Mr. Valentine's Heart

Doesn't Want Me

~Cherise~

Let’s eat? LET’S EAT?! I know that I’m still in the pull of a lust haze, but seriously?! We had a great date last night; I even had extra dessert. Then we have this great, uh, appetizer, I guess, and that’s it?! I did less and had to fight Alexi off with every stick I could find.

I watch as Caleb cleans his hands and sits on the couch, ready to dig into our lunch. I’m still here, sitting on his desk with my legs parted and my juices leaking. I slowly close my legs and slide off the desk.

I look around the room, wondering how I can clean up. Caleb looks at me with a grin on his face. “Are you looking for something?”

“I just want to clean up a bit.” He nods and points me toward a small door. I guess he has a whole setup back there. I slowly walk over, not wanting to mess myself up too much and open the door. There's a bathroom behind the door and another door behind that. I open a cabinet and find towels and facecloths.

I grab a face cloth and turn on the water to warm it. I guess I know where I stand with him, and I don't like where that is. Clearly, today was just him returning the favor. Caleb doesn't actually want me physically. I thought we felt the same about each other, but he isn't even trying to have at me. Alexi was relentless, and there were times that I thought about drugging him to get him to back off of me. Alexi's behavior wasn't in response to anything I'd done to him. I was intimate with Caleb, yet he isn't trying to get anything more.

I look in the mirror and fix my makeup, not wanting it to be evident that something has happened to me. I place the washcloth on the rack behind me and smooth my clothes. The idea of sitting next to him and enjoying a meal makes my stomach turn. I'd rather skip lunch and sit at my desk.

I walk out of the bathroom and quietly close the door behind me. I walk slowly past the seating area where Caleb is sitting. I reach the door and place my hand on the handle when his deep voice stops me. “Where are you going? You haven't eaten your lunch yet.”

“I've lost my appetite.” My voice is quieter than I intended. I wanted my voice to be strong and deep so he could recognize my resolve.

“You should eat, Cherise. Missing meals is a bad habit.” I scoff and pull the handle, stepping out of his office and quickly closing the door behind me.

I sit at my desk, shuffling through my papers. “You are such a sl.ut.” I don't bother to look up, knowing that her face will only serve to piss me off. “We all know what you were doing in the office. Only a sl.ut will sleep with the boss to get ahead.” I sigh and place the paper in my hand on my desk. I slowly lift my head and meet the sneer on Breyanne's face.

“What is it, Breyanne, huh? Are you mad that he wanted me and not you? Are you jealous that he had me screaming his name while you were out here twiddling your thumbs?” I probably shouldn't have said all that, but I couldn't help myself. The slap was expected, even though it's annoying as hell. I don't move, not wanting her to know how much that sh.it actually hurt.

“What's going on?” I slightly turn my head to see Caleb standing in the doorway of his office with his arms crossed in front of him. I settle my gaze on Breyanne, waiting for her to say something.

“Nothing, sir. I was just talking with Cherise.”

“Cherise?” Breyanne looks at me as if daring me to say something. I'm not afraid of her, I just don't need Caleb to fight my battles. I can handle this bi.tch on my own and probably will have to at some point.

“As far as I know, everything is fine.” Breyanne gives a triumphant look, which I ignore and turns to walk away. I feel him walk closer to me, but I keep my eyes on my desk.

“I know something happened.”

“Oh? I don't know where you got that idea from. Everything is fine.” His hand lands on my arm, and I shake it off before standing. “Excuse me.” I can tell he wants to grab me to keep me there; hell, he wants to say something, but I'm not interested. I know I need to keep my distance and not fall into this trap.

~Caleb~

See, I told she was mad at you.

Don't you mean she’s mad at us?

Nope! Whatever you did, you did on your own, human. I have nothing to do with it. Fix it! Eros puts a block up and retreats to the back of my mind. I sigh and shake my head. I know he's right, but I have no idea what I could have done. Did I hurt her when I fingered her? Was she mad that I didn't swallow her screams at the end?

I walk into my office and flop on the couch, thoroughly confused. A knock on my open door has me perk up, hoping it's her. “It smells like s**x in here,” I growl, and Jamichael puts his hands up in defense. “My bad. I was just making an observation.” He walks further into my office and sits next to me, looking around. “So, where's the Luna?” I half-heartedly shrug my shoulders. “Did she dump you already?” I shoot him a look of death, causing him to bear his neck in submission.

“Why are you here?” I sigh and lean over, searching the coffee table that holds our food.

“I came to check on you and come clean.” Jamichael reaches out to pick at the food, and I quickly slap his hand down. “Ow! You can't share?”

“What did you want to come clean about?” Jamichael sighs and sits back on the couch.

“Well, I've been having Cherish tailed since I realized who she was.” Silence falls around us as his words settle in my mind. Without meaning to, I start to laugh. Jamichael looks at me like I'm crazy, and I shake my head.

“I already knew that. I would have expected it to happen if I didn’t already know. You're not just my Beta, but my best friend, so… yeah… not surprised.” Jamichael looks visibly relieved.

“So you aren't mad?” I shake my head and lean back.

“I'm grateful that you're looking out for me. I have people around me who aren't concerned with what I want.”

“About that….” I turn and look at Jamichael, waiting for him to fill in the blanks. “Yeah, so your mom is making me get you home at a certain time tonight for dinner.”

“Dinner? Dinner with who?” Jamichael covers his mouth and speaks into his hand. Even with my advanced hearing, I can't make out what he said. “Who?” Jamichael sighs and uncovers his mouth.

“I'm not sure of the name; I just know that she's an Alpha's daughter, and she's coming tonight specifically to meet you.” I nod and shake my head.

“So basically, I need to find somewhere else to be when I leave work tonight, huh?”

“Well…” I raise an eyebrow while looking at Jamichael. “She has warriors entering the building at every exit, and they are supposed to stop you and bring you home if you try to go anywhere else.” f***k! I love my mom, but she's really pissing me off right now. I wish she would back off and let me do what I'm going to do. I get that she's worried about my safety, but I've been alright for 10 years and will continue for longer.

“I guess I have no other choice than to act an ass tonight and hope that's enough to get her off my back for a bit.” Jamichael shakes his head and laughs. “Are the warriors here now?” He nods, and I'm not surprised. She wants to make sure that she doesn't miss me. I hope she understands what she’s asked for.