Chapter 17
Haylee gaped at her phone. She didn’t want to go to the gala. In fact, she’d taken great pains to slide through the rest of the week like she didn’t exist and hope that Febe wasn’t going to fire her over whatever Cherish found wrong with her.
But this—this couldn’t be avoided.
Febe: Cherish forgot my speech. Please pick it up and deliver it to her apartment.
A ping with Cherish’s address was attached to the text. Cherish legit forgot the speech? Also, shouldn’t Cherish be helping Febe get ready? Making sure that Febe didn’t run away or whatever from what had happened last year? Cherish still hadn’t told her what happened, and Haylee had stopped probing. Something about the whole entire fuckup of an event last year seemed sacred.
Arriving at Cherish’s apartment was a whole different world from where Haylee came from. This building was nice, expensive no doubt. Haylee chewed on the inside of her cheek as she knocked on Cherish’s door and cringed while she waited. She hadn’t even texted to let Cherish know she was coming. This was going to be a disaster, especially with the way they had left things the last few days.
They hadn’t even spoken.
Not really.
Haylee had tiptoed around the office like she had given the biggest offense, and now she was coming face-to-face with the person she’d known she’d offended. Well, if Cherish came to the door, then they’d be face-to-face. Haylee sighed heavily and raised her fist again, knocking four times in rapid succession.
“Cherish?” Haylee called through the door.
It took another minute for the lock to click. Cherish stood on the other side, her bright blue eyes wide, her deep red hair already in curls around her shoulders, her makeup smoky and stunning. Haylee had to swallow the lump in her throat just to be able to make out a single word.
“Hi.”
“What are you doing here?” Cherish turned her back and left the door wide open.
Was that an invitation to come in? Haylee stood awkwardly until Cherish sent her a scolding look over her shoulder.
“Right, coming in,” Haylee muttered as she stepped inside and shut the door behind her.
“Is that what you’re wearing?” Cherish called as she moved into another room.
Haylee wasn’t brave enough to follow her. “It’s what I had. Um… Ms. Aarts said something about the speech for tonight?”
Why did she sound so ridiculous? She couldn’t form a single thought with Cherish looking like she did. It’s just a crush. Haylee grimaced. It was more than a crush at this point, but she still wasn’t ready to admit that to herself.
“What about the speech?” Cherish popped out of the bathroom and leaned against the doorframe. She dragged her gaze down and then up Haylee’s body, making her shiver in response. Was Cherish checking her out?
Weren’t they mad at each other still?
“That you forgot it?” Why did Haylee insist on asking that like it was a question? It wasn’t. That was exactly what Febe had told her.
Cherish’s face pinched. “I didn’t forget it. It’s right there on the kitchen table.”
“Then why did Ms. Aarts tell me that you forgot…” Haylee trailed off as the realization dawned on her. She bit her cheek and shook her head. “Never mind. I’m here now, so I guess that means we can ride together.”
“Are you still going?”
Haylee’s jaw dropped. “Why would you say that?”
“Because all week you’ve made snide little comments about how you may or may not be going. I thought we had an agreement, Haylee.” Cherish put her hands on her hips, looking at Haylee full-on. “You help me with this and keep Ms. Aarts on track, and I help you pitch your idea to her.”
Tightening, Haylee stilled. What was she supposed to say to that? That had been the original bet, but she had been pretty sure that Cherish wouldn’t follow through. “That was the bet.”
“So, why weren’t you planning on coming tonight?”
Haylee cringed at Cherish’s innuendo. But there was no way Cherish had done that on purpose. She wasn’t subtle enough to understand that on a good day, and this definitely wasn’t a good day for either of them. “That’s a long story.”
“Try me.” Cherish planted herself against the wall, daring Haylee to share.
Haylee hated this. She hated feeling like she was the center of that gaze, like she was one step behind whatever was going through Cherish’s mind, and that she didn’t understand anything. Haylee was left completely in the dark, and she hated it. “You know what, I’m just going to go.”
“Haylee.” Cherish wrapped her fingers around Haylee’s upper arm, stopping her.
Heat seared through Haylee at the touch. She dropped her gaze to Cherish’s fingers, expecting her to let go, but she didn’t. Haylee trailed her gaze up and over Cherish’s arm to her chest and the tops of her breasts, to the smooth lines of her neck. Cherish swallowed hard, her pulse racing. Haylee could see it. When Haylee looked at Cherish’s lips, they quivered.
“Why weren’t you coming tonight?”
“I’m not built for this job. We both know that.”
Cherish took a step closer, but she didn’t move her hand from Haylee’s arm. One more step and Cherish lifted her chin to look directly in Haylee’s gaze, meeting her eyes. Her breath was hot as it fluttered across Haylee’s cheeks and lips.
“Will you ever see yourself as worthy?”
“Worthy of what?” Haylee was mesmerized. And she was pretty sure that even if Cherish did speak, she wasn’t going to hear the answer.
“Anything.” Cherish’s voice came out a whisper, and her hand moved from Haylee’s shoulder across her collar bone.
“What are you doing?” Haylee held her breath, not sure which way she wanted Cherish to answer. Did she want to have sex? Absolutely. Was this the time for it? Absolutely not.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you all week, Haylee.” Cherish moved in even closer. The soft scent of her perfume wafted into Haylee’s senses. It was never something strong, and Haylee always had to be standing in close proximity in order to receive the full force of it, but today it was intoxicating.
“It’s hard not to think about the pain in your ass.”
“You’re hardly that.” Cherish brushed her fingers over Haylee’s lips. “When you kissed me in the office the other day, I almost let you take me.”
Haylee dragged in a shuddering breath. “You said you weren’t ready.”
“I wasn’t.”
Did that mean she was now? Haylee was confused. Cherish was hot and cold, that was for sure, and this wasn’t helping her figure anything out in terms of where they stood. “What are you doing?”
Cherish blew out a breath, the smile that had been ghosting on her lips moments prior was now gone. “I don’t know.”
“Then we’re not doing anything.” Haylee moved to step back, but Cherish snagged Haylee’s wrist to keep her there. “We’re not doing anything, and quite frankly, I don’t get you.”
“What?” Cherish frowned, a line forming in the center of her forehead.
“You yelled at me. You were done with me this week, and now you want to have sex?” Haylee flung her free hand out next to her, pushing the frustrations that built rapidly in her chest away from her. She didn’t want to force that onto Cherish if she could avoid it.
“I don’t want to have sex.” Cherish squinted, her cheeks pinking with anger. “Why would you think I want that?”
What? Haylee was now more confused than ever. She tried to pull away again, and this time Cherish let her go.
“Look.” Cherish clenched her jaw. “I do want to have sex with you, but not right now.”
Haylee jerked her head up, looking directly back into those blue eyes. Did Cherish really just say that? Her heart raced. Had this whole week been a farce?
“We have to go to the gala. We can’t do that right now.”
“But if we didn’t have the gala?” Haylee didn’t know why she was clinging to every single word Cherish said. She didn’t want to be so hung up on her. She wanted to be independent and free. Nothing ever lasted for long, so why wouldn’t this damn crush go away already?
“I don’t know, Haylee.” Cherish was standing impossibly close again.
Drawing in a deep breath, Haylee held it tightly in her chest before blowing it out slowly. Cherish certainly knew how to frustrate her. Haylee bit her lip and took a chance. She moved in swiftly, pressing her nose against Cherish’s cheek. She held onto Cherish’s arms and allowed her eyes to flutter shut. Cherish turned into her, their cheeks brushing.
“What are we doing, Cherish?” Haylee desperately needed to know.
“I don’t know,” Cherish whispered. She moved, pressing their mouths together gently.
Haylee sucked in a sharp breath, her heart skipping as she stepped forward and pushed Cherish against the wall. When they connected like this, everything else melted away. All the responsibilities and realities vanished. Cherish cupped both sides of Haylee’s face, dragging her in for a deeper embrace.
Stumbling, Haylee tried to keep her wits about her. She hated that she couldn’t ever understand what was happening between them, but she was so enthralled by it. She couldn’t escape Cherish. Cherish’s hands were strong against her, spinning them as she thrust Haylee against the wall. Their bodies pressed together, their mouths still locked as their tongues tangled. Haylee sucked in a sharp breath. She was used to doing the manhandling, not the other way around.
But to have Cherish push her, take control, be the one in charge in this way? It was the sexiest thing Haylee had ever witnessed.
Haylee gripped Cherish’s back, pulling her in closer. She slid her hands down to Cherish’s ass, cupping her butt as Haylee spread her legs to get even closer. This was everything she had wanted, and yet, something still wasn’t quite right between them. Something hadn’t clicked into place yet.
“I’m so sorry about this week,” Cherish breathed, pressing kisses down Haylee’s neck and nipping at the tender flesh.
Haylee’s nipples hardened in response. “You hated me this week.”
“Only some of it.” Cherish chuckled. “But not because of you, only because of me.”
“I don’t understand.”
Cherish sighed and moved back to kissing Haylee’s lips. This time the kisses were slow and drawn out. Eventually she closed her eyes and rested her forehead on Haylee’s shoulder. “I need to apologize for this week, and I really should have done that before all of this.”
Leaning back, Cherish bolstered herself. Haylee could see the walls coming up and then falling down. Perhaps what was most impressive was that Haylee could see just how much effort it took for Cherish to do that.
“I was jealous in some ways. In other ways, I didn’t understand what was happening. Febe needs to be protected, and you threw her to the wolves. At least, that’s what I thought at the time. I didn’t know that she was the one who requested the meeting.” Cherish paled. “I wasn’t ready for her to be ready.”
“Ready for what?” Haylee brushed Cherish’s hair behind her ear, cupping the side of her face. “Because you haven’t told me anything about you two.”
“I know.” Cherish frowned, then wrinkled her nose. “I was being intentionally cruel the other day, which is why she sent me home. I need to apologize for that. I’m so sorry, Haylee. I hurt you. I could see it in your eyes.”
Haylee’s chest constricted before all that tension was released.
“I meant to hurt you that day, and I feel awful for it. Not as awful as you, I’m sure.” Cherish’s lips thinned into a line. “I shouldn’t have done that. I have a complicated relationship with Febe, and well, it’s complicated.”
“I know,” Haylee interrupted. She pulled Cherish in for a quick kiss. “Anyone in that office can see that you and she are complicated.”
Cherish cringed. “That doesn’t excuse my behavior. You’re doing an excellent job at work. I want you to know that. I’m not sure I would have made it through the last few months without you.”
Just that warmed Haylee in ways she hadn’t expected. It was the compliment that she’d been looking for, the reassurance that she wasn’t absolutely crazy. Haylee kissed her again. “I accept your apology, Cherry.”
Cherish sucked in a sharp breath, locking her gaze on Haylee’s. “Right. Um…” She pressed her lips together hard, looking around. “I should finish getting dressed. The car should be here soon.”
“For sure.” Haylee trailed her fingers down Cherish’s arm. “Do I get to watch you?”
“Do you have some voyeuristic tendencies that I don’t know about?” Cherish’s tone was all flirt, and Haylee loved it.
Bending in, Haylee pressed a kiss to Cherish’s warm neck. She could live here in Cherish’s arms if Cherish would allow it, but she was pretty sure that Cherish wouldn’t. The woman never was still. Taking the tip of her tongue, Haylee traced a circle and then nipped lightly. “We have so much to learn about each other.”
“I know everything I need to know—at least for now.” Cherish’s voice was husky.
Haylee must be affecting her at least in some way. Especially with that look. Haylee wished they had time to explore a bit more, but even with their conversation and forgiveness, Cherish didn’t seem all that ready to dive into a sexual relationship. Haylee could wait, and like she’d promised Cherish before—she would.