Rush

phone call just now, I’m wondering
     how accurate their speculation was.”
    “I am fucking you,” he said matter-of-factly. “That’s not going to change. And they
     don’t know for sure. We already discussed this. They’ll think what they want to think
     and we can’t change that. I’m damn sure not going to go out of my way to dissuade
     them of that notion because if they have their minds made up, nothing you or I do
     will change that. I don’t give a fuck what they think. But they will be respectful
     of you and if I hear anything or if anything is said directly to you, I’ll terminate
     the person responsible immediately.”
    There wasn’t much left to say about that.
    She purposely left off the part about the person breaking into his office, although
     she felt a twinge of guilt. Shouldn’t he know that his personal life was being rummaged
     through? For that matter, shouldn’t he know that this contract issue was now public—or
     at least office—knowledge?
    The whole thing made her uncomfortable. Her loyalty was to Gabe. She didn’t know those
     other women. She owed them nothing. If Gabe found out she knew and hadn’t told him,
     he would be furious.
    She sighed, hating the position she was in.
    “What’s wrong?” Gabe demanded.
    She glanced up guiltily and then let out yet another sigh. “There’s something you
     should know, Gabe.”
    “I’m listening.”
    “That wasn’t all that was said in the bathroom today.”
    His frown intensified.
    “There was a group of women, so no, I don’t know who they are. I wouldn’t have a clue.
     But they were discussing your…contract. There was speculation and then one of the
     women spoke up and confirmed that she’d seen the contract so she knew it was real.”
    “How the hell would she know something like that?”
    It was clear Gabe didn’t believe her, and he was going to be seriously pissed when
     she told him how the woman knew. She just hoped it didn’t ruin the entire evening,
     because dealing with a pissed-off, brooding Gabe wasn’t on her list of top ten favorite
     ways to spend the night.
    “She says she broke into your office—picked the lock—because she was curious, and
     she went through your desk.”
    “What the fuck?”
    The sound was explosive in the car, and she flinched at the whipcord lash of his voice.
    “Let me get this straight. She says she picked the lock to my office and went through
     my desk because she was curious whether gossip about my personal life was true?”
    The fury in his voice made her wary. He was seething, his entire body bristling with
     anger.
    “That’s what she said,” Mia said in a low voice.
    “I’m going to address this tomorrow. If I have to fire every single employee, I’ll
     do it. I refuse to have people I can’t trust working for me.”
    Mia closed her eyes. This was the last thing she wanted to happen. All she wanted
     was for Gabe to be aware so he could be more careful. Maybe even consider
not
housing personal, damning information in his office.
    And then Gabe’s hand closed around hers, squeezing reassuringly. “You don’t have to
     worry, Mia. You said they had no knowledge of your presence in the bathroom. She won’t
     know you told me. She’ll think one of her officemates betrayed her.”
    “It still doesn’t bring me any comfort knowing I’m responsible for someone losing
     their job,” she said quietly.
    “You’re too softhearted, Mia. If she betrayed me in such a fashion, she doesn’t deserve
     to work under me. I don’t tolerate disloyalty of any kind.”
    Mia supposed that was true, but she wished it wasn’t her who’d had to tell Gabe.
    The car pulled to a stop outside Gabe’s apartment building, and they got out. Gabe
     retrieved her boxes from the store and they headed up to his apartment.
    As soon as they were inside his door, he tossed down the boxes and herded Mia into
     the living room and onto the plush, thick lambskin rug.
    “On your knees,” he said brusquely.
    Disconcerted, she did as he ordered, sliding to her knees on the soft rug.
    He began to unfasten his slacks, opening the fly and pulling out his semi-erect cock.
     He stroked, up and down, watching her all the while, his eyes fastened greedily on
     her mouth.
    She watched in fascination as his erection stiffened and became engorged, rigidly
     hard and long. His hand over the length, pleasuring himself, was beautiful and erotic.
     The bite of anticipation was sharp in the