Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Riley
"I'm not letting you off that easily."
The second those words left his mouth, he pulled his fingers out without hesitation.
"Let's call it a day." He stood, shoving that hand into his suit pocket. "Send the new designs to my email as soon as possible."
Then he walked straight out of the conference room.
Like nothing had happened.
The emptiness hit me all at once, that feeling like falling from a cliff into nothing—I hadn't even come, and he just left.
"Yes, sir." The head designer called after him.
My body melted into the seat. I didn't understand why he wouldn't let me finish. Just because I got wet from his touch?
"You okay? You look pale." The moment Matvey disappeared through the door, Adrian leaned over. "I can't believe Bykov actually asked for your input."
I gave him a weak smile. Yeah, well, there's a lot he doesn't know about...
"I'm fine. Just caught off guard." I steadied myself against the table as I stood.
Employees filed out of the conference room one by one.
My legs felt like jelly. Gradually, I fell behind. Adrian slowed down to wait for me.
"I was wondering if maybe you pissed off the boss or something!" When I caught up to him, he rubbed his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "He never calls on us little people to answer questions."
Honestly, I'd wondered the same thing.
"But hey, you actually got through a whole sentence sitting next to that iceberg... Trust me, almost nobody can do that."
"You're exaggerating!" I laughed despite myself, some of the tension easing.
He was funny. Whenever I passed by his department, I could usually hear him laughing.
"I'm serious, Riley. And what you said back there was brilliant!" Adrian grinned, his eyes almost admiring. "Don't worry, you've got real talent!"
I exhaled, the knot of disappointment and anxiety slowly loosening—thanks to Adrian.
"Please. I was shaking the whole time." I shrugged. "Let's hope that doesn't happen too often, or I'll have a nervous breakdown."
We walked side by side, and he suddenly pulled two coffee capsules from his pocket.
"Want one?" He raised an eyebrow, miming a toast.
If we weren't in the office, I'd swear he was about to offer me something strong.
"Sure."
Before I finished speaking, he'd already pressed the capsule into my hand. Caramel latte. Sounded sweet. I liked sweet.
Adrian and I headed into the break room. No one else was there. No waiting.
"This one tastes really good, I think you'll like it." He poured the coffee into a steaming mug. "I've been wanting you to try it, but you've seemed busy lately."
By the time he finished talking, my coffee was ready too.
"Smells good." I lifted my cup and clinked it against his. "Kate's been on my ass for weeks, but it's over now. She got fired."
I took a careful sip. Rich, bittersweet caramel flooded my mouth. My wound-up nerves unwound halfway.
"Now that's exciting news." He smiled and downed half his cup, foam clinging to his upper lip. "Even people in our office knew about Kate."
"I couldn't stand how nasty she was. She had something mean to say to everyone."
"Tell me about it." We exchanged a look and laughed.
This was the first time we'd talked like this. Usually, we just exchanged pleasantries.
"I don't recall my company having positions idle enough for people to chat and laugh in the break room." A familiar voice cut through, cold as ice.
I turned to see Matvey standing in the doorway, his expression frozen. He'd removed his plain tie, his collar hanging open to reveal part of his black ink. Relaxed but dangerous.
"Get back to work."
"So sorry, Mr. Bykov." The second Matvey spoke, Adrian shrank back.
He bowed to Matvey and hurried out.
"I'm so sor—" I started to apologize too, ready to head back to my desk.
"What are you doing?" He cut me off, moving toward me like a wall. "Don't tell me just because I didn't let you come earlier, you're out here looking for comfort from some junior employee."
My shoulders tensed. The cup in my hand grew heavy.
What was I doing? Wasn't it obvious? And where the hell did that conclusion come from?
"Making coffee." I held up my cup. "The company doesn't have rules against employees drinking coffee, does it?"
He stopped in front of me, his massive frame swallowing me whole. The low pressure radiating off him felt suffocating.
"This garbage?" He sneered.
Next second, my cup was in the trash. The aroma drifted up.
"What the hell?" I looked up at him, could only see his sharp jaw.
I was actually getting pissed. What was his problem? What did the coffee ever do to him?
"Flirting with other men in my company's break room? You seem to have forgotten your place."
Flirting? Who? Me? With Adrian? Maybe Matvey had a sense of humor after all.
"We're just coworkers. We had coffee together. That's it." I spread my hands. "I don't understand why you think we were flirting."
He didn't answer. After a few seconds of silence, he pressed forward. I backed up until my ass hit the counter. His arms caged me in on both sides.
"Come on, tell me, what coworker gets that close to you?" He leaned into my ear, his rough breath hitting my cheek.
"Talking to him made you that happy?"
His words weren't pleasant, they had edges. But my heartbeat went uneven anyway, my breathing tighter. Heat rushed out of my body like it needed to prove something—that he was right there, that I wanted him.
"Whether you believe it or not, he's just a coworker." I stared into his gray-green eyes, barely managing a normal voice. "Don't I even have the right to talk to my coworkers?"
I felt sorry for my traitorous heartbeat. But I really didn't think having coffee with a colleague was some crime.
Matvey fell silent. His lips pressed thin, like he was suppressing something.
"If there's nothing else, I'm going back to work." I tried to escape his hold, but suddenly he grabbed my waist.
My body lifted. In an instant, my ass was on the cold marble counter. Then he gripped my chin and kissed me hard. It wasn't even a kiss—his teeth invaded, grinding and biting my lips. Sharp pain flared. My hands beat against his chest in protest. Useless.
He cupped the back of my neck, his tongue forcing the taste of blood into my mouth.
My breath disappeared inch by inch. I closed my eyes, my tongue tangling with his. His cock pressed against my thigh. I knew how hard it was, how hot. My lower belly burned too.
The kiss lasted forever, until I was nearly suffocating. Then he finally slowed.
"Riley, you'd better remember your place." He rubbed my swollen lips, a warning. "I bought you. You're my property."
"I..."
The heat went cold instantly. I stared blankly at the man in front of me.
I really should remember my place. I was just a toy he'd bought. Once he got bored, he'd toss me without a second thought.
I shouldn't fantasize there could be anything between us besides the transaction. Did I think this was some romance novel where he'd fall for me for real? Ridiculous. We weren't even equals.
After he spoke, he turned and left.
But I didn't have time to cry. I still had work to do. On the way back to my desk, I zoned out so hard I almost walked into a glass door.
The rest of the time, I felt hollowed out.
Finally finished work. Made it to quitting time. The first thing I did when I got home was change into pajamas, hide under the covers, and cry. Then I slept till morning.
When I woke up, my stomach was completely empty. After breakfast, I got to the office. My supervisor was already standing by my desk.
"Quinn, I've got work for you."
My body tensed automatically, my tone wary.
"What work?"
Please don't let it be spreadsheets again. Kate got fired, didn't she?
"Some drawings need proofreading," he said. "I already sent them to your email. Good chance for you to learn."
Designs? Not spreadsheets! I sighed with relief internally.
"Finish by tomorrow morning."
I opened my computer and scrolled through my inbox. Honestly, wasn't this too much? Could anyone really proofread dozens of design drawings in one day?
"This is work Mr. Bykov personally assigned." His expression turned grave. "Make sure you take it seriously."
Matvey? I couldn't figure out what he was thinking anymore.
I blocked out my coworkers' schadenfreude and buried myself in work. Didn't even break for lunch.
By the time I had about ten drawings left, it was already quitting time. Coworkers trickled out. Even my supervisor left.
The massive office area was down to just me. I rubbed my aching neck and shoulders and kept going. At least it was work I liked, not boring spreadsheets.
"Such a pain in the ass." Adrian's voice drifted in from the hallway.
Not loud, but the office was too quiet.
Yesterday's scene floated back into my head. I needed to apologize to him. From what Matvey said yesterday, he got chewed out half because of me.
"Adrian," I called to his back.
He turned around, holding a cardboard box.
"Riley, it's you." He looked worn out, the light gone from his eyes.
I walked over to him, uncomfortable.
"Hey, about yesterday, I'm really sorry. I got you yelled at by the boss." I looked at the box. "What's going on? Are you moving stuff?"
Adrian's expression turned strange.
"I got reassigned. To field operations." He smiled awkwardly.
"Because of yesterday?"
Adrian nodded.
My head throbbed. Matvey kicked a perfectly good employee down to a position where he'd have to hustle for business, just because he had coffee with me? That was completely unreasonable. Even if he was the boss, he couldn't do that.
"God..." I didn't know what to say to comfort him. "Let me help you carry that."
"Forget it." Adrian looked at me with nervous distance. "If you really help me, the boss will probably just fire me."
"I'm so—" All I could do was apologize.
"Don't make things worse for me. I really can't afford to lose this job." His resistance, his timidness—I barely recognized him.
I was about to lose my only friend in the company.
After he left with his box, I turned back dejectedly, planning to finish my work. But I crashed right into something. Sharp cedarwood flooded my brain, the headache easing halfway.
But when I looked up and saw his dark expression, my stomach twisted. When did Matvey get here?