Free Stripped by Tori St. Claire Page B

Brandon had intended to rectify by the end of his first week on the job. But to have it thrown out so publically—he couldn’t stomach the thought someone else might suffer Rachel’s fate.
    “This isn’t a game, Natalya.” Her back came into contact with the wall, forbidding her further retreat. He closed the insignificant distance between them. “There are lives at stake. You’ve read the headlines, I’m sure. And you just invited a murderer to take advantage.”
    “Three minutes of your time—that’s all I wanted.” She paused long enough to lick her lips and swallow. The flash of rosy pink rippedthrough Brandon’s awareness like she’d pressed hot coals into his skin. He ground his teeth together.
    “Enough to point that out to you privately and ask you to consider hiring Sergei.”
    He should turn her loose. Step back before he forgot what they were doing against the wall. Forgot that moments ago he’d wanted to throttle her for exposing Fantasia’s weakest link. But damned if he could get his fingers to do anything more than relax enough to give her room to twist free.
    She stayed motionless, her gaze traveling over his face, dipping to his mouth. It jerked back to his eyes, and her cheeks colored a pretty pink. “His references are excellent.”
    As she shifted position, lifting her back away from the wall to relieve some unseen pinch, he caught a whiff of her lilac perfume. He reeled under the heady fragrance. Sweet. Innocent. Goddamn enticing. His cock seconded the observation.
    Fuck. He was in trouble and he knew it. She stood too close. He caught the catch of her breath, the sudden darkening of her eyes. The heat of their bodies ebbed between them, and his pulse skyrocketed. He no longer cared if the spark in her gaze came from anger or desire. Didn’t care if she was playing him. Nor did he give a damn about the conversation she’d been so intent on having. The only thought that drummed in his head was of seeing that same flash of dark color in her gaze as he slid home between her legs and pushed her over the edge into orgasm.
    He released his grip intending to step away. Instead, his hands slid down the flimsy material of her blouse to her wrists, then against his better judgment, worked their way back up to the firm muscle of her biceps. “Let me get this straight,” he murmured, all too aware of the hoarseness of his voice. “You want me to hire someone on your word alone. A new girl. Who I hired because someone I trust referred her. When I haven’t even had the chance to check out
your
references?”
    “Yeah.” She exhaled. Her next deep breath brought her breasts against his chest. Hardened nipples stabbed into his overwarm skin. Her gaze flickered again. Long lashes lowered to veil the brilliant hue of her eyes. “Something like that.”
    “Why? Is he your boyfriend? Put him on the floor, and you on the stage?” He leaned in close, knowing he tread a thin line between sanity and madness. His hips flattened against hers, and the throbbing of his cock became unbearable. Her stomach quivered against his abdomen. “Would that heat things up between you two?”
    If she said yes, he’d die. Why, he didn’t know. But the idea that Natalya Trubachev would dance before her lover, and then go home and fuck until the sun rose, was enough to torment him the rest of the night. Enough for him to realize he would never, in a hundred years, hire this Sergei.
    Right now, though, he didn’t intend to break the bubble of bliss that the press of her soft full breasts wrapped around him by informing her he’d already come to a decision.
    “Things don’t need…” Her breathless whisper hitched. She swallowed visibly, then licked her lips once more. “Any more heating up.”
    His awareness honed in on the strong beat of her pulse against the side of her neck, and he had the sudden feeling they’d switched gears. This conversation was no longer about hiring anyone. “No, they don’t, do