Chapter 31
Caleb
Dinner tonight with Maddy’s friend, Riley. That’ll be fun.
And a little stressful. Maddy warned me that Riley isn’t so sure about the dynamic between the four of us, and I have to admit, it’s complicated. I don’t blame her for being concerned about her best friend.
I stare at the computer screen, attempting to read the proposal response from one of the investors, when I get distracted by a noise.
It’s not a knock. It’s more like a thud—a soft tap. I glance up to see the source, and catch sight of Maddy standing in the doorway, arms wrapped around herself, chin tucked in, eyes glassy and red.
My stomach drops through the floor. Immediately, I’m out from behind my desk, moving to her. “Hey, Maddy. What’s going—”
“Fucking Marissa.” She interrupts and pushes past me, straight to the leather chair that sits across from my desk. She collapses into it, hands coming up to cover her mouth.
I shut the door and turn the lock, unsure of what the hell is happening right now. I want to ask her what’s going on, but she looks too upset to answer.
I make my way to her and kneel down in front of her, trying to get her to look at me. “What’s going on, baby? Did something happen?”
Her lower lip quivers, and she avoids my gaze. “Sorry, I just…” Her voice trails off and then grows sharp. “Yeah. Something happened.”
“What was it?” I reach out and place my hand on her knee, desperate to give her some sort of comfort.
She flinches at the contact, and I instantly feel guilty. I pull my hand away, but she grabs it and places it back. “It’s probably nothing.”
“Come on, Maddy. What happened?” I press, needing her to open up and let me in.
She shakes her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. I sit with her quietly and let her cry. She obviously needs to just get it out. I’ve always found that if you just hold space long enough, the words eventually bubble up on their own.
She finally chokes out, “I’m not… I’m not mad at you.” The words bring me no relief. It’s so hard to see her like this.
“What is it then?”
Tears streak down her cheeks with more vigor, and she brushes them away, smearing her mascara. “Beck and Marissa…”
I already know where this is going, and I hate it for her.
“They slept together! She just told me in his office,” she explodes, throwing her hands up in the air and bumping into my arm. “Of all the people in this company, Beck slept with her. She’s been a passive-aggressive bitch to me since day one!”
I let out a sigh, gently rubbing circles on her knees. “I hear you, and that really sucks that you had to find out that way…”
“So you knew?” Maddy looks at me, her pretty eyes filled with hurt. “You knew he was sleeping with her?”
“I knew something had happened between them in the past,” I admit, unsure of the details.
“But look, Beck is a mess. He’s always been a mess.
He doesn’t know how to talk about feelings.
He’s scared shitless of anyone actually needing him.
You’ve already changed him in a lot of ways, but he’s got a past… yeah.”
She blinks at me, a frown tugging at her lips. “That’s not exactly comforting.”
“Yeah…” I say. “I’m not great at this, either.” I rest my hand lightly on her shoulder. “But you should know, he hasn’t even looked at Marissa since you started working here. She’s just pissed because she never got to be what you are to him.”
She sniffs. “Which is?”
I pause, searching for the right words. “You’re the game changer, and she’s pissed because he never felt that way about her. But…” I clear my throat, “I think Beck felt that way about you the moment he met you.”
She wipes her nose on her sleeve. “But I started as ‘just casual’ too. We had sex in a hotel room after I found out my boyfriend was cheating on me.”
I nod, having heard the story from Beck, who paints it like it was meant to be.
“Maybe that’s how it started, but that’s not how it ended.
” I search for the truth and finally just stop trying to filter myself.
“None of us saw you coming, Maddy. Not me, not Beck, not Adrian. None of us was prepared for how hard we would fall for you. You’re not another Marissa to Beck. You’re not replaceable to any of us.”
She looks at me like she wants to believe it, but can’t quite get there, her eyes falling to her knees. “I don’t know,” she mumbles.
I reach up and cup her face in both hands, drawing her gaze back to mine. My thumbs are clumsy, but I can’t handle seeing her break like this. I wipe away the mascara but end up smudging it even worse. But she lets me.
“I care about you, Maddy. And I know they do, too.”
She hesitates, then sniffles. “Same.”
I lean in and my forehead touches hers, my heart pounding in my chest. “I’m sorry he hurt you, Maddy. He should’ve told you about their history. You shouldn’t have had to find out that way.”
She rests her head against mine, closing her eyes and letting out a breath as she opens them to meet mine. “Have you slept with her?”
“Absolutely not,” I say, as I inwardly cringe at the idea. “I haven’t ever gotten involved with anyone in the office. You’re the first and only. But again, I promise that Beck is crazy about you.”
“Thank you,” she whispers, and then sighs. “I don’t want to go back out there. I don’t want anyone to see me like this.”
“You can stay here as long as you want,” I place a gentle kiss on her forehead. “I have meetings all day. You can even nap in here if you want.”
She snorts, the first normal Maddy sound she’s made since coming in here. “You’d let me nap in your office?”
I shrug, but my hands are still on her. “Of course.”
She grabs my hand and intertwines her fingers with mine, the warmth of her spreading through my entire body. “I’m sorry I dumped all this on you.”
“Don’t apologize,” I tell her. “I’d rather you tell me than keep it in.”
She nods. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
She looks up, eyes red but calmer now. “Are you worried about this? Like what people will think? I want this more than anything, but I’m scared I’ve just been living in a bubble and ignoring reality.”
I think about it. I don’t want to lie, but I don’t want to make it worse. I settle for the truth, though. “Yeah. I’m scared.” I let the admission hang, then add, “But I’m not going anywhere, and I’m not worried about the backlash from people. We’ll all get through this together.”
She gives me a tiny smile, and I go to stand. Maddy shifts in her chair, sits up straighter, and then catches my wrist. “Wait.”
She pulls me closer and kisses me, her teeth nipping at my lower lip and her hands fisting my white dress shirt.
I kiss her back, but make it a point to let her set the pace.
She breaks the kiss, her lips brushing mine as she speaks. “I need you. Right now.”
“God, I need you too,” I say immediately, the thought of rejecting her unimaginable.
She stands up, right there in the middle of my office, and faces me. I don’t hesitate. I close the gap, take her face in my hands, and kiss her again, this time with longing as I let my hands roam her body.
She moans into me and fumbles with my shirt buttons. My hands find her waist, and I pull her flush against me, her lower abdomen pressed against my cock. She melts into me, her arms twining around my neck.
I walk her backward until her ass bumps the edge of my desk. She lets out a little giggle that sets me on fire, and then gasps as I lift her up, setting her on the edge.
“I want you so bad,” I murmur, tugging her blazer down from around her shoulders. “You’re always welcome to come to my office and get what you need.” I kiss the nape of her neck, and she breathes into me, rocking her hips in desperation.
“I need you.” Her fingers yank at my belt, and I let her fuss with it until it’s undone. She then tugs my shirt off, kissing down my neck, as she frees my cock. “Make me feel better, Caleb.”
“Mmm, I can do that,” I pant. I undo her pants and yank them down along with her panties, as she lifts her hips at the right moment. She kicks off her heels and it all falls to the floor, her sweet pussy now on full display for me.
I kneel between her legs to taste her, but she stops me.
“Kiss me,” she demands, and I raise my brows, but follow her, leaning in and taking her lips with mine.
She wraps her legs around my waist, grinding against me. The feeling of her wet pussy gliding along my cock is almost too much to take, and I feel like I could explode right now, but I force myself to slow down, running my fingers between her thighs.
I groan into her mouth as I find her slit. She’s soaking, and it drives me fucking crazy. I rub her, carefully gyrating against her swollen clit, loving the way her hips start to buck against me.
“Oh Maddy,” I rasp between kisses. “You’re such a good girl.”
She clings to me, nails digging into my back, and whispers, “Give me more, Caleb. Please.”
I give her what she and I both want. Her pussy is tight, warm, and fucking perfect, swallowing my cock like it’s meant to.
“Caleb…” She pulls away from the kiss and buries her face in my neck, whimpering and whining as I start to thrust into her.
The desk shakes under us, papers scattering to the floor, but I don’t care. Nothing matters but her and reminding her just how fucking special she is to all of us. I know Beck and Adrian would want me to be here, reassuring her in the best way I know how.
I feel her start to tense, her whole body arching into mine. I hold her close, deepening my thrusts as she comes, clenching around me.
“Oh fuck,” I explode in a growl, as I follow, the release overwhelming. “You take me so good, Maddy. So fucking good.”
She whimpers something in response, her face pushed into my neck, and her arms wrapped around my back. I hold her there, breathing in the scent of her body, unsure of when I’ll be ready to let go.
After our breaths slow, she finally tips her head back, a soft smile on her face. “Well, I certainly feel better now.”
“Glad to be of service.” I chuckle, feeling the flush rise in my cheeks. “I’m always here for you.”
She rests her head on my shoulder and makes a little cooing noise. “I should probably go back out there,” she says, but makes no move to get up. “I need to talk to Beck.”
I nuzzle her hair and then kiss the top of her head. “Stay as long as you want. Maybe torture Beck for a little longer.”
“That’s a great idea.” She giggles into me.
“I’m serious. It’s probably good for him to have to think about his choices.” I pull out of her and help her off the desk.
I reach down to pick up her clothes and Maddy takes them from me.
I watch her put them on as I straighten my own clothes out.
I note every single detail about her—the way her brows furrow as she shimmies back into her pants, the crinkle in her nose as she buttons them, and the way she smooths out her hair with her fingers and fixes her makeup in the little mirror I hand to her.
“Why are you staring at me?” She tilts her head at me.
“Because I love you, Maddy.”
Her eyes fill with a different kind of tears. “I love you, too.” She rushes to me and throws her arms around my neck.
I plant a kiss on the top of her head and then watch her as she slips out of my office. I stand there for a few beats longer, feeling the aftershocks of her throughout my entire body.
I’m glad I was the guy who made her feel better, but also…
Beck better fucking talk to her and fix this.