Free Hot Proposition (Happy Endings, Contemporary) by LB James Page A

continued. She smiled at the
bartender who delivered an appetizer and placed it between us on the
bar.
    “ No, I don't.
Besides, I don't have time,” I replied, being evasive. Scooping
spinach dip onto my plate kept me from having to look her in the eye.
Dreaming after the man was one thing, but my nerves fluttered, my
palms sweat and I felt vulnerable and insecure at the very idea of
confronting Cole about anything that wasn't business related. How did
you approach a man and tell him your panties got wet every time he
turned his baby blue eyes in your direction?
    I was the head
of a multimillion dollar company. I didn't flinch when a negotiation
went south or a conflict with Japanese diplomats turned political.
But Cole Porter could strip my defenses. With just one look, there
was no doubt Cole saw me not as his boss, but as a woman. No man had
done that since...ever. There had been men in my life, men who I
thought I'd loved, men who I knew I didn't love at all, men who I
just needed to warm my bed. There was only one man I wanted to warm
my bed now, or anywhere else he'd have me, and maybe even to love.
For some strange reason, my heart thought Cole was the man.
    My body wanted
to make time to get Cole into my bed, take off his clothes one layer
at a time like a Christmas present, but my mind balked at every
opportunity, making rules like not getting involved with employees.
It was a great way to keep him at a distance. And everyone else in my
life.
    But work was my life and I had a strict rule of not mixing business with
pleasure. Cole had been a consultant with the company for three
months, handling security that came along with the just approved
defense contract. Because of the high-end technical skills my company
offered, it was crucial to maintain the safety of the intellectual
property, and more importantly, my employees.
    “ Don't have
time?” Samantha repeated. She seemed unbothered by what she
probably considered stalling tactics. “I know your schedule inside
and out. It would be true if we were back in LA, but we're not. You
have nothing tonight, nothing tomorrow. The deal's done. Use the
excuse of being out of town to go after him.”
    I took a big
fortifying sip of my drink. I was a CEO, not an escort. I had no idea
how to lure a man to my bed. Did I say, I want you to fuck me or Come with me, I'm going to rock your world? I internally
rolled my eyes at my innate ability to be completely, certifiably
unsexy.
    Samantha
waggled her eyebrows and smiled as she sipped her drink. “We
could've sat with them, you know.” She tilted her head toward the
rest of the team.
    I shrugged my
shoulders nervously. “We got here late. Didn't make sense to
disturb their meal.”
    “ You're the
boss! You can do whatever you want.”
    I pointed my
fork at her. “Exactly. I'm the boss. No one wants to have
dinner with their boss.” No one wants to have sex with their
boss.
    “ I want to
have dinner with you,” Samantha replied. “You're getting off
track. We're three time zones away from home. How much further can
you get?”
    Bora Bora,
perhaps?
    “ Go after
him. He's tall, gorgeous, smart, fit, sexy. I bet he's an amazing
kisser.” She looked off dreamily. I looked at her funny. “What?
Just because I'm married doesn't mean I can't look. Take what I know
you want.”
    I scooped some
spinach dip onto a toast tip. “Go after him? I don't know who
you're talking about,” I said, and even I heard the snippiness in
my voice.
    “ Oh, please.
It's like Fourth of July fireworks between you and Cole.”
    I choked on my
appetizer. After a sip of my drink, I stared at her, stunned. “How
on earth can you tell that? I have never done anything
unprofessional at work, and I'd like to assume neither has he. Did he
say something to you?” I mentally groaned. “Or someone else?”
    Samantha placed
her hand on mine for a moment. Gave it a little pat. “Of course
not. I wasn't suggesting anything like that. Besides, he