So Score wasn’t her boss? That was something.
Her strong attraction to him was screaming at her to capitulate, but another voice in her head said she’d be too timid for him. “I… I don’t know.”
Score was so cool, she wondered if he cared either way. “We take this up a notch or leave it alone for good…” He was giving her the choice. Shyla had to decide. “I see the way you look at me… I know what you want, Shy.”
Mortified, she considered just falling down dead right there at his feet. Nothing explicit had ever been said about what they might feel or want. Score was telling her the moment for advance or retreat was upon them. Either she opened herself to him or shut down the possibility forever.
“You… you do?” she asked.
“Anything you do for me that crosses the line from business to personal, you do because you want to, not because you’re being paid.”
“And if I refuse?”
“You refuse,” he said, sliding his finger away from the underside of her chin to brush the back of his index finger down her jaw on its descent to his side. “I take my time, Miss Bellamy. I won’t rush you or pressure you. But I am bold. If I want something, even if it’s something that might shock you, I won’t be subtle or discreet about asking for it.”
That much was obvious given his opening gambit was asking her to take off her dress. First date stripping wasn’t something she’d ever experienced. Though this wasn’t their first meeting, it was the first time they’d addressed this. Whatever “this” was.
A positive thing about his candor was it forced her to gather the courage to respond in kind. It took her time. The adrenaline circling her heart was so potent that she could taste it in the back of her throat.
Shyla had to be bold if she wanted an answer. “Are you attracted to me?”
“Yes.”
Why use ten words when one would do? Shyla had a feeling Score wasn’t the type of man to wax lyrical. Writing, or even reading, romantic sonnets probably wasn’t his style. But that was no surprise and wasn’t what she expected from him.
The raw animalistic air that hovered around him gave the impression he could snap at any second. He intrigued her. It felt like he was always on, whether it be for sex or a showdown, Score was ready.
After caressing her jaw, his finger had dropped to his side and he hadn’t touched her since. Without his direction, her chin descended until she found herself staring at his tee-shirt.
“I don’t have a lot of experience with men,” she confessed. Her hands slipped around her back to cling at each other. “I might make mistakes.”
When his body moved away, she assumed he was retreating. It wasn’t until his breath warmed the top of her ear that she realized he’d bent down to whisper to her.
“Everybody makes mistakes.”
He eased back and she let her attention rise. They locked eyes and Shyla knew that trusting him wouldn’t be one of them.
Swallowing her self-conscious anxiety, Shyla gathered every thread of confidence within her. Score was a strong, enigmatic man. He might like her innocence, but he’d also appreciate her rising to a challenge. That’s what this was, a challenge.
Behind her, beneath the built-in faux fireplace, a shelf ran from the elevators all the way to the powder room by the third bedroom. That shelf, just behind her knees, prevented her from retreating as she fumbled for the zip beneath her arm.
Not that Shyla wanted to run away. No, she just thought that distance might calm her rattling nerves. She kept on believing that right up until the moment Score stepped back.
Further away might make her less aware of his intoxicating masculine scent, but it broadened his view. It allowed him to take in more of her at once. Her nerves quaked; Shyla had no idea what kind of picture she made. Trepidation affected her speed. She tried to stretch out the moment. To gather her wits. To prepare herself. Unfortunately, there was only so much zip on her dress and eventually, it reached its base.
This was it. She’d gone this far. Score’s neutral expression was fixed on her body, not her face. His expectation weight heavy. Pulling down the zip implied she was going to comply.
He’d said when something crossed the line from business to personal, she should only do it if she wanted to. Terrified of being exposed, Shyla reminded herself that wearing a bikini on the beach was normal. On days out with Bernard and Stan, even on the pool level downstairs, she wore a bikini and didn’t think twice about it.
But this was different. Intimate. Shyla closed her eyes and held her breath while easing the dress straps from her shoulders. Scooping the material down her body and over her hips, she let it drop to the floor.
Shyla wasn’t sure what to do next. Had he seen enough? Should she pick her dress up? Scurry away? She hadn’t thought beyond the achievement of actually taking off the dress.
Score took care of that. “Turn around.”
With her eyes still closed, she managed to take tiny steps and move in a circle, coming to a stop when she faced away from him. For some reason, having him behind her was easier on her breathing. At least, it was at first. The longer the silence stretched, the more her pulse began to creep up again.
“Score?” she whispered.
“Let your hair down.”
If she let her hair down, it would take time to tame it back into a curled chignon. Didn’t matter though, it wasn’t like she was known for having the tidiest hair even when she tried her best.
After pulling the pins
