He arched a brow. “Your point? I’m the boss. If I want to kiss my assistant instead of showing up at the office on time, I will, and no one can tell me otherwise.”
“Not even said weary assistant?”
He patted my ass and grinned. “You’re not weary. You had ten hours of sleep. You’re rested and ready to face another week of working for your intolerable boss.”
Rising on my toes, I slid my palm over his chest to the side of his neck. “You’ve become extremely tolerable lately.” I touched my lips to his. “Likable even.” Another kiss. “I’d even say sweet.”
He scoffed. “You were selling it, then you went too far.”
“Don’t argue with me.”
My ass was treated with another squeeze. “Go shower. You’re late for work.”
I was still smiling while I was washing my hair, but something niggled at the back of my mind. Something Elliot had said. I couldn’t quite grasp what it was, though. I felt like I should have been worried, but I didn’t know what to worry about.
So I decided to let it go.
The rest of the day could crumble to shit from here on out; this would still be one of the best mornings I’d had in years.
Hi!
It took two letters and one stupid exclamation point to spoil the fun.
Although Elliot and I hadn’t arrived at work until ten, by noon, I was sitting with Davida and Raymond at our favorite café, having lunch and hashing over the text Liam had the audacity to send me today.
“That’s really all he had to say?” Raymond punched his palm, which was funny because there was absolutely nothing tough about him. He even winced slightly at the contact. “Fuck that guy.”
Davida pushed my phone back to me. “Absolutely, darling. Do not reply to him.”
“Oh, I wasn’t planning on it.” I rubbed my temple, wishing I could have basked in my blissful night of sleep a little longer. “I’ve only just stopped being angry at him.”
Ray waved a fry at me. “He probably sensed it and decided he needed to remind you of his putrid existence so you didn’t get too comfy.”
“Or he’s bored,” Davida offered.
“Most likely that,” I agreed. “He’s not sensitive enough to have some type of Jedi awareness of the Force.”
Raymond cocked his head. “Are you sweet-talking me with nerd speak? You don’t need it, you know. I’ll babysit my girl for free any time you ask.”
I laughed, a drop of my good mood returning. “I know you will. She told me she missed Daddy Ray. We’ll have to hang out this weekend if you’re free.”
He and Davida exchanged a glance. A loaded one.
“At your place?” he asked, but the way he’d said it, it sounded like he was asking something else entirely.
I should have known this was coming. They’d both asked, more than once, to visit us at my house. At first, I obviously kept them away because I lived in a hellhole. And now…well, I lived in a castle with my boss and wasn’t ready to face their disapproval.
“I was thinking the park,” I hedged.
“I don’t know.” He scratched his chin and hummed. “I think Joey wants me to see her room.”
Davida patted his hand. “Cut the shit, darling. Ray and I want to know what’s going on with you and Elliot.”
I blinked at her, heat rising up my chest. “What do you mean?”
She peered at me down her nose. “You arrived together almost two hours late and he’s been smiling at you so much, I wondered for a moment if he’d been body snatched. You’re fucking, aren’t you?”
I fell back in my chair, slowly shaking my head. “No. Not yet. I’m staying with him temporarily.”
Raymond groaned, and Davida’s shoulders slumped. I’d disappointed them, and it made my bones feel far too big for my skin.
Raymond’s face scrunched in discomfort. “You’re staying…in his house?”
“I am.”
“That’s a terrible idea,” Davida stated. “You know this.”
I nodded. “I know it is.”
I could have explained he’d been helping me. That they didn’t know him the way I did, how sweet and gentle he was with Joey. That he’d let me sleep for ten hours while taking care of my daughter for no other reason than I needed it. The closet full of clothes, shoes and bags. The iced coffees and notes, dinners together, his mouth on mine…
And they would still tell me getting involved with the man who held all the strings was a wretched, awful decision.
“So stop,” Raymond urged. “Pull back. Get out of it before it’s too late.”
“I know this is difficult to hear, but we’re looking out for you,” Davida added. “Selfishly, I truly don’t want to lose you as a coworker, and I would loathe for this to ruin your professional reputation.”
“I do hear you,” I told them. “I’ll think about it.”
Raymond puffed his cheeks and blew out a heavy breath. “Fucking him, I get. He’s mean and hot. What I don’t understand is how you ended up staying with him.”
“It’s Liam’s fault if you must know.”
“Well, of course it is,” Ray replied. “Explain.”
Since I was in for a penny, I decided to be in for a pound and spill the mess Liam had left me to wade through. It was a relief not to keep it to myself anymore and a convenient way to deflect attention off Elliot and me.
Davida eyed me shrewdly throughout the rest of lunch, but she had said her piece, so she let it go for now.
I had just enough time for a quick pumping session before I needed to be back at my desk. Before I could close the door, Elliot stepped in behind me.
The lock clicked, then he was on me, herding me into the wall and cradling the back of my head. His mouth crushed against mine, taking me by surprise. My gasping lips allowed him entry, swirling his tongue with mine.
He kissed me dirty, but his hands were chaste, combing my hair, stroking my cheek. The combination of sweet and carnal confused my system so completely I allowed it to happen, kissing him back with the same amount of fervor.
Voices right outside the room brought me back to earth. We were at work. Our coworkers were close enough for us to hear them. Anyone could have seen Elliot follow me in here. What was I thinking?
I bit his bottom lip hard enough for him to jerk back.
“What are you doing?” I panted.
“You weren’t at your desk.” He frowned down at me. “I wanted to have lunch with you.”
“Well, I had lunch with Davida and Raymond. You had breakfast with me.”
He brushed my hair aside to kiss along the side of my neck. “I wanted more. I was forced to eat alone at my desk.”
“You could have left your office.” My toes were curling in my shoes from his warm lips dragging along my skin. “We can’t do this here, Elliot.”
I should have said I wasn’t sure we should be doing this at all, but I couldn’t force the words out. If I did, he might have agreed, and I really didn’t want him to.
“I’m not going to fuck you, sweetheart. I just want to kiss you.” He slowly lowered his mouth to mine. “Let me.”