AdamsObsession (6 page)

SAVAGE: So, Wildkat. Did you do it? Did you wear red like I
asked 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 in
the 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 damn
well who. What was his reaction? Did he look at you like that? Like he wanted
to bend you over the desk and fuck you?

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

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

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

WILDKAT: Please, Savage. Don’t do this. It’s hard enough for
me to acknowledge to myself that the only man I’m even remotely attracted to
doesn’t know I’m alive. Don’t make me admit it to you as well.

Were those tears she was wiping from her cheeks?

SAVAGE: Kat…

WILDKAT: Just accept it, Savage. I’m not the kind of woman
men like him want. That’s just the way it is.

He couldn’t bear it. Reading her heart-wrenching words,
realizing what she really thought of herself—and how wrong she was—made him want
to storm into her office and wrap her in his arms. But what he wanted more than
anything was to prove to her just how much he wanted her.

But at that moment, just as he was about to race across the
hall and take her into his arms, Tristan appeared and knocked softly on her
door.

WILDKAT: Gotta go, Savage. My boss is here.

SAVAGE: Kat, wait…

But she had already logged off.

With rising bile, Adam watched his brother sidle into
Katherine’s office and shut the door. Then, in utter horror, he saw Tristan close
the blinds.

They were closeted in there for what seemed like an eternity
and no matter how many times Adam strolled casually by and peered through the
glass, he couldn’t see past those damned venetian blinds. Why, oh why, hadn’t
they gone for verticals instead?

When the door finally opened, Adam managed to appear as
though he was just passing by, but only just. He could tell from their
positions in the room they had been wrapped in a long, full-bodied hug.

Too bad.

He was going to have to kill his brother.

“Can I talk to you?”

Both men stepped back in surprise when identical words came
out of their mouths at the same time.

Adam blinked. “My office okay?”

“Yes.”

Adam led the way, planning the speech he needed to give.
Warning your brother off your girl wasn’t something a man did every day but in
this case, his argument needed to be ultra-effective. He couldn’t have Tristan
panting after Katherine. He wouldn’t share her. Not even with his brother.

But when he turned around, he discovered Tristan wasn’t the
only one who’d followed him into his office. Katherine was there as well.

Aw, hell.
Adam sucked in a deep breath. A pulse began
to ping in his left eyelid. “Sit down.” He waved at the small conference table
in the corner. Katherine complied but Tristan paused to close the door.

Uh oh.

A ball formed in Adam’s gut. Their expressions were somber.
This couldn’t be good. Surely she hadn’t discovered his identity and gone to
Tristan to complain about his behavior. Had she?

Would she?

He decided to keep quiet and wait for Tristan to take the
lead. Maybe it was something less disastrous. Maybe…

“There’s been a crisis.”

Adam glanced from Tristan to Katherine. She seemed sad and
weepy but hardly enraged. Okay. So maybe this wasn’t about him and his sexual
proclivities. “What happened?”

“Sara’s mother went into ICU this morning. They’re not sure
she’ll make it.” Katherine spoke softly, visibly shaken by her friend’s
heartbreak.

Tristan shoved his fists into his pockets. “She found out
after our meeting this afternoon. She’s on her way home right now.”

“Wow.” Adam leaned back in his chair. He’d known Sara for
years, had no doubt how close she was to her mother. “How’s Sara doing?”

“Not well. I had Shannon drive her to the airport. But
here’s the problem.” Tristan’s gaze narrowed on Adam. “Sara was supposed to do
the presentation at ComputerCon with you.”

Adam glanced at Katherine. Her eyes were trained on
Tristan’s face, his mouth, watching intently as the words emerged. Adam found
he didn’t like her attention fixed on another man’s lips like that. He didn’t
like it at all. So he cleared his throat and was gratified when she turned to
him instead, her eyes wide and damp, like a doe’s. Almost immediately, Tristan
spoke again.

As irritating as it was to have him steal her attention once
more, his brother’s words were fascinating. “Katherine, I’m going to have to
ask you to take Sara’s place. You worked with her on the PowerPoint and know
your way around the presentation.”

“Me?” she squeaked, flicking a panicked glance in Adam’s
direction.

He smiled encouragingly—although inside he was grinning like
a wolf. If Katherine took Sara’s place, she’d be traveling with him to Vegas.

They’d be alone, together, for two whole days.

Who knew what might happen?

What
would
happen.

Adam bit the inside of his cheek to keep from crowing. “I
don’t know.” He tipped his head to the side and furrowed his brows. “Are you
sure you can handle the equipment?”

An affronted expression crossed her face. “Of course I can.”

Yeah.
He thought,
I’ll just bet you can.

Chapter Seven

Before Katherine knew what had happened, she was packed on
an early morning flight headed for Vegas with Adam by her side. Sitting next to
him—his thigh warm against hers, his muscled arm brushing hers, his scent
drifting toward her with every breath—was torment.

She’d never been so close to him and to be plastered against
him like that for an hour and a half had her mind and senses in a tizzy. She
closed her eyes and tried to sleep but that only made the sensations that much
more intense.

The lack of activity started her mind wandering. Fantasies
were not far behind. That’s the way it was with Adam. He got close and she
started thinking about sex. Then again, when he wasn’t close, well, she thought
about sex then too.

He, on the other hand, was oblivious to her existence. Oh,
he smiled and chatted and handed her drink over when the flight attendant
brought it by. But for the entire duration of the flight, he kept the tray
table down with his notes for the seminar spread out upon it. He alternately
studied the pages and tapped them with his pen, undoubtedly preoccupied with
thoughts of the coming presentation.

As he should be. This was a huge opportunity for Adam, for
the whole company. As soon as they landed, they would have to rush to the
convention center and get set up for their session. It made sense that he would
be preoccupied.

But deep down, Katherine couldn’t help but feel slightly
miffed.

Maybe she should have worn Sara’s red vest. She’d packed it
after all. Even that, she feared, wouldn’t be enough to snag Adam’s attention.
He was known around the office as being a single-minded businessman. Nothing
derailed his train of thought when he was on a mission. Certainly not a dreary,
dreamy coworker.

Fortunately, all of Adam’s preparation paid off. The
presentation went over perfectly and was a brilliant success, creating an
enormous buzz with the attendees. He spent several hours afterward with
Katherine by his side, fielding questions about Trillo–Maris products, taking
down orders and collecting business cards. By early afternoon when the crowd
dribbled to a handful, they were exhausted.

Because of the timing of their workshop, they hadn’t had
time to check in to the hotel. They’d merely dropped their bags at the bell
desk and gathered all their handouts and presentation materials before rushing
over to the annex where their session was held. So once they finished up with
all their potential customers, they headed back to the hotel to check in and
get some much-needed rest before the reception that evening.

As she stumbled into their suite, Katherine was once again
impressed with Shannon’s competence. Not only had she made the plane
reservations at the drop of a hat, she’d handled all the tiny details of this
trip, including reserving a digital projector, copying and overnighting
presentation materials and making sure a light breakfast was waiting for them
when they arrived at their assigned breakout room.

But the suite was the
pièce de résistance
. Laid out
like an apartment, it had a kitchen, living-cum-dining room and three bedrooms,
each with a private bath. A balcony overlooked the sparkling lights of the
Vegas Strip in the distance.

Katherine didn’t notice much of this at the moment. Her
bleary-eyed focus was on that bed.

Adam glanced at her. “Go lie down. You’ve worked hard today
and you deserve it. Besides, we both need to be on point tonight.”

Katherine nodded. “The reception.”

“It’ll be a great chance to network some more.”

Katherine fought back a yawn. “Okay,” she said, resigning
herself to the prospect of another late night. “Do you care which room you
have?”

Adam opened his mouth and then closed it again as though the
question had caught him off guard. He shook his head. “No. You pick.”

She grabbed her bag and plodded back toward the bedrooms.
She opened the first door she came to, dropped her suitcase on the floor,
plopped her laptop on the desk and fell face first onto the bed, fully clothed.
She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Following behind her, Adam stopped at the door to
Katherine’s room. He stared at her, sprawled on the bed.
Do you care which
room you have?
It had taken all his self-control to keep from answering,
Yours
.
What would she have said? What would she have done?

He snorted to himself. She would probably have said,
Oh,
okay
and promptly fallen asleep. She was exhausted. He was tired as well
but the vision of her on the bed was appealing enough to awaken several aspects
of his being.

Quietly, he stepped into her room and crossed to the bed,
gazing down at her luscious form. Her bottom was a tempting target, thrust up
toward him like an offering to the gods. He itched to caress her ass, test the
resilience of her flesh.

He’d thought about her all morning long. On the plane, he’d
had to drop down the table and pretend to study his notes because his raging
hard-on would have been otherwise impossible to disguise. The sight of her had
spurred his passionate presentation. Through it all, she’d urged him on with
that sweet, encouraging smile.

She brought out the best in him, in oh so many ways.

God. He wanted her.

And he would have her.

Just not right now.

He bent over and gently slipped her shoes from her feet, one
after the other, and pulled a spare blanket from the closet. He wrapped it
around her—trying not to laugh as a delicate snore rumbled through the room. He
retraced his steps into the hall and quietly closed the door.

When Katherine woke up, the sun was going down. She felt
rested and reenergized. She checked her watch and noted it was after five. Adam
had mentioned he wanted to leave for the reception at about six thirty, so she
figured she had time to go online and check her email before getting a quick
snack—assuming Shannon had thought to stock the fridge.

She put her laptop on the bed and switched it on. As it
booted up, she riffled through her suitcase to see what she’d brought that
would be appropriate for a business reception. She pulled out her classic black
dress and shook out the wrinkles, wondering if she needed to find an iron. She
decided the dress would do and slipped it on a hanger, just as the computer
behind her chimed.

A smile flooded her face. She knew that chime.

Savage was online.

The thrill that ravaged her was savage in itself. She’d been
far too busy packing to even think about logging on last night. She sat on the
bed and clicked the IM box, at the same time initiating the VoIP software so
they could talk while she got ready. She turned down the sound so Adam wouldn’t
overhear.

“Hey, Wildkat. How was your day?” His voice was slow and
lazy, like sweet honey drizzled all over a warm summer morning.

She blew out a breath. “Crazy. At the last minute they sent
me on a business trip.”

“Really? Where’re you at?”

She laughed. “Vegas.”

“Great place for a business trip.” His answering laugh was
smooth and sexy. It sent shivers up her spine. “Are you there all alone?”

“No.”

He paused in a meaningful fashion and then asked, “Is
he
there with you?”

Katherine drew in a deep breath. She knew who he meant.
“Yes. He’s here.”

“Really. That must be interesting.”

She frowned. “Not really. He’s not into me. I told you
that.”

“What’s he into?”

“Work.”

His laugh rumbled through the speakers. “Typical man. But
now that work time is over, maybe he’ll notice you. Do the two of you have
plans for dinner?”

“We’re going to a reception. Some business thing.”

“Boring.”

“No kidding.”

“Wear something sexy. Maybe you can get him to skip the
reception and take you somewhere intimate. Somewhere romantic.”

“Hah!” Her sardonic snort was a little louder than she intended
and she reflexively clapped a hand over her mouth. “No way,” she hissed. “This
guy is all about business. He would never skip the reception.”

“Try it. Wear something sexy. See what happens.”

“I don’t have anything sexy. I mean, I have a cocktail dress.
It’s not terribly sexy.”

“You can make it sexy. A woman’s manner is what makes her
sexy, not simply her appearance. Just believe you’re hot and he’ll notice.
Trust me.”

Katherine shook her head, knowing he couldn’t see. Savage
just didn’t understand. Adam was Adam and Katherine was…boring. “I’ll try. But
I can’t imagine he’ll notice.”

“He will.” Savage seemed so sure. “And Wildkat?”

“Yes?”

“If he asks you to dance, that means he wants to fuck you.”

The laugh was out of her mouth before she could restrain it.
“That’s crazy, Savage. If he asks me to dance, that means he wants to dance.”

“Are you so sure?”

“I’m not his type.”

Silence crackled between them. “What do you mean?”

“He’s way out of my league. Trust me. This guy is
phenomenal.”

“Maybe you’re phenomenal too.”

Though he couldn’t see it, she made a point of rolling her
eyes. “Maybe not.”

“Wear something sexy. And if he asks you to dance, it means
he wants to fuck you. It always does. And if he asks you to dance, accidentally
stumble and fall against him. See if he has a hard-on.”

“He’s my boss!”

“Still. Rub up against him and see if he has a hard-on.
After you get back, if you two aren’t fucking like bunnies, come back online
and tell me what happened. I’ll be waiting.”

She dressed carefully, taking Savage’s advice to heart,
spicing up her black dress with Sara’s red vest and patent leather high heels.
The heels were uncomfortable and she was as clumsy as an ox in them but they
looked fantastic. Katherine hoped they would draw Adam’s eyes to her long, slender
legs and—finally—make him notice her as a woman.

And, heaven help her, he did. When she stepped out of her
room, wearing the black dress and high heels and tight, cinching vest, his eyes
roved over her as though she were the last woman on earth.

“Katherine.” His attention was riveted. On her. She shivered
at the heat in his eyes. “You look wonderful.”

He was pretty damn handsome as well. He wore a suit jacket
with a dress shirt unbuttoned to the second button. The scent of his aftershave
clouded her vision. It was all she could do not to stumble and fall against him
right there in the hallway.

“I was thinking…” His gaze drifted over her once more. “What
do you say we skip the reception?” Her heart leapt. “And just grab some
dinner?”

She shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. “T-that sounds nice.
Do you have a place in mind?”

He nodded, his eyes flaring. “I know a club that serves an
excellent lobster bisque.”

“Lobster bisque?” She didn’t give a damn about lobster or
bisque. That he was willing to skip the reception to have dinner with her made
her pulse race. “Lovely.”

“Great. Let’s go.”

They caught a cab in the velvet, sultry Vegas night and
drove to the club Adam had mentioned. It wasn’t a place she’d ever heard of. It
wasn’t a place that seemed as if it got much tourist traffic at all but the
service and the food were exceptional.

They ate dinner in a secluded alcove. Adam ordered a
delicious wine and Katherine allowed herself to be convinced to have several
glasses. As they ate, they talked about the conference, their success for the
day and plans for the company’s future. A very prim-and-proper conversation to
be sure, but all along soft music played in the background, a romantic
counterpoint to their business discussion.

Once the dinner plates had been cleared and the dessert wine
and cheese had been served, Adam sat back and smiled at her. Katherine smiled
back, relaxed, replete and reveling in the moment. Reveling in
him
.

“I’ve really enjoyed today.” To her surprise, he covered her
hand with his. It was warm. And large. She fixated on the sight of his flesh on
hers.

She dipped her head. “Me too.” She melted a little as his
thumb skimmed across her wrist in what could almost be mistaken as a caress.

“You were great at the conference. A lot of the reps were
wavering but once you got a hold of them, they just tumbled. You’re amazing.”

“Thanks. But it was your presentation that tipped the
scales.”

He shrugged. “Who put the presentation together? It was you
and Sara.”

She glanced at his hand, still holding hers. What he said
was true but it was hard to take the credit for a team effort. “We were both
happy to help.”

How surreal, to be sitting at this romantic table with Adam,
in an alcove with dimmed lighting and soft music wafting around them.

And then he said something that made her heart lurch.

“Would you like to dance?” The words sent a shaft of
sizzling sensation racing to her pussy. As his eyes made contact with hers,
warmth swelled. A trickle oozed between her thighs.

One thought radiated through her head in Savage’s dark,
seductive tones.
He wants to fuck you.

She wasn’t one to take things said on the internet for
granted. She wasn’t about to assume Adam Trillo wanted her just because he
asked her to dance. She certainly wasn’t going to throw herself at him all
willy-nilly just because he said those five words to her. But she couldn’t
stifle her hope.

“Yes.” She dropped her linen napkin onto the table beside
her plate. “I would.”

Adam led her into the knot of couples dancing on the floor.
With a start, she realized they were playing a slow, dreamy love song, one of
her favorites.
Unchained Melody.

She didn’t meet his eyes as he pulled her into his arms. He
took her hand in his and she placed the other awkwardly against his chest. He
pulled her closer. Her nose nestled in his neck. With every breath, she drew in
his spicy sent. His heat radiated through her dress. She could feel the dull
thud of his heart against her palm. And inside her head, a voice murmured,
Accidentally
stumble. Fall against him. See if he has a hard-on.