21. Riley
After another longmoment where we just breathe together, my body slumped over his, Cole gently rolls us over, depositing me on the bed as his softening cock slips from my body. He slides the condom off, and I can’t help but stare at the mess I made, the way I soaked the base of his cock and his balls.
I bite my lip, still a bit embarrassed by the sight, even though he made it clear that it turned him on a lot.
I’ve never gushed like that before. I didn’t even know it was possible.
What other things is this man capable of doing to my body?
That thought makes me shiver slightly as he climbs out of bed, heading to the bathroom this time to dispose of the condom and wash up. He returns a moment later and strides back over to the bed, where I’m watching him through half-lidded eyes.
After two rounds of intense sex, I’m exhausted, close to sleep. This bed has never felt so comfortable, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt this satisfied.
Cole leans over the bed. He kisses me, just once, then gathers up his clothes from the floor and starts to get dressed. Once he’s fully clothed, he leaves without another word.
Something about watching him go makes me feel strange, almost empty. After our clinical handshake and our depersonalized conversation, it was already so clear that this thing starting between us is just about sex—nothing more.
This just drives it home.
Part of me wishes that he would spend the night in my room. That he would fall asleep with his arms around me.
But right now, I’m too sated, too tired, to worry about it. Besides, it’s not what we agreed on. We already failed to follow the “no sex” rule. If we want to keep things professional, we’re going to have to carefully obey our new set of rules.
Things can’t get complicated here. I can’t let myself catch feelings for him. I almost slipped up, almost asked him about his scars during sex—but I caught myself at the last minute. I have to make sure to toe the line. That kind of question is way too personal.
Cole is not the kind of guy I can allow myself to fall for. Especially not while he’s my boss.
I can feel sleep dragging at the corners of my eyes, but my mind is racing. I need to talk to someone else about this. An outside party. Luckily, I know just the girl.
I pull out my phone and open a text to Olivia. It’s late, so she probably won’t actually read it until tomorrow, but I need to start this conversation as soon as possible.
ME: Hey, we need to talk. Give me a call whenever you get this.
ME: It’s not as bad as it sounds!! I swear!
* * *
Cole
On my wayback to my room, my mind is clearer than it’s been in weeks. All I can think is, Finally. Fucking finally.
I’ve been waiting for this since the moment I saw her, and it was every bit as good as I had hoped it would be.
I pause by Archie’s door as I walk past. It’s cracked open slightly. Mostly to make sure that he’s still asleep—that he didn’t hear anything—I open it and stick my head in his room to check on him.
The light from the hallway falls over his bed. He’s fast asleep, his stuffed lion cuddled close to his face.
Watching him, I feel a flash of protectiveness. No matter what happens, I need to put Archie above everything else. I vowed to do so when I first took him in, and I remind myself of that vow now, reaffirming it.
I may have let his mother down, but I won’t drop the ball again. I won’t let anything happen to him.
I smile gently, watching the blankets rise and fall as Archie breathes. Then, carefully, I back out of the room and close the door, taking care not to wake him.
On my way back to my room, my thoughts drift back to Riley.
We can do this. It’s possible to have simple, uncomplicated sex; I’d know, of course, since I’ve been doing it for ages. And the fact that Riley is under my roof, in my employ… it’s a little bit different, but still possible.
In fact, this is probably for the best. There was no way I was going to make it much longer trying to keep my distance from her.
We can keep the lines clear. Everything’s going to be fine.
* * *
Riley
The next morning,as I’m getting dressed, my phone buzzes on my dresser. I grab it, glancing at the screen. It’s a phone call—from Olivia. It’s a lot earlier than she’s usually up.
I pull my shirt over my head and answer. “Hey—”
I’m almost immediately interrupted by a shrill squeal. “Riley! Oh my god!”
My first reaction is alarm. “Whoa, what’s going on?”
“Your text last night! Holy shit!”
She must have figured out what I wanted to talk to her about. That’s pretty common for us. Olivia is uncannily good at knowing what conversation we’re going to have before I even tell her.
“Yeah,” I say, grinning. “It’s probably exactly what you’re thinking.”
“I can’t believe it!”
She sounds thrilled—especially considering the early hour. “What are you doing awake?” I ask her. “I wasn’t expecting you to call until later.”
“Oh.” Briefly, the enthusiasm disappears from her tone. “Ugh, it’s my stupid boss. He wanted me to run an errand for him this morning.”
“That sucks,” I say sympathetically. “Did he wake you up?”
“Yeah. But it’s okay. It should be a quick thing, and maybe I’ll take a nap when I get home this evening. We should be focused on you—and Cole!” She says his name in a sing-song voice, loud enough that I wince, glancing at the door.
I head across the room and into my bathroom, closing the door behind me for a little bit of privacy. The last thing I need is for Cole to hear us talking.
“So, how much have you guessed?” I ask. In the calm light of day, I have to admit that I’m feeling a little nervous about this—nervous in a way I wasn’t last night.
“I’m assuming something happened between you guys,” she says. “Something… unprofessional.”
“Very unprofessional.”
She breaks out into giggles. “How unprofessional are we talking, here?”
I hesitate, then say, my voice lowered, “Um… that depends how unprofessional you think it is to have sex with your boss in his own house.”
She lets out another loud squeal of delight, and I have to hold the phone away from my ear. She’s already talking by the time I move it back.
“—literally living my fantasy right now, I can’t believe it!”
“You want to have sex with your boss?” I wrinkle my nose.
“Oh, god, no,” she exclaims in disgust. “I wish I could hire a witch to make him dissolve and replace him with someone like Cole Sullivan, obviously.” I laugh, and I can hear the smile in her voice as she continues, “But I’m so excited for you—this is amazing, seriously.”
“You really think so?” There’s a flutter of nerves in my chest. I stare at the mirror, watching myself bite my nails as we talk—a bad habit I haven’t dealt with since I was a little kid. “’Cause I’m not so sure it is.”
“Of course it is!”
“I don’t know,” I say. “I am having sex with my boss. That’s not exactly… stable in the long run, you know what I mean?”
“So? Neither is the job. I mean, you’re a nanny. That’s not the kind of thing that lasts forever. Eventually, that kid’s gonna grow up.”
“True.”
“So you might as well have fun while you’re there,” Olivia says encouragingly. “You’re still young enough to have fun. You can do a few impulsive things here and there.”
I take a deep breath, nodding along with her pep talk. “You’re right. But—”
“But what?”
“Where do we go from here? What happens next?”
“What do you mean, ‘what happens next?’ Nothing happens next! You don’t have to worry about that,” Olivia assures me.
“Right, right,” I agree, repeating her words in my head, layering them alongside Cole’s from last night. “Of course.” I exhale, the knot in my stomach loosened somewhat. “Thanks for talking me through my spiral.”
“Anytime,” Olivia says. “And now that I have, it’s time for you to give me all the good details.”
I start to walk her through everything, smiling despite the tiny voice of caution still sounding in the back of my head. I can’t help but smile when I think about last night.
I go through the whole day in a whisper to make sure Cole and Archie can’t overhear. It’s probably an unnecessary precaution, since I’m already hiding in the bathroom, but still—better safe than sorry.
Of course, Olivia cheers me on the whole time. I get the sense that she’s living vicariously through me a little bit, which is honestly a relief.
Putting up with all the shit she does at work, it would be easy for her to be bitter and jealous about my situation with Cole—but Olivia’s not like that. Her instinct is to be happy for me.
By the time I’ve caught her up to speed, I’m already starting to feel better, my moment of doubt behind me. Between Olivia’s encouragement and reliving the best sex I’ve ever had, it’s hard to stay worried.
“...and that’s pretty much everything,” I conclude. I pause, glancing toward the door, then add, “I probably have to get downstairs soon. I wasn’t expecting your call this early, and I’ve gotta help Cole make breakfast for Archie.”
“Of course,” Olivia says. “I have to get back to work anyway. But I just wanted to talk as soon as I saw your text—I’m really so happy for you!”
“Thanks, Olivia. Let’s hang out soon!”
We hang up, and I finish getting ready in a flash, skipping a few of my usual daily routines to make sure I’m on time. I promised Cole that I could keep things professional, and I want to start our new arrangement off the right way—not by being late.
Luckily, as it turns out, I’m early. I get downstairs before anyone else, and Archie appears in the kitchen doorway no more than thirty seconds later, blinking at me wearily.
“Good morning, kiddo,” I say. “How does cereal sound?”
He nods, wandering over to the table with Trevor in tow. “I love cereal.”
I grab him a box of Cheerios and the milk from the fridge, getting him set up at the table.
“Good morning, you two.”
I spin around at the sound of Cole’s voice from the hallway. He must be on his way to work, dressed to perfection in a sleek suit and matching silk tie. He’s still buttoning the cuffs on his shirt sleeves.
I meet his gaze, and he looks back at me steadily. There’s something burning behind his eyes, as always, but he seems… settled. This morning, unlike other mornings, he doesn’t avoid eye contact with me, or bustle quickly out the door. My heartbeat quickens.
Even though I promised myself that work wouldn’t feel any different, this is evidence that, inevitably, it will.
“Can I speak to you for a moment before I head out, Riley?” he asks, his tone courteous.
“Of course.” I hand Archie a spoon, then approach Cole. “What’s up?”
He lowers his voice so that Archie won’t overhear him. “How are you feeling?”
I can hear the subtext in his question. Was it too much?
I smile at him. “I feel good.” Dropping to a whisper to match his, I add, “Not too sore.”
“Good,” he murmurs. “Because next time, I intend to work you harder.”
Immediately, I feel a pulse of heat in my core; my clit throbs. I bite my lip, trying to suppress my quick inhale.
He shoots me a significant look as he finishes buttoning his cuffs. He shakes out his sleeves, straightens his tie, and leaves.
I let out the breath with a little shiver of delight. I turn back to Archie, giddy with anticipation.