The Book
The Tease
“Ben—” Melissa spluttered. Fury darkened her eyes. Fury and desire. “I refuse to discuss this further.”
“And I refuse to talk about work after what just happened between us.”
“Fine, then we won’t talk. I didn’t want to talk in the first place. I didn’t even want to walk outside with you.”
“That’s a lie, Mel, and you know it. You want to be with me. You just don’t want anyone to be aware of it.”
She turned and marched off. He fell into step beside her.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why won’t you be seen in public with me?”
“I’ve already told you.”
They exited the building, jogged down the stairs and hit the footpath, both of them taking a right towards the car park. “And I’ve already told you that excuse doesn’t cut it. Do I embarrass you? Scare you, maybe?”
“What? Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Hardly ridiculous when you won’t acknowledge my existence outside of my office.”
“Of course I acknowledge your existence. We work together.”
“We don’t have to just work together. We could actually be—” he clutched his heart dramatically and gasped, “—friends.”
Melissa almost tripped but righted herself just in time. She shrugged off Ben’s steadying hand. “I don’t want friends. I’ve already told you that. I want to make partner. I don’t have time for a social life.”
“Partner or not, we all need friends. Life’s too short and too lonely to go without.” Man, had he ever learned that lesson from experience.
“I’m doing just fine without, thank you very much.”
Melissa wouldn’t look at him.
“Are you? Really? You’re reduced to fucking a colleague in an office when the rest of the company has gone home. Is that what you want? Emotionless sex to tide you over until you make partner? And then what? Socially, your life is going to be perfect all of a sudden? Because you’ve succeeded in your business goals, you’ll miraculously have a life?”
She turned to glare at him, but anger was not the only emotion he saw on her face. Hurt and pain framed her ire. It made Ben want to take her in his arms and hold her. Hug her. Protect her. Make everything better.
“Making partner is my life, Cowley. Sex with you is a…fringe benefit.”
Ouch! “Ah, so now I’m a fringe benefit. Nice.”
“I never gave you any reason to think you would be more.” No, she hadn’t, had she? And yet there’d been moments, several of them, when they’d connected on a level that hadn’t been purely sexual. Or purely professional. And it was those moments that gave him reason to want more from her.
“You never gave me reason to believe you wanted to fuck me either, until you stripped naked in my office.”
The Blurb
All work and no play? Not for this girl. Not anymore.
Melissa Sparks has had enough. Enough of being the high achiever, enough of ignoring her social life in favor of her job and enough of being lonely. Just this once she wants a change. Something different. Something that looks very much like her business associate, Ben Cowley.
Ben Cowley is all alone in the deserted offices of Preston Elks. He’s gorgeous, he’s single and he’s been her secret fantasy for the last two years. It’s a split-second decision, but there’s no going back.
When Ben looks up from his desk, the last thing he expects to see is his too-serious, straight-laced colleague stripping naked. It’s been a year since his last relationship ended, and though he’s still picking up the pieces, Melissa throws his carefully balanced world off its axis. So does her offer: a brief affair, no strings attached.
Right about the time he realizes a simple affair will never be enough, she’s back in professional mode—and clearly as distant as ever. Now it’s up to him to show her that what they have is no fluke…and he’ll do whatever it takes to convince her. Even if it means inviting another man into their bed.
Warning: This book contains a man haunted by his past decisions, a woman determined to succeed, sex hot enough to steam up every office window on the block, and a voyeur who gets off watching those windows steam up.
www.jessdee.com
Office Affair will be available on May 1st from Samhain Publishing or your favorite online ebookstore
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