Chapter 16 Accidentally Fucks You
Accidentally Fucks You
AVA
I slam the door to my apartment and stumble to the bathroom and turn on the shower. What the hell just happened? One minute he was normal, the next minute I was tasting him again.
And I swear I felt fangs.
Which means I’ve officially lost my mind because that roar that came out of him was so loud I still have ringing in my ears. I cover my mouth with my hands. What the hell am I thinking?
For a minute there, I didn’t think I’d snap out of it. But it felt so good. I try to put it out of my mind as I strip and step into the shower, but it’s impossible not to relive those moments.
Some fierce, some tender, all irresponsible…all horrible choices.
He’s my boss. And again, what was I thinking?
It was like a fever dream took over. Not just temptation, but obsession with a man who clearly hates me.
Who shamed me to my face seconds after sex.
I hang my head in my hands and slide to the floor, but not before hearing a wolf howling at the moon.
· · ·
When I get to work, everything seems normal. My desk isn’t hanging out the window, Eli isn’t growling at me from it, and I have a few sticky notes with tasks stuck to my laptop.
Frowning, I grab them, all from Gabe, and lucky me, the first one is to bring in a proposal for Eli’s meetings today.
It’s a small black portfolio with the company logo and all I have to do is hand it over and make sure he doesn’t need water, plus he’s going to be at meetings all day, I won’t even see him.
I take a deep breath and knock on Eli’s office door, then let myself in when he says come in.
The room has a different smell, almost like it rained in the woods and his office is the aftermath.
Did he get taller? Is that humanely possible?
His hair is laying across his forehead and he’s frowning down at something, his dark blue shirtsleeves are already rolled up to his elbows and is it my imagination or are his black pants extremely tight on him?
Muscles flex in his arms as he leans over and signs something.
“Um, hi I have the project proposal for—”
He holds out his hand.
I shove the proposal into it.
He plops down in his chair and opens it up, reading the first few lines.
“Can you do me a favor and proof this again? There are a few typos and I want it to go smoothly, as I’ll be handing out the original proposal to the board next week.”
“Yeah, of course, I’ll get right on that.”
“Nope.” He grabs his jacket from the office chair.
“You’ll have to do it when you get back late tonight. Gabe’s out sick, something about mercury and retrograde, whatever the hell that is, and I need an assistant with me.”
Shit!
“Um, yup, let me just grab my phone.” I dash out like he just set me on fire and grab my phone, only to turn and nearly run into his huge chest. I quickly jump back, hands at my sides.
“Sorry, didn’t see you.”
“And here I get told I’m impossible to miss.” He teases, or I think he is, though he’s not smiling, he leans down until we’re face to face.
“Do you have everything you need? It’s going to be a busy day.”
“Yup.” I’m surprised the word actually left my lips—nay the lie—I follow him down the hallway in a daze, and into the waiting SUV with more dazing. I’m surprised I’m not shaking or leaning into whatever that smell is radiating off of him.
Oh shit, I’m staring at his face.
He catches my stare.
“Did you need something?”
“No,” I yell, inches from his face.
“Nope. Just…thinking.”
I drum my fingertips across the several portfolios and clear my throat about a dozen times.
“Cough syrup? Lozenge? Knife so I can slit my own through if you nervously clear yours one more time.”
The need to clear it is so palpable, I swear my throat immediately goes dry.
“Also…” He holds up a finger.
“Gabe said to give you this.” He thrusts a paper in my face.
“I’m assuming it’s the CEO personal NDA, something similar to what you signed when we hired you but this is of more personal details…basically things like if the boss reveals he’s a vampire you can’t say shit, or if he accidentally fucks you against a wall, that sort of thing.”
Accident?
I snort under my breath and snatch the paperwork from his hand.
“Funny, didn’t feel like an accident, slipped and fell inside you is a bit of a stretch even for someone like you.”
“Someone?” He repeats, and turns to fully face me.
“What the hell does that mean, someone like me?”
“A guy with no moral compass, you’re lucky I actually—” I need to really stop talking.
“You’re lucky it’s been a while and I want to keep my job.”
He scowls and jerks away.
“Trust me, I don’t do this to my normal assistants.”
“So now, I’m not normal?”
The SUV pulls to the curb, Marvin hops out and opens the door. He gives me a quick wink of what I hope is reassurance.
I grab his hand, then the rest of the portfolios, and stare at the stupid NDA I left on the seat. Begrudgingly, I grab it and follow Eli into the building.
Men in suits greet us and guide us to a private section of elevators.
Once we’re in one alone, I’m ready to hit the stop button, instead, I just stand there tensely holding business in one hand and personal in the other.
When I took this job, I had no idea that mere days in I’d already be in trouble, that I’d already do something unthinkable.
I avoided my bosses at all costs for this reason, so why does this feel different?
“I’ll sign it,” I manage to say in a weak voice.
He smoothly puts his phone back in his suit pocket.
“I figured you would. Now, if you could just do a good job during these meetings, we’ll be good to go.”
“Are we going to talk about—”
“—Absolutely not.” He cuts me off and stares me down with his crystal blue eyes.
“We’ll forget it ever happened.”
I want to say but it did.
I want to say it did for me, in ways I can’t explain.
That it should. Instead, he walks out ahead of me and I swear it’s like the entire floor bows to him as he walks.
He doesn’t own the universe, but in this moment I realize I slept with the guy who controls this world, one I will never be a part of.
So I try my hardest to answer questions, to give him his notes, to take notes, and by lunch I’m ready to start gnawing my own arm off, I stare at one of the office mints and actually think about grabbing a handful and just going for it plastic and all.
It's nearing dinnertime and all I’ve had is a suspicious-looking tortilla with meat on it and water. Poor Eli—loathe as I am to say it—hasn’t eaten at all, in fact, he’s getting more pale by the minute.
Our final meeting wraps up and I can finally see the end of the tunnel.
“That was a lot of meetings,” I say to him once we’re in the elevator.
“Yeah, I think Gabe overbooked, but it’s good we got them all done today since I’m off tomorrow.”
“And where exactly is that?”
“To work remotely.” He shrugs.
“Of course.”
“Right. Of course.” I look straight ahead again when the elevator suddenly stops so hard I collapse against Eli.
He goes into action right away, putting me back on my feet and going to the phone to call emergency services.
I gulp when I notice we’re still ten floors up.
“We could die,” I say, more to myself than him.
Eli looks over his shoulder.
“You aren’t dying. We aren’t dying.” The elevator gives another jolt.
“You know how you hate hair and have a weird fear of it, despite having a lot of it on your head?” I start talking when I’m nervous. I can’t help it.
“Well, my fear is heights and dogs.”
He shakes his head.
“There are scarier things out there.”
“Have you seen Cujo?” I nearly yell in his face.
“Most terrifying movie ever created, and I used to have nightmares from Jurassic Park well into my middle school years.”
He frowns down at me.
“It’s actually scarier to me that you were scared of dinosaurs, they don’t even exist.”
“Just like vampires, werewolves.” I laugh.
“Helpful pep talk, thank you.”
His eyes widen a bit.
“What time is it?”
I check my watch.
“Late and getting later by the second.”
He turns and starts pounding on the elevator doors.
“Let us out!”
“Wow,” I say under my breath.
“Glad all that terror is coming from being trapped with me.”
He fumbles with his phone and stares in disbelief at the screen.
“That little shit for brains!”
“Who?”
“Who else? Gabe!” He pounds the elevator doors more.
“Help! Help!”
It’s laughable.
“You’re like nearly seven feet tall and you’re acting more scared than I am and there isn’t even a hair in sight!”
Of course, naturally I glance at the corner and see one dangling by a cobweb. I quickly kick it with my feet and face him again.
“What was that?”
“Reflex of being terrified of heights, why?”
He frowns at me, then back at the elevator doors.
“It seems we’re stuck for a while, just do me a favor and stay on that side.” He points to where I’m standing.
I drop the stuff I’m carrying and put it in the corner.
“How very kind of you. Because imaginary lines always make things better.”
He looks away from me and braces his hands against the wall, pressing his palms in.
“Let me try to call Gabe real quick.”
“With your mind?” I guess.
“Sounds like a solid plan.”
Even if we did have a full battery, I have no service.
Eli lets out a curse when I open my mouth to point this out, he falls, his knees his expression goes from frustration to pure agony.
“Whoa, whoa.” I face him and get down to his level.
“What’s going on? What do you need?
He lets out a rough exhale, his eyes flashing blue so bright that it’s almost like I’m staring at a flame.
“You.”