Royal Seductions: Secrets: The Duke's Boardroom Affair

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At least now she knew what all the fuss was about.

For a minute there, when he’d first taken off his pants, she honestly thought the size difference might be an issue, but in the end the tight fit and the wonderful friction it created had been the best part. Remarkable size wasn’t worth much if a man didn’t know how to use it.

And, oh, he did.

The second best part was the knowledge that she was doing something totally wrong for her. Wrong on so many levels. She’d always been the obedient daughter, doing as she was told. She never imagined that a simple thing like being bad could feel so good.

But it’s just sex, she reminded herself, lest she get carried away and start having actual feelings for him.

She was sure that things would be clearer in the morning, at which point she would realize what she’d really done and feel overwhelming regret. Especially when she got to the office. Wouldn’t that be awkward? But until then she was going to enjoy it.

She curled up against him under the covers, soaking up his warmth. He sighed in his sleep and wrapped an arm around her.

Nice. Very nice.

She closed her eyes, felt herself drifting off. When she opened her eyes again, the morning sunlight was peeking through the blinds, and Charles was already gone.

Sleeping with Charles had been a really bad idea.

Victoria stood in the elevator at work as it climbed, dreading the moment it reached her floor. The hollow ting as the doors slid open plucked every one of her frayed nerves.

He hadn’t even had the decency to wake her before he left. He’d just skulked away in the middle of the night. Probably the way he did with all the women he slept with.

Did you really think you were any different?

She had gone from feeling sexy and desirable, feeling bad, to feeling…cheap.

He could have at least said goodbye before he left. Maybe given her one last kiss.

You are not going to let this bother you, she told herself as she exited the elevator and walked to her office. Penelope, who typically ignored her, lifted her head as she passed and actually looked at her. Not a nasty look. Just sort of…blank.

She knows. She knows what Charles and I did.

That was ridiculous. It was just a coincidence that she chose today to acknowledge Victoria. After all, she doubted Charles confided in his secretary about his sex life. And how else would she possibly know?

So this was what it felt like to be the office slut.

Fantastic.

Victoria nodded at the old prune, then opened her office door. Feeling edgy and unsettled, she hung her jacket, sat in her chair, and stowed her purse in the bottom desk drawer. Work as usual. This day was no different than any other. Not to mention, this situation was temporary. With any luck, she would hear from the employment agency about a suitable replacement.

She was just about boot to up her computer when the intercom buzzed, startling her half to death, and Charles’s voice, in a very professional tone, said, “Would you please come in here, Victoria?”

Her heart jumped up into her throat.

Here we go, the part where he tells you it was fun but it isn’t going to happen again. He certainly wasn’t wasting any time. Not that she hadn’t expected that.

She pressed the call button. “One minute.”

The sooner it’s over the better. And only once, for a millisecond, would she allow herself to admit that she was the tiniest bit disappointed it had to end. It may have only been sex, but it was damned good sex.

She remembered the invitation to spend the weekend with his family and cringed. That would just be too awkward. She would have to come up with some reason to decline. She doubted he would be anything but relieved.

What had she been thinking? One night of fantastic sex was not worth all of this complication.

She took a deep breath. No point in putting this off any longer. She rose from her chair, walked to the door and pulled it open, stepping inside his office. But he wasn’t sitting at his desk.

The door closed behind her, and the next thing she knew, she was in Charles’s arms.

“Morning,” he said, a wicked grin on his face, and before she could utter a sound, he was kissing her. Deep and sweet and wonderful. And though everything in her was screaming that this was wrong, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

She didn’t care that he was kissing away her lipstick, or rumpling her hair. She just wanted to feel him. To be close to him.

Oh, this was bad.

When he broke the kiss she felt dizzy and breathless. He grinned down at her and said, “Good morning.”

She couldn’t resist returning the smile. Despite feeling as though her entire world had been flopped upside down, she actually felt…happy.

“If it weren’t for the conference call I had this morning,” he said, caressing her cheek with the tips of his fingers, “we might still be in bed.”

“Conference call?” He left because he had to be at work?

“At six-thirty. You didn’t get my note?”

“Note?” He left a note?

“On the pillow.”

The rush of pure relief made her weak in the knees. And she didn’t even care how wrong it was. “I guess I didn’t see it.”

A grin curled his mouth. “You didn’t think I’d just up and leave without a word, did you?”

She shrugged, feeling ashamed of herself for thinking that. For judging him that way. And automatically assuming the worst. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Have time to take a break?” he asked with a devilish smile.

“I just got here.”

He dipped his head to nibble on her neck. “I don’t think your boss will mind.”

Office romance. Very bad idea. But neither the affair nor the job were going to last long, so, honestly, why the hell not? Besides, it was really tough to think logically when his hands were sneaking under her clothing, searching for bare skin.

“What about Penelope?” she asked.

He shuddered and shook his head. “Definitely not my type.”

She laughed. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I already told her that I’m not to be disturbed.” He kissed her throat, her chin, nibbled the corner of her lips. “It’s just you and me.”

The old woman would have to be a fool not to realize what was going on, but she already disliked Victoria, so what difference did it make? Besides, Victoria had never been one to care what other people thought of her.

“I’m sure I can spare a minute or two,” she said.

He smiled. “It’s going to be a lot longer than a minute or two.”

He lifted her up in his arms and carried her to the couch. He seemed to like doing that. Taking over, seizing control. And for some reason she didn’t mind. Probably because he made her feel so damned good. He was one of those rare lovers who took pleasure for himself only after she had been satisfied first. She had always heard that men like that existed, but she’d never actually met one.

He sat on the couch and set her in his lap. But before he could kiss her, she asked, “Have you done this before?”

“What do you mean?”

“In here, with another assistant.” She didn’t know where the question came from, or if she even wanted to know the answer. And he looked surprised that she’d asked.

“You know what, never mind. Forget I asked.”

She tried to kiss him, before she completely killed the mood, but he caught her face in his hands.

“Hold on, I want to answer that.” His eyes locked on hers and he said, “No, Victoria, I haven’t.”

The way he said it, the way he looked her in the eye, made her believe it was the truth. She had no reason, no right to be relieved, but she was. And the tiny part of her that was still doubtful melted into a puddle at their feet.

She wanted this, right here, right now, and she wasn’t going to be afraid to take it.

It was almost noon when Victoria finally made it back to her office. And she’d barely been there fifteen minutes, checking phone messages—there were already three from his mother—when Charles quietly opened the door and slipped inside.

She pretended not to hear him skulking around behind her, but when she felt his hands on her shoulders, his lips teasing the back of her neck, he became really hard to ignore.

“Neither of us is going to get anything done if you keep this up,” she scolded, but she wasn’t doing anything to stop him. Although, she thought, maybe she should. Unlike his office, hers didn’t have a sturdy lock. In fact, she wasn’t sure if it locked at all.

“Just thought I would pop in and say hello,” he said, his breath warm on her skin. She couldn’t deny that another hour or so in his office was tempting.

No, you have work to do.

“Your smother called,” she said. “Several times.”

He stopped kissing her. “My what?”

She turned to look at him. He had a quirky grin on his face. “Your mother,” she repeated.

“That’s not what you said.”

What was he talking about? “Yes I did.”

He shook his head. “No. You said smother. ’My smother called.’”

She slapped a hand over her mouth. Oh my gosh, had she? Had she really said it out loud? “I’m so sorry. That was completely inappropriate.”

Rather than look offended, he laughed. “No. That’s perfect. ‘My smother.’ I’ll have to tell my father that one.”

“No!” What would his father think of Victoria? Insulting his wife like that.

Charles just shrugged. “He knows what she’s like. She drives everyone crazy. He’ll think it’s hilarious.”

She swiveled in her chair to face him. “Please don’t, Charles. It’s going to be awkward enough. I would be mortified.”

He didn’t look like he got it, but he nodded. “All right. I won’t say anything.”

“Thank you.”

He backed away from her. She couldn’t help wondering if she’d offended him somehow, and she realized the idea truly disturbed her. How quickly she’d gone from disliking him to valuing his friendship.

Too fast.

And when he smiled at her, she realized he wasn’t the least bit offended. “Can I take you out to dinner tonight?” he asked.

Two nights in a row? Then again, sitting in bed naked feeding each other sushi couldn’t really be counted as having dinner out. And her first impulse was to say yes, she would love to. But did she want to make a habit of being seen with him in public? To be crowned his latest conquest? Just another fling? Even though that was exactly what she was.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” she said.

“Why?”

“We’re sleeping together, not dating.”

He shrugged. “What’s the difference?”

“There’s a huge difference. Sex is temporary. Superficial.”

“And dating isn’t? According to whom?”

He had a point. “I suppose it can be, but…it’s just different.”

“I don’t date women with the intention of a lasting relationship. So by definition, dating for me is very temporary.” He paused, then his brow tucked with concern. “You’re not looking for a relationship, are you?”

“With you? Of course not!”

He looked relieved, and she knew enough not to take it personally. He was just establishing parameters. It was what men like him did. And it was the truth. He was the last man on earth that she would ever consider for a serious relationship.

“Well, then, what’s the problem?” he asked.