A Calculated Seduction Page 5

  Chapter Five

  “What?” Dulcy screamed as she inched closer to the door. From the look on her face and the tone of her voice, Ethan was mildly irritated. You’ d think he’ d asked her for her firstborn.

  The image of Dulcy rounded with child, his child, flashed through his mind before he could stop it. Oddly enough, his cock twitched again. He shook his head to clear the image, but the affects of it still lingered.

  “Dulcy—”

  “No, Mr. MacMillan. We need to pretend this never happened. ”

  “Pretend it never happened?” He didn’t mean to shout it, but that one thought

  “Yes. It was just...just...”

  He continued to pursue her as she moved closer to the door and he realized he must resemble a leopard stalking his prey. Stopping, he decided to reason with her.

  “Dulcy.”

  “Miss Menendez,” she said, but at least she’d stopped trying to get out of the office.

  He ground his teeth. “Miss Menendez, there is no reason to think that this—”

  “This is not going to happen again, Mr. MacMillan.” From the militant look on her upturned face, she actually believed that load of crap. “I cannot have things like that going on where I work.”

  He nodded, not knowing what else to say. He wasn’t agreeing, just trying to calm her nerves. There was no way he would ever agree not to touch her, not to kiss her again.

  “Now, I’m going home and tomorrow morning, we pretend like nothing happened.”

  Fat chance.

  “Is that understood?”

  He nodded again, knowing he was lying even if he didn’t say a word. Acting as if he’d never touched her skin, tasted her passion...impossible. Relief softened her features and she smiled. He fought the urge to kiss her again.

  “Good. I’m going now.”

  She slipped out the door without another word.

  There was no way he would be able to forget what happened.

  The sooner he cleared her of the embezzling and nailed the jackass she was helping, he’d teach Miss Menendez exactly why there would be no forgetting this incident. As he walked back to his office, he took a deep breath and the peachy scent of her filled his senses.

  She was ripe for the picking, he was sure of that.

  * * * *

  Dulcy shivered as she hurried through the parking lot to her car. November in North Texas could be warm to freezing, depending on Mother Nature. The day had started out balmy, but at close to six that evening, the blue norther had caused the temperature to plummet.

  Even by the time she reached her car, her heart was still beating out of control. After several attempts, she finally managed to unlock her car door. Dulcy’s hands still shook as she sat in the driver’s seat. Her whole body hummed. In all her life, she’d never been kissed like that.

  Jason, her ex-fiancé, had been sweet and gentle. Her one and only lover had not prepared her for the overpowering sensuality of that one kiss with Ethan. Kissing Ethan had been more erotic than sex had ever been with Jason.

  Shaking her head, she started her car and drove out of the parking lot. She needed to quit thinking about it. Just move on. Forget everything that happened after Pete left them alone. Forget his hands skimming down her back, his lips hard against hers.

  Forget that she was ready to jump on her desk, strip off her clothes and...

  She slammed on her brakes to avoid the stopped car in front of her.

  Good going, Menendez.

  Explain that one. Oh, officer, I’m so sorry, but I was thinking about jumping my boss’s bones and lost track of where I was.

  Sighing, she followed the car in front of her to eight twenty. What she needed was a good night’s sleep. But thinking about his hands on her bottom and his lips on her neck, she knew sleep would be hard to come by that night.

  * * * *

  Thursday afternoon found Ethan in another meeting about the upcoming promotion with Gerry Dillon. Ethan hated meetings. Irritation built into a headache. He thoroughly detested being cooped up in an office with people he found more boring than his ex-fiancée’s parents. The only thing worth it was Dulcy’s presence.

  As the various departments reported on various projects and promotions linked with Gerry Dillon, Ethan kept his anticipation of Dulcy’s report in check. She handled the planning of the Gala, all the little details everyone else hated. He sat there, just waiting for her to take control of the meeting so he could stare at her without people speculating.

  Anticipation curled through him. She was next on the agenda.

  Sad, MacMillan. Real sad.

  He studied her, patiently listening to some whiny department head nervously explain about the influx of orders that would inevitably swamp them after their national campaign began next week. She smiled reassuringly at the man, who stuttered when he noticed. Ethan saw red. Why the hell did the woman have to give her attention to someone other than him? He knew he was attractive. He’d have to be stupid not to notice the looks, or the offers he received from women. And he didn’t care if he sounded like a three-year-old. He wanted to be the only one Dulcy smiled at like that.

  But she hadn’t smiled like that at him lately. She was apparently sticking to her absurd idea they would both forget about what happened last week. He’d been a perfect gentleman, trying his best not to arouse her temper, or her suspicions. She had no reason to be suspicious of him. Well, he was investigating her. She didn’t know that. All she knew was he wanted her.

  She sat to his left, taking notes with Anderson on her left. Each time she moved, a wave of her scent reached him. Musky peach. He leaned closer, trying to drink in the essence of her.

  She licked her lips, then grazed her lower one with her teeth. Heat singed a path to his dick and his balls tightened. Lord, he wanted her. For the first time in his career, he seriously thought about breaking ranks. Maybe if he confronted her about the embezzling, she’d come clean and they could stick Pete Anderson in jail. And he really relished the thought of doing that.

  It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact Dulcy sat next to Anderson. And, if you asked Ethan, she was sitting a little too close. Of course, no one asked his opinion, but if the idiot didn’t quit leaning over and whispering in her ear, Ethan was going to break his nose.

  “Mr. MacMillan?”

  Belatedly, he realized everyone, including Dulcy, was staring at him.

  Good going, MacMillan. He centered his attention on Danny Conners, the department head giving the presentation.

  “Yes?”

  “I asked if my ideas for handling the problems with distribution and sales after we launched the campaign worked for you.”

  “Oh.”

  Brilliant, MacMillan.

  Dulcy shifted beside him and another cloud of her scent reached him. More blood drained from his head and shot straight to his dick. He was thankful for the conference table. He glanced at Dulcy. She was staring at him as if he’d grown another head. Great, now she thought he was an idiot. A low chuckle caught his attention. He looked past Dulcy to Anderson, who wore a smirk Ethan would gladly have smacked off his face.

  He forced his concentration away from Dulcy and her accomplice and granted it to Conners.

  “Everything sounds fine. Make sure to follow up with the district managers. ” He turned back to Dulcy. “Now, Miss Menendez, you have anything to add about the Gala?”

  She shot him a look he couldn’t decipher and stood. She walked to the opposite end of the table, where the podium stood. The sway of her hips in her bright yellow suit sent another wave of heat straight to his dick. He bit back a moan. The woman had no idea just how sexy she was. Which, of course, made her even more tempting.

  Anderson let loose another chuckle and Ethan looked at him. The man didn’t even know enough to suppress his amusement. He just sat there staring at Ethan, his eyebrow lifted and a knowing look in his eyes.

  Dulcy called attention to herself by starting the report of expe
nditures, Ethan settled back to enjoy staring at her with no interruptions.

  * * * *

  Dulcy’s concentration was the pits. She came to that conclusion when she listed the food and drink they’d serve at the Gala twice. Sweat gathered at the small of her back and her pulse beat out of control. Every hormone in her body bounced. She laid the blame at Ethan’s feet.

  How in the world was she supposed to concentrate with him sitting at the opposite end of the table, practically eating her up with his gaze? Didn’t he know everyone in the meeting certainly knew what he was thinking?

  Because she definitely knew. She knew he was thinking about his hands on her skin, his lips on hers...

  Oh, good golly. Maybe she should make a doctor’s appointment because the heat skidding along her nerve endings wasn’t normal for her. She didn’t drool over hot men with great abs and really impressive cocks. Unless she counted Ethan. She was positive his abs would definitely be well defined, with a thin line of hair bisecting his stomach and disappearing beneath...

  Good Lord. There she went again. Just a stray thought about body parts and her mind jumped to Ethan. And his abs. And those delicious eyes and his very large hands. She could imagine those hands sliding across her skin, cupping her breasts...

  She cleared her throat. Thinking about things that weren’t going to happen was dangerous. It would make her wish for those things. That would push her dangerously closer to falling in love with him.

  And she would not be stupid enough to do that.

  “Dulcy, do you think you ordered an adequate amount of food? If you’re expecting that big of a crowd, I would think that wouldn’t be enough,” Marcy Williams, head of accounting, said.

  Marcy smiled through her comment, sneaking peeks at Ethan to see if he noticed. The day Ethan walked in and took over MacMillan Boots, Marcy had announced she’d have him in her bed. A surge of satisfaction warmed Dulcy when Ethan didn’t even look at the woman. Woman? Barracuda was more like it.

  “I’m going on the advice of the catering manager, who has been planning this kind of function for over twenty years. He’s going on the number of RSVPs we’ve received, and the cutoff date was Monday.”

  When Marcy looked to open her mouth again to argue, Dulcy cut her off at the pass. “And, we’ll work with him up until the day of the function. This isn’t a final count, and he’s suggested we plan to feed about ten percent over the RSVPs.” She smiled at Marcy’s frown. “Any other questions?”

  “Looks like we’re done here,” Ethan said. “Any problems with the Gala itself, be sure to get a hold of Dulcy.”

  A murmur of agreement rose and people began to leave. Marcy, the bed-hopping executive, slithered around the table to where Ethan sat. Dulcy gathered her notes and smiled at Pete who approached her, stepping around Mr. Conners, who was still whining about the upcoming promotion.

  “Well, that was an interesting meeting,” Pete murmured in her ear.

  “Aren’t they all?” She turned and headed toward the door, Pete directly behind her. “I’m stopping by the break room for a soda. Want to go with me?”

  He held the door open for her. “Sure. Had to skip lunch today to work on that new program. And I want to know what all that was between you and the boss man during the meeting. ”

  * * * *

  Ethan silently fumed when Dulcy and Anderson slipped away at the end of the meeting. When Marcy Williams approached him, he realized it would be a good way to allow his hormones to settle. Standing up in front of your executives with a boner wasn’t the way to win any respect.

  Talking to Ms. Williams was the best way to cool his libido. She was an attractive redhead with a great body and a quick mind. She was the type of woman who would be happy with a relationship that included dinner and sex, no attachments. Usually his type of woman. But she left him cold. Her green eyes were a little too calculating and he knew she thought sleeping with him would get her ahead with the company. Before coming to MacMillan, he would have been happy to take what she offered. Instead, he found himself drawn to Dulcy, with her innocent eyes and sinful body.

  Ms. Williams moved closer and hiked a hip up on the table, allowing Ethan a view of the top of her stocking. “What I was wondering, now that we’re alone, is if you’re going to need an escort for the Gala? I find myself free for the evening.”

  “I’m sorry. Ms. Menendez and I will be attending together.” At her lifted eyebrow, he felt compelled to squash any rumors that might develop. “We have to be there early, so we decided to go together.”

  She still didn’t look convinced, but didn’t argue the point. “Be sure to save a dance for me.”

  He smiled the smile he knew she expected. It was the smile that could get him anything he wanted—women, information, money. Odd how it never seemed to work on Dulcy.

  “I’ll definitely do that, Ms. Williams.”

  She smiled and sashayed out the door.

  Ethan sat in the now empty conference room, wondering about his earlier thoughts. He had to keep his mind off Dulcy and that sweet, tempting body. What he needed was an embezzler, as soon as possible. If he didn’t keep that in mind, he knew his professional reputation would be at stake.

  He rubbed his hand over his chest. He didn’t want to contemplate what else he could lose in the process.

  * * * *

  “You’ve got it wrong, Pete. The man isn’t interested in me,”

  Dulcy said, as she slipped her coins into the machine. He’d been badgering her about Ethan since they’d left the conference room and Dulcy was ready to scream.

  “Dulcy, I saw the way he was looking at you. Jeez, anyone could feel the heat between you two. I’m amazed he didn’t grab you by your hair and drag you from the room. Besides, I saw your reaction and I know you. Something has gone on between you two.”

  She thought of the kiss they’d shared, the way he tasted, his body against hers... Her face heated to the roots of her hair. She pretended to be highly interested in twisting the top off her soda bottle.

  “Ha, I knew it.” His eyes danced with mischief. “Something did go on between the two of you.”

  “Pete. Let it go.”

  He studied her for a minute, then relented. “When you’re ready to tell me, I’ll be waiting for details. And from the look of MacMillan, they should be some kind of details.”

  * * * *

  Saturday evening, Dulcy found herself happily at home enjoying one of her favorite black and white movies. She snuggled deeper into her sofa, munched on popcorn and sighed. This was the life. No meddling friends, no stepmothers or sisters, no sexy bosses.

  There she went again. She couldn’t seem to go five minutes without thinking of him. She would promise herself not to think about the way he smelled, or the way his voice sounded when he was irritated with her. Or that smile she was sure could make a woman melt at twenty paces.

  Every fiber of her body called out to take the man up on his offer. But she couldn’t do that. It was just lust and she didn’t want passion without love. Passion without love ended in disaster. She had the scorch marks across her heart to prove it. And it had to be lust. Because if it was something else for her, she knew it wasn’t anything but lust for him. And that would leave her the odd person out again.

  So she would keep all her bouncing hormones under control. She’d convinced herself of that lie, just about the time the doorbell rang.

  She groaned. Tonight was her night for relaxing and Marge was out with Bill. No one but her irritating family would show up on a Saturday night and expect her to be home. Granted it was true, but this one time, she would pretend not to be here. She had popcorn and Cary Grant. She did not want to be interrupted.

  A few seconds ticked by. Nothing. Good, she would see them tomorrow at brunch, no reason to mess with them tonight.

  She sighed and leaned back against the pillows. She jumped when the banging started again, followed by the one voice she didn’t expect to hear.

  “Dul
cy, I saw your car downstairs. Open up,” Ethan said.

  Chapter Six

  For about ten seconds, she didn’t move. She was too astonished.

  What the heck was Ethan MacMillan doing at her apartment at nine on a Saturday night? She looked down at the yoga pants and T-shirt she wore. Why the hell did he show up now, when she looked like a slob?

  Irritation and embarrassment skated along her nerves. It was just like him to pull something like this.

  He banged on the door again. “Dulcy, come on and open up.”

  She jumped off the sofa, almost spilling her popcorn in the process, and hurried to the door. The banging started again the moment she reached it. Agitation crept up her spine. The man had some nerve to show up on a weekend night, bang on her door and act irritated she didn’t jump to do his bidding the moment he showed up. She twisted the locks and flung the door open.

  Her rebuke died on her lips. Ethan wasn’t dressed in his usual attire. The red and black flannel shirt hung open, revealing a white t-shirt. A pair of well-worn jeans hung on his lean hips. Old sneakers completed the outfit.

  Oh, Lord. As her gaze traveled back up his body, her pulse accelerated. The denim hugged his legs and sex. She licked her lips. The T-shirt clung to his abs, showing off their muscular definition. She lifted her eyes to his face. Jesus, even his scowl sent shock waves lancing through her. How was she supposed to keep her hands off him when he showed up on her doorstep looking like that?

  * * * *

  Ethan felt like a fool. After an irritating conversation with Todd, he’d been restless. More and more, he began to question their investigation. Dulcy Menendez couldn’t be an embezzler any more than she could be a horse. He could tell by looking into her clear topaz eyes.

  When he’d told Todd what he thought, his old friend had accused Ethan of being slightly biased. He’d known Todd longer than any of his other employees. Ethan really hated it when Todd was right. And that’s why he was mad. At himself, and Todd. Ethan had been giving her the benefit of the doubt. She was under investigation and his job was not to give her any excuses.