The office locked down immediately, leaving her trapped inside. It took two hours before anyone came to let her out.
She’d known they’d have contacted Jake when the alarm went off, but still hadn’t expected him when the door finally opened.
“Aren’t you supposed to be car shopping?” she asked.
Then she saw his mother peering around his shoulder. Obviously, she’d interrupted them in mid-shop.
“Hi,” Kim said, attempting to sound nonchalant. “Just doing a little breaking and entering.”
Jake raised an eyebrow.
“I was trying to live dangerously—you set the rules.”
He shook his head. “This wasn’t quite what I meant.”
…
Nadia leaned toward him in her chair, her expression earnest. “You love me. I know you love me,” she murmured.
“Er, no, I don’t.”
Jake pressed a finger to his forehead. Why the hell had he let the woman into his office? But Nadia had called several times every day, and nothing he said put her off.
He wished Kim would be half as keen, but in the five days since he’d released her from his office—after another abortive attempt to pass the test—he’d hardly laid eyes on her. She’d even canceled their weekly movie night.
When Nadia had arrived in person, he’d thought he might have more success persuading her face-to-face their relationship was over. Some people thought he was quite scary, but apparently, he was losing his touch. Also, he began to suspect Kim was right, and the woman was unstable.
Nadia crossed her long legs and leaned even farther forward, giving him a great view of her cleavage, but she did absolutely nothing for him. She never had. She’d been convenient, and at the time, the arrangement had seemed mutually beneficial.
“You wouldn’t have gone out with me if you hadn’t cared.”
He sighed. “We made an agreement. You wanted to save face. Remember?”
“I know you just went along with that, thinking I wasn’t ready for a relationship.”
“And you cried.” He realized immediately he’d made a strategic mistake by reminding her that he was a sucker for a woman who cried. She blinked, and her eyes glistened. Jesus, she was good.
“I know you really want me.”
“No, I don’t.”
“You just didn’t want to take advantage when I was vulnerable.”
Jake was beginning to believe that “vulnerable” and “Nadia” were mutually exclusive. She was like a juggernaut, impervious to any obstacles in her path.
As she rose to her feet, he girded himself to stay in his seat and not show signs of fear. But as Kim pointed out, Nadia was more than a little scary. She strolled around the desk and came to a halt only inches away, so close he could breathe in the cloying scent of her perfume.
“But I’m over the past, Jake, and I’m ready to move on. With you.” He opened his mouth, but she was already speaking again, so he clamped his lips shut and waited for a break in her momentum. “You’re not seeing anyone else, and I know it’s because you want me.” She leaned closer and rested her hand on his shoulder. “And you can have me, Jake.”
He flinched but held himself immobile.
A light glinted in her eyes. Maniacal zeal? Insanity?
“I thought you wanted that girl who works for you—the plain one. But I asked around and it’s obvious she’s nothing to you. Just someone you feel responsible for.” She trailed one scarlet-tipped finger down his cheek. “You’re a nice man, Jake, but you can’t be responsible for everyone. These people will take advantage of you. You need to let them go.”
Now he knew whom to blame—Kim. If she’d only give in and admit they were supposed to be together, then Nadia would no doubt back off.
But it didn’t look like Kim was ready to admit anything. Or even to talk to him. And they needed to talk.
Kim worked harder than anyone else in the company. However much he hated the idea, he had to give her the promotion she’d been asking for. By holding her back, he was proving her accusation of being a total control freak.
He’d tell her soon. But to do that he had to actually see her, and that wasn’t happening. She’d either turned invisible or she monitored his movements and made herself scarce whenever he was around, probably ducking under her desk or slipping out of the room. Though he’d checked the rosters and she’d hardly been in the building. He’d thought to confront her once or twice in the evenings and found himself outside her door. But there had been no response to his rings.
How the hell was he supposed to show her that they were meant to be together when they were never…together? What he needed to do was get her to the point where she couldn’t live without him, where her body craved his. Make it so she couldn’t stop thinking about sex and how good it could be between them.
What she needed was a good dose of sexual frustration. Like he was suffering.