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“Enough,” he warned. “I'm not leaving my job or taking a year off. Don’t bring it up again.” His eyes were stern as he waited for her to acknowledge him. She nodded and looked down at her plate. He picked up her hand and squeezed it.
“I wanted you to hear this from me instead of catching it on the news. I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do but Darci, I will not watch him rake you over the coals, nor am I going to just abandon him. I need time to figure out what I want to do. Can you please give that to me?”
Her expression softened. “Yes, of course, I'm sorry this makes me so angry.”
He smiled. “I knew it would. That’s why I told you right away.”
“I promise not to say anything until you're ready for me to, but promise you'll give me a heads up so I can have my office prepared for the shit storm that will follow.”
“You know I will, baby.” He picked up both of her hands. “Darci, I don't want this to come between us or ruin the progress we've made. I like where we are and where we are going.”
She smiled brightly at him. “I do too. I promise you can still chase me.” When she winked, he felt a huge weight lift from his shoulders.
“Baby girl, I think you and I both know I’ve already caught you.” His grip on her fingers tightened, and gave her a pointed look, hoping to communicate with no uncertainty that she belonged to him.
“Maybe,” she said with playfulness in her voice.
“Maybe?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “You won’t be saying that when you find yourself across my knee later tonight.” The way she squirmed in her seat brought him satisfaction that would hopefully get him through the rest of this terrible day.
Together, they walked out of the restaurant to meet her driver and security guards. Pulling her into an embrace at the vehicle, he spoke in her ear. “If you beat me home, I would like to find you naked on your knees when I get to the bedroom.”
A barely audible groan escaped her, and the shudder he felt ripple through her made him grin.
30
DARCI was angry again by the time she returned to her office.Who the hell does Atleigh think he is?The temptation to tell Jim about the senator’s plan was strong, but she had to remember her promise to Bradley. This really was infuriating. How could she be involved with a man who would support Sean Atleigh, a man who stood for everything she opposed? A man who was actively fighting against the work she was trying to do. And most importantly, a man who was using the murders of two friends for his political agenda.
The way she fit with Bradley was nearly perfect. How could she walk away now? Thoughts of his playful dominance at lunch had her squirming. She was stuck in a really tough place with an impossible choice to make.
The door to her office was locked and she had told Kimberly not to interrupt her unless it was an emergency. After a few minutes of letting herself fume, she took a deep breath and sat at her computer. She needed to research whether Atleigh had any chance of getting such a bill passed. Congress leaned conservative right now, but this was over the top. Since she couldn’t make any phone calls and ask point blank how other members of congress might vote on such a bill, she would have to investigate past legislation.
It took her all afternoon to sift through the research she compiled, but by the end of the day, she was feeling much better about it. Even if Atleigh did somehow get a bill like this to pass, the ACSL had a good chance of fighting it in court as an unconstitutional law.
At six that evening, she left her office to find Bradley waiting for her in the reception area. He was chatting with her security, and for a moment panic flooded her. Had something happened? “Bradley,” she said trying to keep the fear out of her voice. “Is everything OK?”
When he saw her, a slow grin stretched across his face. “Yes, baby. Everything is fine. I was going to wait for you at home, but I missed you, so I waited for you here instead.” He reached for her hand, and she went to him.
Despite her frustrations, she enjoyed his touch, and he was looking damn sexy with his tie loosened and his shirt sleeves rolled up. God, those arms were spectacular.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you panic. I just wanted to surprise you and make sure you weren’t pissed at me after lunch today.” With a wink, he pulled her to him for a quick kiss.
Wanting to be honest, she said, “I was pretty pissed for a little while today, but I think I’m calmer now. I still don’t like your boss but damn it, I like you so I can’t stay mad.”
“Good. Let’s get out of here and get some dinner. I’ve got plans for you tonight baby girl.”
They picked up a pizza on the way home. While the security team swept the apartment, Bradley pulled Darci close to him while he held the food in his other hand.
When he nuzzled her neck, she groaned and he whispered in her ear, “I have some work to do after we eat. I would still like to find you naked in the bedroom when I get done.” Before she could respond with a ‘Yes, Sir,’ the security team came back, so she nodded and winked instead.
He kissed her temple, and they walked into his apartment. They sat at the bar in the kitchen and dined on pizza and wine. Bradley didn’t bring up his boss, and Darci was glad for it. She didn’t want that man to come between them, but she had a gut feeling that at some point he would. There was no sense in it being tonight. Not when Bradley had promised to do wicked delicious things to her after dinner.
When they finished their meal, he gave her a gentle kiss and told her he had an hour or so of work to get done. He didn’t remind her of his earlier request, and Darci knew he expected her to remember.
She cleaned up their dinner dishes and walked to the bedroom. Bradley would still be in his office for a bit, so she had time for a shower. She clipped her hair to keep it from getting wet and turned the water on. She took her time, washing everywhere with her favorite lemon-ginger body wash and taking a few minutes to shave everything.
Once she stepped out and dried off with one of Bradley’s dark fluffy towels, she sat on his bed and put lotion on her legs. Not bothering with clothes, she deposited the outfit she’d stripped off into the hamper. Bradley would likely only be another ten minutes.
Back in the bedroom, she looked around wondering where he might want her to wait. She figured she couldn’t go wrong with kneeling on the floor at the foot of the bed so that’s what she did. She hoped it would please him. A low hum came from the doorway to the bedroom a moment later, and Darci looked up. Bradley leaned against the door frame watching her. His eyes were dark and intense and said without words that he was pleased.
