Janelle Denison - A Shameless Seduction

Gone was the long, tidy braid his secretary always wore, replaced by a tousled, shoulder-length cut that framed her face in soft waves and looked sexy as hell. Cinnamon-hued highlights had been added to her brunette hair, causing the silky strands to shimmer with the simplest movement of her head. The subtle application of makeup on her face brought out threads of bright gold in her brown eyes he’d never noticed before, and her lips were slick with a glossy shade of lipstick that reminded him of a succulent peach—one he wanted to gently sink his teeth into and taste…badly.

The knot in his stomach tightened, yet he couldn’t stop staring. The cream silk blouse she wore clung to her full breasts in a way her other outfits never had and was buttoned just low enough to give him a glimpse of a creamy swell of flesh. She’d tucked the hem into the trim waistband of her lavender skirt, giving her a sleek, sexy, well-put-together kind of look. The woman had the kind of lush curves that warranted a second glance, and all these years she’d hidden them beneath loose dresses and conservative outfits.

Still shocked, his mouth opened to say something, anything, but no words emerged.

She laughed, the soft, throaty sound unlike anything he’d ever heard in her tone before. “What’s the matter, boss?” she asked as a slow, sensual smile lifted her lips. “Cat got your tongue?”

The proverbial cat not only had his voice, but his groin seemed to be just as affected by her transformation. If he’d thought he’d been fighting his attraction to her before, he currently felt as though she’d launched a full-out assault on his libido, and his restraint!

He shook his head, hard, and tried to regain his composure. “What’s with…” Unable to grasp the appropriate word when his mind was muddled with arousal, he gestured from the top of her head to the three-inch heels on her feet with an impatient wave of his hand. “Everything.”

“It’s the new me,” she replied, and twirled around, giving him a 360-degree view of her very feminine assets. “I was in the mood for a change. What do you think?”

The problem was, he couldn’t think, at least not with any part of his anatomy located above the belt. Mind-blowing was the first word that came to mind, followed by provocative. With that crushable hair, those luscious lips and those endlessly long legs, she was his most carnal fantasy come to life.

Although it seemed crazy, he wondered if their conversation last week about her not accompanying him to the charity auction had instigated this radical transformation in her. Not that he had any intention of changing his mind about her doing the job.

He swallowed to ease his parched throat. “You look…” Amazing, tempting and too damned beddable. “Really nice,” he forced out blandly.

Some of the confidence glimmering in her gaze dwindled, and he experienced a mixture of relief and regret for bursting her enthusiasm. But the last thing he wanted to do was encourage her brazen behavior in any way. He was already having a difficult enough time with his body’s response to this new and sensual Melodie.

So, instead, he focused on business. “Any calls this morning?”

She hesitated for a moment, then straightened her shoulders once again, as if attempting to rebolster her fortitude. Reaching across her desk, she gathered a few pink message slips and handed them his way, her movements slow and unhurried instead of quick and efficient, as was her usual manner.

“Lance Keesling returned your call from Friday,” she said, and even her voice sounded lower, huskier, to his ears. “Jonas Goodwin would like an update on the Williams insurance fraud case, and Bobby Malone will be stopping by later this afternoon with the information you needed on the MacGregor custody case.”

He nodded succinctly. Bobby Malone was a detective with the Oakland P.D., and also a good friend of Noah’s. The two of them traded professional favors on cases when needed, and Cole was waiting for crucial information on a prior felon embroiled in a custody dispute with one of his clients.

“Great,” he said, glancing back at her after reviewing the messages she’d taken for him. “Could you pull the Goodwin case file for me and bring it to my office, please?”

“It’s already on your desk,” she replied efficiently.

“Thank you.” At least some things hadn’t changed, he thought gratefully. Despite Melodie’s new attitude and alluring appearance, she was still the same old reliable, conscientious secretary he’d come to depend on in the office.

And that’s all he cared about, he told himself firmly.

“Good morning, everyone,” Noah’s deep, cheerful voice sounded from behind Cole as he entered the reception area, followed by a quick inhalation as he obviously caught sight of Melodie. “Holy sh—” he cut himself off. Cole turned to see his shocked outburst replaced with a wolfish grin. “Who in the heck is this impostor? Certainly not our sweet Mel!”

A pink blush swept across her cheeks, but something much more mischievous flickered in her eyes. “Maybe I’m her naughty twin.”

“Oh, I like that,” Noah said with a too-charming laugh that grated on Cole’s nerves. Noah circled around the desk, grabbed Melodie’s hand, spun her in a circle for a full inspection, then made a low, growling sound of approval and appreciation. “You look incredible. I think I need to modify ‘sweet stuff’ to ‘hot stuff.”’

She beamed up at him. “That would definitely go with my new image.”

“Hot stuff it is,” Noah confirmed, winking playfully at her.

An odd tension settled down the nape of Cole’s neck and he was loath to acknowledge its source. Noah had always been a shameless flirt when it came to all women, yet Cole didn’t care for the way his brother was eyeing Mel’s newly revealed attributes he, himself, had ogled earlier.

He clenched his jaw in frustration and issued a stern internal lecture. He’d never been a jealous man when it came to the opposite sex, and he didn’t intend to start now with a woman he had no business lusting over.

“I’m glad you came in early, Noah,” he said, drawing his brother’s gaze back to him. “Can I see you in my office for a few minutes?”

Noah let go of Melodie’s hand and nodded. “Sure.” He followed Cole down the short hall to his office, then dropped into one of the chairs in front of his desk. “What’s up?”

Taking his own seat, Cole rolled his shoulders to ease the taught muscles stretching across his back. “Do you have time this week to do some surveillance work?”

“Yeah, I can wing it. What do you need?”

“It’s for the Russell case. I’d like you to tail Jerry Thornton and see if he’s involved with another woman and uncover whatever you can regarding his credibility.” Withdrawing a piece of paper from his blotter, he pushed it across his desk toward Noah. “Here’s his home and work address and a photo, along with other pertinent info.”

Resting an ankle over the opposite knee, Noah gave the notes a cursory glance, then slanted Cole a furtive look. “Speaking of the Russell case, your sexy, sophisticated, intelligent candidate for the charity auction is standing in the other room.”

“Who? Melodie?” he asked, his tone infused with a plausible amount of incredulity—he hoped.

Noah smirked. “No, her naughty twin.”

“Forget it,” he told his brother firmly. “I refuse to cross that professional line with my own secretary.”

“In order to cross a professional line you need to be attracted to her,” Noah drawled, insinuating as much. “Come on, Cole, she’s perfect for what you need.”

Cole’s needs were making themselves known with a vengeance. Since the moment he’d laid eyes on Melodie’s newly revealed bottom and long legs, his body had been clamoring for a more physical kind of contact. A languid dose of desire had settled beneath his skin, a nagging ache he feared would get much worse if Melodie continued her beguiling performance.