“What are you doing here?” Poppy asked nervously.
She had just come from the bathroom. Being hot and tired from her morning jog up more than thirty flights of stairs, she wanted to take a minute to clean up and make herself presentable before sitting down to her interview with the Big Man.
Now, standing in front of Felix, who looked mouthwateringly handsome in his black designer suit and green silk tie, and the voluptuous receptionist beside him, she felt completely out of place.
Breaking away from the desk, Felix approached her, his expression guarded. “I work here,” he told her, watching her closely for a reaction.
Poppy fought to keep her jaw from dropping. Of course Felix worked here. It was a publishing company, and didn’t he say he worked for one? But this one? Could fate be any crueler? Poppy thought irritably.
“Well…” Poppy shifted her gaze to the floor and around the room, scouring her brain for something else to say. “It’s good to see you again,” she said lamely.
The receptionist, who had been sitting forward in her seat, raised her eyebrows at Poppy’s words.
The corners of Felix’s eyes crinkled as he smiled in a way that made Poppy’s belly do nervous flips. “It’s good to see you, too, Poppy. You look great, by the way.”
A fierce blush rose up to heat her cheeks. “Thanks,” she muttered.
“So, I hear you have an interview,” Felix stated bluntly.
“Well, yes.” Poppy glanced around, wishing that Mr. Bradshaw would finally show and rescue her from this awkward situation.
Felix must have noticed her preoccupation. “If you’re looking for Mr. Bradshaw, he won’t be making it today.”
Poppy’s hopes plummeted and she felt some of the air deflate from her lungs. This job was her dream job and despite the dozens of applications she had put in around the city, this was the one she had put at the top of the list.
“However,” Felix continued on, “as his associate, I have been asked to stand in for him.”
Poppy’s eyes widened and she had to remind herself to breathe. “You mean you will be interviewing me?” Fate, you cruel bitch! That was the last thing she wanted or needed. It was bad enough that she happened to run into the one person she was trying to forget. It was even worse that, assuming she landed the job, she would be working with him. But it was a downright nightmare to think that Felix would be the one to decide if she got the job or not. Maybe she should just cut her losses and go now before things got even worse.
“The one and only.” Felix grinned. Before she could come to a decision on how to proceed with this debacle, he stepped toward her. “Come on. I have everything set up in my office.” Then, taking her by the elbow, he steered her past the receptionist, who gawked openmouthed at them, and down a short hallway.
He escorted her into a large office decorated with rich, masculine furniture. Poppy’s eyes skated right past the furnishings to the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. Natural light spilled into the room, cutting swaths of soft golden light across every surface.
Felix held out a hand and gestured to a small seating area in the corner. “Have a seat.”
She complied, though her attention remained glued on the blue skies and towering skyscrapers dotting the landscape just a few feet away.
“Would you like anything to drink?” Felix asked, wrestling her attention back.
Poppy blinked then focused on him. “Um, what do you have?”
Felix strode over to a wet bar built into a paneled wall made of warm wood tones. “Let’s see. I have vodka, rum, whiskey, and red and white wine. If those are too strong for you, I also have bottled water, juice and iced tea.”
“I’ll just have water,” Poppy told him.
“Good choice. Personally, I think drinking alcohol before noon is a pretty good indicator of what kind of person I’m dealing with.”
“Why do I get the feeling I just passed some sort of test?” Poppy asked amusedly.
“Probably because you did.” Felix laughed lightly, bending down to open a small refrigerator nestled below the counter.
Her breath caught in her throat, because the way his pants hugged his rear end and accentuated his powerful thighs should be a crime. Poppy’s mind took a detour down memory lane, remembering how he looked out of pants, and she felt a spark of heat begin to pool in her belly and work its way south. Looking away quickly, Poppy tried to focus on other things, like the airliner streaking across the sky in the distance.
“That’s an incredible view,” she said, then blushed furiously when she realized what she had said and how it must have sounded.
Felix rose to his full height and flashed a cocky smile. His gaze swept over her in a slow, sensual perusal that left Poppy feeling hot, needy and exposed. She shifted, feeling incredibly uncomfortable under Felix’s scrutiny. How did one handle a former lover turned possible boss?
“I agree. Incredible.” Crossing the room, Felix handed her the bottle then took the seat across from her. “I have to say, I was surprised to see you here today.”
That was an understatement, Poppy thought ruefully, and nodded her agreement as she cracked open the bottle of water and drank deeply.
“But I’m glad. It saves me a trip.”
Lowering the water, Poppy swallowed the liquid in a loud gulp and eyed him warily. “What do you mean exactly?”
Felix sat forward in his seat and met her eyes. “To be honest, Poppy, I was planning to come out to your place tonight.”
“Whatever for?” she asked in horror.
Reaching out, Felix covered her hand with his. “I never got to thank you.”
Poppy stared at him, dumbfounded. And if she was being perfectly honest with herself, she was a little disappointed too. The memory of watching him ride off that night was still fresh in her mind and its bite was just as potent. “Is that all,” she said waspishly. “Thanks for the sex? It was fun?” Yanking her hand back, she put as much distance between them as she could, which wasn’t much, considering the limited space, and turned away, refusing to look at him.
Slipping off the chair, Felix knelt before her and lifted a hand to her face, forcing her to meet his eyes. It took everything in Poppy to resist nuzzling her cheek into his palm, and Felix’s dark eyes flashed with knowing.
“You didn’t let me finish.” His thumb stroked over her skin as he spoke, and Poppy closed her eyes as she soaked in his gentle caress. “Thank you for that night, for showing me kindness, and for reminding me how good it feels to share myself with someone.”
Poppy’s eyes slid open slowly and she peered back at him. “I’m not sure I’m following you,” she said, too afraid to hope.
Splitting her thighs, Felix repositioned himself between her legs and locked his arms around her waist, tugging her closer. “I’m saying that I have wasted a lot of time avoiding relationships, but I’m done running.” Tucking a stubborn strand of hair behind her ear, Felix leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
Poppy’s heart went crazy as his words washed over her. “I’m still not sure what you’re getting at,” she told him, wanting to hear him say the words she so desperately desired. “I think you’re going to have to be a little clearer.”
Felix smirked and tipped his head closer so his mouth hovered over hers, his warm breath mingling with hers. “You did something to me that day, Poppy,” he said, his voice gone low and gravelly. “I haven’t been the same since. Every minute of every day, you’re all I can think about. I want you, Poppy. I need you.”
Like a flock of doves set free from their cage, Poppy’s heart soared. Everything he said rang with truth and touched her someplace deep, filling her with a sense of happiness and hope that threatened to overwhelm her.
“Please say something,” Felix pleaded, his expression strained with worry.
But there was nothing she could say to express what she was feeling. Poppy was beside herself with joy. Instead of trying to find the words to describe the emotions running riot through her, she threw herself into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and crushing her mouth to his. Felix answered with equal force, pushing her back into the chair as he seized her mouth with his. His tongue plunged inside, mating with hers.
Poppy panted breathlessly as Felix’s mouth left hers to trail wet kisses down the column of her throat to her chest at the same time his fingers found the hem of her dress and inched their way beneath the material and up her thighs.
“So is this part of the interview?” she asked, tunneling her fingers through his hair.
Lifting his head from her breast, Felix stared heatedly up at her. “That depends,” he said, wetting his bottom lip.
“On what?” Poppy asked, her eyes following the movement.
“On how often I get to do this.”
Pulling her hips to the edge of the seat, Poppy felt the hard bulge of his shaft pressing against her core and felt the answering rush of wetness soak her panties.
She gasped and gripped his biceps, feeling the ropes of muscle flex beneath her fingers. “I’m surprised, Mr. Sinclair. I never pegged you for a bad boy.”
“Oh, I assure you, Ms…?”
“Montgomery,” Poppy supplied, her mouth falling open when his fingers slipped inside her panties.
“Ms. Montgomery,” Felix husked, rubbing his fingers through her slick juices. “I can be as bad as you want me to be.”
Biting her lip, Poppy tamped down the urge to moan as Felix circled her opening.
“Tell me, Ms. Montgomery, if I hire you on, how often will you let me do this? Once a month? Once a week…?”
His finger flicked over her clit and Poppy’s entire body jolted like a live wire in response. “Yes,” she nearly shouted, feeling her body shudder as it edged closer to the precipice.
“Yes, what?” Felix urged. “Once, twice a week? More?”
He was torturing her, moving his thumb over her swollen nub while his finger hovered just above where she needed him most, but never where she yearned for his touch.
Lifting her hips, Poppy tried to take what she needed, but Felix made sure to stay just out of range. “I need an answer, Poppy,” Felix continued, rubbing her more insistently.
Frustration gripping her, Poppy narrowed her eyes on him. “Every day,” she said through clenched teeth, and then shouted when Felix plunged two thick fingers inside and she came apart in his arms.
She was still shuddering with release when Felix unzipped his pants to free himself. Positioning himself at her entrance, he covered her with his body, brought his mouth to her ear and said gruffly, “You’re hired,” then eased into her, moving at a slow, leisurely pace that promised many more days and nights filled with untold pleasure.
The End.