out. He hadn’t planned to go into the office, but he had a few emails to check and a conference call to make before he had to head back to the clubhouse for church.
Sabrina flashed him a bright smile as he walked through the lobby and into the hallway where a few of the assistants milled about, but quickly scattered upon seeing him. Needing a jolt of caffeine, he headed down to the break room, smelling the rich aroma of roasted coffee beans. He silently praised Pearl for making sure there was always a fresh pot available. With a big mug of java in hand, he made his way to his office.
An hour after settling down to work, he felt someone’s eyes on him. Looking up, he saw Ashley staring at him from the doorway, looking beautiful in a dot-and-floral dress, bare legs, and high heels, carrying a black portfolio in her hand. Their eyes locked for a long moment until she took a few steps toward him.
“I didn’t think you’d be in,” she said.
“Or you wouldn’t have come by?” One corner of his mouth hitched up into a bemused smirk.
A small frown creased her forehead. “I didn’t say that.”
“But you were thinking it.” He pointed to the portfolio. “Is that for me?”
“Yes. These are the ads we talked about yesterday. I was going to leave them on your desk.”
“And now you can hand them to me.”
She started to place them on the chair. “I’ll leave them—”
“Are you afraid to come closer?”
She shook her head, her hair shimmering with the motion. “No. It’s just that we do better when we have a respectable amount of distance between us.” The portfolio dropped with a soft thud onto the leather chair.
He laughed. “So we’re back to being strictly professional?”
“That’s right. If you could review these ads and let me know which one you want to start with, I can have it in print and on social media by the end of the week.”
“All right.” He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands behind his head.
“Do you have any questions?”
Smokey stared at her for a long second, then nodded. “How do you manage to look so beautiful all the time?”
A tiny smile tugged at the corners of her kissable mouth. “We’re keeping this businesslike, remember?”
“That’s what you keep telling me.”
“Because you keep forgetting.”
“And you don’t?”
A pinkish hue colored her cheeks as she opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Stepping back, she put her hands on her hips, lifted her chin, and stared at him, those captivating blues sparking like streaks of lightning.
His gaze lowered to her cleavage, watching her breasts rise when she drew in a sharp breath. Lust gripped his spine and his balls. Fuck.
Folding her arms across her chest, she hissed, “Really? You’re incorrigible.”
“I prefer tenacious,” he retorted.
“We’re not getting anywhere.” She looked at the portfolio. “I have work to do, so I’ll leave you to decide which ad you want for the digital marketing campaign.” With an exasperated look, she turned on her heels and sauntered out of the office.
He watched her as she walked away, looking through the doorway long after she’d disappeared from sight. Running his fingers through his hair, he sighed. What the fuck am I doing here? Since starting the company, he’d never let his personal life enter into his work life. Over the years, there had been occasional temptations, with many eager female employees and clients, yet he’d never crossed the line—until now.
But Ashley was different. She stirred things inside of him no woman had ever stirred before. The way her clothes accentuated her curves distracted the hell out of him. It would any man. He scrubbed the side of his face with a fist at the thought of any man looking at her the way he did. But it was more than just how sexy she looked. It was the scent of her perfume, her beautiful eyes, the defiant lift of her chin—it all flowed through his veins like the smoothest whiskey. You’re doin’ a number on me, woman.
Smokey pushed out of the chair and walked over to the window where the sun shone on the mountain peaks, and the tops of the evergreens shimmered as if made of gold. It was a perfect day to ride the back roads through Russet Canyon, but there was no time. Church would take up a good part of the afternoon, and then he had to work alongside his crew at a