My Boss's Toy

Chapter 6

We drove the rest of the way in silence. Though I watched Xavier's jaw flex as his mind worked away at something. It was a habit of his that I had picked up on pretty early. Sometimes he would forget the rest of the world as he mulled over things. It had been more than once I had to remind him to continue our conversation first. He was certainly more closed off than anyone I had ever met. It's like no one got to see the real him. He always kept everything close, like a wall, to shield himself from being seen.

He didn't even acknowledge me as we walked into the office building for the meeting. Nor did he introduce me. I was directed to the laptop in the corner and Xavier met my eyes for a moment and I gave a short nod. Then he turned to the other men in the room and they started the meeting. My fingers flew over the keys and my mind went blank as I took down the minutes. I didn't know how long we were there. Finally, everyone was wrapping up and an assistant approached me. She ran through how to save the work and even had me send out a couple of copies of it. She thanked me as she gathered the laptop. As I stood, I felt stiff and I rotated my shoulder.

"Ready?" I looked up at Xavier to see he was the only one left in the room with me. He sat in the same chair, more like he lounged in it. I worried if he leaned back any further he would tip over the expensive leather thing.

"Yes sir," I replied as I grabbed my bag from the floor and started for the door. Without a word, he followed me. We got stopped by a couple of men on the way out, but Xavier kept the conversations short as always. I tuned it out and simply took a step back as they talked. Once we made it to the car, the driver was already waiting for us. I glanced at my phone to see that we had been in that meeting for almost three hours. It would be almost midnight by the time I got home. I saw a text from Atticus that I replied to and informed him of when I would arrive. I got a heart and thumbs-up reply.

"You gonna stay here?" I looked up to see Xavier holding open the car door for me. I blushed and shook my head. I climbed into the seat and he shut the door for me. He walked around to his side and slid in. "You did good." He said suddenly and I flinched at the unexpected praise. I blinked in confusion at him.

"Thank you?" It sounded like far more of a question and he lifted an eyebrow sharply.

"I thought you might like that." I tilted my head at him.

"You just don't seem the type for such things." He furrowed his brow suddenly and then he grinned wide. He leaned forward.

"I don't mind giving out praise when someone deserves it." He whispered, and I felt even more confused. Was there some deeper meaning to that? He chuckled softly at my confusion and I felt my eyes go wide. It was the first time I had heard him actually laugh. Why was that so funny though? I felt like I was missing the obvious joke. I huffed slightly in annoyance.

"You don't make any sense," I concluded and rubbed my shoulder softly. It had been a while since I had typed for so long hunched over a keyboard like that. My posture felt weird in the car now. I squared my shoulders back to try and ease the small strain I felt. As I moved my hand over to my other shoulder, I felt a hand. I looked at Xavier as he pressed his fingers on my shoulder. I wanted to argue but his firm fingers seemed to find just the right spots to ease the tension that had built up.

"Turn." He said simply, and I almost considered not. Instead, I shifted so my back was towards him and he placed his other hand on my other shoulder. "Good girl." He whispered so lightly I almost didn't hear it. I felt a shudder down my back and my cheeks flushed bright red. Then I felt annoyance wash through me.

"I'm not a dog," I said, agitated, and I heard him chuckle softly.

"Noted." He said but didn't apologize. I didn't dare glance back to see his face. Was he teasing me again? How long would he keep that up? I heard my phone go off and I reached for it in my bag. A text from Atticus saying he would be asleep when I got home. He was a heavy sleeper, so I wouldn't wake him. I told him goodnight and that I loved him. I double-checked that I had my keys as well. Xavier's fingers pressed down a little harder into my skin and I winced softly. He clicked his teeth in slight annoyance.

"I'm good," I told him as I tried to turn back to sit properly. He dug his fingers into my shoulders to stop me and pulled me back so I was closer to him. I felt my arm brush his leg as I tried to turn again.

"Just relax." He whispered into my ear. I felt another shudder down my spine and reached up to try and pull his fingers off my shoulders.

"Sir, I don't think-"

"Don't think at all." He said firmly and my argument died in my throat for a moment. "Just feel." He said as he rubbed the sore spots on my shoulders again. It felt really good but it had become a little awkward at this point. I hadn't realized how weird it was that my boss was massaging my shoulders until that moment. I must be tired. I wiggled free of his grip and slid away from him, putting even more distance between us. His eyes narrowed but he didn't try to stop me again.

"I appreciate the concern but I think that's too far." I watched his jaw flex in anger so fast I thought I imagined it.

"It's just a shoulder massage," he said with a wave of his hand.

"That may be, but you are still my boss sir." His eyes flashed with an emotion so fast I missed it. He clicked his teeth softly and lounged back in his seat with a shrug.

"Have it your way. I won't offer again." Despite his attempts to appear casual, his jaw flexed as he got lost in his own thoughts. What had gotten into him today? Was this really some sort of weird payback?

We rode the entire rest of the drive in silence. I pulled out my phone and read through some emails to pass the time. Whenever I would glance over, Xavier was staring out the window lost in thought. Finally, when we pulled up at my apartment, I got out of the car. Xavier didn't even look my way as I nodded my thanks to the driver holding my door open. I went into the house, got a late-night snack, and went to bed.