The Cold Hearted Boss

4. Check engine light

The rest of the day was quiet, Nathan hadn’t left his office once after lunch. Since my car still wasn’t fixed Nathan was giving me a ride home, again. I tried to tell him I could get an Uber or Lyft, but he doesn’t like to be told no. The awkward silence in the car was thick in the air. He didn’t even want to turn on the radio. I looked down at my phone in my lap as it buzzed.

Piper: hey b***h! I’ll be in town this weekend, let's go to the club!!

I smiled at the notification. Piper has been my best friend since eighth grade when we met in gym class. We were both picked last for dodgeball. We intentionally got hit so we could sit down because we didn’t want to play.

“Boyfriend?” The sound of Nathan’s voice had me snapping back to the present.

“Um no, it’s my best friend. She's in town this weekend and wants to hangout.” I replied awkwardly.

“I don’t have a boyfriend.” I wanted to smack myself, why did I feel the need to clarify? He is my boss and he’s engaged.

“Hm.” Was the only response he gave me. The silence filled the small car once again and I took that time to reply to Piper.

Me: sounds good, I can’t wait to see you!!

Piper was in her last year of college. She was going to a small community college near Columbus which was well over four hours away. She had an apartment with her roommate/friend with benefits, Jeremy. Their situation was so complicated I could hardly keep up. They started out as boyfriend and girlfriend. Until they broke up because they realized they weren’t right for each other. Unfortunately they were stuck in a year lease at their apartment. So now they’re on and off, hot and cold.

“So, your car-”

“Yes! I’m so sorry it’s just sitting in front of the office. I just need to get it towed to my parents house.” My poor car was doomed, I had no idea what I was going to do with her.

“I was going to say that I’m having a mechanic look at it.” My eyes widened.

“Oh, um, Nathan I can’t really afford a mechanic right now-”

“Don’t worry about the cost.” His long fingers thrummed on the steering wheel.

“Nathan, I’m going to worry about the cost of fixing my car.” My brows furrowed at his stubbornness.

“Violet, it’s fine.” His tone was stern, as if I were a child. I chewed on my bottom lip, was he really going to pay to have my car fixed? It felt a little inappropriate. Nathan was so hard to understand, I honestly couldn’t tell if he even liked me. Relief filled me as we pulled up in front of my parents house, I was desperate to escape the awkward tension.

“I’ll see you in the morning, have a good night.” Nathan spoke, I gave him a slight nod and scurried away. Once I closed the front door I leaned against it and let out a long breath.

“Hey sweetheart, how was work?” My mom asked as she came down the stairs.

“Ugh.” Was all I responded with as I hung up my purse.

“Oh really? Anything happen?” Her brow was arched.

“He’s just such a complicated man. He’s having a mechanic look at my car. I tried to tell him no, but he refused to listen.” I groaned as I made my way to the kitchen.

“That’s… nice of him.” My mother said as she followed me to the kitchen.

“It feels inappropriate, he’s even paying for it!” I huffed as I rummaged through the fridge. Deciding on an apple I took a harsh bite from it.

“He’s paying for it?” She exclaimed as she sat at one of the bar stools.

“Yes!” I mumbled around the food in my mouth.

“Well I guess all you can do is accept it, he sounds like a good man that wants to take care of his employees.” I huffed as I devoured my apple. More like someone on a power trip, what was his deal?

Nathan POV

When I finally made it home Kendall was sound asleep, tangled in my sheets. I took a long, hot shower, running my hands down my face. I closed my eyes as the water ran down my body. I started to imagine what it would feel like to have a certain short, strawberry blonde wrapped around me in this shower. What her blue eyes would look like when I made her c*m. Would she beg for more? What would my name sound like coming from those sweet lips? Before I knew it my c**k was throbbing. I knew it was wrong, but when I stroked myself I thought of Violet. Her innocent blue eyes looking up at me as she swallowed my length. I shivered as I came all over the shower wall. I was patting myself down with a towel when a notification popped up on Kendall’s phone. I’m not the type of person to snoop, but something in my gut told me to look. My stomach rolled when I saw who was texting her. It was her ex, Bryan. He was somewhat of a loser, that’s how she described him. She’d left him when she realized he was lying about who he was. He worked as a valet at a high end hotel and he would borrow guests' cars to make it seem like he was some rich kid. She found out the truth when I caught him taking a joyride with her in my red mercedes. That’s how I met Kendall, we’d only been dating for about five months, but I knew I needed to settle down. Kendall seemed like the perfect girl to start a life with. I stared down at the text message.

Bryan: when will you let me taste that sweet p***y again? I can’t get enough of you, just leave him, baby.

I stared at her sleeping form in disgust. I considered waking her up and throwing her out, but decided against it. I needed whiskey and to see my mother, it’d been too long since the last time I’d visited her. Dressing quickly, I slipped out of my bedroom and headed out the front door.

Violet POV

I glanced at the time on my phone one more time. Nathan was fifteen minutes late, he’d been so punctual about time before, I wonder what was different today? Before I could ponder the thought more, I watched Nathan’s sleek black car pull up in front of me. When I got inside I was surprised to see the state of him. His shirt was wrinkled, his hair was unruly, and he was wearing sunglasses. Which was quite unusual for him and he smells faintly of whiskey. My brow rose, but I decided not to comment on what seemed like a shitty morning for him.

“I apologize for my tardiness, it’s been a long morning.” His voice sounded gravely and quite sexy. I had to physically force myself to stop from shivering.

“It’s alright.” I gave him a small smile, he grunted in response and pulled away from the curb. It was quiet as usual on the way to the office until his phone started ringing through the car. I looked up as “My Love” flashed on the small screen. To my surprise Nathan declined her call, all five of them.

“Could you do me a favor and turn my phone off? I don’t want to touch it while I’m driving.” I looked at him in shock.

“Are you sure?” I glanced up as she called again.

“Yes, please.” He groaned as he declined her call once again. I quickly turned off his phone, I noticed sixteen missed calls and eighteen texts from her. I wonder what happened, I brushed the thoughts that clouded my mind away.

“I would like to have a quiet day at the office, please only come to my office if it’s important. If not, just email me and I’ll try to get back to you quickly.” He said as we exited the car and walked up the steps to the office.

“Yes sir.” I was shocked when he let out an audible groan at my response. He shook his head as he made his way to his office.

“Violet, come here please.” Nathan spoke from down the hall. His tone made me feel as if I were in trouble. Nathan stood behind his desk, eyes closed and pinching the bridge of his nose. I could finally see the dark circles that lined his beautiful brown eyes.

“When was the last time your car has been to a mechanic?” He sighed.

“I-um-uh…” I stumbled around my words, how embarrassing.

“How long was your check engine light on?” He asked with mild annoyance.

“I never noticed it.”

“I have this strong feeling that you’re lying.” He finally raised his eyes to look at mine.

“Okay, okay, it’s been a few months.” I admitted as I played with the hem of my oversized sweater.

“Well, I have bad news.” My stomach dropped.

“It needs the entire engine replaced.” I couldn’t help the tears that threatened to fall. That car was my everything, I’d had her with me since I was a junior in high school.

“Oh…” Was all I could muster to say.

“I’m sorry Violet, I think it’d be a better idea to just replace the car.” His expression was sympathetic.

“Please excuse me.” I said as I dashed for the bathroom. Once the door was closed I let the tears fall. I knew it was silly to cry over a car, but she was my everything. She was filled with so many memories. I’d taken her on countless road trips to see Piper. I even had my first kiss in that car. Wiping away my tears I finally left the bathroom, I was surprised to see Nathan holding a box of tissues.

“I’m sorry about your car.” He said as he handed me the box.

“It’s okay, I’ll find another one.” I sniffled. Nathan reached out and gently stroked my shoulder. I looked down at his large, strong hand that felt warm even through my sweater. The air between us suddenly felt thick, Nathan withdrew his hand and cleared his throat.

“Alright, well, um, back to work I guess.” He muttered as he walked back to his office and closed the door.