Scott almost laughed. “Is that what you think?” The scent of her perfume oil was intoxicating in the small closet.
Alexandra stayed silent until she heard the clunk of footsteps outside pass. “You’re going to get us both fired.” The closet was extremely small—getting smaller by the minute—and he was too close to her.
Alexandra continued. “Let’s look at the facts here. I spent six months on a project only to hear that you’re coming in at the last minute and I need to share it. We work together for a while until I get comfortable with you and then I find out your real connection to the client. And then—oh, this gets better. And then I see you all cozy with your former lover and voilà , Alexandra is off the project and out of the picture two days later. Who has the entire project now? Why, none other than Mr. Scott Falconer.”
Scott’s jaw dropped. “I suppose you think I deliberately poisoned your shrimp puffs, too.”
“It’s a distinct possibility.” Her chin was high again. If anything, he knew how to put the fighting spirit back into her.
He moved closer to her so that her knees brushed against his thighs. She tried to move farther back on the stack of boxes and couldn’t. He leaned in and placed his hands on the boxes—one on either side of her.
“Think about this,” he whispered. “If my goal was to take the project, why wouldn’t I have done it from the beginning?” His lips were so close to hers that he could feel her breath. “If there was a big conspiracy, why wouldn’t I have had Mackenzie just send a fax when I was hired and request that I give the presentation right from the start?”
•
Alexandra’s anger was treacherously close to melting away from her. How dare he poke holes in her theory this way? He made sense on some level and on another, a sense of shame crept in. She hadn’t treated him fairly, but there was no time to think about it. Scott’s lips had already found hers.
All she wanted to do was lay back on the boxes and forget everything. She had been so tired, so angry and so untrusting for much too long. Scott had been good to her even when she least deserved it and it felt as if his touched healed her somehow.
“Do you believe me, Alex?” he murmured against her lips.
She nodded that she did.
“I want you to promise me something.” He pulled away and looking deeply into her eyes. “The next time you suspect something sinister or start to distrust me, I want you to wait and give me a chance. Okay?”
“All right.”
She gently pushed him away and slid off of the boxes, surprised she could stand without wobbling. “We still have the same problem,” she whispered into his ear. “We work together.”
Her argument sounded thinner every time she used it.
Scott wrapped his arms around her tightly and held her against his chest for what seemed hours. “I look at it this way, Alex. A job like mine is easy to find. A woman like you isn’t.”
Alexandra felt warmth spread from head to foot as she embraced him. “We got off to a really strange start, didn’t we?” She turned her head and looked up at him with eyes that glittered with desire. “After the presentation, we’ll see what happens.”
As they looked at one another, the last bit of light disappeared as the beam underneath the door went out and the office noises outside faded away. Could the workday have ended so soon?
They stood there in each other’s arms afraid to move. “Think everyone has gone?” Scott whispered.
“I don’t hear anyone. Hope there aren’t any stragglers. Try the door.”
Scott unlocked the latch on their side of the door and put his hand on the knob. The door didn’t open. He turned it again and the door still refused to budge.
“Uh-oh,” he said. “I think it’s locked from the outside, too.”
“I didn’t hear anyone lock it. Let me try.” Alexandra pulled in vain on the handle. “Think we could break it?”
“Oh yeah, and who’s going
Alexandra stayed silent until she heard the clunk of footsteps outside pass. “You’re going to get us both fired.” The closet was extremely small—getting smaller by the minute—and he was too close to her.
Alexandra continued. “Let’s look at the facts here. I spent six months on a project only to hear that you’re coming in at the last minute and I need to share it. We work together for a while until I get comfortable with you and then I find out your real connection to the client. And then—oh, this gets better. And then I see you all cozy with your former lover and voilà , Alexandra is off the project and out of the picture two days later. Who has the entire project now? Why, none other than Mr. Scott Falconer.”
Scott’s jaw dropped. “I suppose you think I deliberately poisoned your shrimp puffs, too.”
“It’s a distinct possibility.” Her chin was high again. If anything, he knew how to put the fighting spirit back into her.
He moved closer to her so that her knees brushed against his thighs. She tried to move farther back on the stack of boxes and couldn’t. He leaned in and placed his hands on the boxes—one on either side of her.
“Think about this,” he whispered. “If my goal was to take the project, why wouldn’t I have done it from the beginning?” His lips were so close to hers that he could feel her breath. “If there was a big conspiracy, why wouldn’t I have had Mackenzie just send a fax when I was hired and request that I give the presentation right from the start?”
•
Alexandra’s anger was treacherously close to melting away from her. How dare he poke holes in her theory this way? He made sense on some level and on another, a sense of shame crept in. She hadn’t treated him fairly, but there was no time to think about it. Scott’s lips had already found hers.
All she wanted to do was lay back on the boxes and forget everything. She had been so tired, so angry and so untrusting for much too long. Scott had been good to her even when she least deserved it and it felt as if his touched healed her somehow.
“Do you believe me, Alex?” he murmured against her lips.
She nodded that she did.
“I want you to promise me something.” He pulled away and looking deeply into her eyes. “The next time you suspect something sinister or start to distrust me, I want you to wait and give me a chance. Okay?”
“All right.”
She gently pushed him away and slid off of the boxes, surprised she could stand without wobbling. “We still have the same problem,” she whispered into his ear. “We work together.”
Her argument sounded thinner every time she used it.
Scott wrapped his arms around her tightly and held her against his chest for what seemed hours. “I look at it this way, Alex. A job like mine is easy to find. A woman like you isn’t.”
Alexandra felt warmth spread from head to foot as she embraced him. “We got off to a really strange start, didn’t we?” She turned her head and looked up at him with eyes that glittered with desire. “After the presentation, we’ll see what happens.”
As they looked at one another, the last bit of light disappeared as the beam underneath the door went out and the office noises outside faded away. Could the workday have ended so soon?
They stood there in each other’s arms afraid to move. “Think everyone has gone?” Scott whispered.
“I don’t hear anyone. Hope there aren’t any stragglers. Try the door.”
Scott unlocked the latch on their side of the door and put his hand on the knob. The door didn’t open. He turned it again and the door still refused to budge.
“Uh-oh,” he said. “I think it’s locked from the outside, too.”
“I didn’t hear anyone lock it. Let me try.” Alexandra pulled in vain on the handle. “Think we could break it?”
“Oh yeah, and who’s going
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