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Alex opened up the e-mail and grimaced—a video.
He clicked on the ‘play’ button and waited a moment for it to load. Turned the speaker up a touch on his computer and frowned at the poor quality of the picture on screen. It was black and white. And then he recognised what that small space was—an elevator. And then someone walked into it. And, as if he was trapped in it again, freefalling, his stomach dropped.
Hell
He leaned closer to the screen as she waited in the lift. Her face was clear in the frame, and now so was his as he stood side on, until he turned and faced her. Their mouths were moving, but the security camera recorded images, not sound. Even so, he knew exactly what was being said. He’d replayed that too brief exchange a million times every sleepless night since.
Alex watched, seeing now what he’d felt so gloriously at the time. His back was to the camera but you could see her face as he kissed her lips, her jaw, her neck. Her eyes were closed. Her hands caressed his shoulders, his hair. Passionate. Beautiful. And then came the moment her legs parted, wrapped around his waist, and his body reacted now as it had then. Instantly hardening, instantly burning, insisting on getting closer.
And then the lift moved. It had been over far too quickly.
Praise for Natalie Anderson:
‘Natalie Anderson is one of the most exciting voices in steamy romantic fiction writing today. Sassy, witty and emotional, her Modern Heat™ are in a class of their own…An extraordinary new talent who can blend passion, drama, humour and emotion in one unforgettable read!’
—Cataromance
‘MISTRESS UNDER CONTRACT is a fantastic contemporary romance full of intense emotions, funny moments, blazing sexual tension and moving romance; don’t miss it!’
—The Pink Heart Society
‘Natalie Anderson’s HIS MISTRESS BY ARRANGEMENT is a charming romance of childhood friends reconnecting. It’s both fun and flirty, and conveys the wonderful feeling of finding someone you can truly be yourself with.’
—RT Book Reviews
This is the first book in Natalie Anderson’s
exciting new duet:
HOT UNDER THE COLLAR.
Don’t miss
UNBUTTONED BY HER MAVERICK BOSS,
out next month!
Caught on Camera with the CEO
by
Natalie Anderson
Possibly the only librarian who got told off herself for talking too much, Natalie Anderson decided writing books might be more fun than shelving them—and, boy, is it that! Especially writing romance—it’s the realisation of a lifetime dream kick-started by many an afternoon spent devouring Grandma’s Mills & Boon®…
She lives in New Zealand, with her husband and four gorgeous-but-exhausting children. Swing by her website any time—she’d love to hear from you: www.natalie-anderson.com
Recent titles by the same author:
TO LOVE, HONOUR AND DISOBEY
HOT BOSS, BOARDROOM MISTRESS
BETWEEN THE ITALIAN’S SHEETS
PLEASURED IN THE PLAYBOY’S PENTHOUSE
For the best apple pie and chocolate chip biscuit baker in the world: Aunty Margaret.
No one makes ‘em like you do. And no one laughs as infectiously as you either.
Thank you for all your support.
CHAPTER ONE
‘YOU’LL have that for me by three? Fantastic.’
Dani forced her body to freeze at the sound of that voice.
‘No problem.’
Dani knew the breathless assistant would have it for him by two at the latest—just as she would if he’d asked her.
Alex Carlisle, CEO of Carlisle Finance Corporation, on his rounds again—gliding through the open-plan area and bewitching his staff so they performed above and beyond. She wondered if he even knew the effect he had on his legions of adoring employees.
And Dani was the latest. Not looking was impossible. Her lashes lifted.
Truthfully she was probably the only one whose work was suffering because of him. She found him so distracting she wasn’t getting half as much done as she should. Half of her wished he’d go away so her insides wouldn’t be so pummelled, but all of her wanted him to stay.
He was so good to look at, she’d been watching him all week. She’d seen how he abandoned his lavish office suite at the top of the building and came to talk with his worker ants—all of whom then frantically tapped faster at keyboards to get the work done for him. Charismatic, confident, Alex Carlisle got everything he wanted, every time. And if the water-cooler gossip she’d got from one of the secretaries was anything to go by, women were a big part of what he wanted—beautiful, highflying, high-society women. He played a lot, apparently. And all his female employees wished like crazy he’d play with them.
Dani totally understood why they did, but she wasn’t going to admit she was floored by him too. So predictable. Anyway she couldn’t afford to fixate like this. She checked the time. Only a few minutes and she could go to lunch. She’d never clock-watched before, usually enjoyed her work so the hours flew, but she had a mission to fulfil. Besides, something about this place made her antsy. OK, it was him. She was waiting, always waiting for him to appear. Now he had, she couldn’t wait to bust a move, so restless it was as if she had creepycrawlies infesting every inch of her clothing.
Unable to resist the compelling force of him, she lifted her head and looked again. She was such an idiot. It was as if she’d been tossed into a stormy kind of teen crush—she’d never experienced one in her youth, but it seemed there was a time for everything. She only had to hear his voice for her heart to thunder and the adrenalin to flood her system, so sitting still was no longer possible.
Concentrate, you fool.
The excitement was a waste of energy anyway. The water-cooler woman had also informed her that, while the man might play fast and loose in his own social set, he never ever fooled around at work. Big shame. She watched as he stood talking with her supervisor. He was tall; his tailored trousers seemed to go on forever.
Yeah, Dani, all the way to the floor.
But her self-mockery didn’t stop her looking. He’d shed his jacket so he wore just the pale blue shirt, sleeves rolled partially up his arms—the ultimate ad for corporate wear. He turned. Caught her look on the full. And then held it prisoner.
Oh. Wow.
All but his face blurred. The low noise of the office became a distant hum. The sudden silence was nice and her antsy body stopped still, bathed in his gaze. Dani’s favourite colour was green. And Alex Carlisle’s eyes were very, very green.
He moved, one small step. Was he coming over? To talk to her?
Someone called his name. He turned away, his smile flashing back on. And it was gone—the stillness, the warmth, the quiet. All disappeared the