Locked (6 page)

It was my turn to bristle, but nobody was paying any attention to me anymore. It was like I'd disappeared. They loomed up from either side of me, staring at one another as though they could make their adversary's head explode through sheer force of will. It was almost comical really, but laughter was about as far out of reach for me as humanely possible at that moment.

"Is that right?" Taylor asked, his jaw tightening. "And just who might you be, friend?" He gave that last word a sharp accent.

"Just a man who would like a word with Sophia, if you don't mind." In spite of the phrasing, there was no question in his voice.

Taylor continued to stare. Pissing contests like this weren't exactly uncommon around the office. Give a bunch of overachieving jocks huge salaries and inflated senses of self-worth, and you're just asking for testosterone to fly. When push came to shove, Taylor usually came out on top, but this time I could tell he was losing. There was something so utterly indomitable about Sebastian. From the easy confidence of his smile to the raw intensity of his gaze and the dangerous grace of his movements, he was the epitome of a man who knew he'd get what he wanted. Taylor may have been his physical equal, but whatever primal hormonal reaction decided the outcome of those sorts of engagements was telling him to head for the hills.

After a few seconds, he looked away. "Fine," he spat, snatching up his beer. "I'll see you around, Sophia." Turning, he stalked off into the crowd.

I shook my head slowly. "What the fuck was that?" I spluttered, finally finding my voice.

"That was me saving you from an unpleasant conversation." Sebastian didn't look even slightly embarrassed.

"Saving me? I was talking to a colleague! What if I was enjoying myself?"

He gave a little laugh. "What, with that guy?"

I shook my head slowly, trying to gather my thoughts. His approach was nothing short of infuriating, but there were more important things to focus on.

"Whatever. That's beside the point. What the hell are you doing here, Sebastian?"

"I wanted to see you again," he said, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I had no idea how to respond. As confusing as it all was, part of me was happy to see him too. Just being near him again set something thrumming inside me. He looked every bit as gorgeous as he had the previous night. He'd traded his charcoal three-piece for a simple navy business suit, but it still did little to disguise the exquisite musculature beneath. His hair tumbled in long curls around his perfectly hewn face, framing a smile that hit me like a punch to the chest.

"Surely there are easier ways to go about that. Like, maybe, a phone call?" I said.

He laughed. "And would you have agreed to see me if I'd just rung?"

"I guess not," I said slowly. "But I don't appreciate being taken by surprise, either. How did you even manage to find me? And how did you get in here? This is my office!"

"It wasn't as difficult as you may think. There are only so many striking young lawyers named Sophia in Sydney." He glanced around. "As for how I got in, well Laurence Bell is actually an old acquaintance of my company. Once I knew where you worked, it was easy enough to organise an invitation."

He knew Mr Bell? That was odd. Our boss was a notorious recluse. Yeah, his name was on the sign outside, but he rarely even came into the office anymore. He was like the good china that only got brought out for special occasions.

Sebastian continued to stare, those magnificent eyes once again boring deep inside me. It made me uncomfortable. Sure, he was hot, and we'd gotten along well, but the whole situation had my hairs standing on end. Judging by last night, there was no shortage of women in his life. He had no reason to track me down. No reason, unless he was angry about having his privacy invaded.

"Well, I don't think this is appropriate," I said, shaking my gaze free.

"You mean after the way we left things last night?"

My cheeks heated. "Look, about that, I can explain..."

"About what? Breaking into my office? Or sneaking into our gathering?" He smiled at my expression. "That's right, I know. In fact I knew the whole time. You're not the only one who can act, Sophia."

I closed my eyes briefly and drew a slow breath. "So why talk to me? Why not just have me thrown out?"

"Does a man need an excuse to chat to a beautiful girl now?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, because pretty girls were in short supply last night."

He grinned, and I felt myself melt just a little more. "Well to be honest, security was ready to escort you out the moment you walked in. We always have more than one set of eyes on that door. But I stopped them."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I was curious. I wanted to know what kind of girl you were. Plenty of people have tried talking their way through that doorway over the years, but very few actually succeed." His expression remained mild as he spoke. He certainly didn't seem angry, but it was hard to tell what lay behind that charming exterior.

"Well, thank you for not making a scene. I'm sorry I intruded. I was just messing around and it got out of hand. I never meant to go into your office at all."

"You could make it up to me by coming home with me tonight."

I did a double take, certain I must have misheard him. In light of everything that had happened, the request seemed completely absurd.

"Are you joking?"

"Why would I be joking?"

"Oh, I don't know, because the last time you saw me I was huddled in your office cupboard, watching you smack your secretary like a child?"

"You didn't enjoy the show?" he asked, not the least bit ashamed.

I snorted. "It was a little Dita Von Tease for my tastes."

That only widened his smile. "Is that so? People are always afraid of what they don't understand. Don't write it off so easily. You might be surprised by what you'd enjoy." The certainty in his voice was unsettling. It sounded less like a suggestion and more like a promise. I shuffled awkwardly on my feet, memories of last night's strange excitement echoing through my mind. I still didn't know why I'd reacted like that.
This is what happens when you let your dry spells last too long. Even a spanking starts to seem appealing. You need to get laid, girl.

"Well sorry to disappoint you, but that's not my style," I said, doing my best to keep my voice level, "so I'm sure my vanilla sensibilities will be incredibly boring for you."

He reached out and brushed my neck lightly, raking his eyes over my body. "I doubt I could ever find
this
boring, regardless of what we're doing."

I swallowed loudly. My mouth suddenly felt like it had been baking in the sun for hours. As much as I hated to admit it, his overt sexuality was a huge turn on. There was nothing sleazy about it. He was just a man who was utterly comfortable with himself and his desires. Once again, I found myself imaging what it might be like to give myself to him. There was no other way to describe it. With other men, I might have said 'sleep with' or 'fuck' or one of the hundred other euphemisms that springs to mind at such times, but with Sebastian, I got the sense none of those were quite right. Even with nothing kinky involved, sex with him would not merely be physical, it would be an act of sheer possession and power.

Focus, Sophia. Think unsexy thoughts. Paperwork. Schindler's List. Ernest in a skirt.

Urgh, too far.

"What makes you even sure I
want
to sleep with you?" I said, purposefully pulling away from him. I swear it was like he had his own personal gravity.

Annoyingly, this just made him laugh. "Is that really how you want to play this?"

"I'm not playing."

"Well neither am I. You can pretend if you want, but it doesn't change a thing." He leaned in close, as though whispering a secret. That intoxicating scent hit my nose once more, sending my hormones into overdrive. "Your body says more than any words ever could."

A shiver rolled through me, coming to rest firmly in the centre of my chest. I hated how easily he could read me. It made me feel strangely helpless. How do you fend off a man who already seems to know your secrets?

"You're right, my body is saying a lot of things," I said. "Like leave me the hell alone! I've been with men like you before, Sebastian. Hell, I work with them every day. Even if I was attracted to you, I wouldn't be interested in being another notch on the bed post."

"What makes you think that's all you'd be?"

I scoffed. "Because we just met yesterday — in rather extenuating circumstances, I might add — and now you're asking me to go to bed with you?"

He shrugged like it was par for the course. "I prefer to be up front in my relationships. That way there's no mixed messages. No one gets hurt."

"Well, that's very noble of you, but I get the impression we don't want the same things."

"And what is it you want, Sophia?"

"Well, call me old fashioned, but something more than, 'hey, want to fuck?' would be a good start."

"I didn't pick you for a flowers and chocolates kind of girl."

"I'm not. I'm too busy for that crap. Casual suits me just fine. But there's a difference between casual and meaningless."

"Good, then we're on the same page. Look, you're right, I'm not the sort of guy that dates. I don't have the time or the inclination to be tied down, and I make no apologies for that. But that doesn't automatically make me some asshole who just uses women and then throws them away. If there's no spark, I'm not interested. And this right here, this has got me very interested."

I laughed. "Ah, the playa with a heart of gold. How touching. But unfortunately, I'm not good at sharing. I have this weird thing about wanting the men I sleep with to only be sleeping with me."

He let out a long breath. "Well, I don't usually do exclusivity."

I recoiled in mock surprise. "I'm shocked!"

He studied me for a few seconds, his expression hovering somewhere between frustration and amusement. "This doesn't have to be complicated, Sophia. There are so many things I want to do to that body of yours, and I promise that you'll enjoy every exquisite minute of it. Why do you need anything more than that?"

Something in my lower belly clenched. Despite how crude his approach was, I believed him. And a rather loud voice in the back of my head was begging me to let him have his wish.

But somehow, I rallied one more time. "It's not complicated for me. It's incredibly simple. I'm. Not. Interested! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to my friends. I'll extend you the same courtesy you extended me and let you walk yourself out, but if I see you here again, I'm calling security. I don't care who your friends are, if you're harassing an employee, you'll be out of here before you can blink. Goodbye, Sebastian. It's been... interesting." And with much more confidence than I felt inside, I spun and marched away.

I could hardly blame him for the way my body reacted to his, but it was still immensely satisfying to storm off like that.
That'll teach him to get into my head. Bastard.

I expected maybe a parting shot, but no words followed me. I resisted the urge to turn and look back. I was proud of myself for not caving to him, although there were very specific parts of me that were emphatically venting their disappointment. I suspected I'd be delving into my underwear drawer later for a little relief.

"Jesus Christ," Elle said, as I returned. Miles was nowhere to be seen, but she was peering over my shoulder with an awestruck gaze, her lips hanging slightly open.
At least it's not just me.

"Who the hell was that?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure actually. Just some guy."

"Seriously? That's like calling Ryan Gosling 'just some guy'!"

I shrugged again, trying to feign disinterest. The sooner we stopped talking about him, the better.

"Well, whoever he was, he looked hella into you," she continued.

"You think?" I asked.

She stared at me like I'd gone mad. "He was practically eye fucking you from the moment you guys started talking. How could you not notice that? I even bet Miles ten bucks he'd get your number."

I winced. "Sorry, no dice."

She shook her head slowly. "Fuck. Well, I guess that means he's still fair game, then."

I laughed. "If we see him again, he's all yours."

Our conversation turned to other things. Despite my best efforts, I found myself glancing around every so often, checking that Sebastian wasn't still lurking nearby. It seemed like he'd taken my warning seriously, but I got the sense such threats may not really mean much to him. After all, he'd tracked me down and infiltrated my office as easily as walking through his own front door.

The effortlessness with which he'd done that frightened me a little. When he'd shown up, my mind had been reeling too much to really think it through; but now the reality of the situation was becoming apparent. In a way, it was vaguely flattering that he'd gone to such efforts, but it also made me suspicious. Between that and the bizarre events of the previous night, I got the sense that there was more to Sebastian Lock than he was telling me.