Chapter Eight

Emma groaned. Her phone ringing this early morning was so not what she needed. And it better not be a work call. The last thing she needed now was to have to go to work on a Saturday. Besides after getting that account for Reddings plc. They should have let her get some days off.

She picked up her phone and checked the caller ID. It was her mom.

"Hi mom. Good morning" she said

"Hi honey" her mom said. "You sound grumpy. Did I wake you?.

"Yes you did mom. But it's okay. How are you? "

"I'm fine honey. How's work?. Did you get that account you told me about?.

" Oh yes mom. I did " Emma replied remembering the annoyingly irresistible guy the account came with.

"I knew you would get it. You were always such a smart young lady"

Emma smiled. No one believed in her like her mom did. "How's Uncle Ken and Aunt Jen?"

"They are fine. I'm glad I have them living so close. They take really good care of me" . Her mom replied. "You know you should come home sometime hun. I haven't seen you in a while you know. I miss you"

"Oh mom... I miss you too. Just that work has been taking a lot of my time lately. I promise I will come visit you as soon as I can"

"Okay" said her mom. "Don't forget you promised"

A sound came from inside the house. Someone was opening the front door. Was probably Karen.

"I have to go now mom.. Love ya"

"Love you too"

Karen's walked into her bedroom. "Wake up sleepy head." she said without greeting and dropped into a chair.

Emma rolled her eyes. "You know when you do things like this... I actually regret giving you a key.. What reason do you have for disturbing me so early this morning"

"Can't a girl say hi to you anymore" Karen asked with feigned annoyance.

"Yeah yeah.. Take your greeting next door please" said Emma lying down again

"I actually came to invite you to go out tonight"

"Really.. Where to?"

"I don't know.. It's Saturday." Karen said. "We could go to a club. We could go dancing. There's a lot of stuff we could do. I talked to Monica and Tom too.. They are coming... And so are you"

"And if I say no"

"You can't say no".

"Fine"

Karen got up to leave. "No backsies" she said as she left. Leaving the door open.

"Close the door Karen"

"Stand up and do it yourself lazy bones" Karen yelled.

Emma sighed. No need arguing with Karen. She picked up her phone again. Saw she had a new message. She opened it. It read :

If there's something I really suck at, it's poetry. I'll bend my elbow on occasion and, although I would rather do it in person, I don't mind quoting poetry. So to borrow from a fellow countryman:

We poets labour all our days,

To make a little beauty be,

But vanquished by a woman's gaze,

And the unlabouring stars are we.

My apologies for pissing you off once again. Although I can't promise you it won't happen again. I'm a pretty annoying person and I tend to get everything I want. Perhaps soon we'll get to be closer than we already are. Till then I suppose I must remain,

-- Guy from the ballroom from hell

Emma couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face. He heard. He'd her little comment when she came into the office.

Okay.. So the guy was an annoying, pompous dollop head. But he was also kinda cute. And somehow he managed to do it in an exciting and irresistible way.

Maybe working with him wasn't such a bad idea. Not that anything was going to happen between them. The fact that they would have to work together now just made it much more complicated. It was unprofessional. So she could have all the erotic thoughts. That's all what they were gonna be. She wasn't gonna screw up a career she loved just because she was attracted to some guy. She just had to remind herself that over and over again. He was bad for her. No doubt about that.

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Daniel stepped down into the recessed living room of his downtown penthouse and slipped his hands into the pockets of his tuxedo pants. He surveyed his home. The dual-level, four-bedroom, three-bath condominium was the epitome of luxury with its airy, openfloor plan, floor-to-ceiling windows, game and media rooms, indoor and outdoor kitchens and private rooftop lounge that boasted its own fireplace. It had been the stunning views of the river and skyline from every room that had sold him. It was like being a part of the elements while protected from them.

He dropped his phone and keys on the table and his thoughts drifted to Emma. As it had been doing lately. So many times than he cared to admit. As if he wanted them to be together. He didn't. They couldn't be in a relationship. He had tried love and failed. He had tried marriage - and that didn't look like it was in the cards either. He shouldn't hunger for that. The last time he had allowed a woman to enter into the space reserved for family, she had betrayed that trust. Had left him so disillusioned, he had vowed to never be that foolhardy, that reckless, again. Only family could be trusted. Only family deserved his loyalty…his love. Was it too much to ask just to enjoy being together. Enjoy each other's company. Just for a little while.

He didn't know exactly what he felt for her. It definitely wasn't love. He was past all that love crap. He told himself repeatedly. It was just an attraction. One that would go away soon. That's all it was. Really intense attraction. More than he'd ever felt for anyone.

He knew he felt something for her. Maybe friendship and like and lust. Really intense one at that. She was beautiful. He loved her eyes. Loved the way she looked when she was pissed. And the way she said his name. He loved it. Thinking it would sound even better on her lips if she said it when he inside her. She had the right curves in the right places. He wanted trace them with his fingers. He wanted her. Hell he wanted her so much it hurt. But he saw her heart in her eyes and he knew that taking her would have to be on her own term. When she was ready. She had to be willing and he wanted her to come to him. Wanted her feel just the way he felt so much that she'd gladly offer herself up the way he wanted.

There was something about her. Something about the way she bahaved. Like her refusal to even consider letting him get close to her. He didn't entirely understand her reasoning, but he had at least a suspicion about what was driving her.

Emma's self-protective walls had been built brick by brick probably with the help of someone who had hurt her. He could understand that. He'd been there and he didn't know why or when it started but he cared about her. Whatever secret hurt she had suffered in a past relationship, he knew there was one. She hadn't opened up to him about anything, but he didn't doubt she'd been burned. Badly. So she was protecting herself. In the only way she knew how. She was hiding behind a wall. Not about to genuinely trust anyone. So she set the boundaries. He wanted her to trust him. Why he had no idea.

He walked into his home office, intending to do a little work on his laptop. But instead he found himself on her social media account. He felt like a stalker. But he didn't mind. Her pictures were plastered all over the page, each one more breathtaking than the last. Each shot showing a profusion of her signature dark curls. Every single picture drove a hot spike of lust through his groin, and even before he was halfway down the page he was as hard as fuck, torn between frustration that someone he just met had such effect on him and a hunger he couldn't contain and a compulsion to keep going.

Keep devouring. Keep salivating. Perhaps even unzip his fly, take out his cock and masturbate like a randy teenager right here in his damn office. He resisted that last urge by pushing himself closer to his desk, as if shoving his lower half under the desk would kill the insane urge. Mentally rolling his eyes at himself, he scrolled faster. An addict seeking his sweet spot.

At one picture, he just stopped…stared. Bloody hell, she was gorgeous. Skin so smooth and soft and warm, it would be a challenge to keep from touching her.

Not that he had any problem with loosing this particular challenge.