Chapter 7 – nate
NATE
Icrank the knob in my shower up as high as it can go. With the high-end water heaters at the House of Cards, that’s pretty fucking scalding. The steam fills the bathroom air until it’s thick enough to choke. When I step under the shower head, the heat’s so intense that my skin turns red.
Good. I intend to wash away the memory of everything that happened last night.
Even at the best of times, I don’t sleep much. Except on poker nights, I’m prone to working late into the night. For once, though, it wasn’t work keeping me up.
It was Cat.
The break-in must have shaken her up. She acted like it was nothing more than an inconvenience, but I know better.
Having your house broken into is a violation.
It’s why people really spend money on security.
It’s not about keeping their valuables safe.
Security matters because you need to know there’s one fucking place you can let your guard down.
No matter how strong Cat’s acting, she’s probably still on edge.
She needs someone to check up on her and make sure she’s okay.
Fuck knows, I’m not exactly the comforting kind.
If she’d stayed with her friend Pippa, she would have had someone to hug her and say all the right things.
Since she’s here, all she has is me. I almost got out of bed so many times to check on her.
That’s not all I wanted to do.
Squeezing my shampoo onto my hands, I scrub my scalp harder than I need to.
What the fuck was I thinking, almost kissing her like that last night?
Sure, she’s a beautiful girl. She’s also vulnerable, stuck staying with me until her place is safe enough to go back to.
I’d be the lowest kind of asshole if I made a move on her like this.
Of course, that didn’t stop me from dreaming about it—of what might have happened if I hadn’t come to my senses and stepped away.
My dreams were nothing but images of Cat’s pale skin and soft, messy honey-blonde hair.
Her warm voice, murmuring my name. Her hot lips pressing open-mouthed kisses along my neck, down my chest and stomach, until they hovered right above where I wanted her mouth most.
I woke up rock-hard, my cock leaking in my boxers.
Even after dragging myself out of bed and into the shower, I’m still so goddamn hard that it aches.
I wrap my hand around my cock. If I’m already planning to stay far away from Cat, I can at least let myself fantasize about her. Fuck, maybe it’ll help me tamp down on the urge to grab her whenever I get the chance.
I stroke up and down, imagining that it’s Cat’s delicate hand circling my cock.
My hand moves the way I imagine Cat’s would.
She’d start stroking experimentally, seeing what I like.
Her thumb would trace the thick vein on top of my cock.
When she sees how much I like that, she’ll be bold enough to squeeze harder.
Maybe I’d put my hand on top of hers to show her exactly how I like it.
At her core, Cat likes making people happy. I know she’ll be eager to please when it comes to sex.
Fuck. Exactly what I crave. She’s like my personal Kryptonite.
I slam my free hand against the wall for support as I pick up speed.
My mind conjures up an image of Cat kneeling in front of me, her lips parted.
She’d stick her tongue out to catch the drop of pre-cum on my head before I slid my cock into her hot mouth.
Right now, I’m so desperate, it’d take every fiber of my being to go slow.
To let her be the one in control, so I don’t overwhelm her.
Even though I know she’ll be eager to swallow all of me.
Water pounds on my back. The wet slapping sound of water on skin echoes off the tiles. I know it’s wrong, fantasizing about ravaging the girl I’m supposed to be keeping safe. But I need this—one fantasy to get her out of my system.
I groan as I come all over my hand and the shower wall.
If Cat were here, she’d swallow every goddamn drop.
“You’re pathetic, Walsh,” I mutter to myself.
I could go out and find another girl right now if I wanted. But here I am, wanking it to the only one I can’t have. It’s pitiful.
I wrap up my shower quickly, not bothering to shave today.
I head to my closet, picking out a charcoal suit with a crisp white shirt and dove-gray tie that my stylist picked out for me.
That’s right, I use a stylist. I don’t care how much shit the guys give me for it—if you dress to look good, you don’t do it halfway.
My phone dings when I’m in the middle of buttoning my shirt. The House of Cards group chat is lighting up for some reason. Whatever it is, it can wait until I’m dressed. I don’t open the chat until I’ve tied my tie and put on a watch.
By then, of course, it’s too late.
Ryan
You won’t believe who brought a girl home last night.
Luke
If you’re bragging about your own conquests, we don’t want to hear it.
Ryan
Number one, who says “conquests” anymore?
Ryan
Number two, I wasn’t going to tell you about my own overnight guest, but Natalia’s a total fox.
Luke
Repeat: We don’t want to hear it.
Beau
If we got a report every time Ryan brought a girl home, we’d never get anything done.
James
Process of elimination: It wasn’t me, it wasn’t Luke, and Beau was at my place till 3am previewing the new Pedro Pascal Sequel movie.
Luke
Happy for you, Nate. It’s been a minute.
Beau
Wait, she doesn’t have curly blonde hair, does she?
Ryan
How’d you know?
Beau
I KNEW something was up! Nate was all pissed about our ex-chef harassing her.
Beau
You better have been nice to her, dude. Cat’s one of my best servers. If she quits because you broke her heart, I’m holding you personally responsible.
Ryan
Cat, hot name.
I press my fingers against my temples. The last thing I needed was for the guys to get up in my face about Cat. I’ve already blurred the boundaries with her too much. If I don’t shut this down fast, they’re all going to introduce themselves to her, just to piss me off.
I already know exactly how it’ll go. Ryan will flirt with her relentlessly.
Beau will turn her into his new work bestie, giving her special treatment, which she might deserve but which she’ll definitely hate.
Luke will make sure she feels included in the conversation, but he’ll also share every one of our dirty little secrets with her to be a total ass, while strategically avoiding sharing any of his many sins.
James is the one I really have to worry about. He’s the most like me—reserved, logical, obsessively focused on his business, and so stone-faced, even Cat’s effusive warmth won’t be able to penetrate him.
Which means he’ll be the first to notice exactly how rattled Cat has me.
I take my time composing my answer. If I play my cards right, I’ll give them just enough information that harassing me won’t be interesting anymore.
Nate
Sorry to disappoint, but she slept in the guest room.
I gave her a ride home yesterday when I saw her walking in the rain, and when we got there, her place was broken into.
She’s staying here until her shitty landlord fixes the door.
She’s in a tough spot, so don’t go hitting on her when she’s vulnerable, Ryan.
Almost immediately, my phone lights up again with their answers.
Ryan
Don’t worry, bro. I’d never step on your turf.
Beau
Guest room, sure. If she quits, you owe me a new waitress.
Luke
She’s welcome to stay at my place if she gets tired of your caveman grunts.
James
I’ll send you that Pedro Pascal movie. I need to decide whether to market it as a date night movie.
Nate
Don’t you all have jobs you should be doing?
I silence my notifications and slip my phone back in my pocket. If they’re going to give me shit all day, then I’m ignoring them till I’m done with work. With the Crown Hotel Group deal, I’ll have too much to do at the office to waste time with them.
When I leave my bedroom, I find Cat kneeling by the front door, tying on a pair of sneakers. Instantly, I’m reminded of my shower fantasy of her kneeling for a very different purpose.
So much for getting my fantasies out of my system.
“Oh, good morning!” She smiles brightly. Too brightly for the early hour. “I was just about to head out to the shelter. There’s coffee in the pot for you, by the way.”
I can’t remember the last time I used my coffee maker, since my assistants usually bring me coffee at my desk. I suppose Ameera must keep the cabinets stocked with basics. The mugs aren’t in the first cabinet I open, but they’re in the second.
“Did you hear back from your landlord yet?” I ask.
She finishes tying her shoes and grabs her purse. “Not yet, but the shelter’s really close to my place. I’ll probably check in while I’m in the neighborhood. Hopefully, the door was fixed at least. I promise, I’ll get out of your hair as soon as I can.”
“It’s fine. I was about to head up to the office myself.”
Her eyebrows raise. “On a Sunday?”
I shrug. “I told you I’m never here.”
“Well in that case, you should really use one of these.” Cat opens a cabinet, pulling out a travel coffee mug with the UPS logo on the side. How has she been in my apartment for less than twelve hours, but she already knows my kitchen better than I do?
Without asking, she fills the mug for me. Even with her apartment in shambles and her life interrupted, she’s still looking to help other people out. I’ve never met anyone so effortlessly good. Which reminds me…
“What about the money you lost? Are you going to be okay on rent?”
Cat’s bright smile freezes into something brittle and unnatural. “I’ll be fine. I’ll figure something out.”
She clearly has no way to get her rent together. Part of me wants to just offer her the money, straight out, but the boundaries between us are murky enough as it is. Even if I do offer, I know she’d refuse on principle. Still, there has to be something I can do.
“You know, if Beau isn’t paying you enough, I can always have a little chat with him.”
“I think I’ve had enough of you talking to him on my behalf, thanks,” she says drily. “Getting Harry fired was enough. And Beau pays me just fine, thanks.”
“You could cut back on volunteering to take more shifts—I’m sure Beau would give them to you if I ask.”
She’s already shaking her head. “The shelter’s already struggling with funding.
The permanent staff is a skeleton crew, and they need every volunteer hour they can get.
I’ve been looking for a second job, but decent jobs are hard to come by, especially one that’ll work around volunteering and my Steakhouse schedule. ”
Then, it hits me. I know a decent employer who’s hiring.
Me.
And right now, I’m scrambling for any reason not to let her slip away from me.
“I’m actually looking for a new assistant. Would you be interested?”
Her eyes widen. “In…working for you?”
“Yes. The job’s yours if you want it. I’d rather have someone I know working for me than some new graduate I’ve never met.”
That’s all true.
That doesn’t mean that hiring Cat is anything close to a good idea. For whatever reason, I act erratically around her—and nothing about me has ever been fucking erratic. Not to mention, I’m attracted to her. Fuck, I came the hardest I have in months jacking off to her in the shower this morning.
Cat looks down, clearly feeling as conflicted as I do. “I don’t know, Nate. I don’t really have experience with that kind of work.”
“We have a really great training program. It’d teach you everything you need to know.”
“What about my job at the Steakhouse?”
“You work nights and weekends mostly, I assume—that wouldn’t conflict with our normal business hours. If something comes up, you can shift your schedule. As long as the work’s getting done, I don’t care when it happens.”
She crosses her arms defensively over her chest. “I don’t know, Nate. Isn’t it awfully convenient that you’re hiring someone right when I need the money?”
“Are you suggesting I’m making up the job?” I raise my brows. “You really think I’m that generous?”
“I don’t know! It’s just…the timing is just too perfect, isn’t it? And your offices are in the same building where I already work. My luck just doesn’t work that way, Nate.”
I shrug. “Maybe this time it does. I’m not offering out of pity, Cat. This works out for me, too. My last assistant, Raven, complained constantly and overstepped her boundaries. Not things I think you’d do.”
Her lips tilt into a small smile. “Well, I don’t think you’d make up an assistant named Raven.”
I can still see the indecision in her eyes as she weighs her pride against her desperation. Most people would just take the job, not even worrying if it was offered out of pity. Cat’s stronger than that. She wants to deserve whatever she gets.
I can’t help but respect that.
Finally, she sighs. “When do you want me to start?”
My chest swells with victory. I’m pleased she accepted—a little too damn pleased, if I’m honest.
“Tomorrow’s Monday. You can come into the office in the morning, so HR can get you set up and start your training.”
She nods. “Sounds good. I should get going—I’m running behind as it is. I’ll see you later.”
When she turns around, my eyes drop automatically to the way her jeans hug her ass, and I ask myself for the hundredth time what the fuck is wrong with me.
If I hadn’t offered her the job, Cat would be out of my life in days. I just can’t stop myself from offering to help her. Because yes, she deserves someone looking out for her—but that doesn’t mean I’m the man for the job.
Fuck. Having her in my office, close to me, is going to be harder than I bargained for.