When she felt him shaking against her, she pulled back enough to see him laughing. “I meant our dinner, baby, but I agree, you are as well, and I promise to put that fire out soon.” He gave her bottom a firm squeeze before unwrapping her legs from his waist and stepping back. Instead of walking off, he took her hand, kissed her knuckles, and pulled her behind him into the kitchen. He waved her toward a seat at the bar before pointing to an array of drinks sitting to the side. “I wasn’t sure what you wanted to drink. I have caffeine-free soda and tea as well as bottled water and there’s milk in the refrigerator. I know a bottle of wine would be nice, but I thought for now we would skip any alcohol . . . until we know.”
Gwen didn’t know whether to be irritated or touched that he was making decisions about her health for her. She decided to let it go, thinking she could probably use a wine-free night after her overconsumption the previous night. Apparently, that left her choices at something without caffeine so she chose water and added a wedge of lime that he had sliced and set out. As if drawn there by some unstoppable force, she found herself staring at his butt as he bent over to remove a skillet from the oven. He seemed to be fascinated by her backside, and she was by his as well. Apparently, they were both ass people. Clearing her throat, she said the first thing that came to mind. “So, how was your day?”
He grinned over his shoulder, before grabbing a knife and cutting into what appeared to be a perfectly cooked steak. “It was good, babe. In fact, it was downright educational.”
Now that she hadn’t been expecting. Curious, she asked, “Educational?”
With a quirk of his perfect lips, he gave her a grin that left her inner sex kitten panting. “Yeah, Gage and I were buzzing through the security feeds this morning and ran across something . . . interesting from the previous evening.”
“Like illegal interesting?” she asked, thinking they had caught someone breaking the law.
“Well, maybe in some states.” Dominic grinned at her, looking downright devilish. He finally took mercy on her when he noticed her confusion. Leaning back against the counter and crossing his ankles, he said, “Well, a guy who works night security at one of our properties decided to take his dinner break a little too far, which was really stupid when he knows how many cameras are on the property. Apparently, his girlfriend dropped by and they got it on in the supply closet. Not a real smart move since there are cameras in there to discourage employees from helping themselves to one too many pens. I have to say, though, if he applied even half of that enthusiasm and energy to his job, the man would own the company by now and I’d be working for him.”
Gwen couldn’t help herself; she started giggling just imagining Dominic’s face when he saw the video footage. “What did you do?” she managed to gasp out between laughs.
Wiggling his brows, he said, “Well, I think Gage disappeared for a while to ponder the situation, but after that we had to call Chad in and let him go.”
“What?” she cried, all laughter gone. “You fired him . . . for having sex on the job? Couldn’t you just give him a warning or something?”
Dominic shrugged halfheartedly, but she could tell that he felt bad about it. “I wish it were that simple, babe, but we’re under strict contracts with our customers. We can’t have stuff like that happening on their properties. While Chad was shopping for office supplies, someone could have broken in, and literally, he would have been caught with his dick in his hand. Trust me, all of our employees are well aware of what they can and cannot do. Your reputation is the one thing in this business that you must guard above all other things.”
“That sounds like a very Marine Corps motto.” She smiled, thinking she quite liked that part of him. Something about those military and ex-military men was so sexy. It was almost like an inborn confidence—no matter what life tossed their way, they could handle it. Dominic, like Mac, was all man. He could cook dinner for her and bring her coffee, but there was never any doubt as to his masculinity.
“Maybe,” Dominic agreed, “but I would like to think I’d have known the importance of my good name even without Uncle Sam drilling it into me. Anyway, Gage insisted on taking him out for a drink afterward to soften the blow.”
“Really?” Gwen asked, impressed. At least that was something for poor Chad.
“Yep, of course, I think he just wanted his autograph or something. The guy was quite . . . creative and the camera loved him.”
“Oh God,” Gwen choked, before picking up the dish towel lying in front of her and throwing it at Dominic. “You’re so bad.”