personal use."
Clayton shook his head. "Not when you're using them on company time. For Christ's sake, Eliza, that's erotic romance you were reading. Stories by Satin Plesure, a famous erotic romance author. Not just one but dozens of erotic romances on the computer. On my dime."
Eliza straightened her shoulders. "I wasn't reading..." She clapped a hand over her mouth, appalled at what she had been about to say.
"I know," he interrupted. "You were writing them. You are Satin Pleasure, queen of erotic romance writers."
"Oh, boy," Eliza murmured. "You found out my little secret."
"Little? My God, Eliza, what were thinking? Don't you realize one of the boys in tech services could've discovered the same thing I did when they did regular maintenance on your machine?"
"But I was careful. Everything I did was on cds and floppy disks."
"Come on, Eliza. That isn't an excuse. Everything you put on a computer can be traced. It's almost worse than a paper trail. What would people think if they found out my executive assistant was writing erotic romances between taking dictation and typing minutes of board meetings?"
"Oh." Eliza bit the inside of her lip. She really hadn't considered that. Her shoulders slumped. "I wasn't doing it while I was taking dictation. I was only doing it on my lunch and coffee breaks."
"Oh, well, that's much better. Whatever happened to actually eating lunch and drinking coffee?"
Eliza stuck her chin out. This was ridiculous. "You know, Clayton, the way you're carrying on about this is silly. I think you're jealous. I think that's what this is really all about."
Clay stepped toward her. Though the water in the tub was still frothing gently, Eliza felt like she was a dingy being tossed about in a hurricane from the heat of his gaze as it stroked over her. She felt her nipples harden and couldn't help but notice that he was getting just as aroused as she.
"You're damn right I'm jealous. All this time, I've been keeping things just business between us. All this time, I've been doing my damnedest to keep my hands off of you."
"Did I ever ask you to keep things perfectly business? Did I?"
Clayton ran a hand over his face. "No, but that's not the point."
"What is the point?"
"The point is how can a normal man compete with an erotic romance writer's fantasies?"
Eliza felt her anger dissolve at the entreaty in his eyes.
She took his hand in hers and held it against her breast. It was a good hand, strong and tanned, but ever so gentle.
"Don't you understand, Clay? You don't need to compete with my fantasies. They're all about you. You inspired every hero Satin has ever created." She brought his hand to her lips and kissed it gently. "You're my dream lover, my dream boss, my fantasy man."
He pulled her into his arms and sealed her vow with his lips. Long moments later they pulled apart. She lay her head against his chest and felt the reassuring beat of his heart.
"Well, now that is settled, there are still a few things I need to do."
She looked up at him. "Yeah, I know. You need food. I'll help. We probably should get everything ready for your meetings this weekend. I can't believe we're still the only ones to arrive so far."
As she stepped from the tub, she looked back at Clay and caught the sheepish look on his face. "There aren't any meetings, are there?"
He bit his bottom lip and looked sideways.
"Well, hell, why did you go to all the trouble to make this look like a business trip?" she asked incredulously.
"You have to remember I was trying to compete with the men in Satin's books. None of them would have just said, 'Come on baby, let's go make love.' They're heroic, they're suave, they're sexy. They're romantic."
"And so are you," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "So are you."
They hugged and kissed passionately. Long minutes later they parted and she asked, "But why go to all of this trouble? You could've just asked me out."
He looked down at her. "Well, I was going to then I
Clayton shook his head. "Not when you're using them on company time. For Christ's sake, Eliza, that's erotic romance you were reading. Stories by Satin Plesure, a famous erotic romance author. Not just one but dozens of erotic romances on the computer. On my dime."
Eliza straightened her shoulders. "I wasn't reading..." She clapped a hand over her mouth, appalled at what she had been about to say.
"I know," he interrupted. "You were writing them. You are Satin Pleasure, queen of erotic romance writers."
"Oh, boy," Eliza murmured. "You found out my little secret."
"Little? My God, Eliza, what were thinking? Don't you realize one of the boys in tech services could've discovered the same thing I did when they did regular maintenance on your machine?"
"But I was careful. Everything I did was on cds and floppy disks."
"Come on, Eliza. That isn't an excuse. Everything you put on a computer can be traced. It's almost worse than a paper trail. What would people think if they found out my executive assistant was writing erotic romances between taking dictation and typing minutes of board meetings?"
"Oh." Eliza bit the inside of her lip. She really hadn't considered that. Her shoulders slumped. "I wasn't doing it while I was taking dictation. I was only doing it on my lunch and coffee breaks."
"Oh, well, that's much better. Whatever happened to actually eating lunch and drinking coffee?"
Eliza stuck her chin out. This was ridiculous. "You know, Clayton, the way you're carrying on about this is silly. I think you're jealous. I think that's what this is really all about."
Clay stepped toward her. Though the water in the tub was still frothing gently, Eliza felt like she was a dingy being tossed about in a hurricane from the heat of his gaze as it stroked over her. She felt her nipples harden and couldn't help but notice that he was getting just as aroused as she.
"You're damn right I'm jealous. All this time, I've been keeping things just business between us. All this time, I've been doing my damnedest to keep my hands off of you."
"Did I ever ask you to keep things perfectly business? Did I?"
Clayton ran a hand over his face. "No, but that's not the point."
"What is the point?"
"The point is how can a normal man compete with an erotic romance writer's fantasies?"
Eliza felt her anger dissolve at the entreaty in his eyes.
She took his hand in hers and held it against her breast. It was a good hand, strong and tanned, but ever so gentle.
"Don't you understand, Clay? You don't need to compete with my fantasies. They're all about you. You inspired every hero Satin has ever created." She brought his hand to her lips and kissed it gently. "You're my dream lover, my dream boss, my fantasy man."
He pulled her into his arms and sealed her vow with his lips. Long moments later they pulled apart. She lay her head against his chest and felt the reassuring beat of his heart.
"Well, now that is settled, there are still a few things I need to do."
She looked up at him. "Yeah, I know. You need food. I'll help. We probably should get everything ready for your meetings this weekend. I can't believe we're still the only ones to arrive so far."
As she stepped from the tub, she looked back at Clay and caught the sheepish look on his face. "There aren't any meetings, are there?"
He bit his bottom lip and looked sideways.
"Well, hell, why did you go to all the trouble to make this look like a business trip?" she asked incredulously.
"You have to remember I was trying to compete with the men in Satin's books. None of them would have just said, 'Come on baby, let's go make love.' They're heroic, they're suave, they're sexy. They're romantic."
"And so are you," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "So are you."
They hugged and kissed passionately. Long minutes later they parted and she asked, "But why go to all of this trouble? You could've just asked me out."
He looked down at her. "Well, I was going to then I
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