The Pollard brothers and my sisters had noticed too. Everybody was watching Dean come toward me, getting more impossibly handsome with every foot of distance he crossed.

I did a worried little dance in place, bouncing on my feet and looking around, considering my options. Everything was happening too fast to react, and before I knew it, Dean was reaching for me.

I stared at his outstretched arms in confusion and horror. Was this like what I’d imagined when I read his text a few days ago? Was he going to hug me in front of everybody and plant a kiss on my cheek? I could barely imagine how mortified I’d be if he did.

I stood stiff as a board while he wrapped his arms around the small of my back, pulling me closer. Then, as smooth as a snake, he gave my braid a little tug and I felt my head tilt back, chin facing up towards him. Dean’s twinkling eyes met mine and he smiled in a way that seemed to say, “watch this”.

He lowered his face to mine and our lips met.

Some part of my brain knew my bosses, my sister, Marley, and probably half of the entire company was watching as a super-model hot guy strode up and kissed me right on the mouth. But that part of my brain got blasted into a distant corner, locked behind a closet door, and told to shut its mouth.

For a few seconds, my whole world was the softness of his lips gliding across mine–the hot tease of his tongue sliding into my mouth and swirling against mine. It was the rough, powerful feeling of his hands on my body, making me feel small and completely in his control.

And then he brought both hands down, squeezed my ass–hard–and gave it an audible slap. He pulled back from the kiss and tugged me to his side by my waist, smiling at the bosses and my sister. “I have to apologize,” he said smoothly. “I haven’t seen my Pearly-poo in so long. I just couldn’t stop myself.”

I blinked a few times. Pearly-poo? It felt like reality was rushing back to me in waves, forcing me to replay what just happened through goggles that weren’t fogged by horniness, surprise, and six months without the romantic touch of a man. And holy shit. I’d never been kissed like that. I’d never felt like that from any kind of physical contact. Was it just the element of surprise? Was it knowing he was practically a stranger? Or was it some undiscovered kinky desire to do dirty things in front of other people? I had no idea, but my head was spinning and I’d already missed most of what Dean was saying.

I thought Jonas had said something about how it was no problem and Maxwell had just been glaring.

Alec–in all of his 90’s bad-guy glory–raised his arm and pointed toward a pair of businessmen who were entering the lobby. “Well, as professionally appropriate as this has been, we have some business to take care of, Dean. I hope you’ll excuse us.”