Chapter Seven
1324 Words
I woke up that morning with every intention of telling Marshall that whatever was happening between us was over. Needless to say, that did not happen. I was late for the third time that week. I’d spilled coffee all over myself on the way to work and had to dash back to my apartment to change. Peter was not happy.
He stood beside my desk, arms folded over his chest. “You’re late. Again.” he chided.
“Sorry.”
There was no point in attempting an explanation. He wouldn’t listen. He never did. I swallowed, handing him his coffee. With a sneer of contempt, he snatched it from me. He jerked his head towards Marshall’s office.
“He wants to see you. Now.”
I didn’t want to see him. I wasn’t ready. Unfortunately, he was still my boss. I couldn’t avoid him forever. I’d managed to do just that for the last week. I’d dodged his calls, made sure I avoided any place I even though he might show up. My luck had run out.
“You wanted to see me?” I inquired, tentatively stepping inside his office.
“Close the door.” He sighed without even a glance in my direction. I did as instructed. He set his pen down. “It has been brought to my attention that you have been late three times this week.” He regarded me with a lifted eyebrow. “Why?”
“It won’t happen again.”
“See that it doesn’t.”
Thinking this conversation was over, I turned to leave. I gripped the handle. He cleared his throat, “You haven’t been dismissed.”
Flames licked at my cheeks. “O-oh.”
“There is something else I’d like to discuss with you.” He stood from his desk. “Come here.” He demanded.
I blinked, fear creeping up my spine. Ignoring the sinking feeling I had, I approached. It would prove to be a mistake. His fingers curled around the back of my neck, lips taking hold of my own. I was powerless beneath his touch. I gripped the front of his shirt. The kiss lasted a few seconds.
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
I sucked in my lower lip, unable to meet his heated gaze. I nodded. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because ...because of this….” I breathed, “I’m not myself when I’m around you.”
A grin pulled at the corners of his lips. “You are a woman, Emily. And like all women, you have certain...needs.” His voice was like gravel. It was utterly intoxicating. His teeth nipped at my ear lobe. “There is no shame in exploring those needs.”
“You’re my boss.”
This time, his eyes rolled into the back of his head. “So you keep saying.” His hand dropped from around the back of my neck. “It’s not like you’re gaining any undeserved rewards from this. I treat you the same as I do the rest of the employees.”
He had a point. In the week since our last encounter, he had never once showed me any undo kindness or given me anything I didn’t work my ass off for. “They won’t believe that.”
“I don’t really give a rat’s ass what other people think, Emily.” His lips brushed mine again. “And neither should you.”
That had always been my problem, even when I was a kid growing up. I always cared what people thought of me. I would beg my mom for the right clothes, the right shoes, the right handbag just so I could fit in with the other girls. She never did. We weren’t exactly wealthy growing up.
I wasn’t sure exactly what Marshall was offering but damn it if I wasn’t interested. He was everything I wasn’t; bold, sexy, he knew exactly what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to ask for it. And, for the moment at least, he wanted me.
“If...if I agree to this, I have some stipulations.” I find myself saying.
He blinked in surprise. He obviously had not been expecting me to give in so easily. A smile soon replaced the blank expression. “Name them.”
“Tanner can never find out.”
Even though he was getting married, I could not bear the thought of him knowing that I was sleeping with his brother. It felt...wrong somehow. He nodded, silently agreeing to the stipulation.
“And second, we keep this out of the office. I don’t want my professional reputation
tarnished.”
A frown touched his lips. My second stipulation was not to his liking it would seem. Seconds of silence followed as he considered my ultimatums for continuing whatever exactly this was. Part of me, a small sliver, prayed he would decline ...that he would save me from myself. He didn’t.
“Very well. I agree to your terms.” The sudden absence of his touch left me cold. A shiver ran up my spine. “But, I have some stipulations of my own.”
He turned from me, returning to his desk long enough to scribble something down onto a sheet of paper. He handed it to me. It was an address. “What’s this?”
“If we are to keep this a secret, we need a place that is...discreet with its clientele.” He tucked a few loose strands of hair behind my ear. “As much as I enjoy f*****g you, that’s not all I want. I want to get to know you.”
“Oh.”
I hadn’t been expecting that. I’d been prepared for the s*x part. But actually getting to know him? That was venturing into dangerous territory.
“I won’t have one without the other, Emily.”
“Fine.”
I didn’t know exactly what I was agreeing to but, hey, I was open to new things. Besides, there were worse things than dinner with a man that looked as good as Marshall did. I paused. Did that make me shallow? I mean, I was agreeing to s*x with a man strictly because of how physically attractive he was and how said attractiveness made me weak in the knees.
It was too late to back out now. He ushered me from the office, delivering a firm smack to my backside. I shot him a glare. He was already breaking my second stipulation. He didn’t seem to care. He flashed me a dazzling smile before shutting the door behind me. I stood there a moment, eyes searching the rest of the office for any sign that we had been caught. No one gave me a second glance. I sighed in relief, making my way back over to my desk.
The second I slid into my chair, my phone began to vibrate. It was Marshall. What did he want?
“Dinner. Tonight.”
He wasn’t asking. I bit down on my lower lip, fingers hesitating as I tried to decide what to text back.
“And if I refuse?”
“I’ll have to punish you.”
That response took my breath away. It wasn’t the response I had been expecting, that much was for certain. I didn’t have an answer so, instead, I slid my phone back into my desk.
Lord only knows what he had planned for that night.
- Writer
