“Thanks, you look beautiful too, I… I mean; you look nice,” stammered Claire. Oh great, I’m treating a business dinner like my senior prom, and I just told my boss that he looked beautiful. Please table, open up and swallow me now.

With a grin, Jason replied, “I liked the beautiful comment best.”

Embarrassed, Claire asked, “What did you want to go over tonight?” She reached for her purse and pulled out a small notebook and pen then looked at Jason expectantly.

“Let’s wait on business until after dinner, shall we?” asked Jason. “It’s been a very long day, and I could use some time to relax if that’s ok.” Claire studied him noticing the signs of fatigue around his eyes. He always made everything seem so effortless, and his energy seemed to be limitless but possibly this merger was starting to wear on him. She’d no doubt he was putting in more hours in the evening after he left the office than anyone was aware.

Tenderness flickered to life in her chest as she gently said, “That sounds great; I know you must be tired.”

“You have no idea; I love nothing better than putting a deal together, but this particular one has come close to consuming my life. I look forward to a much-needed break after this closes.”

“When do you think that will be?” asked Claire.

“Within the next few months barring any other last minute issues,” replied Jason.

“That reminds me,” began Claire awkwardly, “I asked Suzy about this weekend and she… already has plans.”

Jason smiled as he picked up on the hesitation in her voice and said, “Told you no way, huh?”

A laugh sputtered out of Claire as she said, “You really do know Suzy well don’t you?”

“Yes and I’m betting her answer was a bit more graphic than you’re letting on.”

“After her recent breakup, I don’t think she’s ready to get back out there again yet,” said Claire. Plus she thinks Grayson is a tight ass and not in a good way.

“Grayson does seem very interested in her,” said Jason. “He’s a good guy and will be in the office quite a lot after the merger.”

With a smile, Claire said, “He seems a little… normal for her so I’m not sure anything would ever come of it.”

“Well stranger things have happened so let’s leave it to fate, shall we?” The waiter delivered their lasagna and a basket of fresh bread, and soon they were both enjoying their meal and Claire was finding it harder to remember this wasn’t a date.

~~~

Jason looked across the table at Claire as she laughed and picked the fork up from her lap. Mishaps did seem to follow her wherever she went. First, she’d arrived for dinner with her toe bandaged and was painfully hobbling towards the door when he reached her in the parking lot and now when gesturing with her fork while talking, she’d somehow flipped it from her hands and up in the air, finally landing it in her lap.

She called it bad fortune; he called it endearing. It was obvious she was quite used to the frequent mishaps and had learned how to handle them with grace through the years. God, she looks so beautiful and sexy tonight. He had seldom seen her wear anything with color in it and the blue dress she was wearing seemed to make her sparkle; her eyes were luminous. Her tanned shoulders had felt smooth and soft when he had put his arm around them to help her inside earlier. Her scent was intoxicating, and he was again grateful for a tablecloth covering his groin.

This whole dinner thing was probably a mistake. The idea had just popped into his head this morning when he had seen her sitting there at her desk, smiling up at him with those beautiful soft lips. Before he knew it, the invitation had been issued. He was damn lucky he hadn’t already blown this merger by now. If they could just get the sex out of the way, he would be able to breathe again, to focus. They were both adults so when whatever was between them burned out, life could return to normal. He could be in public without having a constant erection, and business would again be foremost in his mind.

He was so damn angry when she’d thrown his offer of financial assistance back in his face with the insulting accusation that he needed to buy sex. Someone willing had never been an issue for him. He kept his affairs out of the office and off the front page. The women he had been involved with through the years knew exactly where they stood with him. They enjoyed each other while it lasted, but they always came in second to the company.

His mother was constantly harping on him to settle down no doubt because she felt it was expected, and his answer to that was why? When he came to the point in his life where he was content and no longer felt driven to complete the next big deal then he might entertain the thought. Something in his chest tightened when he looked at Claire and thought of her settling down with someone else in the future.

At least he found a way to help her without offending her again. If she ever found out there would probably be hell to pay, but right now it seemed worth it to see the happy, relaxed expression on her face. Hopefully not having to worry about finances or her neighbor for awhile would make her life easier. Soon, he would get her out of his system, and his life would be his own again, and he would insist that she benefit enough to do away with the weekend job permanently.

~~~

Claire ruefully pulled the fork from her lap and laughed, “At least I didn’t stab myself with it.” Dinner had been wonderful, full of laughter and shared stories. Jason seemed interested in every boring detail of her life up until the present. Claire carefully avoided any mention of her father and mainly talked about her mother and Chrissie. He in turn told of his summers growing up around the beach with an often absent mother who tended to drink too much and needed to be taken care of and a workaholic father.

He said he probably didn’t have any siblings because they simply forgot to take care of it as they did most everything other than Danvers. Luckily, his mother’s sister Ella had lived with them and tried to provide him with some type of maternal figure. It was obvious from the warm tone of his voice that he loved her very much. Ella had since moved to Florida and lived in a retirement community there that Claire suspected he paid for.

His parents lived in Charleston where his mother chaired several charities to keep up appearances. His father golfed most every day and still attended the occasional board meeting at Danvers. His childhood that she thought would be so vastly different from her own held many similarities. She could tell that, for the most part, he had never been a child. He seemed to always be taking care of either his mother or Ella. The neglect of his childhood still seemed preferable to the abuse of hers.

Looking down at her watch, Claire was surprised to see that two hours had passed. They’d long finished dinner and dessert and were now just drinking coffee and talking. “Oh wow, it’s getting late,” said Claire picking up her pen and pad again. "We had better go over what you need for the rest of the week.”

“You know what?” asked Jason. “I really don’t want to ruin a great evening talking about business. This is the most relaxing meal I’ve had in weeks, and I just want to leave it at that,” finished Jason.

“Sure, you can call or email me tomorrow,” said Claire. The waiter returned and Jason quickly settled the check. Carefully putting his arm around here again, Jason walked slowly as he helped her back to her car.

“Are you ok to drive with that foot?” asked Jason.

“I’m fine, really. It looks a lot worse than it is,” said Claire. Jason made no move to remove his arm from her shoulders and finally Claire started to pull away from him.

Suddenly, he turned her to face him in his arms and lowered his mouth to hers. Claire was too surprised to resist as she felt the warm touch of his soft lips meet hers, lightly as first, nibbling and tracing the outer curve of her lips almost questioningly. With a groan, Claire parted her lips and Jason swooped in to take advantage, thrusting his tongue inside to mate with hers.

Jason pulled her body closer. His hands molded her curves to fit his. Claire could feel his arousal pressing against her belly, and her cervix contracted with the force of her own arousal. As he slid his lips down the side of her neck, Jason whispered in her ear, “Claire, God, I want you so much, go home with me tonight?” Jason pressed her hand to the front of his slacks, letting her feel the force of his desire.

As her knees started to buckle against him, Claire looped her arms around his neck and said, “My place… it’s right… down the street… please.” Jason raised his head to look into her eyes and whatever he saw there seemed to give him the answer he was seeking.

Jason disentangled them enough to walk and said, “Ride with me; your car will be safe here.”

Way past any rational thought, Claire allowed him to lead her over to his Mercedes and put her in the passenger seat and within minutes they were pulling into her apartment complex. Jason hurried around the car and helped her out. Her fingers were shaking too much to find the door key, so Claire handed the whole set to him. Jason gave a shout of victory as he finally located the key, and soon they were inside.

As soon as the door closed, Jason reached for her and brought his lips crashing down on hers again. Gone was the questioning kiss of before, now there was only need and desire so hot Claire was afraid she would burst into flames. His hands were roaming her body, desperately seeking to discover every curve. Claire couldn’t stop the moan that escaped her lips as he cupped the heavy weight of her breasts through the thin material of her dress. Moisture was pooling between her thighs as she frantically ran her hands down his back and pulled his shirt from the waistband of his trousers.

His skin was hot to the touch, and her nails raked down his back with need. His tongue was devouring her mouth, mating with hers and his hands were gripping her bottom, grinding against her with only a few thin layers separating them. “Bed…” Jason picked her up, and she clamped her legs around his hips as she pointed him to her bedroom door. Not bothering to turn on the lights, Jason slowly felt his way over to the bed and lowered her gently.

As he leaned over her, he asked, “Are you ok with your toe?”

Claire pulled him down on top of her. Screw the toe! Jason rolled over and positioned her on top of him, reaching down for the hem of her dress and slowly raising it over her head. Thank god I wore my good underwear tonight.

He then reached over and found the switch on the bedside lamp, and Claire was bathed in the dim glow. “Oh god, you’re so perfect,” purred Jason. Claire had worn a pale blue lace push-up bra which made the best of her assets and a matching pair of tiny lace panties. She reached for the hem of his shirt, desperate for skin to skin contact but Jason caught her hands and stopped her. “No, not yet, I’ll lose control fast when I feel you against me.”

He lowered her back to the bed and knelt between her legs. He ran his hands lightly up past her thighs and to her stomach. Claire arched up off the bed when she felt the warmth of his lips blazing the same path his hands had just touched. Slowly, his tongue swirled around her belly button and teased as it slid a few inches lower. Breathless with anticipation, Claire almost cried out when he stopped his descent and instead started to work his way back up until he reached the underside of her breasts.

Jason located the front closure on her bra and deftly snapped it open. Her breasts were laid bare to his naked gaze. His hands cupped the weight of her as one thumb came up to stroke her nipple. “Oh baby, you’re beautiful,” rasped Jason. Hearing a moan, Claire was surprised to discover it had come from her throat. Her nipples were hard and standing at attention. Jason lowered his head and took a nipple in his mouth, swirling his tongue over the peak.

Claire felt him reach down between her thighs and lightly cup her mound through the thin lace of her panties. Claire dug her hands in his hair, holding his mouth in place. She raised her hips to meet his questing fingers as they slid under the lace of her panties and slowly lowered them down her legs. He then glided his hand back up her legs and between her slick folds to tease her. Claire almost jumped from the bed, so sensitive was that throbbing part of her against the pressure of his fingers.

The sucking of his mouth on her breasts seemed to mimic the motion of his hand between her thighs. She pushed her thighs tighter against his hand, instinctively seeking release from the pressure inside her. Liquid pooled there as Jason slipped a finger inside her, stroking her where she needed it most.

Time ceased to have any meaning; the only focus was what was happening to her body, the unbearable pressure between her legs. Claire felt another finger being inserted, stroking faster as his thumb continued to rub her clit. Suddenly feeling like she was fixing to break apart if he didn’t stop, Claire started to pull back from his hand, so strong were the feelings burning in her body.

She heard Jason’s voice whisper, “No baby, let it happen, come for me.” The motion of his hand increased as did the suction at her breasts, and suddenly she was falling through space; spinning so fast there was nothing left in the world but the feeling of the contractions that shook her body. “Oh god, baby, that’s it,” said Jason hoarsely.