27
Bonnie
I prepared myself for classic Knight—the swagger, the smirk, the orders growled with a half-grin.
I prepared myself that he would treat me with the same casual arrogance he reserves for everyone because, despite the knock-you-off-your-feet-romantic messages, nothing got in the way of work for Jack.
I prepared myself for business mode Jack.
I hadn’t prepared myself for this .
Every hair on my body stands as Jack storms down the aisle.
The guy talking intently in his ear and meeting him stride by stride isn’t holding his attention.
No, that’s all on me.
Feral is the only way I can describe the look.
His eyes blaze with such searing intensity that the entire floor must notice.
Oh, fuck.
I duck down behind my monitor like a frightened turtle.
Nisha laughs quietly beside me.
He said it wouldn’t be weird at work. I meant by him ignoring me, not charging towards me like a horny bull.
“Jack,” I squeak as he stops right at my desk.
“Later, bossman,” the other guy says, walking off to leave me with a brooding hulky CEO staring down at me.
He leans over my desk divider with a slow lazy smile tugging at his lips and the subtlety of a brick.
I’m acutely aware of conversations teetering off around me.
“Morning, Bonnie.” It’s a low husky tone that should only be used in the bedroom.
“Good morning, Jack,” I reply in a clipped tone, feeling prickly with all the eyes boring into me.
“Morning, Jack,” Nisha chirps beside me.
“Morning, Nisha,” he drawls, still looking at me. His brown eyes are half-lidded as his gaze drops to my mouth. “How are you?”
“Great!” I say brightly. “I’m just completing the CAD for the south tower.” Please don’t look at me like that, it makes me want to have all your babies. Out of the corner of my eye, Max watches us. “How are you today?”
“Never been better.” He leans his forearms further over my desk divider until his fingers tickle my arm. Seemingly, he’s in no hurry to do whatever billionaire property tycoons do at 9 a.m. in the office.
I blink. “So, everyone’s great.” It sounds like I don’t have a voice box. “How can I help you, Jack?”
This is surreal. The man was buried inside me last night. Most of the night. Everyone must be able to tell I was his lucky cock-warmer. I’ve even got a mild limp from sore thighs.
I can’t cope.
He leans over and lifts my scarf gently. Talk about suggestive. A wave of heat rises up from my neck and consumes my entire head, scalp included.
When he finds what he wants under it, his mouth widens into a satisfied grin. “Nice scarf. I’m looking for one for my sister.”
“Thank you.” I smile politely. “It’s from Zara.”
I spent about thirty minutes this morning debating whether I should wear his chain. Did he want me to wear it in public? Did he not want me to wear it in public? Was I snubbing him if I didn’t?
Who the hell knows.
People would notice an expensive manly chain in place of my home-made jewellery especially one with a Knight crest pendant.
In the end I wore it but covered it with a scarf like a shameful hickey.
“How’s your toilet?”
“Perfect,” I bristle. “Thanks for asking.”
He looks amused.
I narrow my eyes.
“I’ll take you for lunch, darlin’,” he says in my ear, leaning in closer. “Noon on the dot. If I can wait that long.”
What the hell is he playing at?
“Jack,” I say through a clenched smile, flinging daggers at him with my eyes. “Unless it’s a project meeting, that’s not advisable.”
He chuckles. “She’s mad at me again. She’s always mad.”
“Will you bloody behave?” I hiss in a lowered tone. “I don’t want anyone to know about last night. People have grown ten ears since you came to my desk.”
“I can’t help it if you drive me crazy,” he says in an equally lowered tone. Not low enough.
“You’re going to get me in trouble.”
His brows rise in amusement. “Last time I checked, I owned this place.”
“That’s not the point. No one can know.”
“I don’t care who knows, sweetheart. They’re going to find out soon enough.”
My nostrils flare. Of course, he doesn’t care.
“I care,” I bite out, feeling my professional smile slip. “I care a lot.”
“Okay, okay.” His voice drops. “I’ll behave.”
“You better bloody behave,” I whisper-yell back at him.
“Everything okay?” Max interrupts as he comes to stand beside Jack. Max isn’t a small guy but looks puny compared to Jack.
Jack slaps him on the back with just a little more pressure than would be considered matey.
Max coughs slightly at the jostle.
“Everything’s perfect, Max. Exactly how it should be.”
“Jack asked if he could see the designs of the chimney viewing platform,” I say quickly. I smile sweetly at Max, the man I once loved and now hate to his very core.
Max’s frown deepens as he turns his attention to Jack. “It’s best to chat with me since I’ve a holistic view of the project.”
“So you keep reminding me.”
“I’ll come with you now to your office if you’d like, Jack?”
“No need. Bonnie’s an incredible architect. I don’t need to talk to anyone else.” Jack gives him a cocky grin, slaps him on the back one last time and walks off.
Completely at ease, the opposite of me.
The fucker.
It’s only then that Max gives me his undivided focus. His glassy stare is a strange mix of confusion and annoyance.
My most professional smile returns.
How many secrets are we both hiding from each other? Did I ever truly know this man?
The anxiety and disappointment of yesterday has fizzled and morphed into something more slow-burning and controlled today.
Soon I’ll get my closure with Max’s betrayal.
Today is not that day.
***
All day, I feel Jack’s eyes on me, watching me with a slow-burning hunger like a wolf stalking prey. I’m on heightened alert that any minute he’ll throw me over his shoulder, carry me into his office and fuck the life out of me in front of the entire floor.
And all day I get angrier.
I refuse his offer of lunch.
I have deadlines. Deadlines imposed by him that I need to concentrate on, instead of being distracted by the broody cockney every time he makes his presence known.
At five on the dot he saunters down the office as he always does on a Thursday. Nisha and I watch from our desks. I take a relaxed breath for the first time all day.
Nisha lets out a low whistle. “That’s some Big Dick Energy he’s directing at you.”
I laugh meekly. “I’m exhausted. I feel like he’s been prodding me with an electric rod all day.”
“Yeah? Well, savour this. Every woman in London is gagging to be in your position right now. Even me a little.” She looks sheepish. “You’re not the only one who got lucky last night. Although it depends how you define lucky.”
“Oh yeah?” I ask excitedly.
She swallows and lets out a strangled laugh. “I accidentally slept with Darren again.”
“What?” I slap a hand over my mouth. “How?”
“A few of us went out for last minute drinks. Darren and I ended up being the stragglers when last orders rang. Then we went to another late-night bar and one thing led to another. He’s quite charming outside of work.”
“I feel like you’re in denial about how much you’re interested in him.”
“What can I say? Repeated exposure grinds a girl down.” Nisha snort-laughs.
“He’s amazing in bed. Terrible project manager.
He couldn’t manage a child with two Lego blocks.
Can I be attracted to someone who is great in bed but terrible at their job?
” She looks at me seriously. “I’ve been torturing myself all day. ”
“He’s a good-looking bloke,” I say, mulling it over. “And it’s not like you need a project manager.”
She sighs. “Really handsome.”
“What are we playing at?” I groan.
She rolls her eyes. “You’re banging a billionaire hottie. I think you’re playing a better game than me. Speaking of which, I’m hoping that means you don’t care about what I’m about to tell you.” She pauses. “Max was at the work drinks with Olivia last night.”
I stiffen. “As a couple?”
“No, they kept their distance. Max was pretty coy about his romantic getaway to the place you were supposed to go on your honeymoon. Maybe because he knows it makes him look like a total ass.”
I sigh. “I don’t even want to think about that.”
“When are you going to confront him?”
I exhale heavily. “I’m not sure yet. He doesn’t know I know. It’s clear he has zero respect for me so if I confront him, he’ll either deny it or take me off the project or both. I need to think about my options before I do anything.”
“I agree. Play the long game. Revenge is a dish best served cold and all that. Although technically you already have revenge.”
I look at her, confused. “What do you mean?”
She smiles. “You’re fucking the love of Max’s life. Jack Knight.”
I can’t stop the grin spreading across my face.
* **
An hour later I make my way down to the gym ready to tell Jack to rein in the Big Dick Energy at the office.
The boxing gym is empty but the sound of running water comes from the shower room.
Great, he’s in the damn shower.
“Jack,” I call out, making my way across the ring. “Are you decent?”
The water stops to a dribble then the door opens, letting out a gust of steam.
“For you, yes, very decent.”
Holy God, give me strength.
He’s naked.
He holds his arms up to rest on the top of the door frame, his wide bronzed tattooed torso dripping all over the floor.
When I say naked, I mean completely naked. In true caveman style, with zero shame. That damn thick, heavy cock is taunting me. It knows I’m about to melt into the puddle Jack’s making on the floor.
His lips curl into that infuriating grin. “Too distracting, darlin’?”
“I have some self-control you know, Jack,” I say haughtily, squeezing my thighs together. “I’m not going to fall at your feet every time you prance around naked. I’m here to tell you off.”
What I mean is please send me daily dick pics. I’ll frame them on my wall.
“Prance?” Mirth dances in his eyes. “She’s angry again. Go ahead. Tell me off.”