Laurella overslept on Monday morning, probably because Calum hadn’t left until the early hours. Her mind turned to the last couple of days, and a smile stole across her face. This weekend had been the best, by far, since she’d moved to New York. After Calum had come over late on Saturday night, they’d only left the bedroom to eat or use the bathroom. Or shower—together.

They’d both agreed to keep their burgeoning relationship under wraps at work, so it was with her professional veneer fully in place that Laurella tapped on Calum’s door upon arriving at the office.

“Yeah,” he called out.

She poked her head inside. “Oh, sorry,” she said as her gaze fell on Julie. “I didn’t realize you were busy. I’ll come back later.”

“No need,” he said. “We’re done here anyway.”

Julie frowned. “No, we’re not. I still need to go over last week’s sales figures with you.”

Calum glared at her. “I said we’re done. Put another meeting in my calendar for later today. We can go over the figures then.”

Julie looked from Calum to Laurella then back at Calum. She shrugged and climbed to her feet. “You’re the boss.”

“Correct.”

Julie sidled past Laurella, who smiled apologetically. Calum could be overly brusque at times. She should know, having been on the receiving end of his venomous tongue on plenty of occasions.

Julie, however, seemed remarkably untroubled by his curt manner. “Good luck, Laurella,” she said, stepping into the hallway. “Try not to stab the miserable bastard. I still need him to come to the McShorey meeting with me tomorrow.”

Laurella giggled. Right there was why Julie still worked for Calum. She was one of the few people who refused to let his mood swings get to her, and she gave as good as she got.

The second the door closed, Calum strode across the office. His hands cupped her face, and pinning her with his hips, he kissed her. “God, I missed you,” he groaned and kissed her again.

“You saw me a few hours ago,” she said, tilting her head as he nipped along her jawline. “And I thought we were keeping it professional at work.”

He drew back. “I am being professional. I didn’t kiss you until Julie had left.”

She fixed him with a stare. “There was no need to be so rude to her. I expect you to apologize. You basically threw her out.”

“That’s right. So I could do this.” His mouth slanted over hers, his tongue slipping between her lips. He ground his groin into her, forcing a low moan from her throat. The sound must have spurred him on because he increased the pressure of his hips.

“Is it time to go home yet?” he murmured, pressing tiny kisses to her neck. He slipped the strap on her dress down her arm, moving her bra strap out of the way, which allowed him unfettered access to trace along her shoulder with his tongue.

The hairs stood up on the back of Laurella’s neck, and her head began to spin with need. “Calum, stop.” She didn’t want him to stop, but if he carried on, she’d do something very unprofessional involving her mouth and his cock.

“What if I say no?” he said, smirking. “Because you might say the words, Laurella, but you don’t mean them.”

“Of course I don’t want you to stop,” she said, knowing there was no point denying it. Her flushed face and short, quickened breaths gave her away. “But you agreed we’d keep work and our personal lives separate.”

Calum stroked his chin thoughtfully then stepped back, giving her space to recover her poise.

“I might have to renegotiate terms, because I’m having trouble keeping my hands off you for a few minutes, let alone an entire day.”

Tell me about it.

“If I can’t kiss you, what can I do for you?” he asked.

“I wondered if you had any free time this morning to come to the Sorensen’s pitch with me.”

Calum’s eyes widened in surprise. “Last time I asked you about that, you made it very clear that you’d cut off my balls if I dared poke my nose into that account until you’d nailed the initial marketing pitch.”

Her face heated. She’d uttered those exact words only two weeks earlier. So much had changed in such a short space of time that it had her head spinning.

“That was before.”

He grazed his teeth with his tongue. “Before what?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Stop teasing me.”

He folded his arms across his chest. “I’m not teasing. I found your words cutting and hurtful, so yeah, I’m going to make you work for that apology.”

“Settle in for a long wait, then,” she muttered, irritated. Then she saw the twinkle in his eye. “You are a mean man.”

He laughed and slipped his arms around her waist then dropped a quick kiss on the end of her nose. “Of course I’ll come. With us working together, Sorensen’s doesn’t stand a chance.”

Calum swung Laurella up in the air the minute they rounded the corner from Sorensen’s offices.

“You nailed it.” He planted a kiss on her lips.

“We nailed it,” she said. “Zane is going to be thrilled.”

“I can’t believe the size of the order they placed. If the first month goes well, this could become a regular thing. And it was all down to your pitch, which was the most impressive thing I’ve ever seen.”

She arched a brow. “Are you admitting Zane was right to bring me on board?”

He smirked. “Don’t get too arrogant, sweetheart. That’s my job.”

She laughed and slipped her hand through his arm. They walked back to their building, chattering excitedly. Once inside, they headed straight to Zane’s office. To land such an influential account—well, Sorensen’s had businesses all over the globe. This triumph could be the start of a major growth spurt for Necron.

Calum knocked once on Zane’s door then pushed it open. He gestured for Laurella to go on in ahead of him.

“Got a minute?” Calum asked, unable to keep a smile off his face.

Zane leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers under his chin. “When I saw the two of you together, I was inclined to say no. But as you’re both smiling, it shouldn’t be too much of a risk to say yes.”

Calum pulled up a second chair in front of Zane’s desk, and he and Laurella sat. “We have some good news. Laurella, go ahead.”

His heart stuttered at the grateful smile she sent his way.

“We got the Sorensen’s account,” she said.

Zane’s eyes widened, and his mouth parted. “You’re kidding?”

Laurella briefly frowned. “I’d never joke about such a thing.”

Calum grinned. “He didn’t mean it like that. It’s an expression of surprise.”

“Oh.” She made a face. “I still get confused occasionally.”

“How much did they take?” Zane asked.

“Twenty percent more than our projections,” Calum said.

“Holy fuck.” He grimaced. “Sorry, Laurella.”

“No need to apologize,” she said. “This is an exciting day. The beginning of a very exciting time for Necron. I just know it.”

“This calls for a celebration. We haven’t had a company get-together this year, so I think this is the perfect excuse.” Zane pressed the intercom that went through to his PA. “Ellie, grab your party planner and that little black book of yours. I’ve got a job for you.”