Chapter One
Joseph Ashton sat at Karl’s desk and looked idly around the office, tapping his pen on the desktop. Christ, he hated waiting. Especially when he was working late and there was a lot of work to be done. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the work, he just wasn’t a fan of sitting still.
It bored him. Just like he was bored now.
Dropping the pen with a restless movement, he stretched out his legs and put his hands behind his head, staring sightlessly up at the ceiling. He’d been up until 2:00 a.m. most nights working on fine-tuning Ashton Tech’s upcoming E-Slate launch and he was exhausted. If he didn’t find something to keep him occupied while he waited, he’d crash right here on the damn desk.
Joseph blew out a breath. What he really needed was something new. Something challenging. Ashton Tech’s E-Slate was already the talk of the tech world, but given how fast the market was growing, he was going to need a follow-up to keep the momentum going. Some kind of product that would be the Next Big Thing.
A pity his friend Caleb was playing rugby overseas—he was great for bouncing ideas off of.
But maybe this required a feminine touch. Perhaps he should call Alicia after he’d finished here. Work out the restlessness with a bit of fun in bed… No, on second thought, not Alicia. He’d been there, done that. Two nights with her was plenty.
He looked around Karl’s untidy desk, scanning for something else to fiddle with, when a soft chiming noise came from his employee’s computer. Joseph glanced at the instant message chat window that popped up.
Bloody Karl and his online games. Clearly Joseph needed to send out a memo regarding company Internet policy. Either that or block the site, because this was happening way too often.
A line of text blinked and he couldn’t help but read it.
Naughtygirl25: What am I wearing? A bra, garter belt, sheer black stockings, and…
Joseph sighed. God. What the hell was Karl doing? Picking up women in a gaming forum was hardly a work-related activity. He reached for the mouse, intending to close down the IM window, when another line of text appeared.
…and some Ugg boots.
His hand paused on the mouse, his attention caught. Ugg boots? Surely not. Black stilettos or thigh-high bondage boots, maybe. Sheepskin slippers? No. The contrast with the garter belt and stockings was…interesting to say the least.
He glanced at the username. Naughtygirl25. Unusual handle, especially considering the Ugg boots. Did naughty girls even wear slippers? The ones he knew didn’t.
The IM window pinged and more text appeared.
Naughtygirl25: What? You think the boots are too much? ;)
Funny girl. Joseph felt a grin coming on. Before he knew what he was doing he’d typed a response.
Studman500: Ugg boots are never too much. I love sheepskin on a woman. Or should I say, a woman on a sheepskin.
He winced at the Studman handle. That was Karl. Subtle.
There was no response for a long moment. Then:
Naughtygirl25: Who says I’m a woman?
Joseph’s grin widened. Whoever Naughtygirl25 was, he/she/it was amusing. He thought for a minute and then responded:
Studman500: If you’re not then you’re going to look bloody funny in a bra and garter belt. Either that or you’re going for the sexy transvestite look.
The chat window remained empty for a second or two and then another smiley face popped up.
Naughtygirl25: Ha. Ha. I could be a sexy transvestite for all you know.
Well, Naughtygirl could be but he didn’t think so.
He stared at the screen, wondering if he should call a halt to it. Online chatting with strangers wasn’t really his thing, but he couldn’t deny that this was momentarily diverting. And he wasn’t bored now, was he?
He looked up from the computer, checking Karl’s position through the glass walls of the meeting room. The guy was over by the water cooler, talking on his cell phone. Well, if Karl could interrupt their meeting to chat on his bloody phone, Joseph could answer an IM. Besides, wasn’t it his job to see exactly what his employees were up to when he wasn’t around?
Returning his hands to the keys, he typed in a reply.
Studman500: And here I was thinking you were a naughty girl. What a disappointment.
The reply came back quickly this time:
Naughtygirl25: No need for disappointment. You were right. I am a naughty girl. Emphasis on the girl.
Interesting. Very interesting. And a comeback that could be interpreted in a whole lot of different ways. Best to be certain, though.
Studman500: Oh really? I