Close Quarters: A Novel (Zane Presents) Read Online Free PDF

face in my neck, kissing gently down to my shoulder. His hand moved up my thigh, underneath my chemise. I felt him stiffen against my leg. Ellis’s mouth wandered lower to my breasts. I leaned back, soothed by the sensation of his lips on my skin. I reached for the drawstring on his pajamas, moving to my knees to straddle him.
    Ellis stilled my hand. “Not in here. Let’s go up to the bedroom.”
    “I want you right here,” I whispered, “right now.”
    Ellis stood, taking me with him, and led me up the stairs . . . snapping me out of the mood.

CHAPTER SIX
MALIK
    M onday morning. My meeting was a slam-dunk, but I had not expected anything less. Mr. Donner had been perched at the conference table, accepting accolades from my client as if he was the mastermind behind the catchphrase: AromatheraPad . . .turning necessity into once-a-month essential therapy .
    I was distracted by a tap on my door. Kai stuck her head in before strutting into my office. She stood front and center on the other side of my desk. I gave her a once-over. Fitted white shirt with French cuffs and just enough buttons undone, tucked neatly into a black wool skirt that stopped several inches above the knees, revealing legs as long as the horizon.
    I motioned for her to take a seat in one of the chairs across from me. Instead she sauntered over to the sofa and sat, slowly crossing her legs. I was captivated by the way her foot arched in her four-inch heels and imagined things that I had no business thinking about. I went around to the front of my desk and sat on the corner.
    Kai smiled. “Malik, I’m impressed.”
    I fought the urge to smile back at her. “And why is that?”
    “Don’t be coy, Malik. You know you were the man in the meeting this morning.”
    Kai Cooper, the finest woman at the agency, giving me my props. Other account execs had come to examine my flow, trying to figure out why my ad acceptance rate was the best in the agency—hoping to steal my magic. That morning was the first time Kai ever sat in on one of my client meetings.
    I nodded. “I appreciate the compliment.”
    “I was thinking maybe we could go for drinks after work today.”
    Damn. I was the man. Kai had every suit at the agency tripping over themselves, trying to get to her. Hot didn’t begin to describe this woman. Chic pixie cut, Bambi-like eyes, skin as smooth as melted milk chocolate, tight body with a luscious ass . . .made me lick my lips. And to top it all off, she was intelligent and could hold her own with the big boys.
    Unlike my other colleagues, I didn’t sweat Kai. It wasn’t my style. I preferred to let the ladies come to me and it seemed like it was finally my day.
    “Drinks would be cool. How about we meet in the lobby at five-thirty? We can go to Topaz if you’re interested in grabbing a bite to eat.”
    Kai got up and smoothed her skirt down. She came over to me and began straightening my already perfect tie. “I’ll be waiting downstairs at five-thirty on the dot,” she said in a hushed tone. She trailed her manicured nails down the front of my suit jacket while rubbing her thigh against my leg.
    My assistant buzzed on the intercom. I cleared my throat. “Yes, Renee.”
    “Your eleven o’clock is here.”
    “Send him in.”
    Kai stepped away from me and put her business face back on. As my appointment walked in, she commented on her way out, “Keep up the good work, Mr. Denton.”
    I spent the majority of the afternoon on the phone with my boys bragging about my plans for the evening. Bets were made as to whether I could get Kai to come home with me that night. I accepted and was in the process of hatching a plan when my boss called me to his office.
    After fifteen minutes of listening to Mr. Donner ramble on about the importance of teamwork, I interrupted him. “You’re absolutely right. In order for Newport and Donner to reach the next level, we need to be more aggressive and support one another in our