Fall into Her (Fall into Him Book Two) (2 page)

The question then became, if she didn't really know Philip like she
thought she did, she had to ask herself why she was with him and if their
relationship was really going anywhere. How close was she to him, really? And
if she wasn't close at all, did that mean he didn't care as much as he seemed
to appear to? Was it possible that he was actually just using her? And if he
was, what did that say about her that she'd fallen for all of those lines
designed to get her into bed? Well, a metaphorical bed anyway. She hated to
think herself that gullible, but if her past had proven anything it was that
she wasn't always the best judge of character, particularly when it came to
men.

That, of course, made her think about Brad. She knew him, understood
him. If Philip was her ultimate fantasy lover, what did that make Brad? Could
she actually be so shallow that she preferred a fantasy man who was possibly
just using her to the reality of a man she knew? The idea that she'd been so
superficial disgusted her, but she knew it was a possibility. How else could
she explain her behavior with Philip?

Jennifer sighed as the cabbie pulled up to the curb in front of her
building. Maybe it was time to stop pursuing the fantasy and get back to
reality.

Jennifer's palms were slick with sweat as she rode to work in a cab.
She could have called the car service and used the card Philip had given her,
but she balked at the idea. It seemed too much like him paying her for services
received. The job alone was almost too close to payment for comfort. She'd
originally considered taking the subway or even walking since the weather was
so nice, but the moment she'd seen herself in the mirror, she'd changed her
mind. Her face had been pale, her hands trembling. She hadn't slept well and it
had taken a large cup of coffee and a handful of crackers to start calming her
nerves. The problem was, she wasn't just anxious about how Philip would react
to her having left early the day before—though that was part of it. The
majority of her anxiety, however, was in regards to something a bit more
personal. Philip had already proven that he could cycle from hot to cold at a
crazy, rapid rate, and after what had happened before, she had no clue which
Philip would be waiting for her.

She'd dressed for ambiguity. A plain black skirt that ended an inch
above her knees, and a matching blazer over a white blouse. The ensemble
flattered her figure but she still looked professional. She'd opted for
simplicity for her hair as well, twisting it up behind her head again. It was
neat but would be easy to take out if she – or Philip – wanted.

***

Within minutes of arriving at work, Jennifer knew that Philip was in
the distant mode. He didn't mention anything about the previous day, not the
sex, the phone call or her early departure. In fact, he acted as if the entire
day hadn't happened at all.

At first, Jennifer thought it was a good thing that he wasn't making a
big deal about the whole thing and that he'd eventually thaw like he had
before. Maybe, she thought, he was embarrassed by his behavior and worried
about how she would react, so she kept things professional as she did the work
he asked of her.
Most of it was mindless, menial work that only
partially distracted her from the matter at hand.

As the morning went on, however, Jennifer began to wonder if Philip was
ever going to come around. Her previous frustration at his behavior began
creeping up on her. By the time she came back from lunch, she'd decided that it
was time to be proactive.

When Philip reentered the office, a serious, distracted expression on
his face, Jennifer gathered her courage and marched over to the desk. He hung
his jacket over the back of his chair while she tried to figure out what to do
with her hands. She'd settled on folding them in front of her when Philip
turned. A brief expression of surprise flitted across his face and then
disappeared behind a business-like mask.

“Have you finished proofing the shareholders' report?” He didn't meet
her eyes, focusing instead on shuffling papers on his desk.

“Yes,” Jennifer answered. She hesitated, then plunged ahead. “Can we
talk?”

Philip raised his head, his expression unreadable. “Go ahead. Talk.”

“Yesterday, when we were...” She flushed but pushed on. “When we were
in the records room, you got a...”

Philip's cell buzzed as an unfamiliar ringtone cut into Jennifer's
question. He held up a finger, putting Jennifer on pause, and pulled his phone
out. Jennifer waited as he read the text, trying not to let her frustration
grow. That became decidedly more difficult when Philip pocketed his phone and
picked up his jacket again.

“I have to step out for a few minutes.” He shrugged into the jacket.

Jennifer blinked. Had he seriously just blown her off without so much
as an apology?

“Stay put. I'll be right back and we'll get started on the next
project.” With that direction, Philip walked out of the office, leaving
Jennifer standing in front of his desk.

She was frozen there, unable to believe she'd just been dismissed so
rudely for the second time in two days. It was the sound of a woman's voice
that broke her paralysis.

“Philip, darling, how wonderful to see you.”

Jennifer turned. Philip hadn't closed the door all of the way behind
him. Jennifer was moving towards it before she even realized what she was
doing. A small part of her reminded her that Philip had told her to stay, but
she pushed it aside. She wasn't leaving the office and there was no way he'd
meant for her to stay at the actual desk. That would have just been absurd.

She peeked through the opening as the woman began to speak again. “It's
been too long. Time's been good to you.”

Jennifer's heart dropped as she laid eyes on the speaker. She couldn't
see a lot, but what she did see was enough. The woman, to whom Philip was
talking, was tall and slender with dark red curls that looked like they'd been
on the receiving end of a haircut more expensive than Jennifer's entire outfit,
probably more expensive than Jennifer's entire wardrobe, actually. And,
speaking of wardrobes, the woman's clothing was easily as well-tailored as
Philip's, which was saying something. Her face had the elegant features and
fine bone structure that women envied and men coveted. Jennifer suddenly felt
frumpy and decidedly unattractive. This was the type of woman one expected to
see with a man like Philip.

“Well, I don't have much time right now,” the stranger continued
talking again after pleasantries had been exchanged. “But I hope we'll get to
catch up more some other time.” Her voice was even and cultured.

Jennifer felt her stomach turn to ice as the woman handed Philip a
piece of paper and kissed him on the cheek. Philip watched the woman leave, and
though Jennifer couldn't see his face, she could only imagine the admiration
she'd see as he watched the woman go. The thought made her feel nauseous. Maybe
she'd been right before and Philip had just been using her for sex. She wasn't
like that lady. There was no way a woman like that would let any man tie her to
a filing cabinet and do those other things to her. And she certainly wouldn't
enjoy it. Her face flushed as she thought of all of the things Brad had said
about her when they'd been dating.

“It's a good thing you act like such a little whore. It's the only
way you'll ever get a promotion.”

“You better get used to doing whatever a man tells you to because
you're not a good enough fuck to get away with the vanilla stuff.”

“You should know, the only way a man's going to put up with your
shit is if you just shut up and do whatever he says.”

Even as Brad's words echoed in her mind, she couldn't help but wonder
if that was the way Philip saw her too: a woman willing to do whatever he said
for a job.

Jennifer shook away the memories and returned her attention to her
boss. As the woman disappeared, Philip glanced at the note and then shoved it
into his jacket pocket. Jennifer turned and hurried back to the desk. She still
wasn't sure if Philip had meant his statement literally or not, but she was
sure he wouldn't like her eavesdropping.

“On to business,” Philip's voice was brisk as he entered his office.
“Since we both left early yesterday, we're a bit behind.”

Jennifer waited for him to address the reasons for the early exits, but
it never came. Instead, Philip sat down and motioned for her to do the same.
She complied, still waiting for him to talk about the proverbial elephant in
the room.

“We don't have time for small talk,” Philip picked up a file and handed
it to Jennifer. “We need to look over the quarterly reports from each hotel and
make sure there aren't any discrepancies.”

Jennifer's mind was reeling but she accepted the folder. A question
popped into her mind. “Isn't this what accountants do?”

A ghost of a smile played across his lips but never fully emerged.
“True, but in my opinion, the owner should know his business better than some
accountant. I always look over the reports before sending them over for a more
detailed check.”

“Philip,” the near-smile had prompted Jennifer to be bold, “who were
you talking to?”

He waved a dismissive hand. “No one you need to worry about.”

Jennifer barely managed to keep herself from flinching. It wasn't the
words, really, but the tone, as if her place didn't merit a real answer. If it
had been business, shouldn't she know what it was about, if he was training
her? And if it wasn't business, that could only mean that it had been a
personal visit. And if they were in a relationship, shouldn't he be able to
share that with her too? Either way, it meant that she didn't mean as much to
Philip as she'd hoped—professionally or personally.

The rest of the day was a blur of numbers and columns, of short word
exchanges regarding only business. Jennifer didn't bring up the woman or the
day before or anything that wasn't related to the work at hand, and Philip
didn't volunteer anything. The more time that passed, the more Jennifer was
certain that Philip wanted her when he wanted her and nothing more.

When they'd finally finished the last set of papers, Jennifer
considered trying to talk to Philip again, but it was only a half-hearted
thought. She wasn't sure she had the strength for another run-around and she
knew that she certainly didn't have the stomach for it, not today anyway.

“I think we're done for the day.” Philip set down his pen without
looking at Jennifer. He stood. “If you want to go over things again, feel free.
Leave whenever you're ready.”

As he pulled his keys from his pocket, a piece of paper fluttered down
onto the desk. He was already half-way to the door when Jennifer realized what
it was he'd dropped. She opened her mouth to tell him, but he was already out
the door. She knew she should either take the note and go after him, or just
leave it for him to find tomorrow. Either of those choices would be the right
thing to do, but she didn't move.

She had so many questions, about Philip, about what was happening
between the two of them, and it didn't look like Philip intended to address any
of them any time soon, if ever. At least one of those questions had an answer
within arm's reach. What she wanted mingled with her curiosity, fueling her
desire. She'd always been a curious child, full of questions and always getting
into trouble when she tried to figure out things. It had only been with Brad
that she'd tamed that impulse because she often found out things she wished she
hadn't known. Now, with Philip, she found that the curiosity was back in full force.

“I shouldn't,” she murmured, as if hearing the words out loud would
make her not want to do it anymore.

It didn't work.

“Then again,” the curious questioning part of her countered. “It isn't
like I'm really snooping or anything like that. It's more rude or
inconsiderate, right?” She knew she was trying to justify what she wanted, but
she couldn't quite stop herself now that she'd started. It was just too easy to
make excuses. “And it's not like Philip's been all nice and polite himself.
He's had his own moments of being rude and inconsiderate.”

She reached out, her hand hesitating as it hovered over the note. The
brief internal debate raged for another minute before Jennifer snatched up the
wrinkled paper and spread it on the table in front of her.

The first thing that she noticed was that the handwriting wasn't as
feminine as she'd thought it would be. It wasn't particularly masculine either,
just neat and business-like. She supposed it just supported her earlier thought
that maybe this mystery woman would be a better fit for Philip. Then she read
the note and everything else faded away. She read the words twice, desperate to
draw meaning from something so cryptic.

Philip, it has been too long since we have seen each other. Now that
we need each other, perhaps we should forget our past and move towards a closer
relationship. I hope to see you soon. J.