In bed with my boss

CHAPTER 8

EMILY

~Thursday Evening~

I wanted to believe that Cole telling me to follow him on this trip was a joke, but here I was, pacing around my room with an open box and clothes scattered across my bed.

I’d wanted to work at Ways for years, and now that I was finally fulfilling that dream, everything felt like it was moving so fast.

I spent four years hating Cole for what he did to me. And after getting my life together and applying for a bigger job, I thought fate was finally working hand in hand with me.

Till boom—I crossed paths with him, and then the next minute, he was my boss.

I know it’s been six years since that crazy event, and I should be moving on, especially since he didn’t recognize me. But sadly, I couldn’t do anything about the pent-up anger I’d kept hidden for this long.

Buzzz…

My phone rang, pulling me out of my spiraling thoughts.

I looked to see who it was, and Annie’s name flashed across the screen.

My palms grew sweaty as I hit the answer button, silently praying she wasn’t calling about my housing.

“Hey, girl,” she said in a high-pitched voice. “Are you free tonight?”

“No. I’m not,” I said with a sigh as I sat on my bed. “Currently packing for tomorrow.”

There was a pause before she asked, “What if I come help you pack? Then will you come with with me?”

My brows knitted together.

“Come with you to where, Annie?”

She giggled as someone said something in the background.

“You know, we need to celebrate as a welcome gift to ourselves… and you landing your first project.”

“Annie—”

“Emily, you need it,” she argued, cutting me off. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten how stressed you looked on Tuesday.”

I stayed quite as guilt resurfaced, reminding me of the real reason behind my mood swing.

“So… will you send me your address?”

“I will,” I replied, defeated.

“Yay!” she squealed before the line went dead.

I typed my address and hit send, silently praying I wouldn’t regret agreeing to this.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As soon as we stepped out of the uber, my jaw dropped at the beautifully designed building.

“Caged,” I read as my eyes caught the bright neon lights.

“Yes, baby. And we’re about to have fun,” Annie said as she pulled me toward the front of the club where two buff men stood.

“Invite?” One asked in a gruff voice.

Annie pulled out a card, and they let us in.

“This place looks so expensive,” I said as I looked around.

“I know, right?” She replied, dragging me toward the bar.

“Two magaritas, please,” she said to the bartender as we sat down.

I wanted to mind my business, but my curiosity got the best of me.

“How where you able to get an invite? Because I sure know this baby right here,” I looked around, “cost a lot of money.”

She chuckled.

“Let’s just say I know a guy who happens to knows a guy.”

I said nothing as I continued taking in the luxurious atmosphere.

“Come on, Emily. Don’t be a vibe killer. Have fun,” she said, bumping me with her hip, making me break into a smile.

“And two margarita for two lovely ladies,” the bartender announced, placing the drinks in front of us with a wink.

“Thank you,” Annie purred, clearly flirting with him.

“Come on,” she said in a high-pitched voice as she tried pulling me out of my seat. “Let’s dance.”

“No…” I whined, not feeling like getting up. “Why don’t you go have fun, and I’ll join you in a bit?”

She pouted.

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

A couple of minutes later, and an empty cup in my hand, I got up, ready to look for Annie in the crowd when I noticed her chatting with a man that towered over her.

I wanted to join her like I promised, but she looked so caught up in the moment that I didn’t want to ruin it.

“Your not going to join her like you promised?” A rich, smooth voice asked.

I turned to my side to see a charming with ocean-blue eyes that matched his dirty blond hair.

“Where you really eavesdropping on our conversation?” I asked, making sure he could hear the displeasure in my voice.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. It’s just that your friend was a bit loud.”

I almost smiled because he was right. Annie had been loud when she asked me to join her.

“Will you let me buy you a drink?” he asked flashing me a smile that showed off his straight white teeth.

Scared that I might give him mixed signals, I wanted to turn him down, but I remembered I’d be here for a while waiting for Annie, so I might as well get loosen up a little.

“Sure,” I said as I sat back down.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Three magaritas later, I knew the guy sitting next to was Dave. He was from Colorado, loved traveling, had once been a college football player, and now worked in finance at his dad’s company.

“So, now that you know almost everything about me, tell me about yourself,” he said.

“About myself?” I repeated, wanting to make sure I’d heard him right.

“Yeah. What does a beautiful lady like you get up to? What do you like to do for fun? What do you do for work? You know… tell me everything.”

I sighed.

“There’s genuinely nothing about me except that I live a boring life, and I don’t want to bore you.”

“Come on.” He gave me a light shove on my shoulder. “I won’t get bored.”

Not wanting to go back and forth with him, I searched for something surface-level to say when my gaze drifted toward the left corner of the club, which I assumed the VIP section.

As I was about to look away, my eyes caught sight of a familiar figure, and I immediately froze.

Cole?

What the hell was he doing here?

And just as if he could sense someone staring at him, his gaze landed on mine.

“Emily.”

Dave’s voice pulled me back.

“Are you okay?”

I blinked rapidly.

“Yeah… yes… Uhmm…” I stammered. “Do you mind if I use the ladies’ room?”

“Absolutely not,” he said. “Take your time.

And with that, I picked my purse and hurriedly toward the restroom.

I hated that he was beginning to haunt me outside the walls of Ways Enterprise.

“It’s not him,” I whispered to myself as I paced around the restroom.

After a moment of convincing myself that I was just seeing things, I wiped my damp palms on my dress and hurried toward the door.

The moment I stepped outside, I ran face-first into a hard chest.

My purse slipped from my hand, and its contents scattered across the floor.

“So sorry,” I apologized as I dropped to my knees to gather my belongings, not bothering to look at who I’d just bumped into.

“Running away from someone, Ms. Carter?”

I froze, scared that the moment I lifted my eyes, every hope of this being a dream would disappear and become a reality.