Chapter 6 – Georgia
SIX
PARK CITY, UTAH
GEORGIA
Christmas Eve
My suitcases for Colorado Springs are waiting for me in my kitchen. Perfectly packed and organized, they’re devoid of anything that reminds me of corporate life and all remnants from this chapter of life I can’t wait to finish reading.
I don’t want any reminders while celebrating the holidays, and yet, instead of rushing to the airport with Dante, I’m wasting time in the office.
Perhaps it’s because I’m trying to postpone the inevitable conversation with him about not being ready to be married. I just want him to make his sales pitch, and maybe, just maybe, we can start over without my job getting between us.
As I’m reorganizing the assignment folders on the shelf, he sends me a text message.
Dante
Are you working late again today?
Not as late as usual. I’ll be ready to fly to Colorado tonight. I need to talk to you about something.
Dante
Me too. My last business podcast interview should be over in a couple of hours. Talk then?
Perfect.
“Miss Grey?” Dominic suddenly steps behind me, but I don’t turn around. The scent of his intoxicating cologne is rendering me speechless, and after spending so much time with him over the past six weeks, I need a second to face him.
“Miss Grey?” He clears his throat. “Can you hear me?”
“Yes.”
“Can you turn around then?”
“I can hear you just fine this way. What do you want?”
He says nothing for several seconds, and I slowly give in and turn around, hating that he looks so damn good today. The top buttons on his white dress shirt are casually undone, and his mouth is curved into a soft smile.
“May I help you with something, sir?”
“Yes.” He closes the gap between us, leaving his lips a little too close to mine. “There’s a few things.”
“I’m finished with all my assignments.”
“That’s not why I’m here.” He presses his hands against the panels above my head, caging my body with his. “I thought you were gone home for the day.”
“I’m leaving soon.” I glance at his exposed chest and immediately wish I hadn’t. This room now feels like it’s too small for the two of us.
“I need to talk to you about something important,” he says. “Something I’ve been meaning to discuss with you for a very long time.”
“Well, whatever it is, can it wait until after Christmas?”
“You mean, on Christmas? As in tomorrow?”
“No.” I shake my head. “I have a flight to catch tonight. I won’t be back until next week.”
He blinks a few times, repeating “next week,” as if he has to taste the words for himself.
“I could’ve sworn I told you I wasn’t granting you any time off for Christmas,” he says. “Did I not?”
“I vaguely recall that unfortunate conversation.”
“Do I need to pull out a dictionary and define what it means for you?”
“I’m two weeks ahead on my work, and I just made employee of the month for November. I don’t see why I need to stay.”
“Because your boss told you to.”
“My boss has the tendency of being an asshole sometimes, and I don’t think he honestly cares about what’s best for me.”
“I guarantee that he does.”
“Name one thing.”
“I’d rather show you.” He slides a hand around my neck and pulls me close for a kiss that leaves me gasping for air.
Fuck…
I shut my eyes as his tongue dances against mine, as he whispers, “I need your mouth to be a bit wider for me.”
I oblige, and he slips his tongue deeper. My nipples harden under my bra, and every synapse in my brain begs me to let him take this as far as he wants it to go.
Feeling entranced, I slide a hand between us, moving it past his belt buckle, right against his zipper.
He groans, and I feel his cock reacting through his pants’s fabric.
“Unbuckle them,” he whispers, and I loop my fingers through the metal buckle.
Struggling to get it loose, I pull my mouth away, but Dominic pulls me back, kissing me even harder.
Mesmerized by how dominant he is, how easily he can control me with nothing more than his mouth, I whisper, “I want to feel you inside me.”
“I want that, too.” He pushes my hand away and unbuckles his pants with ease. “Take it out so I can handle that for you…”
I skim the line of his briefs with my fingers, but reality suddenly smacks me in the face.
What the hell am I doing? I push him away from me as hard as I can, and he glares at me.
“I…I have a boyfriend.” I shake my head. “And you have Amy.”
“That’s what I need to talk to you about.”
“You’re my boss.”
“We need to discuss that, too.” He steps forward as if he’s about to kiss me again, but I move left and open the door.
“I’m sorry, I can’t.” I leave the office and stumble down the emergency stairwell, hailing the first cab that comes my way.
As I slip onto the backseat, my lips tingle and beg me to return and get another taste, but I resist.
“Can you take me to Montrose, please?” I say to the driver.
“Right away, Miss.”
I try my best not to think about what just happened at headquarters, but it’s useless.
Why the hell did I pull away from him?
The driver pulls onto my street and my phone sounds with new messages from Mr. Reiss.
Mr. Reiss
Come back to the office, Georgia.
Mr. Reiss
I’m not done talking to you.
Ignoring his texts, I swipe my credit card against the cab’s pay system and step out into the snow.
Rummaging for the keys, I unlock my front door and push it open.
The sound of my infinity train welcomes me, but another string of sounds is in this evening’s mix. It sounds like heavy breathing and moans.
Confused, I drop my bags and walk into the living room.
Dante is on top of Jessica, looking into her eyes as he screws her on the couch.
Mid-stroke, he turns to face me and his eyes widen.
“Shit.” He jumps up and pulls on his sweats. “I thought you said you were working late.”
I look at the two of them, unsure of what to say. I pick up the pair of red lace panties off the floor and toss them at Jessica.
“I guess I should’ve stayed at work,” are the only words I can string together.
Dante runs a hand through his hair and passes Jessica a shirt.
“I can explain,” he says. “I promise there’s a reason.”
“How can you possibly call to ask my grandmother for permission to marry me while you’re fucking my roommate?” I snap. “Like, how is that even possible?”
“Because I didn’t mean to call your grandmother,” he says. “I meant to call Jessica’s, but I dialed Miss Hattie out of habit and tried to save you from embarrassment.”
“Come again?”
“She got my phone number somehow and has been calling me every weekend to check on you.” He shrugs. “It was a butt dial, but trust me, it took everything in me not to tell her that you’ve spent the past month sleeping with your boss instead of me.”
“I’ve never slept with my boss, Dante.”
“But you want to, right?”
“No.”
“The sex just started happening one night.” Jessica interrupts. “We were drinking while playing a game and—”
“And then his cock just ended up inside of you?” I ask.
“Don’t lie to her.” Dante kisses Jessica’s cheek. “We’ve been getting closer in the weeks that you’ve been gone, and I’ve realized that she’s more of a girlfriend to me than you’ll ever be.”
“Besides, we haven’t had sex in months, Georgia,” Dante continues. “It’s not like I was sleeping with both of you.”
“Honestly, I think I’m in love with him,” Jessica says, avoiding my gaze. “We’re moving in together and we wanted to tell you earlier, but—”
“You’ve been working late every fucking day for two months straight now and we haven’t had the time.” Dante finishes her sentence. “But, now we do. I bet you haven’t even noticed that we moved our stuff out last week, huh?”
I swallow.
I don’t have a comeback for that because I honestly haven’t.
“Exactly.” He rolls his eyes at me and helps Jessica into her coat.
“That doesn’t make what you did okay.” I manage. “I thought you were my friend, Jessica. Of all people, you know how much I hate my job and have been trying to get a better life balance.”
Jessica sighs and picks up her purse. “Do you know how many times you and I spoke to each other in November? You can add in the first few weeks of this month into your calculation if you like.”
“The number doesn’t matter.” I shake my head. “I would never sleep with your boyfriend, and I would never betray a friend while she was simply trying to better herself at work.”
“Cut the shit, Georgia.” Dante scoffs. “The only reason you have a job is because your boss wants to fuck you.”
“That’s not true.”
“Oh, but it is.” He steps closer. “You’re terrible at your job, and everyone in that building, you included, knows it. You’re a sympathy hire, and you probably want to fuck him, too.”
I glare at him, and he laughs coldly.
“Thanks for saving me from an awkward ‘I’m not coming home with you’ conversation,” he says. “I’ll let you call your grandmother and tell her that you’re not worthy of a future billionaire businessman like me.”
I roll my eyes as the two of them walk past me.
They slam the door shut so hard the entire apartment shakes.
Minutes later, a knock sounds at the door.
Assuming they forgot something, I hesitate a long while before opening it.
It’s not either of them.
It’s Dominic.
“Are you going to invite me in?” he asks.
“No.” I shake my head. “Right now is not a good time, and I’m technically off work.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Feel free to argue with my door when I shut it.” My voice cracks. “I can’t take any more bad news today.”
“Then I hate to be the person to deliver another dose.” He pulls an envelope from his coat pocket and holds it out for me.
“What’s this?”
“Your termination letter,” he says. “You’re officially fired.”
“What?”
“You didn’t give me a chance to say everything I intended to say at the office, and I wanted to make sure I delivered the news in person.”
My mouth is hanging wide open, and like the clear asshole that he is, he joins me on the top step and gently presses my lips shut.
“I assigned someone to clear out your desk, but you’re more than welcome to stop by anytime and check to make sure they got everything,” he says. “Oh, and before you ask, yes. You will receive a very generous severance package.”
“So, you’re firing me because you kissed me in the office and I didn’t kiss you back?”
“First of all, you definitely kissed me back. Second of all, no, this really has been a long time coming, and it’s what’s best for you.”
“So, you’re firing me on Christmas Eve?”
“Would you prefer Christmas Day?”
“I would prefer not to get fired at all.”
“You probably should’ve been a better employee, then.” He pauses. “Before November, anyway.”
I wait for him to tell me this is some twisted joke, but he looks dead-ass serious.
“Thank you very much, Mr. Reiss.” I step back. “I appreciate you coming here to personally fire me, minutes after you were trying to fuck me in your office.”
“You’re very welcome, Miss Grey,” he says. “I’d like to finish the rest of our conversation, though.”
“Fuck you.” I step back. “This is the end.”
“Georgia…”
“I’m so glad I never crossed the line with you,” I say. “You would’ve been an even bigger mistake than dating a cheater like Dante.”
He narrows his eyes. “Excuse me?”
“Yeah, that’s exactly it.” I shrug.
I slam the door in his face before he can respond, and I ignore his incessant knocking that comes right after.
I’m not sure why, but his firing me feels far worse than what Dante and Jessica did.
Hours later, I slip into a cab and hold back tears as I add a message to my family’s group chat.
On my way home. Excited to spend Christmas with you all!
Grandma Hattie
We’re excited to see you, too! We’re waiting with bated breath to meet Mr. Dante, too!
Cousin Taryn
I hope he looks as sexy as his name is!
Savannah
Grandma is in this chat, Taryn!
Cousin Taryn
So…We’re only supposed to speculate about sex stuff in our cousin-only group chat? Is that the rule? (Can we discuss whether Georgia’s fiancé is hot or not?)
I don’t have the heart to tell them I’m coming home alone or have just been fired.
All I know is that I’m done with Utah, the corporate world, and this will be the worst Christmas I ever have in my life.
I fucking promise…