Candy's Man - an excerpt

 “What can I do for you?” he asked as he leaned back against the desk, his hands on either side of his body.  He was quite a package.

“Cleve.”  She said his name slowly trying to gather her thoughts that had become jumbled the moment he had smiled at her.

“I’m not...” he began.

Holding up a hand, she said.  “I need to talk about us.”

His eyebrows went up and she swallowed again.  “I know you’re angry with me for leaving the ship without saying goodbye.”

He opened his mouth to say something.  “No, let me finish,” she told him, wringing her hands.  “I’m not in the habit of going to bed with strange men and as wonderful...”  Had she really said that?  She cleared her throat, “...as it was.  I didn’t want you to feel obliged to keep in touch.  I mean I was only there for a...”

“A fling?” he finished for her.

Oh, God.

She knew he was watching her but she couldn’t meet his gaze.  His eyes had ways of making her do his bidding.  Her lids closed for a second as she rubbed her hand across them.  When she opened them she noticed the big grin on his face.  He certainly was enjoying himself.

She wasn’t going to get angry.  She had too much at stake, namely her house.  “Cleve you’re not making this easy for me and I know I don’t deserve it, but we have to work together and I can’t really afford to lose this job.”

“Is that all you’re worrying about?”

“Well, no...we need to be able to...”

He moved toward her then until there were only inches between them.  She felt his body heat.  Smelled his cologne.  She was getting dizzy.

“Are you sure that’s all you want?” he asked.  His warm breath fanned her cheek.

Taking a step back, she said, “What do you mean?”

“Are you sure you don’t want more?”

She gasped.  Was he asking what she thought he was?  She looked at him with a furrowed brow.  Only yesterday he had drawn the line in the sand.  ‘I never mix business with pleasure’.  And...he was married.  She had to remind herself about that fact.

“Well?” he said as he reached out and pulled her into his arms.

The room seemed to be spinning and she put her hands on his chest to steady herself.   Her fingers burned from the warmth emanating from him. 

She was panting.  He made her feel things she had not felt...ever.  His eyes bore into hers and she became confused.  His eyes had changed colour from brown to blue.  Was she going crazy?  “Your eyes...” she began and then heard the door open behind her.

“What the hell’s going on in here!” bellowed the voice, a familiar voice.

Candy’s head jerked back and she saw Cleve standing there with his hands on his hips.  She turned abruptly to face the man in front of her and felt every cell in her body turn to mud.  What the hell was going on?  She pulled away from the embrace.  “What...?”  She put a hand to her mouth, looking from one to the other.  There were two of them.