Lisa: April (Mystic Zodiac Book 4) (2 page)

Jack turned away, as if he hadn’t just ruined her life, heading to his office without a backwards glance. Griffin lagged behind, sympathy pouring off him. “If you ever want to work with someone who isn’t an ass, I’d be happy to kick Janet to the curb.”

Lisa chuckled. She knew he wasn’t entirely serious. It was his way of smoothing things over when his friend was a dick. “I might take you up on that offer. Will you give me time off?”

Griffin grinned. “Of course. Whenever you want—as long as I get to come.”

“That would defeat the purpose. Does Janet know you keep offering me her job?”

“Yep, she said the sooner you accept, the better. She’s sick of my ass, and is ready to follow in Claire’s footsteps. Janet wants to take her young stud on a trip around the world. And I don’t know if she means actual travel or something I really don’t want to know about.” He saluted her quickly and joined Jack, leaving her laughing at his parting comment.

CHAPTER TWO

Jack paced his office waiting for Griffin to join him. What could possibly be taking the man so long? There was nothing the two of them needed to talk about, unless Griff was attempting to steal Lisa away again.
Bastard!

Lisa’s bright laughter stopped him in his tracks. He could hear the amusement in the sound. Griff had gotten the woman to lighten up and probably smile at his stupid face. Jack’s hands curled into fists, knuckles popping the tighter they got. Irrational, possessive feelings bombarded him; setting off a deep need to kick his best friend’s ass. The only problem with that was the fact Lisa was his assistant not his girlfriend. Damned if he didn’t want her to be though. To be truthful, he wanted more than boyfriend status. He wanted the right to own every moment of every day.

Rolling his shoulders, Jack took a deep breath. Nothing was going on between his friend and his assistant. Griff wasn’t interested in Lisa, at least not anything beyond finding her an attractive woman. Ever since
the incident
, Griff had shied away from romantic entanglements. That was the only reason Jack could force himself to relax.

Moving behind his desk, he took a seat in his high-backed leather chair. Waking up his computer, he found it ready for the phone conference. The specs of the house they were designing were on one screen, the photos of the land on the other. It had been Lisa’s idea to set up the dual monitors. Jack figured it would be a pain in the ass to have to jump between them while trying to work. She’d won the battle of him giving it a try, now he couldn’t imagine working without them. It was one more thing he loved about her. She didn’t roll over and let him do what he wanted.

Worry flickered through his chest as he thought about his parting shot. She could take his words as a challenge and find a way to take her vacation after all. He could only hope what he’d said was true. That she wouldn’t be able to reclaim her reservations. He’d heard it was tough to get into Satyr. He probably should have thought through his hasty last minute decision.

It didn’t help he hadn’t had a leg to stand on when she asked what was so important he needed her at work. He should have had a believable reason ready. He sucked at coming up with things on the fly. That was Griff’s area of expertise.

Lisa was beyond efficient at her job, and the best assistant he’d ever had. He didn’t want to lose her, but he couldn’t stop himself from lusting after her. She tied him in knots without even knowing it: independent nature and keen intellect, along with form fitting suits that showed every subtle dip and curve. The fuck-me heels she wore everyday; showing off her slim legs and perfect calves. It all made for a stunning package and her beautiful face topped it all off. Her deep red lips and deep brown eyes set off her darker complexion. It was a wonder he made it through each day without taking her on the first flat surface he could find.

It had been on the tip of his tongue to tell her he wasn’t going to allow her to let her nymph out on anyone but him. He saw glimpses of the saucy, free-spirited woman who lurked beneath the surface. The heated looks she shot his way when she didn’t think he was looking. The seductress who could sweet-talk even the grumpiest of clients into agreeing with their plans.

She wasn’t overly flirtatious with men or women. She didn’t promise them one thing then deliver another. She charmed them. Seduced them. Pulled them into her way of thinking while keeping it professional. She was a force to be reckoned with and, damn, that turned him on.

Griff finally opened the door and stepped inside. He shut it behind him before taking a seat across from Jack. As per usual, he slumped down in the chair, feet stretched out in front of him. “You need to quit, Jack. That woman is going to blow and soon. Hell, she’s already sprayed water all over the place.”

Jack grimaced. It had been a dick move, but he couldn’t stand the thought of her playing in that pleasure palace without him. “At least it evaporated—mostly.”

“What did she have planned?”

Jack snorted. “A week at Satyr.” It was one of the most exclusive clubs in the city. It catered to a certain clientele, and he’d yet to gain acceptance. There was an extensive background and genealogy search, and he’d been told it could take six months to a year for it to be complete. He was sick of waiting and beginning to wonder if there was another way in.

Breath whooshed loudly out of Griff. “Damn. That had to cost a pretty penny.”

“It did,” more than Jack had expected. “It isn’t like she’s out the money. I explained to the woman I talked to that something had come up unexpectedly. I paid the cancellation fee and ensured Lisa could use the pre-paid amount another time.”

“I’m sure she’ll appreciate that later. Right now—I’m pretty sure she’s thinking of ways to maim you. And you’re seriously going to allow her to go to Satyr?”

“Only if she’s with me. The thought of her going there and dallying with some idiot makes me want to commit murder.”

“That may not be the best way to win her over.”

Jack shrugged. “I can’t take it anymore. I need to find a way to get what I want.”

“By anymore you mean…” Griff trailed off, waiting for Jack to fill in the rest.

“I mean I want to lock her in my office and fuck her senseless. Erase every man she’s ever been with from her mind. Then I want to take her home and keep her there until she promises to be mine forever. Even then, I’m not sure I’d let her go.”

“You’ve got it pretty bad.”

“No shit,” Jack muttered.

The room fell silent. A hesitant knock sounded at the door. A couple seconds passed before Lisa turned the knob and came in, balancing a tray with two cups, sugar, creamer and two pastries on one hand. She set it down on his desk and walked around to stand next to Jack. Lisa leaned across him, brushing her nubile body against him, then brought a new window up on one of the monitors. Backtracking and leaving him on edge, she left without a word, the door shutting silently behind her.

Jack took a ragged breath. The crisp scent of a dewy morning rain filled his lungs. His erection tented the fabric of his pants easily, throbbing with the need to feel the tight clamp of her pussy. If she broke the ironclad hold she had on her nymph and gave the slightest hint she was ready for more, he could have his cock out and in her in seconds.

“You’re going to have to fire her,” Griff said, pulling him from the fantasy of Lisa wrapped around him.

Jack’s eyebrow shot up, as he came back down to planet earth. “Like hell.”

Griff shook his head. “Take it from me, don’t mess with the hired help. It’ll only get you in trouble.”

Ah, yes. The incident.
Griff knew all too well what happened when a person fooled around with the help. When Janet, his regular assistant, ended up in the hospital with pneumonia, they’d pulled a secretary from the drafting department. The temp pursued Griff like he was the last man on earth, and they had a brief affair. When Janet came back, the woman tried to force Griff to fire Janet so she could keep the job, along with her status as Griff’s lover. In the end, they cut the woman a very nice severance check and gave her a paid holiday.

“Lisa isn’t like Felicity and you know it.”

“Yeah, but I don’t know for sure,” Griff grumbled. “I don’t want you to go through what I did, Jack.”

“I won’t. You know Lisa, man. Her work ethic is better than ours, and we’re pretty fucking dedicated. She’s never asked for anything in all of the years she’s been here, and she’s never used her gorgeous assets to get ahead. She’d never pull a stunt like Felicity. It isn’t in her.”

“I don’t know.” Griff shook his head ruefully. It killed Jack to see him like that. The most giving, laidback guy he knew was an uptight gun-shy man. After a second, his face screwed up into a look of resignation. “You better make sure that’s true before you go down this road. I don’t want to see you get hurt, and I’d hate for the company to lose her.”

“Well, I don’t need to figure it out right now. Her vacation is off for the moment, and we have a client about to call.”

CHAPTER THREE

Lisa logged onto the temp agency she used when she needed extra hands in the company. She hadn’t planned on bringing anyone in since Janet offered to help out, but Jack deserved to have things shaken up. He needed to see she was serious about having time away. And she wasn’t going to allow for the comfort of the familiar. It was time to look for a stand-in so she could have some time off. Jack was finished screwing her over.

As soon as she shut the door behind her after delivering the guys their morning breakfast, her mind began to whirl. There was no way she’d be able to stand another month, let alone another week, of being around him without jumping his bones. He was off limits, and had been from day one when she’d joined the company.

Opening his office door, she’d immediately felt his gaze land on her, tracking her progress into the room. Her nipples peaked beneath her blazer. A shiver raced down her petite frame. The nymph in her clawed to break free as she’d stood there next to him breathing in his musky, woodsy scent. It tugged at her. Taunted her. Turned her on like nobody’s business.

The scent reminded her of the times she used to frolic in the woods behind her home with her sisters. The nights spent splashing in the lake under the moonlight. The freedom. The pure pleasure. The decadence and carnality.

No. She needed to get away from him if she stood any chance of working with him any longer. She needed to escape the need pounding down on her each minute he was near. She didn’t actually know if time at Satyr would help, but it was the only thing she could think of. In the past, it’d taken off the edge. She was afraid she’d gone too long without going nymph for the break to have any effect.

Lisa typed in the requirements her replacement would need. Not thinking twice when she specified a more mature assistant. No need to tempt him with a young, willing substitute.

Oh, how greedy you are,
the inner voice in her head taunted. She may not be able to have him, but she sure as hell wouldn’t watch some other woman get him.

She got down to the area for the dates needed. Nibbling on her lip, she wasn’t quite sure what she should select. Two months notice certainly didn’t work with the man. Thinking back on all of the other times, she realized giving him any notice at all tended to backfire. She would have to spring it on him and deal with the consequences later.

Grabbing up the receiver of her phone, she dialed Paul again. He picked up immediately.

“Hey, Li. I figured I’d be hearing from you again.” He sounded a lot more awake than he had earlier. He’d probably gotten laid and had coffee in the time since she’d hung up on him.

“Can you re-do my reservation? Everything the same as before.” She pulled up Jack’s schedule as she spoke in case Paul couldn’t come through for her.

Papers crinkled and she heard the distinct sound of him tapping on his keyboard. At least she’d get a quick answer and not have to wait for a callback later. “Sorry, babe. Once you cancelled, Cosmo went to the next on the list. The automatic system took care of it. He’s in high demand, ya know.”

“That’s fine. I can deal with that. Is my room at least still available?”

“Yep. I haven’t gotten around to checking it out to anyone.”

“Well, don’t. I’ll take it from the sixth to the tenth. That will give me the weekend to make sure everything is good at work and a weekend to recover from my time there.”

“What about your boss? Face it sweets, he isn’t going to like you coming here, and I won’t be able to retain the money you already spent if you cancel again.”

“It wasn’t my fault,” she huffed. “And fuck him!”

“Maybe you should,” Paul snickered. It wasn’t the first time he’d suggested the naughty idea. He’d even gone as far as planning out how she should seduce him. It involved a tight short skirt, killer heels, and her trapping him in his office chair as she gave him a lap dance.  “You two need to get it out of your systems. You’re hot under the hood for that man. And you know the only reason he keeps doing this is because he wants to be your boy toy when you get down and nasty.”

“He doesn’t even know what getting nasty with me entails,” she snorted. There was truth behind the term
nymphomaniac
when it was applied to her. While all nymphs enjoyed a good roll in the hay, her locking her nymph up to work in the business world meant when she was let out, she indulged like a drug addict with a fresh supply easily on hand. “And he won’t. He’s my boss and that’s all he’ll ever be. You know my rules…and the company policy.”

“Oh please! He’d break that policy in a heartbeat if it meant he could get between your toned thighs.”

“I’m not giving him the chance. Reserve next week for me. I think I’m going to let the nymph take complete control. Maybe check out some of the open playrooms. I need to get Jack out of my system.”

“He hasn’t even gotten
in
you yet.” Paul mumbled.

“Just do it, please, Paul. I’m desperate here.”

Paul’s heavy sighed reached her through the phone. “Whatever you say, babe. I’ve got you down.” Thank god he relented without giving her more flack.

The internal office buzzer sounded from the speaker. She was being summoned. “I’ve got to go. Love ya, Paul. You’re the best.”

Paul hung up after saying goodbye. Lisa picked up her notepad and pencil, diminished the screen for the temp agency, and took a couple of deep breaths. She needed to slip the cool, controlled mask onto her face before joining her bosses.

Plastering a smile on, she breezed through the door. The look of concern on Jack’s face and the knowledge that he wasn’t having the last laugh erased her foul mood. Vacation was back on and there wasn’t a damn thing Jack Morgan could do to stop it from happening this time.