Chapter Eleven
We showered together, which inevitably led to another tryst. Once Tobias let me go, he stepped away from me and opened the shower door to step out. I stayed in the shower and cleaned myself, washing my skin with his sandalwood scented body wash before turning the water off and walking out myself. An already covered Tobias handed me a towel without looking, before walking to the bathroom door. I dried myself, then threw the Tobias’ t-shirt back on.
I walked out of the bathroom and across the hall into Tobias’ bedroom. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, the same concerned look as before evident in his face. I wanted to ask him what was going on, but I knew he wouldn’t tell me even if I did.
“Are you sure you want me to stay?” I asked instead.
Tobias looked up and nodded. “Yes.”
There was an air of innocence in his eyes, which was odd considering who he was, the reputation he had, everything he had tried to embody since we’d met. I stepped forward, into his personal space and pressed my lips on his forehead.
“I’m kind of tired.” I grinned sleepily.
“You know. I am too.” he noted, placing his hands on my hips. “I don’t usually sleep much, but you’ve exerted me to the point of actual physical exhaustion.”
He stood up and pulled the bed covers down. He looked at me and smiled, but I could see the nerves hiding beneath. I lay down first, in an attempt to put his mind at ease, he lay down beside me, and our eyes locked before he reached out and flicked the blankets up. The warmth was instant. My eyes began to close almost right away, but I was still conscious when he placed his arms around my waist and pulled me in close.
Soon after I fell asleep with a smile on my face and something that felt oddly like love in my heart.
The light of morning soon washed over me, waking me from the deepest sleep I’d had in ages. Tobias was still beside me, his arm still across my waist. I turned to face him, watching him sleep peacefully for a few minutes before climbing out of the bed.
I tiptoed through the room. Collecting my underwear from the floor as I moved, exiting the door in silence. I put my panties on in the bathroom before putting Tobias’ t-shirt back on. The dress was still in the living room on the floor, but I didn’t want to put it back on just yet anyway.
I walked into the kitchen with the intention of hunting for coffee to make, only to find a coffee machine like the one at work hiding in the pantry. I made us both a coffee before heading back to his bedroom.
Tobias was awake when I walked through the door, sitting up. He smiled and took the coffee from me. “Thanks. Glad you found the machine alright.”
“No problem.” I smiled.
He sipped on the drink and then smiled nervously. “I have a… a meeting I need to attend today. Uh, you can borrow some of my sweatpants and that shirt to go home. I can’t imagine you want to walk around in a ball dress.” He was right, I didn’t want to walk around in a ball dress, especially not one that had cost the equivalent of a hefty deposit on a house.
I nodded and sat down on the bed. “Thank you. I’d appreciate that.”
“Well I need to leave here in about 20 minutes, so I’ll take you home okay?”
I nodded and sipped on the coffee warming my hands as i tried to ignore the sudden and very obvious awkwardness between us.
Tobias took me home as promised, stopping outside my building. I opened the door and went to step out, but before I could get out, tobias slipped his hand over mine.
“Thank you for last night.” He said softly. “For being my date… and.” he stopped. “Thank you.”
“Uh, you’re welcome?” I replied, speaking like I was answering a question.
“I’ll see you at work tomorrow.” He replied.
“Yes.” I exclaimed. “Tomorrow.”
I climbed out and closed the door, while holding my dress and shoes in my hands and wearing Tobias’ oversized clothes I walked barefoot into the building, doing a very embarrassing walk of shame past the security guard. He didn’t say anything, but I had to wonder what he was thinking.
I went up to my apartment, unlocking my door in a daze. Had last night really happened? Had Tobias and I made love… Twice? I walked inside and closed the door behind me, leaning against it. I had never felt so alive as I had in his arms. I’d only been with one other person in my lifetime, Ben had been my benchmark when it came to the world of sex and I knew now that I hadn’t experienced anything back then… nothing like last night at least. I pushed myself off the door and walked to the table. I dropped my shoes on the ground and hung the dress over a chair.
I spent the rest of day in a state of prolonged afterglow. I went to bed early, still tired from the events of the night before. When I woke on monday morning I forced myself up and into the shower before dressing into a black high waisted knee length pencil skirt and a cream blouse. I put my hair up in a bun and applied my usual minimal amount of makeup. Then, as per usual once I was ready I left the apartment and walked down the busy main street towards the office. I passed my swipe card through the security machine to get into the building and headed over to the elevator. I frowned as I stepped inside, the girls from the second floor looked up at me and smiled in surprise.
“You must have the patience of a saint.” One exclaimed as the doors closed. “Most of us wouldn’t have lasted a day as his PA.”
I shrugged, she was right, the probably wouldn’t have. Their obvious lack of respect meant they probably wouldn’t have done their duties as required. It wouldn’t have had much to do with Tobias’ standards.
“I don’t know, maybe the guy is softening.” Another injected as the elevator doors closed. “You know he took a date to the masquerade ball over the weekend right?”
My stomach dropped, they were talking about me, even if they didn’t realize it.
Another girl jumped in. “Oh come on, clearly the girl was just making him work for it. There is no way the guy is changing his ways for anyone.”
Changing his ways? Why did I think she wasn’t referring to his personality?
“He is a serial one night stand kind of guy. I mean, personally I applaud the girl for making him work for it. But you don’t seriously think he’ll be calling her now it's all over right?”
The other girls laughed. “You’d know wouldn’t you.” The first girl exclaimed.
“Ugh, I told you. Nothing happened with me and the boss. My friend on the other hand.” The girl who seemed to have the intel noted. The others rolled their eyes.
“Mmmhmm, friend .” One remarked sarcastically.
“I’m being honest, the guy is meant to be a complete firecat in the sack, hot, sexy, rough… anything but sweet. If I’d tapped that, I’d be honest and upfront. Alas, I am without such experience.”
The doors opened on the second floor and the girls filtered out. Nausea ran through my gut. I had taken Tobias’ reputation with a grain of salt up until right now. I had ignored it at the time, telling myself that the awkwardness was nothing, but Tobias had been odd yesterday morning, and now everything else was beginning to make sense too. I rode the elevator to the top floor and walked out into the corridor. I sat down at my desk and booted my computer up. I didn’t know what to do, or rather, whether or not I should do something, eventually we were going to have to speak but I wasn’t sure where I stood with him.
If this was something he did, sleeping with women who caught his eye before discarding them, then I was going to have to deal with it and fast, because I needed this job.
I sighed and looked through my emails. I made a few appointments and began to work on a report that needed to be finished by the end of the day. Around 11:30 Jimmy came down the corridor holding a small brown package.
“For Mr Clarke?” I asked picking up the phone.
“No, for you actually.” He smiled. “I thought I’d bring it up myself and see if you wanted to head out for lunch?”
I frowned and looked at the package, I hadn’t been expecting anything. Jimmy handed it to me and I opened it. Inside was a wilted rose head, and a picture. Of me in the dress at the apartment, walking towards Tobias, and then another of us getting out at Tobias’ place. I shoved them back into the packaging and pulled out a small blue post it note. I see you.
My stomach dropped and I bit my lip. Ben . He was following me, he knew I had spent the night with Tobias, he knew where I lived…. Again. I looked up at Jimmy and ignored the darkness of the contents of the package chucking it to the side.
“Yes. Lunch sounds good.”
I stood up and left my desk, following Jimmy down the corridor. Getting out of the office and away from Tobias, and the package was exactly what i needed.
“So how are you finding working for Mr Clarke?” Jimmy said, after taking a bite of his BLT sandwich.
I picked an olive out of my chicken salad and popped it in my mouth. “He’s fine. I swear people over react.” I swallowed the olive. “Most of the time at least.”
Jimmy nodded. “You know, apparently he took a date to some big time function over the weekend. He’s never done that before.”
I looked down at the salad and shrugged. “He has no family anymore… he didn’t want to go alone.”
I needed to tell someone it was me, and I needed them to know that I hadn’t gone with him with the intention to seduce him. No matter what his intentions had been, I had just been helping him out. In the beginning anyway.
“It was you?” He asked surprised.
“The things PA’s do.” I murmured. “Don’t say anything to anyone though. Can’t have me undermining his rep.”
“The only people I know don’t give a rats, but I won’t say anything.”
“Thanks.”
Jimmy smiled and placed his sandwich down. “Was it fun?”
“The Ball?” I laughed. “It had some high points, but mostly I just felt out of place.”
The high points all involved Tobias. A thought I wanted to forget.
After lunch I went back to my desk and began to work on the report again. My IM popped up from Tobias midafternoon.
Tobias Clarke: Do you have my afternoon schedule?
Ruby Moritz: Yes, I’ll bring it through.
I closed the IM box and printed off a copy of the afternoon schedule. I walked into his office without knocking and placed it down on his desk. I was frowning, I could feel it. Tobias just smiled up at me and grazed his chin with his thumb and forefinger. He was amused.
“You could have emailed it.” he replied finally. “Although, I must admit, I like seeing angry Ruby.”
I huffed and folded my arms across my chest. “Anything else, sir ?”
“No.” He replied, his smile dropped. “Thank you.”
He glanced down at the schedule. I turned on my heel and went to stalk out of the room. But I stopped. Against my better judgement I turned and walked back over to his desk and shook my head.
“Was there something else?” He replied, without looking up.
“Yes. As a matter of fact there is.” I exclaimed, I tried to sound angry, but mostly I think I just came off curious. “Was I just another one night stand?”
Tobias looked up, his eyes locked on mine and he grated his jaw. He looked at the open door and stood up. He didn’t say anything, he just walked across the floor to close the door, and lock it . My heart began to race, A quick exit wasn’t possible now, I should have waited.
“Honestly?” Tobias whispered from behind me. “I had hoped that sleeping with you would have got whatever it is about you that's messing me up out of my system.”
“Oh.” I mumbled. Struggling to hide my hurt.
“The thing is.” he began, moving back towards his desk, and back towards me. “The want never went away.”
I frowned, what the hell was that supposed to me. I turned to look at him and shrugged. “Am I supposed to be flattered?”
Tobias shook his head as he zeroed in on me, before turning and sitting on the edge of his desk. “No, in fact, you should run… as fast and as far as you can from me.”
“I already told you I wouldn’t.” I replied. “And I wish you’d stop thinking of yourself so poorly.”
Tobias smiled and looked up, hooking my gaze with his hypnotic icy blue eyes.
“You walked into my office, and instantly my mind drains of anything other than you.” He whispered.
“You’re just saying that.” I murmured. “You don’t want me to quit.”
“You already said you won’t leave… and I’m saying it because it's the truth.” Tobias stood up and moved closer to me. He took my hand in his and placed it on the waistline of his pants. I sighed as my hands grazed over a very large bulge.
“And believe me when I say this, No one… ever has had this effect on me.”
I gulped and looked down at my hand. This was crossing about ten different boundaries and breaking just as many rules. I wanted to be stronger and walk away, it would have been the wise thing to do. But I couldn’t.
“What do you propose we do?” I whispered. “We can’t have this distracting you all afternoon. You have a schedule to abide by.”
Tobias chuckled and wrapped his arms around my waist. “I’m free for the next 30 minutes. I uh, have some paperwork on my desk we need to work on. Together.”
“Is that so?”
Tobias nodded, he pulled his smile into a thin line before turning around and wiping everything, bar his computer and phone onto the floor. It would have been amusingly cliche had I not been so turned on. He grabbed me, lifting me onto the desk, pulling my skirt up and panties down simultaneously. He groaned and unbuttoned his pants before leaning down and kissing me, pulling me into his orbit, and just like that I was lost in his world again. He entered me without much preparation, but just being around him, feeling how ready he was had set me off. I was filled with want for him, a hunger only he could satisfy. He hooked his arm around my waist, pulling me close to him, I buried my head in his neck, inhaling his deep musky scent.
We moved together quickly, both aware that despite only the two of us being on this floor, the threat of being caught was still very real.
Tobias let out a guttural groan as he lifted his head up. “I can’t get you out of my mind.” He murmured. His words should have felt like a compliment, but the undertone of his voice left me wondering if maybe it was regret.
He kissed me, stopping my mind from wandering once more.
All too quickly I gave him all control of my senses. My body both tensed and relaxed, I was so close to the edge that one more move I’d fall helpless to stop the damage that would surely follow.
I let out a whimper, wound up by the need of release.
“Let go.” He whispered, brushing his lips against the lobe of my ear.
I listened, in the office he was my boss. I did as I was told. We were mixing business with pleasure and deep down I knew that it couldn’t end well. But as I fell apart in his arms I didn’t care.
Tobias followed, submitting to his own release with a shuddered thrust. We were both breathless, using one another for support.
“Do you think you’re just a one night stand now?” Tobias murmured, resting his forehead against mine. He held onto me, and I onto him. Like we both was afraid to let go.
I shook my head, still too breathless to speak. “Good.” he murmured.
He released me finally, and I quickly pulled my panties up and straightened my skirt while he pulled his pants up and fastened the button and his belt.
“I’d better um.. Get back to that report.” I murmured walking to the office door. Tobias didn’t say anything until I turned the lock.
“I’ll give you a ride home after work.” he exclaimed.
“I live three blocks away now remember.” I smiled turning my head back to look at his face. He nodded and raised his hand to his chin as a smile crossed his face.
“Okay, well how about you join me for dinner, and I’ll take you home after?”
I smiled back and nodded. “I’d like that.”
I walked out of the office and into mine, slipping behind the desk. I sat down whilst nervously biting my lip. Tobias and I had crossed all kind of lines already before I’d even walked into his office this morning, but sex, on the desk during work hours… that was something else entirely.
I wanted more, needed more than just sex. Even if logic and reason told me to listen to his warnings and stay away. I could tell there was something going on, something dark he carried inside himself. Maybe he’d never share what it was, but I was already drawn in, lost in the person that was Tobias Clarke.