Hot-Blooded. Karen Foley

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ hips as she bent forward over the desk, thrusting himself into her. His head was thrown back and the cords in his neck stood out in a way that Elena had never seen when he’d been with her.

      The crash she’d heard had been Larry’s alabaster paperweight falling to the floor as the woman swept it from the surface of the desk in her frenzy. The paperweight Elena had given to him on Valentine’s Day last year.

      In the instant before they both turned toward her, Elena recognized the other woman as one of the new interns they’d hired in the legal department. Her reddish hair fell forward over her face, and her eyes were hazy with pleasure. Her full lips were parted and moist as she gripped the edges of the desk and arched her back to give Larry better access. When she raised herself to look toward the door, Elena saw her pink blouse was open at the front and her bra was pulled down below her breasts, which had left a damp mark on the glossy veneer of the desk.

      For a moment, the three of them stared at each other. Larry’s harsh breathing was the only sound that broke the stunned silence, until he muttered an oath and snatched himself from the woman’s body.

      Elena didn’t wait to see more. She turned on her heel and walked blindly back the way she’d come, unable to dispel the erotic images she’d just witnessed. She tried to recall when the woman—Claire—had first begun working at the agency. Five months ago, maybe? Six? How long had she and Larry been having an affair? Was this what he did every Saturday when he told her he was going into the office?

      “Elena, wait.”

      Larry trotted down the corridor after her, shoving his shirt into his waistband. Elena stopped and watched him approach, noting his flushed features and disheveled hair. She’d always thought he was attractive, but now all she could see were his white legs and thin buttocks, pumping furiously into another woman.

      “What do you want, Larry?” She glanced at her watch, ignoring how her hand trembled. “I really can’t stay. I only came by because I thought you needed a break from work.” She gave a bitter laugh. “Little did I know.”

      Larry swiped a hand through his hair, looking both embarrassed and defiant. “You should have called. You always call first.”

      Elena gaped at him. “I should have called? Excuse me, but I work here, too. I don’t need your permission to come by the office after hours, Larry.” She ran a scathing eye over him. “It figures that the first time I do, this is what I find. You, in a sweaty clutch with the office intern. It’s so cliché that it’s actually pathetic. What if someone else had seen you? You both could be fired for this.”

      “I think I’m in love with her,” he blurted, then swiped a hand across his face. “I mean, I know I’m in love with her. I am in love with her.”

      Elena’s mouth fell open, but no words came out. She stared at him, speechless.

      “I’m sorry,” he muttered, clearly uncomfortable. “I didn’t mean for you to find us—to find out like this.” He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced toward his office where he’d left Claire. “It’s just that—”

      “What?” Elena asked sarcastically. “I wasn’t willing to spread myself across your desk? To fulfill your naughty little fantasies? Maybe I would have done it, Larry. Maybe all you had to do was ask, but now you’ll never know what I might have done, will you?”

      To Elena’s dismay, Larry’s face grew tight. “I never asked, because I already knew what the answer would be. You’re not exactly Miss Excitement.”

      “What is that supposed to mean?” Elena gasped, but she had a sinking feeling that she already knew. His words sounded a little too much like the conversation she’d had with her sister earlier that day.

      “I don’t want to hurt you more than I already have,” Larry began, “but it wasn’t until I met Claire that I realized what I’d been missing with you.”

      Elena’s eyebrows flew up. What? The numbness that had enveloped her when she’d first walked into Larry’s office was rapidly vanishing, to be replaced with a slow, simmering anger.

      “Oh, and what would that be?” she asked sweetly. “I don’t seem to recall that you were missing out on anything. You had sex every week—and that was just with me. I always paid my own way when we went out. I never objected if you wanted to play golf with the guys, or head up to Atlantic City for a weekend. I never demanded anything of you, Larry, and I was always there when you wanted me. Basically, you had a perfect relationship.”

      Larry missed the sharp edge beneath the silken veil of her words. “Yeah, it was a perfect relationship all right. Perfectly boring.”

      “Boring? You think I’m boring?”

      Larry made a sound of frustration. “No, that’s not what I said, but since you brought it up, then yes! I think you’re boring. Okay? Are you happy now? I said it!”

      “Oh. My. God.” Elena stared at him in disbelief. “You’re serious.”

      Didn’t he realize that in their relationship he was the boring one? He was the stereotypical accountant—detailed, meticulous and not given to extravagance or grand gestures. He was the kind of guy that you’d pass on the street and never look at twice. He appealed to her because he was ordinary and because she always knew what to expect from him. At least, she amended silently, she’d thought she always knew what to expect. And now, to find out that he thought she was boring!

      “Listen, Elena, you’re a beautiful woman, but you’re too set in your ways. You need to be a little more flexible. You need to live a little.”

      Elena arched an eyebrow. “It certainly appears your new girlfriend is flexible. Is that what this is all about, Larry? Having sex in forbidden places?”

      Larry’s face turned a ruddy shade. “No, of course not. But it does have something to do with spontaneity. Face it, Elena. Your entire life is about order and routine. You’re a creature of habit, and you hate surprises. You’re about as capable of spontaneity as a fish is of flying.”

      Later, Elena would not be sure what made her do it. She only knew that in that particular moment, the most important thing in the world was to prove Larry wrong. To show him irrefutable proof that she was as capable of being spontaneous and exciting as the next person. She snatched the director’s memorandum from the sheaf of mail she clutched in her hand and waved it beneath Larry’s nose.

      “Oh, yeah? Well, here’s a little bit of spontaneity for you. I’ve decided to do a six-month deployment to Iraq.”

      To her dismay, Larry’s eyebrows flew up, and he gave a snort of disbelieving laughter. “Oh, come on. We both know you’re bluffing. When did you decide this? Two seconds ago? We both know you’d never volunteer to go over there. You may not be a spur-of-the-moment girl, but you’re not stupid, either. Besides, you enjoy your creature comforts just a little too much to go to Iraq for six months. I can’t picture you sharing a B-hut with twenty other women, or eating in a chow hall every night.”

      “Oh, really?” Elena tossed her head. “Well, believe it or not, I’m going. And I understand there are battalions of healthy, young, hard-bodied soldiers who would do anything to keep me safe. In fact, I’m sure my deployment will be rewarding on many different levels.”

      To her satisfaction, Larry no longer looked quite so skeptical. “You’re СКАЧАТЬ