27 | you’re my disease
William left before my alarm rang the next morning, and while I had been asleep when he did, I had a vague memory of his lips on my cheek, and the sensation of it stayed on my mind all the way to work. It was a lovely feeling, but it also made me nervous; it was a reminder that everything had changed over the weekend. I was now seeing my boss, which meant that I was sailing into unchartered waters – I had no idea how to navigate it. But at least I was sure about two things: when at work, I expected us to behave professionally toward one another, and I also expected us to keep our relationship a secret from our colleagues – with two exceptions, being Andy and Violet. Since they were among William’s most cherished friends, I expected he would tell them, but it didn’t bother me all that much because I had faith in their loyalty to him.
However, in light of last Friday, I feared Ellie had her suspicions too, but I would confirm nothing if she did. While I truly appreciated her as a friend, I knew she was prone to gossiping, and I wasn’t interested in being a subject of it, so as soon as William and I were alone, we would need to discuss how to proceed with our relationship at work. I would ask him to request Violet and Andy’s silence, and I would also ask him not to tell anyone else till I had finished work in September.
‘Morning, Cara,’ Ellie called just as I was about to enter the lift.
‘Morning, Ellie.’ I gave her a smile and pressed the button to hold the doors for her.
‘What happened to you on Friday?’ she asked as she walked in. ‘I got worried. Sent you a text, but you never replied.’
‘Shit, Ellie, I’m so sorry.’ I grimaced. ‘I had such a rough night, and plenty of plans the day after, so it honestly slipped my mind.’ I hoped my sincerity showed in my voice, because I truly felt sorry for making her worry. Knowing her, it wasn’t something she said only to be polite.
‘Rough night? What happened?’
‘I got far too drunk. Will found me and took me home. It was awful. I’m still absolutely mortified.’
She gaped. ‘What?’
‘Yeah. After I lost you, I ordered a few shots of tequila and, you know, things just got a wee bit out of hand.’
She pursed her lips, trying to repress a smile. ‘Your boss had to take you home? Good thing he’s your flatmate’s brother, eh? Goodness, Cara.’
‘Please don’t tell anyone. I’m still so embarrassed.’
‘Of course I won’t. Has Will given you a hard time for it? I know he tends to look down on people who don’t drink responsibly. Either way, it was after hours. Might be unprofessional, but you had every right.’
I tipped my head from side to side. ‘He wasn’t exactly impressed. Anyway, on another note, one of Brian’s friends tried to force me to kiss him.’
She gasped, and a look of horror crossed her face. ‘What? Which one?’
‘I don’t remember his name, but he had somewhat long, brown hair and neatly groomed stubble. Brown eyes too. He was about the same height as me when I was wearing heels. He was quite handsome, to be honest.’
Her nostrils flared. ‘Fucking Guillaume. He’s such a cunt! I don’t know why Brian hangs out with him. Then again, he’s more Jake’s friend than Brian’s. I am so sorry you had to go through that, Cara. Trust me to have a serious word with him.’ She was fuming, reminding me of a lioness. I had never seen her like this.
‘Yeah, his behaviour definitely warrants a rebuke,’ I said with a nod. ‘But in Brian’s defence, I suppose most squads have got an uncontrollable idiot among them.’
‘Did Will see it?’ she asked worriedly.
‘Yeah, he came to my rescue like a knight in shining armour. But I didn’t tell him that the guy was Brian’s friend. ’
‘Thank God. Will would have given me a thorough earful had he known, and it wouldn’t have been necessary. He has no patience with that sort of thing. But trust me to deal with Guillaume.’
I smiled. ‘Thanks.’
The doors slid apart at our floor, and we had walked a few paces when another lift opened. I looked over my shoulder, and my gaze was immediately captured by William’s. My heart leaped to my mouth.
‘Ellie, good to see you,’ he greeted, and I noticed he was carrying two cups of coffee, one in each hand. ‘How are you? We lost you on Friday.’
She halted and turned with a smile. ‘Yes, I heard about your adventure. Sorry about that. I did text you where we were located, but I suppose we moved before you had a chance to find us.’
He frowned, his eyes flickering in my direction. ‘Adventure?’
‘I heard you had to take Cara home.’
His eyebrows arched. ‘Right. Yes, she was a bit drunk.’
A bit. That was an understatement, but I appreciated his grace.
I wrinkled my nose and regretted the fact that he’d had to see me like that. I didn’t want to imagine how dreadful I must have looked, puking my guts out while he held my hair.
Ellie chuckled. ‘Well, you’re a gent for helping her home.’
‘Just doing my part as an upstanding member of society.’ He shrugged. ‘Anyway, we need to get to work, Cara,’ he said and walked past us. ‘We’ve got a tight schedule today.’
‘I’ll see you for lunch, Ellie,’ I said fondly and proceeded after him.
He opened the door with his elbow and jerked his head to indicate that I should enter first. I gave him a shy smile as I passed him.
‘This one’s for you,’ he said and handed me one of the coffees. I turned it to read the writing on the side.
Behind every great man is a great woman .
I grinned. ‘Aw, how sweet,’ I said as he closed the door after us.
‘Obviously I don’t mean “behind” as in you’re less important. I find that a lot of people often misinterpret that phrase. What it actually means, at least from my understanding, is that it takes a great woman to make a great man – we’d be nothing without you. To draw a parallel, you could say: behind every building is an architect. The message is the same.’
I laughed. ‘I appreciate the clarification, but there’s no need. It’s clear as day that you don’t have a trace of misogyny in you. To be honest, it would say more about me if I thought anything else.’
Smiling, he lowered his head to invite my lips, but I hesitated. Then I remembered that nobody could see us, so I dared to take the risk. Stretching up on my toes, I gave him a peck.
‘That was a reluctant kiss,’ he said as I pulled away.
‘Yeah, we need to talk about this.’
He nodded. ‘I already know what you mean to say.’
‘Don’t you agree, though?’ I walked over to his desk.
‘For clarity’s sake, tell me anyway.’
‘That we should remain strictly professional while at work?’
‘No, I agree, but a kiss now and then can’t hurt, can it?’
I smiled at him. ‘All right, how about this? At work, you get two kisses per day. One for hello, and one for goodbye, but it’s a requirement that they are shared in secret.’
He walked around his desk with a vague smile. ‘I can work with that.’
‘Another thing,’ I said.
He dropped his bag on the floor and met my eyes. ‘Yes?’
‘Violet and Andy know about us, don’t they?’
He looked slightly ashamed. ‘They do.’
‘I’m all right with that,’ I said, ‘but can you please ask them not to tell anyone?’
‘That’s not even necessary, but since you want me to, I’ll do it anyway.’
I released a sigh of relief. ‘Thank you. I just don’t want to take any chances.’
‘Reasonable as ever.’
‘As for Ellie, I think she’s starting to suspect.’
‘Me too.’
‘Still, can we agree not to confirm anything to her?’
‘I never tell Ellie anything at all regarding my private life,’ he said. ‘She’s a darling, but her tongue is a tad too loose.’
‘My thoughts exactly. Glad we’re on the same page.’
Descending into his chair, he smiled up at me. ‘Was that all?’
I paused for a moment, thinking. ‘Yes, I think so.’
‘Right. Let’s get started on work then, shall we?’
‘Yes.’
§ § §
At quarter past five, I had finished everything on my to-do list.
‘I’ve done everything you asked me to,’ I said to William. ‘Am I free to leave or do you need me to stay longer? ’
Glancing in my direction, he smiled. ‘You’re free to leave. Though, before you do...’
‘Yes?’
‘Practical question,’ he said while his gaze remained fixed on the screen of his desktop Mac.
‘Yes?’
He tilted his head from side to side, and I marvelled at how handsome he looked even while doing normal human things like that. What was wrong with me? The sight of him cocking his head from side to side shouldn’t send my heart racing like this. This was becoming ridiculous.
‘Well ... ’ He tucked his chin into his hand so that his index finger repeatedly tapped on the cupid’s bow of his lip. All the while, he was wearing an awfully sexy frown on his face. I wanted to slap it off him, just to spare my ovaries the grief.
‘Yes?’ I prompted.
Sighing, he reclined in his seat, his big hands gripping the arms of his chair. When he finally looked at me, his jaw flexed, his fingers tensing around the material of his chair.
While blatantly ogling me, he asked, ‘Do you have to look so appealing, Cara? Couldn’t you wear hessian sacks or something like that, just to spare me the pain? I mean, honestly, wearing a dress like that, you’re an occupational hazard.’
Confused, I blinked back at him before I dropped my gaze to my outfit. I was wearing a grey dress, and while it did cling to my curves, it was a sophisticated dress, like that of a secretary during the sixties, and it showed no cleavage at all. It was square at the top, hiding the golden necklace Mum had gifted me for my eighteenth birthday.
‘Is that seriously your question?’ I asked disbelievingly. ‘If you can’t control your erection, that’s not my problem.’
He chuckled and spun his chair around. ‘It’s going to become your problem, I assure you.’
I rolled my eyes. ‘I will not change how I dress.’
He kept spinning his chair around as he gazed up at the ceiling, and it caused a smile of amusement to bend my lips. Carefree William Night was a sight to behold.
‘It wasn’t actually a request. It was a cheeky, indirect compliment, nothing else. As for my question – practicalities. We could be traditional for our date on Friday, meaning I’ll take you to some expensive restaurant, or we could settle for something more...casual. Which do you prefer? And I won’t let you pay for a single thing. I’m not budging on that. Call me old-fashioned if you want, but I intend to uphold the traditions of a gentleman.’
‘Interesting. “Gentleman” implies a man of gentle nature, but you’re hardly gentle in bed,’ I teased.
His feet charged down to the floor, halting his spin. With a roguish gleam in his eyes, he watched me with a wry smile on his tempting mouth. God, that mouth, and all the things it could do.
‘Well, pardon my manners, but something about you turns me into a caveman.’
I stifled a giggle.
‘So, then. Which is it? Stiff or casual?’ he asked and propped his head on his fist.
‘I like you stiff,’ I smirked, ‘but for a date, casual first, then stiff once we get home.’
Sparks of lust flashed in his eyes as he chewed on his lower lip. ‘Sounds perfect.’ Chuckling, he spun his chair again. Once he had gone full circle, he put his long legs on the desk and crossed them at the ankles. Entwining his fingers across his torso, he watched me for a few breaths.
‘I’ve got time for a snog,’ he teased. ‘I’m spending the entire evening here. Consider it my goodbye kiss.’
I laughed. ‘You idiot,’ I said, but I ascended from my chair to oblige anyway. ‘Is the door locked?’
‘Yes. We should make a habit of that.’
‘Agreed.’
I walked over and gripped his silvery tie. Pulling him toward me, I straddled his lap and kissed his perfect mouth. Though I had yet to grow used to the unique motion of his lips, I smiled at the fact that it was slowly becoming increasingly familiar. One day, I hoped it would feel as familiar to me as my own skin.
I had only intended to give him a quick kiss, but before I knew it, I had lost myself in the taste of him. I struggled to restrain myself – his expert tongue was seducing me. It moved so skilfully, casting a spell that confined me to him, trapped me in this moment with him.
His hands roamed across my body, worshipping every curve while he pressed me tightly against him, his mouth dispatching passion that made me feel light-headed. I yearned for more. I wanted to feel him within me again. Between my legs, I could feel him growing harder, his erection straining against the material of his trousers and poking my entrance. My vaginal walls were throbbing for him, begging for his intrusion, begging for his clothes to be gone so he could slide right in and complete me again.
Dizzy with arousal, I inhaled sharply, taking his seductive scent deep into my lungs. I felt my fluids trickle out of me then, generously saturating my underwear. He slid his hand from my hip to my thigh, then inward toward my wetness. I groaned when his fingers skimmed across my soaked thong, gently brushing over the area where he knew I was the most sensitive. The acute sensation made me break our kiss with a gasp.
As I looked at him, I suddenly remembered that we were still in his office.
‘Oh my God!’ Mortified, I stared at his smug expression. He looked so pleased with himself that smacking him was tempting.
‘ “God”, what a mess I’ve made,’ he said with a smile. ‘Allow me to clean that up for you.’ He pressed the pad of his thumb precisely against that awfully susceptible spot. The sensation bolted up my spine, making me stiffen. Intense heat slapped my face as another gasp leaped out of my mouth.
Panicking, I clasped his wrist. ‘Will,’ I pleaded, out of breath. ‘Don’t.’
He grinned, his hand remaining in place. ‘I could.’ Sudden pressure on my clit made me catch my breath. ‘So easily,’ he purred.
Digging my nails into his skin, I watched him beseechingly. ‘Don’t.’
Laughing, he withdrew his hand and ran his palms over my bum instead. ‘Meet me at Leicester Square on Friday, at seven.’
The excitement for our date left a joyful smile on my mouth. ‘Sounds good. Will I see you out of your suit?’
His brow curved while a crooked smile flickered across his mouth. ‘Why, Cara, you’ve already seen me out of my suit.’
Another wave of heat hit my face. ‘I set myself up for that one, didn’t I?’
‘You did,’ he said amusedly. ‘But rest assured, you’re welcome to help me out of my suit at any time.’
‘You’re incurable,’ I moaned and retreated from his lap.
‘And you’re my disease.’