***
Louis sat staring across the hall feeling morose as he stared at Marian Cuvier. Silk-wrapped and smelling of lilacs, the woman with her stubborn will of iron had entrenched herself in Jean’s office these last weeks. Nothing seemed to bother her enough to send her running home and losing this battle between them was maddening.
He hated losing any battle.
Worse, little-by-little Marian seemed to be charming and winning over the men who ran Cuvier Shipping. Slowly she had managed to break down their resistance and he could see subtle changes in their attitudes and even in their language. He hadn’t heard a swear word ring out in the office in over a week.
At first he scoffed at her attempts to bribe the men with fresh baked goods each morning. They were smarter than to let their stomachs lead their minds. Now he was considering donning an apron and bringing in a full-course meal, just to show them they were being bought off.
But then this morning as he walked in, he’d overheard a conversation between Marian and Henry. She’d been talking to him about his wife and children. She’d called his wife by name. Until that moment, Louis hadn’t even known his accountant was married!
And that wouldn’t have been so surprising, but he’d overheard her do the same thing with the new man, Sean. Maybe it was coincidence that she knew Henry’s wife’s name, but with Sean the only way she could have known anything about his family was if she’d asked.
She was getting to know the employees, finding out about their personal lives, even going so far as to bring a baby gift to Joe, a new father in the office.
Hell, he didn’t know half the employees’ first names, let alone who their wives and children were. Like a politician running for office, her campaign to undermine him and make him look bad was working!
Then there had been her frequent diggings through the files, doing research, or so she claimed. He had nothing to hide, just the same her investigations were driving him crazy. What could she be looking for?
For the thirtieth time that day he caught himself staring across the way at her. Past five o’clock on a Thursday afternoon, only a few employees remained. Marian sat sifting through some papers.
Sitting across from her, staring at all that dark hair twisted up off her graceful long neck, imagining what she looked like beneath the black gown that encased her body, and wanting to dispel the sadness he sometimes saw reflected in her gray eyes, was making him uneasy. How could he work with her for the next few months, until he sold the business?
Maybe he could scare her away. What would a woman like Marian be afraid of? Somehow he had to convince her to stay home or he would take advantage of that cherry red mouth. The realization caused him to smile at how easy the answer seemed. There was one thing he’d wanted to do almost since the day he first met her, and it would certainly send her running. Suddenly he stood, unable to wait any longer.
Louis strode across the hallway, his steps sure and even, until he found himself standing in front of her desk.
”You’re still here. Why?” he asked.
She glanced up at him, her face an innocent mask. “I was just trying to finish up the last of the ledgers I’ve been going through. Very interesting what our customers transport on our boats.”
He shrugged and then leaned across the desk. “Marian, I need to talk to you.”
“Can it wait until tomorrow?”
“No. It must be now,” he demanded.
“Okay, let me just finish this ledger and put it back.”
He reached across the desk and shut it for her. “Now!”
She gazed up at him, her eyes widening at his urgency. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
Louis placed his hands on her desk, gripping it and leaned in closer to her. “You are a gorgeous woman working in a man’s business. For the last three weeks, I’ve sat across from you and tried my damnedest not to show that I notice how beautiful you are. How your lips beckon me every time you flick your tongue across them. I’ve tried to deny how I feel, but I can’t do it anymore.”
Her eyes widened and she leaned back away from him.
Louis stepped around the desk, took her chair and whirled her around to face him. He grasped her forearms and roughly pulled her to her feet and toward him until she stood just inches away. Her lips glistened, tempting him not to hesitate, but to do the deed.
“Really, Louis, I’m not falling for this ridiculous attempt to persuade me not to come back,” she said, her voice breathy and tremulous.
He smiled. “Good, because this is not an attempt, Marian. This is for real.”
He’d only meant to scare her away, but when she called his bluff, he reacted by covering her mouth with his.
Yet the moment he planted his mouth over hers, all thoughts of frightening her disappeared. The sensation of her mouth pressed against his, her breasts crushed against his chest, sent delight spreading through him. Right where he hadn’t anticipated feeling anything for Marian Cuvier.
He sampled her warm, soft lips, suddenly intent on exploring this surprising new sensation. She didn’t resist him as his tongue began a careful exploration of the fullness of her lips. The sweet taste of her mouth left him craving for more than just the taste of her. And as the reason for the kiss vanished from his mind, he was tempted to further his study of her mouth as he savored Marian.
She sighed the sound deep in the back of her throat, just before she pushed him away. She leaned away from him, her eyes wide with dismay as she covered her mouth with her hand.
“Oh,” she gasped.
Then before Louis could recover from the kiss and gather his wits about him, she grabbed her reticule.
“I... I must go. Edward ... is waiting,” she said, her voice breaking up.
“Marian,” he called, still a little stunned by the impact of her kiss.
“I ... Goodbye!” she said, and ran out the door.
Louis stood there, shocked. What just happened? He’d kissed her, but somehow something more than just the pressure of their lips had taken place. Marian’s response confused him, but even more his own reaction shocked him. He liked kissing Marian. He liked it so much he wanted to do it again. But Marian was his business partner, not someone you wanted to play with and then send away.
A heavy sigh escaped him. Maybe kissing the widow wasn’t such a good idea after all. Maybe she just reversed the situation and he should be the one running scared.