The Office Summer Picnic (Force Me) Read online

  “Not much to explain.” Keep it together, keep it together. “I’ve decided to move on. Another offer came my way, one that was too good to pass up, so I didn’t. I’d have thought you’d have gotten this long before now. I’ve only got two more days before I leave.”

  “Oh, I’m very much aware. I’ve had the letter for the past week and a half. I was just concerned at why you felt you couldn’t tell me yourself.” Was it kinda sick she found his fury to be a turn-on? Probably. His face might as well have been carved from granite, his words clipped and cold with that dispassionate British accent, but the fire and ice screamed he cared. Still, she couldn’t get her hopes up. He hadn’t asked her to stay yet, had he? “I wanted to give you a chance to tell me yourself, to let me know if you planned on leaving me as well as your job.”

  There was no way she could look directly at him with the guilt riding her so hard right about now. She had taken the chicken way out. Instead, her gaze bounced around the room, trying to focus on anything but him. “It didn’t seem like our... relationship...was going anywhere. I thought it would be best to make a clean break.” Oh, God, this was so hard. How much of a wuss did she sound? Waaa, waaa, you never said you loved me so I got mad. Saying it out loud made it all appear so childish. But it wasn’t. Right?

  “I see.”

  Now he sounded so fucking calm. Reasonable. Waaaay too calm and reasonable. Shenice was determined that if he could sound calm and unemotional, so could she. Only she knew he wasn’t. The manly man of her most fevered fantasies was all man even now, and he was seething. What the hell did he have to be so mad about anyway?

  “It’s not like I haven’t enjoyed our time together.” Okay, now she was just making it worse. That sounded like something some prickish guy would say. “I’ve been very content over the past few months. I just think it’s time--”

  Before she could finish her sentence, Alistair swiped her desk clean with one harsh motion of his strong arm. Before she could react, he was pulling her from where she stood, turning her around with one hand, and pushing her back onto the desk. His expression had transformed from cool and unemotional to almost feral. Wedging his knee between her legs he opened them wide then pulled her tightly against him, all while pushing her skirt up high on her thighs.

  Totally not the reaction she was expecting.

  “I think it’s time you figure out you belong to me and no other,” he growled. “You think I’d simply let you walk away from me without a word in opposition?” One hand was firmly around her waist, the other cupping the back of her neck, fisting in the hair at her nape. The bite of pain thrilled Shenice more than she’d imagined it might, especially after a week without him.

  Then his mouth descended on hers, taking her with a fierce possession she’d never experienced. Even from Alistair. His tongue didn’t slip into her mouth or seek to enter hers, but dove in, forcing its way inside. Even if she’d wanted to deny him, it simply wasn’t possible. He was too strong, too seductive. Kisses obviously meant to punish, to show her who she belonged to, were like an aphrodisiac to a woman like her. No. More than that. They were drugging, intoxicating. The more she had, the more she needed.

  Like a starving woman, she clutched at his shoulders, letting her nails bite into the thin, starched material of his shirt. If she didn’t, she was afraid she’d simply fall back and spread her legs for him right there on her desktop. Yes, the thought was humiliating, but she couldn’t remember just why at the moment. All she could think about was his lips and teeth and tongue taking her so thoroughly. She wanted this, wanted him. She’d missed him so badly, she couldn’t think with needing him.

  In the space of one heartbeat, all her resistance flew out the window. She knew she’d never be complete without him, but it also hurt to know he didn’t feel the same way. Couldn’t feel the same way, or he’d have insisted on something more permanent than just sex with her. The realization hurt and strengthened her resolve more than she’d thought possible. On both counts. If she was ever to have any shred of self-respect, she had to end this. Now.

  She let go of his shoulders, laying her palms against the crisp linen of his shirt, intent on pushing him away. But the heat from all that masculine flesh beneath seared her palms. Her instinct was the opposite of what it should have been. She wanted to dig her nails into him and clutch him to her for dear life. Her mind was screaming at her to shove with all her might. Get him away from her so she could think rationally about this.

  Then his lips were at her neck, his hand in her hair pulling her head back to more fully expose the long line of her throat. She thought he’d kiss or lick her again. Or maybe even bite her skin. But he didn’t. He held her gaze, his intense, light blue eyes staring at her in an unbreakable hold.

  “You have today and tomorrow to make up your mind to stay. After that, I’ll have to take matters into my own hands. Since you’re in charge of the catering at the picnic Saturday, I know you’ll be there.” He raised an eyebrow, obviously wanting her to confirm his statement. Shenice couldn’t help the barely perceptible nod of her head. “If you haven’t withdrawn your resignation before that and come home, you will after that picnic.” He paused three heartbeats before adding. “One way or another.”

  They stared one another down for several moments before he saw whatever he was looking for in her face. With a half smile that could only be described as wicked, he stepped back, pulling her from her desk and straightening her clothing with fingers that were far too steady for Shenice’s liking. Hell, she was shaking like a leaf! He seemed to be completely unaffected. Which just proved to Shenice she was nothing more than a possession to him. Like his car or his house. He didn’t love her. If she left, it would only be a hit to his massive ego, not a heart-rending experience like it would be for her.

  She definitely had to find a way out of the picnic. Now.

  Four

  Leaving Shenice’s office without confessing his love for her had been the hardest thing Alistair had ever done in his life, not to mention a huge gamble. The hurt she felt was palpable, and yes, she needed for him to confess how he really felt about her. However, she should have come to him with her concerns. She should have felt free enough to talk to him about what she was feeling. It stung that she hadn’t. It wasn’t that he wanted her to crawl to him, but if she needed the reassurance, if she was worried or concerned, all she had to do was say so. By now he would’ve hoped she’d realized if she needed something from him he would provide it without hesitation. Shenice need to learn to trust him, to talk to him, because he was not letting her slip through his fingers.

  The seduction began that same day, though it wasn’t of the conventional type. From the moment he’d left her office, he hadn’t let up on the pressure. He found ways of getting her off to herself so he could press his hips against her sweet ass, showing her how much he wanted her. Hands lingered against her curves, especially her hips. She loved it when he gripped her hips as he powered inside her. Subtlety went out the window. Several times they narrowly avoided getting caught; more than once he had to pull some obnoxious assholes aside to put a bug in their ear about looking at Shenice sideways. He had even threatened to show one person in particular his woman was not to be a subject of malicious gossip. Oh, he knew they would talk, but God help the person who allowed their words to reach his ears. Once or twice, he deliberately gripped her hips, holding her to him, when his two of the men who had become good friends since relocating from the home office had a clear view. The only two people in the office that he knew would never say a word.

  “Look at Craig,” he’d whispered in her ear. “He sees me wanting you. Would you let me take you while he stood there and watched? He’d know you were mine. Off limits. But he’d watch you with hungry eyes and wish he could join us.”

  The dirty talk not only had Shenice trembling in his arms, it fueled his desire painfully. It was risky; they had never done anything this blatant in the office. Alistair wasn’t really sure how she would
take it, but she didn’t pull away. Then again, neither did she admit it turned her on. She clutched his thigh even harder than he gripped her hips, though. Surely a good sign. Unable to resist the temptation, he nipped her neck, another thing that drove her crazy. God, he wanted this woman! Cock pulsating, it was damned hard to pull away finally, but he managed to do it.

  A few times, Alistair managed to get himself into position to graze his fingers ever so slightly across her breasts. Walking a very fine line between seduction and sexual harassment, once he had even allowed his fingers to circle her nipple over her clothing. Remembering how responsive she was to touch, and how very sensitive her breasts were, Alistair decided to use these to torment her a little now. His tongue swept his lower lip as he stared into her wide brown eyes. Fuck, he needed her!

  “Miss me yet, baby?”

  There was no answer forthcoming from her, but he noted the way her breathing became labored as her eyes traveled down to gape at the crotch of his pants. Of course his dick twitched right in front of her avid gaze as her eyes devoured him. Apparently his cock missed her every bit as much as his heart did.

  By Friday afternoon, Shenice looked a tad haggard. Her hair, normally immaculate, had little loose curls springing around her face where it had come loose from the twist at the back of her head. The normally flawless, creamy mocha skin seemed to sport a permanent flush. Not to mention the rock-hard nipples that stood at attention whenever he got near. He just knew those panties were wet. Oh, how his fingers itched to find out for sure. And every time she saw him coming toward her, she shamelessly turned and fled in the opposite direction, even going so far as to enlist a friend to run interference for her. Not that it did any good. One look at the single-minded determination on his face, and the other woman had raised her hands in defeat.

  “Might clue her in to the fact that you feel more than simple lust for her,” she’d murmured as she’d passed, anxious to extricate herself from the situation.

  “Oh, I plan to.” Alistair wasn’t certain why he’d bothered to respond to the woman, but saying the words aloud to someone in the office other than Craig or Roth emboldened him. He was staking a claim on her for all to witness. And he didn’t give a damn if the rumors spread like wildfire. In fact, he hoped they would.

  Five

  By the end of the day Friday, Shenice was no closer to finding someone to take over her part of the picnic than she had been before she’d asked to begin with. It wasn’t like there was anything to do other than fucking show up. All the work was done already. But everyone she asked simply smiled or smirked and gave her an unqualified “no.” This was all his fault! He’d intimidated every single person in the office, knowing no one would help her out. She would love to kick his ass, or at least cuss him out one good time, but her body was a dirty traitor that always seemed to get aroused whenever he was in the same room--which, by the way, was happening way more often than necessary. It seemed Alistair was on a personal mission to break her down, make her beg, force her to fall back into his bed.

  Oh, hell, yes!

  No! No, she could not be weak. All she had to do was make it through this godforsaken picnic and she was home free. From the torture, anyway.

  When Saturday morning came, Shenice woke with a sense of dread tinged with...excitement? Sure, why not? Excitement. What would he do? Given the way Alistair had been acting, there was no way he would leave her alone today. Hell, she didn’t want him to leave her alone. What she wanted--no, what she needed--was a solid commitment from him. A declaration of love. Anything that said he wanted a more permanent relationship from her. Because that was exactly what she wanted from him, damn it! Didn’t she deserve to be happy? Who the hell wanted to be a pushing thirty-something “kept woman”? The bullheaded English asshole had an entire freaking week, and all he had done was torment her with all that sexy manliness. God, how she missed that manliness.

  Still, she was not a toy. Okay, yeah, sometimes she did like being his personal toy, just like he was hers. But still, she was a red-blooded woman with real emotional needs. Just because a man could grab her hair with the perfect amount of pressure, or kiss her so deeply, with such authority she felt it to her soul, and just because he knew how to make her beg and not care about the fact she was begging did not mean he could just take her whenever he wished and offer her nothing in return.

  Bullshit, that annoying inner voice whispered. You’re running because you’re scared.

  The truth hurt. There was no doubt she was scared. How could she not be when she knew she was head over heels, completely, utterly entranced by a man who made her feel like she could melt into a little puddle just by looking at her like she was some kind of tasty treat, yet offered her no expectation he had feelings for her as well? It was a lie to say she didn’t suspect Alistair cared about her. So why wouldn’t he say it? What did she have to do to get him to see she really needed a verbal affirmation from him?

  You could ask...

  Nope. No way was she begging any man for his love. Either he gave it freely or he didn’t really love her the way she loved him. That was the way all the magazines and advice columns said it should be. If a guy was into you, he told you.

  “So, deep in thought, Little Red wandered off from the relative safety of the group right into the arms of the Big Bad Wolf.”

  Shenice glanced up, startled that not only had she wandered away from the big tents and elaborate picnic set-up, but that Alistair had followed her. Because she had chosen to walk down a narrow path into a copse dense with shrubbery and trees, no one could see her, though strains of the party could be easily heard. There was no way to make a run for it; the large man was blocking her path. And he had a blanket draped casually over his arm. And two flutes and a bottle champagne in his hands.

  Oh, no. No, no, no. Blatant sexuality was hard enough to resist, but romance on top of it? This was just wrong. Especially given the way his shirt was unbuttoned just enough to give her a tantalizing peek at a chest she knew to be rock hard, yet oh so comfy to lay her head against. Instead of wearing shorts like most of the partygoers, he wore light linen slacks that did nothing to hide that bulge in his crotch area.

  “I was-- I mean, I didn’t...” Fuck, she couldn’t think straight. Not with the way his eyes were devouring the bright red sundress she wore. Sure, the thought had crossed her mind as she pulled it on this morning that Alistair loved her in red. He always said it complemented her skin. “I’d better get back. I am running the shebang.”

  The man didn’t move a single, heavenly, strong muscle. Truthfully she hadn’t expected him to. Instead he advanced, forcing Shenice off the path she was on into the little clearing. Because she had failed to take in her surroundings, she quickly found herself up against a very large tree, with an equally ginormous male closing in from the front. Heart pounding, she refused to admit her current predicament made his own desire burn twice as hot. Lord, the way those blue-gray eyes practically glowed with hunger had her pussy tingling like crazy. She knew her nipples were rigid the gentle scrape of her lightweight strapless bra against them downright painful. Looking at his lips only made the pain worse. Lord, what those lips could do to a breast...

  “Surely you weren’t going to let this, your final company gathering, go by without a little toast, hmmm?” Alistair’s voice had taken on a deep, deadly purrr, the kind that were they in the animal kingdom would announce she was what was for dinner. There went the floodgates deep inside her womb. “Have a drink with me?”

  Of course he didn’t wait for a reply, which was good, because she couldn’t have given him one. The cat didn’t have her tongue; the little bastard seemed to have metaphorically cut it out of her mouth and run with it. As she stood there like a terrified deaf/mute, Alistair popped the cork and poured a bit of bubbly into both glasses. Shenice eyed the blanket still slung over his arms warily, but took the flute offered to her.

  “I…um...” Pull up those big girl panties, damn it! she silently admoni
shed herself. “Look, you had a week to say goodbye. I hardly think we need to say goodbye now.”

  Surely that sounded convincing. Maybe her voice shook a little but she had meant that. Really. Truly she had.

  So why was her tormentor moving in even closer? Deftly placing the bottle of champagne on the ground off to the side, he rose slowly, his face so tantalizingly close to her dress. So close she could feel his heated breath through the light material. And damn her traitorous legs for opening just a little where she stood. And double damn him for pausing right where the red material hid the apex of her thighs. It had been the devil on her shoulder that made her wear a deep red matching thong, one that was now soaking as Alistair played with her all too fragile reserve. There was point repeating to herself she wasn’t going to give in; she knew she would. Especially when he leaned forward, his nose pressing her dress against the front of her mons, and inhaled.

  “Ummmmm, I don’t think your body wants to leave me.”

  Bastard. Of course her body didn’t want to leave him. Every bit of her flesh was addicted. But her brain was screaming for her to run, run fast, run long. And yet her feet remained rooted to the spot.

  “My body has very little to do with this.” Shenice managed to pull herself up to her full height, pressing her hips back against the tree and away from the temptation of his mouth all too close to her pussy. It had been far too long since she’d had any kind of real satisfaction. Every day this week Alistair had sent her home with every nerve ending tingling. Now, she finally snapped. Breasts heaving with every breath, anger flooding through her, she finally said what was on her mind. “I can’t stay at the company. I can’t stay with you. I need something more than just...just a fuck buddy, and it’s obvious to me a fuck buddy is all you see me as.”