All's Fair in Lust & War. Amber Page
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Her boss, David, was standing there, smiling. And with him was...Mark.
Mark? How could Mark be standing in her office? Becky stared at him, mouth open. It was not possible. Completely impossible, in fact.
Mark belonged in Vegas, not in New York City.
Heat flared in her belly as she remembered the last time they’d met. She’d been texting Jessie, trying to find the courage to walk into the closing night party by herself.
Just picture them standing in their underwear...then stalk the guy that makes you drool, Jessie had texted.
“Right. Underwear,” she’d said to herself. “Must picture delicious-looking men in underwear.”
And that was when she’d heard Mark’s rumbling voice for the first time.
“Well, if you’re looking for volunteers, I happen to be available.”
“What?” she’d yelped, whirling to face the interloper. Then her heart had stopped. The man smiling at her was the living, breathing definition of delicious, from the tips of his artfully rumpled black hair to the toes of his polished leather shoes.
Brilliant white teeth flashed as he grinned down at her. “If you need help. Picturing what a man looks like in his underwear, I mean. I’m happy to serve as a model.”
Becky’s face flamed. “Oh, I...uh...no one was supposed to hear that. I just...I was having trouble walking into the party by myself. My friend suggested I picture everyone in their underwear. As, you know, a motivator.”
Mr. Gorgeous tilted his head back and laughed, and as he did Becky felt it. The zing. The tingle. If she’d been alone she would have done a happy dance. He’d just proved she wasn’t dead inside!
Now that he was standing in her office, she kind of wished she had been.
Becky shook her head to clear it. She needed to pay attention to the conversation that was happening now if she wanted to make sense of the situation.
“Yeah, you’re supposed to leave all the juicy details at the airport,” Jessie said. “But I was trying to convince Becky to give me some of the gory details anyway.”
“Any luck?” asked Mark, giving Becky a sidelong glance.
“None.” Jessie pouted.
“Well, I was there,” he said. “You didn’t miss much. Although the closing night party was unexpectedly awesome.”
Becky’s head snapped up. Was he teasing her? And, if he was, how dared he? Mark just looked at her with a half smile on his face, his dark eyes glinting mischievously.
“That’s what Becky said. Did you two meet?” Jessie asked.
“No!” Becky practically shouted.
“Yeah, you could say that,” Mark said at the same time.
Becky stared at him. He said nothing, just quirked one damnably expressive eyebrow at her and leaned back against the doorframe, letting her take the lead.
“Well, what I meant was we didn’t really spend much time together,” she said.
Just twelve mind-blowing hours and fifty-three bone-melting minutes. Not that she’d been counting or anything.
Her traitorous mind flashed back to their first kiss. The way he’d claimed every part of her mouth and set her whole body aflame. Within seconds she’d known she wanted more from him than a few kisses.
But it was only supposed to be for one night. If she’d known he’d turn up here she would have never...
“Mark, here, is an amazingly talented art director,” her boss said, reaching up to clap him on the back. “I’ve brought him in on a freelance basis to work on a special project. And I want you to work with him, Becky.”
“Me?” she squeaked. “But I’m busy with... I mean, I’ve got...”
“Whatever you currently have on your plate will be given to someone else,” her boss replied. “I need you on this. Be in my office at eleven. We’ll talk.”
Becky snapped her mouth shut, knowing further protest was useless and foolhardy. When David told you to do something, you did it. At least you did if you wanted to keep your job.
Which she did. Unfortunately.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll see you then.”
“Good,” he answered. “Then I won’t keep you any longer. Come on, Mark.”
After they were gone Becky put her head down on her desk, banging it lightly against the keyboard.
“Why, universe, why? Why would you do this to me?”
“Becky? What’s wrong?” Jessie asked.
Becky shook her head mutely.
“Oh, come on, you can tell me. You have to.”
Becky knew she was right. If she didn’t, her soon-to-be-bizarre behavior wouldn’t make much sense. And if there was one person she didn’t want to alienate it was Jessie.
Besides, Jessie was the only one who knew what had happened...before. And what she had been trying to prove to herself that night in Vegas.
Becky got up to close the door before turning to face her friend. Blowing her hair off her forehead, she said, “It was him.”
“Him? Who? I’m not following,” Jessie said.
“Mark. Mark was the man I met in Las Vegas. And things went a little bit further than I had planned.”
“What do you mean?”
“I spent the night with him...” Becky groaned.
“Are you kidding me?” Jessie asked, falling back into her chair.
Becky shook her head.
Jessie tilted her head back and howled with laughter.
“Oh, my God. Only you... This is...it’s unbelievable.”
Becky glared at her. “I really don’t think this is funny.”
“Of course you don’t. But, girl, you gotta believe me when I tell you it is.”
Easy for her to say. She wasn’t the one living in a nightmare.
Finally Jessie sobered.
“All right, so Mr. One-Night Stand has become Mr. Works Down the Hall. What are you going to do about it?”
“Nothing,” Becky said flatly.
“Why? Was it...bad?”
Pictures from their night together flashed through Becky’s brain. His lips kissing her mouth. His tongue on her breast. His hands...everywhere.
“It was amazing.”
“Did you hit the big O?”
Becky blushed. “Oh, yeah. More than once.”
Jessie looked thoughtful. “Then why not see if this could go somewhere? You know—like, casual relationshippy. Fate seems to be telling you it should.”
Becky stood up, restless. “You know better than anyone why not. After everything that happened with Pence I’ll never have a relationship with someone I work with again.”
Jessie came up behind her and hugged her shoulders.
“I understand. But, Becky, that was a long time ago. You were a different person. And he was your boss, not a coworker. Besides, you can’t let him ruin your whole life. If you do, he wins.”
Sneaking a look at the clock on the wall, she groaned.
“We’ll have to talk about this more later, Jessie. I gotta go to the