Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Riley
Matvey left, but his scorching breath still lingered by my ear.
"Crybaby. That damn good body of yours, all wasted in that ill-fitting uniform."
"Oh... God." I rubbed my hot, tingling neck and bent over my workstation to continue sketching.
But then disaster struck—I couldn't even hold my pencil steady.
My heart was doing trampoline exercises in my chest. It bounced off the bottom, then lodged in my throat, making it hard to breathe. Over and over.
This was going to give me a heart attack.
Matvey Bykov! He had to be God's punishment, or why else would I nearly lose my mind with excitement every time I saw him?
"Riley, you're the one who ratted to Mr. Bykov, aren't you?" Kate slammed a box down hard on my desk.
I looked up at her. If looks could kill, she'd have torn me to shreds by now.
"I didn't," I tried to keep the satisfaction out of my voice. "I didn't do anything."
That was true. I didn't think Matvey would fire someone over something I said. But whatever—she was gone now, and nothing felt better than this moment.
"Then what was Mr. Bykov whispering in your ear just now? I saw it from the office when I was packing." Her brow furrowed, her voice rising shrilly. "You two... It's not like that, is it?"
My coworkers, who'd been stealing glances before, suddenly exchanged looks like they'd received a signal.
"You got fired because of yourself, didn't you?" I met her resentful stare. "Kate, if you could stop blaming everyone else for everything, maybe you wouldn't have gotten canned. After all, Mr. Bykov keeps business and personal matters very separate."
"Riley! You—" She clutched her box, breathing hard. "You just wait!"
Okay, I'd wait. I watched her disappear through the glass door with her box. I shrugged and buried myself back in my sketchbook. Who cared? She was fired!
The office returned to normal, the whispering starting up again. Sometimes I really wondered—did my coworkers do anything besides gossip all day?
"You think she really has something going with Mr. Bykov?"
"No way! But Kate was a senior employee. She shouldn't have been fired so suddenly."
"Our boss never bothers with this kind of small stuff."
"If you ask me, Quinn probably did report her. She's definitely got some secret with Matvey..."
Enough. Matvey's name had appeared in my life way too many times in a short period.
What relationship could we have? We had a transaction, nothing more. And at the company, he'd never cross any lines with me.
These people's eyes had been on me God knows how many times already.
"Come on, someone like her... how could Mr. Bykov possibly be interested?" A voice just as sharp and petty as Kate's reached my ears.
Oh, Miranda. I knew it was her. Before Kate got fired, they were practically inseparable.
She clicked over in her heels and stopped in front of my desk.
"Anyone with half a brain knows someone as ordinary as her—the kind who'd disappear in a crowd—could never have anything to do with Mr. Bykov."
She blew on her coffee, then set the cup on my desk, looking at me with all the time in the world.
Got it. So could she please stop putting steaming liquid next to my sketches? This was dangerous. I tried to push her cup away, but she suddenly picked it up.
"Riley, you don't actually think Mr. Bykov has any interest in you, do you?" She let out a few weird laughs. "You probably don't know—the women around him are countless."
Honestly? I'd guessed as much. Matvey was the kind of man who fulfilled every woman's fantasy. Handsome, loaded, gentlemanly yet wild... Who wouldn't fall for that?
"So?" I looked up at her. "What does that have to do with you or me?"
"Riley, I'm just trying to be nice and warn you." Her arrogance matched Kate's perfectly. "The women around Mr. Bykov are gorgeous—models, actresses, you name it. All tall, slender, elegant."
"And you? Ugly ducklings don't become swans, you know?" She leaned down near my ear. "Look at that bloated body of yours. It's not good enough for anyone."
A lump formed in my throat. It hurt.
Miranda wasn't exactly wrong. Matvey and I came from different worlds—different universes, even. Our transaction was an accident. After two months, we'd go back to being employer and employee.
"Miranda, I think you should shut up." I swallowed the bitterness and shot back. "Mr. Bykov just said the company isn't a beauty pageant."
"You're putting yourself right in his crosshairs."
"Is that so?" She curved her lips, glancing at me.
Then searing pain spread across my body. She'd actually dumped that still-hot coffee on me!
"Ah!" I jumped up. "Miranda! You—"
Coffee ran down my uniform, hot and sticky like a nightmare.
"Oh—so sorry." Her tone held zero apology. "But if your foot hadn't tripped me, I wouldn't have lost my balance."
"Riley, you're so clumsy. You're the one who should be fired."
So now she was standing up for Kate? She should take it up with Matvey.
But clearly everyone here agreed with her. Either they were barely containing their laughter watching the show, or they were completely indifferent.
The cold wave of reality extinguished the heat in my veins. No one would help me. I realized exactly what kind of workplace I was in. Endure? Submit? Fight back? Nothing I did seemed to matter.
I looked at Miranda's smug smile and felt dizzy. I quietly tucked my sketchbook into my drawer. At least it was still okay, right?
"So can you move?" My voice was so flat it surprised even me. "I need to clean up."
Miranda stood there stunned. By the time she realized what she'd done, I'd already left her shrill voice behind.
In the bathroom, I splashed cold water on my face.
"Okay, Riley. Relax." I told my reflection. "You're here to learn, not make friends."
The coffee stain wasn't too hard to clean, and the uniform fabric didn't absorb much. My clothes were tidy again soon. But my burned skin and that helpless feeling still made my nose sting.
"Crybaby." Matvey's low voice suddenly surfaced in my mind.
I felt inexplicably wronged. I suddenly wanted to see Matvey.
"Pull yourself together!" I wiped my eyes, straightened my shoulders at the mirror, then walked out with my head high.
I'd just gotten back to the design department when I saw a middle-aged man standing by my desk.
My cheap coworkers were all heads-down working.
The man walked toward me. He said he was the new supervisor. I marveled at the company's efficiency—or rather, Matvey's efficiency.
"There's a design proposal meeting at three this afternoon. Mr. Bykov specifically requested that you come take notes. Make the most of this learning opportunity," he said.
A design proposal meeting? I'd finally get to actually work on design? Excitement flooded through me. I could barely keep from jumping. I didn't want to make a bad impression on the new supervisor.
"I will." I nodded slightly, suppressing my smile.
He went back to his office, but my coworkers' eyes never left me.
"See, I told you..." that voice started again. "None of us have ever been to those meetings."
"Shut up! If she hears you, we'll all be out."
"Miranda, did you hear..."
"Shut up!" Miranda hissed through clenched teeth.
Oh, so this was what having privilege felt like? Turned out they weren't so united after all.
It seemed whenever Matvey appeared, my life got better. Sweetness bloomed in my chest, even my breathing felt lighter.
At two-fifty, I stepped into the elevator.
"Riley?" I'd just reached the twenty-seventh floor when someone called out. "You here for the meeting too?"
Adrian, from the office next to mine. We weren't close, but we'd run into each other a few times in the break room and chatted.
He had blond hair and golden eyes. His short hair was casual and natural, his gaze open and warm, his features defined but not aggressive. He looked sunny and cheerful.
"Hey... quite a crowd!" I smiled politely.
We walked into the conference room together. Polished wood table surrounded by leather chairs. An entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows let sunlight flood the room without reservation.
Nearly every seat was taken. Adrian and I found two empty chairs next to each other at the end of the table.
"Quite the production." Adrian lowered his voice, leaning close. "You nervous? This your first time up here?"
I managed a smile. "A little."
I was terrified of blowing this chance.
He winked at me. Just as he was about to say something else, the conference room door opened. The low conversations stopped dead. Everyone sat up straight.
Matvey walked in, unsmiling as always. No one in the room dared breathe too loud.
I understood—no one was stupid enough to cross a man with such commanding, oppressive presence. Especially when he was our boss.
His black suit wrapped his body perfectly. The muscles under that fabric were far more powerful than they looked. The plain tie and old-school black Bulgari watch looked natural on him—mysterious and elegant.
I knew it was absurd, but his every movement made my nerves tighten.
His gaze swept the room, then landed on Adrian and me. I felt Adrian hold his breath too. Matvey's gray-green eyes were unreadable, but I caught a flash of something dark.
Had I done something wrong to upset him? Why was he looking at me like that? I swear I hadn't done anything unrelated to work today. I'd actually been deliberately avoiding eye contact with him, but damn it, my gaze wouldn't obey.
Every time I saw that face, I felt the Creator's favoritism—how could anyone be this heartbreakingly beautiful?
He walked steadily to the head of the table.
"Riley Quinn." Matvey's steady voice cut through the entire room. "Come here."
Before I could process it, my body moved toward him involuntarily. The feeling brought me right back to his commands that night.
Kneel. Spread your legs.
My pulse was beating abnormally now.
"Sit here." He pointed to the seat on his right.
I sat down with my knees together, then my thighs unconsciously tensed. His chair was almost touching mine. I had to be careful.
Finally, he sat too—legs naturally apart, his thigh pressing against my knee through the fabric. The heat made my cheeks flush uncontrollably.
"We can begin," Matvey announced once seated.
The head designer immediately pressed the remote. A necklace design appeared on the large screen across from us. The pendant was only coin-sized overall, but rich in detail.
"Based on market research, we're planning to launch these styles. The theme is red—refined but bold."
"Chain and setting in 18k gold, the pendant in a classic teardrop shape..."
She looked so enviable, speaking so confidently. When would I become a designer like that?
"Don't zone out."
"I wasn't—" The words died in my throat.
When had Matvey's hand gotten under my skirt?
"Do what you're supposed to do." He pointed at the computer screen, but his fingers didn't leave me.
His rough fingertips traveled up the outside of my thigh, even tugging lightly at the edge of my underwear! Tell me—who was distracting me from work? But I had to keep staring at the screen, typing away—this was my job, and if I didn't, I might cry out immediately.
"Spring collections determine the year's reputation. Polish them carefully." He addressed the others while his palm obscenely kneaded the soft flesh of my thigh.
My body trembled involuntarily.
Everyone was looking our way—I knew they were looking at Matvey; I knew no one would notice my reaction. But being surrounded by those stares made anyone nervous. Especially with a "time bomb" under my skirt.
His hand had reached between my legs, stroking through my underwear. I clamped my thighs together.
"You get wet so fast. All these eyes on you—does it excite you that much, Riley?"
I could only squeeze out a few words in a whisper. "Mr. Bykov... don't..."
"Don't what?" He asked softly, playfully condescending. "Don't stop?"
"You're wet." He looked at my screen, very close to me. "Can you still hold it together?"
My lower abdomen burned, clenched. How had I not realized he was so vicious?
"I'll work properly." I bit my lip, trying to sound steady.
He smiled in a way I couldn't read.
"Riley, what do you think of these new pieces?" He suddenly asked, his tone rising.
All eyes turned to me. Adrian's gaze landed squarely on me. They all seemed to expect my answer. Their serious expressions made my lips tremble even more.
"Um... I think..." I clenched my fists, nails nearly digging into my palms.
A sudden sensation nearly made me cry out. Matvey had pushed my underwear aside and slipped his finger inside me!
What the hell was he doing? Had he lost his mind?
"What's wrong?" His tone carried confusion, but his finger kept pumping.
He was absolutely doing this on purpose! If anyone at the table looked down just slightly, they'd see this entire obscene scene.
I took several deep breaths before I could stammer out my thoughts.
"...I think this pendant design is excellent, but if we added some diamond accents, it would... have more depth."
"Good." His finger slowed. "I think Riley Quinn's suggestion is very constructive."
The head designer nodded along.
"We can adjust the designs in that direction." As he spoke, he thrust his finger hard.
My body jerked violently.
"Riley, you have potential." He turned his head. I thought I heard wet sounds from below. "I'm looking forward to your performance."
"Not just at work."
His fingers stirred me until my whole body tingled. I nearly slid off the chair.
If only I'd heard these words when I wasn't like this—legs spread, being fingered by him.
"I'll work hard, Mr.... Bykov." My upper body pressed against the table edge, my nipples lightly squeezed against it with his movements.
I felt like my head would explode, but everyone else's expressions remained calm as ever.
I couldn't tell—did they really not see what we were doing, or were they pretending nothing was happening?
"Your little cunt keeps sucking my finger." He murmured, intensifying his movements, rubbing my clit constantly as he pumped.
Damn it, I was about to come! I tried hard to push his hand away, but it was useless. I couldn't fight him.
"Going to come already?" His whisper was only for us.
My belly churned into a knot. I nodded helplessly.
"Bad girl. You got my fingers wet in front of all these people. I'm not letting you off that easy."