Chapter 32
KENSEY
The following day, I looked around the store through the back entrance, my feet aching from being on them all day.
The space looked incredible. All the displays were in place, the signage was perfect, and the inventory was organized.
Tomorrow was going to be insane, but tonight it was just quiet anticipation.
Drew was still in his office dealing with last-minute phone calls. I made my way up the stairs, my hand trailing along the railing. When I pushed open his door, I found him at his desk, staring at his computer screen with a furrowed brow.
“Hey,” I said softly.
He looked up and his expression immediately softened. “Hey yourself. I ordered Chinese. Hope that’s okay.”
“That’s perfect.” I dropped into one of the chairs across from his desk. “I’m starving.”
“It should be here in about ten minutes.” He closed his laptop and leaned back in his chair.
“Everyone’s gone,” I said. “It’s just us.”
“Finally.”
I kicked off my shoes and wiggled my toes.
He stood and came around the desk, perching on the edge of it in front of me. “You did incredible work today. I mean it. I couldn’t have pulled this off without you.”
“You could have,” I said. “But I’m glad I could help.”
“Tomorrow’s going to be massive. We’re expecting a big crowd.”
“I know.” My stomach flipped with a mixture of excitement and nerves. “Are you ready?”
“I think so. The team knows what they’re doing. Security is locked in. The vendors are prepped. Micah’s changes elevated the look.” He paused. “My parents are coming.”
“Max and Tiana?”
“Yep. And they’re bringing the whole circus with them.” He grinned. “All their celebrity friends, the New York Blackwells, everyone. They’re flying in with the kids even though they’re all still tiny. It’s going to be a whole thing.”
I tried to imagine what that would look like.
Max and Tiana Blackwell were Hollywood royalty.
Everyone knew who they were. And their friends were the kind of people you saw on magazine covers and award shows.
Drew was used to all of the A-list people.
I wasn’t. I didn’t want to suddenly get starstruck and embarrass myself.
“That’s a lot of pressure,” I said.
“I guess.” He didn’t look worried though. “But it’s also a huge opportunity. If this goes well, it puts us on the map in a way that no amount of advertising could.”
“When you say everyone, you mean everyone?”
“Family. Probably some actors, maybe a director or two, definitely some influencers.”
“Influencers,” I repeated. “Of course.”
“They’re good for business.” He reached down and took my hand, pulling me up out of the chair. “But none of that matters as much as having you there.”
My cheeks heated. “Stop.”
“I’m serious.” He pulled me closer, his hands settling on my hips. “You’ve been amazing through all of this. Patient with me, helpful with the planning, and you didn’t run screaming when things got stressful.”
“Why would I run screaming?”
“Because this was your summer vacation and I put you to work.” His thumbs traced small circles on my hipbones. “But you just rolled up your sleeves and helped. You didn’t complain. You didn’t make it about you. Your help means the world to me.”
I looked up at him, seeing the sincerity in his eyes. “I wanted to help. This matters to you, so it matters to me.”
His phone buzzed on the desk. He glanced at it and smiled. “Food’s here. I’ll go grab it.”
He disappeared down the stairs. I took a second to slow my breathing.
No more office sex. It seemed like anytime we were together, we were trying to get into each other’s pants.
I blamed the lack of sex between us for the last ten years.
It had been building for a long time and we both knew we had a lot of lost time to make up for.
And a lot of future time. This was our summer together and we were making the most of it.
Drew returned a few minutes later carrying two large bags. The smell of it filled the office immediately.
“I got a little bit of everything,” he said, setting the bags on the desk. “I wasn’t sure what you’d be in the mood for.”
“Everything smells amazing.” I helped him unpack the containers. There was orange chicken, beef and broccoli, lo mein, fried rice, spring rolls, and dumplings. “This is way too much food. Always too much food.”
“We’ll have leftovers.” He handed me a pair of chopsticks. “Dig in.”
We ate directly from the containers, passing them back and forth and stealing bites from each other.
“Tell me about your parents’ friends,” I said around a mouthful of lo mein. “Should I be nervous?”
“No.” He shook his head. “They’re just people. Rich, famous people, but still just people. Most of them are pretty down to earth once you get past the whole celebrity thing.”
“Easy for you to say. You grew up with them.”
“True.” He speared a piece of broccoli with his chopstick. “But you grew up with me, so you’ll be fine. Just be yourself. They’ll love you.”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but I appreciated his confidence. I grabbed a spring roll and bit into it, savoring the crispy exterior.
We finished eating and Drew packed up the leftovers, stuffing them in the mini fridge he kept in the corner of his office. When he turned back to me, there was something different in his expression. Something heated.
“Come here,” he said.
I stood and crossed to him. He pulled me close, his hands sliding up my back.
When he kissed me, it was soft at first. Sweet.
The kind of kiss that felt like a promise.
But then it deepened. His tongue swept into my mouth and I melted against him, my hands gripping his shoulders. I couldn’t get enough.
His hands moved to my waist, then lower, cupping my ass and pulling me tighter against him. I could feel him hardening against my stomach and heat pooled low in my belly.
He kissed me again, harder this time. “I’ve been thinking about this all day.”
“We’re at the store. Let’s go back to your place.”
“Everyone’s gone.” His hands slid under my shirt, warm against my skin. “It’s just us.”
Drew’s touch made rational thought impossible. The next thing I knew, he was undoing my slacks and pushing them down my hips. They dropped around my ankles. I barely had a chance to kick them away before he lifted me and dropped me on his desk.
I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer. His hands were everywhere—my thighs, my hips, unhooking my bra.
“I want you,” he murmured against my neck. “Right here. Right now.”
“Yeah, I figured that out.”
He dropped to his knees in front of me, reaching up to pull at my panties.
I held myself up while he pulled them down.
He kissed the inside of my thighs and then higher.
His tongue found my center. My hands gripped the edge of the desk.
I gasped as his tongue worked magic between my thighs.
My head fell back as pleasure built and built.
His hands gripped my hips, holding me steady as he lapped at me.
The door burst open.
“Drew, I forgot my—”
I jerked upright so fast I nearly kneed him in the face. Drew scrambled backward, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. My heart stopped completely.
Edith stood in the doorway, her face frozen in an expression of absolute horror. Her eyes were fixed on a point somewhere above my head, deliberately not looking at us directly. But she’d seen enough. She’d seen way more than enough.
“I—” she started, her voice tight. “I came back for my notebook.”
I grabbed frantically at my shirt, trying to cover myself even though I was technically still dressed from the waist up. My slacks were pooled on the floor. My panties were God knows where. Drew was on his knees in front of me with his hair disheveled and guilt written all over his face.
There was no explaining this away.
“Edith, don’t you know how to fucking knock?” Drew asked, thunder in his eyes now.
“Don’t.” She held up one hand, still not looking at us. Her gaze swept over to the sitting area until she spotted the notebook near the edge. She crossed the room with quick, angry steps, snatched it up, and clutched it against her chest like a shield. “This is completely unacceptable. Completely.”
“Edith, this is my office,” Drew said. “Don’t barge in here without announcing yourself, and you won’t see anything you don’t want to see.”
“Don’t blame this on me.” She looked at Drew, her back rigid with fury and disgust. “I don’t care what you two do on your own time, but this is a place of business. This is inappropriate and unprofessional, no matter what time of day it’s happening.”
She walked out, shaking her head, and slammed the door behind her.
I stared at the closed door, my heart pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. My back teeth throbbed in time with it. Drew was still on his knees, looking up at me with an expression I couldn’t quite read. Shock. Guilt. Maybe a little bit of panic.
“Fuck,” he breathed.
I slid off the desk, my legs shaking. “Oh my God. Oh my God.” I spotted my panties under the chair and grabbed them, pulling them on with trembling hands. “She saw us. Edith saw us. How humiliating.”
“She didn’t see anything,” Drew said, standing up and running both hands through his hair. “Not really. The angle. My head. We’re fine.”
“We’re not fine.” My voice came out higher than I intended. I found my slacks and yanked them on, fumbling with the zipper. “Drew, she walked in on us while you were—while we were—” I couldn’t even finish the sentence. My face burned with embarrassment.
He grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. “I know. It’s bad. But we’ll figure it out.”
“Figure it out?” I pulled away from him, panic clawing at my chest. “She’s going to tell people. She’s going to tell everyone. I’m a schoolteacher, Drew. I can’t be caught fooling around in public.”
“It wasn’t really public—”
“It wasn’t private,” I said. “I know I’m not at school or on the clock, but I have a code of conduct I have to follow.
They fired a teacher last year who got caught in the men’s room at a Yankees game.
She was on her knees, and not because she lost a contact lens.
Someone took a picture and posted it. Students saw her.
They recognized her. It was a whole thing! ”
“Edith won’t tell anyone.” Drew shook his head.
I was pacing now, unable to stand still. My whole body felt like it was vibrating with anxiety. “She was so angry. Did you see her face? She thinks we’re disgusting.”
“Stop.” Drew caught my arm, pulling me to a halt. “Kensey, you’re spiraling.”
“Of course I’m spiraling!” Tears burned at the back of my eyes. I blinked them away furiously. “This is a disaster. What if she makes a formal complaint? What if she goes to HR or your family? What if this gets back to my parents?”
The thought of my parents finding out made me feel physically ill. What would they think if they knew their daughter was fooling around with me in my office?
Drew’s jaw tightened. “I’ll talk to her.”
“And say what? ‘Sorry, but I mistook Kensey’s pussy for orange chicken?’”
“I’m pretty sure I won’t say that,” Drew said, cracking a smile, which instantly vanished when I glared at him.
I shook my head. “This is so bad, Drew. This is so, so bad.”
“It’s not the end of the world.”
“Yes, it is!” I turned to face him fully, and the tears I’d been fighting finally spilled over. “I have a reputation to protect. I have a career.” I gestured helplessly between us. “It makes me look unprofessional. Like I’m some kind of slut.”
“No one’s going to think that,” he said. “Lots of people have sex every day. There’s no crime in it.”
“You don’t know what people will think.” I wiped at my eyes with the heel of my hand. “Especially not in a situation like this.”
He was quiet for a moment. “What do you want me to do?”
“I don’t know.” I felt exhausted suddenly, drained of all the nervous energy that had been keeping me upright. “I just—I need to go home. I need to think.”
“Kensey, you don’t have to run away.”
“Please.” I grabbed my purse from where I’d dropped it earlier. “I can’t be here right now. I need space.”
“Okay,” he said quietly. “I’ll drive you.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I’ll get an Uber. I need to be alone right now.”
Hurt flashed across his face, but I couldn’t deal with that right now. I couldn’t deal with any of this. I just needed to get out of this office, away from the scene of my humiliation, and figure out how to salvage what was left of my dignity.
I left without looking back.
The ride to my parents’ house felt like it took forever. I sat in the back seat, staring out the window, replaying the moment over and over in my mind. The look on Edith’s face. The disgust in her voice. The way she couldn’t even look at us.
I felt sick.
By the time the car pulled up in front of my parents’ house, I’d worked myself into a state of full-blown panic.
What if Edith did tell people? What if this got back to the school somehow?
What if my professional reputation was ruined because I couldn’t keep my hands off Drew Blackwell for five minutes?