Silk Confessions by Joanne Rock

Saturday evening, she’d have to answer with a re sounding yes. And if she ever had the man at her disposal on the conference table, she would damn well find out for sure. If he started getting naked with her again, she would make certain he finished the job.
    “Tempest?”
    Kelly’s voice intruded in her fantasies, an unwanted female in the middle of a very hot daydream.
    Frowning, Tempest blinked. Remembered she was supposed to be listening sympathetically to Kelly’s reasons for why the board shouldn’t interview the latest CEO candidate someone had suggested.
    “I think we need to come up with a solution before the month is out,” Tempest offered, deciding the time had come to put her foot down. The longer she allowed the board to waffle, the longer the company stayed in limbo. And seeing all her artwork destroyed this week end had made her realize where her real priorities lay. She should be working on her statues and honing her craft instead of operating in survival mode at Boucher. “I’d like to take a private ballot one month from today for who we should interview and I’ll pull three candidates from the pool. We’re long overdue settling this.”
    Amid a flurry of protests, Tempest ended the meeting, feeling more sure of herself than she had in a long time. She should have set a deadline and stuck to it months ago. Perhaps her weekend intruder had done her a little bit of a favor in spite of the threat and the ram pant wreckage. At least the incident had strengthened her resolve to get her life in order.
    The board members filed out while she dumped her cup of tea in the sink at a wet bar. For a minute she thought she’d given herself a shock when a sizzle of electricity shot through her with a definite jolt.
    “Knock, knock.” The unanticipated masculine voice behind her made her realize that the shock had been of the sexual variety.
    Turning, she found Wes framed in the doorway between her office and private conference room. A dark khaki trench coat hugged his shoulders, the stiff fabric dotted with raindrops. The overcoat appealed to her daydreaming mind, making her realize how much she’d like to play cloak and dagger with this man.
    Not just any man, curse his hide.
    Only Wes.
    How had she ever thought she could work up the nerve to accept a blind date with anyone else when Wes seemed to be the only man appealing to her unexpectedly ravenous libido?
    “Isn’t my assistant out front?” She fumbled with her teacup, spilling a few last drops on her thumb.
    “That’s a hell of a welcome.” He stepped inside the room, taking the long way around the oversize conference table to peer around the meeting space. He took in the long windows looking out over the city, the sky scraper climbing higher than any of the buildings around it so that her window didn’t look into another office, the way that so much Manhattan real estate did.
    He ran his hand along the conference table as he approached, whistling appreciatively under his breath. “Nice place you have here.”
    His hand on the mahogany surface called forth images from her bold fantasies. The daydreams taunted her now, sending a rush of desire through her. Funny how she could picture being brash and brazen with Wes so much more easily when he wasn’t actually in the room with her.
    Coward.
    Her conscience railing at her, she washed the tea off her hands and steadied herself. He was just a man, after all.
    Just a sexy, appealing man who could kiss her into a near-orgasmic state.
    “Thanks.” She tugged at the silk scarf around her neck, feeling a bit warm. “I’m just surprised to see you here since Rebecca usually fields all my appointments for me.”
    “I arrived bearing doughnuts and coffee. Maybe she forgot.” He flashed her a disarming smile that would surely fluster the most dedicated of assistants.
    Or maybe Rebecca simply thought she’d be doing Tempest a favor by providing her with a mouthwatering diversion to chase away the