Running Wild

Excerpt from: Running Wild

“It’s quite beautiful, isn’t it?”

Tomas Flint’s deep, husky voice drew Alexa’s attention away from the window, where she’d been looking out at the huge old oak tree that stood outside his prestigious London office. Tomas sat at his desk, working his way through the stack of contracts she had brought for him to sign, but he glanced up as he spoke, awaiting her response.

She smiled over at him, self-consciously adjusting the lapel on her smart business suit as she responded. “It is. Is it an oak?”

“Indeed it is. I moved the company here because of the tree, if you can believe that?” He fixed her with an inquisitive glance, the question lingering in his riveting grey eyes.

“Yes, I can.” It was just the sort of eccentric choice she thought he might make. An exceptionally canny businessman, Tomas also had a mysterious side to him that intrigued her. “Here in the city it’s such a joy to see. Especially now, in the summer,” she added.

She turned back to the view, because his direct stare made her self-conscious. She always felt self-aware when she came to Tomas’ office, but on the rare occasions he talked about something other than their work connection—like now—her self-awareness heightened dramatically. Two years she’d been his solicitor of choice, vetting contracts for him, and for two years she’d been attracted to the man. Whilst he signed the paperwork for his company acquisitions, contracts she had checked over in infinite detail on his behalf, she wandered over to the window in order to distract herself from the arousal she felt in his presence.

“Yes, it’s an oak. Said to be almost two hundred years old. And I would like to see you tied to it, naked and blindfolded.”

At first she thought she’d imagined it. Tensing, she kept her attention on the tree for a split-second longer, before glancing back at him. He was looking down at the desk again.

I must have imagined it. He couldn’t possibly have said what she thought he said. No, he is busy dealing with the papers. Even so, curiosity tugged at her. “I’m sorry, did you say something? I didn’t quite catch—”

He put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and looked at her. “I said I’d like to see you naked and blindfolded, and tied to the tree.”

Alexa’s pulse raced unevenly as she tried to grasp whether she was in fact dreaming this, or if he’d actually said what she thought he’d said. Twice. Right out of the blue. She’d worked for him all this time, and she thought she’d sensed him being interested in her, but he’d never said anything so blatant—or downright kinky—before. The secrets held at the back of his eyes had always fascinated her. The way his mouth lifted at one corner when he smiled made her ache to know more about him. Now, some barrier had been breached, because he’d decided it was time.

On her previous visit to his office he’d casually asked her to attend a function straight after their appointment, a corporate cocktail party. “Come as a colleague,” he’d said, “no strings.”

That’s exactly what happened. Alexa felt a little disappointed that it hadn’t evolved into something else, but being around him made her sure of one thing—he was a powerful, enigmatic man, and she wanted him, badly. Tomas Flint wasn’t the sort of man you could easily flirt with, though. Everything had to be on his terms, and he always had command of the situation. Whilst that appealed to her immensely, there were times when it drove her crazy. That night he’d observed her interacting with others, and no more, during the cocktail party. His gaze was hot and suggestive. Anticipation built to fever pitch inside her. She had hoped he’d make a move, but he didn’t. He instructed a driver to take her home. Alone. Today she’d been even more self-aware than usual in his office. Even so, the last thing in the world she expected was for him to say what he had just said.

He rose from his desk and strolled over to join her at the window, his posture and attitude that of the stalking lion—limber, sure of himself, and yet somehow understated. His presence could change the atmosphere of a room just by virtue of him being there. Those grey eyes never missed a thing, and he was known as ’the hunter’ in business circles. She’d always assumed it was due to his knack of sourcing growth opportunities in the field, but the way he moved now suggested his nickname was more appropriate than she had realised. Tomas had an underlying edge to him, and as he prowled over to her she knew for sure his neatly cropped black hair and expensive suits covered an animal of a different sort. She felt somehow cornered, except being trapped was right where she wanted to be. In the pit of her belly, a nagging ache had taken hold.