Pull Me Closer (Suits in Pursuit) (5 page)

Marie introduced Kerrigan to her co-workers and told her about her client accounts. She liked Marie, a stoic woman lacking the cognitive ability to appreciate a joke or the facial muscles to respond. At ten o’clock, she attended her first meeting with Marie and the other account managers across the company. They discussed high-level media plans and other details about the company’s highest profile accounts. Mr. Christensen dropped in unexpectedly, surprising the group. His presence at these meetings had been a rarity given the wide-eyed stares and changed behaviors in the room the minute he appeared.

He sat in a white leather chair that lined the wall, quietly observing the group around the glass-top conference table. He didn’t engage in conversation happening around the room except at her introduction. After Marie’s welcoming remarks, he offered his high endorsement as a show of support for Kerrigan.

He watched her intensely throughout the meeting. She squirmed in her seat. His searing eyes tormented and teased, forcing a surge of heat through her body. He blatantly stared and didn’t turn away, even when her eyes met his. Although his icy countenance didn’t give away his attraction, she flushed under his steady gaze. Instead, his lips pulled taut into a fine line, the hard and practiced mug of a man making an appraisal. Perhaps the shrewd executive wanted to watch his investment, making sure he would get his money’s worth.

Axel’s
jaw tensed, and his eyes narrowed as he checked his Blackberry throughout the meeting reading over incoming messages. Before the meeting ended at eleven thirty, he had winced, a tension-filled expression, at a message he had received. Soon after, he stood, issued a final pass at her with sterile blue eyes and stalked out.

At noon, Kerrigan and Ashley headed to lunch. They decided to walk to a quaint European bistro a few blocks away. Although no one would say the streets of downtown Atlanta offered the cleanest, freshest air, being outdoors would feel refreshing. Kerrigan descended in the elevator to the main lobby to wait for Ashley. When the doors opened, she spotted Mr. Christensen. He stood across the room, near the floor-to-ceiling windows, engrossed in conversation on his cell phone. As if sensing her presence, he turned and caught her eyes. He ended his call and while making his way to her, Axel was intercepted by a tall regal woman. The gawk of every male eye in the room trailed the
blond, who threw her arms around Mr. Christensen’s neck and pulled him into her embrace. His eyes closed, he grimaced and pushed away from the vixen. The woman grabbed his hand, and then they exited the building. An Adonis, naturally his girlfriend would be a damn Barbie. Her feelings irrational, Kerrigan couldn’t help the slight twinge of disappointment and jealousy that coursed through her and the ensuing burning in her chest.

Walking briskly down the sidewalk, Ashley and Kerrigan headed to the bistro. Within minutes of arriving, they were seated
.
“I saw Mr. Christensen’s girlfriend. She’s gorgeous. He’s not interested in me,” Kerrigan blurted out.

“And, exactly how does that prove that he’s not interested in you? You’re gorgeous, too. Mr. Christensen has a different woman on his arm almost every time I see him. I doubt it's serious. Not to worry, I’m sure he can make room for one more notch,” Ashley said and then chuckled. “Can you pass me a napkin?”

“Ha! I’m not interested in being a notch. That isn’t what I want.” She reached for the stainless steel napkin dispenser and pulled one out. “Here,” she said, handing a napkin to Ashley.

“Thanks.” Ashley wiped a smudge of red sauce away from the corner of her mouth. “You’re interested in Mr. Christensen. No biggie. He’s hot, and he digs you too. Just admit it, you’re attracted to him.”

She shrugged her shoulders and placed her fork down on her plate. “Okay, I’ll admit I think he’s blazing, but I’m not stupid. I’d never let him get close to me, and I’d never act on my feelings. I know what men like that are after.”

Ashley wagged her index finger at Kerrigan. “Keep telling yourself that. I sure hope you’re stronger than what I witnessed this morning. Mr. Christensen almost ate you alive.”

“Like you said, he’s dangerous. He has a different woman on his arm every time you see him. Why would I involve myself in that mess?”

“Because Axel Christensen is fine as hell and you can’t resist him. Kerri, I’ve never seen you look at a man the way you looked at him this morning. You might as well have some fun on your quest for Mr. Right. I thought you were going to be open-minded and try new things. That includes men, too.”

“I am being open-minded, but I didn’t say I was going to be reckless.”

“As long as you don’t get your heart involved, getting reckless with Axel Christensen might be fun and well worth the risk,” Ashley quipped.

Kerrigan shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. “Sounds good in theory, but having fun with a man like him comes with consequences. I’d like to stay employed.”

They finished lunch and headed back to the office. The rest of the afternoon went by quickly.
Kerrigan had enjoyed her first day at the new job. Relocating to Atlanta proved to be a smart move, it was just what she wanted. She just had to get her lust for Mr. Christensen under control. She wanted a man who excited her and made her breathless, but she hadn’t figured he would be dangerous or that he would be her new boss.

Six months later – January 9, 2012

She heated under his inspection. God, why does he do this to me? Kerrigan sat in the weekly account managers meeting distracted. She shifted restlessly in her seat and repeatedly checked her phone for messages that weren’t there—anything to avoid the imposing glare of Mr. Christensen, who sat in one of the chairs lined against the wall, directly opposite her, staring. Since her arrival six months ago, he began attending the weekly account manager’s meetings regularly, although he rarely took part. She avoided looking at him for fear she would catch his gaze. His stare revealed her predilection for lusty, hedonistic thoughts about him. Kerrigan’s nipples hardened, shivers ran up her spine and fantasies flashed through her mind about his lips covering hers while he possessed her, explored and plundered her body. She couldn’t control her reaction. No other man conjured up these feelings in her and they both excited and terrified her.

She maintained her composure during these meetings, except once. During one particular meeting in January, she had to excuse herself to get some air and escape his heat.
The sexual tension reverberated thick and hot between them. She was certain the incident had started rumors. 

The walls in the tight space seemed to be closing in on her. Mr. Christensen had been exceptionally intense that day. He sat in his regular seat and she in hers. With hooded eyes, he stared dauntlessly at her, eye-fucking her as Ashley called his penetrating gaze. His tongue swiped across his upper lip, and his greedy eyes roamed her body. Aware of his fixation on her, she kept her head down and her eyes glued to the notepad in her lap. Light beads of moisture dotted her hairline and her temperature rose under his heavy surveillance. Breathing in the small room with him there had become impossible. She stood and excused herself to avoid suffocation. Barreling down the hall, her chest heaved
, and heart beat wildly. She lowered her head into her hands and rushed to the alcove at the end of the hallway. Why is this happening to me?

A few seconds later, she heard the sound of heavy footsteps tapping against the floor. With each step, the sound drew louder, nearer, and then silence—it stopped. She stilled as if that would make her invisible. She leaned against the wall, the palms of her hands splayed flush against the
coolness at her sides, her head tilted back, eyes shut, ragged breaths escaped Kerrigan’s parted lips. She imagined him leaning in and kissing her deeply. A warm sensation flooded her core as the intruder closed in, violating her personal space. Her body tensed and her eyes opened, alerted by a towering presence, his musky smell, pungent and invading her senses.

He placed his hands flatly on the wall on either side of her head to swathe her in his cover. His eyes filled with tenderness as he spoke. “Kerrigan, are you okay? Why did you leave so abruptly?” Pensively, he stared into her, his brow furrowed, and cold eyes now impassioned with depth and warmth that Kerrigan hadn’t seen before. His brow wrinkled and jaw tightened, concern etched across his face.

She jolted at his unexpected presence, and her stomach twisted and knotted. “I … I needed some air. The room was warm, and I suddenly felt claustrophobic,” she whispered, dropping her gaze to the floor. She couldn’t believe Mr. Christensen was standing right there, so close to her, overwhelming her mind and violating her sanity.

“I see. Would you prefer that I don’t attend these meetings?”

Terror flooded her heart. He knows! He knows I like him. “This isn’t about you.” She lied to him, her voice cracking and eyes moistening. Desperate to divert his suspicions, she added, “My leaving has nothing to do with you, Mr. Christensen.”

Wrinkled lines formed across
Axel’s forehead, his eyes widened, and he jerked his head back, obviously surprised and insulted. Did he actually expect her to admit her attraction to him—that he had affected her to the point of necessary escape?

“I thought the pressure of the boss in the room might be too intimidating for you,” he said.
She wondered if his explanation had been camouflage, to disguise his hurt over her indifference toward him.

“That might be part of the problem,” she conceded.

He smiled. Oh God! She couldn’t avoid the lure of his perfectly chiseled face when he grinned liked that. Caught in his snare, she tilted her head and her eyes locked on his. She closed her eyes again and swallowed hard, quailing as her head dropped. Mortified. She had never been in a position like this before. If he had any idea about what she had been feeling and thinking, he didn’t let on. Perhaps he wanted to save her from embarrassment.

He moved his left hand to her arm, holding her tenderly. She raised her head and opened her eyes, jarred by the intensity of his touch. When their flesh met, a tingling sensation swept through her, but she concealed her rea
ction. His impassive expression didn’t hide the sensual heat behind his eyes.

“Kerrigan, I’m sorry. I know I can be intense. I’ll stop attending these meetings. I’ve only come for you.” She couldn’t believe his brazenness. He winced, as though admonishing himself for the directness of his words. “I want to support you. You’re the newest member of a very close, tight-knit team, and they can be resistant to change. From the beginning, I told Marie that you had management potential. Your work in the last six months is proof. I’m promoting you to an account manager position, and I want to make sure the team knows I support your promotion. Understand?”

She cringed inwardly and then frowned. “Yes, I understand,” she said quietly. “I appreciate your support and confidence in me, and offer for the promotion, but I don’t want the job.” Shocked disappointment plastered his face—his raised brow and parted lips were poised to speak, but then closed in silence. She looked down to escape his fiery gaze.

“Look at me Kerrigan.” She lifted her eyes at his command. He stared down at her so intensely that she trembled. She hoped he didn’t notice. “Why don’t you want this? You’ve worked so hard. You deserve the position. In less than six months, you’ve repaired a damaged relationship with two of our largest clients
, and you’ve brought in four new accounts. I won’t let you turn me down.”

She swallowed hard again. “I, I can’t Mr. Christensen. I came here looking for a new start. I want a slower pace. I don’t want the responsibility. If you want to fire me, I understand.”