24. Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Corbin
I expect Avery to be pissed at me after the way I acted the other night. And I know I deserve every bit of her anger. What kind of a man has sex with a woman and then sneaks out while she’s in the bathroom? An asshole; that’s who. Just because she didn’t say anything to me the next day doesn’t mean she’s not pissed at me. It’s possible that she’s had time to cool off and everything will be okay now. But it’s also just as likely that she’s going to tell me off when she comes back to work today. I almost wish I could avoid her some more, but that’s the coward’s way out. Besides, I have clients scheduled today. It’s not like I can stay home. But I don’t need to crowd Avery’s space either. I’ll let her call the shots.
I’m determined to be polite but keep my distance as much as possible. I know I still need to talk to her. I need to apologize for leaving the way I did, not to mention for my loss of control. I also need to drive home the fact that it can’t happen again. And I will. Today, in fact. Maybe she’ll show up before Jessie gets here and we can talk in private before the day really gets going. The last thing I need is to provoke her into yelling at me in front of my clients.
Unfortunately, I don’t get the chance to talk to her in the morning. Avery walks in with Jessie, both women laughing and talking. They each wave a hello in my direction, but they’re both involved in their conversation and don’t stop to talk to me. Maybe Avery has the same idea as me about keeping to ourselves. This could be a good thing. Maybe I won’t even need to bring up the elephant in the room. Maybe we can just ignore it and it will go away on its own.
But as the morning wears on, I start to grow concerned by the lack of reaction from her. She doesn’t even shoot me any dirty looks. I expected her to be pissed. Any woman would be. I’d been gearing myself up for battle. But that’s not what’s happening. I know I should be grateful for the reprieve; and I am. But I’m also a little nervous. What if she’s saving it up for a massive explosion later? I stay on my guard all morning, wary. But nothing happens.
By the time I’m able to take a break for a quick lunch in the middle of the afternoon, I’m even more on edge. I’m confused by her behavior and feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. It’s not like her to give something up without a fight. I also know I’m on thin ice as it is with Avery. I don’t need to provoke her right now. I screwed up, and we need time to get past it. But we can’t get past it if we don’t acknowledge it. Right?
I still can’t believe I lost control and fucked her. Not only that, but I’d done it in the shop. What was I thinking? I hadn’t been thinking, I know. I’d let my dick call the shots. It was amazing, but I’m not sure the price was worth it. I guess time will tell. As I wait for my leftover stir fry to heat in the microwave, my gaze drifts toward my office and the wall I’d pinned Avery against the other night. My dick instantly grows hard as I remember the way it felt to press inside her, the noise she’d made when I was finally buried in her fully, the whimper she’d made when I began to move. I don’t think I’ll forget that moment for years to come. It might just be the best sex I’ve ever had.
I stand there, my unseeing gaze fixed on the wall as I relive that night. It’s not the first time I’ve replayed the experience in my head, but it’s the first time I’ve allowed myself to do it here. At work. In the same place where I fucked Avery. The memory is so vivid in my mind, I can almost feel her clench around me as I thrust into her. I can almost hear those sweet moans as she came, gripping my cock in that hot, tight—
“Are you getting close?” a voice says from behind me, yanking me out of my fantasy/memory.
I turn quickly, blinking away the image from my mind. Only to come face-to-face with the object of all my recent sexual fantasies. Avery is standing entirely too close to me, a bowl in her hands and an amused expression on her face. She nods toward the microwave.
“You finished?”
Shit. The microwave. Of course. While I’ve been standing here daydreaming about fucking Avery, my food has been finished heating for who knows how long. And she’s been standing there waiting. I hadn’t even heard her walk into the room. How long has she been standing there, trying to get my attention? I decide it’s best not to ask.
“Oh, yeah,” I say, quickly opening the microwave and removing my food. “Sorry.”
She just smiles. “No big deal,” she says, leaning forward to place her bowl into the microwave.
She closes the door and presses the buttons to start the appliance before looking back up at me, that same smile still on her face.
“Were you lost in thought?” she asks. Her voice is pitched low even though we’re the only two people in the room. “Daydream? Or fantasy?”
I go still as I meet her gaze. Her hazel eyes are teasing, but there’s a hint of something more there. Something that has my cock turning to stone in my pants. It’s the same look she’d worn the other night as she’d wrapped her fingers around my length.
“Because fantasies can come true, you know,” she whispers.
Fuck.
I swallow hard, my fingers gripping the food container in my hands so tightly it’s a wonder I don’t shatter the glass. It’s all I can do not to reach for Avery right now, principles be damned. But despite how incredible I know sex with her is, I also know it’s a terrible idea in the long run. So, I keep hold of the dish in my hands and take a small step backward, away from her.
“That’s not always the best idea,” I say.
Avery looks more amused than anything, which is a little confusing. I keep expecting her to be angry or even hurt, but she keeps surprising me.
She smiles and gives a one-shouldered shrug. “Speaking from recent experience, I can tell you that sometimes reality surpasses fantasy.”
With that, she turns back to the microwave just as it beeps to signal it’s finished heating. What the hell is going on? Is Avery really not angry with me after the other night? That doesn’t align with anything I know about her. She’s fiery and headstrong. She doesn’t back down and she’s never held back when she’s pissed at me. So, why does it seem like she’s being overly pleasant? And what was all that shit about fantasies? Is she saying she wants to fuck me again? My dick grows uncomfortably hard, and I resist the urge to adjust myself. She’d see it immediately and know she was the cause. I really need to talk to her about the other night.
I glance around the break room to make sure we’re still alone. Jessie and Noah are still in the main part of the shop, so I’m not sure who I expect to see. The door is also closed, so I know there’s no way anyone can overhear what I’m about to say. Now’s as good a time as ever to have this discussion, I suppose. I wait until she brings her food over and takes a seat at the table. Instead of sitting across from me, she takes the chair nearest me, sliding it closer after she sits.
She’s close enough that I can smell her subtle perfume. My mind immediately takes me back to the other night when all I could smell was her. I try to breathe the scent of her in and hold it there without her noticing. Then I realize I’m being a fucking weirdo and I force myself to stop.
“Avery,” I say, working to keep my tone neutral.
“Yes?” she turns her gaze on me, and I realize again just how close she is.
She’s close enough that if I lean forward just a few inches, I could claim her mouth with mine. It would be so easy. My gaze slips lower to her mouth for the barest of moments. I see her lips curve into a knowing smile.
“Was there something you wanted?”
Her voice is barely above a whisper, but I hear her easily in the quiet of the empty room. There’s something playful and knowing in her tone and it makes me wonder if she’s implying something more with her words. I could be imagining it, but ever since the other night nothing about my interactions with Avery feels innocent.
I shake my head. “Not exactly. I just wanted to talk to you.”
“Okay.”
I clear my throat and decide to bite the bullet. “About what happened the other night.”
Okay, now I know I’m not imagining the smile on her face and the way her eyes soften with something like desire.
“What about it?”
Her voice has a definite teasing quality to it now. Shit. I look down at my food rather than meeting her gaze.
“Just that it shouldn’t have happened,” I say. “I shouldn’t have let it go that far.” I’m not sure my words sound convincing even to my own ears.
“You didn’t enjoy it?”
My gaze jumps back to Avery’s face. “No, I did,” I say. “I mean…it was…um…” Breaking off, I clear my throat again as her smile grows wider.
“What I mean is,” I try again. “It was great. But it was a mistake, Avery. I’m your boss and I should never have taken advantage of you that way.”
She nods slowly but says nothing.
“It’s just that, we need to work together,” I say. “Adding a physical aspect to our professional relationship is only going to make things confusing. It’s also against the shop’s policy. I’m sorry for what happened, but it won’t happen again.”
I go quiet, waiting for her reaction. I expect her to be outraged or maybe hurt or angry. But she just looks at me, her expression a mix of curiosity and amusement. Finally, she gives a little shrug.
“That’s too bad,” she says. “I liked you making me come.”
I nearly choke on my own saliva as I frantically look around to make sure Jessie or Noah didn’t magically appear in the room to overhear Avery’s words.
“Shh,” I say. “Not so loud.”
She shrugs. “There’s no one here but you and me.”
She’s right, I know. But my own guilt and paranoia is strong when it comes to the events of the other night. I’m convinced Jessie is going to figure out what happened. I know she’d never let me hear the end of it.
“But we’re good, right?” I ask.
“Sure, Corbin,” she says. “We’re good.”
I eye her for a moment as she focuses on her lunch, all but ignoring me. “So, we’re on the same page? We’ll go back to our professional relationship, right? No hard feelings?”
She wipes her mouth with her napkin, considering my words. Then she turns toward me again.
“There aren’t any hard feelings,” she says.
Relief pours through me, and I smile.
“I’m glad—” I begin, but she raises a hand, stopping me short .
“But I’m not sure we’re on the same page,” she says. “Because I don’t want to go back to being professional with you. Unless it’s to call you sir while you fuck me. Because that, I can get behind.”
My mouth drops open in shock and my gaze shoots over to the door to make sure it’s still closed. It is. I don’t immediately know how to respond. My first reaction is from my dick, which is yes, please . But then my brain catches up to my body and I shake my head.
“We can’t do that,” I say, but my words don’t sound very convincing.
“Why not?” Avery asks. “I think we did an excellent job last time. I’d like to repeat it.”
I can’t believe it. I’m actually speechless. I’d expected her to be angry. I’d worried she might quit. I never imagined she’d want more. Not that she’d objected the other night. She’d been an incredibly willing participant. So had I. Memories of that night flash through my head for the millionth time. Her throat in my hand, my cock buried inside her hot pussy while she moaned against my lips. I can’t deny that I’d like to do it again. But I know it’s a bad idea. It’ll only end in disaster. When I remain silent, Avery cocks her head at me, considering.
“What?” she asks. “You didn’t like it? Seemed like you did. Besides, I was really looking forward to you making good on your threats.”
My brows furrow in confusion as I try to keep up with the conversation. “What threats?”
She leans closer to me. “You remember,” she whispers. “You promised to use all of my body. Every part of it is supposed to be yours, right? We’ve only just gotten started.”
With that, she leans back from me and takes a big bite of her lunch, leaving me sitting there wondering what the hell is happening.
“Mm,” she says around a mouthful of food. “Before I forget, have you had a recent blood test? I mean, you can never be too careful, right? And we didn’t use any protection, after all.”
The memory of pulling her tight against me as I spilled my release isn’t something I’m bound to forget anytime soon. Or ever. But I hadn’t really considered the idea of catching something from her. I’d only asked about birth control. Damn, I’m an idiot.
“I’m clean,” I say. “I got tested last month.”
She nods. “Good. I got tested yesterday, so I’m sure it’ll come back clean too.”
How is she just casually discussing this over lunch in the employee break room? I keep waiting for one of the others to walk in and hear her mention cum or me using her body. I can just imagine the look on Jessie’s face if she learned I fucked Avery in the shop. I’ll never hear the end of it.
“Can we not discuss this right now?” I whisper.
“You brought it up,” she says with a shrug. “But fine. If you’d rather talk about it later, you’re welcome to stop by my place tonight. ”
“Oh, no,” I say, shaking my head. “That’s a bad idea.”
She grins at me. “I think it’s a great idea.”
“What is?”
Jessie’s voice comes from behind us, and I jump in surprise, turning to see her standing near the door, a puzzled expression on her face as she looks at me and Avery.
“I asked Corbin if I could practice tattooing with some fake skin I ordered online,” Avery says without missing a beat.
Jessie shrugs. “Sounds like a good idea to me. Unless you want her practicing on you, boss?”
“You can volunteer your skin, Jessie,” I say.
I watch as she goes to the refrigerator for a bottle of water. “Not a chance. No offense, A. I know you’ve got the talent. But until I see you ink an actual person, I can’t be your guinea pig.”
Avery laughs. “No offense taken. I wouldn’t trust me to tattoo a person right now either.” Turning back to me, she says, “Make me a list of everything I need to buy. It might take me some time to get all of it, but I can buy a little at a time, right?”
I nod. “Sure. I’ll make a list.”
Jessie turns to leave the break room. “Enjoy your lunch, you two,” she calls.
“You can bring the list by my apartment later,” Avery whispers as she moves to stand.
Stunned that she’s trying yet again to get me to come to her place, I don’t reply. I just sit there and watch as she disposes of the rest of her lunch and follows Jessie back out front. What the hell is going on?