“Fit for purpose?” Lucien’s laugh was low and suggestive. “You’re going to have to do better than that, Ms. Black. From the top, please.”

Sophie’s fingers touched against her throat, and Lucien’s eyes lingered on the movement.

“Okay. Right. Well… question one. The testers were asked to judge the product on appearance.”

“And?”

“And they liked it. A couple of people would have preferred it to be coloured, but most liked the fact that it was clear.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do they prefer clear to coloured?”

“From the comments, people like the fact that it blends in rather than stands out.”

Lucien nodded. “And what do you think of its appearance?”

“Me?”

Lucien nodded again and looked at her with expectant eyes, and she tried to imagine that he’d just asked her which grout mix she would recommend. It didn’t work very well.

“I couldn’t really say,” she stumbled and flicked back to the front cover to look at it again. Lucien wheeled his chair backwards to a cabinet and opened it, then returned to the desk with a real life version of the Love’n’Lick in his hand. Sophie blanched as he took it out of the packet. He held it out across the desk, and Sophie did the only thing she could. She took it.

“Look at it,” he said, and she dropped her eyes hurriedly. “Test how it feels against your skin.”

Sophie could do nothing to stop the warm flush on her cheeks, but what else did he expect?

“Note how you can see your own skin through it. We designed it to become almost invisible when used.”

She could hear the note of pride in his voice. However titillating the subject matter seemed, the fact was that this product research was essential information to Lucien and he took it seriously.

She looked down at the sex toy in her hand, and curiosity overtook embarrassment. It was far softer and stretchier than she’d imagined it would be, more tactile. The tongue stimulator struck her as very… well… tongue-shaped. Her mind skipped along the obvious path… how would it feel to use this during sex? And more disturbingly, it wasn’t Dan who starred in her x-rated imaginary sex test.

“Question two,” she coughed, and chased the images from her head. “How easy was the product to use?”

People had raved over it on the questionnaires.

“It scored highly in this area, Lucien. People found it incredibly easy to use.”

“Good. That’s what we hoped.” He seemed satisfied with that, so she thanked her lucky stars and moved on.

“The next question was aimed specifically at women.” Sophie willed her cheeks to stay cool. “It asked if the product increased the female partner’s pleasure during sex.”

Sophie couldn’t look up. This whole conversation was too intimate. She wouldn’t even have felt comfortable having it with Dan, let alone Lucien.

“And the results?”

Sophie nodded. “Umm, yes. The responses were favourable again.”

“For everyone? No additional comments?”

Oh, there had been comments. Plenty of them.

Sophie passed her hand over her forehead and coughed again. This was excruciatingly hard, given the subject matter. But then wasn’t that the point? This was the bread and butter of the business she was now part of, she needed to prove to Lucien that she could handle it. It was time to pull herself together and be the PA Lucien needed, or she might as well get her coat now. The thought of losing the job centred her, and she put her shoulders back and looked up.

“Every last women loved it, Lucien.” Sophie spoke without allowing a trace of her inward tremble into her voice. “They all found that the additional clitoral stimulation helped them achieve orgasm during sex. One woman reported three orgasms within half an hour, and many mentioned that the tongue action felt extremely life-like.”

Lucien nodded. “And you, Sophie?”

“Me?”

“Do you think the tongue action feels life-like?”

“Lucien, I haven’t…” Sophie’s eyebrows hit her fringe.

“Switch it on and test it against the palm of your hand.”

“You’re not serious.”

“Perfectly. I need you to be fully conversant with all aspects of what we do, and that includes product awareness.”

Dear God. He genuinely expected her to switch it on and test it, right here in front of him. He was outrageous, and Sophie had never felt so exposed in her life. Or so turned on.

She flicked the switch on the vibrating tongue, and the little machine buzzed into life in her hand. When she looked down she could see that the tongue had small raised bumps all over its surface that undulated in a wave-like motion.

A tongue-like motion. She flicked her eyes up at Lucien and found him watching her face intently, and his blue eyes had darkened to navy glitter. He raised one eyebrow at her in a challenge.

“Try it against your palm.” It was more of an order than a question, but one Sophie found herself ready to comply with.

She placed the tip of the tongue lightly against the centre of her hand.

Lucien shook his head. “Not like that.” He came around the desk and dropped on his haunches in front of her chair. “Imagine the position it would be in during sex.” Reaching out, he placed one large, golden brown hand flat underneath her smaller one to hold it steady, and then with his other hand he turned the toy over and pressed the tongue stimulator flat against her palm.

“There. Like that,” he said, looking up at her. “How does that feel now?”

Sophie sat rooted to the spot and stared down at him, wide eyed.

“Like someone is licking my palm,” she all but whispered.

He flicked the switch and the vibrations increased.

“And now?”

Sophie shifted in her seat. The scent of Lucien reached her nose and filled her head with cinnamon and spice, and the warm strength of his hands holding the toy against hers made her want his hands on her everywhere else. His eyes watched their hands, and he looked somehow vulnerable with the sweep of his lashes against his cheek.

“It’s licking me harder,” she said.

Lucien nodded and snagged his bottom lip between his teeth. He pushed the slider onto full strength, and the little tongue started to lap urgently against Sophie’s palm.

“And this, Sophie? How does this feel?”

Sophie closed her eyes. She couldn’t get her breath.