same time. "After all, isn't that what this firm pays its employees for? Discussions on all sorts of personal, intimate subjects while on the clock?"
Chapter Five
Derrick's voice caught in his throat. He didn't dare breathe, but he slowly moved his head from Tashana's chest to her shoulder until he was able to take a peek.
This was not the kind of thing that happened to him. He didn't suffer from foot-in-mouth syndrome, and, as daring as he could be at times, he had never been caught with his pants down. But today his luck had obviously run out because, lo and behold, that was Roman Bradford looking at them from Derrick's office door.
All of a sudden the atmosphere changed, and the office seemed to be brightly lit, as if the clouds had moved to give way to the sun right outside his window. Derrick felt a hot burst of electricity run through his body and a buzzing in his ears. He hadn't felt this energized in a year.
"Please, tell me that's not him," Tashana whispered in his ear.
"Afraid I can't," Derrick whispered back.
He was incapable of looking away from Roman. Incapable of processing how much of a predicament they probably were in. Incapable of even feeling mortified over that bit of too personal information his boss had overheard. He couldn't. He was too busy worrying about what the other man would make of it. He knew it was presumptuous on his part to think Roman would care, but Derrick didn't want this man he admired so much to have a bad opinion of him.
"I'm not as much of a slut as that statement made me sound," Derrick blurted before he could stop himself.
Fuck.
Looked like he was also incapable of filtering his words.
Tashana winced.
Derrick groaned.
Roman didn't even blink behind the thick, black-framed glasses he wore.
Lord, but he was gorgeous.
Forty-four years old, and guys half his age couldn't hold a candle to him. Tall and elegant; powerful and sophisticated in that kind of understated way that screamed I own this joint without having to say a word. It was the first thing he'd noticed about Roman the day of his job interview with the senior partners of ABC. Six years later, it was the number one personality trait that made Derrick crazy horny for the man, closely followed by his work ethic and how modest and humble he'd remained despite his professional success. Add the physical attributes and no wonder Derrick was toast within minutes the first time he had a private conversation with him.
Roman Bradford was perfect… but there was something different about him.
It wasn't that his dark brown hair was liberally sprinkled with gray now, or that he seemed to have lost weight and gained some muscle, which in turn made him look taller than six-foot-two. It wasn't that, whereas he was usually calm and composed, he was now so tense that a muscle in his jaw was jumping.
Derrick perused him quickly, and that's when he realized that even though there were substantial physical changes, it wasn't even Roman's appearance that was different. It was something more intangible. His demeanor, maybe… or was it his aura?
"Don't let my presence make you feel like you need to get back to your own office, Mrs. Woods," Roman said, bumping the folder he was carrying on his thigh a couple of times. His voice was soft, but there was no mistaking the disapproval behind his words.
Although Roman was addressing Tashana, he didn't look in her direction once. Instead he kept his olive green gaze glued on Derrick's face.
"Is there something I can help you with?" Derrick managed to ask.
Roman squeezed the yellow folder, opened his mouth, and seemed to give his words careful consideration before he said, "Meet me in the conference room in five minutes."
The second Roman was out of sight, Derrick buried his face in Tashana's neck and took a deep breath. "I sounded like an ass."
"A little bit," Tashana agreed.
"I can't believe he was just here."
"I can't believe you're still holding me."
"I need
Chapter Five
Derrick's voice caught in his throat. He didn't dare breathe, but he slowly moved his head from Tashana's chest to her shoulder until he was able to take a peek.
This was not the kind of thing that happened to him. He didn't suffer from foot-in-mouth syndrome, and, as daring as he could be at times, he had never been caught with his pants down. But today his luck had obviously run out because, lo and behold, that was Roman Bradford looking at them from Derrick's office door.
All of a sudden the atmosphere changed, and the office seemed to be brightly lit, as if the clouds had moved to give way to the sun right outside his window. Derrick felt a hot burst of electricity run through his body and a buzzing in his ears. He hadn't felt this energized in a year.
"Please, tell me that's not him," Tashana whispered in his ear.
"Afraid I can't," Derrick whispered back.
He was incapable of looking away from Roman. Incapable of processing how much of a predicament they probably were in. Incapable of even feeling mortified over that bit of too personal information his boss had overheard. He couldn't. He was too busy worrying about what the other man would make of it. He knew it was presumptuous on his part to think Roman would care, but Derrick didn't want this man he admired so much to have a bad opinion of him.
"I'm not as much of a slut as that statement made me sound," Derrick blurted before he could stop himself.
Fuck.
Looked like he was also incapable of filtering his words.
Tashana winced.
Derrick groaned.
Roman didn't even blink behind the thick, black-framed glasses he wore.
Lord, but he was gorgeous.
Forty-four years old, and guys half his age couldn't hold a candle to him. Tall and elegant; powerful and sophisticated in that kind of understated way that screamed I own this joint without having to say a word. It was the first thing he'd noticed about Roman the day of his job interview with the senior partners of ABC. Six years later, it was the number one personality trait that made Derrick crazy horny for the man, closely followed by his work ethic and how modest and humble he'd remained despite his professional success. Add the physical attributes and no wonder Derrick was toast within minutes the first time he had a private conversation with him.
Roman Bradford was perfect… but there was something different about him.
It wasn't that his dark brown hair was liberally sprinkled with gray now, or that he seemed to have lost weight and gained some muscle, which in turn made him look taller than six-foot-two. It wasn't that, whereas he was usually calm and composed, he was now so tense that a muscle in his jaw was jumping.
Derrick perused him quickly, and that's when he realized that even though there were substantial physical changes, it wasn't even Roman's appearance that was different. It was something more intangible. His demeanor, maybe… or was it his aura?
"Don't let my presence make you feel like you need to get back to your own office, Mrs. Woods," Roman said, bumping the folder he was carrying on his thigh a couple of times. His voice was soft, but there was no mistaking the disapproval behind his words.
Although Roman was addressing Tashana, he didn't look in her direction once. Instead he kept his olive green gaze glued on Derrick's face.
"Is there something I can help you with?" Derrick managed to ask.
Roman squeezed the yellow folder, opened his mouth, and seemed to give his words careful consideration before he said, "Meet me in the conference room in five minutes."
The second Roman was out of sight, Derrick buried his face in Tashana's neck and took a deep breath. "I sounded like an ass."
"A little bit," Tashana agreed.
"I can't believe he was just here."
"I can't believe you're still holding me."
"I need
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