Chapter Eight
“Where were you last night?” Elissa handed me a cup as we left the coffee shop.
Ever since I had started my job, Elissa and I had grabbed a hot drink on the way to work. She worked as a personal assistant to a media tycoon, who was just as hot as my boss – not that she’d noticed. He was too old for her.
My cheeks warmed as I ducked my head, avoiding all eye contact with the woman who would surely ask all the questions and want all the details. I wasn’t ready to share what had happened between Joseph and myself, it was too personal.
“I visited an old friend,” I blurted, fiddling with my phone as it beeped. “We talked much longer than I’d planned so I crashed at hers.”
I chanced a glance at Elissa, who was reading a message on her tablet. She nodded absently as a grin spread across her pretty face. I sighed, relieved that she hadn’t been paying attention to me and my bright red cheeks. Jeez, anyone would think I was a prude, afraid of what others would say for hooking up with the boss.
“Sounds good.” Elissa tucked her tablet away and grabbed my hands. “I've just been invited to plan the company’s twentieth birthday bash! Do you know how many famous people will be there?”
Shaking my head, I laughed. “Thousands?”
Her head tilted to the side. “Wait,” she said, gripping one of my wrists as I continued to walk, “You should come as my plus one. Maybe we'll find a hot musician for you. What do you think?”
Chuckling nervously, I shrugged. “As if a hot musician is going to look at me. I'm quiet, I'm a bit geeky, and most of all, I'm pretty boring. Those guys are incredible artists.”
“No!” Elissa forced me to stop by pulling on my wrist. “You're not allowed to undersell yourself like that. You're an amazing artist too. A designer, remember?”
My friend was my biggest advocate and had always adored my work. She'd often joked that she'd have a baby now, just to have me design the nursery. Of course, when I told her that I'd be happy to do it, she'd bellowed with laughter and say that that day was a long way off. I was glad. I wasn't ready for my best friend to move out yet. In fact, she was all I had. Until now.
Joseph had promised to look after me, saying that now we'd shared our desires, we were bound together. I had left his bed early, sneaking out to give myself some time to think. I hadn't heard from him yet, hence why I kept checking my phone when it beeped.
“Sorry,” I said, pressing the button on the traffic lights, “I'll be better at remembering my talent. However, I'm still not the best person to take to the party. You need another party animal.”
Reaching for me, she pulled me into a brief hug, breaking away just as the lights changed to red and the green man flashed. “I need you.” She pushed me gently, urging me across the road.
I went, waving as I left her standing on the other side of the road. Her building was just behind her, all monochrome and glass. A top media company wouldn't hide their wealth in the centre of the city. However, my boss apparently did. I still needed to find out what was going on with that. My dingy office was on the less attractive side of the road, and although I didn't give a shit about appearances, I was concerned that he wasn't being honest with me.
“You're coming!” Elissa shouted, backing towards her building and almost tripping over.
The nice doorman caught her, smiling down at her as he lifted her onto her feet. Her smile was radiant as she thanked him and lowered her head, going into the building without glancing back. I stood for a moment as the noisy smelly cars went past, the whooshing sound almost soothing. Why was it so easy for my friend to attract people to her? Oh yeah, for the exact opposite traits I'd just listed about myself. She was a cool cat, who, quite frankly, had no business being friends with me. Still, I appreciated her, a lot. She was all I had.
My phone beeped again, shocking me out of my reverie. I glanced down, expecting to see another business email, but when Joseph's name flashed up, I gulped.
I hope our eventful night doesn’t make you late to work.
My heart did a stupid flicker as I checked the time. Shit, I was half an hour late. Wait, how did he know? Was he at the office?
Almost sprinting across the path and through the doors, I shouted a greeting to Fred, blasting straight to the office. The thought of seeing Joseph so soon after our explosive night made my hands shake as I took out the key. I hadn’t expected him to be waiting for me, how cute–
The door swung open, revealing the dark interior. My stomach plunged as I flicked the light on and stepped into the dingy office. The emptiness of the place heightened the emptiness inside me. A sadness blossomed from my chest as I remembered the feeling of Joseph’s arms around me and the sight of him gripping himself in the shower. He wouldn’t allow himself to take me, but he had taken himself. Maybe I wasn’t attractive enough for him. Maybe I wasn’t the type of girl who inspired men to turn up at their work early, just for a nice surprise.
Closing the door behind me, I slowly went to my desk and dropped my bag on the floor. The chair welcomed my achy butt muscles as I sat and leaned forward, placing my forehead against the cool surface of my desk.
A hiccup erupted from my throat as tears flooded my eyes. I hadn’t had time to analyse what had happened between Joseph and me. It had all happened so fast, from the moment he messaged to ask if I wanted to go to dinner, to the moment I’d been in his bed. And now… I was blubbering because he’d touched me in ways that I had never been touched. I’d longed for someone to see me, but no w that he had seen me vulnerable, fear set in. What the fucking hell was I playing at?
Taking out my phone, I typed out a text to Elissa.
I did stuff with the boss last night… and now I’m freaking out.
I dropped the phone on my desk and got up to go to the small bathroom. Pausing by the mirror as I entered, I sighed. The tears on my cheeks reflected the dim light above. Shit, I had no idea how to do this… any of it.
My phone started to ring, so I stuck my head out of the bathroom, craning my neck to see who was calling. I couldn’t make it out, but I figured it would be Elissa so I rushed to grab it, not looking at the screen as I knocked a huge pile of papers off the desk.
“Oh, bloody hell,” I said, putting the phone to my ear, “Elissa, I know I’m fucking crazy getting involved with him, but you don’t understand, he’s like a drug. I’ve tried a taste and I want more… but you know me, I don’t let people in… ever. I just can’t. Plus, he probably regrets it and doesn’t find me attractive. I mean…” Bending down, I tucked the phone into my ear and used both hands to scoop up the paper. “…I’m so broken, I don’t even know how to entice him enough to have sex.”
“Lola. ”
His deep voice poured, like honey, into my ear, and I dropped the papers again. Fuck. Every one of my muscles froze solid as the sound of my rushing blood echoed in my ears.
“I’m going to pretend that I didn’t hear any of that,” Joseph said, his voice a touch shaky.
Clearing my throat, I dropped into a sit and closed my eyes in an attempt to calm the racing of my heart. What a fucking idiot.
“You never ring my personal phone in work hours,” I said, fiddling with the paper edge of one of his designs.
“I rang the office number.”
I tried to analyse his tone. Was he pissed? Amused? Disgusted even?
“I haven’t diverted the calls back to the office phone,” I murmured, completely braindead and unable to think of something clever to say. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have blurted that, I just…”
“You’re scared.” His voice was tight. “Afraid that I’m going to open you up and abandon you, just like–”
“Don’t say it,” I interrupted, “Please.”
He went quiet and I thought the phone had disconnected. Except for the tightness of his breathing. “One thing that you’ll learn about me, Lola, is that I never abandon those who need me. I might push you to become more than you’ve ever imagined, because that’s my kink, but once you’re mine… you’re mine.”
My breath hitched in my throat, and I gulped, almost choking. “You have a kink?”
What the hell, woman? He’d just been all gorgeously stalkery alpha and I’d picked up on the one word that shouldn’t have mattered right now.
“All in good time, my girl,” he said, his voice stronger now.
A silly grin spread over my lips. There was something rather exciting about being called his girl, even if it was a little creepy. He wanted to own me, which was kinda hot.I was down for being owned, and quite frankly, I needed it. I needed a rescuer and Joseph was the perfect boss to do it.