In bed with my boss

CHAPTER 13

EMILY

Luckily for me, everyone began moving to their seats when someone with a microphone walked onto the stage, and I found that to be the perfect opportunity to squeeze into the crowd and get away from Mr. Richard.

My relief didn’t last long because he found me and began advancing towards where I was seated.

With shaky hands, I picked up my clutch from the table and placed it on the empty seat reserved for Cole.

“Ms. Carter.”

“Mr. Richard.”

“You don’t want me sitting next to you?”

I flashed him a tight smile. “I would have let you, sir, but the name card indicates that the seat is reserved for Mr. Calloway.”

“Hmm…” he narrowed his eyes. “You seem to be running away from me, Ms. Carter, and I must say I am displeased about that.”

Thank goodness you finally noticed, you perve, I thought, looking him up and down.

As if he could hear my thoughts, he asked, “You’ve got something on your mind you’d love to voice out?”

“No Mr. Richa…” I began, but my voice trailed off when I noticed Cole’s tall silhouette walking towards us.

Richard followed my gaze, and the moment he noticed Cole approaching, his demeanor changed enough to tell me he wasn’t pleased about the interruption.

“Richard,” Cole said as he reached the table. “Anything wrong?” His eyes moved between the two of us.

“Everything’s fine, Calloway.” He laughed as his eyes swept from Cole to me. “I was just asking your assistant if you’d be free after the event for a little drink.” He placed a hand on Cole’s shoulder. “You know, so we can catch up like I and your father used to when you were a young boy.”

A muscle ticked in Cole’s jaw.

“I see,” Cole said, stepping away from his hand. “Unfortunately, we’ll be heading back to New York in the morning.”

“I can see you’re running away from me too.”

Cole’s brows knitted together. “Excuse me?”

“Never mind me.” Richard took a step back.

“Emily, it was nice meeting you,” he added with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes before walking away.

I kept my eyes on his retreating back, not noticing Cole placing my clutch on the table before taking a seat.

“What did he mean by saying I’m running away from him ‘too’?” He asked, drawing my attention back to him.

I shrugged. “I also don’t know what he meant by that.”

His eyes held mine. “Emily, if he said or did anything that made you uncomfortable, I need to know… as your boss.”

That was the first time he’d addressed me by my first name, and I almost gasped at how smoothly it rolled off his tongue.

He quirked a brow. “You okay?”

Realising he didn’t seem to notice he’d just called me by my first name in a professional setting, I nodded. “Yes, I am.”

“About Richard—”

I placed a reassuring hand on my chest. “I’ll report it to you if he does anything inappropriate.”

“Good.” He shifted his gaze to the stage as the host walked up.

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

After hours of speeches, jokes and laughter, the host announced that 500,000 had been raised during the event for orphans and women who had suffered from domestic violence.

Once he finished recognizing everyone who contributed, Cole was invited onto the stage to give a speech. As he rose from his seat and walked forward, heads turned towards him.

The room seemed to come alive. Women subtly fixed their hair and dresses as he passed, while men greeted him with nods and handshakes.

With everyone’s attention on him—including mine—he spoke about how the foundation had come to life six years ago when he took over as CEO of Ways Enterprise.

There was something about the way he spoke that made every word feel genuine. His eyes lit up whenever he mentioned the children and how he’d helped some of them find loving homes.

I almost melted to him, but I quickly reminded myself not to be fooled. The real Cole was either waiting outside this ballroom or back in Manhattan.

“Thank you, everyone, for coming tonight,” he said. “I hope you all have a good night’s rest.”

The room erupted into applause as he stepped down from the stage.

I wanted to be angry at him for dragging me here without telling me what I was walking into. Still, if attending this event helped him meet with business partners, I couldn’t argue with that.

He reached our table with a smirk. “You liked my speech, Carter?”

My lips curved into a smile before I could stop them. “You did good, sir.”

“I have someone I need to speak to about the stolen project, so give me thirty minutes, then we can leave.”

“I’ll be here waiting,” I said.

With a nod, he vanished into the crowd.

I used some of the time to touch up my makeup in the restroom. As I stepped back into the ballroom, my attention in the contents of my clutch, I bumped into someone, sending their drink spilling all over my chest and dress.

I looked up and found myself face-to-face with the last person I wanted to see.

Richard.

“Mr. Richard,” I said with a fake laugh as I wiped at my dress. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“It’s no problem, Emily,” he said, his eyes lingering on my chest before he licked his lips. “Though I’d advise you to watch your step next time.”

Everything about him made my skin crawl.

“Mr. Richard,” I snapped. “Do you need anything?”

His eyes travelled from my chest, to my feet, and then rested on my face. “Yes, Emily. I need something.”

“And that would be?” I asked, irritation lacing my voice.

He winked.

“You in my bed.”

“What?”

“Emily, don’t act like a saint. I noticed the way you’ve been looking at me all night.”

That’s because you’ve been giving me that creepy look all evening, you old man, I screamed internally.

“Come on, I know you do the same thing for Cole when his bed is cold, so why can’t it be my turn?” He stepped closer. “Why don’t you put this old man out of his misery?” he added, grabbing his crotch.

I swallowed hard.

“You have a wife,” I said in disbelief.

He threw his head back with a hard belly laugh. “My Vanessa loves to watch. She wouldn’t mind.”

“Excuse me.” I tried to move past him.

“And where do you think you’re going?” He asked, wrapping his hand around my arm before I could move.

“Let go of my hand or I’ll report to my boss.”

“Feisty.” He smirked. “I like that.” He leaned closer to my ear. “I’d love to see you try reporting me to Calloway. Be rest assured that if anything happens to me, it’ll affect his entire career.”

My brows drew together. “What do you mean by that?”

“It’s for me to know and for you to find out, Emily,” he said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

I rolled my eyes and tried to pull away, but his grip tightened.

He leaned closer again, a smug smile playing on his lips. “You think what I just said is a joke, but let one word come out of that pretty mouth of yours and you’ll know I’m a man of my word.”

With that, he released my arm, making me winch.

Then, with a wink, he walked away.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. My hands shook as cold sweat trailed down my neck.

I debated whether to return to my seat and pretend nothing had happened or call an uber and go back to the hotel. But when my gaze locked with Cole’s curious eyes, filled with unmistakable intensity, I turned and hurried towards the exit without looking back.

COLE

I watched as Emily practically sprinted through the doors, making me wonder what had happened between her and Richard.

I didn't know how long they’d been standing there. I’d only looked over in time to see him pull away from her before disappearing into the crowd. Emily, however, had gone completely pale.

I looked at the man standing beside me.

“Minister, It was nice catching up with you, but I have an emergency I need to attend to.”

“Hope everything’s fine, Calloway?”

“Yes, minister. It’s nothing bad, but it’s something that needs my attention.”

“I understand,” he said. “Call me when you get back to New York.”

“Very well.”

I shook his hand before striding out of the building in search of Emily.