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used to before I got the third degree. I'll take these and sort through them. Though what I've seen of Emma's work so far, I'm sure it will be all fine."
"Of course it will, Dad. Emma is extremely good at her job. I told you that."
"Aye, so you did. Best convince your girl to stay then."
"I'm not his girl, or anyone else's for that matter and how you expect me to stay after all this … these lies, is beyond me."
Shane sighed and his dad simply patted her shoulder.
"Ah, the hotheadedness of youth. Let him explain, Emma, and if you still want to walk after that, I will personally write you a reference. For what it's worth, Shane wanted to tell you the truth, but this is business. Affairs of the heart have no place in business. Now the takeover is completed, however…" He grinned and Shane groaned out loud.
"Dad, please."
"What, son? Your mom and I have been telling you for ages that you need to settle down, and I've never seen you in this much of a tizzy over a woman before. Don't disappoint me now. I'd hate to lose that bet I have with your mother."
He smiled as Emma's mouth dropped open and then they were alone in the conference room. An uncomfortable silence settled between them when the heavy door clicked shut. Shane cupped her shoulders from behind, making Emma jump as he gently massaged her tight muscles. For a man as tall as him, he sure could move quietly when he wanted to. Then again Emma's heart was beating so fast, the blood rushing in her ears, that she probably wouldn't have heard a herd of elephants approaching.
The rational side of her brain screamed at her to shake his hands off, preserve what was left of her dignity, and walk out of there, but that side of her brain seemed to have lost control of her body completely. Every stroke and knead of Shane's talented fingers seemed to draw a path of need straight to her clit instead. It took every ounce of willpower she possessed to not lean back against him, and let him do with her whatever he might want to.
"I'm sorry, titch. I wanted to tell you before, but the right time never presented itself." Shane's whispered words in her ear sent her pussy into spasms of delight, as he lifted her hair off her neck, and delivered little butterfly kisses along the sensitive patch under her ear. Her breaths hitched and his lips curved into a smile against her damp skin.
"Don't touch me. I'm not that damn easy." Emma's protest halted the magical movement of his long digits, but instead of taking his hands off of her, his grasp on her tightened. Emma gasped as he pulled her back against him until the full force of his erection dug into her lower back. His heat branded her and her traitorous body responded instantly to his nearness. Her nipples chafed against the confines of her bra, her breasts tingled with need, and her internal walls clenched and unclenched as her pussy prepared itself for his cock. The hard ridge digging into her back seemed huge, and Emma bit her lip to stop herself from moaning out loud. It would be so easy to just give into this insane attraction between them, but, dammit, she wanted more. She wanted it all.
"I mean it, Shane. Let me go. I will not be your next conquest." From somewhere she found the strength to yank herself out of his grasp and to step away. She could breathe easier now that she'd put some distance between them.
"I would never presume—"
"Spare me, Shane." She interrupted him and spun around on her heel to face him. "This is me, Emma. I've had too many of your conquests screech at me over the phone to believe I'd ever be anything else to you."
Shane flinched and reached for her but Emma put her hand up to stop him and took several steps away from him. He frowned, but didn't pursue her, and Emma gave silent thanks for that. If he chose to press the point she would be putty in his hands.
"You're wrong, you know."
The quiet words settled perilously close to her heart, and stalled the words of denial bubbling on her tongue. When she didn't reply he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, as though frustrated.
"It's because you mean something to me that I never made a move." He smiled grimly at her sharp intake of breath, and took a step toward her before he seemed to realize what he was doing. He ground his teeth together, and balled his hands into fists.
Again an uneasy silence fell between them, until Emma couldn’t stand it anymore.
"You expect me to believe that bull? For all I know this is your modus operandi. Did you get a kick out my cluelessness as to who you really were?" He shook his head and threw her such a heated look that Emma swallowed hard, and took several more steps away from him until her back hit the door. Still, he didn't move, just watched her with a quiet intensity that made her hormones do the samba.
"Emma, let me get one thing straight. You're right, this is my modus operandi." He paused when she couldn't keep in her whispered I knew it. Tears pricked the backs of her eyes, and she blinked rapidly to stop them from falling. She would not be such a girl, she wouldn't. So what if her heart was breaking in two. She'd known this, hadn't she? She should have just walked on out of here and spared herself the heartache.
"Are you listening to me, Emma?"
"What?" she asked and pressed back against the door, as he suddenly filled her vision. Hands braced either side of her head but he didn't touch her, although he was so close they were breathing each other's air. Every feminine cell in her body whimpered in need. He was so not being fair. She couldn't think clearly when he was this close to her.
"I said, this is my modus operandi in business, titch. I infiltrate the companies we take over, to get a real feel for them. You learn a lot when you work on the ground. You get to know the politics, the weaknesses and strengths of the business. You see who the real workers are. Who you want to keep on to push the company forward, and who you will sack because they're useless. It's a very effective way to make our takeovers as smooth and as efficient as they can be. We buy companies that have potential. Potential that, for whatever reason, they haven't reached yet, and we make them strong by employing the right people for the job. Then we sell that company for a much higher price than we paid for it. Like my dad said this is business. My emotions are never involved, or at least they hadn't been until I walked in on my first day and I saw this pretty little blonde trying to kill herself on top of a ladder."
He smiled down at her, and Emma couldn't help but smile back at him.
"I was perfectly safe. You're exaggerating as usual." Or at least she had been until he spoke to her, and her befuddled brain made her miss a step on the way down. She'd ended up in his arms, and had endured a lecture on the safety of ladders.
Shane raised an eyebrow at her and shook his head.
"You were trying to kill yourself, and what's more, none of the others were helping you."
"Yes, well…" Emma had to concede that point to him, and he grinned at her. This was an old and frequent argument between them, and one she never won.
