Torrid Little Affair (Forbidden Desires #3)

Corinne

This was a bad idea.

Though, of course, it hadn’t seemed that way when I’d agreed to do it.

Leaving Cooper’s office with my head swimming from that mouth of his, I wandered back to my desk and stared blankly at my computer screen for a long time, still savoring the heat of his touch on my skin. He was maddeningly sexy-a great kisser-and so freaking intuitive, he seemed to know exactly what I was thinking and feeling before I did.

I could feel Alyssa watching me from the corner of her eye, could tell that she was wondering what had happened while I was in Cooper’s office. But being the consummate professional she was, she’d never ask me about that during work hours.

Instead, she invited me to lunch, holding in her curiosity as we grabbed our purses and headed to the food court on the bottom floor of the building.

The second we stepped into the elevator, though? The inquisition began.

“Have you gotten a single thing done since you talked to Cooper this morning?” she asked, a knowing smile painted on her lips.

“What? No. I mean, yes. Of course I have.”

“Ooh, you’re all frazzled. That’s a good sign. Something happened,” Alyssa cooed with glee.

I rolled my eyes and tried to make a poker face, which I was pretty sure I didn’t have in my repertoire. “Don’t be silly.”

The elevator chimed as the doors slid open, and Alyssa switched the subject to ask which of the food stalls we should hit. When we’d finally decided on sandwiches and had gotten our food, I sighed with relief. It was only once we were seated that I realized the lull had just been a ruse to lure me into a false sense of security until she could strike again.

She held her tuna sandwich and stared at me expectantly.

“What?” I asked.

“So.” She wrinkled her nose. “Cooper.”

“God, that again?”

“Yes, that again. Is he a good kisser?”

“What?” I practically gasped. Was I really that obvious?

“You walk out of his office all flushed and dazed, and I’m supposed to think-what? That he gave you a glowing performance review?” She chomped on her sandwich, then flicked me a sassy look. “Spill.”

“You’re being silly. I barely know Cooper.”

“That doesn’t mean that you can’t bone down.” Alyssa shrugged.

“Ew, God. Is that what people call it nowadays?”

“So, you’re saying you think it would be gross to have sex with him?” Alyssa cocked an eyebrow.

“I never said that. I’m objecting to the phrase ‘bone down.’ It’s just so wrong, Alyssa.”Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

“Right. Prude.” She sighed. “So, you’re really not going to tell me anything?”

“There’s nothing to tell.” I pursed my lips, then thinking hard, added, “Though, it might be nice to know a little more about him.”

“You don’t want to tell me what’s up between the two of you, but want intel from me?” she said with a snort. “Like what?”

“I don’t know. Just stuff about him, I guess. General sort of stuff.” I shrugged, toying with my food.

Alyssa shook her head. “You’re barking up the wrong tree there. I don’t know a whole lot about any of them except for Gavin, and even he’s a mystery to me sometimes. The person to talk to is Emma.”

“Emma?” The memory of everything Cooper had told me flooded back, and my stomach roiled with the thought of seeing the other woman, let alone talking to her.

God, did he still think about her? Want her? He’d said he didn’t, but maybe that was just a line.

I set my sandwich down, suddenly no longer hungry.

“She knows everything about all of them, and I hear through the grapevine that she’s a lightweight. Get a couple drinks in her, and I bet she’ll spill everything she knows.”

I wrinkled my nose. “That seems sort of wicked and conniving, don’t you think?”

Alyssa quirked her mouth to the side. “I don’t know. As wicked as not telling your best work friend why you suddenly want to know all about Cooper?”

“Alyssa,” I pleaded. “Look, I promise I’ll tell you if and when there’s something to tell. I swear, we haven’t,” I looked around and dropped my voice to a whisper, “boned down yet or anything, okay?”

“Fine, fine,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “I’ll set it up. We’ll have a girls’ night, and you can ask Emma everything you want in any state of soberness you choose. But if you guys do it, I’m the first to know. Deal?”

“I . . . I guess it would be good to get out for a while and hang with some girls,” I said, though I couldn’t deny the rush of excitement surging through my veins. Jeez, first a happy hour and now a girls’ night. My social calendar was suddenly exploding.

“Sure, that’s why you want to go.” Alyssa laughed and took another bite of her sandwich. After securing my promise to share if and when Cooper and I ever did the deed, she moved on to telling me about a to-die-for pair of pumps she’d picked up at Macy’s for a steal, and the matter seemed closed.