Talking Dirty with the CEO

chapter Eight


Joseph picked up his wallet and keys from the table in Christie’s living room and paused, staring at the half-built computer sitting on the top of it.

You’re a jerk, you know that?

Yeah, he did. He’d awoken early and since Christie was fast asleep, he’d slid out of bed and dressed. Saturday mornings he always got up early to ride the mountain bike trails in Woodhill Forest because if he didn’t expend some energy, he found his concentration was useless the whole weekend.

He hadn’t planned on waking her to say good-bye. Why make things awkward for both of them? They’d agreed on one more night and that’s what they had. And now it was over.

You’re still a jerk.

Joseph cursed and glanced back down the hallway to where Christie’s bedroom was.

That’s just the way he was. Just the way his ADHD had made him. Which was why he chose women who didn’t care. Who didn’t want anything more than he did and who didn’t get hurt when he left.

Women who weren’t Christie.

Because she would be hurt if he left. Yeah, she definitely would. Under those tough clothes, that sometimes defensive shell, she was vulnerable.

Vulnerable in a way none of his other lovers were. Which made being with her playing with fire.

His gaze lingered on the circuits and wires of the computer on the table.

He’d sat beside her last night for a whole hour playing with that thing and talking. Enjoying every second of it. He hadn’t done that for pure enjoyment’s sake since he’d been a kid. Then her shy admission that she liked being with him… It had touched him.

He’d never had a woman tell him that before. Oh, they enjoyed the orgasms he gave them and the drinks he bought them, but that was it. Then again, it wasn’t as if he gave them a chance to get to know him anyway, since sitting and chatting wasn’t his thing.

At least it hadn’t been till Christie.

No, he should go. It would be easier if he did.

But you don’t want to. You like her too much.

Yeah. He did. Bugger it. He didn’t want to go just yet.

Turning from the computer, he went down the hallway and into the bedroom.

Christie lay on her front, her head buried in the pillows. Her hair, spread over the white linen, had gone a deep red in the morning sunlight coming through the windows, exposing the delicate curve of her neck. Sleep always gave the illusion of vulnerability, but he knew with Christie there was no illusion.

He went over to the bed and sat on the edge, watching her sleeping face. Strange, mysterious female. With her blushes and contrasting toughness, interspersed with flashes of temper that hinted at a passionate nature kept hidden. A puzzle he wanted to solve. A delicate piece of electronics he wanted to figure out.

He’d never experienced such a curiosity about anyone before. Never ever. It made something inside him settle and become quiet. All the restless energy channeled into focus.

Reaching out, he lightly ran a finger over one pale shoulder.

She gave a soft growl in response, then opened one eye.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he murmured.

The eye blinked, then the other one opened. Then she turned on her side, looking at him. “You’re still here,” she said in that husky voice he was coming to like rather more than was good for him.

“Yeah, but not for much longer. I’ve got a few things to do.”

She gave a groan and looked at the clock on the nightstand. “It’s 7:00 a.m. and you’re doing stuff already? Why are you even awake? Actually, more to the point, why am I awake?” She rolled onto her back, pulling the sheet up over her head, cursing.

“Christie.”

The sheet lowered. “What?”

“I have to go.”

“Oh.” She lowered the sheet more, then folded her hands over her chest. “Well, thanks for coming around. I had a really great time and I know that—”

Joseph leaned over her and laid a finger across her lips. “I want to see you again.”

A bright flare of happiness crossed her face, so obvious his chest went tight.

He’d probably go to hell for this. Correction, he would go to hell for this.

Christie grabbed his wrist, pulling his finger from her mouth. Her cheeks were pink, making her eyes seem greener than they were. “Y-you do? Really?”

“Yeah, really. Unless of course you don’t—”

“I do,” she interrupted, going pinker. “I’d love to.”

He smiled. “Well, I’m free tonight.” Except that he didn’t want to wait till tonight. In fact, it occurred to him that he didn’t want to leave her at all.

Unless… A thought came to him. Sunk its claws into him and wouldn’t let go. “Actually, how do you feel about bike riding?”

“Bike riding?”

“Yeah, you know. A thing with two wheels that you pedal to make go round and round.”

She hit him on the arm. “I know what a bike is, Joseph.”

“Then how about you come with me when I go ride one.”

“Me?”

“Of course you. I go up to bike trails in Woodhill Forest every Saturday morning. I could use some company.”

“You do know what time it is, don’t you?”

“Sure I do. Bike-riding time.”

She waved a hand at the clock. “But it’s 7:00 a.m.! Seven. In the morning. “

“I slept in. Normally I’m gone by six.”

Her brow wrinkled. “Are you feeling okay? You’re not sick or anything?”

“I feel fine. I’ll feel even better with twenty-nine inches of carbon fiber between my thighs.”

“You’re insane.” But she was grinning. “I haven’t been on a bike since I was ten.”

“So?”

“And I fell off. A lot.”

He laughed. “So? I’ve been known to fall off once or twice, too.”

“When you were ten, too, right?”

“Okay, so it was a while ago.” He leaned down, brushed his mouth with hers. “Come with me, Christie.” He normally went bike riding alone, the silence of the forest and the mindless physical activity good for calming his racing brain. Yet for some reason, having Christie’s company on a ride now seemed vital.

Dangerous to want her presence outside the bedroom.

But he’d made the offer now. He couldn’t take it back.

Her lashes fluttered as he raised his head. “I’m useless at physical stuff, though.”

“No, you’re not.” He touched her mouth. “At least you seemed very adept last night.”

Right on cue, she blushed. “Bike riding is different.”

“No, it’s not. Once you learn you never forget, right?”

“Yeah, but—”

“All you need is practice.”

“Joseph—”

“Come with me, Christie. I want you to.”

She stared at him for a long moment, biting her lip. Then she sighed. “Okay then.”

He tried to tell himself the small curl of emotion that wound through him wasn’t pleasure.

But he was such a liar.

…

After Joseph had left the apartment to go get “bike stuff,” Christie stood in front of her dresser staring at the clothes in the drawer and gnawing on her lip.

What the hell did you wear mountain biking?

Christie glared at the drawer full of jeans. Why had she agreed to go? What on earth had possessed her?

Because you like him. You want to spend time with him.

Oh yeah, that was why. Plus the way he’d said, “Come with me, Christie.” Just a few simple words, but they’d made her feel good. Made her feel wanted.

The little beam of happiness that shone in her heart was dangerous. And she knew she shouldn’t get too excited. Yet she couldn’t help it. Yeah, this thing with him was only supposed to be casual, but spending a bit more time with him wouldn’t hurt, right? Even if it was doing something hideous like mountain biking.

Hell, after last night, he could probably get her to do anything. Even sing. Out loud. In public.

Reaching for her oldest and loosest pair of jeans, Christie was interrupted by Dead Friends on her mobile again.

She grabbed it. Perhaps it was Joseph? He’d said he’d call her once he had all the equipment they needed.

It wasn’t Joseph.

“Hello, darling,” her mother said. “How are you?”

Oh fantastic. Mum. Christie gritted her teeth. “Fine. Did you want something?”

“No need to be rude. I’m just calling to remind you about Andrew’s party.”

Shit. That’s right. She’d forgotten. “Oh, uh…”

“I hope you haven’t forgotten. The invite is so late because I just wasn’t happy with the design, and the designer was being terribly difficult about it. Anyway, it’s done now and you can expect it soon. I just wanted to know the name of your plus one.”

Christie frowned. “My plus one?”

Her mother sighed. “Christie, do pay attention. Your memory is hopeless. You told me last week you’d be coming and that you’d be bringing someone.”

That’s right. She had. Conjured a boyfriend up from thin air. What a freaking idiot. “Yeah, about that, Mum. He’s rather busy and I don’t think—”

“Oh, but you must bring him, darling. I want to meet him. See if he’s good enough for our little girl.”

Her mother’s false joviality made her cringe. “I’ll ask him. I’m not sure—”

“You do actually have a boyfriend, don’t you?” her mother asked, deceptively casual. “You’re not just pretending? “

Christie swallowed. Set her jaw. “Of course I’m not pretending. Why would I do that?”

Helene laughed. “Oh, people do all sorts of silly things in an effort to prove themselves. Anyway, what’s his name, darling? I want to put it on the invite.”

“Joseph,” Christie said hoarsely. “His name is Joseph.”

“Lovely. I’ll put him down then.” Her mother babbled on about something else but Christie stopped listening.

Crap. What had she done? Joseph wasn’t her boyfriend and he certainly wouldn’t be coming as her plus one to Andrew’s stupid engagement party. What on earth had possessed her to give his name to her mother?

Ah well, what did it matter? When the time came she’d tell her mother Joseph wouldn’t be able to make it after all. No big deal. As long as he never found out she’d been using his name in vain, everything would be fine.

Five minutes after she hung up, her phone beeped again.

She peeked at it. Please God, do not let it be her mother.

It wasn’t. It was a text from Joseph.

What’s your size? How tall are you? And what kind of music do you like to listen to?

Okay, those were weird questions. Shrugging, she texted him her height and size then added,

Gothic metal. But what’s this got to do with bike riding?

A minute later she got a response.

It’s a surprise. Gothic metal huh? You’re hard-core, Naughtygirl.

She grinned. Hard-core. Yeah, she was pretty hard-core.

I am. And don’t you forget it, Love Machine.

Who cared about her damn mother and the stupid engagement party? She was going mountain biking with Joseph Ashton. Who thought she was hard-core.

It didn’t get much better than that.

…

Joseph stopped at the top of the hill and looked back down. Christie was pedaling in a determined way up the slope toward him, her face red beneath her bike helmet, breathing hard.

He felt a tiny bit bad for convincing her to come with him, but not that much. Sad fact of the matter was that he’d gotten a kick out of presenting her with the stack of Lycra that was the cycling gear he’d bought for her. Her eyes had just about popped out of her head in horror.

But she’d put on the clothes without complaint. And even though she’d dubiously eyed the bike he’d rented for her when they’d gotten to the forest and the bike trails, she’d climbed on without hesitation and had managed to stay on without wobbling.

From down the slope came a curse. Christie had gotten off her bike and was pushing it instead. He watched as she came up the last bit, trying not to smile.

“You…said it…would be…flat,” she panted when she reached him. Her glare held enough heat to set him on fire.

“It is,” he replied, biting down on his grin. “At the start.”

There was a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead, chestnut curls hanging damply from underneath her helmet. It reminded him of how she’d looked in his arms the night before and an arrow of pure lust pierced him. She had no idea how sexy she was in the bike pants, either. They revealed her long legs in all their slender glory, leading up to the gentle curve of her buttocks. He wanted to run his hands up them, stroke the smooth skin of her thighs, hear her breath catch…

“How much farther?” She wiped her forehead.

He was being mean and he knew it. Pity teasing her was so much fun. “This is just the beginning.” He leaned forward over his handlebars. “There’s another hour’s hard riding ahead of you.” And at her groan, he grinned and added, “Had enough already? Shall we stop?”

At that, her glare became fierce with challenge. “No, of course not. Though you know, if you’re tired, we can rest a little longer.”

Joseph laughed. He liked that about her. The hint of an of iron backbone beneath her stutter and her vulnerability. With more confidence, she would be formidable.

“Nope. I’m done resting. But before we ride on, remember that surprise I mentioned?”

“Is this going to be the ‘surprise, a hill!’ kind of surprise?”

“Would I do that to you?” Pulling off his backpack, Joseph unzipped it and took out the tiny music player he’d borrowed from his R&D department. It was in development, but he hadn’t been able to resist the chance to show it off to her. She was such a gadget girl and he was dying to see what she thought of it. Man, he hoped she liked it. The possibility that she might not made him nervous.

“Here,” he said and put it into her hand.

Christie stared at it, eyes wide. “Is this…?”

“Ashton Tech’s newest product? Yep. What do you think?”

She’d already picked it up and was playing around with it, swiping her fingers across the touch screen, brow furrowed. “Wow, this looks amazing.”

Joseph allowed himself a small burst of pride and ignored the twinge of relief. “Well, yeah. It is.”

A huge smile broke over her face. “Hey, you even put some music on here.”

“Yeah, I did. Put on all the Gothic metal bands I could find. You’ve probably heard them all, but the Plague Dogs one only came out this morning.”

“Oh my God, I love Plague Dogs.” She glanced at him, eyes alight. The smile that curved her mouth could have put the sun to shame. “Thanks, Joseph. This is awesome.”

The look on her face, the simple joy there, made a strange tightness settle in his chest.

He tried to ignore it. “Well, it needs beta testing. So have a listen while we ride, okay?”

“Sure.”

“And hey,” he said before he could stop himself, “thanks for coming out with me today. I know you didn’t want to.”

She blushed. “Damn. What gave it away?”

“Probably the look of trepidation on your face when you saw the Lycra.”

She laughed. “You got me. I confess that physical activity isn’t my favorite thing. I’m more a couch potato gamer type of girl.”

“So what made you come then?”

Her smile turned shy. “You sat with me for a whole hour last night. Seemed only fair that I come out and spend an hour doing stuff with you.”

He shouldn’t push it, he knew he shouldn’t. Yet still he found himself asking. “So, you only came out of fairness then?”

Christie glanced away. “No.” A small hesitation. “I came because I like…being with you.”

Oh man, it was pathetic to be fishing like this. Even more pathetic to feel such satisfaction with her answer.

Unease shifted inside him at the thought.

Christie gripped the handlebars of her bike. “What about you?” she asked, glancing back again. “Why did you want me to come with you?”

The unease deepened. Which was odd because he’d never found the truth difficult before. But he made himself say it because she deserved it. “Because I like being with you, too.”

Her expression lit up. “Well that’s good. Bike riding must be sucky with someone you don’t like.”

“Yeah, it is,” he agreed. “Very sucky.”

They stared at each other a long moment. Then Christie looked away again, down at herself. “So, okay, where the hell do I put the player in these stupid clothes?”

Yeah, a change of subject was good. No, it was perfect.

“I’ve thought of that.” Out of his backpack, Joseph found the armband he used when listening to his own player.

“You’re really quite handy, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I’m a regular Boy Scout.” He wrapped the armband around her slender forearm. “Be prepared, that’s my motto.”

“And mine is ‘never let the bastards grind you down.’” She grinned at him, warm and open and generous.

The tightness in his chest became even tighter.

“Come on, Love Machine,” Christie said, sticking the earbuds firmly in her ears. “I’ll race ya.”

…

Christie had no idea how long she had been riding. It felt like forever. Her legs were heavy iron bars that wouldn’t do what she told them and worse, every time she stopped, she felt dizzy and wanted to puke her guts out.

But even though going for a bike ride had sounded like the worst idea ever in the history of worst ideas, it was made easier by the cool music player Joseph had given her. She was dying to get home and play with it some more, but in the meantime there was the new Plague Dogs album and that just rocked.

It was a small thing, but she’d been so touched he’d thought of her. Her musical tastes were kind of extreme and not everyone got it, but the fact that he’d taken the time to ask her meant a lot. More than it should, if she were honest with herself.

In fact the only thing she really had issues with were the bike pants. They hugged her body, showing just how narrow she was, how she had no womanly curves to speak of. The only reason she’d kept them on was because Joseph couldn’t seem to stop looking at her legs.

Up ahead, Joseph waited for her astride his bike. He wasn’t even breathing hard. But his bike shirt was dark with sweat and she could see the glisten of it in the hollow of his throat. Sunlight filtered down through the pines of the forest around them, dappling his body with light and shadow, accentuating the classical planes and angles of his face.

Waiting for her, all sweat-sheened and glistening, he looked like an advertisement for very expensive aftershave.

Too out of breath to say anything, she just about fell off her bike when she stopped, only just managing not to tip over when she put her leg down and pulled out her earbuds.

Joseph surveyed her. “You look like you’ve had enough.”

“Oh no…I could go…for another…couple of…hours,” she replied sarcastically, in between gasping breaths.

He laughed. “Don’t worry, there’s another ten minutes of this trail and then it’s downhill all the way from there.”

“That’s what you said half an hour ago.”

Grinning, Joseph pushed himself back on his bike. “But this time I mean it.”

She took a deep breath, glaring at him as he pedaled up the curving trail. He was beautiful to watch, all long, hard calves, powerful thighs, and tight buttocks.

To take her mind off the screaming pain in her legs, she imagined him in the form-fitting suits that Olympic bikers wore. And then she imagined slowly unzipping him from it. Distracted, she almost didn’t notice when she arrived at the top of the hill, just as he’d promised.

He glanced at her as she pulled up beside him. “You know for a couch potato gamer girl who hasn’t been on a bike since she was ten, you’re doing very well. What makes you think you’re useless at physical stuff?”

Christie wiped the sweat off her forehead. “My older brother can do every sport known to man. And do it pretty much instantly. Me, not so much. I kind of sucked at everything. I mean, it took me three weeks to learn how to ride. My father gave up in disgust after the first couple of days. He thought I’d never be able to do it.”

“So you taught yourself, in other words?”

“Yes. I suppose I did.” Though it had cost her cuts and bruises.

“That doesn’t sound like someone who sucks. That sounds like someone who’s determined.”

She shifted on her bike, uncomfortable with the way he was looking at her. With what looked like respect. Weird, since she wasn’t that amazing.

Christie fiddled with her gloves so she didn’t have to look at him. “Well, I wanted to prove him wrong.”

“And you did.”

“I sprained my wrist in the process but yeah, I did.”

She could feel his gaze resting on her so she toyed some more, not wanting to meet it.

Eventually he looked away and said, “I’m going to go fast down here. It’s quite steep, though, so just go at your own pace. I’ll meet you at the bottom.”

She let out a breath and watched him start off down the hill, riding fast. There were several curves and dips in the trail, engineered for those with a bit of skill to do jumps on, and Joseph rode over them with ease, handling the bike like it was part of him, the bloody show-off. He made it look so easy.

Just like her brother.

That sounds like someone who’s determined.

Christie gripped her handlebars. No, she’d never been very good at this kind of thing. She’d failed at ballet, at gym, at soccer. And of course not forgetting the one Zumba class Marisa had dragged her along to. The one where she’d nearly broken the nose of the woman she’d been next to with her elbow…

But what she did have was a hell of a lot of determination.

She grinned. And before she could second-guess herself, she pushed off with her foot. Hard.

Then there was nothing but wind on her hot face, the ground moving fast beneath her wheels, and the track in front of her. Christie whooped as adrenaline burst through her. This was fantastic. She didn’t even have to do anything, only look out for tree roots and other riders. Amazing.

Toward the end, she even got up enough energy to pedal a bit so she could go faster, the trees whipping by on either side of her.

Who’d have thought she’d enjoy this? Who’d have thought it would make her feel so free?

At the bottom of the hill she saw Joseph waiting for her, watching her progress, and she couldn’t resist showing off, steering her bike off a tiny jump and managing a bit of air in the process.

As she reached him, she pulled the bike into a sliding skid to stop, her rear tire kicking up pine needles and dirt.

And promptly fell off her bike.

“Christie?” Joseph leaned over her. He was wearing sunglasses and she couldn’t see his eyes, but she heard the concern in his voice. “Are you okay?”

“Oh my God,” Christie panted from her position on the forest floor. She was covered in dirt and pine needles and she had a long scrape on her leg from the pedal, but she didn’t care. She didn’t care that she’d fallen off her bike in front of the gorgeous man she was sleeping with. That she’d kind of made an ass of herself. Somehow that didn’t matter at all. “That was amazing. Can we do it again?”

…

Joseph didn’t think he’d forget the image as long as he lived. Of Christie flying down the hill on her bike, cheeks pink, hair streaming out behind her, screaming and whooping all the way to the bottom.

Her whole face was suffused with light, with excitement. And as she began to brush the dirt and pine needles from her pants, she began to laugh. “Typical, huh? I don’t fall off on the way down, not even when I did that jump. Oh no, I fell off at the end. After the bloody bike had stopped, for God’s sake!” She patted her arm where the music player was still firmly attached, looking satisfied. “On the upside, I think you could safely say I beta tested the hell out of that.”

She was so passionate. And determined. And brave. And when she got that look in her eyes, he just didn’t know what to do with himself. What to do with the feeling inside him. The little bubble of warmth that had swelled at the sight of her careering down the hill then caught just behind his heart.

So he went over to her, gripped her under the chin, tilted her head back and kissed her hard. She smelled like lavender and pine, and clean sweat. And she tasted like honey. Like joy.

And when he raised his head the little bubble of warmth remained there, firmly lodged in his chest. It didn’t look like it was going to go away anytime soon.

“Let’s go home,” he said, his voice gone hoarse. “I don’t want to do anymore bike riding.”

“Really?” She sounded disappointed. “But I was just starting to get into it.”

Gently he slid an arm around her waist, pulling her closer, the heat of her body against his. “I have another kind of riding I want to do.”

Her mouth curved in a smile that was pure naughtiness. “Ooooh, that kind of riding. In that case, I’m all yours.”

The warmth expanded inside him, and he realized he’d made a mistake in bringing her along. No, not just a mistake, a catastrophic error. She made him want things he shouldn’t be wanting. Like her. For more than a night. For more than two.

Which was all kinds of wrong and all kinds of bad. Because no matter what she said, she wasn’t that type of woman. She was a forever type of woman, and he was a for-never type of man.

But that smile of hers was turning him inside out and the thought of saying good-bye tonight, tomorrow…hell, even the day after that, was just not an option.

Joseph pulled her helmet off, pushed his fingers into her hair and kissed her again. And by the time he released her, they were both panting.

Christie must have picked up on his unease, though, because she asked, “What’s up?”

“Nothing.” He cupped her face in his hands. “What are your plans for the weekend?”

“What? Just today or—”

“The whole weekend.”

She leaned into him, the delicate heat of her making it difficult to focus on anything else. “Well, I did have a huge game of Zombie Force planned this afternoon and then a Star Trek: The Next Generation marathon, so you know, pretty busy.”

“Can I play?”

“What?” She looked almost shocked. “You? Play Zombie Force?”

“Yes. And watch Star Trek with you.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No.” He kissed her. And then because once wasn’t enough, kissed her again. “You can teach me how to play, then tell me all the inside Star Trek jokes.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“Well, okay.” She’d gone pink again. “But you’ll have to be prepared to be killed a lot. By ten-year-olds.”

“I’m not worried. I’ll have you to protect me.”

Christie slid her arms around his neck. “Of course. You’ll be safe with me.”

But he knew he wouldn’t be.

He had the odd feeling he’d never be safe again.