What did the CEO do?

Chapter Five - Saturday Night

Saturday morning arrived far too quietly.

I woke up around nine, stared at the ceiling for several seconds, and immediately remembered.

The kiss.

Of course.

Because apparently my brain had decided that remembering embarrassing moments from the night before was now part of my morning routine. I rolled onto my back and covered my face with both hands.

“What the f**k,” I muttered.

Solomon had left without saying anything else. No explanation, no awkward goodbye, no attempt to make sense of what he'd done. He had simply looked at me after I'd bitten his lip, stood there in complete silence for a few seconds, and then walked out of my apartment.

And now I was supposed to go about my Saturday as if that hadn't happened.

Great. Totally normal.

I dragged myself out of bed and went to the kitchen, where I made coffee strong enough to probably dissolve a spoon. I stood by the counter with the mug between my hands, staring into it.

I thought about the kiss.

Then I thought about it again.

Then, because apparently I had no self-respect, I thought about it a third time.

The worst part was that I couldn't decide what bothered me more: the fact that Solomon had kissed me, or the fact that I'd kissed him back.

And I definitely wasn't going to think about the fact that I'd actually wanted to.

That thought was immediately banned from the premises.

I took another sip of coffee.

My eyes landed on the calendar hanging beside the refrigerator. I froze.

“Oh, shit.”

Liam. It was Liam's birthday. I had completely forgotten. I nearly spit out my coffee.

“I'm a terrible friend.”

I had exactly one mission for the day now: find Liam a birthday present good enough to make him forget that I'd almost forgotten his birthday.

So I showered, got dressed, and went out.

For the next couple of hours, I wandered through shops, rejected approximately fifty things, nearly bought something completely useless, and eventually found what I thought was actually a decent present. I bought it and came home.

And immediately thought about Solomon again. Apparently shopping hadn't fixed anything. Fantastic.

By the time evening arrived, I had accepted that I wasn't going to figure out what the hell was happening between us tonight.

Tomorrow, maybe.

Tomorrow I'd think about it properly.

Tonight, I was going to Liam's birthday, drink something, eat something, laugh with my friends, and pretend my boss hadn't kissed me against the wall of my apartment less than twenty-four hours ago.

That was the plan. And, honestly, it was a pretty good plan. For once, I intended to stick to it.

I got dressed, checked myself in the mirror, fixed my hair, and grabbed Liam's present before heading out.

The restaurant was already busy when I arrived. There were about ten people at the table, some of whom I knew well and some I'd only met once or twice. Liam immediately spotted me and grinned.

“You actually came.”

“Of course I came.”

“You forgot, didn't you?”

“No.” He raised an eyebrow. I sighed. “Yes.”

He laughed and pulled me into a hug.

“At least you brought a present.”

“I have my moments.”

I handed him the gift, and after a brief round of teasing, I sat down with everyone else. For a while, everything was exactly what I'd wanted.

Drinks appeared. Food arrived. Someone started telling a ridiculous story about something that had happened at work, and within minutes everyone was laughing.

I relaxed. I actually forgot about Solomon. For maybe fifteen minutes.

Then I looked toward the other side of the restaurant. And there he was.

Solomon. Sitting alone at a table in the corner. White shirt. Black pants. Sleeves rolled up. One arm resting casually against the table.

He looked completely at ease, as if finding your CEO sitting ten meters away from you during your friend's birthday dinner was a perfectly ordinary occurrence.

I stared at him. He looked directly at me. Our eyes met and my stomach dropped.

I immediately looked away.

Nope. Absolutely not.

I picked up my drink and took a long sip. I wasn't going to deal with this tonight.

Maybe he was there for dinner.

Maybe it was a coincidence.

Maybe the universe simply hated me.

Whatever.

I'd think about it in the morning. Tonight, I wanted to have fun.

I turned back toward Liam and joined the conversation. And for a while, I managed it.

Until I went to the bathroom.

I pushed open the door, walked inside, and barely had enough time to wash my hands before I heard the door open behind me and I looked up.

Solomon. Of course.

He walked toward me slowly, his expression unreadable. I turned around.

“What are you doing?”

He stopped a step away from me.

“Having fun, sweetheart?”

I narrowed my eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“Making sure you don't have too much fun without me.”

I barely had time to process that before he stepped closer and kissed me. This time, there was no hesitation from me.

No shock.

No attempt to figure out what was happening.

My hands instinctively caught the front of his shirt as I kissed him back, and the second I did, my knees went weak. Actually weak. Fantastic.

Apparently my body had decided to betray me completely.

Solomon's hand settled at my waist as he kissed me again, slower this time, and I forgot for a moment that we were in a restaurant bathroom and that approximately ten people were sitting outside waiting for me to return.

Then his lips moved toward my neck. I inhaled sharply when he kissed the side of it, and then again when his teeth grazed my skin.

“Solomon…”

He didn't answer. He kissed my neck again, lingering for a moment before biting down just enough to make me gasp. When he finally pulled away, he looked entirely too pleased with himself. I was still trying to remember how breathing worked. He straightened his shirt as though nothing unusual had happened.

“I'll see you Monday morning.”

“You're just leaving?” I stared at him and he gave me a small smile.

“Yes.”

And then he walked out. I stood there for several seconds.

“What the hell just happened?”

Apparently, I wasn't going to get an answer.

I checked my reflection quickly, ran a hand through my hair, and walked back to the table.Liam looked at me.

“You disappeared for a while.”

“I—”

He stopped and his eyes moved to my neck. Then his expression changed.

“Is that a hickey?”

My hand immediately flew to my neck.

Oh. Oh, no.

I turned slowly toward the corner of the restaurant. Solomon was still sitting at his table and he was looking directly at me, smirking. I stared at him. He lifted his glass slightly, almost like a silent toast. I wanted to disappear. Right there. In front of everyone.

Instead, I turned back toward my friends, still holding my neck.

Liam was staring at me.

I stared at him.

He stared at me.

Nobody said anything for a few seconds. Then I sighed.

“I'm going to need another drink.”

And from across the restaurant, I could swear I heard Solomon laugh.