The Research Project

Chapter Eight

It was five past five. Mr. Notoriously Never Late was exactly five minutes late. Lainey bit her lip wondering if she'd made a mistake. Suddenly her nerves got the better of her. She turned back toward the elevators. Maybe she still had time to get out of here. She didn't even like the guy, why would she be thinking about having sex with him? But just as the elevator door pinged to signal its arrival, another, previously unnoticed door to her left swooshed open and Byron strode out flanked by two security guards. He stopped when he saw her. The security guards stopped too.

"Lainey!"

"H-hi," she said and went to him.

"Were you leaving?" he asked, a puzzled expression on his gorgeous face.

Lainey looked up at the two security guards. "No."

He took her hand like he could tell she was nervous in front of them and led her to a black BMW X6. Byron helped her inside then sat down beside her. The security guard who was driving turned on the radio and Byron started talking as the car moved.

"Were you having second thoughts?" he asked.

"A little. But only because you were late."

He raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe it, someone who is more punctual than I am."

He smiled at her and she felt her stomach unknot just a little. She smiled back. "Are you having second thoughts?" she asked.

"I haven't stopped thinking about it all day," he said.

"Oh, good."

She pressed her lips together and looked at her hands in her lap, too shy to meet his eyes. He piston gripped her chin and made her look up into his face.

"To think the talk around the office is that you're a cold fish," Byron said.

Lainey scoffed. "Pot meet kettle."

Byron grinned and released his grip on her chin. "What you see right now is a façade, I'm a different man out of my suit."

"And I'm a different woman out of mine, I think my dirty sex books prove that."

Byron regarded her, his grin breaking into a full blown smile. "Fair point. I must say, you are a nice surprise, Lainey."

"What do you mean?"

"Here I was thinking you were more wholesome than a slice of white bread," he said as he lightly rested his palm on Lainey's upper thigh. "I'll bet you wear racy underwear underneath this prim and proper façade."

His hand moved up to play with the lapel of her jacket. Lainey had a sudden urge to show him that he was exactly right. She shot a quick glance in the direction of the security guards and reassured that they were looking out the window, Lainey reached around to the front of her blouse and popped the top button. Byron's gaze darkened. Encouraged, she popped another and another, four in total since she always buttoned up to the top. She parted the material of her blouse to reveal her lacy, white bra.

Byron glanced from her breasts to her eyes, his gaze smoking hot. Lainey gathered that he liked what she was doing. He lifted his hand to her cleavage and traced his index finger along the seam where the material met her flesh.

"Wow, are these real?"

She frowned at him. "You mean my breasts? Of course they are."

"It's just you have such a small frame, and these are a decent size."

"They're real," she said, buttoning up her shirt again.

"I'll bet they fit perfectly in my hands, we'll find out soon enough."