Conquest of the Heart by R.J. Dillon

play the game as long as you’d like.”
    Faith took a bite of her chicken and chewed
for a long moment before she said something. “You would just love
it if it were that easy, wouldn’t you?”
    “On the contrary, I enjoy the fact that it’s
not. Having to work so hard to get you is exciting. When it finally
happens, I’ll appreciate you more.” He smiled then. It was one of
those devious smiles. Faith couldn’t get upset. She was responsible
for the conversation turning south, literally.
    “So you think I’m somehow turned on by the
fact that you pursue me, and I’m playing hard to get for a while to
amplify this desire?”
    “Maybe. That’s why I’m asking. As soon as I
start talking about sex, and having you, you seem to get really
uptight. Is there something about sex that makes you
uncomfortable?” He took another bite of his burger, continuing to
look at her.
    “Of course not,” she said as her cheeks
started to turn pink. Gavin noticed. He was on to something.
    “I’m getting warmer,” he bragged. “Now why
would a woman as beautiful as you be embarrassed by simply
discussing the possibility of being pleased beyond what she could
ever imagine?” He watched as her cheeks got bright red. He
continued. “When was the last time you had sex, Faith?”
    “Excuse me?” she said in a
higher pitched voice, almost choking on her food. ‘Bingo!’ he thought.
Whenever Faith was starting to get upset with his pressuring, her
voice changed. She quickly became more irritable, as she was now,
even though she was trying to stay calm.
    “Hmm, that’s it, isn’t it? You’re in need.
How long has it been? You can tell me.” He finished his burger and
moved his plate to the side. This was most interesting indeed, so
he waited patiently while she searched for words.
    “You’re such an ass, Gavin,” she said,
growing more uncomfortable as the subject at hand continued. Gavin
wouldn’t let it go. He kept prying.
    “I can remedy that need for you, and it’s not
very nice to call your boss an ass,” Gavin mused.
    “It’s not very nice for my boss to badger me
constantly about having sex with him. That’s borderline sexual
harassment, you know,” she smirked.
    “No, I haven’t touched you, and all you have
to do is say the word, and I’ll stop.” He was serious now. Gavin
was always very careful when he approached women, especially those
he worked with.
    “Would you really? That’s all I have to
do?”
    “I’ve never forced anyone to be with me, nor
will I ever. If you told me to leave you alone, I would. However, I
wouldn’t stop desiring you. I’d just have to come up with a more
creative way to change your mind. Though you won’t say no, will
you? I think you like that I’m honest and upfront about what I
want, and I think you enjoy playing the game.”
    She began to turn pink again, and couldn’t
speak.
    “The fact that you say nothing means I’m
right, and rather than lie about it, you choose to remain silent. I
like that. That’s just something else that excites me about you,”
he smiled as the server handed him the ticket.
    Faith was stunned. Had she been that obvious
about it? She was beginning to wonder how she was going to get
through the afternoon. Gavin was sure to take advantage of this
knowledge. She watched as he paid the bill, speechless and
numb.
    “Are you ready?” he asked, unaware that she
still hadn’t said anything. He was satisfied with the way things
were progressing.
    “Yes, I am just super thrilled to go back and
spend the afternoon with my arrogant boss, who will more than
likely spend the next three hours tormenting me with his brutally
honest thoughts towards me. Yay me!” She just shook her head.
    He chuckled and said, “It’s good that you
have such a positive attitude about it.” They stood and left,
returning to the office.
    When they got back, Gavin said, “I’m going to
check my messages and emails. I’ll meet you in my office in a half
an