Page 72 of Turn Me On

He laughs until my brain freeze fades.

“Whew. Time for another one,” I say, then take a smaller drink. “Ah, yes. I’m imagining I’m on a tropical beach now.”

What I wouldn’t give to lounge by the water with him.

But that’s not in the cards. I mentally wave off those dirty dreams as I stretch my arm across the back of the small couch. I don’t touch him. I don’t want to tempt him or me. “I wouldn’t mind being in Cabo ordering daiquiris. Or Hawaii. Or Fiji,” I add, and I don’t saywith you, even though I want that.

I’m a dog learning new tricks.

“So basically all the tropical places,” he says drily.

“I like beaches. I like oceans. I like cocktails. You know what else I like?”

“What’s that?”

“I like patting you on the back. So I’m going to.”

He sighs, but relents. “Fine.”

I set down the drink, then rub my palms together. “All right, let’s start with the basics. Last fall, I asked Vance to pursue some deals. He worked on the video game company, but that fell apart,” I recount, and I’m no longer irked by that failed negotiation. “I was the wrong guy to endorse that company. And you’re the one who had the guts to tell me.”

A small smile tips his lips. Like he’s proud I see him as an upfront agent.

“Then, there was Energize Drinks. You had to give me the bad news about that deal the night we met. And you were tough enough to do it even though you thought I was gonna walk because we’d hit on each other.”

“I was admittedly concerned,” he says.

“And through it all, you had a plan.Find the right fit for me. You were like a doctor diagnosing the condition,” I say, fueled by the passion this man brought to the job. “And you had the medicine.”

“All I wanted was to get the right deal for you,” he says, trying to downplay his work.

I’ll have none of that. “And you did it in mere weeks,” I say, riled up. The hair on my arms stands on end with a new realization—Maddox went the distance, outperforming anything Vance ever did. No shade on the dude who’s repped me since the start, but Maddox walked in and took care of business out of the gate. “You’re the problem solver,” I declare. “Your tie video idea was fantastic. It’s baller that you pulled this together at the last minute.”

Maddox waves a hand dismissively. “You had that tie with you. Both of them.”

That reminds me…

“Funny thing. I took that tie to the ballpark,” I say, laughing again in remembered surprise.

He knits his brow. “The bow tie?”

“No. The burgundy one. I stuffed it in my pocket after I did that video for Priyam, then forgot about it. And later, I found it in my jeans when I was in the locker room.” I reach into the pocket of my jeans and I pull it out, dangling it in front of him.

He doesn’t say anything at first, but then he takes the fabric, grazes his fingers down the silk. A charge rushes through me as I imagine his fingers running down my shirt when I tell him to undress me.

Mine traveling fast over those shirt buttons when I decide to tear his clothes off.

Then, ours linked together when I fuck him. I can’t escape the images of us tangled together in bed.

Except tonight is not for sex. It’s for a friendly celebration. I have to stay the course. For me and him.

But when Maddox lets go of the material, his gaze glimmers with the spark of desire. “Have you always liked this color?” he asks, a little husky. It’s the first time tonight he’s even let a hint of lust show.

That little preview tugs on my own lust. Causes it to sit up.

I tilt my head, studying his face. We agreed nothing could happen, so what’s the point holding back the answer to his question?

I drop the tie to my lap. “No. But I got this tie the other day because it reminded me of you,” I say, matter of fact.