The Gargoyle from General Management (Claws & Cubicles, #3)

by Kate Prior

I try to shrug off the dip in my enthusiasm with a show of confidence I don’t feel. “You should just give me my gold sticker now.” “You think you deserve a gold sticker,” he says, clearly amused at my boldness. “Yeah, I did my homework and everything.” He leans back and the motion makes me want to crawl across the table to straddle his lap. “I think I need to see a little more from you.” I bite my teeth on “I can show you my tits.” That’s not what he’s asking for. All the feelings I still have yet to neatly sort out in therapy roil in my stomach, sending heat up my spine. We just got back to a place of friendship, and now my body is ready to drive me into ruining it again. I have to remind myself that we haven’t broken any rules yet, and we shouldn’t. After today’s corporate shenanigans, his attention on me hits a nerve that feels like it's directly connected to my clit. I need it like I need my vibrator right now. What’s worse, I think he knows the idea of the sticker strokes an itch in my psyche that hasn’t been scratched in a long, long time. “My impromptu song and dance doesn’t do it for you?” I recognize the look he has, it’s the same as right before I kissed him in the bar. His amber eyes flicker in the candlelight, and darken as he takes me in. The breath stalls in my chest as my heartbeat stutters. His eyes linger over me, in a way I'm not prepared for. “I’d like you to show me how far the need for a little, shiny sticker goes.”