CHAPTER THREE
Stepping out of the shower, Renee grabbed the towel and examined herself in the bathroom mirror.
Her wet, brown hair clung to her face, and tired, hazel eyes stared back at her. She had lost a bit of weight but her figure was still full and curvy. She would never be svelte and slim. She just wasn’t built that way.
Renee smiled wryly at her own reflection. She thought she would be a mother by now. Nope. That dream was dead. She was a divorcee with no kids, and no life.
At least she had a job. And a very well-paying job to boot.
Work was the only thing keeping her occupied and sane. The work was demanding and the hours were long, but it was worth it. She was being paid very well, and she could afford to rent this nice, spacious apartment. The apartment was actually big enough for two, and she had asked her sister to move in with her. But Kimberly liked living where she was. It afforded her the convenience of walking to work.
Renee thought about her non-existent social life and shrugged. It didn’t really bother her, but all work and no play couldn’t be healthy for anyone.
Kimberly was always nagging her to go out and mingle. “Don’t give up on love, Renee,” Kim always made it a point to remind her. “Coz love hasn’t given up on you!”
Renee wasn’t so sure. The thought of dipping her toes back into the dating pool made her shudder. And she was simply too exhausted to pretty herself up and go on a date after a long day at the office. After work, she just wanted to go home and flop on the couch with a tub of ice-cream. She was too exhausted to do much else except watch TV for a while before crawling into bed.
Renee heard her phone ring and she winced. Her boss called her on her mobile phone when he needed to locate a file urgently. Zack was still in the office when she left. His sleeves had been rolled up, exposing his powerful, muscular arms. His tie was loosened and his blond hair was standing up at odd angles after he’d repeatedly raked his fingers through it. It made him look a lot younger, more boyish and less intimidating. Unfortunately, it also made Renee wonder what he looked like in the bedroom. Disheveled, unshaven, undressed...
Renee shook her head hard. This was no way to be thinking about her boss. Her mind was in cahoots with her body.
Lately, her body had been misbehaving at the most inappropriate moments. When Zack came up behind her at her desk and bent over her to read the letter she was typing, Renee had felt a warm, wet heat bloom low in her belly. She’d had to clench her thighs together to stop that maddening ache in her core. And when Zack’s hand brushed against hers, the jolt of desire coursing through her was both thrilling and terrifying. She had never felt such a powerful physical attraction to any man before. She had to try and leash her lust and libido before she made a fool of herself.
Renee had caught Zack staring at her on a few occasions. His blue eyes seemed to be glowing with a raw, primal heat and hunger. But Renee told herself that she shouldn’t let her imagination run wild. Fantasizing about her handsome, sexy boss in the privacy of her bedroom was one thing. But letting her fantasies affect her professional life would get her fired.
Renee grabbed her bag from the foot of the bed and located her persistently ringing phone.
Besides her boss, there was only one other person who was this persistent.
Renee gave a lopsided smile when she saw the number.
Her sister would keep ringing until her phone battery died if she didn’t pick up.
“Hi, Kim,” Renee answered breathlessly.
“Hey, watcha doin’?” Kimberly asked cheerfully. “Your boss from hell isn’t working you to death on a Friday night?”
Renee laughed. “I got home not too long ago.”
“You had dinner?”
“Yeah. I ate at the office.”
“Sheesh, Renee. You need to get a life.” Her sister clucked her tongue. “Wanna go catch a movie?”