Chapter 15
Kelsey
I’m not weak. I can hold out on him. At least that’s what I tell myself for the next two days.
True to his word, he had people move my boxes to storage on Tuesday. At work, we were business as usual. Josephine and Mr. Hollenbeck were back in the office. Even though Hendrix suggested telling them we’re together, I shot him down.
It’s Wednesday now. I’m jittery. It feels like I’m living in an alternate universe. Everything is too surreal for words, and I don’t have anyone to talk to.
I’ve never been so isolated while being so doted on at the same time.
Hendrix is always attentive. I can feel his gaze on me even when I’m not looking.
He leaves the door between our offices open at all times.
When we arrived on Tuesday, he entered my office and, without a word, moved my desk.
I had no idea what the hell his goal was until we both sat down and it occurred to me he could see me from his desk.
Controlling, bossy man.
What I don’t have is girlfriends to confide in. When Maddie is back in town, I’ll have her. She and Myles are the only people who know about us. But then I remind myself it will never be appropriate to have drinks with Maddie and discuss my relationship with her dad.
Josephine seems oblivious, but it’s hard to say for sure how perceptive she is.
She might simply be too polite to say anything.
And Mr. Hollenbeck… I don’t know him well enough to be certain he’s clueless.
It’s also possible Hendrix has discreetly spoken to him behind my back.
After all, the man is one of his best friends.
They built this company from the ground up together.
I doubt they keep secrets from one another.
If Mr. Hollenbeck knows I’ve moved into Hendrix’s home and I’m sleeping restlessly in his bed, he doesn’t let on.
Restless is my main emotion. I thought after Hendrix used that wooden spoon on me in the pantry and then swatted my pussy to make me come, he would do something like that frequently. That morning, he had also let me masturbate on my desk. But I haven’t had an orgasm since Monday night. Damn him.
He never lets me leave his side when we’re at home.
We cook together like a married couple, and then he watches me while I shower and cuffs me to the bed while he does.
Restraining me makes me extremely horny.
Leaving me like that without giving me release is maddening.
Sleeping cuffed is the strangest part of all.
Arguing about his methods doesn’t do me any good. He’s perfected the smirk. He’s so evil that he takes every opportunity to touch me intimately without giving me enough.
At work, he saunters into my office, bends over my desk as though pointing something out on my computer, and reaches between my legs to tease his fingers over my panty-covered pussy.
At home, he kisses my neck while we cook, palms my ass, strokes my nipples… Anything to make my breath hitch before backing away.
There’s no doubt that I’m stubborn. I figured he would eventually cave so I wouldn’t have to call my parents in order to ever get laid again. That doesn’t seem to be working, though.
To make matters worse, the man likes to masturbate over me every night. He comes on my chest or my pussy or my thighs. Sometimes, he hits my neck. It’s so fucking hot watching him touch himself, which makes me even hornier and leaves me needier. Damn him.
I’m in withdrawal, and I don’t like it. He’s blackmailing me.
I jump in my seat, yanked out of my daydream when he leans into my office. “I’m going downstairs for a meeting. I’ll be back in about an hour.”
“Okay.”
Apparently, he doesn’t like my one-word response because he comes all the way into the office and closes the distance between us. He lifts my chin with one finger. “Don’t move from this chair while I’m gone.”
I lick my lips. “Yes, Sir.”
He searches my eyes. “I’m going to leave your office door open and randomly ask Josephine to bring you something.” He bends down so his lips are near my ear. “Keep your fingers away from your pussy, Kelsey.”
My face heats. “Yes, Sir.”
I’m trembling when he leaves my office, and I end up staring at the empty doorway for long seconds. He’s so distracting. It’s hard to get any work done when he pulls a stunt like that.
I’m deep in a task he assigned me, researching a chain of hotels he and Mr. Hollenbeck are considering acquiring.
My fingers are still hovering over the keyboard.
My other hand on the mouse. But I’ve lost my focus.
Now all I can think about is how wet my panties are and how long it might be before Josephine pops in.
If I could trust myself to keep quiet, I might take the risk and rub my clit.
It wouldn’t take much to get myself off.
I’m beyond desperate, which is madness. Before I met Hendrix, I didn’t need to orgasm every day.
I didn’t think about it that often. After the night we met, I started thinking about him all the time and invested in the many vibrators I own—the ones I haven’t seen since I moved into his house. I have no idea what he did with them.
Now, I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about sex, wondering when he might touch me, drooling over the thought. And he’s denying me.
When my phone rings, I flinch, startled by the vibrations. I quickly grab it, see that it’s Hendrix, and answer. “Yes, Sir?”
“I forgot a file. Can you bring it down for me? I’m in the conference room. It’s blue and in the top right corner of my desk.”
I’m already on my feet. “Yes, Sir. I’ll be there in a minute.” I’m actually grateful for the distraction because I’ve been sitting for a while. I need to stretch my legs. There was no way I would have gotten up otherwise after he strictly forbade me from doing so.
I take a deep breath as the elevator doors open on the thirteenth floor. Every time I come down here, I worry about the reception I might get from my coworkers. I spent two months on this floor, and I feel like they’re all pissed at me for getting my unearned promotion.
Everyone is bustling around. The three people I end up making eye contact with act totally normally toward me.
“Hey, Kelsey.” Steve waves at me.
“How’s it going?” Lara asks me.
“Ooh, I love that skirt,” Marian says. “Oh, a bunch of us are going out for drinks after work tomorrow if you want to join.”
“Thanks.” I smile cheerfully. I’m glad she hasn’t totally snubbed me, but my heart is racing anyway. If these people ever discover I’m sleeping with the boss…
Fuck. What a mess. If they don’t hate me now, they will when they find out. I can’t handle that thought.
Two men and two women are in the conference room with Hendrix. I can see them through the glass wall as I approach, and Hendrix motions me in.
With another fortifying inhale, I push through the door, head high, and aim toward him, holding out the folder.
“Thank you, Kelsey.”
“You’re welcome, Sir. Do you need anything else?”
“No. That’s all.”
I turn and head out of the room. Why the hell am I trembling? All this sneaking around is stressing me the fuck out. I feel like there’s a sign on my back that says, slept her way to the top.
The pressure is intense. I don’t know how long I can keep this up. By the time I get back to my desk, I’ve decided I should look for a new job. If I’m really going to stay with Hendrix, I can’t work for him. It’s too risky.
There’s no good outcome to this. If we keep hiding our relationship, my anxiety will go through the roof. If we don’t tell anyone and someone finds out, the rumor mill will destroy me. If we do tell people, everyone will hate me. I can’t win.
True to his word, Hendrix sends Josephine in with a message about thirty minutes after I resume working. I bury myself in my research, not noticing the passage of time until a shadow falls over me.