A Calculated Seduction

Chapter Four

Ethan’s stomach wrenched. “From her computer.”

“Yes, in fact...” Todd said and papers rustled over the phone. “Ah, here we go. Over the last two months, her computer was used several times. ”

“What times in the morning?”

Was she actually helping that scum while he sat in his office?

“Most were very early, before work hours. A few times around six, some around seven. It might mean she knows we suspect her.”

“Changing times. Yeah, we could miss that. ” He chewed on that bit of information. “We have no proof.”

“No. We can’t prove she used her computer. It could have been anyone, including you or your uncle.”

“Get a grip, Denison. You know damn well we have no reason to embezzle.”

“Hey, I’m just giving you the arguments a lawyer would. Although her password should be secure, you can’t prove you or Bill didn’t use it. Also, think about all the people in the computing area who could easily access her information. You said yourself the security in that place was like a sieve.”

A little spark of hope flamed to life. Maybe someone had used her computer. If they had her password...

“Chances are it’s her though. Still, nothing on her finances but that family of hers... Have you met them?”

“Ahh, well you might want to. Both stepsisters were former Miss Dallases and one was a runner up for Miss Texas. Mom made it to the top ten.”

He grunted while he mulled over his options. “So, you think it’s her.”

“Yeah, or at least someone she knows who has access to her computer. Have you seen anyone hanging around?”

“No. Other than my uncle.”

“Well, if I were you, I’d put a tail on her. That way, you might be able to catch who she’s working with. She date?”

“How the hell should I know?” The thought of her, with her perfect breasts and those little red panties, on a date Friday night sent a wave of jealousy through him. “Yeah, wait. She said she had plans Friday night. She was here late, but said ‘he would wait’. I had to drop something off that night, but there was no one there. Although I didn’t go inside.” He grunted. Some man could have been in there with her. That same man could have been the one to peel off those lacy panties, slide his fingers over her succulent flesh, taste her skin, sink his cock into her tight, wet p-ssy.

“Any changes?” T odd asked, bringing him back to the conversation.

“Changes?”

“In car, home, looks. You know the drill, MacMillan. ”

Think, MacMillan.

It was kind of hard to do with only a few drops of blood in his brain. The drill. Changes in her lifestyle or appearance. Yeah, that was it.

Dulcy, with her stylish suit and cute little haircut, materialized in his mind.

“Yeah. Had a makeover this weekend. New clothes.”

“Sounds to me like she’s trying to impress a man.”

Yeah it did, he thought, as the little ray of hope extinguished with the signs of her guilt. “So, what do you suggest?”

“Boss, you know better than I do. You’ re the best at it. You need to get closer to Miss Menendez.”

“We’re going to the Gala together on Saturday, thanks to my Uncle Bill.”

“Well, there ya go.”

After hanging up the phone, he thought about the situation with Dulcy. He couldn’t believe a woman like her would give up everything for a guy. And now he had to pretend to be trying to seduce her.

He stood, frustrated with himself and with Dulcy. Thanks to her, he had to get closer to her, lie to her, try to find out all her secrets. He’d done it hundreds of times before, but he drew the line at sleeping with the women. It had never bothered him to do a little lying between a few kisses. Every one of them had turned out to be implicated somehow.

But with Dulcy...well, with her it was going to be hard to remember where to draw that line.

* * * *

For the next two days, Dulcy silently fretted about Saturday night. She wasn’t really comfortable going with Ethan MacMillan, but she didn’t see a way out of it. Oh, she was sure he didn’t see it as a date and she wondered who he’d planned to take before she’d been dumped in his lap. That one thought conjured up a whole other image of being in his lap, in his chair, in his office. Naked.

“Dulcy?”

Her face heated when she realized Pete had come into the office and she hadn’t really noticed. Here she was, sitting at her desk, daydreaming about screwing her boss. She was not being a good employee.

“From the look on your face, you were thinking naughty thoughts. ”

She smiled as he settled in one of the chairs in front of her desk. Peter was just a couple of years older than she was herself. Unlike so many of the other men in the computer department, he usually spent time on his appearance. Just a shade under six feet, he kept his light brown hair military short and his chin free of whiskers. Today, he’d dressed in a dark gray suit, red shirt and black tie.

They’d shared lunch a few times, and she even went to the movies or out to dinner with him a couple of times. Why couldn’t she be attracted to him, instead of Ethan? Oh, yeah, Pete was gay.

“You never mind my thoughts. What are you doing here anyway?”

“I’d planned on seeing if you wanted to go together Saturday night, but word has it, you have a date with the boss.”

Her face heated again. “I have no such thing. Bill just wanted us to go together.”

“Uh huh.”

“Really, I went with Bill all the time and no one thought it was a date.”

“I hate to break it to ya, hon, but Bill is an old man. Now, the new boss is six-foot-three of hunk.”

“If you like him so much, why don’t you go out with him?”

“Oh, because I get strong heterosexual vibes off that one. Besides, he wants you.”

Heat slid through her, charging her hormones, warming her blood. That would be lovely, but it wasn’t true. And thinking that would only lead to disappointment.

“He does not.”

Pete said nothing for a moment and just watched her. “Yes, he does. You don’t pay attention, but you should’ve seen the way he was watching you when we were talking yesterday in the break room. The man was practically screaming he’d staked his claim.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Men these days do not stake their claim.”

“If you’re lucky, they do.”

She shook her head. “I’m not his type.”

He cocked his head to the side and asked. “Why do you say that?”

“He reminds me of someone one of my sisters would date.”

“Good Lord. Why do you say that?”

“Tall, handsome, rich. Their three requirements.”

“Ah, but you forgot the fourth. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who likes to be led around.” He stood and studied her for a moment again. “Do you have anything to wear Saturday night?”

“Yes. ”

Pete groaned. “Not that horrible beige thing?”

She crossed her arms. “I like that dress.”

“Dulcy, I love you. You know that, don’t you?”

She nodded and he drew in a deep breath.

“You’re the only person who likes that dress. Why don’t we run to the mall for lunch tomorrow? We’ll do some noontime shopping. Unless you’d like to run out Friday night?”

“No, I have Richy again this Friday night.” She’d worn that dress to the last three functions and maybe it was getting a little worn out. “How about Saturday?”

Pete was already shaking his head. “Got plans. How about Sunday?’

“No. Brunch with the family.”

Pete made a face and she laughed.

“Guess we can do it sometime next week at lunch,” he said.

“That sounds great. But it will have sleeves. The last dress you tried to get me to buy had no sleeves, no back and barely a front.”

He chuckled. “It’s a date then.”

He turned to leave and practically ran into Ethan standing at the door. She wondered if that man made it a habit to eavesdrop on his employees. Pete apparently wasn’t nervous. But heat rushed to her face. It had to be nerves.

“Hello, Mr. MacMillan,” Pete said with a smile on his face. He shoved his hands in his pants’ pockets.

* * * *

“Anderson,” Ethan practically spat out. Jealousy pumped through him as he studied the man. He had a date with her on Saturday night and here she was making one with this nerd for who knew when. “Is it a habit of yours to spend your time bothering Miss Menendez when you should be working?”

Although Dulcy’s eyes widened in alarm, the jackass smile widened at Ethan’s lethal tone. “No, just usually on my own time. Don’t forget about our date tomorrow, hon.” And he drifted past Ethan out the door.

“Miss Menendez, would you care to explain why you’re picking up men while working?” Okay, so he sounded like a jerk, but he just couldn’t help it. That slick-talking jerk had rubbed him the wrong way and he didn’t want anyone poaching on his goods.

Uncertainty flashed in her eyes. Then they narrowed in anger. “For your information, Mr. MacMillan, I’ve been working more overtime than this company could ever afford. If I take five minutes to talk to a friend, that’s my own business. Besides, Pete was on his way out the door and just stopped in. It is past five. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going home. It’s been a long week and since I have to work Saturday night, I think I have every right to leave right now.”

With choppy movements, she shut down her computer and locked her desk. Anger rolled off her in waves. His heartbeat accelerated and damn near busted one of his ribs as he watched her. He’d never seen her so pissed, or so arousing. She grabbed her purse and briefcase and stood, shoving the chair under her desk. With angry little steps, she marched until she stood within a foot of him.

“Now, if you will excuse me, I’m heading out for the day.” Her face was flushed, her voice irritated and he just couldn’t help himself. He stepped forward, grabbed her by her upper arms and drew her to him. The scent of peaches reached him, aroused him. He’d never be able to eat a pie again without thinking of her.

Without pausing to explain, he crushed his lips to hers, allowing all the frustration he’d felt for the past several weeks to fuel the kiss. This was no simple peck or even a lover’s sensual brush. Bruising and intense, he didn’t expect her to respond. But she did. Oh man, did she ever!

Instead of retreating like any sane woman would, she returned the kiss with an intensity that almost buckled his knees. She dropped her purse and briefcase and wrapped her arms around his neck. He slid his around her little waist and pulled her closer, his lips still devouring her. His hands crept slowly down her slender back and continued to her rounded ass. He took a cheek in each hand and squeezed, eliciting a moan from her. Heat curled in his belly, forcing any blood still in his brain south. His cock was hard and heavy and ready to burst.

He traced the seam of her lips with his tongue and she immediately opened it with a moan. He invaded and her tongue tangled with his, enjoying its minty taste. She pressed her soft body closer, rubbing against him and causing him to groan. Pain and pleasure flowed through him. He needed her and he couldn’t wait.

Slowly, he backed her to her desk. His lips left hers and kissed a path down her neck. Soft and succulent, her skin tasted of peaches. Dulcy bent her head to one side, allowing him further access.

“Ethan.” Her voice, husky and dripping with unspent passion, sent shock waves slicing through him. His hand encircling her waist lifted her onto her desk and he stepped in between her legs. His fingers worked the buttons on her jacket and within moments, he was shoving it aside. He stepped back to see the treasure he unearthed, when the phone rang. Dulcy’s half-closed eyes widened and he could recognize the moment awareness of the situation descended. Her face flushed with embarrassment and she grabbed the phone, avoiding all eye contact.

“MacMillan Boots, Ethan MacMillan’s office, Dulcy speaking.” Her desire still showed in the huskiness of her voice, but her stiff posture told him everything he needed to know. She regretted the kiss and now she felt guilty.

“Gerry, Mr. MacMillan is a little...” She glanced down at his cock standing at attention. He would’ve laughed if that one little glance didn’t send another rush of heat straight to his groin. He could feel moisture already wetting the head. He stepped back and walked away from her because he couldn’t keep his hands off her. Even now with her embarrassment and him knowing what he did was totally out of line, he wanted to grab the phone, throw it out the window and feast on all her curves for the rest of the night.

“He’s a little busy at the moment. Gerry, I told you that. I don’t care. There is no reason to bother Mr. MacMillan about something so silly.” Her voice rose and took on a schoolmarm tone. “I told you I took care of it. Yes, well, I’m sure you’ll be happy. Okay. Bye.”

When he turned around, she had already buttoned her jacket and straightened her glasses. A tinge of red still colored her cheeks, but she looked him in the eye.

“Problems?” he asked. His voice still held a hint of arousal and was rougher than usual.

She shrugged and gathered up her things. “Just Gerry being Gerry. He called about the limo.”

“He hasn’t been calling a lot, has he?”

Dulcy turned around and looked at him, wondering how he could carry on a normal conversation. Her heart was still beating a million miles a minute and her breasts were heavy and tight. Her body vibrated with arousal. She shifted her legs, trying to ease the ache in her sex. Every thought in her mind centered on ripping off his shirt and running her hands over his chest. Other than the bulge in his pants, he showed no discomfort.

“No. The problem is he always wants to talk to you. There’s no reason, but Gerry thinks he deserves your undivided attention.” She pushed her glasses back up her nose. “If that’s all?”

Irritation clouded his eyes. “No, that is not all, Miss Menendez.” His voice dripped with sarcasm. “I think we should discuss what just went on.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the front of her desk. The same desk she almost had sex on.

Holey moley! She’d almost had sex on her desk. With Ethan MacMillan. There was no way she could sit there tomorrow and not think about that.

“It was just a kiss.” Her voice sounded uncertain, even to her.

“That was not just a kiss.”

She sniffed. “Well, what would you call it?”

He stood, then shifted from one foot to the other. “I’d call it one of the most erotic occurrences in my life.”

She snorted.

“You don’t believe me?” he asked.

“No, I don’t.”

“Well, maybe,” he said as he stalked closer. Wickedness darkened his eyes, a wolfish grin curved his delicious mouth. “Maybe we need to test that theory with another kiss.”