Chapter Sixteen
CALLIE
I played idly with the neatly folded cocktail napkin, tracing the crisp edges and caressing the smooth fabric beneath.
It had been tucked in the pocket of my coat since last night.
When I’d returned to refill Emmett’s drink, it was on the table with two hundred-dollar bills lying on top of it.
The money was now clenched tightly in my fist.
With a confident flick of my badge, I marched down the hall toward Emmett’s office. My heels echoed off the polished floors as I burst through the open doorway and slammed it shut behind me. The bang startled Emmett, who sat behind his desk looking devastatingly sexy as always.
Perhaps he was even more irresistible now he had made me come.
His eyebrows shot up, almost disappearing into his hairline. The corners of his mouth curled in a seductive smile as he spoke. “Good morning, Miss Winters.”
I stalked over and tossed the bills onto his desk. They fluttered down slowly, landing on the polished surface in front of him. “I’m no whore.”
“Of course you’re not,” he replied, his tone laced with confusion.
I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited for him to understand.
“I’m very confused.”
“That’s too much. I can’t help but wonder if you were paying me for...more.”
Realization dawned on his handsome face, and he let out a chuckle. “You think I paid to...what? Give you an orgasm and myself a case of blue balls?”
Biting my lip, I shifted from one foot to the other. “Well, when you put it that way, it doesn’t make much sense, now does it?”
His laughter boomed through the office, filling the space with its deep sound. “No, Cal. It doesn’t. And I assure you, I would have left the same tip for anyone.”
I raised a skeptical brow, and he grinned sheepishly.
“Okay, maybe not quite as much.”
“Mhm. Thought so.”
He stood, swiftly snatching up the bills. Then he moved gracefully around to the front of the desk and leaned against it with his legs crossed at the ankle. I couldn’t help but admire his movements. They were almost sensual in their precision. Moisture pooled between my thighs at the sight of him.
“Take the money, please, Callie.”
There was no denying I needed it. I needed to find my own place and give Marco back his peace and quiet. Though he insisted I wasn’t a bother, it was time for me to be on my own. “Fine. But only because you asked so nicely.”
But then something shifted in the air. Emmett’s tone turned seductive and dangerous as he spoke again. “I recall you asking rather nicely for a few things last night. Who knew you could be so...polite?”
Before I could respond, he reached out and laced his fingers with mine, pulling me towards him. My heart raced and my other hand instinctively shot out to rest against his chest.
It felt so right. So incredibly right.
I allowed myself to relish the intoxicating feeling before pushing away from him.
“Emmett, we can’t.”
“Why? Give me one good reason.”
His firm grip on my waist prevented me retreating any further.
The warmth of his touch pulsed through my body, sending shivers down my spine.
My mind reeled with thoughts and images of us together.
“You’re my boss, Emmett,” I said finally, my voice betraying the fluttering in my stomach. “That’s the only reason we need.”
“No one cares about that, Callie. Trust me. In case you haven’t noticed, half the office is already involved in some kind of relationship.”
I experienced a tinge of jealousy at the thought. “Well, yes, I did notice, actually.”
Suddenly, the door to Emmett’s office swung open. I quickly stepped away from him.
“What’s this door doing cl—” Meredith started to say before noticing us and stopping short.
Heat raced up my neck and face as I avoided eye contact with both Emmett and Meredith. Thankfully, she didn’t pry and simply said, “Carry on then,” before making a hasty retreat and closing the door behind her.
Emmett roared with laughter as I groaned and covered my face with my hands.
“Oh God, I’m so embarrassed. This is exactly what I was afraid of!”
Am I shrieking?
“Cal, it’s fine. Meredith has seen way worse.”
“Oh, do this often with your interns, do you?”
“No! I just meant that with all the…fraternization…that happens on this floor, Meredith has seen some things.” He averted his gaze, and I sensed a hint of guilt in his body language.
I narrowed my eyes at him. He was holding something back.
Finally, he let out a weary sigh. “I have never slept with an intern. I did date an employee, but she didn’t report to me. She didn’t even work on this floor. And it…it didn’t end well.”
“I’m sorry,” I said sincerely.
He nodded, brows furrowed.
“Will you tell me what happened?” Taking a seat, I waited for him to continue.
“She recorded us having sex. Tried to blackmail me.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. My hand flew to my mouth. “That’s awful, Emmett.”
“It was. It’s why I had to take a temporary leave of absence—my ‘sabbatical’—while the lawyers sorted it out.”
“All the more reason for us to keep things professional, right?” My words sounded forced, as if I was trying to convince myself.
“No, Callie. What happened with her is not a good enough reason for us to keep things professional.”
“Why the hell not?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Because you’re not her,” he said, eventually. “You would never do that to me.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I just am.”
I swallowed, my heart constricting. He seemed to have unwavering faith in me, in us.
And though I desperately wanted there to be an us, I reminded myself that my career came first. My head and my heart were at war.
And as my fingers brushed against the cocktail napkin in my pocket, my heart was gaining the upper hand.
You are perfect.
Mind. Body. Soul.
Don’t be weird tomorrow.
And here I was, being weird.
“I’m sorry I’m weird,” I blurted.
Emmett blinked. “What?”
“You asked me not to be weird, and I’m being weird. I just don’t know how to do this, Emmett. I’ve only dated one person. I’m not even sure that was me you saw last night. I don’t do those things. The only person who makes me come is, well, me.”
I clamped my mouth shut. I had said too much.
His face lit up with a smug smirk. “And me.”
“And you, I suppose,” I relented.
He was grinning now. My heart skipped a beat.
“I’m leaving for London on Sunday,” Emmett said suddenly, changing the subject.
My heart sank at the thought of him leaving so soon after we had just started to get closer.
“I want you to come with me.”
I realized my mouth was hanging open. “What?!”
His grin widened. “Not as my girlfriend, of course. You’re my employee and I think you’ll benefit from the experience.”
“That’s all?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
He shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, you’re also nice to look at. I could use the eye candy.”
My eyes bugged out of my hand. “Eye candy?! You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
He laughed before pulling me from my chair and wrapping his arms around me. A jolt of electricity shot through me as our bodies pressed together. Palms flat against his chest, I looked up, instantly lost in the playful glimmer of his eyes.
Then he kissed me.
It was nothing like our kiss last night—or at the fundraiser, for that matter. It was gentle and sweet, filled with tenderness and longing. Too soon, he pulled away. My heart was giddy while my head threatened to ruin the moment of bliss.
“I am, in fact, fucking kidding you.” He ran his tongue along his bottom lip, savoring the taste of our kiss.
“In addition to being excellent eye candy, you’re brilliant and kind and witty.
And I value your perspective, which is why I’d like you to join me for the last of our negotiations in London. ”
Well, damn. I wonder if he’d write that on a cocktail napkin for me.
My heart did backflips, and for once, my head gave a restrained, approving nod. “When you put it that way, it seems only logical.”
“Exactly. And if you happen to come back as my girlfriend, I wouldn’t be upset.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“But you’ll still come with me?” he asked eagerly.
I couldn’t help but laugh at his persistence. “Yes, I’ll come.”
His suggestive wink made my heart flutter.
“You don’t have to make it dirty.”
“But where’s the fun in that?”
* * *
“Where are my shoes?!”
“Right here, crazy lady. You need to calm down.”
Marco was enjoying a relaxing Sunday morning sprawled out on the couch. I was running around his apartment like a chicken with my head chopped off.
“How do you expect me to calm down? One, I have never been on a plane before. Two, I am going on a trip with my hot boss who has made it very clear that he wants to sleep with me. Three, I very much want to sleep with him, too. This is a disaster.”
“Sounds fucking perfect to me.”
“You are not helpful.”
“Ah, but I am hopeful. Hopeful that you’ll come back far less high-strung because Mr. Moneybags will have fucked you like a right good ol’ chap.”
“I hate you.”
I found my shoes and gathered my bags by the door. It was only a two-night trip, but I had no idea what to expect. Like any respectable woman, I had over-packed.
Emmett had called yesterday to tell me a car would pick me up at ten in the morning and our flight would depart at eleven. I immediately questioned him, reciting the tips I had read on Google.
“Aren’t you supposed to arrive at the airport at least two hours before departure?”
His deep chuckle—even over the phone—made my blood heat.
“Not when you’re flying on the private corporate jet, Miss Winters.”
“Oh. Right.”
After a rushed goodbye to Marco and a quick ride in the luxurious car, I found myself standing in front of a sleek, private jet.
Emmett was already there, looking handsome as ever.
He greeted me with a warm smile and offered his hand as we climbed the stairs into the aircraft.
The interior was plush and comfortable, nothing like what I had imagined for my first flight.
As I settled into the seat next to him, I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.
I gripped the armrests as we taxied down the runway. The engines roared to life and my heart rate increased. Emmett seemed at ease as he casually tapped out a rhythm on the armrest.
“You okay?” He pried one of my hands loose and intertwined our fingers.
I nodded, trying to focus on his soothing touch as the plane took off.
“It’s just takeoff and landing that’s rough. We’ll be flying smoothly in no time.”
The plane tilted back, and I felt myself pressed against my seat. I closed my eyes and gripped his hand tighter, waiting for the moment when we would reach cruising altitude. Finally, the front wheels left the ground, and we were soaring through the clouds. I let out a shaky breath.
“See? That wasn’t so bad,” Emmett said.
“No, I guess not.” I returned his smile timidly. The experience was far less terrifying with his grounding support. I just wasn’t sure how I felt about that.