All that remained was to wait and see if she called. She wouldn’t be off work until at least dinner time. Which meant he could set her aside and focus on the case he’d come here to hash out.
…
Cassie’s patience rapidly disintegrated as the clock approached nine. Mister Hotshot New York was almost an hour late. If he’d at least possessed the courtesy to call, she could have typed the judgment order that was due at the end of the week and phoned the courthouse clerk to set a court date for Joe Thompson’s speeding ticket. God, she couldn’t wait to be freed from traffic court.
The lingering agitation from her less than satisfactory goodbye with the sexy stranger didn’t help her darkening mood. She should be over the moon, ecstatic that she’d finally experienced what she secretly craved. Yet after such a fulfilling night she felt…empty. The aches in her body left her strangely bereft, instead of reminding her of the pleasure she’d experienced at his masterful hands.
A light rap on her office door dragged her from melancholy. Plastering a false smile on her face, she called, “It’s open.”
Her secretary stuck her head in. “Brad Steele is here now, Cassie.”
About damned time. She rolled her eyes. “I don’t suppose his highness offered any explanations, did he?”
Stephanie giggled. “No, but when you get a look at him you’ll forgive everything.”
Cassie arched an eyebrow.
Her secretary glanced over her shoulder, then mouthed, He’s hot. Fanning herself, she grinned.
Joy. Why wasn’t she surprised that good looks accompanied the arrogant jerk? He probably felt he was above women. That he could smile and charm his way out of any situation. Well, he had a surprise coming if he thought she’d cave that easily. He should know better, given their recent paper war. She nodded to Stephanie. “Send him back, though I ought to make him wait just for the sake of doing so. When you get a chance, would you mind running down to the corner and grabbing a caramel mocha for me?” She carefully rubbed at the corner of her right eye. “I can’t seem to wake up.”
“You’re going to have to tell me about this later, you know.” Stephanie peered down her nose at Cassie. “You come in ten minutes late, excuse it all with some random babble about meeting a guy, and lock yourself in here—you think I’m going to just let that one go? How long’s it been, Cassie?”
“Three years,” she mumbled.
“And that’s not worthy of your first fifteen minutes in the office?”
She waved her hand, shooing her out. “Go. We’ll talk about it later.” When she could come to terms with what she’d done. When thinking about last night didn’t hollow out her gut and make her wish she had a chance to see him again.
Smirking, Stephanie backed out through the door. Her distant voice drifted down the hall. “I’ll take you on back, Mr. Steele. Would you like coffee? I’m heading on a run here in a minute.”
Cassie couldn’t make out his answer, but she heard her secretary’s giggle all too clearly. She groaned inwardly. The last thing she wanted to deal with was her secretary bending over backward to please an inconsiderate, hotshot, lawyer who couldn’t find the decency to phone and tell her he was running late. Particularly not when she’d cut her morning short just to make it here on time. If she’d known, she could have asked her handsome stranger to join her in the shower, taken her sweet time lathering his body, or letting him lather her.
Her stomach bottomed out at the thought of the way his hands would have molded around her breasts. His fingers would have been slick and warm as they slid between—
Cassie’s thoughts skidded to a halt as broad shoulders filled her doorway. Her eyes widened as she took in rumpled blond hair that her fingers knew all too well. Vivid blue eyes washed with equal shock, and all the masterful control he’d so blissfully woven around her shattered, as his oath whispered through the room. “Fuck.”
For the love of God, this wasn’t happening. He’d told her he was on vacation. She’d trusted him with her body. Oh sweet heaven above, the last time he took her, he’d drawn everything out until she was almost in tears and had begged him to give her release.