Page 46 of Savage Little Lies

I lose track of my thoughts for a second as a different image fills my mind. Her in my lap with that skirt bunched up around her waist. Her blouse ripped open. My lips on her bare skin. Her nails digging into my back.

“Dmitri?”

Fuck, just the sound of my name coming out of her mouth makes me spiral. I can’t remember ever wanting someone so badly.

Why does it have to be my assistant? Why does it have to be now when I’m on the cusp of marriage to another woman?

Clearing my throat, I tell her, “My carpenter is nearly finished modifying a few handcrafted pieces. He thinks that they’ll be good to go next week. I have measurements for the furniture and a list of inventory to be shipped. I need you to do an estimate of how much product I can move in those secret compartments.”

Cara’s eyes widen a little. “You already went forward with my idea?”

I tilt my head at her as my brow furrows. “Yes, I said I was interested. You didn’t think I was serious?”

Cara lowers her gaze for a moment and shrugs, dropping the sexy act that she’s been putting on since the moment that she walked into my office this morning. “I guess I’m just used to having my ideas ignored.”

The disappointment in her voice prompts my mouth to wilt into a small frown. “Are you talking about old bosses you’ve had?”

“Yes. And family,” Cara admits before laughing stiffly and shaking her head. “It’s nothing. I’m just…thank you for believing in my idea.”

“There was a time when I felt like that. Ignored. Pushed to the side,” I say before I can stop myself. I don’t know why I’m so insistent on making her feel better. “I believed in my own ideas, but I wasn’t taken seriously. Not until I started doing things myself and showing them why my ideas were better than the rest.”

Cara slowly nods as she listens to my words. “I hadn’t fully proven myself to you, and you still went along with it.”

“Because I’m not as close-minded as the rest,” I say. “I don’t care who the person is behind it or what status or rank they have. I care about the idea. And your idea is going to make us a lot of money.”

Cara smiles, lighting up her eyes. She’s already made me cash and saved me money in the long run thanks to all her help in my business matters. I can’t even imagine what we’ll be able to pull off together as more time passes.

She’s earned every dollar I’ve given her and more. She could have the damn world if she worked for it.

We gaze at each other silently, the air growing thick and heavy between us.

“Any other smart ideas up your sleeve?” I ask her.

Cara hums under her breath as she leans back on her hands, putting her figure even more on display for me. She might as well lie back on my desk at this point. I’m dying to wrap her legs around my waist and tell her what a good girl she is for taking every inch of me.

“I’ve been a little distracted lately,” Cara admits. “But I’ll think about it and get back to you. I’m interested in learning more about how you handle the real estate empire.”

“That’s a lot to teach,” I say as my thumb slowly rubs the leather of my chair arm. The thought of one particular Vegas real estate deal gone wrong cools my libido.

One way or another, I will find out what happened at that casino the night Mikhail disappeared. The night he was murdered, his body disposed of without a trace. I just have to keep looking for an inside man to get me access to the casino’s security footage. It’s proven harder than I thought to tempt Sean O’Malley’s employees.

Despite the depressing direction of my thoughts, or maybe because I need a distraction from them, my aching cock has me making her an indecent offer. “We might have to stay late one night so that I can show you everything.”

“Everything?” Cara replies, her voice sounding breathier than before.

The heat in my body is boiling at this point. I’m already imagining what all we could do together after hours when no one is around.

“Whatever you want,” I tell her.

Cara’s eyes trail down my body to my lap, her teeth subtly catching her bottom lip in a faint bite. She’s trying to kill me.

No. She’s going to get me killed.

A knock on the door makes Cara slide off my desk and busy herself with some paperwork. Karly pokes her head in with a sheepish look on her face. “Ms. Suyunov would like you to answer your cell phone.”

I curl my fingers into a tight fist, resisting the urge to launch my phone out of the nearest window so that I don’t have to speak with Annika. I’ve told her countless times not to blow up my phone while I’m at work.

I nod to Karly, prompting her to quickly shut the door.