kind of move or gesture to begin testing her. Instead he did nothing. Nada, zip, zero. Nearly forty hours since she’d agreed to let Bryce instruct her, and he’d left her alone.
Now she had to endure Victor’s scrutiny. “Was there something you needed, Mr. Prommer?” He was a slime, but he was still an employee of the company. With Bryce out of the office and Richard in San Diego dealing with a client, she was the most logical choice for him to bring any concerns to.
“I needed to speak to you.” His gaze moved from her to Dana, then back. “Alone.”
Mattie forced a smile to her lips. Just what she didn’t need. Motioning toward her office, she met Dana’s gaze over his shoulder. When the younger woman held up her hand with three fingers spread, Mattie gave her a quick nod. Three minutes would be more than enough time for her to have to deal with the melodrama Victor had dreamed up this time.
At her door, she hesitated when he held it open for her but entered anyway. The sound of the latch clicking had her turning to face the lawyer. “I really don’t think we need to close the door, Mr. Prommer—”
The smarmy grin spreading over his lips should have been warning enough, but Mattie’s thoughts were still distracted by Bryce’s inattention and the discussion she and Dana had been having regarding the last details of the dinner party for Ian King.
“Now, Mattilda, didn’t I say you could call me Victor?” He moved closer, his hand sliding along her left shoulder to her elbow.
Pulling away, Mattie shook her head. “And I believe I told you I wasn’t interested, Mr. Prommer.”
“We really didn’t get a chance to talk very much, Mattilda,” Victor continued, seeming to ignore her very obvious disinterest. “You left so quickly.”
Tugging her elbow from his grip, she stepped away from him again, but the man continued to follow. “I have absolutely no intention of discussing personal issues. Now, did you have something you wanted to talk about regarding the Conlin merger?”
This time when she moved away, Victor followed until the edge of her desk pressed into the back of her thighs. His grin spread, and both hands reached out to grip her arms. “Why would I discuss an important deal like that with you, Mattilda? Come on, you know you’ve been waiting for me to ask you out again.”
Unable to twist free of his grip, Mattie halted his approach by pressing her hands against his chest and leaning back. “Are you insane?”
“If you weren’t so determined to play hard to get we wouldn’t have to go through this.” He smiled at her. “Besides, who else would you slip on come-fuck-me shoes for, but me?”
Mattie blinked in surprise, speechless.
“I know it’s your way to get me to pay attention to you,” Victor purred, one hand reaching up to stroke her cheek. “So, here I am, paying attention.”
“If you haven’t any business to discuss…”
“You want me.” His superior tone matched his look. “You’ve been begging for me to ask you out again.”
Snorting in disgust, Mattie assured him, “You have got to be joking. Didn’t my leaving you high and dry at the restaurant give you a clue? Or are you that hard up for attention?”
The blue of his eyes grew chillier, and the smile turned bitter. “You just need a little convincing, Mattilda.”
“I don’t need anything from you, Victor. Now get your hands off me.” She used her firmest tone and held his gaze.
“What? Are you saving yourself for the boss? You’re too blue-collar for him, Mattilda. Haven’t you figured that out yet? Hell, you’re not even his type.” Victor sneered just before he yanked her off balance. “But I like a little struggle in my women, so let’s see how much fight you’ve got.”
His lips slammed against hers, the wet slide of them making her shudder and work harder to get out of his hold. When one of his hands slid over to grope her breast before slipping down her side and squeezing