Cash chuckles with the most authentic pinch to his brows. “I think we both know the answer to that. Like I said, you must’ve noticed how he looks at you.”
I wish that didn’t send a twinge of curiosity to my core. Does Maddox look at me like I’m a conquest or something … more? It shouldn’t matter either way. That has nothing to do with it. This is a means to an end. If I agree, it’s purely to get myself out from under his thumb. That’s all.
“Here’s an old favorite of mine.” The guitarist strums a chord and smiles at the room. “This is ‘Lyin’ Eyes’ by the Eagles.”
Witchcraft indeed.
Even I can recognize the lie in my justification, which means I should absolutely tell Cash this isn’t happening. My head is far too messed up.
Grabbing my purse, I shimmy to the edge of the booth. “I have to get back. Walk with me and give me the details.”
MADDOX
I’m not a fan of tasks that require me to stay put. I much prefer to be out in the resort, chatting with our managers, checking on the entertainers and their performances, arranging epic employee functions, or scaring the shit out of our shady and depraved patrons. It suits me.
But this—prepping for a call I already know is going to be twenty minutes of handholding with an old-timer who is sweating it out about his misplaced funds? Not for me.
I’m making the best of it though. There’s music in my ear, which centers me, and a screen of questions pulled up as my cheat sheet so I don’t lose focus.
Just as I’m settling into my chair to get comfortable, there’s a soft rap on my door, which surprises me. Only a handful of people come to my office, and most of them know I’ve got a meeting soon.
After pressing a button under my hand-crafted steel desk that unlocks the door, I yell my permission. “Come in.”
As soon as the flash of silver catches my eye, my interest is piqued. What the hell is Tessa doing here?
“Do you mind if I come in for a minute?”
There’s a sweetness to that request that I find perplexing and … alarming. But I’m about as restrained as a bear eating honey from a beehive at this moment. Bring on the sting.
I glance at my computer and back to the haunting beauty. “I’ve got a few minutes. You okay?”
That seems to still her for a beat. Her chest heaves, and her lips purse, but then she slips inside my office and shuts the door. She pauses for long enough with her back to me that I’m immediately on edge.
“Did something happen, Tess?”
“No, nothing like that.” She turns around and pins me with a coquettish smirk. “I’ve been thinking about what we talked about in the car this morning.” She voices that with all the confidence she usually carries, but there’s also an unmistakable trace of nerves.
This fucking girl. Is she aware that I hang on every word she says, heart in my throat, dick half hard, mind utterly dumb?
Not so dumb that I’m willing to reveal that.
So, I relax against the back of my chair, scanning over her with a nonchalant air. “A lot happened in the car this morning. Mind being more specific?”
Her lips curl into a slight grin before she bites it back in the most tantalizing way. “I’m not usually shy, Maddox, but …”
My head slants as my gaze roves up and down her curvy frame. “You are certainly not what I’d label as shy, so no need to be now—or ever—with me.”
“Right.” She nods, licking those luscious lips. “We danced around a method of resolving our issues, and I can’t seem to stop thinking about it. I know you believe I’ll get clingy, but I can promise I won’t. So, let’s test it.”
“Test it?” I rub my chin, puzzled as to where this is going. “As in … you want to—how did you phrase it earlier?—choke on my dick?”
Her chest rises and falls three times, the irresistible swell of her breasts goading me, until she finally answers, “I can’t imagine a more enjoyable way to settle this.”
My breath hitches in my throat because she is positively radiant and wanton before me, but then my barely functioning mind commands my cock to stand down.
“Right now?” I press. “Here, in my office?”
“Yeah,” she purrs, strutting over to my desk, her piña colada scent escorting her.
