Authors: Lena Black
His brow furrows.
“Over?” he asks, as if the thought pains and confuses him. However, since this is what he wants, I chuck it up for gas.
Maybe the burger isn’t settling well with him.
He continues, “I want you to be able to look at yourself when this is…over. I’ll try.” He takes in a profound breath.
“That’s all I ask.”
“To make
myself
clear, I’m going to fuck you senseless and often. I expect you to try to keep up, Hyde. This is still a sex-driven relationship.”
Using my words, cheeky.
“You don’t need to tell me that. I think it’s crystal clear.”
W
e’re in the elevator, silently riding it down to the lobby, when I get the urge to have his lips back on mine. An itch I must scratch. I turn toward Hunt with a desperate look in my eyes. He notices and faces me, moving closer so our bodies are flush. I urgently wrap my arms about his waist, as he cups my face with his large hands, tilting my face up to meet his.
We go in
, ready for more, when the doors open, revealing a woman in her seventies waiting in the lobby. She looks at the two of us in our disheveled state and gives us an all-knowing smile. Hunt straightens up and runs his fingers through his shaggy hair. He clutches my hand and leads me out of the elevator.
“Such lovely couple. You lucky man,” she comments with a heavy Italian accent.
“That I am,” Hunt replies, looking back at me with a side-glance and a kink in the corner of his mouth. I turn back to give her a smile before the doors seal shut.
W
e arrive back at the office with enough time to spare. We stand on the sidewalk for a moment, watching the others admiring expression. He takes out his phone, holds it up in front him, and presses a button.
“What did you do?” I ask.
He flips the phone around to show me the picture he snapped. I am gazing at him like a lovesick puppy. I cringe at the sight of my dopey expression.
“No! That’s awful,” I squeak.
He stares at me with a sexy grin. “I think it’s lovely. I’ll enjoy seeing it every time you call.”
I lean in and kiss him on the cheek. I turn to leave, but he clasps my wrist and yan
ks me back into his able arms, planting a slow, passionate kiss on my bruised lips. When we break, he breathlessly asks, “Can I come over tonight?”
“I’m going to have drinks with a friend after work, but I’ll be free later. I can call you when I get home.”
“Your friend, that kid from the other day? That doesn’t thrill me. He has feelings for you.”
“No. We were finished
a long time ago. He…”
“Wait…You two fucked?” he snarls.
“Yes, but he wasn’t…it wasn’t like that!”
“Emotions were involved?” He sounds technical about feelings.
“Yes. We don’t feel that way about one another anymore.”
“You can’t have drinks with him. I forbid it.”
“Excuse me? You can’t tell me what to do. That will never happen. You can either trust me or not, but you won’t tell me I can’t see my friend!” I growl back.
I pivot and walk into the building to escape him, but he follows. He clasps onto my wrist to stop me, but it’s the sensation I receive from his touch that halts me in my tracks. I turn to face him, eyes burning with lust and rage.
“I trust you.
You.
I can’t say I’ve much faith in him. Don’t be mad.”
“I’m not mad. I’m hurt.”
“Don’t be hurt…”
“
Don’t
tell me how to feel,” I snap, wrenching my wrist away from his electrifying grasp.
“Look, have fun. I
will
see you tonight. Call me when you arrive home.”
I turn quickly, walking back into the office I call out, “I wouldn’t hold my breath.”
I wave him off as I disappear from his line of sight.
T
he rest of the day creeps by at a sloth-like pace. At five, I check emails and messages, then gather my belongings. I need a drink after this long, Yo-Yo of a day. I can’t wait to tell Chase about it. I stride hurriedly to his office, and when I arrive, he’s finishing a call.
“Ok. Yeah
, we’ll figure out the details tomorrow…Sure, don’t worry about it…Ok, talk to you then. Bye.”
He hangs up and sinks back into his chair with a long exha
le. He peers at me with a tired but happy smile. “Hey, kid. You ready for that drink?”
“You have no idea.”
“Bad day?”
“Eh. We can talk over a drink. Let’s bounce.”
C
hase brings us drinks after he flirts with the pretty bartender, Naomi. He gets himself a beer and for me, a dirty martini.
Mmmm…tasty.
“How was lunch with Hunt?”
“It wasn’t good. However,
it was certainly better than our last confusing and embarrassing meeting.”
“Embarrassing? Why?”
“Oh! Didn’t I tell you? I went tumbling back onto the floor at the start of the merger.”
“What?!”
He’s laughing so hard snorts burst out.
“Shut up. Like you haven’t fa
llen flat on your ass before?”
I let out a giggle that turns into a roar. We glance at each other as we begin to wi
nd down and end up starting all over until tears trickle down our cheeks.
“Stop, stop. My sides…hurt,”
Chase begs, wiping the tears from his face. “So, it didn’t go well? Are you going to see him again?”
“We were supposed to get together tonight. I don’t think we will after the way he behaved. He is a tiring man. I don’
t know. He wants the type of relationship I promised myself long ago I wouldn’t do again.”
“What kind might that be?”
“The mostly fucking kind. You remember how it was,” I reply before taking a sip of my drink. “I like this guy, but honestly, can I do this without getting hurt? He said he would try for more, but he made it clear that this is not a happily ever after scenario.”
“I think you’re a grown
ass woman. You need to take her head out of the clouds and have some fun. You need to realize this is different because you’re not using it to cope.”
I hadn’t thought of it that way.
“Should I do it? What if people find out? He’s our boss. Everyone would lose respect for me. I’ve worked hard to be taken seriously. I don’t want to lose that.”
“Who cares what anyone thinks? I think you should give it a chance. If you don’t like it, you stop. Who knows what could happen?”
“Yeah, and how many girls you’ve casually fucked end up your girlfriend?”
“None…except you. Don’t underestimate yourself. You tend to do that a lot.”
“He wasn’t too happy you and I had a relationship. He forbid me to come here with you and then tried to cover his ass. But it bothers me that he thinks I would do anything with you.”
“Gee, thanks. Love you, too,” he says, pretending to be hurt.
“You know what I mean. He thinks you’re still in love with me.” His eyes shoot up to mine, wide with shock. “Crazy, right?” I ask.
“Yeah, downright mental,” he agrees, but he doesn’t look at me. He clears his throat. “Yeah, look, have fun, ok? You are young, gorgeous, and smart. You need to remember that. I know you think h
e’s too good for you, but that’s not true. He’ll come around when he gets to know you better.”
“Thanks. You’re a
sweetheart. You mean the world to me. Do you know that?”
“Yeah I do.”
Chase holds his bottle up. “To us.”
We clink glasses and enjoy the rest of our time talking, laughing, and generally being goofy.
When I get home, I decide not to call Hunt and head for bed instead, exhausted and a bit tipsy.
T
uesday is a long, hectic day. I have a lot of work to do, now that Olivia is back. I type letters, respond to emails, manage a phone that refuses to stop ringing, and deal with any crisis that pops up.
I stay in the office and eat lunch at my desk
, since the flow of the morning shows no signs of stopping. I get a few minutes of peace and decide to check my emails. I sift through all the junk, hitting upon one from my mom, reminding me of the function, and the plus one on the invite. I reply to let her know I received it. I go through the rest, uncovering one from Hunt. It reads.
From:
Damian N. Hunt
T
o:
Gabrielle Hyde
Received
:
Tues, Jan 22, 2014 at 5:45 AM
S
ubject:
About Yesterday
Gabrielle,
I am extremely disappointed I did not hear from you. I understand you are upset, and you have a right to be. At this point, I do not have th
e right to dominate what you do or whom you see. I hope to hear from you today. I will be expecting your correspondence.
Damian Hunt
P.S. I can’t stop thinking of sweltering lips and sumptuous gartered thighs.
I stare at my screen confused by his formality and then sudden change in direction. His delicious words make me quiver as they gently stroke me. I can’t deny I want him avidly, but I’m still hurt by his behavior, and I see no real sign of an apology. I won’t be pushed around, told what to do and when to do it.
I gawk at the sentence stating rights to domina
te and wonder what he means when he writes,
‘
At this point’
. He will never have the right to control what I do now or down the road.
I want to respond,
but I decide to ignore him instead as punishment for his infantile behavior.
The rest of the day is as chaotic as the morning rush. I notice
Olivia’s in good spirits. She asks me to get her a table at this place called Rush. I manage a reservation at six for two. I think it’s a hot date because she seems excited.
At five,
I ask Olivia, “Is there’s anything you need before I leave?”
“Did you get me a table at Rush?”
“Yes, your reservation’s at six.”
“Wonderful. Can I ask you one more thing?”
“Of course.”
“How do I look?”
She rises from behind her desk and does a little spin for me. She is dressed in a hot pink, knee-length dress with black patent leather heels.
“You look perfect. Big date?”
“Yes, hoping to make it official. It’s been a long time coming. I think he wants the same.”
“How can you tell?”
“He did something that hinted toward it.”
“Well, good luck. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Have a good night.”
“Will do,” I say as I leave her office.
I’m thrilled when I break free through the lobby doors into the crisp air of dusk, and I inhale acutely. I walk toward my apartment letting the fresh, chilly air blow against my face, cooling my nose and cheeks. I absorb the smells and sounds of the city around me, and my stress spills away. I hear my name and turn to see Chase catching up with me.
“Hey. How was work?” he asks as he arrives at my side.
“Hey. Shitty. You?”
“It had its moments, but I survived. I thought I would walk you home since it
’s getting dark. I wouldn’t want something to happen to you.”
“Ok. Th
anks, I appreciate it.”
We walk in silence for a bit until
Chase asks, “What happened with Hunt last night? Did you get any?”
“Oh god!”
My hand flies at his arm, aiming to smack him a good one, and he gracefully sidesteps out of my line of fire, laughing at me. I shoot him a mocking look of annoyance and childishly stick my tongue out at him. He comes back to my side and offers me an arm, which I gladly take, and we continue our stroll back to my place. “I didn’t call him. I went to bed instead. He was being immature, and I don’t condone petty conduct.”
“Says the girl who onl
y just tried to slap me and immaturely pouts when she fumbled her attempt at petty conduct. You show him who wears the pants!” he exclaims.
“Yeah, still him. I’m going to call, but I want him to stew in it first.”
Chase sees me to the front door of my building, and we hug goodbye and go our separate ways.
I’m anxi
ous to get upstairs and call Hunt. I get my cell phone and keys out, exiting the elevator. When I look up, I spot a black mass in front of my door. I realize it’s Julie huddled on the floor in a long, black trench coat. She is crying hysterically, holding her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth, staring blankly out into nothingness.