The Blue Dress
Chapter Three: White Hot Rage

She was hot.

Her heels clipped on the marble floor of the familiar corridor. She didn't care if people were giving her strange looks as she stormed passed them, she was absolutely livid and she needed to yell at someone.

Turning sharply, she headed into his department office and rushed over to his door.

"Is he in there?" She asked with a quick spin, not really caring about the answer.

"Yes," his secretary scrambled after her. "But he's in a meeting!-"

But she ignored the woman and pushed the door in, storming inside.

"I need to talk to you," she said, curtly through teeth. "Right now."

"Ms. Raven?" He blinked, smoothing down his tie. He gestured to the older men sitting across from him. "Can this wait? I'm in a meeting."

"Right. Now," she repeated as a warning, tapping her heel against his carpet floor.

He saw the warning in her eye and nodded before turning to the men in front of him and asking them to reschedule with his secretary. They confusedly but politely agreed and stood, heading out of the office.

She gave them forced but polite smiles on their way out before shutting the door behind them. Rolling her tongue in her mouth, she turned to him with one of the hardest glares he had ever seen her give.

And, unfortunately, he was at the receiving end. But he didn't let his discomfort show as she walked closer to him.

"I could've lost that account with you walking in like that-

A loud smacking noise echoed in the room, followed by a hot stinging on his cheek. He reached his hand up and looked at her with a shocked expression.

She was seething. Her eyes were wide and wild, her lips were tight, and fists balled. It as terrifying… And a little bit sexy.

"What the fuck-

"You have got a lot of nerve!" She shouted over him. "After all those weeks of scoring through those papers, of working together, you throw me under the bus!"

"What are you talking about? I didn't throw you under the bus!"

"Oh really? She scoffed. "Then, how come Mr. Wilson called me to his office to tell me that I've been taken off the case?"

He frowned. "Wait… What?"

"Oh don't play dumb, Mr. Todd! It's not flattering," she waved walking passed him."You put in a request to take me off the case. Claiming that you have a hard time working with me. That I'm difficult to work with."

He shook his head. "No, no… I didn't mean-

"Tell me, Mr. Todd, why is it so hard to work with me?" She questioned, putting her hands on her hips. "Why would you make this sort of claim?"

Pieces of her hair had slipped out of her normally perfect bun and fell around her face, adding more to her wild look. Her face was pink from yelling and her painted lips were parted as she huffed. Her chest heaved with heavy breaths, rising and falling over and over again, making it look like she was going to spill out of her white button up.

Just one more button…

Feeling that fire burn hot under his navel again, he closed his eyes as he backed against the wall and pinched the bridge of his nose, wishing the naughty images away.

"Answer me!" She stomped.

"It's not like that," he opted as he began to rub his eyes, images of her naked swirling behind his eyes again. "Fuck."

"It's not like what?" She pushed, stalking towards him like a predator to its prey. When he didn't answer her, she pulled his hand from his face and stepped closer, the smell of her vanilla soap teasing his nostrils. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

"YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE TAKEN OFF THE CASE," he roared. "I was!"

She blinked, stepping back away from him. "What?"

He pushed passed her to his desk, trying to create some distance. "I…requested off the case because of issues I have."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "We've been on this case for weeks."

"I know."

"So all that hard work," she shrugged as she took steps towards him. "All of that was for nothing?"

"I'll talk to Mr. Wilson, get you back on the case. You'll be fine without me," he tried to exit his office but she stepped in his way.

"No," she fought, her brow creased and her lips tight. "I won't let you do this. We've worked too hard and too long for you to just walk away from it."

"You'll be fine," he pushed and made for the door again. No avail.

"Why do you want off the case?" She asked taking steps closer to him and making him back up.

Distance, Jason… Maintain distance…

"That is my business," he forced out.

She shook his head as she continued to step towards him. "We were partners in this. You have to give me a good reason why you want to leave the case."

"I don't have to do anything, least of all to you. Now excuse me," he tried to make it pass again but her hand on his chest stopped him.

"You said I was difficult to work with. Why? What happened? What changed?" She asked, getting closer.

Too close.

He took another step but his the back of his thighs hit the cabinet by the window, making him sit down. He swallowed hard as the image of her straddling his hips and taking him inside her flashed over his eyes.

"The case would… Suffer if we continued working together," he offered.

"The case would suffer if we stopped working together and you know it!" She argued, stepping closer. Her scent was dancing on his tongue now.

"We've worked too hard and too long and we have made a lot of progress in this case than when it was first placed on us. And I am not going to get some dopey smuck from God-fucking-all knows and play catch up with him! So you tell me what you're problem is and we'll-

His arms shot out and wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to his body. Dark lusty eyes met hers as his fingers curled against the white fabric of her shirt, clenching his jaw and breathing heavy through his nose.

She blinked at him for a moment, unsure of what he was getting at. But slowly the looks of clarity grazed over her face. "Oh… Oh… Oh…"

Gasping, she ripped herself away from his hold and put some distance between them. He sighed in both relief and disappointment, pinching his nose again and keeping the images at bay.

An awkward silence filtered between them, unsure of what to say. She kept her eyes on the floor, her face pink as she tried to process everything she just learned.

"Yeah…" He sighed, deciding it was enough of the stewed silence and adjusting himself. "So I will talk to Mr. Wilson and tell him-"

"That you were wrong and that we will continue to remain on the case," she interrupted, her eyes still on the floor.

He furrowed his brows. "What?"

"It's like I said," she coughed, soothing down her shirt and straightening herself out. "We've worked too long and too hard for either of us to give up now. We will work around… This and it will all be fine."

"I don't think you understand-

"You're attracted to me, Mr. Todd," she said bluntly. "Is that what I am to understand?"

"Yes but-

"Then we'll manage it," she nodded. "Go to Mr. Wilson's office and tell him that we resolved out issues and that we'll resume our work together in three days."

"Three days?" He blinked, crossing his arms over his chest.

She nodded. "Well I do need some time to adjust to all of this, don't you?"

She had a point there. Now that his attraction was out there, it would make it difficult to work together automatically.

He sighed in defeat, knowing that he wasn't going to convince her to do anything otherwise, and nodded.

"Three days then."

"Right," she let out a shaky breath, her hardened exterior faltering for a moment. "My secretary will get in contact with yours and set it up. See you in three days. And… Zip your fly."

And with that she left the room, leaving a flabbergasted man in her wake.