Chapter 10
Kelsey
I’m exhausted as I make my way into the office on Monday morning. I wasn’t lying when I told Hendrix—Mr. Kennedy—that I had shit to do yesterday. What I needed to accomplish did not happen, however, and now I’m even more stressed.
I haven’t slept. I tossed and turned all night, and I have to face my boss.
I take deep breaths in the elevator and square my shoulders when it comes to a stop, grateful that my trip up was alone.
I’ve intentionally arrived early so I won’t have to make small talk with anyone in the elevator.
In addition, I will arrive before Mr. Kennedy, giving me time to get to my desk, inhale some coffee, and hopefully have my shit together and be deeply involved in work before he arrives.
That’s the plan.
However, when I step out of the elevator, I know immediately that man is already in his office. The door is partially open, and the lights are on. Fuck.
More deep breaths. Head high.
I bypass his office and head straight for mine, knowing there’s no way he hasn’t heard the click of my heels on the tile. When I enter my space, I gasp, startled to find Mr. Kennedy sitting at my desk.
He’s leaning back in my chair, legs stretched out, fingers threaded together on his thighs. So casual. He’s put together like always in a perfectly pressed suit and tie, his hair combed back, but he doesn’t look well-rested.
Suddenly, it occurs to me that he’s going to fire me on the spot. I swallow hard. It was inevitable. How could I possibly continue to work for a man who fucked me in a number of positions on Saturday night? He’s come to his senses and knows he has to let me go.
I won’t let him see me sweat. I refuse to react. I’m a grown woman with a strong resume. Hopefully, he’ll be willing to allow my coworkers from this summer to provide me with good references. If not… Well, I’ll start from scratch.
“You’re here early,” I say softly as I remind myself to keep my head high. My hands are trembling. There’s no way to stop them.
“So are you, Kels.”
I purse my lips. Kels… It sounds so intimate when he says my name like that. His voice is sultry. Isn’t it?
He sits upright and plants his feet on the floor. “Come here, baby.”
My breath hitches as I set my purse on the desk, staying on the opposite side. Is he going to be sweet to me while he fires me? “No, thank you, Sir. I’m fine here.”
“Kelsey Stevens, come here.” He adjusts his jacket.
My heart feels like it will beat out of my chest. I plant my hands on my desk to steady myself. “If you’re going to fire me, just do it. I’ll get my things and go. I would appreciate it if you allowed my coworkers from downstairs to provide me with references, though.” I won’t cower. I’m not mousy.
“Kelsey…” he groans. “I’m not going to fire you. Why would I do that? You’re the best assistant I’ve ever had.”
I don’t even know if that information relaxes me. How the hell am I going to continue working for him?
“Woman, you are so stubborn.”
“I’ve heard worse.”
He chuckles, but the tone isn’t filled with humor. “Did you do any thinking yesterday, Kels?”
“No, Sir,” I bite back, my words coming out with more venom than I intended.
“I wasn’t lying when I said I had things to take care of.
I was too busy to devote any time to your absurd request to call my parents and tell them I fucked my boss.
” I hiss those last words, thankful that no one else is in the office yet.
They won’t start arriving for another hour.
“I’m not sure I would recommend wording it quite like that. It sounds so crass, Kels. Maybe you could ease them in without the specific mention of intercourse.”
I roll my eyes dramatically. “Sure. Hey, Mom. Dad. Remember Maddie’s father? The one who came to my graduation party two months ago? I sort of fell onto his cock after his daughter’s wedding. Several times in fact. We didn’t use condoms most of the time.”
He laughs. “Sassy girl. Do you need help coming up with something a bit softer? Your tone is rather snarky, and I’m not sure they will appreciate the word cock.
If you want to tell them your biological clock is ticking and you’ve decided you want to have babies with me immediately, that’s up to you, but I don’t think it’s necessary to get quite so personal.
Maybe save some of that information for next week? ”
Mr. Kennedy is the most infuriating man alive. Why must he look so fucking hot in his suit? And I can smell his cologne from across the desk. It’s intoxicating. So is his smile and his laugh. Damn him.
“As if you wouldn’t lose your head if I got pregnant,” I respond. “You already raised a child into adulthood. Why are you so laid back about playing Russian roulette with the inside of my pussy? Are you one of those men who thinks the morning after pill is a good form of birth control?”
He winces. “Jesus, Kelsey. I’m certain I will enjoy sparring with you for the next fifty years, but there’s no need to throw punches.
I’m gathering that you either believe I’m some sort of rake, or you’ve chosen to pretend that’s the case because it’s easier to think I’m a jackass than face what we have. ”
I can’t process what he’s saying. He can’t possibly want something long-term. Is he toying with me?
He leans forward and puts his elbows on my desk. “Stop throwing jabs and listen to me,” he demands in a tone that causes me to hold back whatever my next retort might be.
I purse my lips again.
“Good girl.” His gaze is intense, and it doesn’t escape my notice that he’s looking up at me from a less dominant position.
“Let me see if I can address your out-of-control thoughts one at a time. First of all, let’s get one thing straight.
I’m not fucking around, Kelsey. I never have been.
I would not have taken you to my bed if I hadn’t meant to keep you there. ”
I gasp. My jaw drops.
He holds up a hand. “Let me finish.”
My nostrils flare out, and then I inhale deeply.
Mr. Kennedy leans closer to me as if to emphasize his next words. “You’re mine, Kels. Not for a night or a weekend or a month. Not hiding and sneaking around. Not just in my bed or at the club. You’re mine, every hour of every day, no matter where we are.”
I can’t blink or begin to respond.
“You’re young. If you’re in a full-on spiral at the idea of being permanently off the market, I’ll give you the space to figure things out. I can be patient.”
It’s impossible to control the snarky grunt that escapes my lips.
Him?
Patient?
He chuckles. “Fine. I’m not very patient.
But I’ll do it for you. Next point. Never once in the past twenty-one years have I considered having more kids.
But I hadn’t met the right woman. Not only would I never deprive you of motherhood because that would be a dick move, but I find myself visualizing having a family with you.
I meant what I said about birth control.
It’s your choice. If you’re on some form of it, you should keep taking it for as long as you’d like.
If you’re not, and you want to roll the dice every month, I’m good with that, too. ”
I can’t move. I’m so stunned by his speech that my tongue is stuck.
“Our chemistry is off the charts. Do you deny it?” He bores a hole in me with his gaze.
Licking my lips, I finally find the ability to make language. “No, Sir.”
“Look at us agreeing on something.”
I roll my eyes. “Haha.”
“I assume it’s out of self-preservation that you feel the need to back away from me metaphorically. You think I’m not serious. You’re afraid you’ll get hurt, that I’ll dump you next week, that it will fuck up your career. What you’re really worried about is your heart, though, isn’t it, Kelsey?”
I gasp. I’m taken aback, and there’s no way I’m going to answer that question. He might be right. He’s gotten ahold of my damn heart, and he has the power to destroy me. It scares the fuck out of me. Now I’m fighting off tears. The last thing I want to do is cry, especially in my office.
“Will you please come around the desk so I can touch you, baby?” he asks softly.
Shaking my head, I reach up and dab at my eyes. I’m not ready for him to touch me. I’ll end up caving, and I don’t want to do that.
“Stubborn woman. I missed you yesterday while you were hiding from me. I haven’t held you for twenty-four hours.”
I glare at him. “Not everything is about you, you know. I had shit to do yesterday. It was important.”
“Did you get it done?”
I shake my head again and touch the corners of my eyes. It’s partly his fault that I’m so emotional. Mostly it’s from lack of sleep and poor planning on my part.
“Talk to me, baby.”
Drawing in a deep breath, I consider telling him to mind his own business, but the truth is, I can’t keep this from him forever.
And why bother? It’s not a giant secret.
“My lease is up. Even though everyone else moved out of the house at the end of the semester, it was paid through the summer. Now, I have to find somewhere else to live. I was looking at apartments yesterday. It’s my own damn fault.
I put it off because I preferred spending time at Edge rather than dealing with my housing.
I was working long hours here to prove myself.
Then there was the wedding. It all sucked up a lot of time.
I’m making excuses, but the fact remains that I didn’t find a place to live.
Yesterday was not productive. There’s not much around here that’s close enough to the office and affordable. ”
“When is the lease up, Kels?”
“Friday,” I mumble.
“Have you started packing?”
“Most of my stuff is packed. I just haven’t found a place to live yet.”
How is he so calm? “Easy fix. We’ll have your stuff put in storage. You’ll move into my house.”
My eyes bug out of my head. “Hendrix…” I wince as his first name slips out of my mouth.
He smiles. “That sounds much better than Mr. Kennedy.” He points across the room.
“Go shut and lock the door. If you’re not on this side of the desk in my arms in fifteen seconds, I will take you over my knee, lift your skirt, pull your panties down, and spank your pretty ass until you learn to obey me. ”
I freeze, not breathing. He can’t be serious. I don’t even blink as I stare at him. He can’t dominate me at work.
It infuriates me that I clench my legs together. My face is hot, and my breasts are heavy. I’m so turned on right now, I might faint. And I hate that he’s able to control me with nothing but words.
“Ten seconds, Kels.”
I gasp. “You can’t spank me at work, Hendrix.”
He lifts a brow. “Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.”