Page 27 of Adam’s Obsession

Sara shook her head. “The damage has been done. Now, nomatter what you do or say, or wear, they’ve all been primed to see youas a hot mama wearing a tight red corset.”

“It’s not a corset.” Technically it wasn’t.

“I hope your internet stud is happy. Making you wearsomething red has done only one thing.”

“What?”

“It’s thrown you to the wolves.”

“Oh, that’s just ridicu—”

She was interrupted by a knock on the door. Through thewindow she could see a coterie of coworkers milling about. All of them male.They all had notebooks or spreadsheets or printouts. They all wore earnestexpressions. They all had a certain glint in their eyes as they peeped aroundthe floor-to-ceiling window, waiting for Katherine to usher them in.

“It begins.” Sara snorted. “You want my advice?”

Katherine nodded mutely. Did she have any choice?

“Keep the jacket on.”

Son of a bitch.

There was a fucking line outside her office. At that moment,no fewer than five idiots waited for an audience with Katherine. Adam wanted torip their fucking throats out.

A deep, dark vitriol roiled in his gut. He recognized it asjealousy but knowing that really didn’t help. What he wanted to do was grab herand whisk her away. Away from the office. Away from the line of perverts in thehall, drooling over her.

And yes, away from the computer. He wanted her warm againsthim, soft against him. He wanted to touch her body from the inside out. Hewanted more than cold black words against a white screen, more than adisembodied voice floating through the night.

He glared at his laptop…and inspiration struck.

Quickly, he logged on, hoping against hope this would work.His computer chimed softly as he logged in to his chat room, typed his messageand hit send. He heard a corresponding chime from her office. He watchedsurreptitiously as she glanced at her screen and shook her head. His belly tooka nosedive but rebounded when he heard her say, “Sorry, guys. I have to dealwith this right away. Can we finish later?”

Like disappointed puppies, the men nodded and drifted fromher office, the last one to depart magnanimously closing the door.

Adam could barely contain himself. Anticipation hummed inhis veins.

SAVAGE: So, Wildkat. Did you do it? Did you wear red like Iasked you to?

WILDKAT: Yes, I did. And thanks a lot.

SAVAGE: Why? What happened?

WILDKAT: I wore a red vest and apparently now every man inthe office thinks I’m a brazen hussy.

SAVAGE: I’m sure they don’t think that.

WILDKAT: Well, they think I’m available.

SAVAGE: Every man? How about him?

WILDKAT: Him who?

SAVAGE: Come on, Kat. We’ve been through this. You know damnwell who. What was his reaction? Did he look at you like that? Like he wantedto bend you over the desk and fuck you?

Adam noticed out of the corner of his eye that she flicked aquick glance in his direction. He smiled to himself, but at her response hissmile fell.

WILDKAT: He…noticed. But not like that. I don’t thinkhe sees me like that at all.

SAVAGE: What do you mean? How could he not want you?