CHAPTER 11

“I’d call that a great success.” Elizabeth said as she walked up the stairs to the office with Cayden. They had been gone for two days visiting some of the franchises. For Cayden it had felt like two months.

Ever since he and Anna had started their secret affair they had spent almost every night together. Over the past few weeks he had gotten three hours of sleep per night at most. He had her in every position and on every surface in her apartment. And although her apartment was small, they had gotten creative. For some reason she had insisted he come to her, she hadn’t even been to his apartment yet.

For the past two nights he had gotten almost no sleep because Anna wasn’t there. Her body wasn’t there to rock him to sleep and her warm curves weren’t there to settle against his body. For the first time in his life Cayden had missed a woman. He missed the way she would cuddle against him in the morning when their alarms went off, he had missed the mornings she bought him coffee in the office both remaining professional but both aware of the heated night they had shared.

“Cayden!” Elizabeth scowled as they reached the store room. “Are you listening to me at all?”

“Yeah, sorry Elizabeth. I didn’t get much sleep since we left.”

“I know, hotels should really invest in better beds.” Elizabeth huffed.

Cayden nodded, he was not about to explain to Elizabeth why he didn’t sleep, and it didn’t have anything to do with the mattress.

As he moved towards his office his eyes searched for her. Her desk was empty. His eyes traveled through the office and as he passed the kitchen he heard her voice.

“Larry that is hilarious.” Anna laughed as she touched the shoulder of the man standing beside her.

Cayden had never liked Larry, the Food and Beverage Manager for Rosi’s, but he was good at his job. Now Cayden liked him even less. He was wearing a stupid grin and smiling at Anna like he knew her intimately.

“No I’m serious Anna. I’d love to take you sometime. It’s engaging and the atmosphere is great!”

“I’d love to. Let me know when I should diarize it.” Anna smiled back, her body angled towards Larry.

“Anna!” Cayden hated the demand in his voice.

Anna briskly turned around, a surprised look on her face. “Cayden, you’re back.” Cayden watched the surprise expression being replaced with a professional one.

“Yes, my office. Now!” Cayden bit out before he glared at Larry for a second and headed to his office.

He had barely stepped inside when Anna joined him. Her eyes were shooting daggers as she turned around after closing the door. “What the hell was that about?”

“You tell me.” Cayden demanded, noticing her temper.

“I was having a conversation with a colleague when you burst in and all but shouted at me?”

“You were flirting with him.” Cayden said his voice dangerously low.

“What? You think I was flirting with Larry F&B?” Anna asked surprised before she burst out laughing.

“Larry F&B? Now you’ve got a pet name for him?” Cayden demanded.

“Cayden, we have Larry F&B and Larry the designer, I distinguish between the two.” Anna watched him for a moment before placing her hands on her hips. “And if I was flirting with Larry F&B, what business is that of yours? We’re not officially dating, we’re not officially sleeping together, we’re not officially anything.”

“That’s…” Cayden knew she was right.

“He invited me to go to a stand-up comedy show with him. Barely a date you moron.”

“You could at least try and be subtle about it.” Cayden mumbled.

Anna smirked. “Subtle? Cayden you were as subtle as a bloody freight train but you’re asking me to be subtle. You don’t own me and you sure as hell have no right to tell me with who I go out with and when I should be subtle about it.”

With that Anna turned and marched out of his office.

Cayden wanted to call her back and apologize but he knew she was right. They hadn’t made any promises or commitments to each other; he didn’t have a claim over her.

They hadn’t been out together in public since they had started sleeping together and Anna was new in town, Cayden understood her need for friends, for getting out. But why did it bother him that she wasn’t making plans with him. Why did it bother him that she made plans with Larry F&B?

Cayden had never dated anyone before; he always went in hot and left while they were still shuddering. He had never had the need to stay behind, to cuddle or even make conversation. But with Anna things were different. He couldn’t get himself to leave after they made love, he wanted to hear her opinions and he sure as hell liked cuddling with her in the mornings.

All the warring emotions were circling in his head like wreckage in a tornado; if only the storm would pass he could start sorting through it.

He watched her through the door; she flicked her ebony hair over her one shoulder as she opened up her mails, giving him the ultimate cold shoulder. She was pissed at him.

Cayden smiled to himself, she might be pissed now, but as soon as the work day ended, she was going to be begging.