The Mistletoe Mistake

THE MISTLETOE MISTAKE Blind Date After Dark 3

Lara Santiago

EROTIC ROMANCE

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ABOUT THE E-BOOK VERSION: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to one LEGAL copy for your own personal use. It is ILLEGAL to send your copy to someone who did not pay for it. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. THE MISTLETOE MISTAKE Copyright © 2008 by Lara Santiago E-book ISBN: 1-60601-251-7 First E-book Publication: December 2008 Cover design by Jinger Heaston All cover art and logo copyright © 2008 by Siren Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. Printed in the U.S.A. PUBLISHER Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

DEDICATION This book is dedicated with much love and appreciation to Kristen Painter. She came up with the awesome title, The Mistletoe Mistake, and promptly twisted my arm until I agreed to use it. Thanks, K! Lara

THE MISTLETOE MISTAKE Blind Date After Dark 3 LARA SANTIAGO Copyright © 2008

Erica Porter achieved her most fervent Christmas wish three weeks early. It came in the form of a job offer from Thorne Industries. Seated in the comfortable Thorne Industries Human Resources office dripping with holiday cheer from every surface, nook, and cranny of the room, Erica released a satisfied breath of relief and quickly signed the ironclad contract for employment. The grandmotherly head of TI’s HR department, Mrs. Springdale, smiled serenely as Erica penned her name on three separate lines of three different pages making her their newest assistant account manager. At least she’d manage accounts after issuing a two-week notice to her current employer. “Don’t you just love Christmastime?” Mrs. Springdale asked in a voice only slightly louder than the dancing Santa singing Dashing through the Snow on the crowded shelf beside them. Erica nodded and smiled. “I do.” It was the truth. Erica loved Christmas, especially right now. In fact, with this new job opportunity and surrounded by the hard core holiday joy of Mrs. Springdale’s office, Erica was hard pressed not to feel just a little bit extra festive as she accepted employment for her dream job. Erica wasn’t usually so emotional during this time of seasonal joy, but getting this job and more importantly, being able to quit working for Hearten Sales Corporation was grounds for the sappy elation bursting exuberantly through her body. “And that just about does it.” Mrs. Springdale slid her signed contract into a manila file after handing Erica a copy making it official. She had a

6

Lara Santiago

new job. “I think you’ll really enjoy working here, Miss Porter.” “Thank you, Mrs. Springdale. I can’t wait to get started.” “We’ll see you bright and early at 7:30 in the morning two weeks from Monday.” Mrs. Springdale stood and extended a bejeweled hand sporting more Christmas cheer on her wrist. Several gold Christmas tree bangle bracelets slid down her arm toward the matching ring showcasing emeralds in the shape of a tree with diamond, sapphire, and ruby “lights” sprinkled within the green stones. “Great. I’ll be here.” “Are you sure you don’t want to start the week after, dear? No one would think less of you if you wanted to begin after the big Christmas weekend.” “Oh, no. I’d like to get started as soon as possible. Thank you, though.” “Well, the day you start is also the TI annual holiday celebration. We ask that all employees plan to attend.” “That would be lovely. I’d be delighted to attend.” Erica figured a celebration on her first day was definitely not a crappy way to start a new job. Mrs. Springdale led her through the offices toward the elevators. “Mr. Thorne, TI’s founder, will be back from his trip overseas to attend late in the afternoon or early evening. I’ll be sure to introduce you. Mr. Thorne likes to meet the new employees on their first day, if at all possible.” Erica had never seen even a picture of the publicity shy Trenton Thorne but had read about him once or twice. His business prowess was legendary and in the past ten years, TI had grown largely due to the efforts of Mr. Thorne and his strategic ideas for growth. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Springdale.” Exiting the elevators, she was through the front door of the building housing the TI offices. With a spring in her step, Erica headed to her car. Once inside, she indulged her excitement by tilting her head back, opening her mouth, and screaming at the top of her lungs in glee. Glancing at her watch, Erica released a breath noting she had plenty of time to get back to her desk at Hearten. Once there, she would print out her resignation, give it to her idiotic boss, and dodge the satanic looks he’d give her over the next two weeks

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

7

before she departed for good. Another spasm of self-satisfied elation bloomed in her chest at the thought of Barry’s expression when she quit. Likely, he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of knowing how much her exit would hurt him professionally. In her humble opinion, he was screwed with her abrupt departure, but five years was as much as she was willing to give to a prick who’d stolen every one of her ideas to pass on as his own up the chain of management. When the opportunity became available at TI, Erica had gone through several tricky hoops to keep Barry from finding out she was applying for employment outside of the company. All the jobs she’d applied for internally at Hearten over the past couple of years had been quashed one way or another by Barry and his endless list of “friends” owing him favors across the corporation. It became clear to her that since Barry wasn’t moving up, she wouldn’t be afforded the opportunity to either. Thorne Industries and her brand spanking new position there were the answers to all her career dreams. **** Erica’s first day at Thorne Industries was the best she’d ever spent in a work environment. Even though she’d filled out what seemed like five hundred pieces of paper to be officially inducted into the employee ranks, she did get a new office in the form of a large cubicle, complete with very nice office furniture. The supervisor she’d been assigned, Mrs. Baxter, left the Friday before on an extended holiday vacation and celebration of her twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, so Erica was on her own for the duration of the holidays. Even all alone, she’d met several peers in her department and so far, they all seemed genuinely happy to help her out and get her started on the right track. Erica kept herself busy with a few assigned tasks throughout the day. Later on when Chrissy, the woman in the next cubical, needed to leave early to attend her son’s holiday play, Erica volunteered to finish making copies of the end of week fiscal reports. She also promised to distribute them to all the department heads before the holiday party commenced.

8

Lara Santiago

Report in hand, Erica made her way to the copy room to create her duplicates, and then she’d be on her way to the annual Christmas party. After several wrong turns, she finally strolled into the remotely located copy room at the far end of the floor. She was grateful to have found the right place at all. The first thing she noticed upon entering the copy room was the finest male ass she’d ever seen. It was attached to a man currently bent over reaching for a new ream of copy paper. Dressed in expensive charcoal slacks, the delectable behind she gaped at moved slightly when he straightened his torso. Half turning in her direction, he presented her with the full picture of his fabulous body. He was the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen. Her heart flipped over once in salute. The rest of his ensemble included a crisp, white shirt and an elegant tie, knotted Windsor style, skewed slightly at his neck. He twisted and raked a seriously intense gaze from her face to her shoes, then back to her face again. His powerful scrutiny made perspiration ooze from her pores and the now anxious space between her legs Seriously, she’d been alone way too long if the first guy she saw this evening made her mouth water. A piercing sapphire gaze, framed by dark, long, sexy black eyelashes, pierced her being. His delectable eyes narrowed. “Were you just staring at my ass?” Oh, yes indeed, I was! She tightened the grip on her sheaf of papers needing several collated copies, and stared directly into his sexy blue eyes. “How arrogant of you to think your ass is worthy of my attention.” Where did that smart assed remark come from? His bark of laughter caught her off guard. In fact, the whole aura of his presence caught her off guard. Holy sex god, Aunt Jemimah, this guy was the very definition of sizzling-hot man-butter dancing across a griddle. He studied her face intently. “You must be new here.” “Why do you say that?” She narrowed her field of vision. A smile curved his wickedly sensual mouth. The mouth she wanted to lick and kiss repeatedly. “You still have that fresh-faced zeal about you. Besides, I know everyone else employed by Thorne Industries is currently making merry holiday madness in the conference room. No one but a total newbie would be here eager to make copies of some dry-assed report before

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

9

attending. Plus your name badge is prominently displayed, Erica.” The smirk combined with self-satisfied knowledge shaped his expression. Drool threatened to erupt and spill like molten lava down the side of a volcano the moment he said her name. Sarcasm was really her only defense at this point. “Oh? So is that why you’re currently huddled over the Photo Copy Express 2000 like it’s your new best friend because you’re a brand new employee, as well?” She smiled and made a tsk, tsk noise. She searched in vain for his name badge to level the playing field but couldn’t locate it anywhere on his fine body. He was either not new enough to still be wearing his badge or possibly too important to wear one. He laughed but then glanced at the copier with such distain, she figured he was well and far out of his comfort zone with regard to the photocopier. Erica hid a superior smile. “I don’t believe you’re new at all. I might except for the jaded, overly superior, ‘been in my job too long and I’m way too important to do this copying crap’ aura that surrounds you like a shroud.” His new grin at her snarky statement said he enjoyed this verbal sparring. So did she. “Well, Miss Porter, I certainly hope you aren’t in a hurry. Seeing as how my best skills won’t be a factor in this process…I may be stationed here for quite a long while.” Ever so leisurely with exaggeratedly sluggish movements, he put the new ream of paper in the copier tray. Erica expelled a mock, very long, annoyed sigh and took a step closer. “Maybe I could help you out with this completely mundane task. At this rate, we’ll be here until the next millennium dawns.” He held a hand up. “Back off, newbie. It’s my turn and you’ll just have to wait until I’m finished before you can use this awesome and powerful machine.” He punctuated his statement by stroking the lid of the tray where his copies went. She allowed another long sigh to escape her lips, as if in total resignation, but wondered what his touch would feel like if he stroked her body so lovingly before rocking her world. The man was without a doubt the most attractive of the species that she’d noticed in ages. He was hypnotically masculine without being pretty, fairly tall, and the glossy sheen of his hair was very inviting. She wondered if it would be as silky as it

10

Lara Santiago

looked if she got enough nerve to slip her fingers through it. Whoa. To cool herself down from the salacious thoughts now taking root in her deprived brain, Erica pushed out another long rushing sigh of resignation, the speed of which could have started a hurricane in the Atlantic. It didn’t, however, make him go any faster. And after all, she was in a hurry to get to the party to make a good impression. Late did not make a good impression. Tick. Tick. Tick. She tapped the left toe of her uncomfortable high heels against the tile floor loud enough to be heard from outside the room. She then shifted to her right foot and tapped her that shoe against the surface in an even louder staccato. Tap. Tap. Tap. He ignored her with a huge smile plastered on his handsome face all the while going ever so slowly with his copying. Erica pretended not to notice the dimples denting his cheeks or the made-for-kissing, to-die-for sensual mouth he’d been blessed with. Instead, she huffed. She puffed. She silently swore that if he made her late to the party, she’d find out who he was and blow his house down. “…slipping his wide cock into her warm needy mouth, she sucked until she heard his appreciative growl at her impromptu blowjob…” The phrase of a book she’d been reading last night, before bed, skittered across her brain with the word “blowjob” and made another gush of moisture shoot into her panties. Her eyes snapped shut to keep from checking out Mr. Windsor Tie’s package. She absolutely did not need to know how big his cock was, did she? No! Absolutely not. “Falling asleep already, newbie?” Her eyes popped back open in time to see him check his gold wristwatch and shake his head as if regretful. “It’s only five o’clock. How are you ever going to last for all the late nights coming your way? “I’m not sleeping. I’m simply reserving my strength until you are finally finished.” “Oh? And what are you going to do with all that stored up power once I’m done?” “I’m going to be working late every night to prove how valuable I am to this company.” She smiled sweetly like the suck up she wished she could be but wasn’t. If hard work didn’t impress her new boss, then she was screwed. His only response was an inelegant snort and a few mumbled words she

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

11

didn’t catch. The gorgeous stranger didn’t say anything else and when he finished making his copies, he stepped back, bent at the waist in a formal bow and gestured to the copy machine like a game show beauty presenting a new car. “It’s all yours, newbie. Try not to break it.” “I’ll do my level best.” She walked past him, and the mild breeze carried the scent of his fuck-me-like-you-want-it cologne. The aroma of which made her want to strip naked and re-create the scene in last night’s erotic romance that took place after the blowjob. Erica studied the entry pad of the elaborate and complicated-looking copier to make sure it was like the machine at her last work place while she waited for the door to open and Mr. Sexy to leave her alone. After several long seconds, she looked past one shoulder to see he stood where she had moments before with arms crossed and foot tapping. “Go away. It’s my turn.” “I don’t think so, newbie. You watched every move I made during my turn at the Photo Copy Express 2000. The least I can do is return the favor.” Erica didn’t trust her voice for a moment. He wasn’t really going to stay and watch her, was he? She didn’t think she’d be able to repeat her name with any matter of proficiency if he inspected her every move. “I repeat, go away.” “Nope. I just can’t do it.” “Why not?” His rugged wide shoulders lifted a fraction of an inch. “What if you need help? Everyone else is at the party. What kind of person would I be if I just left you here all alone and defenseless?” “I’m quite capable.” His gaze zeroed in on her mouth. “I have no doubt.” “Then go away.” He laughed and stayed where he was shaking his head to her utter dismay. “Fine. I’m just going to ignore you.” Was that the most childish reply she could utter? He stopped laughing and put a big grin on his face but didn’t budge an inch. Erica rolled her eyes even as she admitted to herself he was likely the

12

Lara Santiago

sexiest man she’d seen in literally years. She wished she couldn’t smell his decadently sexy cologne wafting across the space. Her libido took that moment to remind her she’d gone without the comfort of a man for over a year. And that last hurried encounter hadn’t even been worth the energy to remove her clothing. Climbing the career ladder in her last place of employment left little time for a personal life. With the move to this more family friendly company, she hoped to at least forego working weekends. Glancing over her shoulder, Erica realized if she had a free weekend coming up, she’d love to spend it with Mr. Yummy Britches, but most assuredly didn’t want to start an office romance. They rarely ended well. She completed the copy making process of her reports in record time, including collating and stapling functions without setting the copier on fire. Resisting the urge to cry, “Hallelujah,” at her mastery of the Photo Copy Express 2000, she collected her reports, stacking them neatly on the machine one by one. Time to go and get these distributed before she did something inappropriate with her new office tormentor. She turned and walked toward him and the door until she faced his chest. He remained in place. “Are you going to move out of my way?” “Nope. I just can’t do that yet.” When she tried to duck around him, he caught her around the waist and gently nudged her back to where she’d been. His hand scorched a spot on her torso all the way through her blouse and had her heart pounding like a jackhammer on speed. “Okay, I’ll bite. Why can’t you move out of my way and why can’t I pass?” She expected any number of cheesy come on lines and hoped he didn’t try any comments dealing with astrophysical signs of the stars. She was more grounded. He grinned and pointed above them. Tilting her head, she saw the sprig of mistletoe dangling directly above them like a taunting bully egging her into doing something she didn’t think she should dare allow. No matter how badly she wanted it. Pretending she didn’t want to blister his mouth with a kiss and knock his patterned tie over his head, she rolled her eyes in mock disgust. “I don’t

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

13

believe in kissing under mistletoe. I don’t care what Scandinavian legend says.” “Well, I do. And I have more seniority here than you do. Pucker up, newbie.” “Says you. Besides, even if you aren’t as new as I am, you probably put it there yourself and waited for a poor, hapless employee to plummet into your holiday smooch trap.” “Did not!” He leaned his head closer. Oh, God. He smelled so incredible. Like sex and sin and… do not kiss him. “Still, I’m not falling for it.” Erica swallowed hard. She was so falling for it…hard and fast. He murmured, “I don’t believe you. Now let’s kiss. Make it good or we’ll have to do it again to appease the Scandinavian mistletoe gods.” The whisper of his words across her lips made something snap inside. She wanted to kiss him more than anything else in the world. Clutching the reports tighter, she slung her free arm around his neck and pulled him just a little closer. His eyes widened as if he hadn’t really expected her to go through with it. Just one little kiss would be okay. It was mistletoe after all. Her eyes drifted closed and she pushed her mouth right into his for a sinful holiday treat. She was due after such a long time without any romance in her life. The instant their mouths touched, Erica burned with the need to taste him. Pushing her parted lips against his, Erica licked him with a hunger she didn’t know she possessed. His fingers cupped the back of her head and grasped through the tendrils of her hair for a closer connection. His tongue delved artfully between her lips to search and explore every surface. He tasted like all things decadent and delicious with a decidedly wicked tang of bad boy characteristics thrown in for kicks. He exuded the very essence of the passionate life she’d given up for the sake of her career. This reward was a very long time in the making. She was due for more. He shifted his lips sideways, licked deftly against her tongue and the feeling in her legs departed like water gushing through a broken dam. Erica wanted to taste, touch, smell, and bite him all at the same time unable to decide where to start. A throbbing pulse started in her clit, demanding immediate satisfaction. The carefully stacked report copies clutched in her hands slid sideways.

14

Lara Santiago

She broke the sinfully delicious kiss in the very nick of time to save her work. “You almost made me forget my new job. That’s not good.” He reached for the papers during her clumsy juggling act. The reports now sliding from her fingers in three different directions were in disarray. He grabbed them from her and slapped the sloppy mass on top of the copier along with the papers he held. Papers no longer between them, he clamped her in a bear hug, trapping her arms at her sides. A buzz of arousal ran up and down her spine, eventually centering in her core. “You’re right. That kiss wasn’t very good. Let’s try again, shall we?” Erica sucked in an angry breath. “It was too a good kiss!” His electric blue gaze fastened on her certainly petulant expression and a smile erupted across his lips. “Okay. I’ll admit the kiss had lots of potential, but it ended way too soon. Length is important, you know. Come on. Let’s try again.” That, she couldn’t argue with. His face drifted ever closer and those sumptuous lips of his landed on hers again as if the two of them were magnetically enhanced to bond for all eternity. Erica had never felt so utterly possessed, body and soul, by a single kiss. The throb in her clit accompanied the steady stream of moisture readying her pussy for what she wanted most. Sex. She missed sex so much and never more than in this instant. Not quick hurried sex but slow, languorous, multiple-orgasm sex. The kind of deep soul-satisfying sex that took hours and hours to accomplish properly. As if they had a life all their own, her hips pushed against his stiffening cock. She’d neglected to check out his package before, but the erection now denting her belly seemed very substantial. He returned the hip nudge affirming they likely wanted the exact same thing. Gratification. And soon. He danced her backward until her butt landed against a wall covered in fabric. She was so hot. If he placed his hand between her legs, she knew she’d climax at the mere idea of an imminent stroke from his finger. Erica looped one ankle behind his thigh, opening her legs against his thrusting hips. His cock grazed her mound but didn’t quite connect with her clit even when she curled her hips to meet him halfway. Her frustrated cry apparently got his attention because in the next second, his hand trailed

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

15

beneath her skirt and zeroed in on the drenched crotch of her panties. Stroking her once through the saturated fabric was marvelous but not quite the same as a bare finger to the ultra sensitive flesh. How many flicks of his finger would it take to get her hot center to spasm? Was that what he thought? He niggled his finger beneath the edge of her panties and the next stroke grazed the center of her clit bringing pulse pounding delight. With orgasm inducing potential, his single stroke sent her pulse into the red zone. Do it again. Oh, God, please touch me once more. She wiggled her impatient hips against his hand and was rewarded with another solid stroke across the pleasure center thrumming with a strident pent up need to release. Legs numb, arms tingling, breasts pressed solidly against his hard chest, Erica trembled on the precipice of an orgasm a year in the making. His tongue blazed a path in her mouth, adding to the urgency of the moment. The third stroke of his finger firmly over her clitoris sent her into oblivious rapture. She moaned over and over again into his warm, intoxicating mouth as the extraordinary climax sent waves of pleasure pounding from between her legs, across her body, and into her shaking limbs. She broke from his lips convinced she wouldn’t be able to breathe, kiss, and climax at the same time. Gasping and panting against his collar, she felt him trail kisses along her jaw. “Now that was a great kiss,” he whispered in her ear. Erica couldn’t respond with words, so she kissed his neck, accidentally leaving a small smudge of her light pink blush lipstick behind. He removed his fingers from her panties and rested his hand on her thigh beneath her skirt. Even as the orgasm pulsed through her veins, Erica was already contemplating the sex she wanted to have with this delectable man. She wanted his cock buried to her ribcage, thrusting forcefully until another climax rocked her being. Snaking a hand between their bodies, Erica wrapped her fingers around his impressive cock through the expensive fabric of his slacks. He moaned and ground his hips forward into her hand, so she squeezed his dick even tighter, eliciting another very promising sound. “You know what’s even better than kissing?” She punctuated her request by biting down on the tip of his earlobe and squeezed his cock in a

16

Lara Santiago

fisted grip. Pulling back to release her nibble, he nodded and started to smile but soon stopped. He closed his eyes and cursed under his breath. He reached down and pulled her hand from his very solid throbbing erection. The breath he expelled while doing so told her he didn’t want her to stop. “Why are you stopping me?” “I know you think I was hanging around in the copy room to accost you, but I wasn’t.” He inhaled deeply and released a long sigh. “And?” “I didn’t bring any protection. Didn’t think I needed it just to make copies.” The devastated expression on his face was palpable. “We could kiss again, but I don’t know that I’d be able to walk afterwards. I’d be willing to try it, though.” What? “Protection…oh!” She looked down as his swelled, throbbing cock tried to escape the confines of his pants and the unfairness of it hit her. No condom, no sex. Eyes closed, he seemed to be trying to catch his breath. She hadn’t felt this amazingly good in half a decade and decided quickly he deserved the same sensation. Erica fell to her knees on a mission to see to his pleasure. She unbuttoned and unfastened his belt and slacks before thinking too clearly, just wanting him to experience the same satisfaction still pulsing through her veins. “What are you…?” he stopped talking when she freed his cock from his boxers and slipped his shaft between her lips. Remembering her romance novel from the night before, and how happy the male character had been afterward, Erica endeavored to recreate the scene. She sucked his wide cock as deeply as it would go to the back of her throat, grasped the base of his shaft in one fisted hand, and slid the other to his delicious ass to hold him in place. Above her, she saw he’d braced one forearm against the wall and the other fastened at the back of her head. She didn’t have much maneuverability sandwiched between his legs and the wall but decided that worked in her favor. She rested the back of her head against the wall and pulled him into her mouth a few times until he picked up the rhythm, essentially fucking her mouth. As submissive as the position was Erica found the whole scene

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

17

incredibly sexy, wanton, and exciting. Erica had just established a comfortable rhythm when he groaned and his hips stopped thrusting. She moved her head forward and continued the rhythm. “Stop. Please stop,” came his mumbled voice from above. He pulled his hips backward an inch or so as a shudder ran through his body. She stopped sucking, and he pulled his cock from her mouth. From above her head, he groaned a little and then whispered, “That’s definitely as good as a kiss.” He swallowed hard. “But this isn’t a good place for such a luscious, private activity.” Erica might have latched on to his cock and sucked him deeply inside to ensure his ultimate gratification anyway, but the crackle of the loud speaker disrupted her good intentions. “Attention, employees. The annual holiday celebration for TI is well underway. For all you die-hard workers, leave your desks and come join the party down in the conference room to commemorate the season.” Erica gasped. What time was it? The clock on the wall registered nearly half past five o’clock. She was very late. She shouldn’t be kissing under the mistletoe, allowing unexpected orgasms or giving blowjobs in the copy room. Gathering her limited wits, she scrambled to a wobbly stand, lurched to the copier and grabbed all the papers from the surface, clutching them to her chest. “Wait,” he called. Erica heard rustling behind her, but she popped the door open and ran back through the maze of cubicles until she found the ladies’ bathroom near her office. Leaving the reports on the counter, she patted her face with a cool damp paper towel, straightened her clothing and cursed herself a thousand different ways for letting long, confined lust and a nice ass stray from her first day’s duties at this new job. Not to mention the atrocious recollection that she hadn’t even bothered to get his name. But he knew hers. She mashed her eyes shut in embarrassment. Stupid name badge. What had she done? And with whom had she done it? Too much pent-up sexual energy made her stupid after meeting a hot, sexy guy. A guy who would live in infamy in her dreams. And a guy she hoped desperately wasn’t someone she’d be forbidden to date in the future. Like a fellow employee.

18

Lara Santiago

**** Quentin Thorne zipped his pants, buckled his belt and fixed the disarray of his clothing as best as he could without the courtesy of a mirror. God in heaven, what had he just allowed to happen? The impending distraction of chasing one Miss Erica Porter lit his mind with endless possibilities of capture and reward. He cursed the powerful yet unbelievable draw to a woman he barely knew. But he wanted to know her. Reminding himself he didn’t believe in love at first sight, he tried convincingly not to cry out loud at the possibility of never seeing her again. How could he have allowed things to go so far? He was such a shit. The second she put her mouth on him, he should have disengaged and dragged her to his office upstairs for privacy. No. He should have stopped her sooner. The second she dropped to her knees, he should have dodged her mouth. He’d been so fucking shocked at her actions. The visual of his cock buried in her mouth made his dick throb with desire all the way to his hipbones. Her brief emerald gaze at his face before she looked away and sucked him into her warmth would be permanently inscribed in his memory. He recognized the power of their sudden attraction even before anything sexual transpired. He should have had more restraint. It also might have been a good time to tell her his name since it was emblazoned on the door to his business one floor above. The only thing calming him at the moment was the knowledge her name was Erica Porter, she worked for TI and consequently he’d be able to track her down. A sudden respect for name badges filtered through his brain, even though he loathed wearing them himself. He again cursed the other fact he hadn’t bothered to give her his name in return. He so often hid his identity on purpose, it had become second nature to not reveal it. There were too many women who still sought him out because of a singular interest in the size of his bank account. The minute Erica Porter opened the door to the copy room, he caught her scandalous, leering green gaze out of the corner of his eye. He’d been delighted she liked the sight of his ass. “How arrogant of you to assume your ass is worthy of my attention,”

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

19

she’d said without missing a beat when he’d called her on it. He smiled in memory of the first words he’d heard in that smart-assed, sexy-as-sin tone. His cock flared and he had to take a couple of breaths to get the beast in his pants to calm down. He’d wanted to kiss her before she finished her bombastic sentence. Intelligent, quick-witted, beautiful and a mouth that inspired men to do idiotic things. Quentin knew for a fact her mouth was worth every foolish thing he was about to do in the name of I-know-we-just-met-but-I-want-you-forever kind of sappy, romantic pursuit. Hand on the copier, gaze on the copy room door where she’d just disappeared, Quentin realized he needed to find her soon because she’d grabbed his original document as well as the duplicates he made along with her report copies. Glancing at his watch, he cursed the narrow window of time he had left to get that document ready for the overnight delivery service. The insurance document wasn’t even his personal paperwork. He was doing a favor for his executive vice president of sales, Bob Carson. And he’d promised to get the new insurance policy adding Bob’s new baby girl in the mail tonight. Quentin dearly hoped he wouldn’t have to explain to Trenton why he needed to track down his newest employee or what had distracted him in the first place from sending out this important document. Not to mention why he was down on Trenton’s floor using his copy equipment in the first place. Sending all of his employees home early after the annual holiday luncheon at his business, Quentin had added a surprise bonus for his employees’ hard work this year. Bob had started to follow him back to the building to take care of the insurance, but Quentin assured him he’d take care of it upon his return to work. He was planning to meet his brother after Trenton’s holiday party. Quentin straightened his tie and darted out of the copy room on a mission. He needed to find her. He’d explain he wasn’t stalking her, but just needed his important paperwork back. Maybe if he added a heart felt “please” along with his query, she’d agree to marry him or at least kiss him one more time. Desperately searching the nameplates perched on the top of each cubicle along the maze of this floor. He was lucky enough to find the cubicle of one

20

Lara Santiago

lovely Miss Erica Porter after about five minutes, but she wasn’t in her office. No one was around here at all. Turning in a circle, he realized he was completely alone. The party. Damn. Now he’d have to call Trenton and explain. He checked his watch again. If she came back to her cubical tonight, he’d leave her a note of where to find him and thereby avoid the caustic contact with his brother. Trenton would only give him shit, anyway. He probably deserved it for his actions. He even swore to the Scandinavian mistletoe gods that he’d make it right somehow. Quentin waited, impatiently pacing the small space for several minutes, and then left Erica a note. He pinned it to the back of her cloth-backed chair with a bent paper clip. Including his phone number and directions to his office on the next floor up, he added a snappy directive to make haste or face the anger of the Scandinavian mistletoe gods in the short note. The truth was, more than getting this important document on its merry way, Quentin wanted to see the lovely, sexy Miss Porter again as soon as possible. He also wanted the next scorching kiss they shared to be in a more private venue. **** Erica continued cursing the stupidity of her actions with a stranger as she placed slightly bent at the corner reports in the mail slots of all the department heads. At the bottom of the pile was an official looking insurance document complete with an indented seal at the bottom and two copies that weren’t hers. Oh, no. She’d picked up Mr. Yummy’s copies with her own. The name on the insurance form was for a policyholder with the name of Mr. Bob Carson. Bob Carson. Mr. Yummy didn’t look like a Bob Carson. She guessed that not everyone looked like their name. Erica thought that Mr. Yummy Britches suited him better than Bob Carson. She shrugged, forced herself not to read the private document any further, and put the form and copies in a large gold inter office envelope. She addressed the next open name block with “Bob Carson” and

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

21

resisted the urge to put a sticky note on it with her name and phone number. It was the first time since junior high school, she would have added a little heart dot above the letter “I” in her name. She pushed out a disgusted breath. She didn’t believe in love at first sight and pursuing someone at work was out of the question, anyway. Stop thinking about how beautiful he is. Now to convince her heart. She knew the next time she saw him, she’d likely turn fire engine red at the memory of his kiss…and everything else that had transpired in the copy room. Up to now, she’d been sort of hoping he was the copy repairman and not anyone associated with this company. Shoving the large envelope into the open box for tomorrow morning’s delivery, Erica smoothed her clothes for the umpteenth time and headed for the conference room and the annual holiday party wondering if Bob Carson would be attending the festivities and if she’d be able to keep her volatile emotions in check when she saw him again. The mere thought of those sexy dimples put a warm sensation square in her heart. She hurried her steps and entered the conference room exactly fifteen minutes after the announcement had been made reminding the workers to attend. Mrs. Springdale, the HR woman who hired her, was near the entrance and smiled as Erica skittered into the room slightly out of breath from jogging the last several yards. “You look so bright, Miss Porter. It’s as if you’re glowing.” She grabbed Erica’s elbow to lead her further into the loud room full of employees. “I knew you’d like working here.” You have no idea how much I like it. “Do you know a man named Bob Carson?” The question was out of Erica’s mouth before prudence could stop it. Mrs. Springdale searched the room for someone, but said distractedly, “Mr. Carson? Yes. I believe he works upstairs for…oh, there he is.” Upstairs? Erica thought Thorne Industries was only on this floor. Alert again after being thrown by the upstairs comment, Erica discreetly scanned the scads of employees for the man she’d kissed in the copy room but didn’t see him. A crowd had formed around someone up ahead and throngs of people milled around with cups of punch and various snacks.

22

Lara Santiago

Mrs. Springdale continued. “I wanted to make sure and introduce you to Mr. Thorne before he departs for the holiday season with his family.” “That would be lovely.” Erica had wanted to meet Trenton Thorne since she’d signed the contract to work for him over two weeks ago. The crowd parted as Mrs. Springdale headed for the center of laughing and jovial employees. “Mr. Thorne,” she called. A man with his back to them twisted around with a big dimpled smile on his gorgeous face. The air froze in Erica’s lungs. The arctic blue eyes, the soft dark hair, those dimples, those lips! It Mr. Yummy Britches and not Bob Carson at all. “Mr. Thorne I’d like to introduce you to Miss Porter. She’s our newest employee.” His gaze almost reached her eyes for a split second, but a voice from behind him said something she didn’t hear to which several people laughed and his attention was taken away momentarily. Erica started shaking and trying to get air into her uncooperative lungs. In two seconds, he was going to turn back and realize who she was. Mr. Thorne’s eyes crinkled in laughter and those beautiful dimples dented as his gaze flicked to her face again. He extended his hand that had brought her to a blistering climax less than half an hour before and said, “It’s great to meet you, Miss Porter. I’m sure you’ll be a tremendous asset to our company.” Interesting. He pretended not to know her. Erica had to admit she was a little let down by his easy dismissal. She guessed he wouldn’t mention their previous meeting in the copy room in this large group, but she expected at least a glimmer of personal recognition to light his eyes. Erica shook his hand woodenly, which didn’t elicit a single spark of feeling as the shock of his presence seeped out of her system. The man was the greatest actor she’d ever seen. She trembled from head to toes with the mere memory of him and he acted like they’d never kissed, touched, or tasted each other. Cool and collected, he turned away. “Erica Porter, I’d like you to meet my wife, Alicia Thorne.” The sensation of her stomach dropping to her feet was eclipsed only by the buzz of the words “my wife” reverberating over and over again in her

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

23

head. It was a wonder she remained on her feet. A dark-haired beauty stepped from behind him and reached out to take Erica’s hand. Where she found the serenity to keep from shouting, “You’re married?” at the top of her lungs, she didn’t know. Erica knew in that second she was utterly ruined even as she moved her clammy hand up and down in the pretense of civility. I had my tongue down your husband’s throat less than an hour ago, among other places. He’s a great kisser, don’t you think? Those and other inappropriate phrases tumbled around in her mind. Still, she remained silent amazingly enough. It was a feat of skill and daring that would not last long. Sending her gaze from Alicia Thorne to her husband, Trenton Yummy Britches, and then back again, Erica thought they looked striking together. The realization wounded her like the pain of a stiletto to her already aching heart. Having said nothing since Mrs. Springdale had introduced them, Erica released Alicia’s hand and took a long step back. Game over. Stick a fork in me, I’m done. She backed away from the crowd. They were all staring uncomfortably at her mute reaction to meeting the boss. Hello, everyone. Meet the new crazy employee. She almost “did” the boss in the copy room thirty minutes before the party. Erica ran to the nearest bathroom as tears welled up and dribbled over her lower lids. Love at first sight was cruel, especially when it involved the most impossible of relationships and she’d have to give up her dream job, too. **** Quentin paced in front of his desk. He expected one sassy Miss Erica Porter to arrive any second, and then he’d formally introduce himself. He didn’t care if she knew he had money right up front. He’d apologize for not introducing himself and explain why he’d been there. He called the courier and cancelled tonight’s insurance document pickup. He’d take the paper personally to the firm for Bob to ensure it was recorded in time. Well, he’d take it as soon as he lured Erica up to his office and

24

Lara Santiago

convinced her to see him again. After the nirvana of having her mouth on his cock, even so briefly, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to walk right again until he had an orgasm. It took several deep breaths, but he managed to limp up to his office without hurting himself after leaving her the note. He couldn’t wait until they were together again. And not for sex, although he wouldn’t turn that down if it were offered. He wasn’t a complete prick, but hadn’t proven that to her yet. He would though. Quentin wanted to talk to her, breath in the scent of her hair and learn every detail about her life. She was the first woman in the history of his life he’d had to persuade into kissing him under the mistletoe. A feat no one else outside of his family had accomplished. Erica Porter was likely his soul mate and the idea of love at first sight didn’t sound so ridiculous. The phone rang in his pocket signaling his brother was calling. Perhaps he’d take the opportunity to find out what Trent knew about his new employee. “Yes.” “What did you do to my new employee, Erica Porter?” “What?” Holy shit, how did he know already? “You heard me.” “Nothing, really. I just met her in one of your copy machine rooms.” And then I kissed her like I wanted to lick her tonsils, pushed her against a wall, stuck my hand down her panties, and made her climax. When I realized I didn’t have a condom, she dropped to her knees and sucked my cock for a minute, but then the announcement for the holiday party made her run from the room with both of our report copies. You know, nothing much. “And then what happened?” “We talked a bit. We made copies. And…” he didn’t want to admit the kiss quite yet. “And? Spill it, Quent.” “I persuaded her to kiss me under the mistletoe hanging in there.” He closed his eyes waiting for the ribbing he was sure to get from his only brother. “Let me get this straight. You willingly kissed a woman who was standing under mistletoe?”

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

25

Quentin sighed. “Yeah. I did.” “And did I hear correctly that you had to convince her to do this monumentally epic event? Who are you and what have you done with my brother?” “Shut it and tell me everything about her.” Quentin paced in front of his desk again ready to take careful mental notes on whatever information his brother had. “Well, we just met for the first time fifteen minutes ago and now she’s crying in the bathroom.” “Shit. That’s right, I forgot. She’s your new employee. When we met, she didn’t recognize me…or you. You know what I mean.” Trenton huffed. “I know you better get your ass down here and make this right.” “I will. Where is she?” “Alicia just followed her into the ladies’ bathroom near the conference room.” “You sent Alicia to find her? Thanks a lot.” Quentin put up with a lot of crap from Alicia regarding his lack of relationships or rather the lack of any seriousness in that part of his life. This one time, he didn’t want her to ruin his already shaky connection with Erica. “Imagine if you will, Erica meeting me, her new boss of one day, after kissing you in the copy room and then having me immediately introduce my wife to her. Do you get the full picture yet, or do I need to come up there to pop you in the head and rattle the one brain cell you have back to life?” Fuck. “Yeah, I get it. I’ll be down in a few minutes.” “Now.” “Right.” Folding the cellular phone in half, Quentin’s mind raced with what he’d say. He was a total shit. How would he be able to convince her to forgive him for what had to have been the worst shock of her life? Shaking his head, he wiped a hand down his face, resisting the urge to slap himself for such severe stupidity. The quiet knock at the door startled him. No one should be here, unless it was the cleaning crew. He’d deal with this surprise person and then do everything humanly possible to get Erica Porter to not hate his guts.

26

Lara Santiago ****

Erica straightened as soon as the door to the ladies room opened. Her heart stopped in her chest when she saw Trenton Thorne’s wife, Alicia, enter the doorway where she stood weeping by the sinks. “Hi, Miss Porter, I came to check up on you. You looked like you got the shock of your life back there.” Dueling with the guilt of the intimacies she’d shared with Trenton Thorne and thinking he was possibly a man she wanted a future with, and now having his wife come to comfort her was just about more than Erica wanted to handle at the moment. “I came to show you something that I think will cheer you up.” Nothing will ever cheer me up again. “Listen, I appreciate it, but I’ll be fine. I guess I was just nervous at meeting him…my…I mean…um…the boss for…uh…the very first time,” Stop talking, “ever.” Alicia smiled. “Take a look at this picture. I think you really need to see them together.” “Them?” “Yeah, Trenton has a twin brother. I think perhaps you met him first and didn’t realize there were two of them.” “Two of them?” “Shocking, isn’t it? Especially if you meet one and don’t realize who he is.” Erica squinted in disbelief at the photo of two men dressed identically staring at the camera. “I met him in the copy room. He didn’t tell me his name.” She stifled the giggle threatening to escape because she’d met a man who had an identical twin who was making duplicates in a copy room. There was probably some joke in that which currently eluded her. But the really laughable thing was that she’d embarrassed herself in front of her new boss and the entire company for no reason. She hadn’t kissed the boss. Hallelujah. Erica looked up into the amused expression of the woman who’d saved her from an intensive guilt trip that would have resulted in a resignation on her first day of work. “That sounds exactly like Quentin.”

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

27

“Quentin?” “Yep. So did I guess right? Did you meet Quentin, and then swallow your tongue when Trenton and I showed up at the party?” “I just can’t believe he has a twin brother.” Erica was in shock. “They really look exactly alike.” “Well, I can promise you that I’ve been no less than two steps away from Trenton for the past two hours. He never went into a copy room once in all that time. Only to the bathroom and that took four minutes.” “It was less than an hour ago. I thought his name was Bob Carson.” “Bob Carson is Quentin’s vice president in charge of sales. Did he tell you he was Bob Carson?” She crossed her arms and frowned. “That also sounds exactly like him.” “He didn’t say he was Bob. I just assumed because of what he was copying. I accidentally took his stuff with me when I ran…I mean left the copy room.” Alicia shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Well, he might as well have. He’s always worried about women finding out who he is and being more concerned over his money than what few charms he possesses. I always tell him to get over himself. I mean I didn’t marry Trenton for his money.” “Is Quentin married?” “No. He’s never even been engaged. To his point though, his last three serious girlfriends started whining about taking them to fancier places and buying nicer gifts the second they found out who he really was.” “Well, I don’t want to date the brother of the guy paying my salary, so it doesn’t really matter.” Alicia’s brows drew together. “It’s not like you did it on purpose, is it?” “No. But it won’t matter. If we became a couple, people will think I did. It’s better to just end it now and…” she swallowed hard, “not see him anymore.” A painful constriction in her chest forced her to draw in a sharp breath. “I just wish kissing him hadn’t been so…amazing.” “Oh. I don’t know about that. I kissed Quentin once, I didn’t think it was all that great.” Erica looked over and frowned. Why did it bother her that some other woman, a relative no less, had kissed him before she ever knew he existed? “Why did you kiss him?” She smiled and a reminiscent expression covered her face. Soon a

28

Lara Santiago

satisfied laugh came. “It’s a funny story, actually. The Christmas season always reminds me of it. You see, Quentin is notorious for despising mistletoe and the dreadful practice of being forced to kiss beneath it.” “Really.” I didn’t have any trouble. “Once, a long time ago, I caught him under a sprig at a charity event Trenton was sponsoring. One of his elderly aunts was in attendance and bullied him into kissing me. I think his poor aunt thought he was Trenton. It was the year right after Trenton and I got married. Quentin pecked my lips like being forced to do so under direction of a foolish custom was the most distasteful, reprehensible duty ever conceived of by man. He wiped his mouth when he was done. So I punched him in the breadbasket.” Erica’s mouth fell open. He’d been the one to insist they had to kiss. She said she didn’t believe in kissing under the mistletoe. Alicia laughed. “I believe I hold the record for being the only woman to do so.” “Not any more.” Pegging her with a sharp look, Alicia narrowed her gaze sporting a particularly skeptical slant. “What?” “Quentin kissed me under the mistletoe hanging in the copy room. He actually insisted when I told him I didn’t believe in foolish Scandinavian legends.” “He did not!” “He did too!” Alicia sucked in a sharp breath and laughed out loud. “You would not even believe the convoluted travels, ploys, difficulties, and lengths he’s gone to avoid being caught under mistletoe at annual holiday parties at friends’ houses.” She laughed again and hugged Erica close. “He must be delirious. And very attracted to you in order to overcome his phobia like this.” “Doesn’t matter. We can’t date.” “Sure you can. I’ve always said that the woman who could get Quentin to willingly kiss her under mistletoe would be his match. His mate in life.” “Do you have any other pictures of them together?” Erica changed the subject to avoid any discussion of a future with Quentin. She wasn’t sure there would ever be one. “Why? Do you need more proof?”

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

29

“Maybe.” Alicia rifled through her purse and produced a wallet after several moments. “Here.” She popped open a snap and several photos in an accordion style arrangement fell down about a foot. The first one showed two men who looked remarkably alike laughing in the middle of a tug of war over a football. “This is them graduating from college.” She pointed to a serious picture of the both of them perhaps ten or twelve years ago in cap and gowns holding rolled up parchment diplomas. Erica grabbed the wallet and twisted the pictures toward her. There was one of both men in tuxes and Alicia in a wedding dress. “This is me kissing Quentin for a staged shot for our wedding photos. Seriously, he just doesn’t do anything for me. Now Trenton, on the other hand, can make me want to strip naked with a morning peck on my cheek.” “If I were really destined to be his mate, wouldn’t I be able to tell them apart? Isn’t that like a rule or something?” “That’s only true in romance novels. I’ve mistaken the two of them before from a short distance away. It happened more before we got married. Now after being with Trenton for five years, I can tell. Like if Quentin tried to kiss me, I’d know the difference.” “Would he try?” Her peal of laughter was warming. “I doubt it. We get along okay, but we aren’t drawn to each other. “Tell the truth, when you shook Trenton’s hand a little while ago, did your heart skip a beat like you wanted to eat him alive?” Erica paused to sort through the horrible first meeting with her boss. “No. Not really.” “You were just freaked out because you thought you’d kissed the boss.” She nodded. “The ‘married’ boss.” “Luckily, you didn’t.” Erica realized it didn’t mean she could go out with Quentin. “It doesn’t matter what I feel. I just won’t date him.” “Why not?” “I’m not that woman.” Alicia threw her hands in the air. “What woman?” “The one who has an ‘in’ with the boss. The one who sleeps her way to

30

Lara Santiago

the top to get promoted.” “Oh, stop it. You aren’t sleeping your way to the top. For heaven’s sake, I’m married to the top of your chain of command. You can’t have my husband, however you can have his carbon copy, Quentin. As a matter of fact, I insist.” Erica shook her head. “It just wouldn’t be right.” Alicia sighed. “Are you absolutely sure?” “Yes.” “Then the least you can do is go tell him face to face that you aren’t going to further your relationship and why. He deserves to know the truth.” “You’re right.” Erica wished she could just send him a memo, but that would be a cowardly thing to do. “Do you know where he is?” “I’ll bet he’s in his office upstairs. Come on. I’ll show you, and then you’ll need to come back down to the party. Trenton will be concerned if he doesn’t get a chance to speak to you once more tonight.” Erica nodded and they left the bathroom. As they headed toward the exit stairs, she figured she needed to see Quentin once more to assure herself a twin existed. She also needed to speak with her boss once more to assure him she wasn’t a total idiot. The good news was that she didn’t have to quit her dream job after only one day. The bad news was she couldn’t see Quentin again after tonight in a romantic way. Her heart felt literally damaged with the realization. Along the way to head upstairs, Erica stopped by the mail room and quickly grabbed the gold inter-office memo envelope addressed to Quentin’s employee, Bob Carson. The least she could do was return the copy she’d accidentally taken. After they climbed the stairs, Alicia opened the stairwell door ahead of her and they entered a wide hallway. “See that brown six-panel door at the end of the hall?” Erica nodded. “That’s the back way into Quentin’s office.” She paused and put a hand on Erica’s shoulder. “Are you sure you want to break things off with him? You really don’t have to.” “Yes. I really do.” Resisting Quentin, even in the short term, would likely be the most difficult task she’d ever challenged herself to do. But not nearly as hard as

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

31

staying away from him forever. **** Quentin snapped the door open expecting a member of the night cleaning crew wanting to empty his trash, but instead Erica stood there with a gold inter-office memo envelope in her hands. He couldn’t speak for a moment wanting to hug her, kiss her and grab her close all at the same time. She inhaled deeply and on the slow exhale said, “I’m sorry. I grabbed your copies by mistake.” She extended a trembling hand with the envelope. “Here they are.” “Thank you.” He took the envelope. “My executive vice president will be delighted his new daughter can be added to his insurance policy on time.” A trembling smile graced her beautiful lips. “Good. I’m glad I didn’t ruin anything.” “You didn’t.” She pointed over her shoulder at the lonely hallway. “I need to get back to the party downstairs.” Quentin reached for her. “No. Wait. Please don’t go.” He put a hand on her shoulder and she tensed so tightly, he felt her go rigid at his touch. “Can we talk for a minute?” She looked over her shoulder, and then back into his eyes. “I guess so, for a few minutes. I need to go back and explain myself to…my new boss.” “No, you don’t. I spoke with him already. Please come inside.” He ushered her into his office and closed the door with a quiet rap. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you my name. I’m Quentin Thorne.” Stupid. Tell her how you feel. Eyes wide, she sent her gaze from his eyes to his shoulder. “I should have asked. I’m not usually so…um…forward with strangers and especially not in a work environment.” “I’m sorry you met Trent, my brother, and his wife directly after what happened in the copy room without knowing it wasn’t me.” She was currently studying his shirt collar. “I was foolish. I just noticed the lipstick I left on your collar when we…” Her sizzling gaze went straight to his eyes and a beautiful, pink blush stained her perfect cheeks. “You

32

Lara Santiago

know.” Quentin slid close and had his mouth on hers before she could talk him out of it. Likely, she wouldn’t have anyway. She grabbed him close and had her sweet tongue between his lips before he could demand she kiss him back. He broke the kiss to finish her previous statement in a whisper, “When heavenly things took place? Personally, I think we should go back to that copy room and kiss under the mistletoe every year from now on.” “No. Wait.” She pulled away and frowned. “The thing is, I didn’t come up here to…you know.” “Okay. We don’t have to…you know.” He grinned, but she didn’t smile in return. She crossed her arms and avoided his gaze. That did not bode well for his future plans involving a relationship. “Did you get my note?” “Note? What note?” “I left one in your cubicle.” Her eyes narrowed. “You found my cubicle?” Quentin tapped a finger on her name tag still clipped to her collar. “I knew your name from the start. I had to search around a little, but I found your office.” “Right.” She flattened a palm over her badge, nodded and searched his office floor as if to continually avoid any eye contact. “What did you come here for?” “To tell you face to face that we can’t see each other again.” He remembered she’d most recently been in the company of his sisterin-law Alicia. Had she discouraged Erica from his amorous intentions? “Really. Why not?” “I work for your brother. Today’s my first day. I gave up five years of seniority in a job I hated to work downstairs at his firm. I’m looking forward to it. I’d like to continue there.” “What does dating me have to do with working for my brother? I give you permission to work for him.” Her head tilted to one side slightly. “Trust me, I’m not looking for your permission.” “Then what’s the problem?” She arched her eyebrows. “Everyone would think I was getting special treatment. And what if we broke up?”

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

33

“We won’t.” “Says you. I have a lot to lose.” Quentin moved closer. “You have a lot to gain. Go out with me. You’ll see how we are meant to be together.” “Haven’t you been listening?” She twirled around and put her back to him. Quentin moved in and encircled his arms around her waist. “Yes. I just can’t hear anything clearly over the noise of my heart pounding when you’re this close.” Chin on her shoulder, he squeezed her and kissed the space below her ear. “Just let me go.” Her voice trembled. She didn’t mean it. Or perhaps he didn’t want her to mean it. “I don’t want to let you go. Give me a month to convince you that we have something special between us. I’ve never believed in love at first sight, but—” She broke in. “Then we have something in common. I definitely don’t believe in love at first sight.” “Would you be surprised to learn that I’ve changed my mind on the subject since the copy room? You should give it a try, and then if not a month, give me a week to convince you.” She sighed. “Please just let me go.” She pushed out of his gentle embrace and broke the connection of their bodies. Quentin’s mind raced with the audacious possibility that she didn’t have any feelings for him. It couldn’t be true. Time to show her his intentions. Perhaps he could seduce her into rethinking her “no dating” policy. “Let’s save any future relationship talk for later on. I have something else on my mind currently.” “Like what?” He pulled her backward into his arms, planted his lips on her neck in a tender persuasive kiss and whispered in her ear. **** “We have unfinished business, don’t you think?” Erica shivered as his breath caressed her neck. The memory of their short time in the copy room and the resulting

34

Lara Santiago

incomplete way it ended skated across her mind. Technically, she owed him, which wouldn’t persuade her, except that she wanted him so desperately. She had since the second she’d crossed the threshold of his office. The mere scent of him overpowered her inhibitions to the point she no longer had any. She needed to remain strong with regard to future dating, but the idea of consummating what they’d started in the copy room made her insides moisten and a gush of hot, wet arousal coated her panties. “What do you want to do?” He squeezed her tighter, brushed a kiss along the sensitive back of her neck. “You know.” “Right here?” “Yes. Both of the doors in this office have very secure locks. No one will bother us. Unless you want to go back to my apartment. And, of course, only if you’re interested.” Her body took the opportunity to shiver from head to toes at the prospect of further sexual adventures with him. “I’m interested.” “Excellent.” His whispered response aroused her even more. If she went back to his apartment, her iron will to make this relationship short lived would evaporate. Her head fell to his shoulder unable to remain upright with all the sexual possibilities swelling her brain. She wanted sex with him in the worst way. “But we can stay here.” She turned in his arms, hugged him close and kissed his chin. “It’s not like I don’t think you’re very attractive. I do.” She allowed a grin to form. “Especially your gorgeous butt. I’ll confess, it was the very first thing I noticed about you.” He laughed. “I knew it. You were staring at my ass in the copy room.” “Perhaps.” She shrugged and then got serious. “I’ll stay and complete our ‘unfinished business’ as long as you have some protection in here somewhere and most imperative is that you understand this is a one time deal.” He chuckled and squeezed her tight. “I do have protection. We can talk about everything else…afterward.” Ignoring the portion of his response about anything happening afterward, she relaxed a little and asked, “You have condoms here? Are they for all those brazen women who slither in here to seduce you in your office?”

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

35

“What makes you think women try to seduce me?” “Your delectable butt.” He pulled back, and stared deeply into her eyes with intense concentration. “No. I don’t seduce women here or allow them to seduce me. The truth is that on my last birthday, a basket was left on my desk with a box of condoms and the suggestion I go get laid to have a better attitude at work.” “Do you often have a poor attitude at work?” He shrugged. “I think it was a joke, but I’m apparently persnickety when I’m not getting any.” “And has it been a long time?” “Endless, it seems like.” “I guess we’ll have to change that tonight, won’t we?” “I’d truly love to and yet I don’t want you to think this is required.” “Oh, no. Trust me, I’m here for my own satisfaction. What we started in the copy room was amazing. I’d love to finish up. Where is your protection?” His pupils got larger as she watched. “They’re in my desk.” He released her slowly and strolled to his desk. She watched his delicious butt all the way across the room. Quentin bent at the waist, showcasing his amazing ass once again. She sucked in a deep breath to calm herself and watched as he pulled open a lower desk drawer. He extracted a box still encased in clear plastic. “Here they are.” “You haven’t even opened them.” “Never needed to. Not here. I keep my private life out of this office. At least until now.” “Whatever happens, I need to keep this private business out of my life downstairs.” She gravitated toward him unable to stay away as if the undeniable magnetic force inside their lips had migrated lower in her body. “Like I said, let’s save that discussion for later.” He stepped from behind his desk and met her halfway. She covered the space in a leap and launched onto him, placing her lips over his to get the party started. She wanted nothing more than the satisfaction of this one time with him to last in her memory. The soon-to-be-lonely memory hidden in a place she would treasure. A place she’d visit the recollection of this intimacy in the future.

36

Lara Santiago

His tongue slid languidly in between her lips licking and searching the inside with soft persuasive impact. He overwhelmed all of her senses. The arousing scent of his cologne, the hard planes of his body pressed close, and the insistence of his aggressive kiss all meshed together inundating her with a need she couldn’t articulate. She twirled her tongue against his wondering why she’d never felt so comfortable in any man’s arms before. Quentin Thorne was unique in his ability to impact her reason. His groan shifted her thoughts into what was about to happen between them and an electrical thrill ran down her spine. She was about to have sex. Quentin broke from the kiss and whispered, “You make me want you with every breath and every touch.” She loosened her arms from behind his back and sent her hands to his waist intent on unfastening his pants. This time, she wasn’t stopping until he’d climaxed. “You make my inhibitions disappear.” He stilled her hands and his hips danced backward out of her reach, but not before she saw the impressive erection beneath his trousers. “What are you doing?” “I’m picking up where we left off.” She reached for his belt. “I believe I owe you a little oral satisfaction.” “Don’t you want to strip down and get busy?” “I’d like to return the favor first.” “That’s not necessary.” “But you didn’t even come. I owe you. We’re finally in a perfect place for luscious private activity.” “And we can select any one of many private activities to pursue that we wish. I had more of a naked-on-my-office-sofa fantasy in mind. Not that I didn’t absolutely love your mouth on me.” His eyes closed momentarily as if reliving a favored experience. “I just had another scenario in mind for our first time.” Our only time. Erica didn’t voice her ultimate goal. Instead, she turned her head toward the overstuffed comfy-looking couch against the wall. “Okay. Your turn for a fantasy.” “Really? Then I’d like to stare at your perfect ass…naked.” She laughed. “Ditto.” She moved her hands up to his shirt and started unbuttoning, and he did the same. Clothes dropped around them with a speed born of lusty impatience and soon they were down to his boxers, her

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

37

bra and panties. Without any words, they came together again skin to skin and the heat between them magnified. His cock dug into her belly, making another rush of fluids shoot into her already saturated panties. He cupped his hand behind her neck and fastened his lips to her mouth with a tenderness she didn’t expect. His other hand stroked from her shoulder to the top of one breast, pausing as if asking for permission to touch her. She placed her hand over his and moved it until his palm brushed the hardened nipple beneath her bra. His thumb glanced across the tip and she moaned. He unfastened her bra one-handed, dropped it to the floor, and soon both of his hands covered her breasts. He pulled her panties down and dropped them to the rug. She hooked her fingers into the waistband of his boxers, and soon they joined the clothing strewn about the floor. Completely naked and skin to skin with Quentin was one of the single most exciting experiences of Erica’s life. She’d never been so turned on by a sexual encounter and he hadn’t even penetrated her yet. The heartrending thought of this being her only time with him slid briefly past her mind and quickly vanished. “Bend over the arm of the sofa, so I can get my fill of your lovely ass,” he whispered. Erica shuffled to the closest leather-covered end, placed both hands on the sofa’s thick arm, and pushed her butt out. She heard his sharp intake of breath and then he stroked her from lower back to thigh several times massaging her ass with firm fingers. Her breathing increased exponentially as he smoothed his hands lovingly across her backside. “Exquisite.” “Get a condom.” She panted. “I don’t think I can wait any longer.” He withdrew from her silently. She heard the crackle of the plastic wrapper and the tear of foil. In no time, he returned to finish what had started explosively in the copy room. He’d entered the first inch of his cock inside her body before her next breath. His next thrust shot his wide cock so deeply, she almost lost her balance still perched on the end of the sofa. “God, you feel good.” His murmur sent her pulse skittering through heated veins.

38

Lara Santiago

She backed her butt into him and his cock went a little deeper. He groaned and sent his fingers in a quick massage along her spine. “So do you. I already knew you were hung like a stallion from having you in my mouth, but I suspected as much the moment I saw your amazing butt. You feel even better wedged inside my pussy.” He chuckled and grabbed her hips to thrust inside a few more times. Her pussy clenched as if she were about to climax from the motion of his cock entering her. That had never happened. Erica gripped the sofa arm and rocked back to make the thrusts feel even more powerful. Quentin slid his hand from one hip and pushed between her legs until he fingered her clit as he continued to power hard thrusts into her pussy. “Oh!” With the unexpected stimulation from his finger, Erica felt the stirrings of a vibrant climax about to erupt unexpectedly. The unanticipated climax from the copy room paled in comparison to the one about to rock her body and soul as his cock drilled deeply. Quentin growled and picked up the pace fucking her even harder. The orgasm took her by surprise after a deep thrust and an even deeper push to her clit. Waves of pleasure engulfed her core and spread outward as her orgasm forced her pussy muscles to clench down hard on his cock. She screamed his name and resisted the urge to take a healthy bite of his leather sofa. “Tell me you came,” he said thrusting harder and harder. She could only whimper a response. Quentin growled once more and rammed inside one last time. Cock deeper than any previous thrust, his whole body stiffened. Half groaning and half growling, he released a noise sounding suspiciously satisfied as his thrusts promptly slowed. After several seconds, he bent at the waist and rested his face on her spine. Panting and weak, Erica didn’t think her legs were going to hold her up any longer. “I need to sit.” “Ditto.” He eased her forward until they both rested, still attached, over the arm of the sofa. Laughing, Erica said, “Wow. That was something.” Quentin pulled his still stiff cock from her body, kissed her spine, and whispered, “I’ll be right back.”

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

39

She heard him rustle around in his office bathroom likely disposing of the condom. She straightened and took as many steps as needed to sit and then promptly slumped onto the sofa. He found her lounging on her back when he returned. Kneeling by the edge, he peppered her belly with kisses until she giggled. “Are you ticklish anywhere else?” “Not telling.” “I could find out.” He trailed fingers down her body from her belly to her calves. She flinched and another giggle escaped when he brushed the sensitive place behind her knee. “Ah-ha. Now I’ve learned another secret place to make you laugh.” Erica hadn’t laughed this much in years. Quentin worked his mouth from her knee, kissing toward her ankle. She sobered in the next moment, realizing this time together was very limited. In fact, she should get up, put her clothes back on and head back down to the holiday party downstairs. Sitting up, Erica brushed hair from her face, hating to end such a nice interlude. “I appreciate that you’re on a mission to find another ticklish spot, but I need to get going.” His kiss lingered on the top of one foot before he lifted his head. “So soon?” “Yes. It’s been lovely. Very memorable. I won’t ever forget you.” “So if we ever see each other again, do we have to pretend that we don’t know each other?” “Please don’t make this harder than it already is.” “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He stood and extended a hand. She slipped her fingers into his and grasped his firm hand for leverage to rise from the sofa. Once on her feet, she propelled herself straight into his arms. His mouth was across her lips in a second as if in one desperate drawn out kiss to change her mind. Truthfully, she was faltering. Quentin broke the luscious kiss and whispered, “If I promise to keep our time together completely secret, will you go out with me again?” Drugged from the kiss he’d just seduced her with, she answered from her lovesick pounding heart, “Yes.” ****

40

Lara Santiago

Quentin’s luscious mouth delighted her with yet another tender seductive kiss. He broke in to whisper, “Come home with me tonight an—” Erica interrupted his sentence and pushed away from his warmth. “No. Not tonight. Later. Much later. I still have to go back to the party and repair my hasty exit.” She ran her fingers through her hair, wrapped her arms around her naked body and started to look for her clothing while avoiding his delectable body in the process. “Wait. Don’t run off before you tell me when and where we can meet. I already miss you.” His heartfelt tone halted her in the process of turning her discarded shirt back to the right side out. “Okay. We wait a month until no one, I repeat, no one would ever suspect that we have any feelings for each other. Then we meet at an out of the way hotel and get…reacquainted.” He grinned, displaying those bone-melting dimples again. “I love getting reacquainted. But are you sure we have to wait a whole month?” “Yes. It will be after the New Year and no one will remember how stupid I was for running to the bathroom crying at the Christmas party. At least, I hope not.” She fastened her bra, managing to only secure one of two hooks because her nervous fingers shook so badly. Turning in a circle while she did it also didn’t help. After three more attempts without success, she decided two hooks out of three was good enough. The smile on his face hadn’t departed and he didn’t bother to try and get dressed. He watched her flit around the office grabbing her clothes one piece at a time. Perhaps he didn’t want to get in her way. Smart man. Or perhaps he was scheming on how to meet her earlier. “I don’t know what you’re currently thinking, but don’t even try to devise a plan to ‘accidentally’ meet me in the elevator on my way to work or on my way back home at night. Do not linger in the copy room or stroll by my cubicle on the off chance that you might see me, or the deal is off.” “Got it. Just name the date, time and place. I’ll be there.” Erica remembered a nice hotel on the outskirts of town her parents had stayed at the first time they’d visited. It was quiet, out of the way and perfect for their purposes. “Have you ever heard of the Hathaway Hotel on Interstate 5 going north?” His eyes searched the air for a moment before he smiled and nodded. “Yep. Nice place. Out of the way. Low traffic.”

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

41

“Can you get us a room there without using your real name four weeks from Friday?” Quentin laughed out loud. “Sure. Do you prefer Smith or Jones?” Grinning, she replied, “Neither. Use something like Harris or Charles. It’s more believable.” “Will you really show up, Miss Charles?” He stood from the sofa, crossed the small space to where she waited, slid his arms around her gently and kissed her forehead. Erica put a hand up to his whiskered, gorgeous face. “Yes. And I already miss you, too.” **** Christmas weekend came and went without much fan fair in Erica’s life. She enjoyed the time off, but mostly just stayed home and thought about Quentin. A call from an unidentified number registered on her Caller ID on Christmas night. Erica suspected it might be from him, but she didn’t answer. She lived to regret it since he didn’t leave a message, if it were even him. She was making herself absolutely crazy. He’d never faltered, never broken her rule and she missed him desperately. Vowing to stick to her one month no secret meeting declaration, Erica went to bed early and dreamed about Quentin all night. The week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve was always quiet no matter where she worked, as many of her peers took time off. With no vacation built up, Erica spent a very calm week at her new job. It afforded her the unique opportunity to study up on her accounts instead of the trial by fire training as in her previous job at Hearten, but there was never an hour she didn’t lift her gaze to the ceiling and think about a certain someone on the floor above and sigh out loud. By the end of the week, Erica knew she needed to have a night out with a friend or go completely stark-raving mad with longing for Quentin. If left untended for much longer, her iron will to remain apart would crumble and she’d break her own rule about stalking him in his office upstairs. Mary, an old friend from Hearten Sales Corp, agreed to meet her for a drink at a bar across town on New Year’s Eve. Erica was intensely grateful for the company, even though a man sidled up next to Mary in the crowded

42

Lara Santiago

bar and garnered her friend’s attention more and more the closer it got to midnight. Erica had easily rebuffed a bevy of desperate men, already wishing she hadn’t been so stupid as to insist on a full month apart from Quentin. He probably didn’t even want to date her anymore. He likely wouldn’t show up to the designated hotel after a month and she was a fool to have fallen in love with him at first sight. After she declined a dance invitation, for what seemed like the one hundredth time tonight, Erica slipped off her barstool unnoticed by her friend and headed for the ladies’ room wishing for things that weren’t going to happen. She pondered the benefit of driving past the pre-selected hotel on her day off to make sure she knew exactly the best route to get there. Erica dried her hands with a towel, shook her head at herself in the mirror and went back to face the bar crowd with minimum delight on such a festive evening. The door to the women’s bathroom hadn’t even closed behind her when a tall man came into view and blocked her way down the hall. She raised her head to protest and there he was. Quentin. The dimpled grin slid into the reserved place in her foolish heart, like a comfortable blanket of warmth and security to her soul. He mesmerized her with his gaze. “I swear I didn’t follow you here. I only noticed you at the bar when you left your stool—” was as much as she allowed him to say before she threw her arms around his neck and pulled his luscious mouth down for a long awaited kiss. Quentin hugged her tight to his body and when she finally came to her senses, he refused to let her go. From the other room, voices shouted, “Ten, nine, eight…” “Wait. Just allow me a kiss at midnight.” She relaxed in his grasp. “Okay. One kiss at the stroke of twelve.” “Five, four, three…” His vivid blue gaze held her transfixed, anyway. She wouldn’t have been able to move away from him without help. “Two, one. Happy New Year!” Voices cheering, noisemakers popping and other celebratory noises sent a cacophony of sound down the hallway to where they embraced. Erica barely heard it over the pounding of her heart when Quentin delivered a Happy New Year kiss to be savored and

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

43

remembered forever. After several long seductively fabulous moments, Erica broke from him and pleaded, “I can’t wait a whole month for another kiss like that. Being away from you is killing me.” “Good. Me too.” “Where can we go tonight and not be recognized by anyone?” He rested his forehead to hers. “I know of a place.” Before the midnight hour ended, Quentin deposited her in a private car and sent her to a very quiet and very affluent resort hotel where he assured her discretion was considered a zealous religion. He arrived much later in his private car and they were naked and in the center of a king-sized bed in a beautiful suite within the first minute of his arrival. He brushed his fingertips along her face from forehead to cheek to chin. “You are even more beautiful than I remembered.” “That’s interesting because I think you’re more attractive than words can describe. I’m so sorry I kept us apart.” She snuggled against him beneath the sheets and slung a leg over his thighs. Quentin rolled half on top of her, centering his stiff condom-covered cock against her lower belly and murmured, “I forgive you.” He cupped her face with one hand and kissed her lips once before trailing kisses down her body. Stopping only long enough to tease each of her nipples, he resumed his path past her ribcage and below her belly button. Quentin kissed all the way down to one knee before he pulled her legs apart. He buried his mouth between her thighs and licked her clit with one strong flick of his tongue, sending her pulse out the top of her head. “Ohmigod. What are you doing to me?” “What I’ve dreamed of repeatedly for the past week. Something I should have already done the first time we were together. Relax and enjoy.” He resumed his tongue’s complete attention back to her clit, pleasuring her until she thought she would expire from the intensity. He sucked her clitoris between his lips and when she felt him thrust two fingers inside her body, she came in a heated rush of pleasure so acute that tears erupted from her eyes from the sensation vibrating her body. Arching her back, Erica cried out, “Quentin!” until the shivering along her body finished their path to the ends of her limbs.

44

Lara Santiago

Quentin kissed his way back up her body until his face buried into her throat and held her tight as if he’d never let her go. “I love it when you scream my name.” Erica rolled Quentin onto his back without any protest and straddled her hips over his wide cock. One second later, she impaled herself on his shaft and rode him for several minutes intent on his complete satisfaction. He tried to roll her onto her back, but she laughed and thrust her pussy over him even harder. Quentin shuddered, bent in half, pressed his face to her breasts and growled with the force of what sounded like his exuberant climax. Panting, they clung to each other until she slumped onto his chest. He held her tight against his heart until they fell asleep having rung the New Year in with a long denied and completely magnificent bang. On day one of the New Year, they decided together that time spent apart was not realistic. Erica only asked that the relationship continue to remain quiet. **** Several weeks after the first day he’d met Erica, Quentin sneaked into a pre-selected paid-with-cash hotel room. Listed under yet another pseudonym for his tenth such foray into the super secret relationship with Erica, it was like having perpetual blind dates with the same woman. He went through these elaborate measures because he knew in the deepest part of his lovesick heart that he wouldn’t be able to live without her. As was true each time they got together, Quentin was falling more and more deeply in love. They laughed. They made love. They chatted about everything and nothing and found they had lots of things in common. They both preferred cold weather versus hot. They each had very specific goals about their futures. And the sex was phenomenal in a way that touched a place in his soul, which had never been breached in his colorful past. With the whole day to themselves in the hotel room, they watched old movies and new movies and ate popcorn when it got dark. They kissed and kissed and kissed with such soul-searing clarity, Quentin wasn’t sure where he ended and she began, and decided it didn’t matter. They belonged together. Plain and simple. In fact, their time together was absolute perfection with the exception of

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

45

Erica’s stringent rule regarding telling anyone about it. They were sneaking around like spies on a life or death mission because she worried intensely about anyone at Trenton’s company finding out they were a couple. She didn’t want others to think she was sleeping her way to the top with the CEO’s brother. It wouldn’t bother him as much if he weren’t lying by omission to Trenton. Unfortunately, the running around to quiet, out-of-the-way hotels, the hiding in said hotel rooms like prisoners on the lam and the absolute unrelenting secrecy of their relationship was beginning to weigh on him. Hard. Trenton and Alicia knew a small portion of what had happened in the copy room three days before Christmas. Erica’s subsequent proclamation disclaiming any kind of romantic entanglement with a member of Trenton’s family was duly noted. Quentin had even spoken to Trent about hypothetical relationships with employees. His brother quickly saw through his not so veiled attempt to get a blessing to do what he wanted to with Erica and his theory was summarily denounced. Trent understood Erica’s difficulty with favoritism and sided with her regarding any romantic relationships. Before he’d met Erica by accident on New Year’s Eve, Quentin hadn’t lasted a week before the misery of the separation began impacting his daily life. Trent noticed his bad temper, but thankfully remained quiet. Alicia was surprisingly less accepting of the proclamation regarding no dating between relatives in either company. Quentin suspected she supported any overture on his part, but because of her by-marriage loyalty to Trent, she kept quiet, too. Valentine’s Day was right around the corner, but the continued hiding and occasional white lie to Trent over how he spent his time was worrisome. Quentin tried to be a good sport, but was fast coming to the place where he wanted to shout to the world that she was his and his alone. He wanted to take her to meet his parents. He wanted to stick a big, honking rock on her finger and marry her but feared any escalation on his part would send her scurrying away. That couldn’t happen, so he endured with a quiet ache and wished for things that weren’t an option. At least not yet. He should have known his increasingly morose mood would be noticed by Erica. After they’d made love in the oversized, rose-petal strewn scented

46

Lara Santiago

bathtub in their suite, he held her close wanting so much more. “What’s wrong?” she asked after several long moments of silence. Quentin stroked her back, rushing droplets of water over her shoulders. “Same old thing.” She lifted her head to stare into his eyes. “Which is?” Her brows furrowed in puzzlement. He took her hand in his and kissed the tip of each finger. “I love you.” A sudden smile softened her mouth. “What’s wrong with that? I love you, too.” Pushing out a sigh, he released her hand to the bath water with a delicate splash. “It’s just that being without you day to day is excessively torturous.” “And?” Her hand slid out of the water toward his collarbone, stopping to rake through his curly, dark chest hair along the way. Covering her hand below his shoulder, he replied, “And I want to shout to the whole wide world about how much we love each other. But I can’t. I wish we didn’t have to sneak around, that’s all.” Erica’s eyes slid shut and a long slow breath exited between her luscious lips as if she silently counted to ten before speaking. “You know why—” He gripped her fingers and stilled her protest with an ardent kiss. “Yes, I know. But you asked me what’s wrong. I didn’t want to lie to you. We may keep secrets from others, but never with each other, right?” She stared at him for a long time as if pondering his words. Remaining quiet, she nodded once with a wan smile, broke the intense gaze and snuggled her face into his neck without responding any further. The lazy satisfied, post sex mood between them was now inexorably broken. Quentin hugged her tight. “Forget it. I shouldn’t have said anything. I know the rules and I just can’t live without you.” Arms locked in a solid embrace, Quentin kissed her face with a tenderness he knew she adored. “Thanks for understanding,” came her murmured reply a few seconds later. They made love once more slowly and with infinite tenderness until it was time to separate. The next morning, Quentin was on the elevator in his building on his way to his office. He stood at the back of the elevator with several others in front of him, wishing for a sign as to what he should do about his love life because he was so miserable. As the elevator doors were about to close, a slender female hand shot between the moving panels and the doors bounced

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

47

off her arm so she could enter. Heart in his throat, he recognized that hand in an instant. Stepping inside with a grin, Erica turned and pushed the button on her floor apparently without realizing he was in the car. At each stop on the ascension, more and more people got out until the two of them were left alone. She stood by the door and the second it closed and started its rise, she pushed the elevator stop button, whirled around, and leapt into his arms. Her mouth landed on his hard. She kissed him as if it might be the last time. “I know it was only since last night, but I really missed you.” “Me, too. I miss you every single day, Erica.” He pressed his lips to her mouth more leisurely the second time they connected. She broke the kiss and sighed. “You’re right about something. We can’t keep this up. It’s absolutely killing me.” “Me, too,” he repeated with a grin and kissed her again. “I love you, Quentin. I really do.” She brushed her hand from his face to his jaw, and then sent her fingers delving into the locks of hair above his ear. “And I’ll fix it. I’ll talk to your brother and make it right. I just want to be the one to tell him, okay?” Quentin nodded. “Okay.” Erica brightened as if she’d thought of something. “I know. Let’s have lunch tomorrow.” His eyebrows rose before he could stop them. “Lunch? As in a meal consumed during the noon hour in broad daylight at a restaurant where people will see us?” Erica laughed. “Yes. I think it’s long past time to go out into the unsuspecting public.” “You’re on. I’ll pick you up tomorrow at your cubicle.” “Deal.” The next day, she called him an hour before lunch from an off-sitelocation meeting she’d forgotten about and they ended up meeting at the restaurant, much to his sincere regret. Besides the fact he worried about her attendance, she’d been secretive the night before. Quentin didn’t know whether she’d spoken to Trent about them or not yet, but figured he’d get a call immediately the moment his brother found out. He pushed out a quiet sigh of relief he hadn’t realized he’d been holding when Erica breezed inside the front doors of the restaurant right on time.

48

Lara Santiago

His cell phone started ringing as she approached the table. Looking at the readout, he noted it was Trent and ignored it, promising himself he’d call back after lunch. Likely, Trent had found out about this auspicious event of public lunch and wanted to comment or chastise him for dating his employees publicly. Whatever he wanted to talk about could wait until later after lunch. “You made it.” He stood and held out a chair for her. “Were you worried?” “A little. Can you blame me?” “No.” She grinned. “I guess not. I told him. I told your brother about us.” “Oh, yeah. He just called me as you walked inside. I let it go to voice mail. Do you suppose I’m going to get a lecture on dating his impressionable, young employee?” Her lovely brows furrowed momentarily, but then she brightened. “I doubt it. He didn’t seem angry about us being together, but he was pretty surprised.” “Of that, I have no doubt. As I originally promised, I’ve kept our relationship completely quiet.” She nodded. “I could tell the moment I gave my two weeks notice and that I love you with all my heart that he was completely taken off guard.” Quentin’s heart skipped a beat. “You gave two weeks’ notice? To Trenton? But why?” “I had to.” She unwrapped her silverware and adjusted the cloth napkin on her lap before looking up again. “I arranged to get my old job back at Hearten Sales Corporation, so that we could be together. It took lots of groveling on my part and a pay cut, but it’ll be worth it, right?” If she’d announced that she was an alien brought to earth on a blue beam of light to set his world on fire and devour him alive, Quentin would have been less shocked than to learn she’d quit her job at Trenton’s company. His brother was going to kill him. Then he'd have Quentin brought back to life so he could commit fratricide once again. “Don’t you have anything to say?” Erica brought him out of his fatalist fantasy with her dejected tone. He blinked a couple of times and decided to plunge forward with his “primary” luncheon plans. “Yes, I do.” To that end, he stood up, took two

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

49

steps to her chair, and bent on one knee in front of the entire restaurant. “As a matter of fact, I have a question for you.” He grinned and pulled a small black velvet box from his jacket pocket. Opening it toward Erica, he asked, “Will you please marry me?” Hand on her mouth and tears in her eyes, she nodded and started crying. “I didn’t expect you to…” Trailing off, she closed her lids as water splashed her cheeks. He took the two-carat, round solitaire from the box and placed it on her left ring finger. “Please say yes.” “Yes,” she got out before the sobbing began again. She sniffed to get herself back under control. “I love you so much.” The regularly staid restaurant crowd at Celestial Haven loosened up and started clapping once they realized that a marriage proposal was in progress. Romance wasn’t dead, but Quentin knew he’d have to do lots of explaining to make things right between he and Trent. He kissed Erica’s left hand and resumed his seat as the waiter approached beaming with a wide grin to take their drink order. “So, what did Trent say about your two-week notice to leave?” She shrugged. “He was astonished as I said before, but I explained to him that I’d been seeing you secretly. I apologized profusely for the covert running around all this time. I told him that I hoped I hadn’t put him in a difficult position, but that I loved you and I had to make a choice.” “Five bucks says he wanted you to choose him versus me and vulgar words followed my name.” She smiled. “There might have been some colorful words mentioned, but I’m sure it was the heat of the moment and he didn’t really mean them.” Quentin snorted. “I don’t know about that.” She eyed the ring on her finger. It looked great on her. “Doesn’t matter. I made the right choice.” “You know, I hate the idea of you being unhappy at work. Are there any circumstances available where you’d consider staying at Trent’s company and yet still agree to marry me?” A winsome smile crossed her face. “None that have occurred to me since that moment in the restaurant bathroom hallway where I accosted you on New Year’s Eve.” “You only beat me to it. I was prepared to do anything to get you to kiss

50

Lara Santiago

me that night.” “Anything?” His serious gaze plunged into her curious green eyes. “Yes. You don’t seem to understand the awesome power you wield over me. I’m a fool to tell you, but there it is. I’m hoping to convince you to run away to Las Vegas with me tonight, so you don’t have time to change your mind.” She sat up straight in her chair. “Las Vegas? Tonight?” Quentin glanced at his watch. “Flight’s only an hour. You could leave from our building, hop on a plane with me, and be a married woman before midnight tonight. As a matter of fact, the idea really appeals to me.” Eyes dancing with delight, she leaned forward. “Okay. Let’s go to Vegas tonight.” “Really? I figured you’d be harder to convince.” Her eyebrows raised provocatively. “Perhaps you don’t understand the awesome and amazing influence you wield over me.” “Call your boss. Tell him you’re taking the rest of the day off. We’ll leave after lunch.” Her eyes widened with alarm. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.” “What’s he going to do, fire you? He won’t because he doesn’t want you to leave.” Erica sobered and leaned back in her chair. “I’ve already made him upset. It seems wrong to rub it in by taking time off the same day.” “He’ll get over it. Want me to call him for you? Or I could write you a note for when we return?” He grinned. She looked unsure. Her gaze narrowed and she took a deep breath. “Perhaps it would be good if you spoke to him on my behalf now that we’re all going to be related and everything. I don’t want our sudden wedding plans to come between you two.” “They won’t.” Quentin pulled his cellular out of his pocket powerless to stop the grin that wouldn’t deflate on its own. He turned the phone back on and noticed a record eight messages from his brother waiting. Instead of checking them, he dialed, and got a beep with Trent’s voice messaging service. Quentin didn’t think this was a conversation that should be left in a voice message, so he hung up in time to hear a commotion by the restaurant’s entry. Loud voices drifted to their table from the front of the large room.

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

51

Quentin looked up in time to see his brother striding toward them. The expression on his face was a new one. Not angry, not happy, but some unreadable visage in between. He snapped his phone shut. “I think my brother is joining us for lunch.” “What?” Erica’s voice trailed off and she half stood as Trenton finished his march to their table, grabbed a spare chair from an adjoining table and slid it between the two of them seating himself in one smooth move. “Sit, Erica. Hi, Quentin.” Trent turned his attention from Erica. “I thought I’d join you two for lunch and a nice long overdue chat.” “Hi, Trent. How did you know where I was?” “I managed to persuade your secretary to give up your lunch location. She really tried to keep it from me, though. You should give her a raise.” “I’ll take that under advisement. So, what brings you here, big brother? I just tried to call your cell phone, but it went straight to messages.” Trenton grabbed a breadstick from the center of their table. “Oh? What did you want to talk about?” He crunched the breadstick and maintained his ominous stare. “I just tried to call you after seeing the eight messages you left me in the last twenty minutes. Plus, Erica and I are flying to Las Vegas to get married today and she needs the afternoon off. That won’t be a problem, will it?” “Of course not. She can have the day off along with a week for a nice honeymoon, as long as she destroys her two-week notice document and promises to stay at my company.” Erica raised her hand as if in third grade to get the teacher’s attention. “Wait a minute. First of all, both of you quit talking like I’m not even here and second, I can’t marry your brother and stay at your firm, Mr. Thorne. It’s just not who I am.” Trenton’s shoulders slumped a little and he dropped the half eaten breadstick to the table. “Well, I know better than to make you choose between us.” He zeroed in on her ring finger as a faint smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “Nice rock.” Erica looked at it again as if she’d forgotten it was there and her tone went a little wistful. “Isn’t it lovely?” “Yes. And so are you. Welcome to the family. I’m sure he doesn’t deserve you, but if I can’t have you as an employee, then at least I get to have you as a sister-in-law and you can call me Trent.”

52

Lara Santiago

She lowered her face into one hand resting her chin on her palm. “Thanks, Mr. Thorne…I mean Trent.” A sudden gleam came into Trent’s eyes and Quentin wondered what he was up to. “So which company are you going to work for now that you’re leaving me?” “I’m going back to Hearten Sales Corporation.” “How interesting! What if I told you I’d considered buying Hearten Sales Corporation to eliminate a little competition and add to my vast business holdings?” In unison, Erica and Quentin said, “What!” Quentin, shocked that his brother would go to such lengths to keep an employee, even one so wonderful as Erica, snorted and asked the question she certainly wanted to know, “Since when?” “As a matter of fact I’ve been in serious negotiations with them since Erica came to work for me.” Erica’s mouth fell open slightly. “Really?” “Yes. Please stay. I can’t afford to buy too many more companies in order to force you to work for me.” Erica sent Quentin a curious gaze as if asking the silent question, “What now?” He shrugged in return because he didn’t know what to tell her. Her expression changed to an unreadable one. Eyes narrowing suddenly, Erica turned back to Trent with determination coating her expression. “All right. I’ll stay and work for you. But you have to swear on all that is holy and important that you won’t give me any special treatment just because we’re going to be related.” Trenton held up one hand and recited the oath, “I swear on all that is holy and important to me that I won’t give you any special treatment. You will merely be a worker bee grunt while at the office. I’ll save all the sentimental stuff for after hours and family gatherings.” Erica released a long sigh and ended it with a smile. “All right then. I’ll stay to preserve your company’s wealth and prosperity.” Quentin clapped his hands together once and rubbed them together a few times with glee as if he’d scored a great victory. “Great. Now can she have the afternoon off or do I need to go harass your secretary?” “No, no. She can leave after lunch. But speaking of family gatherings,

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

53

did you mention this quickie wedding to Mom and Dad?” Holy crap. “Um…no. Perhaps I need to make one more phone call before we leave town.” Trent smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll tell them you’re crazy in love and can’t wait for a big crushing wedding. Now perhaps you understand why Alicia and I didn’t wait. I’ll even explain to them why you’re in such a hurry and that is has nothing to do with the pitter patter of little feet.” His face blanked for a moment. “There are no little feet soon to be pitter pattering, are there?” “No.” Quentin turned to Erica, who shook her head in reaffirmation. “And thanks, bro, I appreciate you briefing the ’rents.” Erica had put her elbow back on the table and was busy studying Trent. In the next moment, she turned her attention back to where it belonged, with him. “You know what? Alicia is absolutely right. Now that I know you two better, you really don’t look that much alike. I don’t know why I ever thought you did.” Quentin laughed out loud and Trent joined him. By midnight, as promised, he and Erica were married and quickly ensconced in the plush and beautiful honeymoon suite at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. For the first time since he’d known her, they registered under their real names. “I love you. Thanks for agreeing to the quick wedding.” “I love you, too.” She shifted beneath the silk sheets, smiled, and kissed his bare chest. “Thanks for getting me out of work, so I could come with you.” “My pleasure. I really couldn’t have come without you.” “Thanks for staying with me even after all my ridiculous demands that we stay separate and the even more foolish one to keep utterly silent about our relationship.” He laughed. “I expect you’ll make it up to me in the next fifty years or so.” “Only fifty?” **** Almost a year later in a particular copy room…

54

Lara Santiago

Quentin slipped his arms around Erica and pressed his mouth to hers reverently. Above him was the mistletoe he’d strategically placed in Trent’s remote, back-of-the-building copy room earlier before he lured his wife of less than a year to join him for a mini-reunion. From his point of view, idyllic was truly the best description of their marriage. Quentin was eternally grateful things had worked out, as well, between his brother and his wife regarding their working relationship. No one seemed to begrudge her a love life with the CEO’s brother and that went a long way to engendering a peaceful life. Although to that end, Quentin had news from his brother that he’d promised to share, but he wasn’t sure if Erica would think it was good news. He broke the kiss. “Okay. Listen up and don’t hurt me before I finish.” “What’s wrong, now?” “You are so amazing that my brother would like to give you a merit raise, but he’s frightened. He came to me and asked that I speak to you about it.” Erica loosened her grasp around his waist. “But why? I don’t need a raise. I’ve only been here a year.” “He insists that you are doing a great job and so as not to show favoritism for his favorite sister-in-law, everyone is getting a raise.” “Not just me?” “No. Even though you apparently deserved one six months ago.” “He’s just saying that.” “Maybe. But since he offered you double your salary to stay on after our marriage was announced, but you refused it, I’d say you’re behind the money curve. You should take all you can get.” “Very funny. Quentin grinned. “I’ll give you a raise. Or better yet, I could buy you something pretty.” “I don’t work for you and I don’t need anything pretty.” “My woman needs something pretty and after all, you are my woman.” She sucked in a deep shocked breath of indignation. “Your woman? Is that how you refer to me to others?” “No. But I love to see the color come up in your face when I tease you.” Quentin buried his face at her throat and nipped her there once

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

55

affectionately. “You’re such a bad boy, but I love you.” “You’re a good girl, and I love you, too.” “Good girls don’t attack strangers in copy rooms for blowjobs.” “You didn’t finish, so it doesn’t count.” Another shocked breath came followed immediately by a grin. “I offered to finish later on. You were the one who decided to bend me over the arm of the sofa in your office instead.” “That’s true. You did offer to blow me.” He nodded. “Okay, you’re a bad girl. Better?” “Yes.” As if to prove her recognized status, Erica’s hand slid to below the belt of his trousers. He attempted to change the topic from sex in the copy room to his original subject. “Now, about that raise my brother wants to give you.” “There is another raise I’d rather talk about and it has absolutely nothing to do with your brother.” She gripped his cock one handed and Quentin’s eyes slid shut momentarily. “Go lock the copy room door then perhaps we can have our annual discussion of blowjobs.” His eyes popped open again to see the mischievous expression on his wife’s gorgeous face. Quentin laughed and the sound echoed in the large room. “I’d rather wait for the privacy of my office for that.” “Are you sure?” She stroked his stiff cock through the fabric of his trousers and promptly dropped to her knees. Quentin knew he couldn’t resist her. “No. Not sure.” “A bad boy wouldn’t want to wait for privacy. Besides, I apparently still owe you from last year.” Erica had his pants unzipped and his cock in her mouth before he could protest further. Not that he objected too strenuously. She pulled her mouth off of him, tilted her head to gaze at him with her big green eyes and grinned. “Are you going to lock the door, or what?” He put his hand on the top of her head. “Bad boy that I am, I already locked it when we came in here.” “Good job. Maybe you deserve the raise.” She smiled and inserted his cock between her lips again. She sucked his dick into the warm nirvana of her mouth as her fingers dug into his hips for leverage. Quentin inhaled sharply when he felt her tongue slide against the hot spot at the end of his cock. She pulled him in and out of her mouth with a

56

Lara Santiago

decidedly seductive rhythm and he knew the outcome was inevitable. “This is reward enough, trust me.” Quentin thrust forward as his wife sucked his cock perfectly. She knew exactly what he liked. He reached out a hand to the Photo Copy Express 2000, and steadied himself. Eyes closed with anticipation of experiencing the most sublime of pleasures, Quentin rocked his weight on his heels as an orgasm of epic proportions shot through his body and soon weakened his legs. He locked his knees to stay upright, took a deep breath and silently praised the faulty copy equipment in his office upstairs for breaking down a year ago so he could find Erica. His love. His soul mate. “Quentin? Are you okay?” “I’m great. There is a reason why I only enjoy being under the mistletoe with you.” “Very funny.” She stood up. “No sharing that with anyone.” “Never. You know I can keep secrets.” He caressed her shoulders and then ran his hands from her biceps to her elbows. She smiled. “Are we going to do this every year?” “Probably.” He pulled her into his arms to nuzzle her neck. “Is that a problem?” “No. But next year we’re going to have to hire a baby sitter.” Quentin pulled away to stare. A smile crept across his mouth as her surprising news seeped into his addled brain. “What?” “Remember the sweet pitter patter of little feet currently gracing Trenton and Alicia’s home?” He nodded. His new niece, a beautiful baby girl named Julia, had completely enthralled his brother’s household. “A similar pitter patter will be joining us before the end of next year.” “Really?” He grinned. “Do you feel all right?” “For now.” With a shy nod she added, “Alicia told me to enjoy this good health. She warned me that morning sickness is on the horizon.” Quentin kissed her forehead and hugged her tight. “I love you. I can’t wait. And I hope you feel well enough for the additional plans for tonight.” “If those plans involve your office upstairs, I’m in.” “I thought we could recreate last year’s sofa sex. I believe I owe you another raise.” Erica laughed. “Except that this year you won’t have to dig up a condom.”

The Mistletoe Mistake: Blind Date After Dark 3

57

“Are you sure you feel up to this?” Quentin brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. “I know we have unfinished business, but—” “You owe me a raise, Mister. I’m not letting you off the hook.” “I live to serve.” Quentin kissed her forehead and embraced his perfect wife. Grateful he’d had the foresight to pay attention to Scandinavian legend when it mattered, Quentin knew mistletoe would be a delightful part of his future with Erica in the years to come. A few hours later, Erica told Quentin she received exactly the raise she wanted. Twice.

THE END WWW.LARASANTIAGO.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Lara Santiago is the author of over fifteen books. She’s an ecataromance award winner, a 2007 Passionate Plume finalist for The Lawman’s Wife and has garnered a coveted four and a half stars from RT for her novel The Blonde Bomb Tech. From her futuristic novels to her contemporary romantic suspense, she’s known for her independent heroines and those compelling alpha males we all adore. After turning in her twelfth manuscript, she came to the realization that this writing gig might just work out after all. She continues to dream up stories, keeping no less that ten story ideas circulating at any given time.

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com