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Chapter 1
Allison Sanders had zero tolerance for office romance. She’d managed to last six months in the financial consulting firm without falling into any of the clutches of the many well-known Casanovas. Considering she’d been prime target since the day she arrived, it was a wonder she hadn’t succumbed after the many months of pursuit.
She’d managed to hold on to her common sense no matter the temptations. Hey, she was a single, young female, not bad looking at all and with normal needs like any woman. But somehow, she’d managed to act with decorum and kept things simple between her and her male colleagues. But that was before Brand.
Brand Wilcox, the latest addition to her boss’s highly driven team of finance experts. He was supposed to be some whiz sent from head office to get things shaped up with the new accounts the company was handling. From the day he arrived, she’d had that sinking feeling that she’d finally met her nemesis, so to speak.
Allison had never really believed in “types”. She had eclectic tastes in men and had dated guys who’d appealed to her on different levels of attraction. For example, her friends never understood how she could have dated the indolent Hank for six months. Hank had been sort of like a struggling songwriter who never really got down to writing many songs. But she’d liked him; he’d made her laugh and she’d felt so at ease around him, with his carefree take on life. Then there had been Olsen, whom her pals hadn’t liked at all. Around them he was stiff and uncommunicative, but behind closed doors, he shed his ice-prince persona and blew her mind with his bedroom skills. She’d met him at a business convention, and they’d been together for almost a year. She’d been sorry when it had ended, but he’d had to move to another state for work and anyway, their relationship had reached his peak.
So she was single and kind of whimsy when gorgeous Brand Wilcox appeared on the scene. He was one of those guys with effortless athletic good looks that couldn’t be concealed even in severe dark suits. He had thick dark brown hair and piercing green eyes. More than half the girls at the office already had a thing for him. The other half were married but she’d heard even a few of them say how they’d go pants-down with him in a heartbeat. This was the kind of effect he had on sensible, normal women.
And to think of her, sensible and normal yes, but chaste for far too long…well, she didn’t stand a chance. Being the boss’s personal assistant meant she had loads of ample opportunity to come in contact with Brand. She liked to tell herself he might have noticed her beyond the level of co-worker. He couldn’t be more than a few years older, and the few times they got talking, he told her they had a few things in common. But would he ever make a move? Allison figured she was feeling too cocky, thanks to being used to getting hit on by the other guys at work. But Brand seemed far from the type to be making an ass of himself over some chick at work. Or maybe he already had a girlfriend?
That had to be it, she thought and she tried not to allow too much of a sinking feeling to settle in her stomach.
Chapter 2
Allison prepared for the top-level meeting with little enthusiasm. The news that her best friend Sarah was finally going to marry had not been the high point of her morning. She was happy for her, of course, but she was still single and they had always imagined being married at the same time and having their kids growing up together. She wondered who she would be paired with and she hoped it wasn’t that relative of Sarah’s who never stopped bugging her when he was around. Well, at least they can make a day of going out and finding a nice wedding dress for…
“Allison? Did you hear what I said?”
She snapped to attention at the sound of her name, and found herself in the boardroom, with everyone staring at her and her boss with a quizzical look on his face. The meeting had begun fifteen minutes ago but it could have been happening on another time zone for all the attention she’d paid to it so far.
“I’m sorry Mr. Mallory, I didn’t get your last statement,” she said, quickly gathering herself and switching back into efficient mode. Her boss repeated what he’d been saying earlier, a disapproving frown crossing his face as the meeting continued.
For some reason, Allison felt the urge to turn her head to her side, and came eye to eye with Brand’s thoughtful, penetrating stare. How long had he been looking at her, she wondered, as she sent him a quick smile before returning her focus to her boss. Great; just what she needed. To look like a twit in front of everyone, especially the one person she wanted to make a good impression on.
Thankfully, the meeting was brief and she could get back to her desk. She went through her tasks with none of the gusto she normally applied. She loved her job but she just wasn’t in love with her life at the moment. She was in her mid-twenties, successful and climbing, but her personal life, she had to admit, was far from a wining situation.
I need to do something really wild and exciting, she told herself firmly, stacking the papers on her desk as the time inched closer to closing hours. Allison decided she needed something to get her mind over her troubles. Maybe it was high time she got laid. She suddenly began to nurse the idea of going out with a couple of her friends to the club or a bar, and maybe getting lucky. Nothing like some random, no-strings-attached sex to set the blood pumping through her veins and have her world looking brighter again.
Allison had never been too accustomed to casual sex and one-night stands, but heck, it was a lot better than getting involved with some dumbo and pretend to be dating him when all she wanted was a hard cock in her pussy when she required it. Men didn’t know that women liked sex without the commitment tags, too. Men weren’t the only type to enjoy sex for the sake of it, without wanting to be attached to the partner providing it. Even girls needed fuck buddies – buddies who would just disappear when they weren’t needed, till the time came again. Now where could Allison find such a candidate?
“Allison?”
The sound of her name in that voice sent her whole body into high-powered-buzzing mode. She looked up from her desk to find Brand standing there. She blinked, and then couldn’t help the pleased smile from spreading across her face. He seemed to do a double take at the sight of her smile, his eyes narrowing and darkening with a strange, fleeting expression.
“Why, hello, Brand. Did you want anything?”
“No, I just finished having a talk with the boss, and decided to stop by your desk for a minute. Are you okay?” he asked, and the concern in his tone almost made her want to burst into irrational tears. It was just so sweet of him, and so unexpected. It caught her off her guard and she wanted to kick herself for her weakness.
“Oh, you’re talking about how distracted I was acting at the meeting, right? I’m fine now, though. Just a few…personal issues I have to deal with.”
“Man troubles?” he asked with a teasing tilt to his sexy, full-bottomed lips. Allison swallowed down the urge to want to sink her teeth into that tempting bottom lip.
“Far from it. I’m unattached, Brand, if you must know,” she said lightly, fidgeting with the corners of her files and hoping she didn’t sound too goofily audacious. But then this was the first time he was showing any kind of personal attention to her; she was decidedly pink in the cheek and smiling like an idiot.
Allison thought of the last things that had been going through her mind when she appeared, and tried to keep eye contact with him and not stray down to his crotch, which was almost at her face level considering she was seated.
