Free Nothing Personal by Rosalind James

gestured Claudine into her office, noticed the missing shelf on her bookcase again. She needed to get the furniture guy back up here with that. Joe had one missing as well. Her thumbs typed “shelf” onto her phone, even as she took a seat behind her desk.
    Claudine laughed and arranged her long limbs into one of the visitor’s chairs. “Not exactly. A certain Mr. A. Kincaid I usually manage to pay a non-sales call on. Or maybe you could say that he pays one on me. Like I said, pleasure, not business. And honey, we’re talking pleasure. That man can do things with his tongue that’ll have you begging for mercy and shouting Hallelujah.”
    Desiree felt a jolt that had everything to do with . . . everything. Arousal, and jealousy, and confusion. None of which she wanted to examine right now.
    “ TMI,” she said instead. “I’m working with the guy.”
    “And you don’t think about doin’ it with him? How can you help it?”
    “ I’m the straitlaced type. Hard-wired that way. So is it a serious thing? You and Alec?”
    Another laugh . “Not exactly. Like I said. Non-sales call. Just a blonde having more fun. And yes, salon blonde counts.”
    And there was the man himself, one brown hand gripping the edge of the doorway as he swung his body around it, took a bouncing stride inside.
    “Somebody told me there was a good-looking woman in the office,” he said. “I thought I’d better come check it out.”
    “Hey, handsome,” Claudine said, rising from her chair and bending to give Desiree a quick hug goodbye before turning to Alec. “You ready to get that drink?”
    “Oh, you know it.” Alec looked at Desiree. “Taking off,” he told her unnecessarily. “Don’t work too late.”
    “Have fun,” she said, her smile feeling pasted on. Which was just stupid.
     
    She was going over her numbers again, taking advantage of the quiet time. The outer office was dim and silent, even Joe having left a half-hour earlier.
    She looked up at the sound of the office doors opening, then hissing shut again. Sat up a little straighter, her heart beating a little harder. The building had good security, she reminded herself, and you needed a keycard to get up here.
    She could sense, rather than hear, someone moving around out there. If it had been Rosa, she’d have announced her presence with her usual cheerful call of “Cleaners!” That is, if her rolling cart hadn’t done it for her. Desiree wished she’d left her office door open so she could see, then wished she’d locked it. She considered calling out herself, abandoned the idea fast. Sat still and hoped whoever it was would go away.
    The suspense increased as the seconds ticked by, until she was literally holding her breath, staring at the door in frozen silence. And then there was a knock that made her leap in her chair, followed by the sight and sound of . . . just Alec, pushing the door open with a quiet “Rae?”
    “Oh.” She let her breath out with a whoosh, put both hands to her chest without even realizing it, felt the gallop of her heart. “You scared the hell out of me.”
    “Did I? Sorry. Didn’t realize anyone was still here until I saw your light on.” He looked at her more closely. “Hey. I really did scare you.”
    “ That’s OK.” She reached for her water bottle, took a swig. “I just wasn’t expecting you back.”
    Why was he back? It had sounded from Claudine’s description like he took his time. Well, if they’d just had one drink, and then got into it . . .
    Danger, Will Robinson. None of her business.
    “Yeah.” He perched on the edge of her desk, swinging a foot. “I stopped by to pick up some stuff. Why are you still here? It’s after eight.”
    “First financials to the board tomorrow,” she explained, trying not to look up into those eyes. Trying not to look at the strength of the thigh resting on her desk. Which didn’t leave her a whole lot to look at. “Running through them again.”
    “Did you eat?”
    “Uh .