Bossy Brit Read online

  Before I do anything else, I buzz Noelle.

  “Noelle, can you bring me some tea? It looks like I’m going to be here late tonight.”

  “Right away, Mr. Bennett,” she says, and my cock twitches. Jesus. Even the way she says my name gets me going. Somehow her low, sultry voice can make even discussing the weather sound like dirty talk.

  I send off a quick response to Chandler’s email and then look up to see Jamie smirking at me.

  “What is it?” I ask, my irritation clear. I’m already on edge about this presentation; the last thing I need is Jamie giving me more lectures about being less uptight.

  “Liam, listen to me,” he says, standing and stretching. “You don’t need caffeine; you need a blow job.” Unfortunately, in the middle of his sentence the door swings open and in walks Noelle, holding a steaming mug.

  As usual, the sight of her sends all kinds of sinful thoughts shooting through my veins, and more specifically to my dick. I’ve never looked twice at my assistants, or any of my employees, never wanting to cross that line. But when Noelle walks into my office wearing a blouse that hugs her ample tits and accentuates her trim waist, I have a hard time looking away. To cope, I decide to look at Jamie, but not before I realize that Noelle has heard Jamie’s comment. A deep red flush rises in her cheeks, but she keeps walking, her heels clicking as she approaches me.

  “Um, here’s the tea you asked for,” she says, quickly setting it down on the desk in front of me before turning to leave. I catch a whiff of something soft and floral, like lavender and rose, before she walks away, which distracts me all over again. I watch her shut the door, unable to stop myself from noticing the way her black skirt hugs her round ass, which would be the perfect size for me to grab onto while she rides my…

  “Hello?” Jamie says, waving a hand at me. Fuck. What’s my problem? I need to keep it together around Noelle, at least until this presentation is over with.

  “Can you not talk about blow jobs in the office? This is a business, not a frat house,” I snap at him, a little more harshly than I meant to.

  Jamie holds his hands up and shakes his head.

  “This reaction is exactly why you need to get laid,” he responds, unshaken by my sharp tone. By now, he’s used to dealing with my type-A personality. “Just think about that date.”

  For a moment, I wonder if Jamie is right. I’ve definitely shut myself off to women lately, and even though it might help to get back out into the dating world, it sounds horrible. Watching the person you’d planned to spend the rest of your life with turn into someone you don’t recognize kind of takes the wind out of your sails. Plus, getting cheated on doesn’t help, and knowing it was because of all the long hours I spend at work makes it even worse. All I’ve wanted since the divorce is to focus on work and my kids, who are a lot more important than a quickie with some woman Jamie met at the gym.

  Once Jamie leaves, I scrub my hands through my hair and sigh. I need to apologize to Noelle for what she overheard. That was totally unprofessional. I press the intercom button and call Noelle back into my office. She’s totally composed after the incident, which is one great thing about her. In fact, she’s the best fucking assistant I’ve ever had, always one step ahead of me, as if she knows what I need before I do. The last thing I want to do is scare her off the job because of some stupid comment by Jamie.

  She steps into the room and my gut twitches. Her tits bounce slightly as she takes a seat in the chair in front of me, but I keep my eyes locked on hers. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years of climbing my way up the corporate ladder, it’s the importance of strong eye contact. Which I’ll need to distract me from the sexy, irresistible woman sitting five feet away from me. The only trouble is, staring into her deep, honey colored eyes is almost more overwhelming than staring at the rest of her. It’s like I can see everything she’s thinking before she even opens her mouth to speak.

  I clear my throat and look down at my desk for a moment to compose myself, then back up at her.

  “I wanted to apologize for anything you overheard a moment ago,” I say, all business. I don’t think Noelle has any idea exactly how attracted I am to her, which is how I want it, and how it has to be. The last thing I need is for her to feel uncomfortable around me. “Jamie can be a little…” I trail off.

  “Adolescent?” she says, then chews on her lower lip. She watches me, gauging my reaction. Little does she know, I appreciate honesty, and a sharp tongue.

  “Yes, that,” I say, leaning back in my chair, smirking. “But this is a professional workplace, and I don’t want you to think that’s the kind of thing we encourage here at Griffin.”

  She nods, brushing her wavy, dark hair back behind one slim shoulder. I catch the scent of her shampoo, something flowery, and all I want to do is grab a fistful of that hair as I push her up against the wall and kiss her. I shake my head, bringing myself back to the moment. There’s more we need to discuss, and it’s not the easiest subject.

  I sigh, then come out with it.

  “I also want to discuss the incident from yesterday. The messages I saw on your phone.”

  I can tell she was hoping we wouldn’t have to discuss it again based on the slight redness in her cheeks. Jesus, why does seeing her blush turn me on so much?

  “I don’t encourage inter-office relationships of any nature.” I pause. She hasn’t said anything, and it’s clear that she’s mortified by the conversation. I decide to change my tactic and lighten up a little. “That being said, I’m a human being and I understand that sometimes people are going to be attracted to each other. It doesn’t mean we can’t still have a successful working relationship, as long as we’re both willing to be professional.”

  She’s nodding, her full lips parting into a careful smile. It’s impossible not to imagine kissing those lips, or how it would feel to have them wrapped around my cock. My desk is large enough that if she kneeled underneath it, someone walking by would have no idea what was happening. I let out a grunt that I try to conceal as a cough and shift in my chair, the ache in my gut growing stronger by the second.

  “I agree,” she says, oblivious to the reaction I’m having to her—thank God. “And I’m sorry about the texts. Let’s keep it professional. I’m here to help you in any way I can, and that includes staying late tonight if you could use the help.”

  I nod, glad we’ve cleared the air. As uncomfortable as a conversation like this can be, I’m not the kind of guy who runs from anything. I just need to remind myself, as much as her, to stay professional. And that means not imagining my assistant giving me a blow job in the middle of a work day.

  As I watch Noelle leave the room, I vow to keep all indecent thoughts from my mind. But then, I feel a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach. Because I realize I’m going to be in the office, at night, alone with Noelle. Not much scares me, but this is new territory. I’m a man who likes to plan, but fate just threw me a curve ball I never saw coming.

  Chapter Three

  Noelle

  I stand up to stretch my legs, having kicked off my heels hours ago. I glance over at Liam, who is totally absorbed in his work—no surprise there—the white glow of the computer screen highlighting his square jawline. He even looks yummy deep in concentration.

  I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of working late, but it’s actually been nice to work alongside Liam after hours. I didn’t think he’d ever heard of the term “relax” before, but he’s loosened his tie and undone the top buttons of his shirt. We’ve even had a little casual conversation that didn’t have to do with work. Plus, with his shirt unbuttoned, when he shifts in his seat, his shirt strains enticingly across his well-defined pecs. I don’t hate it. Not in the least.

  I swallow and force myself to look away. I should really be focusing on the presentation, and not on checking out my hot boss. To distract myself, I check the time.

  “Oh, I didn’t realize it was already so late.” Liam raises his head a
t my voice, and I point to the clock. It’s well past eight o’clock. “Should we order some dinner? I think we might be here for a while.”

  He nods. “Brilliant idea. And thanks again for staying so late,” he says, looking up from his work. I feel a lightning bolt shoot into my stomach when our eyes connect. “I’m sure you have other things you’d rather be doing.”

  Like you? I think and bite my tongue. We agreed to keep things professional less than six hours ago and I’m already having a hard time keeping my thoughts clean. What’s wrong with me?

  It would be a lot easier to keep my mind on work if I weren’t so painfully aware of the fact that Liam and I are alone, at night, in his office, less than ten feet away from each other. This is basically the beginning of every one of my fantasies about him, and I’m having a hard time stopping myself from making one of them come to life.

  “Yeah, I’m pretty upset that you ruined my big plan to watch You’ve Got Mail with a pint of ice cream,” I say sarcastically, smirking at him. “But I’m sure you can think of a way to make it up to me.”

  Shit, did I say that out loud? I need to keep it together, and flirting with him isn’t going to make it any easier to ignore my very obvious attraction to him.

  I’m afraid he’s going to scold me for crossing a line, but instead he smirks back at me.

  “I can think of a few ways,” he says quietly, and my heart skips a beat. I swallow, and our eyes meet. Just looking into those emerald eyes sends a wave of lust through me, and I have to pull my gaze away before I decide to forget about our conversation earlier and throw myself on top of him.

  I clear my throat and focus. “So, what should we order? Chinese?”

  “Whatever you want is fine with me,” he tells me, looking back at his laptop.

  Unfortunately, what I really want right now can’t be ordered at a Chinese restaurant.

  I head into the hallway to make the phone call, hoping a break from Liam will ease the sexual tension between us.

  After I place the order, I try to look at my computer, but I’m going cross-eyed from information overload.

  “I need a drink,” I mutter, pulling open another file.

  Liam looks up, raising an eyebrow.

  “Oh, sorry, not that I’m not enjoying the work, I’m just a little beat,” I say quickly. Come on, Noelle, try to have a filter.

  To my surprise, Liam smiles. “I think we could make a drink happen,” he says quietly. He stands up and walks to the wall, where there’s a small hutch I’ve never paid attention to before. He pulls it open and a light comes on inside, revealing several bottles of whiskey and four rocks glasses set on a shelf.

  I snort. “What are you, James Bond or something?”

  He lets out a low laugh, and I realize it’s one of the first times I’ve heard it. Before tonight, I thought Liam might be an actual robot. But as much as it turns me on to have him bossing me around, I’m finding myself more and more interested in this other, more laid-back side of him. I really had no idea this side even existed.

  He pours us each a glass of whiskey and walks over to hand me one.

  Just having him near me makes me feel like my heart is going to explode. As I take the glass from him my fingers brush his hand. I’ve never had such a strong physical reaction to someone before, and I take a big gulp of the whiskey to distract myself. I know mixing alcohol with my attraction to Liam is probably a lethal combination, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

  We work quietly, the click of the keys and the low hum of fluorescent lights the only sound.

  “Shit,” Liam says, shuffling through files on his desk. “Where did I put that zoning map?”

  “You left it on the side table,” I tell him, nodding toward it.

  “Why would I have put it on the…” he trails off as he walks over and picks up the map from the table.

  “I forgot, thanks,” he says quietly, looking up at me.

  “That’s what I’m here for,” I say brightly, smiling at him. Inappropriate attraction aside, Liam and I do make a great team at work. We’ve been in sync about almost everything on this presentation, and even though I can tell he’s nervous about it, I know he’s going to do an amazing job.

  By now, the alcohol has started to make me slightly lightheaded. I glance up at Liam, who’s still hard at work, and decide we need to loosen things up a little bit.

  “Alright, I think we deserve a break,” I say, setting my drink down a little harder than I meant to. It probably doesn’t help that I’m drinking on an empty stomach. “Let’s do something fun, then we’ll put the last touches on the presentation.”

  Liam hesitates, glancing at his computer.

  I stand up and slowly walk over to him. He watches me silently, and with every step I feel my heart pounding harder against my chest. The alcohol must be strong, because I have no inhibitions about perching on the edge of his desk and crossing my legs, my thigh just a foot away from his hand. When I sit down, I see his eyes travel from my legs up to my eyes, and I can’t control the shiver that runs through my body.

  Liam’s still watching me, and as much as I want to slide off the desk and straddle him, I force myself to stay where I am. It’s totally boring and very adult-like of me.

  He still hasn’t responded and he’s still watching me with that laser-like focus he uses when he’s trying to solve a difficult problem.

  “Come on, when’s the last time you did something fun?” I tease, breaking the silence and grinning at him.

  Finally, he smiles, revealing straight, white teeth. “Honestly, I can’t even remember,” he says, closing his laptop.

  I hop off the desk.

  “Perfect, how about Truth or Dare? I know it’s juvenile, but trust me, it’ll be fun.”

  He’s watching me, and I wonder if he thinks I’m nuts. Then he stands up.

  “Okay, fine,” he says, leveling his stare at me. “I pick dare.”

  “Dare,” I repeat, grinning at him. “Okay.” I ponder my options, my brain working overtime for something a little sexy, and a lot daring. “I dare you to streak through the office.”

  He snorts and shakes his head. “Seriously? Streaking? You know there are cameras out there, right?”

  “You’re the one who picked dare,” I say with a shrug. “If you’re too afraid to streak, I could give you a new dare. But if I do that, there’s no turning back.”

  He processes this, and finally shakes his head. Streaking was probably a little too much.

  “I can handle it,” he says, his eyes boring into mine. I’m suddenly too aware of how close Liam’s body is to mine, and my stomach does several backflips. His voice is low and husky when he asks, “What’s the new dare?”

  My heart is pounding so hard against my chest I can hardly breathe. Every logical part of me knows we should stop this, just go back to work and pretend none of it ever happened. But the alcohol and my desire are stronger than logic.

  “Kiss me,” I say, looking back into his eyes. Even after I say it, I can’t really believe the words just left my mouth. I just dared my boss, the CEO of this company, to kiss me.

  Real fucking smooth, Noelle.

  His expression is serious, his jaw set. My heart sinks, and I wonder if I’ve gone too far. But then he nods.

  “It’s a dare, so I guess I have to do it,” he says, a small smile playing across his full lips.

  “Those are the rules. And we can’t break the rules,” I say, slightly breathless, as he takes a step toward me.

  He takes another step so that he’s standing right in front of me. His masculine scent fills my nostrils, intoxicating me. He lifts a hand to tilt my chin up, so that I’m looking directly into his eyes, and I feel my knees go weak. When his lips press against mine, it’s like there’s a fire inside of me, and I step in closer so that our bodies are pressed together. He slides a hand onto the small of my back, pulling me against him, and I let out a whimper. He slides his tongue into my mouth, teasing me
, and I arch my back slightly so that my breasts are pressed into his chest. I slide my hands up his torso, feeling his toned body underneath his shirt. And just when I think I can’t take it, that I need him all up in my inbox right now, he pulls away.

  “Noelle, we can’t,” he says, and the way my name sounds in his mouth is so silky and rich.

  I take a moment to catch my breath, and we stare at each other, still close enough to touch, when my phone starts ringing. I jump, startled by the interruption, and run to answer it. It’s the food delivery, waiting by the reception desk. I quickly walk to grab the food, hoping I look composed enough that the delivery guy can’t tell I was just making out with my boss.

  When I walk back into Liam’s office and set the food down, I’m still a little shaky, and I can tell he is, too. Usually, he’s totally put together, but it’s clear our kiss has shaken him up.

  “You like the spicy noodles, right?” I ask, desperately trying to talk about something normal. Clearly, I’m not very well versed in the best way to speak to your boss moments after you’ve stuck your tongue down his throat.

  “Right,” he says, taking the box from me. We start eating in silence, and after a few minutes I can’t take it anymore.

  “I guess we should probably finish the presentation,” I say, trying to ease the tension. Focusing on work is the only thing I can think of to distract me from the sinking feeling in my stomach. While I’m a little hurt, and definitely experiencing lady blue balls, I get why Liam put a stop to the kiss. The best way to deal with it now is to get the presentation done so we can both go home and pretend it never happened.

  “I think there are just a few more small kinks to work out, and then we can get out of here,” he says, pulling out a new file. He glances at it for a moment, then looks back over at me, his eyes moving up and down my body.

  “Fuck it,” he says, throwing down the file. He walks around the desk and pulls me up against him. He presses his lips to mine, harder this time, and more frenzied. I can taste the whiskey on his tongue.