Chance

"You're not here to see Gabriel?" Her lips thin into a frown.

I fish in my purse for my phone. I could have called Caleb to tell him to come out to the reception area to get me by now. "I know Gabriel, but I'm here to see Caleb."

"So you're telling me that Gabriel is an acquaintance of yours, but you'd rather talk to his brother?"

I pinch the bridge of my nose to ward off the headache that is charging at me at full speed. "Can you please tell Caleb that Rowan is here?"

"Shall I also tell Gabriel that you're here in the event that he has something to discuss with you?"

I shake my head as I press the call button on my smartphone. I listen to the ring of Caleb's phone in my ear and also in the distance. He's not answering.

"Are you calling Caleb?" She turns to face his office. "I heard that. You were calling Caleb, weren't you?"

Who hires the people that work here?

"Can you see if Asher is in?" I ask knowing that there's a very real, and distinct, possibility that her head will pop off.

"Wait." She drops the pen she's been holding in her hand even though she hasn't written anything down since I exited the elevator and walked up to her desk. "You want to see Asher now?"

"Just find me a Foster," I spit the words out. "Any of them will do."





Chapter 46


"I've never fucked anyone in my office before." His hands are above me as he pushes my body against the wall.

"I once fucked…"

"Jesus, Rowan." His head dips down so his lips touch mine. "Don't ever tell me about fucking another man."

I reach up to guide his face so I can seal my mouth over his. He moans into our kiss as his hands reach down to grab hold of the hem of my skirt. I came here to talk to him about the Foster Foundation benefit but I knew the moment he came into Gabriel's office to get me after his meeting, that I'd be lost in his touch before I left the building.

He'd pulled me into his office before he slammed the door behind us quickly. His suit jacket was on the floor in seconds, followed by his tie. I was unbuttoning his shirt when he cursed under his breath, pinned me to the wall and started kissing me.

"Do you have a condom?" I pull on his belt. "You have condoms in your wallet, right?"

"No." His hands inch up my thighs. "I don't carry condoms around with me."

"You don't?" I don't even try and mask the surprise in my voice. "I can't believe you don't carry condoms with you."

He's amused. The ghost of a grin that floats over his full lips gives it away. "Why is that so unbelievable?"

I wrap my hands around his neck, rubbing my index finger on the bottom of his hairline. "I think you buy a lot of condoms. I just assumed you'd keep them everywhere."

His eyebrows both jump. "Everywhere as in where?"

"The bedroom, obviously, the kitchen, maybe tucked in a corner of the library if the mood strikes you." I tap my finger against the base of his neck with each place I ramble off. "Also, in the back of that car that drives you around the city, your gym bag, and of course, your wallet."

"That's a lot of places." His tongue juts out and traces a path over my bottom lip.

"I know you like to have sex." It didn't sound quite as juvenile as that when I it popped into my mind. "I mean, you were talking about sex with a woman a few weeks ago on the phone when you called me to your apartment."

Tilting his head he kisses me softly. "I think I was interviewing Ruby on the phone that day."

I laugh loudly, throwing my neck back so violently with joy that my head hits the wall with a loud thump.” You were not talking to Ruby about sex that day."

"Oh?" His hand reaches up to rub the back of my skull. "Ruby made it very clear when I hired her that I could use her in any way I want."

I grimace at both the thought of that proposition and the lump that is now growing on the back of my scalp. "We're not fucking other people, right?"

"There's no one in this room but me and you." His hands both drop to my skirt again.

I inch my legs apart, willing his fingers to my core so he can feel how wet I am. "You know what I mean."

"I don't want you to touch another man, Bell." His lips sweep across my neck. "I don't want any other woman."

"You're all mine?" I whisper the words softly. "Tell me you're all mine."

"I'm all yours," he says as he drops to his knees, pulls my panties aside and tongues me until I fall into his arms.

***

"I thought we were going to fuck." I adjust my skirt and blouse.

He rakes his hand through his now messy hair. "Why does my cock get hard as soon as I hear you say that word?"

"Fuck?" I don't turn in his direction as I reach into my purse to retrieve my lipstick.

"When did you start saying that?" He's beside me now, taking the slender case from my fingers. I stand in silence as he twists the tube, pulling the nude lipstick into view. He carefully applies it to my mouth.