He glanced up at a smiling Ashley. Fuck, she’s gorgeous. “Just thinking about a meeting I have coming up at three. How’ve you been?”
“Good, thanks.” She pointed at the folder on his desk. “Did you have a chance to review the projections?”
“I looked them over.” For all of five seconds. This chick is killing me.
Taking a seat on the leather chair in front of his desk, she opened the thick file in her hands. “I made copies of the flow charts, as well as the various campaigns. I’ve come up with ten marketing proposals, and you can tell me which ones you like best. Once I know, I can start implementing them.”
“I can see you put a lot of work into this.”
She glanced up, blinking rapidly. “Are you making fun of me?”
Straightening in his chair, he planted both hands on the desk and leaned forward. “No, I’m not. I’m impressed by your hard work.”
“That’s what I get paid for.” A crease of annoyance burrowed between her brows.
“Good point.” He reached over and snagged the copies she set out for him. “Okay—do your job.” Slumping back in his chair, he perused the pages.
Ashley stood up and walked over to the easel, placing several large, Post-It style presentation sheets on it, and began to explain the various campaigns. He had to admit, Zach had been right when he said Ashley was one of the best in the field. Smokey had never seen her in action, and at that moment, he was blown away by her confidence and passion. The more he watched her, the more he wanted her.
“Are you following me?” she asked.
“I am. I like seeing how excited you are with the project.” If talking projected numbers and marketing ads stirred her up, he could only imagine how wild she’d be in bed.
As if reading his thoughts, she tapped the pointer against the easel’s wooden frame. “Keep your mind out of the gutter.”
“I can’t promise to do that when you’re around.” He laughed when pink began to stain her cheeks. “Hey, I’m just being honest.”
Rolling her eyes, she replied, “I’m sure you are.”
She walked back over to the desk and picked up another stack of exhibits and placed them on the easel. Smokey couldn’t help but notice the sexy sway of her hips beneath her suit skirt. Those shapely legs would feel real good wrapped around him as he thrust into her. Damn—what a woman.
Ashley looked over her shoulder and glared at him.
“What? I’m waiting for you to show me the actual ads.”
“Yeah, right.” Picking up the pointer, she tapped the poster board. “Here is what I envision for a series of ads highlighting the down-home feel of your company.”
“These are good,” he said as she flipped to another exhibit.
She looked over and smiled, the softness replacing the earlier tightness in her face. “Thanks.”
As she continued with the presentation, Smokey wondered if she was going to keep up the charade that Saturday had never happened. Maybe she really does want to keep things between us strictly professional. But if that were true, then why was she trying so damn hard to play Ms. Professional of the Year? And why did she keep sneaking peeks over at him? He had too much experience with women not to know when a chick was into him, but Ashley was proving to be a real challenge. Unlike the numerous women in his life, she wasn’t rushing to get into his bed. That was what intrigued and excited him about her—the chase. He’d never had to work so hard to get a woman. The chicks were always coming to him, and if he did come across one who played hard to get, he could usually get between her legs within a day—two at the most. But with Ashley, he didn’t have a clue how long she’d hold out. There was a sexual charge between them, and he was pretty confident that they would eventually hook up. The only question was: how long was she going to make him chase her?
“Which of the ads do you like the best so far?”
Fuck! “The first one about the home feeling shit—I mean stuff—was good.” Once again, the muscles in her face tightened. “Look, Ashley, I don’t know fuck all about this. You’re the expert, and I appreciate all the hard work and time you’ve put into this marketing stuff. I trust your opinions and your experience. Narrow it down to two for the first campaign set,