We obviously had to get that out of our system, I think as daylight reaches behind my eyelids, and everything slowly comes back to me as I awaken.

I’m in my new bed in my new apartment, but Jaxson’s heady scent is still here, the impression he made in the bed sheets next to me adding to the evidence that what I remember sharing with him wasn’t some dream, though he’s nowhere in sight.

The smell of cooking eggs registers and my brain figures he must be in the kitchen making breakfast.

I feel a momentary shyness—I’m completely naked, with evidence of him having been inside my body, having come inside me—apparent. 

I can even still feel him on my inner walls—it has been so long since sharing a bed, but also, Jaxson’s huge.

Crap, I didn’t get to tell him I’m not on the pill, we didn’t get to...

“Hungry?”

Jaxson’s partially-clothed, muscular body is suddenly filling the door frame, an irresistible half-smile on his face, a tray of breakfast items in his hands.

He looks so handsome, his body so sculpted, his eyes so warm and seemingly full of affection.

Is this actually real?

I pinch myself beneath the sheet and whisper an “ow.”

“You okay?” he asks, his brows furrowing.

“Yeah, I just... I can’t believe we’re here.”

“Me neither. But I do believe the growls of our stomachs. Let’s eat.”

He settles in next to me and we eat and drink in contented silence, sliding affectionate glances at each other.

My chest swells more and more with uncontrollable emotion so that, by the time he joins me in the shower and starts to bathe me, it explodes with irrepressible love.

* * *

As I start getting ready for work, it seems Jaxson prepared for an occasion such as this—he has no issues at all with getting ready at my place, his clothing options delivered to my door.

It feels strange yet natural to have him here, for us to be getting ready for our day together.

Jaxson drives us to the office, reminding me I’m getting a company car assigned and that I’ll be driving out home with it today to use as needed—business and personal.

We grab coffees before heading up to his office—or our office, I guess, since he plans to seat me in a corner of it.

“Jaxson, about last night…”

He holds up a hand. “You will shadow Melody again today until lunch. At that time, we’ll discuss things further. In the meantime, the usual rules apply. You are never to call me Jaxson here.”

A sharp pain jabs me on the left side of my chest.

He sounds so business-like all of a sudden! Not at all like we’d spent a blissful night in each others’ arms.

Well, blissful outside of a few bothersome dreams.

I don’t really remember the content of them, but I felt uneasy, the details escaping me before I could pin down the subject matter.

“Yes, sir,” I say quietly, still recovering from the sting of his crisp manner.

* * *

I feel like everyone’s looking at me a bit differently as I go about the office with Melody, and I start wondering if I have something hanging from my nose or sitting in the corner of my mouth. 

I even check my top to make sure I’ve buttoned it correctly. 

Everything seems fine on me, but something is definitely wrong. 

When I pop into the office kitchen while Melody chats up one of our coworkers, I’m relieved to find it completely empty.

But I only get to be free of the oppressive atmosphere for a few seconds before the door swings open.

I brace myself.

I’m happy to see it’s Tamara—a girl who gives me a warm smile every time our gazes meet.

I always get the feeling she and I could be friends, but considering how much of my time Jaxson’s been taking up, I haven’t had the opportunity to explore much.

“Hey,” she says warily, her eyes meeting mine then looking away.

She heads for the water cooler and plucks a cone-shaped cup from the stack next to it then starts filling it with cold water.

“Listen, I figure you should know—someone’s been spreading some... unflattering rumors about you,” she continues.

Melody—it’s got to be her.

“About your... relationship with Mr. Pace. The nature of your real job.”

Let me guess—Melody’s been painting me as a raging slut, the resident prostitute.

“Which is…?” I ask innocently.

She shrugs. “Sort of a live-in concubine?” She gives a nervous laugh. “Something like that anyway. I don’t believe it—you don’t seem the type. But I thought you should know.”

“Thanks for the heads up; I was definitely wondering what had happened. I could tell something had changed around here.”

“So what exactly is the deal?” she asks, looking more relaxed as she sips her water.

I briefly wonder if she’s actually here to tease more info out of me to share with everyone.

Then I realize that, even if she was, this is my chance to get my side out there.

“Mr. Pace and I aren’t together, but we knew each other in our youth—we met as teenagers. I guess that’s the familiarity Melody’s sensing. Anyway, I assure you that my job here is real; in fact, I think she’s just miffed because I now have her job, even though she’s been promoted as far as I’ve heard.”

“And because of the way Mr. Pace looks at you,” Tamara says knowingly.

“Excuse me?”

“Melody likes him, as any other straight, single—and sometimes married—woman who comes here would. I’m happily married myself, so I never had designs on him, but I think she’s threatened by you. She’s had her eyes on him a while, but he hasn’t given her the time of day from what I can tell. So watch your back.”

“I appreciate it, but why are you telling me this? You’ve worked with her longer.”

She shrugs again. “That type of woman—one vicious enough to spread harmful rumors—is a threat to all of us; she’s no one’s friend.”

She slides me one last friendly half-smile before dumping her conical cup and heading out.

Not long after she exits, Melody enters, heading straight for the fridge.

She pulls out a small bottle of fruit juice, takes a swig, then levels her gaze at me.

“He’s hot, isn’t he?” she says with a smile.

I quickly realize it’s not a conspiratorial smile with a gossip inflection to it; it’s not real or warm. Her smile is pasted on—her grayish eyes sort of hard as she awaits my answer.

“Jaxson’s a great-looking man…”

“Jaxson?” she says in a sort of outraged voice. Then she coughs a laugh. “You guys are on a first name basis already?”

This time, I slide her a smile, but I try to infuse it with warmth. “Well, since it’s the two of us here, I figure it’s cool,” I say. “Do you get to call him ‘Mr. Pace’ or ‘sir?’”

She ignores my attempt at an olive branch and her fake smile disappears.

“Did you fuck him for the job?” she asks in a lower voice, narrowing her eyes.

“No! I... Wait, that’s none of your business! Even if I had—which I didn’t—why do you care?”

“Because he and I have sort of a thing, so…”

She shrugs, inviting me to fill in the gaps.

“I see,” I say, not quite believing what she wants me to believe.

It doesn’t stop a bolt of jealousy from flashing through me, however.

“I’m just saying, feel free to look at him—I mean, he’s super hot so I can’t blame anyone for seeing that and appreciating it. It’s just…”

“You’ve staked your claim,” I finish for her and she nods.

“Like I said, he and I have sort of a thing, so if you can just respect that…”

“Well, if he agrees with you, I’ll be sure to,” I say with a smile that definitely isn’t friendly.

Jaxson told me he doesn’t cheat so either he’s lying or she is, and though I might not know this new Jaxson as well as I knew the old one, I’ll certainly give new Jaxson the benefit of the doubt over some thirsty gossipmonger, despite the way he’s been blowing hot and cold.

Besides, I have other concerns right now—far more important ones with bigger consequences: the next installment to the loan shark is due in four days.

I haven’t figured out how to handle the next due date since my first payday is in about a week and a half, and yet I can’t breathe a word of this to anyone—my family has been threatened, and even though they’ve disowned me, I can’t let them become victims of my colossal mess.

I realize I need to seriously consider taking Jaxson up on his offer of an advance.

The only problem is that he’ll probably get pushier about why I need the money so badly, and I don’t need him all up in my business like that.

However, it doesn’t look like I’ll have much of a choice; how else am I supposed to cobble together all that money in a few days?