Natalie let her unladylike snort tell him exactly what she thought of that.
CHRISTIAN HELD the door as they entered the building the same way he’d left it the other night, when Noriega had been waiting for him. Bypassing the kitchen, they took the back stairs up to the long corridor outside Jaclyn’s office. He saw Cibor waiting at the end of the hall, and nodded when the bodyguard raised a hand in greeting.
Turning to face Natalie, he rubbed his hands lightly over her upper arms. “Remember,” he said. “Don’t leave Jaclyn’s office unless someone’s with you. Preferably Marc or Cibor.”
“Yes, Master,” she said softly, gazing up at him from beneath her long lashes.
Christian gave her a narrow look. She was a bit of a smart ass. He liked that about her, but that didn’t mean he didn’t occasionally want to take her over his knee. He thought about her nicely rounded ass sticking up over his lap, rosy with heat from his hand, and shifted his stance slightly to relieve the sudden pressure in his groin.
Something of his thoughts must have shown on his face, because Natalie’s pupils suddenly widened until only a small rim of chocolate brown iris showed around the edges. Her heartbeat kicked a little faster, and he lifted her hand to kiss her fingers. “A bientôt, ma chére.”
She blushed prettily, then reclaimed her hand, and headed for Cibor. Christian enjoyed the sway of her hips as she walked down the hall. He grinned briefly when she turned to wave good-bye just before disappearing into Jaclyn’s office. Cibor nodded again in Christian’s direction, then followed her inside.
Knowing he’d made her as safe as she could be, at least in this place, he and Marc turned back for the stairs.
NATALIE WENT directly to the conference room. She felt a little silly holing up here in Jaclyn’s office, and wondered if maybe they were making far too much of this whole situation. After all, she’d worked right outside Anthony’s office for almost two years, and been perfectly safe. On the other hand, he had gotten a little weird since Christian showed up, and she didn’t want Christian worrying about her. He had to be at the top of his game to deal with Anthony and the other challengers. So she’d stay where she was, safely tucked away. She rolled her eyes at the idea, even though there was no one to see it. Walking over to the big table, she set up her laptop, then went to the small fridge in the corner to grab a bottle of water. On a whim, she checked all the bins for blood, figuring there must be some for vampire guests, right? She found only water. Feeling slightly disappointed, she took the icy cold bottle back to her station for the day, and pulled out her chair, but then stopped. She had to pee. The bathroom was right across the hall. Surely, she could cross the hall safely, she reasoned. But remembering her vow, and determined not to be one of those too-stupid-to-live chicks, she sighed, and went in search of Cibor.
He was standing at the small security station near the front desk, and looked up with a smile. “Need something, sweetness?”
Natalie smiled. Cibor was such a flirt, but his heart belonged to Jaclyn. “Just the restroom,” she said, fighting embarrassment. This was quite literally a natural need. Nothing embarrassing about asking the big vampire to escort you to take a pee.
“Right across the hall,” he told her.
Natalie nodded. “I know. Can I just—”
“I’ll stand in the office doorway.”
She swallowed a groan, and led the way. As promised, Cibor halted in the office doorway, and she could feel his eyes on her until the restroom door closed behind her.
Ignoring the mirrors, which would only confirm the effects of her restless night, she went to the stall and took care of necessities, then came out and washed her hands. Still drying her hands with the paper towel, she headed for the exit.
Her first thought when she opened the door was to look for Cibor. But he wasn’t there. And the door to the office was closed, which was odd, too. She looked left and found an empty hallway, to the right and . . . Anthony stood there, backed by two of his bodyguards. He hurried over to her, a surprised look on his face, as if this was nothing but a wonderful, chance encounter.
He eyed her slacks with a quick moue of distaste, but was smiling when he lifted his gaze to her face. “You look lovely as always, my Natalie,” he lied smoothly. She knew he didn’t like it when she wore pants, which was rarely.
He reached for her hand, and brought it to his lips. All she could think of was Christian doing the same thing that morning, and how much she’d loved it. And now her hand felt contaminated, and she wanted to rush back into the restroom and wash all over again.
“Unfortunately, I’m on my way to a meeting right now, but you and I need to talk,” Anthony continued, unaware of her reaction. “We should have dinner together later tonight. Just the two of us. Somewhere nice,” he said slowly, then snapped his fingers, making her jump. “Ah. I know the perfect place. I’ll pick you up at your townhouse at midnight.”
Natalie was too stunned to speak, but she had to. Where was Cibor? And what was this? Anthony had never socialized with her before. They’d never exchanged so much as a word outside the office, and now he wanted to take her to dinner? And what was with the my Natalie? He’d never said that before. One thing she knew for sure. She didn’t want to have dinner with him tonight, or any other night. But she couldn’t tell him that. He wouldn’t take it well.
“Jaclyn and I will be working—” she started to say, but he didn’t let her finish.
“Jaclyn can spare you for a few hours. And don’t worry about changing clothes. What you’re wearing will be fine for tonight,” he said.
As if she’d been worried about dress codes for their big date. Right. She had to stop this before it went any further.
“Anthony, I don’t think that’s appropriate. You’re my boss, and my cousin.” What the hell, might as well use his fabricated kinship to her advantage. “And besides—”
“Don’t worry about what others think. We both know the truth.”
Was that supposed to make her feel better? She had a feeling her truth was vastly different from his.
“You’re still my boss,” she said, shooting a desperate glance at the closed door to Jaclyn’s office, and wondering where Cibor was.
“But not for much longer. The challenge will be over soon, which is why I must leave you now. Duvall will be in the meeting, by the way. He’s a powerful vampire, but not invincible. And all sorts of things can happen during a challenge. A wise woman would understand that.”
Natalie couldn’t believe it. Had he just threatened Christian if she didn’t agree to . . . what? Become his girlfriend? Run away with him to New Orleans? When the hell had Anthony lost his fucking mind? She stared at him in disbelief, but his eyes said it all. They were hard and glittering, daring her to call his bluff. If she’d been the only one on the line, she’d have told him where he could shove his midnight dinner, and his relationship. But Christian was about to walk into a trap, and with no way to warn him, she was the only one who could keep the jaws from closing.