one with the hot ass?’ Shey asked, and was admonished by a glare from Calvin. She patted his hand. ‘Her words. You know I think yours is—’
‘Woah, too much information, Shey. I think my pasta’s about to take a return trip.’ Georgia was only half-joking. She’d heard more than enough on their Friday nights out when Eloisa and Shey wouldn’t shut up about all the amazing kinky sex they’d had. Which Shey was still having.
Though he’d been smiling at Shey, when Calvin turned to Georgia his expression was serious. ‘He isn’t harassing you, is he?’
Georgia thought about what Max had said. It was inappropriate, sure. And, well, a little insulting. And oh so very tempting. But he hadn’t pushed, hadn’t made a move to do more. She was certain that after she put her foot down with enough force to snap a spiky heel, he’d back off.
‘No. He propositioned me.’ Her stomach tingled just thinking about it.
‘How?’ Shey asked.
Georgia sighed. ‘He asked me to be his… fake girlfriend, with all the benefits.’
Shey’s chin dropped, but she recovered quickly. ‘I don’t get it. Why fake?’
That was something she hadn’t asked herself until now. ‘I don’t know.’
Could he still be hung up on his ex? Maybe he thought having Georgia at his side would make Clarissa jealous and take him back? And as a way of saying thanks he’d have a go at making the woman who’d never had an orgasm come.
A shudder ran through her and her stomach turned over.
‘You can report him for sexual harassment if this gets out of hand,’ Calvin said.
With the frown he was sporting and his clenched jaw, Georgia guessed he’d like to do a lot more than make a complaint about him.
Shey squeezed his arm. ‘Trust me, Georgia can look after herself. Right?’
The last part was directed at her and she nodded, but wasn’t sure if it was the truth this time. Calvin’s frown deepened, obviously he didn’t agree with his girl.
‘She’s right. Maxton Briggs the Second isn’t any different from other guys who’ve been on the end of a tongue lashing from me.’
But none of those other men had been her boss and Georgia hadn’t wanted them like she wanted Max. No, she wanted to give him a different kind of tongue lashing altogether. Damn she had to stop fantasizing like this. She had to be proactive, had to think of a diplomatic way to deal with this. Thank God Eloisa walked in then, because if anyone knew where she stood in situations like this it was the newly qualified attorney of the house.
Georgia told her friends the full story.
As Georgia made her way to Max’s office the next day, she was resolved to stop him from pushing her before it got out of hand. Last night she’d stayed up late with the girls and Calvin. She now had a plan of attack.
Offense was the best form of defense, after all.
Max’s PA frowned when she entered the hall, but Georgia didn’t stop. She walked right past the desk, making a beeline for his office at the far side of the lobby. Her heels clattered on the polished wooden floor. The place was big enough to host a pitch-and-put tournament, unlike the cramped hole she’d been shoved into, and that just annoyed her more.
‘You can’t go in there!’ the woman trilled.
Georgia heard shuffling, then footsteps but she didn’t spare the woman a glance. Her stomach was bubbling with the thought of opening his door, seeing him, and having her plans crash and burn. Arguing with his PA would only give her more time to chicken out.
She pushed his door wide and stormed right in. Max was on a call, grinning at something the other person had said. Her heart stilled as she took in his black shirt which was rolled up his forearms, silver tie knotted loosely and his wavy hair pushed back from his face.
Oh hell. She could just clear his desk right now, lie down with her legs spread and ask him to give it his best shot. He’d never looked so casual and relaxed, yet so completely fuckable that everything flew from her mind and her body revved up for his.
His PA was beside Georgia in a heartbeat, then urging her back out the door with a hand on her forearm. Georgia snapped out of her daytime fantasy and glared at the woman. She took a step back.
With an apology, Max ended his call.
‘I’m so sorry, Mr. Briggs. I couldn’t stop her.’
Nothing would have stopped her. Except maybe busted kneecaps, but his PA was too meek to dare.
‘It’s okay, Lucy. Leave us and close the door.’
‘But Mr. Briggs, your next appointment is due soon.’ Lucy wasn’t giving up.
His smile was easy, like this happened to him every day. ‘Tell them I won’t be long if they arrive before this meeting’s over.’
The way he looked at her, like he was down with the plan to screw six ways till Sunday on his desk, left no doubt in her mind about how attracted to her he was. Georgia had to swallow hard and lock her shaky knees so she didn’t abandon her plan there and then and jump straight on him.
Lucy frowned at Georgia before she left. Maybe barging into his office wasn’t the best idea she’d had. With little to no sleep the night before and her body vibrating with nerves all morning, she didn’t want to put this off any longer. Only thing was, now she was here the perfectly polite speech she’d practiced dropped out of her head, like she hadn’t spent an hour going over it, in front of a mirror, to practice keeping the bitchy out of her expression.
Instead all she could focus on was his throat and the flash of skin showing where two buttons had been left undone. A hot flush spread up her neck, and also down, until the tingly feeling in the pit of her stomach came back.
‘Something I can help you with?’ he asked, his eyes flicking down her body.
She fought the urge to tug at the hem of her skirt – though whether to hike it up or down a bit, she didn’t know.
‘What you said yesterday—’
‘Take a seat.’
She did, on one of the chairs at the other side of his desk. Not because he’d told her to, but because her legs had started to shake and sitting would be the safer option. ‘Yesterday when you—’
‘Look.’ Max held his hands up.
Her eyes narrowed and again she had to keep her mouth shut before she said something she’d regret. Eventually. Maybe.
‘It came out wrong, okay? I didn’t come to ask if you wanted to start a fling,’ he said, his expression serious.
Great, now all she could think about was that he didn’t really want her and her lungs cramped. She sucked in a few breaths until the jerky movements faded. ‘What did you mean?’
Max raked a hand through his hair. ‘I did want you to come to the late summer ball with me at the end of the week, and it would be a bonus if you agreed to pretend to be my date. But when I saw the email I wanted to choke all the bastards that had treated you like a blow-up doll and I lost my head.’
Georgia frowned. He’d totally blown her out of the water. Especially now that it sounded like… ‘So you thought offering a few pity fucks might sweeten the deal for me?’
She slammed her teeth shut with a clatter and her gaze dropped to his desk. Eyeing the stapler, she wondered if it would clip her tongue to the bottom of her mouth. Maybe that way she’d be forced to think before she