The Allure Of Julian Lefray Part 6

My mouth fell open.

"You're early," he said, his hazel eyes widening.

"You're naked," I replied.

I blushed the moment the words left my mouth. A quick glance to my left confirmed that the cleaning lady had stopped pushing her cart and was standing there gawking at the two of us.

"Ah, sorry," Julian said with a bemused smile aimed at the maid. He didn't even know the effect those dimples had on my girly parts. One word: Ijustgotpregnant. Yeah, that's one word.

"Well it's clear you two have business to attend to," she said, wagging her finger at him and stepping closer.

"Oh jeez."

I huffed out a breath and pushed past Julian into his hotel room before the woman could start giving me pamphlets from her church.

Our shoulders brushed as I stepped past Julian and I inhaled the scent of his body wash: clean, masculine, fresh. It was just what I'd expected and the last thing I needed as I tried to piece together my resolve.

"I swear this isn't how it will be," he said, closing the door behind him and holding his hands up in an innocent gesture.

I dropped my laptop bag on a lounge chair in the suite's living room and then spun around to face him.

Abort! Abort! Staring at him when he was only wearing a towel was not good for my sensibilities. Before I could help myself, my gaze followed the contours of his chiseled torso, down over his abs, until I found myself staring at his hand gripping the towel right in front of his crotch.

Welp, I just stared at my boss' crotch for like a solid ten seconds. That'll help the situation. I gulped and looked away.

"I really thought we would have an office s.p.a.ce by now," he said.

"Don't worry about it, I understand," I said, admiring the fine art on the hotel room walls. Yes, oh how very nice. I love sailboats. They're much better to look at than Julian's naked torso.

I saw him run his hand through his damp hair out of the corner of my eye and then he took a step forward.

"I worked out a little longer than usual so I'm running a bit late."

I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Okay, well..." I waved my hand to silence him. I was two seconds away from embarra.s.sing myself, and I really needed to prevent that from happening. "It wasn't that awkward before, but now we're just standing here talking and you're wearing nothing but a towel, so maybe you should go get dressed already."

"Right." He laughed, then spun to head into his room.

"Make yourself at home!" he called as he shut himself in his room.

Only after his door was closed did I let my eyes wander around his s.p.a.ce. It was remarkably tidy for a single guy's hotel room. No pizza boxes or beer cans littered the floor. A half-read New York Times sat beside an empty coffee cup on the living room table. He'd even taken the time to refold his newspaper as neatly as possible.

"Did that woman outside think that you were a prost.i.tute?" Julian yelled through his door.

I smiled. "Yeah, is she used to a parade of them lined up for room 3002?"

"Ha ha. Sadly, my only visitor is Gary from room service."

I smiled as I stepped toward the window to admire his view.

"Okay, so I suppose I just look the part," I joked as the door to his room swung open.

He stepped out wearing gray slacks and a crisp white b.u.t.ton-down. He was still finishing b.u.t.toning his shirt, so I was momentarily graced with one last glimpse of his chest. Buff-check. Tan-check. Just a sprinkling of chest hair that made my mouth water-check.

I glanced up to see him eyeing me with curiosity. He'd shaved away the stubble I'd grown familiar with the day before and had taken the time to style his hair after he'd gotten dressed. He looked like a consummate business man. Too bad the rest of him didn't fit the bill. He'd developed a tan from our time spent outdoors while looking at properties, which only made his features more appealing. He had a devious glint in his eye as he inspected me from across the room, but I captured my thoughts and pushed them away before my silence became too noticeable.

Julian laughed. "Between you and my sister, I don't think I can handle any more women in my life at the moment."

I sat down on the couch and pulled out my laptop.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should," he said, meeting my eye for a moment before picking up the hotel phone. "Have you eaten already?"

"Some toast before I left the house."

"What an inspired meal," he said sarcastically, just as a voice on the other end of the line picked up.

"Hey!" I argued, trying to defend my love of toast, but he held up his hand to silence me with a smile.

"This is Julian Lefray in suite 3002. I'd like to place an order for French toast with a side of sausage."

"Oh gross. Everyone knows bacon is better than sausage," I whispered over the back of the couch.

"And a side of bacon," he said with a touch of amus.e.m.e.nt in his voice. He held his hand over the receiver and turned to me. "How do you prefer your coffee?"

"With a splash of almond milk, please."

"Yes. Two cups of coffee, and could you bring some almond milk on the side? That will be all. Thank you."

He dropped the phone back onto the receiver and I stared down at my laptop as I typed in my pa.s.sword.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught his bare feet and smiled. He'd styled his hair, shaved, and put on business attire, but apparently wearing shoes was asking too much.

"I figured if I'm going to force you to work in a hotel room, the least I can do is feed you," he said, grabbing his laptop from his desk and joining me in the suite's living room. There were two small couches that faced each other and a modern armchair that looked about as comfortable as a rock. He picked the couch across from me and met my eye.

"Will this do?" he asked, his tone a bit more vulnerable than I was used to.

Sure the situation was unorthodox and I'd just seen my boss in nothing but a towel, but nothing with Julian seemed awkward or strained. Working across from him and joking about whether he employed any ladies of the night seemed like normal water cooler talk.

I smiled up at him. "Perfect," I said, looking to see if my laptop was finished booting up yet. It needed another few minutes.

"Now tell me how your boys' night went before you make me get to work."

He glanced up at me. "Oh! That reminds me."

I tilted my head and waited for him to continue.

"I have an unusual request," he said with a nervous smile.

"Oh?" I asked, my interest already piqued.

His stare met mine and he hesitated for a moment as if determining whether or not he wanted to continue.

"How do you feel about ribbon cuttings?"

Chapter Eleven.

Julian In truth, I already knew that my feelings for Josephine weren't 100% platonic; the memory of her figure in that red gown from the gala had ensured that. She had curves and grace, such a cla.s.sically beautiful face that over the last week, I found myself trying to memorize every detail. Despite all of that, she was also down to earth and humble, a contradiction that made me wonder if she knew her effect on men or if she'd somehow skated through life without yet realizing it.

I told myself I noticed these details and thought about her beauty not because I wanted to sleep with her, but because she and I had become friends. Besides Lorena and Dean, Josephine was my only friend in New York. Plus, after only a week of working with her, I was fairly certain that out of everyone, I enjoyed her company most of all.

She was smart and witty, different than the women I'd surrounded myself with in Boston. My life there was cold, a boring routine I'd tried to think of as something more. I hadn't realized it at the time, but there was definitely an emptiness in my life there. Yes, I'd achieved quite a lot: I had an investment portfolio that guaranteed I didn't need to work another day in my life, three cars, and a house in the most expensive part of the city, but then I thought of Josephine's smile, and everything I'd built before just seemed...hollow.

How?

How could she have done that to me so quickly?

"Jesus! It's like the zombie apocalypse over there by the bar," Josephine said from behind me as she rounded our c.o.c.ktail table, balancing four drinks in her hands. I reached out to help her, but she had a delicate balance going.

"I recommend nursing your drink for as long as possible. The chances of getting another one are slim to none."

After we'd arrived at Provisions, Josephine and I had decided to divide and conquer. I'd found the table Dean had promised us and she'd headed to the bar to grab our drinks.

I eyed the tequila shots she set down beside our sangria.

"Shots?" I asked with a smirk.

Josephine smiled up at me and it felt like a punch to my gut. She was so f.u.c.king beautiful. Her dress was short and black, the straps barely there and the neckline verging on dangerous territory for me. When she'd climbed into the car earlier I'd fought the urge to maul her. Thankfully the driver had been there to keep the peace.

"And sangria! I figured since you have some Spanish blood, you'd approve," she said with a wink.

I smiled. "My grandfather was from Spain."

Her eyes lit up. "So that's where you get your whole 'Latin lover' look from. I was wondering," she said, waving up and down my body. "You could totally be in a soap opera."

I laughed. "Thanks?"

"That's a good thing! Seriously, every girl likes that look."

I wondered if "every girl" included her. Instead of asking, I licked the patch of skin between my pointer finger and thumb and then sprinkled some salt over it. Josephine did the same, but before she could reach for her shot, I grabbed her hand and held it in front of my mouth.

Her eyes widened as she stared up at me.

"Is this how you Spaniards do it?" she asked, a slow smile peeling across her lips.

I could feel her arm shaking against my hand and instead of answering, I bent forward and licked the salt off her skin. Her nostrils flared as she watched me and then a moment later she realized she was supposed to follow suit. She leaned forward and licked along the inside of my hand. She might as well have been giving me a b.l.o.w. .j.o.b by the way my d.i.c.k stirred in my pants. Her lips were just as soft as I'd imagined them to be and I had to resist the urge to pull her mouth to mine.

I released her hand, we reached for our shots, and we downed them in one go. The lime slices followed and I laughed as Josephine's features contorted from the burn of the alcohol.

"Jesus, that was strong!" she said, reaching for her sangria. I watched her lips wrap around the brim of the gla.s.s just before hearing my name from across the bar.

"Julian!" a voice called from behind me. "I've been looking all over for you man."

I glanced to my right to see Dean approach our c.o.c.ktail table, eyeing Josephine with curiosity. There was another guy with him, a friend I didn't recognize.

"What's up Dean? You just missed the tequila shot," I said, holding up the empty shot gla.s.s.

He smiled. "There will be plenty more, I'm sure," he replied, letting his gaze fall on Josephine and then back to me with a question lingering in his stare.

"You must be Julian's new employee," he said, stepping forward and extending a hand. "I'm Dean, and this is my friend, Lucas."

I nodded to the newcomer and then glanced back at Josephine. Her pale green eyes lit up and an unfamiliar shot of jealousy wound through me as their hands touched.

"Dean as in Dean Harper?" she asked. "This is your restaurant?"

Dean smiled, obviously pleased that a beautiful woman knew of him. I resisted the urge to burst his bubble. I explained who you were on the way over.

"How do you like the place so far?" he asked, stepping another foot closer. My fist clenched under the table.

"It's amazing," she said, waving her hand over her head. "The courtyard is beautiful."

Dean caught my eye and quirked his brow. I shrugged. We'd just communicated an essay's worth of content in the matter of a second.

"Let me show you around. There's another courtyard up front that I bet you'll love," Dean said, extending his elbow for her to take. "Although-you're not on the clock right now, are you?"

My mouth opened, but no words came out. What was I going to do? Forbid her to go with him?

She glanced over at me from beneath her lashes, a silent request lingering between us. My eyebrows rose as I took a sip of my drink. By all means, let Dean sweep you off your feet.

They strolled away together and I resisted the urge to sneak a glance at her walking away in her little black dress. I already had the image burned into my memory anyway. Her waist was tiny and her curves were impossible to forget. f.u.c.k.

"So is that your friend?" Lucas asked, filling the spot where Josephine had just been sitting. I didn't really feel like explaining myself to a stranger, but it was better than sitting alone.

I nodded and took another sip. Josephine had advised me to nurse the drink, but there was no way that was possible now.

"She's gorgeous," he said, waiting for me to contradict him.

I narrowed my eyes and stared at Lucas. "She's my a.s.sistant."

He laughed and nodded. "Of course. Of course."