferred a different sex partner from the one she’d been with.

It had to be the booze.

He didn’t know how much she’d drunk, but it must have been gallons--or at least enough to drown a mouse.

The alcohol might explain Adrienne’s unusual behavior, but what about his?
 
He hadn’t drunk a drop of anything stronger than water.

He hadn’t liked the possessive feelings engulfing him when he’d watched her with Mel downstairs at the party, and he sure hadn’t cared for the man’s arms around Adrienne in
his
office.
 
He’d wanted to smash Mel’s face against his fist a few times.
 
Hard.

That surprised him, too.
 
He rarely resorted to violence, couldn’t even recall the last time he’d experienced the emotion.

Of course, Mel Sheppard always had brought out the more primitive side of his personality.

Was that why Mel hit on Adrienne?
 
Because she worked as his assistant?

Or because she’d turned into a hot babe?

Mel needed to stay away.

Chase’s attention snapped back to her when she crumpled before him.

Tears.
 
Damn, he hated tears.

He’d never known how to comfort his mother when she cried.
 
Had always felt helpless as he listened to her sobs.
 
Now Adrienne cried and, damn, if he didn’t feel helpless again.

He hadn’t realized he’d crossed the room and taken her shaking body into his arms, but he did notice how she curled herself against his chest as sobs racked her body.
 
He also noticed how good she smelled, like spring flowers, and how perfect she fit against him.

He wasn’t supposed to notice those things.

She was his assistant.

She preferred women.

He’d come to rescue her.

He couldn’t stand to hear her cry.

“Shh, it’ll be okay.”
 
His voice softened as he stroked her soft, stylish hair.

He’d wondered how long it grew beneath that tight scrapping back she normally wore.
 
No way would she ever manage to get this new style to achieve school marm perfection.

Her friends must have convinced her to cut it.
 
He liked the way it looked.
 
The way she looked.
 
The way she smelled.
 
The way her body pressed into his.
 
He liked the spunk she’d shown earlier in the evening.
 
All those things.
 
And more.
 
Too damn much.

“Nothing happened.”
 
He tried to offer assurance, thinking she was probably upset that she’d been kissing a man.

Her head jerked up to glower at him with red, puffy eyes.
 
Fat, wet tears streamed down her face, but she didn’t glare at him with sadness.

“And it’s all your fault!”

The force of her words hit him.
 
He stared down at her, speechless at first.

“You should be thanking me for saving your drunk butt.”

And a nice butt it was, too.
 
And her chest, where had she been hiding that perfect rack?
 
He’d have sworn her flatter than a board under those tarps she wore.

“Why?”
 
She clenched both fists at her side, her voice rose with each word.
 
“Why would I thank you for ruining what was supposed to be a monumental night?”

“Because gay women don’t want men?”
 
Not in a million years would he understand women.
 
Not in a billion.

Adrienne gritted her teeth, squished her eyes and growled at him.

“I’m not gay!
 
And if you’d open your eyes and see how much I want you, you’d have known the truth a long time ago!”

Stunned, Chase watched her bolt out of his office.

CHAPTER EIGHT

“I’m calling in sick today.”
 
Adrienne scrounged under her covers, ignoring Sheila’s reminder that she needed to get dressed for work.

“No, you’re not.
 
What will I tell Chase when he asks about you?”

“Tell him I moved to China.”

“You’re going to have to face him at some point.”

Adrienne peered out from under her blanket.
 
“Says who?”

“What’s so bad about him knowing you’re not gay?”

“Besides the fact that he knows I lied to him, and that I admitted to being interested in him as well?”
 
Adrienne pulled the covers over her head again.

“Did he fire you Friday night after you told him?”

“No,” Adrienne admitted. “But I didn’t stick around waiting for him to, either.”

“I don’t think he would have called to make sure you made it home if he planned to fire you.”

“Probably wanted to do the nasty deed in person.
 
Besides he didn’t talk to me Friday night.
 
You’re the one who answered his call.”

“Yeah, he interrupted at a bad time, too.”
 
Sheila pouted a moment, then, grinned.
 
“He wanted to talk to you.
 
The man called how many times yesterday?
 
Only someone refused to answer her cell phone on the grounds of having a headache, so he called mine to make sure you were alright.”

“I did have a headache,” Adrienne groaned.
 
Hammers had beat on her temples all day long.
 
Still did.
 
“I do.”

“Take an aspirin.”
 
Sheila came into her room, flung the drapes open, and tried to pull the covers back.

An aspirin.
 
Ugh.
 
She’d taken an aspirin right before throwing up Friday night.
 
She never wanted an aspirin again.
 
Or a drink.

She refused to budge from her position under the blankets.
 
Sheila finally gave up and left for work.

Adrienne rolled over in her bed, dragging her covers with her.

What was she going to do about Chase?
 
For that matter, what was she going to do about Morrigans?
 
She’d made a complete idiot of herself at the party Friday night.
 
She hadn’t gone back to the party after running from Chase.
 
Having caught a taxi, she’d high-tailed it back to the apartment, and she’d stayed hidden in her hole all weekend despite Sheila’s protests.