A Calculated Seduction

Chapter Seven

“Well, what I can’t understand is why you’re going to the Gala with your boss,” Barbie said at brunch the next day. They were seated on the terrace at one of Dulcy’s favorite restaurants in Dallas. She enjoyed the magnificent food as well as the relaxed atmosphere. But for some reason, she’d hardly eaten any of her Denver omelet.

Dulcy sighed and waited for the waiter to refill her coffee cup. The bright sunlight hurt her eyes. She hadn’t had much sleep because thoughts of Ethan and his parting kiss had haunted her. Every time she closed her eyes, she’d see the heat in his. When she finally fell asleep, dreams of him drove her insane. Waking with the memory of his hands on her breasts, her mouth on his skin...

“Earth to Dulcy,” Tori said, snapping her fingers in front of Dulcy’s face.

She cleared her throat. “Sorry, what did you say?”

“I said, I saw a picture of your new boss in the paper. He was with Bill at some kind of charity function. That man is yummy.”

Yeah, he was. And she could have had him for dessert, but she turned him down. If she hadn’t been so positive she’d only wind up being hurt in the end, she’d have feasted on him. She would love to lick him from end to end, concentrating on various body parts. Her face heated. Really, she needed to control these lurid thoughts. Especially when she was with other people.

“Mr. MacMillan is very attractive. But this is just like when I went with Bill. Both of us have to be there early and he lives close to me.”

She shrugged.

“I’d like to meet him. He’s definitely my type of my man,” Tori remarked.

Irritation prickled her skin so her words came out more forcefully then she intended. “He’s not your type.”

Tori glanced at her, surprise lighting her blue eyes. “And what would you know about my type?”

“I know you wouldn’t like a man you couldn’t control. I promise you, there wouldn’t be any hope of doing that with Ethan MacMillan. I’ve never seen a man more in control over everything in his life.”

“I don’t date men I can control,” Tori said. “I just meant that your Mr. MacMillan and I have more in common than the two of you. ”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Dulcy, honey, you look great with your new haircut, but sweety, you could never handle a man like MacMillan,” Barbie said. “He’s way out of your league.”

“And what does that have to do with the two of you?” She looked from one stepsister to the other. Both of them were so perfect, it almost pained her to look at them. Two years apart in age, people always mistook them for twins. Blonde hair, long and curly, always dressed in warm bright colors, the two of them never had a hair out of place or showed any nervousness. Something they’d learned at their mama’s knee.

“Girls,” Clarice admonished. “You’re going about this all wrong.”

“Clarice, what the heck are you talking about?”

“Honey, we’re worried about you.”

She studied the perfect faces that studied her in return.

“Worried? Why would you be worried about me?”

“You’ve been working a lot of late nights, all with this new boss and now you’re going to the Gala with him. I know a few people in Houston who know him and they say he goes through women faster than I go through money.” She sipped her mimosa.

“And then there was that fiancée.”

Her world tilted. He’ d been engaged? “Fiancée?”

“Fiona Jackson. He broke it off and she claimed he cheated on her.”

“Oh.” She didn’t know what to feel. Betrayal he’d never told her? Happiness he was no longer engaged? The two emotions tumbled together and her stomach rolled. She set down her fork.

“You three are acting very strangely. What’s up?”

“Just like I said, Dulcy,” Clarice said.

“No, really. What do you need? Charles is going to be back tomorrow, so I can’t do anything until then.”

“Dulcy, we’re just looking out for your best interest.”

She looked from her stepmother, to Tori, to Barbie, her heart warming. This was the first time they had voiced any worry at all about her. All three of them had depended on her father. They had also loved him almost as much as Dulcy did. One of the only reasons she put up with them. That common bond of love for her father would never be broken, no matter how much they irritated her.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about me. I don’t date people from work. We are attending together, just like Bill and I did for the last couple of years. There are details to check and I can’t do it all myself. Sometimes it helps to have the boss there. People jump faster for the boss than they do for an assistant.”

All three of them visibly relaxed and continued their meal as if the few tense moments had never appeared. But, as she drove home, she tried to shake the feeling they might be right. Her attraction to Ethan MacMillan was spiraling out of control. If she weren’t careful, she’d forget all her good intentions. Because, no matter how you cut it, good intentions didn’t keep you warm at night.

* * * *

The elevator dinged to a stop at Dulcy’s floor Monday morning. Wearily, she stepped into the brightly lit hallway and headed to her office. She’d lost more sleep Sunday night, the disturbing and uncomfortable chat at brunch the main problem.

She kept thinking of everything that had occurred between her and Ethan and that her stepmother and stepsisters could read her so well. When had it happened? When had she gone from infatuation to almost being in love with a man who clearly did not believe in commitment?

As she approached her office, she was surprised to find the light on. She wondered if Bill had stopped by again. He had retired a few months ago, but he seemed to be bored lately. That could be the only reason he’d show up early. When he was CEO, he was never here this early.

When she opened the door, she found the office empty, but a chair squeaked in Ethan’s office. Was Bill in Ethan’s office? With his memory loss of late, she worried about him.

She set her briefcase on her desk and wandered over to the door. Sitting behind the desk, a pair of reading glasses halfway down his nose, s at Ethan MacMillan. The same man who never made it to the office before eight in the morning.

She cleared her throat and he glanced up, looking over the top of his glasses. A slow, seductive smile curved his lips. Oh, God, he looked like a sexy professor. Her libido pulsed to life at the intimate look he gave her. Wet heat flooded her sex.

“Dulcy, I didn’t hear you come in. How are you this morning?”

His voice vibrated along her nerve endings. There was definitely something in it that spoke of a familiar relationship.

“Okay. Mr. MacMillan, what are you doing here this early?”

“Can’t the boss come in early?” he joked, but she recognized an underlying seriousness to the question. It confused her. It was as if he questioned her early morning habit.

“Of. . . of course you can come in early . You’ve just never been here this early before.”

She shifted from one foot to the other under his intense stare. Her nipples tightened against the lace of her bra. The silence stretched and she had the feeling he thought her guilty of something. Just what, she had no idea.

“Well, if you don’t need me.”

His eyes darkened with her statement, but he just shook his head. She hurried out the door. Work. That’s what she needed to get her mind off the man and his very large hands.

* * * *

Ethan stared at the closed door. His brain still wasn’t functioning. He had never been this wrapped up in a woman. It was making him stupid.

How the hell was he supposed to finish this investigation? He couldn’t think straight. She licked her lips and he was ready to throw his integrity out the window and beg for a night in her bed. It was disgusting and more than a little embarrassing. He could imagine sinking his cock deep into her tight, wet warmth. He threw his glasses on his desk and sighed.

After little sleep and more aggravating conversations with Todd, he was ready to give up. Whoever she was working with was crafty and had to have some idea they were onto them. If he forgot the investigation, he could have Dulcy. And that thought brought him back to reality.

What was the reason she came in early? Everything with the new computer program was fixed, and the Gala was pretty much done until they had the final head count.

No, the only motivation she would have to arrive at this hour would be to help her accomplice. And Ethan was determined she wouldn’t suffer for her naiveté́. He would do everything in his power to keep her out of jail. A little seduction was in order, and if her feelings were hurt in the process, well, that was better than jail, wasn’t it?

* * * *

Wednesday afternoon Dulcy eyed the pile of dresses sitting on the stool in the changing room of the department store Pete had dragged her to. He’d complained about each one she chose, and he only chose one—the only one left to try on. She slipped the black velvet over her head, wiggling to move the narrow skirt over her hips. After zipping it up, she put on her glasses and stared at her reflection.

The woman staring back at her was a stranger. The tight skirt of the dress had a slit so high, she didn’t know how she would sit in it and not show most of her leg. The soft, dark fabric hugged her hips and accentuated her waist.

“Are you done in there yet?” Pete asked from just outside the door.

She gasped and opened up the door. “Pete, you’re not supposed to be in the ladies dressing room.”

He smiled and ignored her admonishment. “I was right. That’s the dress for you. Come look in the mirror.”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her in front of the mirror. “Peter Anderson!”

“Dulcy, chill. We’re the only ones here and besides, nothing in here interests me anyway.”

She snorted and looked at her reflection again.

“I don’t know. It makes me look hippy,” she said, settling her hands on her hips.

Pete turned her, this way and that, studying her as if she were an art exhibit.

“Hun, you are hippy.”

She frowned. “That’s mean.”

“No, it’s the truth.” He turned her until she was facing the mirror and met her eyes in her reflection.

“Dulcy, you may not like what you see, but men do. At least smart heterosexual men. There is nothing wrong with full hips. You have skin women pay huge bucks to have. You’re funny and sexy and the best friend a gay guy could have. And you’re gorgeous. ”

A lump clogged her throat and her eyes stung. “You’re only saying that because you love me.”

“Yes, I do love you. But you are still one of the sexiest women I know. And that’s the truth. Now, stop those tears. I think the salesclerk will really think it strange to see both of us come out crying.”

She laughed and blinked back the tears.

“Get out of that and give the rest of those horrible dresses back to the clerk. We have shoes, hose, and a strapless bra to buy.” Pete and Dulcy returned about fifteen minutes late from shopping for her dress. They’d spent so long arguing about lingerie and footwear, she hadn’t even had time to eat. Still thinking about the heated words they exchanged when she resisted buying stockings and a garter belt made her blush. The saleswoman had looked as if Dulcy were insane.

They walked side by side down the hall, Dulcy carried a multitude of bags and Pete held her dress. Ethan stood at the door to their office, anger darkening his features. He glanced at his watch, then shifted his gaze back to Pete and Dulcy.

“Uh oh, looks like your lover boy is upset with you,” Pete said in a whisper.

“Shut up.” She elbowed him as he drew closer to her. He ignored it. “He’s not my lover boy.”

Pete chuckled and slung his arm across her shoulders. He leaned closer to her ear. “Do you think we should give him a good show for his money?”

Before she could interpret the question, Pete stopped and pulled her closer. He touched his lips to hers in a brush of a kiss. He straightened, with a smile brightening his face, and handed her dress to her.

“See ya later, hon.” He winked and then sauntered down the hall, ignoring Ethan as he strolled past him.

Her attention shifted from the younger man to Ethan, who stood in the doorway, glowering at her. Even at that moment with his irritation so strong, she could almost feel it slapping her in the face, he made her hormones jump to life. God, he was gorgeous.

He wore a gray suit with a cream-colored shirt and green tie. It deepened the color of his eyes and highlighted the few wisps of gray in his hair. Oh, why couldn’t she remember what an overbearing pain in the rear he was? Instead, the only thought crossing her mind was how good he would taste.

She sighed and decided to get the confrontation over with.

“Is there something you need?” she asked as she brushed past him. The spicy scent of his cologne filled her senses and warmth pooled in her belly.

She couldn’t look at him. Her face still heated every time they talked that morning, although he had been a perfect gentleman. In fact, he had been well behaved the last few days. And somewhere, deep inside where she really didn’t want to look, she was annoyed that apparently, it hadn’t bothered him as much as it did her. But each time his smooth voice washed over her, her nipples tightened.

“Do something for me?” he asked. “Yes, Miss Menendez, you could do something for me, actually to me, but you refuse.”