Hunting for Honey - THE SPECTER SERIES [book one]

Chapter SEVEN

Honey Sinclaire

The next week at the office you have several strategy meetings scheduled between Archer, Ellerie and yourself... During the meetings Ellerie fills you in on your various responsibilities as COO and explains some of Carrington Corp's current issues..
Not that you really need to be filled in, you'd been organising the inner workings of Alex's life for over a decade. You already know how Carrington Corp, the country's largest transport company operated, probably better than half of the board members..

Not that you'd ever tell Ellerie that.. You're not here to rustle any feathers, lasting of all a senior board member..

You and she have been getting along great and you feel like you might have made another new friend.. Which is rare for you, since you have a hard time letting go of work.. Or trusting people..

Vulnerability doesn't come easy to you, but ever since Alex's death you've been forced into more exposed positions and since meting Archer it has been hard to cover your true feelings..

Oh god.. Archer..
The man who now occupies your thoughts.. Day and night..

You and he haven't yet spoken about the heated make out session from the day of the reading.. But he has to know it was so hot that it had exhausted all your self control to keep from inviting him up to your apartment..

Instead you had given him one final sweet kiss before slipping out of the car and into your building without daring to glance back, even though you could feel that he was watching, waiting for you to get safely inside before driving away..

You had been expecting him to ask you out, but in the week that followed the kiss, he has been spending only a few hours in the office each day.. You hate to make assumptions but it almost seems as though he's avoiding you and you don't particularly like it..

You aren't some toy for his amusement and you really don't like to play games..

Now as your final induction meeting closes, Archer sits across from you at the conference table watching you when he thinks you're not looking, while Ellerie at the head of the table, chatters on merrily about the boards projected expectations for the future.

"We just know you two are going to make a great team, and with our direction I know we can bring Carrington Corp in line with these visions.." Ellerie concludes, smiling with her full, purple painted lips..

"Thank you Ellerie.. This was all very helpful to me.." Archer stands and extends his hand to Ellerie and she takes it with an enthusiastic shake..

You follow them, rising to your feet. The meeting had gone by so quickly you had almost forgotten that you had something you wanted to bring to her attention..

"Oh! Ellerie, I almost forgot!" You produce a pale yellow folder from your stack of files and hand it to her over the conference table..

Archer looks at the folder with a curious interest before he turns his stern, penertrative gaze on you..
You give him a look that says 'what's your problem', along with a half shrug and he fast refocuses on the paperwork in front of him..

"I found several discrepancies in the quarterly expenditure entries.. I know the board needs to be notified when incident reports are filed and since I found them I will need to document them.. But they must be errors, so I'm sure we can get this whole thing cleared up easily.."  You begin to worry you have spoken out of place when hr eyes widen with concern and dart to Archer then back..

"Are you sure about what you've found, Honey?" She sounds halfway between impressed and irritated and that worries the heck out of you.. One week on the job and you've already messed up and overstepped..

"I am sure.. I double -- no-- triple checked the numbers myself.. Is something wrong, Ellerie?" You frown, sensing the strange shift of tone and tension in the air, you look to Archer, but his irate stare is now entirely focused on Ellerie..
Anxiety blooms in your chest and you worry you've caused undue stress to them both in some way..

Instead she waves her hands, "No, no... File your reports, I will look into these.." She holds up the folder and smiles.. Not the same cheery smile from earlier, instead she gives you a forced grimace before saying goodbye to you both and making her way out of the conference room, closing the heavy oak door behind her..

You turn to Archer, distress etched all on your face.. "D-Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you did your job." He offers comfortingly before returning to his papers, adding under his breath, "Maybe a little too well.."

"Oh, really?"  You quirk a brow at him but he doesn't elaborate any farther, so you take a deep breath summoning all your courage to ask, "What about the other night.. Did I do something wrong then?" The vulnerability in your wobbly voice catches his attention and he lifts his head, fixing you with that intense, crystalline gaze..

"Honey-- Baby.." He lets out a long breath as he shakes his head, rounding the table to be closer to you..

You hold up your hands defensively along with a retreating step.. "Don't do that.. If you want to pretend it never happened, just say so.."

"That's not what I want.." He growls as his eyes flare hotly and he takes another prowling step closer, reaching you and taking your hands in his.."But there is a lot going on right now, Honey.. So I just, didn't want to pressure you.."

His words feel so sincere, you blink a few times as you process them before whispering a smokey reply.. "Archie, I don't need you to protect me.. Just don't play games with me.." You pause nervously, "I--I like you."

He gives you a smouldering grin the steals your breath, "Honey, its my job to protect you.." You find yourself leaning towards him as if he were gravity itself, sucking you in.. Completely beyond your control, he holds you enraptured, "And this isn't a game to me.."

He presses the hard plains of his body against your softness, as he devours your mouth in a consuming, exploratory kiss... Your pillowy chest rubs across his rigid pecs as your nipples pebble, illciting a deep groan of approval from you both..

His hands roam your back, cupping and squeezing at your ass, before finding their way up, and beneath your shirt to sear your skin..

Spurred on by the feeling of flesh against flesh, you lean into the kiss, tracing the contours of his tongue with yours and licking his lovely lips..

You feel the impressive growing bulge in his pants straining between you both. You're so turned on running your hand down his carved abs, over his belt, down to his zipper...

"God. Honey. You. Are. So. Fucking. Hot.." His words are punctuated by delicious nips and kisses down your neck and over collar bone, all the while his fingertips continue exploring your curves to find your breasts, tracing along the edges of the lacy bra..

"Ohh.. Archie.. Mmmh.."  Your head lolls back as desire overcomes you and you issue a sensual command, "Lock the door.."