Cougar Christmas Read online

  Looking at her more directly, he tried to gauge how she was feeling. Her cheeks were still flushed and her eyes were bright—but from embarrassment and anxiety or from the aftermath of the hot kiss? Or maybe a mixture of both?

  Drew had always believed that she was a hot-blooded woman under her layers of self-control. If only she could give in to that passion he sensed inside her maybe they could get past their boss/assistant relationship and somehow get through this.

  But being forced into a corner where she had to be intimate with him probably wasn’t the right way to go about it.

  “I can’t believe this.” Genevieve was still sitting on the couch, staring at the list. “I can’t believe we’re expected to do…to do all this…this stuff.”

  “Yeah, well doing the, uh, intimacy exercises doesn’t bother me half as much as knowing that Doctor Feel Good is gonna be critiquing our performance later.” Drew shook his head. “The guy’s got balls—I’ll give him that. He pretty much admitted to blackmail.”

  Genevieve looked up, her eyes wild.

  “This is just…we can’t do this. I lost my head, telling him everything was all right and that we would do his ridiculous exercises. I…I never should have said that. Drew, I’m so sorry.” She took a deep breath and lifted her chin. “I’ll go to Phillips right now and explain the situation—that I lied to save my job and coerced you into coming with me.” She started to get up. “I’ll—”

  “No, you damn well won’t,” Drew growled, taking her arm and pulling her back down onto the loveseat.

  Genevieve sank down beside him, a surprised look on her face.

  “Then what do you suggest we do about this?”

  “Exactly what we planned. Look Gen,” he said, putting down the list to take her trembling hands in his. “I know we’re in a tight spot but we have to keep our eyes on the prize here. We both have a lot to lose if we can’t pull this off so we need to stay focused and just get through it.”

  What the hell is wrong with you, Drew? Here he was giving his cold, stand-offish boss a Little League-type pep talk about how they would be all right doing kinky things to each other’s bodies instead of agreeing to call it off. But for some reason, he didn’t want to call it off. And it wasn’t just so he could get his hands on Genevieve’s hot body, either.

  Since they’d made this agreement he’d started to see another side of her—a vulnerable side which peeked out from time to time, showing a woman he actually wanted to get to know. And one he was damn attracted to, despite their age difference and their business relationship. So he held his ground and looked at her and, to his relief, his pep talk seemed to be working—Genevieve was looking a little less green around the gills.

  “You’re right,” she said reluctantly. “We just…we have to do what we can. And…I’m sure we can fake a lot of it—right?”

  That was the last thing Drew wanted to do but if it made her feel better…

  “Sure,” he said nodding. “Maybe not the exercises so much but the, uh, sex—yeah, sure. We can fake that.”

  “Good.”

  Wow, she looks really relieved, Drew thought wryly.

  Maybe he’d been completely misinterpreting what he felt when he kissed her. Maybe it was all wish fulfillment on his part, wanting his hot boss to want him as much as he wanted her. Wait—did he want her like that? Hell yes, he had to admit to himself. Even though he had disliked her in the past, he’d always admired and desired her. She was like an unattainable prize—the goddess on the mountain top who was suddenly within his reach.

  But did she want him at all? She’d certainly been happy about the idea of them faking their encounters.

  What he was feeling must have shown on his face because Genevieve suddenly looked mortified.

  “That came out all wrong. It’s not that I wouldn’t want to…to really do those things with you if…if…I mean, it’s completely inappropriate but if it wasn’t I…” She pulled her hands out of his and put them to her face. “God, I’m saying this completely wrong. I mean, it’s probably the other way around. I’m sure you’re not looking forward to having to do whatever we wind up doing with me.”

  To Drew’s surprise, he saw she was actually blushing. Her cheeks were glowing a sweet, innocent pink that made her look almost adorable—which was certainly not a word he would ever have used to describe his hard-hitting boss before.

  He frowned. “Wait a minute—putting aside the creep-out factor of having the good doctor watch our every move, even in fast forward—are you thinking that I have a problem with this because I don’t want to do these exercises with you?”

  “Well, I mean…” Genevieve looked down at her fingers, all her usual calm gone. “I certainly couldn’t blame you, Drew. I mean, there’s the age difference to consider…”

  “Let’s consider it for a minute then. Hmm.” He made a thoughtful face. “Ten years. So what?”

  “So it’s more like eleven years which is a lot. And that’s not the only reason this is awkward—I’m your boss, Drew. This is all completely and utterly inappropriate.”

  He nodded. “Yup, you’re right about that. It would be—in the office setting. But since we’re out of the office and I don’t see any H.R. people lurking behind the curtains, I think we should be okay.”

  “But…but…this will change everything.” She gestured helplessly. “How can I possibly ask you to go make copies for me or arrange my calendar when all I can think about when I look at you is licking edible body paint off your…your…” She gestured at his chest. “Off you,” she finished lamely, her cheeks going from pink to bright red.

  Drew laughed—he couldn’t help it. The whole situation was so surreal it was almost unbelievable. But he could see that the idea of what would happen afterward was really bothering her.

  “Gen,” he said gently. “Remember our deal—after we get back home to sunny Florida you’re going to promote me, right?”

  “Right.” She nodded. “Exactly—if we can get through this.”

  “So just keep your promise.” He let his voice drop a little lower, to a more intimate tone and held her eyes with his. “Once I’m not working under you anymore the memory of you being under me won’t seem so bad.”

  Genevieve blushed again and looked down at their linked hands. Hers were still trembling and when he brushed her wrist with his thumb, Drew could feel her pulse was going wild.

  “I just…I just don’t know…” she stammered.

  He couldn’t help thinking he’d never seen her so flustered—so open and real. So different from the cold, professional mask she showed to everyone at work. He liked this new Genevieve—liked her a lot.

  “What is it?” he coaxed softly. “Was I too blunt? I was just trying to lighten things up. I’m sorry, Gen.”

  “No, I just…” She looked up at him, her eyes filled with a heartbreaking vulnerability he’d never seen there before. “This is just…a lot to ask of you. I mean, look at you, Drew. You should be with some hard-bodied little nineteen or twenty-year-old. Not someone my age.”

  Oh, so that was the problem—Genevieve didn’t think he wanted her. For a moment Drew wished she could see herself the way he saw her. With her curvy hourglass figure and silky, honey blonde hair, not to mention her incredibly sharp mind. She was his ideal in every way if only she’d thaw out a little.

  “Genevieve,” he said gently, releasing one of her hands to cup her face. “I know we’re in a tight spot and this is awkward as hell but I’d be lying if I said a part of me wasn’t enjoying it just the tiniest bit. And that’s because I’m in this tight spot with you.”

  “What do you mean?” She lifted her chin. “I thought you hated me like the rest of the men in the office.”

  “Of course I don’t hate you—you’re not always easy to work with, I admit that. But you get the job done.” He sighed. “I respect the hell out of you, Gen and I want this promotion but if I’m being completely honest, that’s not the only reason I agreed to come