The briefest of smiles curved up his lips, making his eyes crinkle at the corners, softening his stern expression the tiniest bit.
“Sassy too?”
His voice was so deep, so low, she barely heard it, but when he reached out and touched her cheek gently with two fingers, she definitely felt it. She felt the temperature increase around them as he stepped forward slightly, into her bubble, so close their bodies were almost touching. Electricity zapped between them. Goosebumps rose up on her arms. She held her breath.
“I expect you to have a good work ethic,” he told her quietly. “It’s a requirement for any job, I would think, but especially so to work at Hutchings & Associates.”
She straightened quickly, insulted. “I do!” she insisted. “I already worked through half of my morning tea break to make up for the time that I was late this morning, and I intend to work through my lunchbreak as well. There is nothing wrong with my work ethic.”
The fingers that rested lightly on her cheek pressed a bit harder, sliding down to her chin, taking it in a firm grip, holding her face steady so she couldn’t move. Jilly froze. Matthew frowned.
“Missing meals is not healthy,” he scolded. “Let me take you out to lunch. If you want to make up the extra time, use your afternoon tea break to do it.”
Jilly hesitated. Was that an invitation or an order?
Should she refuse?
Could she even refuse?
Did she want to refuse?
His grip on her chin relaxed, then released. He stepped back, but didn’t take his eyes off her. She took a deep breath. She didn’t want to refuse.
“Are you sure?”
“Very.”
“But that’s fraternising. I don’t think it’s allowed. What will Janice say?”
She jumped, just a bit, when he touched her arm. “It’s allowed. And I don’t care what Janice says,” he told her firmly. “Haven’t you noticed that my uncle takes Janice out to lunch most days?”
“Um, no. I hadn’t noticed that.” It was a lie; of course she’d noticed. Everyone had noticed. She and Vanessa commented on it often.
“Really? You haven’t noticed?” His tone made it clear he didn’t believe her. Besides, she knew that he knew that Vanessa was the biggest gossip in the office. Of course she would know who was going out to lunch with whom. And of course Vanessa would tell Jilly. She felt her face flame.
“Ummmm, n-no,” she stammered. “N-not really.”
“Lies.” He growled the word. “You know. You just want to protect your friend, and pretend that the two of you don’t know every single thing that is going on in this office.”
He was clearly more astute than what she’d given him credit for. She gave him a sheepish smile. “True, but I was also trying to be discreet. Who Janice lunches with is her business. Not mine.”
“That is true. But you still lied. And in my world, liars get punished, Miss Watson.”
“Do they?”
“Yes, they do.”
Jilly sucked in a breath. His words were tormenting her, twisting and turning her mind this way and that. It felt like there were butterflies inside her having a field day. Her knickers were drenched, the tops of her thighs damp. Her mouth was dry, her entire body sparked, every single nerve ending alive. A man’s words had never done that to her before. Liars get punished tumbled round and round in her brain. What sort of punishment was he talking about? A tiny part of her was curious to find out.
“How do they get punished?” she asked in a breathless whisper as he lifted his fingers to her face again, stroking down her cheek, brushing his thumb over her lips in the most gentle, erotic touch she’d ever experienced.
“Lie to me again, Miss Watson, and you might just find out.”
Her stomach flipped. He let go of her face, sliding his fingers into the pocket of his pants, and winked rakishly. Her pussy flooded as desire hit her in waves.
“Lunchtime,” he growled, his smouldering eyes holding her gaze. “Wait for me at your desk. I’ll be there.”
This time she knew, without a doubt, that it was an order. An order that she felt compelled to obey.
Chapter Three
At 12.30 p.m. exactly, Vanessa stopped at her desk on her way out the door. “You coming?”
Jilly shook her head. “No. I’ve got too much work to do. I’d better make up for being late this morning.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.” Jilly sighed. “I’ll just grab a coffee and work through.”
Vanessa shrugged. “Okay. See ya later then.”
For a brief second, Jilly considered following her, then thought better of it. The lunchbreaks were staggered so there was always somebody in the office, and she could feel Janice watching her across the room with a critical, judgemental eye. Ignoring the older woman, she picked up a manila folder, reading the instructions scrawled across the front in barely legible cursive. A simple retype. That should be easy enough. Wheeling her chair to the left slightly to align herself with the keyboard, she propped the document up on the desk beside her and forced herself to concentrate.
So much for my good work ethic, Jilly thought as Matthew approached her desk. Did I get anything achieved at all this morning? She’d tried, she really had, but the pile of papers on her desk she needed to work her way through was just as high now as it had been when she’d first arrived at work.
“I can’t come with you,” Jilly insisted, as he stopped at her desk and shrugged on his jacket. “I’ve got too much work to do.”
“Course you can!” Matthew argued. “Work can wait. It will all still be here when you get back.”
`”That’s the problem,” Jilly said. “It will all still be there. It needs to get done.”
“I’m taking you to lunch, Miss Watson,” he said firmly, his sexy voice nearly making her swoon. “And I won’t take no for an answer.”
Slowly, Jilly slid back her chair, preparing to stand up, and laughed nervously, self-consciously. “Well,
