Anger spread across Aimery’s features. He stood glaring at them both, but his next words were directed at her. “I’m staying at the Ritz-Carlton, room 3410. I will be in New York through the weekend. When you start speaking for yourself again, Desiree,you can find me there. Don’t wait too long.” Then he walked out of her office and slammed the door behind him.
“Asshole,” Cobra and Desiree said simultaneously, then looked at each other and grinned.
“I should have kicked his ass,” Cobra said.
“What you should have done was knock, or at least let Karlie announce you.”
“Who’s Karlie?”
“She’s my administrative assistant.”
He shrugged. “She must have gone to lunch because no one was sitting at the desk out front.”
Desiree had forgotten that she’d suggested that Karlie go to lunch when she thought her visitor had been him. “Yes, she must have gone to lunch. Why are you here, Cobra?”
“To take you to lunch.”
“You don’t believe in calling first, the same way you don’t believe in knocking?”
He smiled. “What I believe in, Ms. Sharpe, is keeping you surprised and on your toes. I like making that sharp mind of yours even sharper. Now grab your purse and let’s go.”
She was about to tell him that she did not like being bossed around when he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She hadn’t expected the kiss, but she sure did welcome it. He slid his tongue deep inside her mouth, then began having his way with hers. She couldn’t fight back the moan his kiss elicited. It was as if she couldn’t get enough of him.
They were interrupted by the buzz of the intercom on her desk. Breaking the kiss, she licked her lips before reaching behind her and pressing the button. Desiree drew in a deep breath, released it, and then, in the most composed voice she could muster, said, “Yes, Karlie?”
She must have still sounded rather breathy since Karlie hesitated a moment before answering, “I just wanted to let you know I’m back from lunch, Ms. Sharpe.”
Desiree drew in another deep breath and released it. “Okay. Thanks for letting me know.”
She looked at Cobra, and before she could say anything, he leaned in, lightly chafing his beard across her jaw before kissing her again. This kiss was brief but just as potent. Then he looked her up and down and said, “You look very nice today.”
“Thanks.” She was wearing a red pantsuit. Conservative enough for the office but still flattering. She received numerous compliments today, even one from Saul Lawrence, her grandfather’s second-in-command.
“Come on, let’s get out of here before we get into trouble,” Cobra said.
She nodded, then opened one of the drawers to her desk and grabbed her purse. He took her hand, and when they walked out of her office, she saw the surprise on Karlie’s face. She almost laughed. When Karlie had gone for lunch, Desiree had one handsome man in her office. Now she was walking out with another one.
But this one was far superior, in Desiree’s opinion. Cobra had more masculinity in his pinkie finger than Aimery had in his entire body. “I’m leaving for lunch now, Karlie.”
Her administrative assistant’s eyes were glued to Cobra, as if spellbound, when she answered, “Alright, Ms. Sharpe.”
Desiree inwardly smiled, understanding Karlie’s reaction completely.
***
By the time they walked into the Whirlwind Restaurant, some of the anger had left Cobra’s body. Some of it, but not all. He knew the hotel where the man was staying. Hell, thanks to the guy’sbig mouth, he even knew his room number. What he should do is pay the bastard a surprise visit and beat the hell out of him for what he had said to Desiree.
He hoped she hadn’t believed what Aimery LeBlanc had said about her sexual inadequacies. But she’d mentioned it once before, so he knew it bothered her, at least a little.
Cobra was looking forward to proving to Desiree just how wrong that sorry excuse for a man was. Now more than ever, he was glad that he had given her the kind of kiss she had deserved last Saturday night. He knew it had likely been Aimery who’d dropped the ball in the bedroom and placed the blame on her. What an ass.
He doubted Desiree had any idea how hard it had been to kiss her goodnight at her door the last two nights and leave. He had been so tempted to go inside with her and offer her a repeat of Saturday night. Only, instead of his finger, he would have used his tongue.
“Do you want a private room, Mr. Masters?” the maître d’ asked.
“Yes. The Belgium will work, Thomas, if it’s not being used.” The Belgium Room was where he frequently met with his clients for lunch to discuss sensitive matters and ensure maximum discretion.
“It’s not reserved. This way, please.” The man led them to the back of the spacious restaurant and toward a bank of elevators.
