Page 101 of Perfect Satisfaction

Then I come to a halt at the sight in front of me.

Arek’s fighting with the floor-to-ceiling sliding doors when I enter the great room after having spent most of the day in the secured space of one of our clients. Letting JB meander on in my ear, I walk over to the end table and pick up a remote. I warn, “Step back.”

Arek glares at me. I aim the remote at the doors and with a few button presses, they slide open smoothly. He grumbles, “I knew that.”

I purse my lips before saying, “Uh-huh.”

JB jumps on that. “You agree? We need to reconvene?”

I tune back in and make my words explicit. “If we reconvene tonight, I’m walking off the project. I’ve already put in sixty hours this week and it’s only Wednesday.”

“Sula,” he whines.

“You can’t afford me for much longer.”

“That’s just cruel,” he grouses.

“That’s called a budget. Make your choice.” I hang up on him. Arek is standing there, arms akimbo with a delicious smirk on his face. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Keep telling Joshua Basset off. It turns me on,” he encourages.

“I should let you listen to one of our conference calls.”

“If you do, things will never be the same.”

I can’t keep the chortle of laughter back no matter how hard I try. Instead, I drop my phone on the end table and ignore its persistent buzzing. Leaving my briefcase on the couch, I move in his direction and ask, “Have you had dinner?”

“Funny you should ask.” Arek moves right to me and grips my shoulders. Careful of my heels, he spins me around so I’m facing the kitchen.

That’s when I see bags piled on the island.

His breath rasps against my ear, raising the hair on my arms, when he jokes, “I thought we might eat al fresco but as you can see, I had a bit of a problem with the doors. Where I grew up, you turned a knob and bam! You’re outside.”

“You’d have hated the room I was in today. Two levels of biometrics to get in. Then hours with no windows. You can imagine the fun it was to use the loo.”

His hands tighten briefly on my shoulders before he moves to my side. His arm slips over my shoulders. “Then you definitely need to enjoy some of New York’s fresh air.”

I stop in my tracks before joking, “That’s an oxymoron.”

“It is, but tonight it’s the best we’ve got.” He waggles his eyebrows.

I feel the strain of the day melt away. “I’ll take it. Give me a few minutes to get out of these clothes.”

His eyes darken. His cheeks redden. Realizing that what I just said was tantamount to waiving a red flag in front of a bull, I duck under his arm and snag my phone and briefcase.They’ll do as a sword and shield in a pinch. I recall the lyrics to Kensington’s newest hit with wry amusement as Arek’s naked hunger stares back at me. “I’ll be right back.”

I’m en route to the far end of the penthouse when Arek calls out to me. I stop. “Yes?”

“If Basset captures you on a work call in the next ten minutes, I’m coming after you—promises be damned. I’m not letting him have you tonight.”Or any night.The words left unspoken are just as possessive as those that are.

“Don’t worry. I know where I’m supposed to be.” I say the words lightly, but the searing heat in Arek’s eyes tells me he knows that answer too.

With him.

Quickly I scurry away to change so I can be comfortable while holding on to the last shred of my dignity and do something completely stupid—like throw myself at my husband.

An hour later, his fork clatters to his plate. “Are you serious?”

“It’s gorgeous,” I affirm.