CHAPTER SEVEN
The morning comes earlier than expected. I wake to a bright light, causing my eyes to flutter open and my mind to fight for clarity. It takes a moment to realize where I am, to recognize the face smiling down at me. Lucian sets a breakfast tray over my lap before I even have time to fully wake up. On top of it is a plate with scrambled eggs, two breakfast sausages, a glass of orange juice, and a small bowl of fresh fruit.
“Rise and shine,” he says, though his voice sounds strained.
“Thanks.” I groggily pull myself up into a sitting position. Sometime in the middle of the night, he must have put a blanket on me, because my legs are now covered. I can't help but wonder what else happened after I went to sleep, not that I think it's anything devious.
“How's your ankle?” He sits down at the foot of the bed, pulls the blanket off of my ankle, and gives it a quick examination.
I wiggle it, for good measure. The pain that was there yesterday has subsided greatly. “It feels better. I think I'm good to go.”
“Good.” He stands. “Because as soon as you eat, you need to go. I have work.” Lucian gestures to the door. Considering that he's only wearing a pair of sweatpants, I'm guessing that I don't need to be in too much of a rush.
“Alright,” I reply, not knowing what else to say.
“You can borrow the crutches if you need to.” He points to them as he walks towards the door.
“Thanks.” I watch him leave, still trying to process everything that's gone on.
For several seconds, I just stare at the door. The man is completely unpredictable. I had wholly expected him to pounce on me again last night after my crying spell, but instead, he stayed true to his word, caring for me as if I were a patient, and holding me as if I was something more. I shake my head, trying to push that thought away. I've only known the guy for three days now. He was probably just being nice—probably felt bad that he accidentally pushed the emotional overload button with his dick when he stuck it inside of me.
That's right. We did have sex, if only for a few moments.
I press my thighs together, feeling the muscles give resistance. It's amazing that just a few minutes of him between my legs still caused that delicious soreness. It will be a reminder of what we did all day long. I'm not sure if that makes me happy or sad. At the very least, it makes me feel scandalous, sleeping with a potential client.
I try to push lecherous thoughts aside and enjoy my breakfast. The eggs are cooked perfectly, the sausage is juicy, and I'm pretty sure the juice is freshly squeezed. Damn, a surgeon, a Dom, and a chef. Who knew. Lucian Reddick certainly is multi-talented.
For as disappointed in myself as I am for having an emotional breakdown, I can't help but smile from all the positives. Sure, I'm probably not going to get him to sign a contract, but at least I got laid. It's such a mannish thing to think, but damn it, it's been a while, far too long. And I slept with a total hottie. I can't wait to go home and tell Janice.
Once I'm done eating, I hobble around the room and find my clothes, pulling them on and grabbing my things before I head out to tell Lucian that I'm leaving. He's sitting in the living room, dressed in black slacks and a blue button-down shirt. I'm honestly surprised that he's not wearing a lab coat, like I'm used to seeing most surgeons wear. Maybe he doesn't put that on until he gets to the operating room.
He's got a cup of coffee in one hand and a tablet on his lap. It looks like he's reading the news.
“Thanks for breakfast,” I say, feeling awkward standing there holding my shoes.
“You're welcome.” He barely even glances up at me.
“Um,” I hesitate. “I know I didn't get to do a full consultation with you, but I was wondering—”
He holds his hand up to silence me, but he keeps his eyes fixed on his tablet. “I'll email your supervisor later.”
The way he says it makes me feel like someone just planted a lead weight in my chest. Is he going to complain about me?
“Alright then.” I turn towards the front door, then back to him, waiting for him to say something else. “I guess I'll show myself out.”
“Have a good day at work or whatever it is you're going to do today.” He gestures at me dismissively.
My lips sulk into a frown, and I leave.
Once I step outside, it seems like the pressure that was constantly baring down on me from being in Lucian's presence is lifted. Even though I know I screwed up getting the contract, I somehow feel free. Whether Tyra and Derrick are mad at me for not landing the contract, I don't care. I'm just glad to be out of that awkward situation.
The relief doesn't last long though. As soon as I get into my car, my brain goes into over-analyzing mode. It's the same thing that happened after I left Flesh. My mind makes a mountain out of a molehill, combing over unrealistic possibilities and scenarios.
Just because I lost the interior design contract with Lucian, doesn't mean I can't see him again. I do enjoy spending time with him when it's on my own terms. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to make an appointment at Flesh every now and then. We've already had sex once, so it's not like we could do anything else much more forbidden. Besides, now that I've seen him in his natural element, I do feel a deeper attraction for him. The man is absolutely amazing. As long as I don't get attached...
But there's the kicker. Every time I'm with him, it's like an emotional roller coaster ride. It doesn't matter if it's at Flesh or his house. And besides, I really screwed up by crying last night. Maybe he doesn't want to see me again. Perhaps that's why he was so dismissive...because he just couldn't wait to be rid of me.
That thought makes me want to cry again, but I don't. The day has just begun, and I'm sure it's going to be a long one. I need to go home, get changed, head to work, and deliver the bad news. One step at a time though. One step at a time.
***
I slide my key into the door of my apartment and turn it as carefully as possible. Even though I know that Janice is probably fast asleep, I don't want to wake her. She works the evening shift as a manager at Walmart, and typically doesn't get to bed until around two in the morning.
Lucian woke me up at six o'clock; I got back to my apartment by seven, and I don't have to be at work until nine. That gives me an hour and a half to shower and get ready. And I really need a shower. Not only do I smell like sex, but it feels like I have half of Florida on the soles of my feet from walking around barefoot.
I close the door and tiptoe to my bedroom to grab some fresh clothes before heading to the bathroom. The hot water cascading over my body feels amazing, but at the same time, it feels strange—like I'm washing off Lucian's scent. It's a stupid thing to care about, especially since that entire sexual encounter was so weird for me.
When I walk out of the shower, a dark shadow in the hall startles me. I grab my chest just as my eyes begin to focus. It's Janice. Thank God. To be honest, I'm not even sure why I expected it to be someone else.
“Late night?” she asks, leaning against the wall. Even in the darkness, I can tell that she's half asleep.
“Yeah. Go back to bed.” I try to shoo her off, knowing that she needs her sleep more than I need to gush about my wild night.
“You didn't answer any of my texts.” She frowns.
“Sorry. I was busy.” I cower a little. It's not like it's my duty to tell her where I'm at every hour of the day, but usually I let her know when I'm going to be out all night, which only ever happens when I'm staying at my parents' house.
“Felt like going home for a while?” She crosses her arms over her chest as if she's cold.
“No. It's a long story.”
“Oh? Sounds interesting.” She perks up.
“It is, but not one I really have time to tell right now.” I glance towards my bedroom.
“Well, give me the short version, and we can get into the details later.”
I hate just giving her a teaser, but in truth, I'm dying to tell her what happened. “I slept with a potential new client.”
Her mouth falls open in disbelief. “You. Slept with someone. You slept with someone?”
“Yes.” I start to wiggle excitedly, but then pain shoots up my leg, causing me to still.
“Wow. He must have been a real charmer to get into your steel clad chastity belt.” She smirks at me.
“Don't say that.” I wrinkle my nose. “You know I went to Flesh, so it's not like it's on that tight.”
“You must have accidentally left it unlocked.”
“Pfft.” I roll my eyes.
“Well,” she yawns. “For as much as I want to know the details—and you will tell me the details later—I should probably get back to bed. It's going to be another long night.” Her lips dip into a frown.
“Yeah. Go sleep.” I grin to myself as I watch Janice walk back into her room, thinking about those details, the way that Lucian seduced me. It was so hard to resist him. I still can't believe I ruined it by crying.
The memory reminds me of a night of too much drinking, the kind that starts fun, but the more you drink, the more stupid stuff comes out of your mouth, and eventually it all culminates into a clusterfuck of horror. It's one of the memories you wish you could forget, even if there are good parts attached to it. I can't forget though.
I try to distract myself by getting ready for work, but Lucian is never far from my thoughts. Even though I'm not around him anymore, I still feel like I'm on that emotional roller coaster. The highs come when I think of how kind he was, taking care of my foot, when I picture his gorgeous smile, when I recall the sound of his laughter, and when I remember the way that he kissed me, so passionately. Then the lows hit me like a ton of bricks, and I internally tear myself down. How could I be so immature as to cry in front of him, as if he was hurting me.
All I can do to comfort me is to tell myself that days and weeks will make this a distant memory. In time, I'll be able to put Flesh and that horrible consultation behind me. Then I can return to my regular boring life, a life without sex and excitement—a life more my speed.
***
There's a sick feeling in my stomach as I approach Environ Design. While I had thought that telling Tyra that Lucian was undecided would be the worst of it, I just remembered I never even finished taking pictures of his house. This is going to look bad. Really bad.
After sitting in my car and weighing my excuses for several minutes, I finally decide to pretend that the pictures somehow had erased themselves. For a moment, I think about deleting all the pictures I took, but then I realize that would look even worse. At least, the few pictures I do have will be proof that I actually went to the consultation.
I inhale deeply as I climb out of my car and limp up to the building. While my foot feels better than it did yesterday, it still hurts. If I didn't feel obligated to give Tyra and Derrick the news about the consultation, I might have called in. As it is, this is news that should be delivered in person. And besides, since I botched up landing the contract, that probably means I won't have to leave the office today. If I'm not going to be doing a lot of walking, then there's no point in staying home.
I make my way to my desk and am displeased to find Derrick sitting in my chair. He smiles up at me expectantly. It looks like he doesn't have any intention of moving, but then he notices my limp and quickly stands and makes way for me to sit down. I pretend to ignore him as I take my seat and pull the camera out of my purse, setting it on top of my desk.
“You're not talking, and you're not smiling.” He places his palms flat on my desk as he leans over. “He didn't sign, did he?”
I sigh, not wanting to deal with this right now. “There's always the next client.”
“Damn it.” He punches the top of the desk lightly. “What happened?”
“You don't even want to know.” I shake my head.
“Worse than the cookies?” He quirks an eyebrow.
“Far worse.” I press the button on my computer to bring it to life.
“Want to talk about it later? Maybe over drinks,” the pissed tone deflates from his voice and melts into sympathy. I'm glad he didn't stay mad at me for long.
“I'll think about it.” I give him a weak smile.
“You know, I'm always here for you, sweet pea.” He places a hand on my shoulder.
I open up my email and find it as expected. Empty. “Looks like there's nothing for us today.” I turn to Derrick. “Did you get anything?”
“Nope. It's gonna be a long day of nothing.”
“Maybe that's for the best after the day I had yesterday.”
“Oh look.” Derrick points to my monitor.
When I turn to look at it, there's an email from Tyra. The subject is Lucian Reddick. Just seeing his name sends a chill racing through me. I don't want to open it, but I know that Derrick is waiting to see what it says.
“Open it.” He nods towards the screen impatiently.
I take a deep breath and click the subject line. The email reads as follows:
Amy,
Congratulations! Doctor Reddick called to confirm that he'd like to sign a contract. He raved about the good work you did, but told me that you were having issues with the camera. He went ahead and sent a blueprint over of his house so that we can get started right away. I've sent it to Derrick so that he can work up a model of the house.
If you haven't done so already, please contact the client to go over color schemes for the different rooms, and use the pictures you already have along with the attached blueprints to start shopping for furniture and decorations.
Landing Doctor Reddick is a big deal for all of us here at Environ Design. I'm so proud of you for being an exemplary representation of our company. Please continue to provide Doctor Reddick with excellent customer service and support so that he'll spread the word about the great job that our company does.
Regards,
Tyra Rollins
CEO of Environ Design
My mouth falls agape. No way. No fucking way did he sign the contract.
“Looks like you didn't do as bad as you thought.” Derrick gently slugs me on the shoulder. I don't even have to look at him to know that he's beaming.
“I can't believe it.” I shake my head.
“Believe it. He may be a bit of an asshole, but we haven't seen the last of Lucian Reddick yet.”