Then he pulled my dress back over my thighs and ran his fingers through my hair.
I heard him zipping his pants up and buckling his belt. I could barely see his face in the darkness, but I could feel him staring at me—like he always did when we were finished.
I tried to channel my anger and confusion into something else, anything else, but the ocean sounds and blasting headphone music in the room were way too loud. There were even a few people snoring.
“Follow me.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me up. He pushed a panel in the wall that was behind us, leading me into a dark room with a wooden conference table.
He quietly slid the panel back into place and locked it. “Let’s eat lunch together.”
What?
He must’ve noticed the look on my face because he smiled. “It’ll only take thirty minutes of your time. The Zen session will be over by then.”
I was speechless. I couldn’t believe the nerve of him, to literally f**k me in a room full of my closest colleagues and then have the audacity to suggest lunch.
“I’ll have our lunch brought in here.” He started drawing the blinds open. “What do you want to eat?”
I didn’t answer.
“Claire?” He turned around. “You know I’m not a huge fan of unanswered questions...”
“A grilled chicken salad, hold the sex please.”
He laughed and pulled his phone out of his pocket.
“Does every room at Statham Industries have a secret hidden passage?” I asked.
“No, not all of them, just the executive ones. They’re more of a fire safety measure, but they clearly come in handy for other things...”
I rolled my eyes and sat at the table.
“Angela? Could you have someone bring me two grilled chicken salads and two sweet teas to the executive en-suite on level twenty-four? You’re the best. Thanks.” He sat across from me. “The door to your left leads out into the hallway by the way.”
“Duly noted...”
“Are you upset with me?”
“I don’t know what I am. I’m not sure how I should feel after being f**ked in front of all my coworkers.”
“Elated, maybe?”
“There are a lot of words that come to mind. That definitely isn’t one of them.”
“Well, next time just turn around. I’m sure no one saw anything. Most of them were falling asleep...Can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead...”
“Do you ever do the dating thing or do you just stand people up whenever they ask you out?”
“I don’t do the dating thing.”
“Why not?”
I shrugged. “I don’t want to be disappointed again, if you know what I mean...” I started thinking about Ryan and immediately steered the conversation away. “Do you do the dating thing?”
“I’ve been trying to...The woman I’m currently after is the most difficult woman I’ve ever pursued.”
“She’s probably out of your league. Why don’t you just date a supermodel?”
“Not interested. I’ve done that before.”
Oh...“Well, why not an actress?”
There was a knock at the door.
“I did that before too...There’s not much substance in any of those women honestly, but I can’t really blame them. They become just like everyone else in the industry.” He opened the door and retrieved our lunch. As he carried the boxes back over to the table, he looked at me. “I know this is random, but I’ve been meaning to ask you this: Do you have a fascination with white and red flags?”
“What?”
“Your necklaces and the charm bracelets you wear. All of them have white and red triangle flags.”
“Oh...No, I wouldn’t call it a fascination. I just like flags.”
“Interesting...”
He passed me my salad and tea, and the two of us ate in complete silence.
Every now and then, I would look up at him and he would smile. Despite the fact that I was upset with him for what he’d pulled minutes ago, I couldn’t help but smile back.
It was strange for me to actually enjoy being around someone in silence, but he and I slipped into silence all the time. With anyone else it usually felt boring or awkward, but with him it always felt natural.
“Thank you for lunch.” I stood up once I was done. “It was very sweet of you, but we’re not doing it again.”
“Why not?”
“Because whatever this is between you and I is strictly physical. I get mine and you get yours. That’s it.”
“Okay, Claire.” He smirked.
“I mean it.” I put on my best non-negotiable face. “This is strictly about sex.”
“I’m not doubting you, but if you keep standing there and looking at me like that, you may not make it back downstairs.”
I rolled my eyes and walked out of the room.
Monday was the best and worst day of the week: “Best” because it meant that after a weekend without any sex, it was finally going to start up again. “Worst” because Mr. Barnes insisted on scheduling the bulk of our meetings and presentations on that day.