29. Mis（COMMUNICATIONS）
JAE
29
Working late at the office was my playground. I thrived on solving problems and managing crises. But tonight was different. As I sifted through contract revisions and financial reports, my mind kept wandering back to Verena. Damn her. I was irritated, distracted, restless. She’d invaded my thoughts, and it was driving me insane.
Mina, my new assistant, had been hovering around all damn day. Efficient, sure, but her constant flirting grated on my nerves. Usually, I’d welcome the attention because it was a welcome distraction from the fact that the person I actually wanted thought I was an asshole, but tonight, I just wanted to get the hell out and go home to Verena.
Mina leaned over my desk, her blouse gaping open a bit too much. “Mr. Lee, I think we might have to pull an all-nighter to get this contract revised properly,” she purred, batting her eyelashes.
I sighed, barely glancing up from my computer. “It can wait.”
She looked taken aback. “But it’s important. We need to get it done tonight.”
“Didn’t you hear me?” I snapped, my eyes finally locking onto hers with a cold stare. “I said it can wait. Go home.”
“I’m just trying to help, Mr. Lee,” she said softly, but the tone was artificially pouty, like she was baiting me to comfort her.
“Let legal look over it and send it to me. I can review it at home,” I replied curtly, already feeling the pull to leave.
Mina stepped closer, her perfume a cloying cloud that made me miss Verena’s subtle, clean scent. Her tone dropped to a suggestive whisper. “Want me to come home with you? We can go over it together, just like you and Verena used to.”
I stiffened. “We need to establish professional boundaries, Mina.”
Her expression faltered, but she quickly recovered, a coy smile playing on her lips. She placed a manicured hand on my shoulder, leaning in so close I could feel her exhales. “Verena always worked closely with you. I was hoping for that sort of relationship.”
“Verena is irreplaceable, and you’re out of line. Don’t push your luck.”
The comparison was jarring. Verena had always been professional, her touches never more than a brief brush of fingers passing a document or a pat on the back for a job well done. Her presence had been comforting, grounding, something I relied on more than I realized.
Mina’s touch felt invasive, her intentions too obvious and unwanted.
I pushed my chair back and stood, towering over her. “If you can’t be professional, you’ll find yourself without employment. Do you understand?”
She recoiled slightly but then pouted again, attempting one last seductive move. She traced a finger down the front of my shirt. “Are you sure, Mr. Lee? Verena always understood your…needs. I thought I could do the same.”
Disgust churned in my stomach. The way she tried to manipulate her position, the way she insinuated herself into a role that was never hers to take, made my skin crawl. Verena never used her closeness to me for personal gain. She was genuine, honest, and her loyalty was unquestionable.
I grabbed her wrist, removing her hand from my shirt with a firm grip. “Verena earned her place. You’re just overstepping. Don’t confuse the two.”
Mina stepped back, her face falling into a mask of hurt and confusion. “Yes, Mr. Lee. I understand.”
Without another word, I grabbed my briefcase and stormed out of the office. Irritation and guilt gnawed at me. I checked my phone and saw twelve missed calls. My stomach sank as I scrolled through the texts from Auntie.
Auntie: Where are you? We’re supposed to have dinner with Verena and her mom.
Auntie: Jae!!
Auntie: Please call me.
How the fuck could I forget this? I never let things slip through the cracks. This was unacceptable. I raced to my car, cursing under my breath. “Mr. Jameson, hurry. We need to get home now,” I barked at my driver.
As the car sped through the city streets, dread gnawed at me. Verena’s mom was already skeptical of me, and this wouldn’t help. I had to be there for Verena, make sure Auntie was okay, be part of this makeshift family we were pretending to build.
But now, I was late. Very late.
I slammed my fist against the car door in frustration. How the hell did I let this happen? The thought of Verena’s disappointed eyes made my chest tighten.
Mr. Jameson weaved through traffic with a skill I was grateful for, but the minutes felt like hours. As we neared home, I straightened my tie and steeled myself for the fallout. There was no room for error tonight. I couldn’t afford to screw this up any further.
Pulling out my phone, I dialed Verena’s number. She picked up on the second ring. “Hey, baby,” she said. I knew for damn sure she had an audience and the only reason she’d call me that was if people were listening. But that endearment went straight to my cock. How could just her voice make me hard? Even though she sounded pissed, I wanted her to greet me that way every fucking day. I was already trying to figure out ways to make people stand around her every time I called.
“Where the hell are you?” she demanded.
“I’m rushing home right now,” I replied, my tone urgent. “I’m so sorry, baby.”
“Dinner is getting cold, and my mother has been here for hours,” she snapped.
Guilt churned in my stomach. “I’m sorry. I’m hurrying.”
“I’m used to you overworking,” she said, her voice clipped.
“I’ll make it up to you,” I promised, trying to inject sincerity into my voice.
She paused, her tone softening slightly. “H-how?”
A smirk formed on my lips. “More practice.”
She cleared her throat, clearly flustered. I could hear her feet padding across the tile as she walked away from any listening ears. “Oh, you had a busy day. Yes…mm-hmm.” Then, she started hissing at me. “What the hell are you thinking?! My mother is right there, and you can’t?—”
“I want to know how you taste,” I growled, unable to suppress my desire. “I crave the way your sweetness lingers on my tongue. I want to drown in it, lose myself in you.”
“Jae, I don’t know what’s gotten into you?—”
“That makes two of us.”
“You can’t just…you can’t say shit like that.”
“You can’t deny the heat between us,” I whispered. “I want to feel your body writhe with pleasure against my tongue. And I promise you this, baby, when I finally plunge myself inside you, you’ll be moaning my name.”
She was momentarily speechless. The soft gasp that escaped her lips was unmistakable over the phone line. I knew I had her attention now.
“That’s n-not in the contract,” she stammered. “You’re so wicked.”
The word wicked rolled around my brain, a promise of the dark, twisted desires that I was about to unleash. My voice was laced with desperation as I spoke into the phone, craving her touch and longing to show just how much I needed her. “Baby, I’ll be getting home soon,” I rasped, picturing every seductive move I would make once I arrived. “And when I do, there will be no holding back.” My desire for her burned hot and fierce, driving me wild with aching need.
“We have dinner with my mother.”
“Then after dinner…”
“I’m moving into the guest room.”
“Like hell you are.”
“Let me make one thing abundantly clear, Jae. The only way you’ll get anything from me is if you’re begging on your knees, and even then, I’d be difficult to convince.”
I imagined that for a moment. Her in heels, looking down at me as I kissed a trail up her leg, pleading for a taste. “I’d be more than happy to beg. And being on my knees just puts me that much closer to what I want. See you soon, Verena.”