3. A Sad Realization
three
A Sad Realization
Iris was panting, her body still shivering with residual waves of pleasure. Her chest was heaving with deep breaths as she tried desperately to get enough air. He had wrecked her—body and soul. Effortlessly. Like he had always been able to do.
Before she had time to fully come down, Nash stepped away from her.
His hand was gone in an instant. Iris could barely keep her balance after such a quick turnaround.
Going from too much stimulation to suddenly not nearly enough sent her reeling.
With a heated gaze, Nash stared at her. He quirked a brow at her in amusement.
Iris felt her breath coming faster and faster.
He knew exactly what he had done to her.
Knew that he had sent her over the edge in a way she never had—and never would—be able to do herself.
What he always did to her. His eyes dropped from hers to the gentle slope of her breasts beneath her tight sweater.
Even from where he stood, she could see how his blue eyes were locked on her chest with each and every rise and fall.
“Next time, remind me to forgo the bra entirely,” his deep voice rumbled.
Iris’s pupils were blown wide, barely showing any brown as she stared at him. Her brain was so flooded with endorphins she couldn’t follow his words.
“What?” she asked in a daze. His eyes had yet to leave her chest.
“To watch you crying out in pleasure but not get to see your nipples straining against the fabric of your shirt should be a crime.”
He leaned down and placed a hard, quick kiss on her lips. With one swift flick of his tongue against her lips, he ended the kiss and leaned back.
“Ricky…” she couldn’t help but moan at his departure. The heavy-lidded look he leveled at her chest upon hearing her nickname for him sent damp heat flooding her core once more.
His eyes began to climb languorously up her body, ending when he met her gaze once more.
With deliberate movements, he raised his hand to his mouth.
Her breaths came faster as she watched fingers that had just been between her legs disappear into his mouth.
Without breaking eye contact, he sucked his fingers between his lips one at a time.
His actions, combined with the heated look he gave her, ignited an answering fire deep within her.
He pulled his last finger free with a pop, then dropped a playful little smile on her that left her breathless.
“As much as I would love to continue this, love, it’s time we were leaving,” he said before smoothing his hands down the front of his suit jacket, fastening the buttons she hadn’t even noticed were undone.
He reached out and, with sure, confident movements, smoothed her clothes back into place, returning her to a more respectable state.
She blinked slowly, trying—and failing—to force her head to catch up.
Shaking off the heavy fog her lust had caused.
“Really?” she asked, glancing at the elaborate clock that hung on the far wall. “It’s barely two o’clock.” Her confusion was apparent. When they had been together before, he was consistently in the office until dinner time, sometimes even later. She could scarcely recall him ever leaving so early.
He raised a brow challengingly but said nothing. He merely stretched his hand out toward her, impatience clear in his body language. But her mind was preoccupied with musings of where he could possibly need to be that he was willingly leaving the office at this time of day.
When she made no move to take his hand, he tilted his head at her, his eyes darkening by the second.
Jeez.
Talk about a hair trigger, she thought as she reached out and accepted his hand.
His fingers closed around hers firmly, and with a tug, she was tucked up right under his arm.
He escorted her out of the office, closing the door behind them with a muted bang.
The sound drew the attention of the entire floor.
Nash began the trek to the elevators with smooth, calm strides, sparing not even one glance at any of his employees. Iris’s cheeks flushed a gentle pink when she noticed their sudden appearance had brought work to a standstill.
Every single eye was on them. With every step they took closer to the elevator, she saw a new emotion in the eyes of someone she once knew.
Most of these people she had grown up socializing with—she had seen them countless times, but then suddenly, they were gone.
She had kept in contact with no one when she disappeared.
A strong sense of melancholy crashed over her when she realized she had not missed any of them. And she didn’t think any of them had missed her either.
She had never felt more alone than in that single moment. To be the center of attention and know that you were unequivocally alone was a special kind of pain. One she would give anything to never feel again.
The weight of her loneliness crashed upon her, pulling her down, threatening to drag her under.
All of these people… they would have walked past her starving in the street and done nothing to help her.
The breakfast from earlier rolled in her stomach.
With a spine stiffened by nothing but sheer willpower and pride, Iris walked beside him with confidence she did not feel, weaving through the throng of curious onlookers.
In their eyes, she saw no happiness. No joy to speak of at all, really.
Instead, as she looked out at a sea of emotions, she realized they were almost all unequivocally negative.
As if they were all screaming back at her just how little she mattered to them.
How much they would have preferred she stay away.
In case there had been any confusion on that point.
Three years away, and all that she was worth was a polite curiosity from these people. Most were only concerned with how her presence would affect them. As she crossed the floor, more and more emotions passed by on the faces of people she once thought of as friends. Colleagues, at the very least.
Apprehension.Anger.Jealousy.Dismay.
They all flashed across the faces of old men and young women alike.
Surprisingly, the group of female managers seemed the least pleased to see her.
They had nicknamed themselves the Triple Threats, as there were three of them, all heading departments with their eyes on breaking any glass ceiling put in their way.
Once upon a time, she had thought they were friends. These were women that Iris had felt closest to three years ago. More than her own family, she had missed them. One in particular—Cynthia Morgan, the marketing department head. What she saw in Cynthia’s eyes just then shocked Iris to her core.
Because Cynthia’s gaze was full of dark, hate-filled daggers shooting directly toward her.
It pulled her up short. Cynthia and she used to have weekly lunches after she stopped in to visit Warrick, bonding over their mutual interests in marketing and old Regency romance movies.
But the way Cynthia was staring at her now, Iris couldn’t help but wonder if that had all been a lie.
She looked away, forcing herself to look ahead.
This was why she hated this world.
There were no Daisy in this world. No one who liked her for her.
She had never felt as alone as she did at that moment.
Seeing acquaintances care little for her was nothing compared to the stark realization that someone she had trusted, someone she had cared for, now hated her in a way she had never fathomed.
She swallowed down tears, refusing to let these vultures see her cry.
They were closing in on the elevator doors when she saw the first friendly smiles since she had boarded the airplane in Arizona.
Nash’s most trusted managers and executives filled these offices.
Most of these men had been hired by Nash’s father, some even by his grandfather.
They had known her parents. There had never been a time when she hadn’t known them. They had always been there in her life.
And when she looked at them with trepidation, she felt herself breathe a sigh of relief.
Unfettered joy shone in their eyes. It was clear they were simply happy that she was back, with no ulterior motives lurking in their depths.
The fact that she was obviously still together with their boss was clearly something they were happy about as well.
An unhappy Nash made for an unpleasant work environment.
But she decided to let that slide, focusing instead on their happiness and accepting it for what it was.
If Nash cared at all about the fact that his executives were happy for him, it didn’t show on his face.
Respect your elders was not a philosophy that Nash subscribed to, apparently.
Iris smiled softly at them and offered a small wave, which almost all of them returned. Nash’s arm around her waist tightened, and he looked down at her just as they came to a stop in front of the elevator doors. He leaned down, his eyes glittering darkly.
What was his problem?
He lifted her chin with his hand, raising her gaze to meet his own. He paused there for a brief second.
What she saw in his eyes told her all she needed to know.
He wanted everyone to know she was back. That they were still together. Proving that she had never left him. Solidifying his cover story.
This would spawn a rumor so juicy it would spread like wildfire through the society gossip mill—moving faster than anything a news article could.
With heat burning in his eyes, he swooped in and captured her lips in a deep kiss that sent a clear message to everyone watching. When the doors glided open smoothly, he backed them in without breaking contact once. As far as statements went, she figured that one had been fairly effective.