What is wrong with me? Instead of firing her, I just stood there imagining what it would be like to bend her over the back of that couch and claim her as mine. His half-cocked erection was an uncomfortable reminder of the intensity of his attraction to her.
She’s off limits.
She works for me, for God’s sake.
Forget her.
Gio walked back to his desk and tossed Julia Bennett’s folder on top of the others. He threw himself into work for the next several hours, only checking his watch when he noticed the sun had gone down. Nine o’clock. He stood and stretched.
Rena would be long gone. Thank God. He didn’t want to discuss anything from the night before with her.
He called downstairs to have his car brought around to the front. He often left the building through the lower garage, but tonight he decided to leave through the front foyer. He paused in front of the security station. The two temporary security guards looked fresh from military training. They stood as soon as they saw him exit the elevator.
He nodded to them and couldn’t help scanning the area behind them. One of the doors behind them led to the surveillance room, but he wasn’t sure which one. Julia Bennett was back there somewhere.
Reading, probably.
He shook his head ruefully.
He should be irritated by that knowledge, but instead he wondered what topics held her interest. He forced himself to walk away, even though, he admitted, he really wanted to find her and ask her.
Ridiculous.
*
Julia sighed audibly as she watched Gio Andrade leave the building on one of the monitors. He probably always walked through the foyer, but she let herself imagine he’d done it because he’d wanted to see her again.
There is nothing wrong with a healthy fantasy life, as long as you don’t act upon it. Julia chuckled. She felt like she was back in high school, suffering from her first big crush. The difference was, no crush had ever made her feel quite so much like ripping her clothing off.
Maybe my menstrual cycle is going haywire. She’d read a study done on women during different times of the month. During ovulation, they were attracted to strong, aggressive men. The narrator had claimed this was due to an instinct to mate with the hardiest of the breed. Later in the month, women would find nicer, softer men attractive. No, I’m pretty sure I’d think he’s hot every day of the month.
Her usual motivational reading material was put aside for the night. Instead, she used her phone to do an Internet search on the man she couldn’t get out of her head. Interestingly enough, there were very few articles of substance on him. Almost every article had featured him with a new woman on his arm. Gio taking an heiress to the ballet. Gio and a movie star at a fund-raiser. The cameras loved him. No matter how hard she searched, she’d yet to come up with an embarrassing photo, or anything that mentioned how he’d made his money.
Why am I wasting my time reading about a man who has certainly already forgotten about me? She closed her eyes, hoping it would help clear her head, but he was just as vivid in her imagination:
I can see it now. He’d crash the door of my office open and say, “Miss Bennett.”
Julia rested her head on her hands, letting the fantasy come to life. In her mind, her voice was sexily husky. “You shouldn’t be here, Mr. Andrade.”
He’d loosen his tie and throw it on the floor. Julia rewound the moment in her head. No, he’d toss it on the back of the chair. That’s an expensive tie.
“Call me Gio. Practice saying it, because you’ll be screaming it all night.”
Would he be that crass?
Julia started their conversation over.
“You shouldn’t be here, Mr. Andrade.”
He’d walk over and hold out a hand to me. “I couldn’t stay away from you.”
I’d take his hand and stand before him. “You know this is wrong.”
“How could it be when it feels this good?”
She imagined his lips on hers and smiled. He would definitely know how to kiss. I’d try to remain strong. I’d push him back, playfully protesting. “What about all those other women?”
“They mean nothing to me. They never have. You’re the only one who—”
The phone on her desk rang, cutting off whatever Dream Gio would have said. She opened her eyes and answered the landline. The super-serious replacement security guard said, “Mr. Andrade has left the building. The cleaning staff is also gone for the night. That should be everyone. Have you seen any stragglers?”
Julia sat up and straightened her shirt. “No,” she said. “I haven’t seen anyone.” She moved her purse completely off the desk so it was no longer blocking one of the screens. “But you’ll be the first to hear if I do.”
The security guard hung up without further comment.
Julia leaned back in her chair and looked at the ceiling. Stop daydreaming. Focus on what’s important and be grateful you still have a job.
Remember why you’re in New York.
Julia leaned down and pulled a magazine out of her purse. She flipped to the article that had inspired her purchase: “Visualizing Your Way to the Top.”
A flash of how Gio would look beneath her, grinding upward into her while she threw her head back in abandon, warmed her cheeks. I have no problem visualizing it at all. That’s the problem.
Julia dropped the magazine back into her bag and tried to focus on the monitors. Nothing unusual, but that was no surprise. She rubbed her tired eyes. Only five more hours until her shift was over.
It’s going to be a long night.
Chapter Five
The next evening Julia let out a sigh of relief at seeing familiar faces sitting at the security desk. She walked over to the front of their station and said, “You both look like you’re feeling better. I’m glad you’re back. Paul, I am so sorry about the other night.”
Slightly older than Paul, Tom was the veteran on their security team and almost always a voice of reason. “It’s hard to believe either of you are still employed here. Can’t I take a day off without all hell breaking loose?”
Paul shrugged and smiled sheepishly. “Hey, I was sick. If you’d been here, I wouldn’t have had to ask Julia to cover the desk, but you took the night off.”
The two men bickered more like brothers than coworkers.
Julia was moved to voice her apology again. “Paul, I feel awful about—”
He waved her concern off. “Eh, don’t worry. I got a warning and a note in my file. Nothing big. How about you? Everyone has been tight-lipped about you actually attacking Mr. Andrade. What did you get?”
Close enough to him that my nights have been filled with spicy dreams about him? Julia choked that honest answer back. “The same. I’m just glad it blew over.” Julia hitched her purse on her shoulder and said, “I guess I should get back there.”
Paul interrupted. “Hey, you didn’t say what happened with your jewelry guy.”
Tom said, “Paul, don’t make her say it. She would have told us if she had good news.”