Free More Than A Four Letter Word by Stephanie Jean Smith

too."
    ***

Chapter 7
    How long has she been standing there staring
out of her office window looking down at the busy streets of
downtown Chicago? She's in the middle of a security project for the
EPA, but her mind isn't on work right now. Clarissa has been
working for Rosscom for more than four months, closer to five. It
still hasn't been enough time to work out her feelings for her boss
Julian Ross.
    He's a busy man, and she sees him sometimes
once or twice a week. When their paths cross, Julian is always
pleasant and professional, not the sensual man she encountered in
Orlando. Maybe she put too much stock in their initial meeting; she
thought she would have to beat him off with a stick. Well seems
like the joke is on her. He isn't doing anything to change the
status quo.
    Julian is like no other man in her
acquaintance, and Clarissa is afraid that she might be falling for
him. She can't stop thinking about Julian's full, kissable lips and
his slightly titled onyx eyes, surrounded by long, thick eyelashes.
If absence makes the heart grow fonder, she must damn well be in
love. Clarissa wondered if this is Julian's plan all along. Tease
her and make her want him and then treat her as if she doesn't
exist. Talk about a sexual let down.
    Clarissa turned around upon hearing the
tapping at her door. She works in a secure environment and doesn't
get many visitors. She opens the security door, only to see Julian
standing on the other side. "Come in."
    Julian walks into Clarissa office, shutting
the door behind him. "Clarissa, you and I need to talk. I could
have invited you to lunch, but your office will have to
suffice."
    Clarissa practically stumbled before falling
into her chair. Sitting behind her desk gives her a feeling of
safety. It's a good thing she's sitting down; just looking at
Julian makes her weak in the knees. Damn she needs to get laid. No
man should have that much sexual magnetism. "Sure Julian what can I
do for you?"
    Julian eyes roam freely over her face and
breasts. His plan is to give her a little time to get acclimated to
Chicago before he pounces, but he is out of patience, and she is
out of time. "I need you to act as hostess tonight for my house
warming party."
    "What?" She certainly didn't expect him to
ask her to be his hostess. "I don't think I'm qualified to act as
your hostess. I'm sure that you know plenty of women who would die
for a chance to host your party."
    "I don't want another woman. You may have me
pegged as Chicago's number one playboy, but I never take my lovers
home to meet my son. My liaisons were about sex and nothing more.
You, on the other hand, have managed to worm you way into my son's
favor. So it's only fitting that you play hostess at our house
warming party."
    Thinking about Julian's son Micah puts a
smile on her face. Micah is an adorable little charmer. At the
company Christmas party, they talked about a variety of subjects.
"I've bumped into Micah a couple of times since the Christmas
party, and I don't recall anything I said that would make a lasting
impression on a ten year old."
    Clarissa has no idea how others viewed her.
Initially upon meeting her, his only objectives were to get her in
his bed and keep her there. Now he's considering a more permanent
arrangement. Julian loves his son more than anything, and he puts
Micah's needs before his own. Meeting Clarissa has turned Micah's
world around. Seeing Micah's interaction with her, makes Julian
realize that a growing young boy needs the influence of a loving,
strong woman.
    "You have him wrapped around your little
finger, and the only thing I've been hearing since Christmas is
when can I see Rissa again. Did you tell him that it was okay to
call you Rissa?"
    Clarissa could feel herself blushing under
his intense gaze. "Back in Orlando, I had an art group for children
at the neighborhood Boys & Girls Club. I told the kids to call
me Rissa; I wanted them to feel at ease in my presence. I was there
to help them explore their