- Alex -
was wiping down the front desk when I saw André heading towards the door.
“Your girl did good today,” he said, raising his fist to pound mine on the way out.
“I’m not the one you should be telling,” I said, realizing it was the second time today that someone had referenced her like that and the second time I hadn’t felt compelled to correct them. It was a strange sensation. Not unpleasant, though. Like pride, but softer.
“Yeah, but she’s no good with compliments.”
“Anyone left on the floor?”
“Only you,” he said, flipping the sign in the window over so the “Closed” side faced the parking lot. “See you tomorrow.”
I lifted a hand as he walked out before hitting the row of switches under the desk and watching the overhead lights go out in sections over the main floor. Then I went to knock on the door of Gemma’s new office.
She answered with a cheerful, “Come in.”
I entered to find her bent over a bunch of papers spread across her desk.
She lifted her face first and straightened up when she saw it was me. “Hey.”
“Am I interrupting?”
“No.” She waved my concern away. “What’s up?”
“I just wanted to say congratulations again on your well-earned promotion.”
She shook her head like she couldn’t quite believe it herself. “I couldn’t have dreamed this earlier today.”
Something about the glowing satisfaction on her face made me think of the board. About Jimmy saying they were miserable worrying about their job security. What if they could all like their jobs as much as Gemma loved hers? What if some of them already did? Fuck.
She leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath.
I considered making a light joke about the underwear thing but thought better of it. “I could’ve,” I said, stepping up to her desk.
She cocked her head.
“You being the boss. Telling me what to do and when to do it. Anytime you want.”
Her eyes dropped to my waistband for a split second before she tore them away and started tidying her workspace.
I wanted her so bad I could taste it.
“Attracted to power, are you?” she asked, stacking her papers.
“No,” I said. “Just you.”
She swallowed.
“What’s all this?” I asked, glancing down her shirt until my cock jumped.
“Boss stuff,” she said, smiling and flicking her eyes up at me.
“Gemma, about last night.”
She froze.
“I’m not sorry.”
She pressed her lips together.
“I hope your promotion doesn’t—”
“I lost my sense last night,” she said.
My mind flashed back to her panting chest, to the way it looked glistening with sweat through the thick steam.
“And today I almost lost my job as a result.” Silence enveloped us before she spoke again. “I need you to give me some time.”
“Gemma—”
“I know the timing is terrible.”
“Time is the one thing I don’t want to give you.” I rested my fingertips on the edge of her desk, wishing it were her soft skin I was touching, her smooth lips. “Please. Anything but time.”
Her lips twitched like I hadn’t seen them do before.
I walked around the desk.
She didn’t turn towards me, but she didn’t back away either.
My pulse quickened as I stepped up to her. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone.”
“Don’t,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Please. Don’t make this harder for me than it already is.”
“Your promotion doesn’t change anything between us.”
Her eyes fell closed as she sighed.
“Look at me.”
She turned her face away.
I took a knee beside her chair. “Gemma.”
She turned and looked at me, her eyes laced with remorse.
“I’m on your side,” I said, taking her hands in mine. “I want you to succeed more than anyone.”
“Just for a little while,” she said, her eyes dropping to my lips. “Just while I learn the ropes.”
I leaned in to kiss her, but she stopped me with her hand.
My molten heart cooled.
“It’s not that I don’t want you,” she said, her eyes pleading with me. “It’s not that.”
I was too stunned by the face-palm to say anything.
“I just don’t want to blow the biggest opportunity of my life.”
What does that make me?
She must’ve seen my expression change because she tried to backpedal immediately. “That didn’t come out right,” she said. “I just meant that I can’t handle the distraction.”
I stood up and stepped back. “No one’s ever called me a distraction before.”
“Alex, don’t be like that.”
“It’s cool,” I said, feeling anything but as I raised my palms. “You’re the boss.”
“Alex—”
But I slammed her office door before she could hurt me any more.