The offer was practical, nothing more; an everyday occurrence—yet James felt his heart rate increase slightly at the prospect of being alone with her, even in the formal setting of her town car.
"That would be great, thank you," he found himself saying, though a warning voice in the back of his mind suggested this was dangerous territory for a man with his feelings.
Victoria nodded. "Good. I'll make our excuses."
Thirty minutes later, James found himself in the back of Victoria's town car, the privacy partition raised between them and the driver. The city lights streamed past the windows as they moved through the late-night traffic, casting intermittent shadows across Victoria's face.
They sat in comfortable silence for several minutes, the day's success creating a rare sense of ease between them. James was careful to maintain an appropriate distance on the leather seat, even as he was acutely aware of Victoria's perfume—subtle but distinctive—in the enclosed space.
"You were very impressive today," Victoria said suddenly, breaking the silence.
James glanced over at her. "Thank you."
"I mean it," she continued, shifting slightly to face him. "Your handling of the technical aspects was flawless. You've grown considerably in the past year."
The praise, delivered without her usual qualifications or hidden barbs, caught James off guard. "I appreciate that."
Victoria studied him for a moment, her expression unreadable in the dim light of the car's interior. "You've been with me for three years now, Mitchell. That's longer than any other assistant I've had."
"I enjoy the work," he said simply, though it was far from the complete truth. He enjoyed being near her, challenging himself to meet her impossible standards, earning those rare moments of approval. The work itself was almost secondary.
"Hmm." Victoria fell silent again, her gaze drifting to the city beyond the window.
The car slowed as they approached his neighborhood, the familiar landmarks of home coming into view. James felt an odd mixture of relief and disappointment as the journey neared its end.
"This is me," he said unnecessarily as the car pulled up to his building.
He reached for the door handle, expecting a brief goodnight, but Victoria's voice stopped him.
"James."
He turned back, surprised by the quiet use of his name. Victoria had shifted closer to him, her expression suddenly intense in a way he'd never seen before—at least, not directed at him.
"Yes?" he managed, his mouth suddenly dry.
Without warning, Victoria closed the distance between them. The kiss caught him completely off guard—her lips pressed against his with unexpected urgency, her hand coming up to rest against his neck. The shock of the contact froze him in place, his mind unable to process what was happening even as his body responded with immediate, overwhelming heat.
Victoria Sharp was kissing him. His boss. The woman he'd been secretly wanting from a distance that felt insurmountable. The memory of another impulsive kiss flashed through his mind—a few weeks ago at the abandoned amusement park, they were trapped during her rare moment of carelessness. In the maintenance room, with rain pounding on the metal roof, Victoria had suddenly kissed him breathless, then backed away without explanation or ever mentioning it again. Just like that time, there was no warning, no context, nothing but the shocking reality of her mouth on his.
Her lips moved against his with practiced confidence, demanding a response he was too stunned to give. James remained motionless, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, his entire body rigid with the effort of restraint. Victoria didn't seem deterred by his lack of response, it was what she expected, but instead deepening the kiss, her tongue teasing at the seam of his lips until they parted involuntarily.
The wet heat of her tongue forcing past his lips sent a jolt of desire through him so powerful he nearly groaned aloud. She tasted of champagne and something uniquely her—a taste he'd memorized from that one previous encounter and revisited in dreams too many times to count. Her hand slid up from his neck to the back of his head, fingers threading through his hair as she took complete control, angling his head exactly how she wanted it.
Victoria's tongue explored his mouth with deliberate, thorough strokes while he remained frozen, barely breathing, his hands clenched into fists so tight his knuckles whitened. She sucked his bottom lip between hers, the wet sound obscenely loud in the quiet car. When she bit down gently, he couldn't suppress a sharp intake of breath.
Victoria pulled back slightly, her breathing noticeably faster. "Mmm," she hummed appreciatively against his lips, her breath hot against his sensitized skin. "Your breath is fresh as usual and you smell good. Keep using this cologne." The compliment, so unexpected and intimate, nearly undid his resolve.
James knew he should stop this. Knew that nothing good could come from surrendering to something that meant entirely different things to each of them. But when Victoria pressed forward again, her kiss even more demanding, he remained rigidly still despite every cell in his body screaming for him to respond.
His hands remained locked at his sides, his mouth passive under her assault. Victoria didn't seem to mind his lack of participation, continuing to kiss him deeply, thoroughly, as though claiming territory. She made a small sound of pleasure that vibrated against his lips, the noise shooting straight to his groin with embarrassing immediacy. She shifted closer still, her free hand landing high on his thigh, fingers digging in possessively as she continued to devour his unresponsive mouth.
When they finally broke apart, a thin strand of saliva connected their lips for a brief, obscene moment before breaking. The sight of it, combined with Victoria's slightly swollen lips and the heat in her gaze, nearly shattered what remained of James's self-control.
With tremendous effort, he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently but firmly pushed her back, creating space between them.
"Ms. Sharp," he said, his voice rough with both desire and the need to establish distance through formality. "I think you should stop."
Victoria's eyebrow arched slightly at the formal address. "I couldn't keep my eyes off you all day," she admitted, ignoring his statement entirely. "You honestly looked too good to be true in that suit."
The compliment sent another wave of heat through him, but James maintained his resolve. "Why are you doing this?" he asked quietly.
Victoria's expression shifted into something more casual, almost dismissive. "Because I can," she said simply. "And because I want to."