A Marriage On Paper

For all that, she wasn’t what you would call beautiful in the conventional sense of the word. She was more striking. Back home in America they would have described her as ‘preppy’, because she certainly had class. There was something about her that captured attention and held it. Perhaps it was the large blue eyes, the high cheekbones…or maybe it was just that she was tall and had a fabulous body which she held ramrod straight.

‘Henry Banks and George Mitton are hungry to sign you up…the letters are in your in-tray. Their esteem for your talent is very evident in the fact that they’ve both rung twice this morning, wanting to know when you’ll get back to them.’

Dex grinned. ‘Changed days, eh?’

‘Certainly are.’ There had been a time, not so long ago, when the prestigious firms belonging to Mitton and Banks would have asked, Dex who? Now they were sitting up and paying respectful attention. It was all very promising.

She leaned even further across towards him. ‘So, who are you going to choose?’

‘Neither.’ His eyes moved to the round neck of her dress. He could just see the creamy lace of her bra. It distracted him. ‘Madeline McDowell has come up with the most interesting offer.’

‘Really?’ She straightened. This knowledge disturbed her. Why, she had no idea. This was business…this was Dex’s world and he excelled in it. She merely took letters and phone calls and organised his office with brisk efficiency. That was it.

‘Do you want me to draft a letter to Mitton and Banks? Politely turn down their offers but keep your options open?’

‘Nope.’ His eyes moved to the buttons at the top of her dress. He reached out and caught her small wrist in his large hand. ‘That’s not what I want at all.’

She could hear the sexy innuendo in his voice very clearly as his thumb stroked the soft skin on the underside of her wrist. It was the only contact with her body, and yet she felt as if her whole body suddenly caught fire.

‘So, what do you want?’ Her voice was shyly hesitant, not at all steady.

He tugged at her hand, compelling her to walk around his desk. At the same time he pushed his chair backwards.

‘I think you know,’ he murmured.

‘This isn’t appropriate behaviour for the office.’ She tried to sound disapproving, but she made no effort to desist when he pulled her down on to his knee.

‘I know,’ he admitted huskily. ‘But I’ve told you before not to come to work looking so damned sexy. You’re a distraction.’

She looked down at the pale blue shift dress she wore. It wasn’t remotely sexy. It stopped at a sensible length, just above her knee, and it skimmed her figure in a way that wasn’t even slightly revealing. ‘I’m not a distraction at all.’

‘Aren’t you?’ He trailed one finger down the side of her face. The effect was so devastatingly sensual that she felt her body starting to respond to him in a very strong manner.

His finger trailed down her neck and traced the neckline of her dress. It created little shivers of sensation inside her that were deliciously tormenting. ‘Then it must be the heady mention of success. That will turn me on every time.’

‘I’ll have to remember that,’ she murmured huskily, and reached to kiss him.

At first her lips were gentle, uncertain, then he took control and the kiss deepened, became fevered with desire. Her fingers raked through the dark thickness of his hair as she pressed herself closer.

She felt him unbuttoning her dress, felt the cool caress of his fingers against her heated flesh. His hand closed over the rounded peak of her breast, brushed it with masterful, erotic strokes until she felt hard darts of wanton passion taking her over completely.

The shrill ring of the telephone interrupted them. ‘Damn!’ He broke away from her.

She wanted to tell him to leave it. She wanted him to just continue kissing her, caressing her. Wanted everything else to go away.

Their eyes met. ‘I…I can’t answer it,’ she said unsteadily. Her breathing was uneven, her mind chaotic.

He reached out and picked up the receiver from the desk in front.

‘Dex speaking.’ His voice was crisp, businesslike. Alicia found herself marvelling at his composure. No one could have guessed that two seconds ago he had been as out of control as her. Or had he? She frowned.

‘What this afternoon?’ he asked, sounding very alert.

His other hand left the rosy, aching hardness of her breast to reach for his desk diary. ‘Well, I had a lunch appointment, but it’s nothing I can’t reschedule for later,’ he murmured. ‘OK, see you then.’

Alicia started to straighten her clothing. She was buttoning up her dress as he put the phone down.

‘Sorry, Alli.’

‘That’s OK.’

‘That was Maddie. She’s set up a lunchtime meeting with a banker friend of hers.’

Alicia’s eyebrow’s rose. ‘She works fast!’

‘Yes, she’s quite a woman.’

The admiration and respect in Dex’s voice caused a stir of jealousy to rise inside Alicia. She didn’t like the feeling at all and she tried to squash it. ‘Just as long as you remember that I’m the woman you’re having the affair with,’ she reminded him with a smile, her voice light.

‘There’s no chance of my forgetting that,’ he murmured warmly. His hand went to her breast. ‘You’ve covered yourself up,’ he admonished sternly, rubbing gently over the silkiness of her dress. He smiled with satisfaction as he felt her body hardening instantly beneath his touch. ‘How about finishing what we’ve started here later on tonight?’ he suggested gently.

‘I think that’s a wonderful idea.’ Immediately she felt better. ‘You know it’s our anniversary tonight?’

He looked at her in puzzlement.

‘Twelve months since you head-hunted me from MacDales.’ She grinned. ‘Surely you hadn’t forgotten?’

He laughed. ‘Sorry, I had. But I do recall that I had to wait a full six months before I got the rest of your body.’

He grinned as he noted that he had embarrassed her. He watched the bright flush of colour under her skin. The misty uncertainty in her eyes reminded him of how young she was; just twenty.

‘Trust you to remember that date.’ She straightened his tie with tender attention to detail. ‘Better get back to work,’ she said crisply, and pulled herself away from him.

‘We’ll continue this discussion later.’ He smiled. ‘I’ll come around to your place about eight, all right?’

She nodded.

‘Will you dig last year’s accounts out of the file for me, Alli?’ he asked as she made her way towards the door. ‘I have a feeling I might be needing them soon.’

‘Yes.’ She closed the door behind her and took a deep, shaking breath. What was she going to do…what the hell was she going to do? The question beat inside her. She could have told him when he was kissing her. There was just the two of them here; there couldn’t be a better time. Now she had succeeded in putting it off again.

She went across to the filing cabinets and got out the figures Dex had asked for. Then she sat down and tried to concentrate on her work.

Half an hour later Dex emerged from his office. She noted he had put the jacket of his suit on and had combed his hair neatly back into place. ‘Will I do?’ he asked with a grin as he caught her scrutiny.

‘Very impressive,’ she answered with a laugh. ‘No one would ever guess that I had you all mussed up a little while ago.’

‘Good.’ He went across to the window and looked down towards the street. ‘Maddie’s here. I’d better go.’