My Boss's Toy

Chapter 5

I finished my makeup and was brushing my hair to put it up when Atticus walked into the bathroom. He was frowning deeply and fidgeting his fingers like he did when he had bad news. I had to leave in ten minutes. I didn't have time for bad news.

"Babe, he's here already." I stood frozen for a moment, brush in hand, hair in the other.

"What but he's early?" Atticus scrunched up his nose with a frown.

"I forgot to mention he does that. You look great, though just go like that." He smiled to try and cheer me up. I was trying to gather my hair anyway when I heard a car horn. I sighed harshly. Fine. No bun today. I grabbed my purse as I rushed out the door. I froze in my tracks for a moment. In front of our house was a very expensive car. Far more expensive than even Atticus's convertible.

As I stood with my mouth slightly agape, a driver jumped out of the front and spun around the car holding the door open for me. I saw Xavier sitting on the seat and he motioned for me to come and sit next to him. I felt my cheeks heat for a brief moment. I felt a hand on my waist and I was spun sideways. Atticus leaned forward and gave me a brief kiss. He smiled brightly as he let my waist go.

"You almost forgot your kiss. Good luck hun." He gave me a soft peck on the cheek and I smiled sweetly at him. He turned to go back inside and I turned back to the car. Xavier was noticeably more upset, probably because we were now running late in his mind. I rushed over and climbed in quickly. He seemed to relax as the driver got back in the front and pulled away. I didn't expect there to be any sort of conversation on what would be a two-hour drive on a good day. He didn't seem like the type to enjoy small talk in the best of moods.

"Your hair is down." He said suddenly and I flinched. The casual observation was contrasted by the way his eyes seemed to trace every line of my hair as it fell in soft curls down my back. I tucked some behind my ear lightly. My hair was naturally straight but because I put it up in a bun so much for work, it had developed soft beachy waves.

"I didn't expect you to be early. Atticus forgot to mention it. I was about to put it up." I explained. Unsure if he was upset or pleased with this fact. He was a hard one to read at the best of times. He scoffed lightly.

"Atty forgets a lot of things." I scrunched my nose up at the childish nickname. Atticus hated nicknames. Perhaps his brother was one of the reasons for that. Xavier's eyes traveled down to take in my outfit and I felt myself stiffen at the inspection. The blouse I was wearing was white and frilly with ruffles. The skirt I had picked was a respectable length, coming to just above my knee and was a soft tan. My heels were also white and plain. He reached out and I flinched harshly. He smirked as he pulled a bobby pin off my blouse.

"Thanks," I said quickly as he offered it to me. I took it gently and shoved it into my purse. I saw a flash of the scene from yesterday before I could help myself and my cheeks burned red hot. Even sitting on the same seat, there was still some distance between us and yet I could almost feel his presence even as I turned to look forward. The partition to the front was up and tinted so much that it was basically black. I glanced out of my window to watch the city pass us by. I tried to distract myself from the man sitting next to me.

"You can relax." My head whipped back to him and his eyes sparkled with amusement even though he wasn't smiling. "I won't bite unless you want me to." I felt my jaw slack instantly and I snapped it shut a moment later. My cheeks felt like they were on fire.

"I am perfectly fine," I assured him with as much confidence as I could. One side of his mouth c****d up in a devious smirk and he leaned forward slightly.

"You are gripping your purse so hard your knuckles are white," he said in almost a whisper. I looked down to see that he was right. I loosened my grip immediately and tried to calm myself internally. I didn't even hear him as he moved closer, but I felt his breath brush over my ear and neck. I froze instantly. "And you seem to be quite flustered today." I moved away from him, sliding myself towards the door. I angled myself so I faced him more and he grinned.

"I assure you I am fine. Just nerves about the meeting." I lied and the way he raised his eyebrows softly I think he realized that. Yet he shrugged softly and said nothing else about it. We rode in silence for an hour after that. I had finally begun to fully relax and try to think of my old minute-taking tricks to make sure I remembered it all. I reached up and tucked my hair behind my ears as I thought.

"What are you thinking?" The sudden question nearly made me jump. Xavier watched me with a hand on his chin. Like a sculpture come to life. He waited for my response and I realized then he was serious.

"Minute-taking tips I learned years ago sir," I explained and he frowned softly. "Were you expecting something else?" His eyes narrowed for the briefest moment and he smiled softly.

"Perhaps." He looked past my shoulder out the window. "We won't be there for another hour. No need to worry about that yet." I frowned and narrowed my eyes at him. He had hit one of my nerves without realizing it. I had to hold back the way I wanted to snap back at him. I took a quick breath to steady my annoyance.

"Respectfully, sir, I prefer to make sure I am prepared." He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I also think it is inappropriate for you to dictate how I should feel. Boss or not." He seemed to think this over for a moment. Then, before I could react, he reached out and hooked his finger in my necklace chain. He pulled me towards him so suddenly I felt the metal dig into my skin for a moment.

"And what if you enjoy it? Would it still be inappropriate?" His voice was low so I almost had to strain to hear him. He spoke with the confidence of a man who always got what he wanted. I felt a weird heat spread through me for a moment. My cheeks flushed and I cleared my throat as it suddenly seemed to dry.

"Yes, sir, it would be. You are my boss and I am engaged to someone else. Your brother no less." His eyes narrowed and he let my necklace go. I sat back up straight and shifted away from him again. He scoffed but he was smiling. He waited as I fidgeted softly under his intense gaze.

"You bring up my brother as if I offered you s*x, Kifahari." I flinched and he grinned. "I thought we were talking about me telling you how to feel." His grin widened like I had stepped right into his trap. I scrambled for a response that would make sense.

"Which I think is something that is a family level of intimacy. We are not family and shall never truly be." I watched his grin slowly fade as his eyes narrowed. Everything in my head was in a bit of a flurry. I was feeling things I had never felt before and I had no time to understand them. This all felt far too intimate for a boss and an employee. What exactly was he trying to do here? Yet if I called him out on it, I might lose my job or he might act all smug about it. Or worse, both. I huffed internally. He was trying to drive me crazy as payback for yesterday. Must be. I just had to not let him get to me.