In bed with my boss

CHAPTER 21

EMILY

‘You like what you see?’

The words rang in my ears, making my body go stiff like the Statue of Liberty.

I wanted to be in disbelief of who stood behind me. But when his scent hit every part of my nostrils, making it enough evidence that it was definitely the last person I wanted it to be who had his chest against my back, a cold sweat broke out on my neck and forehead.

My throat felt dry and constricted as I swallowed.

Everything was happening all at once, and someone needed to help me call an ambulance before I kissed the floor.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, the man who was slowly sliding into the woman turned to look at me, his eyes slowly raking from my head to my toes before finally meeting my gaze. He held contact, like his body got even more pleasure from seeing someone watch.

It felt like the whole room had gone up to ninety degree.

And if Cole were to have told me to face him, even a lie wouldn’t have been able to hide the way I was affected by what was going on in the room.

I wanted the earth to swallow me.

Consume and never spit me out.

Cole seemed normal, but the way his chest rose and fell behind my back made my thoughts scramble.

Was he angry that I was seeing another side of him?

Or was he also affected by what was going on, like the way I was?

“Answer me,” he said in a deliberate, gruff voice, his minty breath fanning across my face.

I stayed quit, not even able to mouth the word ‘no’ because just like every other time when I’m in such tight situations around Cole, the cat always had my tongue.

He pulled a lock of hair that lay across my face behind my ear, making me shiver as my knees almost gave up on me.

I don’t know if he noticed, but if he did, he did a good job at keeping his reaction at bay.

“You’re becoming too comfortable with thinking it’s okay to ignore me, Ms. Carter.”

He then leaned so close to my ear that I could smell the expensive scent of his aftershave.

“And need I remind you about what I said would happen if you keep ignoring me?”

The words, ‘If I threw you over my lap and gave you a little punishment, would that have you talking?’ Flashed across my mind for the millionth time in three weeks, reminding me of the countless scenarios I’d had since hearing him and Vanessa.

The stubborn part of me wanted to go against every rule I’d set for myself by keeping shut just to see what he’d do.

But then, I knew better because Cole Calloway and I weren’t friends.

He was my boss and I was his employee, an employee he had no memory of from his past. So I was in no position to think things would change just because I was driven by my starving hormones.

I opened my mouth to say something but before a single word could fall out of my lips, his large hand wrapped around my wrist and he pulled me away from the door toward a different direction of the hallway.

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

“Sit,” he said as we entered his office, and he lightly pushed me down onto a brown leather cushion that matched the warm interior of his office.

“Since you want to play mute, what the f**k were you doing snooping around?”

It was hard understanding this man. One moment he was cool, then the next he turned into hard ice.

“You asked me to be here.”

“I asked you to be in my office and not out there looking at my clients.”

“And how on earth was I supposed to know you owned a s*x dungeon?”

“Watch your mouth, Ms. Carter,” he warned as he walked toward his desk.

I folded my arms around my middle and rolled my eyes like a stubborn child who just got her candy taken from her.

“Don’t do that.”

My brows creased.

“Don’t do what?”

His nostrils flared. “Don’t roll your eyes at me.”

I let out an unbelievable scoff. He was really crazy if he thought he could control me or act like he owned me just because I worked for him.

“Well, you have to get used to it,” I muttered under my breath.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.” I met his stare without blinking.

His hard eyes held mine.

“I should have you fired for being disrespectful.”

Weeks ago, if he had made such a remark, I’d have been so fazed that I wouldn’t have been able to sleep for days. But something deep inside me knew he was just bluffing.

I leaned back into the couch, refusing to let his threat rattle me.

“I got lost looking for your office, and that was how I ended up at… that side,” I said, trying to smooth the thick atmosphere out.

He uttered nothing as he got up from his seat. His dark eyes were fixed on me as he deliberately walked towards me.

They weren’t angry; they were utterly unreadable, a cold, dissecting stare that could see through one’s shadowed soul.

Not knowing what he was about to do or say, I held my breath and slightly shut my eyes.

I could feel his dominating presence as he stopped in front of me, but even with that, I still held my eyes closed.

“Open your eyes, Emily,” he commended, my name spilling out of his mouth like it had belonged there for years.

He didn’t have to tell me twice because they freely opened on their own, and I was met with his hand reaching for my face.

I should have moved or perhaps ducked. But like a mannequin screwed tightly to its stand, I stayed glued to the couch as his palm cupped my chin.

I let my eyes trail from his palm to his forearm and then land on his dark hazel eyes.

I swallowed hard.

He looked like someone you’d see on a magazine cover multiple times and yet never dream of ever coming in close contact with.

“Hmm…” he said with a slight smile as he leaned closer to my face, making me shrink a little.

“I could swear you had a sharp mouth just seconds ago,” he said in an unfazed voice.

I wanted to snap back to show him that I still had some more fight left in me, but a hard knock landed on the door, making me jerk away from him like I’d been caught doing something wrong.

With a full smile flashing across his straight white teeth, he slowly stood to his full height, fixed his suit, and looked towards the door.

“Who’s there?”

“It’s JR, sir,” a deep voice replied, reminding me of the one of the security guards I saw with the name tag JR when Cole dragged me down here.

“What do you need?” Cole asked, irritation laced in his voice.

“You have a visitor, sir.”

“Name?”

“Tro…yyy Kingswood.”

And before the name could completely come out of JR’s mouth, my whole body went still.