when he was anxious or uncomfortable. "I didn't realize I was something to be won or lost."
"You're not. But you know what I mean. She seems like a woman with a lot of pride."
James put his palm to Natalie's cheek and gently caressed her with his thumb. "I know it must have been difficult for you to come to the hotel given your determination to keep our relationship private. I'm sorry she ruined that for us."
Natalie leaned in and pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss. "She didn't," she said when she pulled away mere inches. She smiled, the warmth of his lips still radiating on hers. "Celine doesn't have that kind of power."
James took in her eyes, looking from the right to the left, then moved down the center of her face across her nose and down to her lips before finally and slowly making their way back up to her eyes. Natalie couldn't get a read on what he was thinking.
"How much longer do I have to pretend?"
FIVE
The question caught her off guard. "I- What do you mean?"
"It's against company policy for you to date a client. I'm a client. How long do you think this can last?"
A lump formed in Natalie's throat, and when she tried to swallow it down it felt like a ball of sandpaper. She didn't know if by 'this ' he meant keeping their relationship a secret, or the relationship itself. It had only been a couple of months but she'd become accustomed to pretending that James was nothing more than a client, same as every other male client whose account she managed. From the beginning he seemed to understand her position, even if he didn't like it. It hadn't really occurred to her that he might grow tired of hiding and move on to someone else. Someone he could send flowers to at work or pick up from the office. Someone he could have a seriously sexy afternoon rendezvous with just for fun and not have to go through covert methods in order to do it.
"I don't know," she answered. What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I don't want to go on pretending I'm not-" He bit down on his lip as if to force him from saying something. "I can talk to Graham Martin."
"No!" Natalie recoiled out of his embrace, ignoring the sudden look of shock on James' face. "You absolutely will not talk to my boss about me in any capacity beyond my job performance as it relates to your company." She could feel the anger turning her blood hot beneath her skin.
James stood and quickly crossed the room, hands on his hips, before turning around again to face her. "Quit your job."
"No!" She wanted to scream the word. She stood and crossed to his side of the room until she was within three feet of him. "Take your account somewhere else!"
James dropped his head to the side. His eyes narrowed in on her. "I have a longstanding relationship with Brighton and Graham Martin. Not to mention a contract."
"But it would be okay for me to quit my job?" she asked, incredulous that she even had to speak the words out loud. "You really want to be with a woman who would agree not to work because you told her to? I know you like being in charge James, but you can't control me.
"I know," he sighed, frustration crinkling his face. "Of course not. But something has to give, Natalie. You saw what keeping secrets did to my marriage and I refuse to go through that again."
"Then let me be perfectly honest about something with you, James," she said as she crossed her arms, her body on the defensive after his rather ridiculous - not to mention insulting - suggestion. "I'm already putting my career in jeopardy by sleeping with you. If anyone found out about us they could make a very strong case for favoritism and impropriety and I would be out of a job. Not you. Not Graham Martin. Me . I'm the expendable one."
He shrugged his shoulders and snorted as his eyes rolled to the ceiling. "So we're at an impasse then. Great."
Without another word or so much as a glance in her direction, James walked out the front door and let it slam shut behind him. Surprised, but still
"You're not. But you know what I mean. She seems like a woman with a lot of pride."
James put his palm to Natalie's cheek and gently caressed her with his thumb. "I know it must have been difficult for you to come to the hotel given your determination to keep our relationship private. I'm sorry she ruined that for us."
Natalie leaned in and pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss. "She didn't," she said when she pulled away mere inches. She smiled, the warmth of his lips still radiating on hers. "Celine doesn't have that kind of power."
James took in her eyes, looking from the right to the left, then moved down the center of her face across her nose and down to her lips before finally and slowly making their way back up to her eyes. Natalie couldn't get a read on what he was thinking.
"How much longer do I have to pretend?"
FIVE
The question caught her off guard. "I- What do you mean?"
"It's against company policy for you to date a client. I'm a client. How long do you think this can last?"
A lump formed in Natalie's throat, and when she tried to swallow it down it felt like a ball of sandpaper. She didn't know if by 'this ' he meant keeping their relationship a secret, or the relationship itself. It had only been a couple of months but she'd become accustomed to pretending that James was nothing more than a client, same as every other male client whose account she managed. From the beginning he seemed to understand her position, even if he didn't like it. It hadn't really occurred to her that he might grow tired of hiding and move on to someone else. Someone he could send flowers to at work or pick up from the office. Someone he could have a seriously sexy afternoon rendezvous with just for fun and not have to go through covert methods in order to do it.
"I don't know," she answered. What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I don't want to go on pretending I'm not-" He bit down on his lip as if to force him from saying something. "I can talk to Graham Martin."
"No!" Natalie recoiled out of his embrace, ignoring the sudden look of shock on James' face. "You absolutely will not talk to my boss about me in any capacity beyond my job performance as it relates to your company." She could feel the anger turning her blood hot beneath her skin.
James stood and quickly crossed the room, hands on his hips, before turning around again to face her. "Quit your job."
"No!" She wanted to scream the word. She stood and crossed to his side of the room until she was within three feet of him. "Take your account somewhere else!"
James dropped his head to the side. His eyes narrowed in on her. "I have a longstanding relationship with Brighton and Graham Martin. Not to mention a contract."
"But it would be okay for me to quit my job?" she asked, incredulous that she even had to speak the words out loud. "You really want to be with a woman who would agree not to work because you told her to? I know you like being in charge James, but you can't control me.
"I know," he sighed, frustration crinkling his face. "Of course not. But something has to give, Natalie. You saw what keeping secrets did to my marriage and I refuse to go through that again."
"Then let me be perfectly honest about something with you, James," she said as she crossed her arms, her body on the defensive after his rather ridiculous - not to mention insulting - suggestion. "I'm already putting my career in jeopardy by sleeping with you. If anyone found out about us they could make a very strong case for favoritism and impropriety and I would be out of a job. Not you. Not Graham Martin. Me . I'm the expendable one."
He shrugged his shoulders and snorted as his eyes rolled to the ceiling. "So we're at an impasse then. Great."
Without another word or so much as a glance in her direction, James walked out the front door and let it slam shut behind him. Surprised, but still
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