Tessa

I stand against Barclay’s office door. He leans over me, his hands above my head, caging me in. He gazes down at me, our labored breaths filling the silence surrounding us.

“Are you mad at me?” I stare up at him. The warring emotions in his dark eyes send shivers over my skin.

“Livid,” he speaks through a clenched jaw, nostrils flaring. I can’t bare him being this angry with me.

“I’m sorry.” My voice is as unsteady as my legs. Thankfully, the wall holds me up. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks, searching my face for an answer.

“I dropped off my résumé last week and didn’t hear a thing until this morning. I’ve messed everything up.” I swallow the lump in my throat, trying not to cry. Will he ever trust me again?

“HR went over the fraternization rules with you, right?” I nod, biting my lip.

“I texted you right after the job offer, but you must’ve been too busy,” I say in a rush. Barclay leans in closer, his breath against my cheek, and I inhale his clean scent.

“Our being together is strictly forbidden. If there’s even a hint that we’re sexually involved, I’ll be outed and your employment will end. It’s the kind of scandal the media pounces on with our names spread across the headlines. Barclay Hammond and his ‘young plaything.’ This changes everything between us, Tessa.”

“I can’t call you Barclay anymore, can I?”

“No, but I’d prefer ‘sir’ over Mr. Hammond.”

“Yes, sir.”

“That’s my sweet girl.” He brushes a strand of hair from my cheek.

“And the last time you address me that way.”

“Oh God, Tessa. How will I stay away from you now that I’ve tasted your lips, felt you tremble in my arms? Seeing you here every day is the closest thing to hell a man can imagine.”

“I can resign,” I suggest without a thought, but it’s crazy. Who quits their dream job the first day?

“I can’t ask that of you, nor you of me,” he says.

With the lightest touch, he runs his nose along my jawline and lets his lips linger against my tingling skin. I close my eyes, promising never to forget this moment with him.

I wait for Barclay to kiss me or pull me into his arms, but he doesn’t cross that line. Instead, he pulls away from me, stands tall, and stuffs his hands into his pants pockets. An invisible wall is rising between us.

His face changes, hardens, as he reverts to the man who drove away and left me standing alone on the sidewalk. The warmth and tenderness he’s shown me is replaced by an impassive mask.

My heart shatters into a million pieces. I may have landed a job beyond my wildest dreams, but I’ve lost the man of my dreams in the process.

My chin falls to my chest, preparing for the worst, but secretly hoping for a miracle.

“Look at me, Tessa,” Barclay demands, sternly. “I can’t risk my company. And we’ve only just begun getting to know each other. You’ll find someone.” He stops and swallows, revealing a chink in his steel armor. “But it can’t be me.”

He turns away, moving to stand at the wall of windows behind his desk. His back is to me, and my hands begin to sweat.

He doesn’t have to say another word. This is it. We’re over.

“Goodbye, Barclay,” I whisper, my voice wobbly.

Not waiting for his response, or lack of one, I leave his office and hurry past a startled Mrs. Mackenzie.

“Tessa,” his assistant calls out behind me, but I don’t answer or stop. I flee to the closest restroom and collapse inside a stall, crying to release the pain inside until I can breathe again.