Authors: Tamsyn Bester
“No, I won’t be your date.”
“Well, why not? I thought we had a connection?”
“You just called me poor, Drew.That’s rude. I might not be able to afford a fancy dress, but at least I have something money will never buy, and that’s class.”
“Cassey, wait, I - ”
Before he has a chance to finish his sentence I finish the call. I glare at my
phone as if it’s Drew’s face and resist the urge to throw it against the wall.
Or even better, out the window and int the sprawling streets far down below.
“Are you okay?”
I spin around, and stumble into Kyler’s chest. He must’ve come and stood
closer to me at some point during my conversation with Drew.
The anger on his face and in his eyes has me wondering how much of that
conversation he’s heard.
“Yes,” I reply meekly. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine,” he remarks. “What did Blake say to you?”
It takes me a minute to recognize Drew’s surname. “How do know Drew?”
“We went to college together. He’s a complete dog. Now tell me what he said
to upset you?”
With a slow, relaxing exhalation, I reply, “Nothing, it’s not important. Let’s get
back to work, okay?”
I brush past him and sit back down in front of my desk. Kyler sits back down
next to me, and I startle when I feel him squeeze my hand. I stare down at
where his hand engulfs mine, feeling that familiar, intense pull between us. It
wasn’t Drew who I had this crazy, ridiculous attraction to. It’s Kyler. I don’t
understand it, and it scares me.
The apartment is quiet when I walk in. I’m beyond exhausted after my first late
night working late with Kyler and in desperate need of a big glass of red wine.
A delicious smell catches my attention and I drop my purse and laptop bag in
the small entryway on the way to the kitchen. Quinn has her back to me, and
she’s wearing her black sweats and a navy blue tank top.
Not a good sign.The source of the mouthwatering smell is a batch of red velvet
cupcakes sitting on the counter.
“Quinn?”
She spins around, pulling earphones out of her ears. Her eyes are red and puffy,
and her lips are swollen from nibbling on them. I know these signs too well.
They only surface when Quinn and Jarred fight.
“Are you okay?” I ask her, walking to where she stands on the other side of our
kitchen island.
“No,” she sniffs.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
She shakes her head, mumbling a “no” and decide to drop it. But I don’t quite
like the alarm bell it raises in my mind. Quinn tells me everything. We have
no secrets.
“But I should apologize to you,” she adds.
I frown. “For what?”
“Drew.”
Ah. Yes. The asshole who called me poor, and then expected me to accompany
him to his parents anniversary party.
Expelling a heavy breathe from my lungs, I sit down on one of the bar chairs
surrounding the kitchen island. Quinn’s heads finally comes up and she looks
at me. Her expression is one of both apology and guilt.
“Giving him my number was a shitty thing to do,” I admit. “But I’m more
pissed that he called me poor. And the only way he could know that is if you
told him where I come from.”
“I didn’t tell him,” she replies, hiccuping. “Jarred did. I would have never told
him you don’t come from money, and I told him he shouldn’t have done that.
I’m sorry for giving Drew your number,especially without asking,but I thought
I was doing you a favor.”
“Why? Because I don’t get laid as often you do?” My voice is angrier than I
intend and Quinn flinches.
“I just… I just…” she stutters. “I’m just tired of seeing you alone, Cass. You
don’t think I see the way you look at couples when we pass them on the street,
but I do. You want that, and you’ve been so caught up with work that you never
take the time to meet people. I thought it would be good idea to see if you and
Drew have a connection. But I see now that he’s not worth it. You deserve so
much more.”
Looking at Quinn, and how this has clearly upset her, I can’t be angry.
It doesn’t mean I’m happy about what she did, but it means that she gets away
with more than anyone in my life because she’s my best friend, and pretty
much the only real family I have. I smile inside, knowing that she really does
want the best for me and her heart was in the right place. Her observations
aren’t far off though, and I’m beginning to see what it is she’s talking about.
“You can’t play matchmaker, Quinny.”
“I know,”she sniffles again.“And I’m sorry. I just want you to be happy, and find
someone who will love you, and treat you the way you deserve to be treated.”
I stand up and walk over to her, pulling her into a hug. “It’s fine, I get it. But
promise me you won’t do it again, please?”
With a weak smile she nods. “Promise.”
After the first night Cassey and I work on her presentation, we settle into a
routine and work late most nights of the week. I wasn’t sure what to expect,
but after the firs night I understood why my father feels she has a bright future
here at Knight Media. She’s intelligent, and while I shouldn’t be thinking of
her in any other way other than professionally, I can’t help being attracted to
her and her smarts. It’s rare to find the full package, but she’s it. Gorgeous and
smart with a spitfire attitude.Three very dangerously sexy qualities in a woman.
Before I know it, a week passes, and it’s the night before her presentation. She’s
sitting in my office, looking sexy as fuck in a tight black skirt and dark blue top
that makes her tits look bigger. It’s a little difficult to concentrate on anything
else with her looking like that. My phone vibrates in my pocket an I force myself to drag my gaze away from Cassey, and check who’s contacting me.
It’s a text from Jessa. I’ve been avoiding her, or rather ditching her, for the last
few nights so that I can work with Cassey. And now she’s pissed.
I ignore it and slip my phone into my pocket. I’m not in the mood to talk to
her, especially not about this. I haven’t seen her since the first night Cassey and
I worked late, and my right hand is starting to cramp from all the times I’ve
had to jack off this week. Usually I’m happy to have Jessa on speed dial to help
relieve some sexual frustrations, but something about it seems unappealing
now. And I have no doubt it’s because every sexual fantasy I’ve had lately has
involved me, my desk and Cassey.
I lean against my desk and watch Cassey on the other side of the room. She’s
staring at her laptop, her nose is scrunched and she’s biting her pencil. I can almost hear her thinking from here. She looks fucking sexy when she does that.
It’s almost eleven p.m and as much as I hate having to send her home, she
needs to sleep and be rested for tomorrow. It’s a big day for her, but I know
she’ll nail it.The Board would be idiots not to accept her proposal. It’s the next
logical step in bringing Knight Media into the future.
“Cass, I think it’s time we hit the road,” I tell her. “It’s pretty late.”
Her head whips in my direction. “Huh?”
I chuckle. She’s so lost in her own head that she didn’t even hear me talking to
her.
“It’s late, we should probably call it a night so that you can get some sleep.”
“Okay,” she replies, stretching her arms above her head. She makes a slight
noise, almost like a moan, and my cock stirs behind the zipper of my slacks.
She bends to slip her heels back onto her feet and I get the most magnificent
view of her ass. Holy fuck. My mouth goes a little dry, and my body freezes. It
feels like she’s teasing me, flaunting her curves. I want nothing more than to
slide that skirt over her hips and take her from behind while she’s leaning on
the arm of my sofa for support.
I shake the vision from my mind. She’ll take one look at the bulge in my pants
and know what I’m thinking.
Within ten minutes she’s ready to go. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she says, giving
me small smile.
“Wait, let me take you home.”
“No, that’s okay, thank you. It’s out of your way.”
I frown. “You’re not walking home, Cassey. I’ll have my driver drop you off.”
“I’ll get a cab,” she says adamantly. “I don’t want to inconvenience you.”
Is this girl insane? What kind of man would I be if I allowed her to hail a cab
and travel home alone at this time of night? My mother would skin me alive.
“No, you won’t. You’ll let my driver take you home. It’s not up for negotiation,
nor is it an inconvenience.”
Cassey bites her lip, and I can tell she’s fighting the urge to argue with me.
We’ve done that a lot this past week, and every time she argues with me, I envision what the angry hate sex would be like between us. I’ve wondered if she
would like having her hair pulled, and if she’ll bite me. I imagine she would,
despite giving off the innocent vibe.
“If you’re sure,” she relents.
I smile, and do a mental fist pump. Small victories and all that. “Let’s go then.”
I switch everything off and we walk out, making our way to the elevators.
The air between us crackles in the small enclosed space and I clench my fist to
stop myself from pushing the emergency stop button, just so that I can have
her up against the wall of the elevator, moaning into my mouth. My cock
hardens and I shift. Being in a car with her is suddenly a very bad idea. But it’s
too late now. The elevator dings and we walk in silence until I lead her to the
black town car waiting at the curb.
I open the door or her and she slides in, moving a little further away from me
than I would like. As the car pulls way, Cassey gives Charles, my driver, her
address. It’s only a ten minute drive, but those minutes feel longer. She fidgets
with her hands and I love closer, wrapping both her hands in one of mine.
She startles, and I don’t if it’s because she’s surprised or if it’s because she also
felt the zing of electricity that passed from my hand to hers.
“You’re going to be great tomorrow, don’t worry,” I reassure her.
Her smile is nervous. “I hope so.”
Just then, the car comes to a stop outside her apartment building. My hand
holds hers for a while longer, my desire to maintain contact winning out over
the need to let her leave. “Um…” Cassey shifts, looking a little uncomfortable.
“Thank you, for all your help.”
Her eyes drop to our hands and I see the indecision on her face. She can’t decide if this is okay or not, if this kind of contact between an employee and her
boss - although I don’t see her as my employee - is acceptable or stepping over
that imaginary line. I make the decision for her, and slowly remove my hand
from hers.
“I’m glad I could help,” I reply, moving away. “You’ll have to let me know how
it goes.”
Her head bobs, her features tight. “I will. See you tomorrow.”
I’m about to say goodnight, but she’s out the door in a flash, like she can’t wait
to escape. I sag back into the seat and watch her retreating figure disappear
into the building. She doesn’t look back, and I have no idea why but I wish she
would. Instead of over-analyzing our strange interaction, I tell Charles to drive
me home. I’m in need of yet another cold shower, and another night alone in
my bed.
“Well, Miss Emerson, we are very impressed with what you’ve shown us,” Mr.
Johnson, one of the executive Board members says. “And I have no doubt it
will be successful.”
I fight the urge to jump up and down like a three year old who just woke up to
find a pink tricycle under the christmas tree. “You’re accepting my proposal?” I
ask, sounding as nervous as I feel.
Mr. Johnson looks around at the other Board members, and then smiles. “Yes,
Miss Emerson, we are.”
After a few handshakes, and setting up follow-up meetings to start implementing the new Digital Publishing strategy, I stand in the Board room and
take a breath. I did it. I’m one step closer to achieving my dreams. The feeling
running through my veins is electric, and it gives me a high.
Mr. Knight, Kyler’s father, walks in after saying goodbye to the Board members and immediately pulls me into a hug.
“I’m so proud of you, Cassey. You knocked it out of the park, sweetheart.”
My throat tightens, and I blink back tears. I’ve never had anyone tell me they’re
proud of me before. “Thank you, Mr. Knight.”
He lets go of me and gives me a look. I imagine if my father was ever proud of
me, the look on Mr. Knight’s face is what it would look alike.
“It’s Robert, for the last time,” he chides. “And Estelle wanted me to remind
you about sunday lunch next week.”
Grinning wide, my chest warms at the mention of Mrs. Knight. She seems to
have taken a liking to me, and invites me to sunday lunch almost every weekend. Not once when I’ve been there did I see Kyler, which is why I never met
him before he started taking over the company from his father.
“Tell her I wouldn’t miss it,”I say.“I’ll have to bake her favorite chocolate cake.”
He kisses me on the cheek. “I’ll see you then, sweetheart.”
He walks out and I start packing up my stuff. I decide to put it back in my
office before heading to Kyler’s office to tell him the good news. He texted me
a Good Luck before the presentation, and it made butterflies take flight in my
belly. I reminded myself it was nothing, which it probably was. After all his
help, he deserves to know that it went better than either of us could have expected, and that’s the only reason I’m standing in front of his office. His bitch
of an assistant, Nikola, isn’t at her desk so I open Kyler’s door without knocking. The sight before me has me wishing I called to tell him the new good
news, or at least knocked before barging in.
Kyler is sitting in his desk chair, with Jessa Price straddling his hips. Thank
God the desk hides their lower halves. Her red hair whips around as she looks
at me. Kyler looks surprised, but I can’t tell if it’s because I charged into his
office or because I caught him doing something he shouldn’t be doing.
“Oh, crap,” I say quickly. “I’m sorry, I should’ve knocked.”
I hate the way seeing them so…intimate…makes me feel, and I hate the smug
look on Jessa’s face right now too, but most of all, I hate myself for wishing that
I was the one straddling him right now.
Why are you still standing here? GET.OUT!
“I - I…” I stammer. I spin on my heel, nearly tripping and eating hardwood
floor, and walk out of Kyler’s office. He called after me, and I hear Jessa protest, but I don’t stop until I’m standing in the elevator. Why am I so upset?
Kyler and I have been working together, that’s it. So why would seeing another
woman straddling him like that leave me feeling upset and… Am I jealous?
No, I’m not. I can’t be. He’s my boss.
“Cassey, wait!”
Kylers hand stops the elevator doors from closing and I look up to meet his
blue eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I say again. “I didn’t mean to interrupt - ”
“No, it’s fine, you weren’t interrupting anything important,” Kyler intercedes.
“It wasn’t what it looked like.”
“You don’t owe me an explanation, Mr. Knight. Who you’re with and what you
do in the confines of your office is none of my business. I should’ve knocked.”
And now? I hate the way my voice sounds. Like I’m a robot. Instead of getting
myself upset, I’m opting for something better, and emotionless - professionalism. Kyler frowns, no doubt puzzled by me calling him Mr. Knight, and acting
this way. I’ve become comfortable with him, and as distracting as his presence
is at times, I’ve come to enjoy his company. He’s funny, and charming, and
smart. Three things I happen to be dangerously attracted to. I won’t even talk
about his physical attributes that have had me rubbing my thighs together and
my cheeks flushed for over a week.
“What did you want to see me about?“ he asks, his brow furrowed.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” I lie. “Turns out I actually didn’t need you after all.”
The look on his hard face reveals his disbelief, but for some reason he doesn’t
push it. He just stares at me.
I need to get out of here, and fast, before I do something completely ridiculous
and cry.
Dammit
! I have no reason to cry!
“If that’s all, Mr. Knight, I need to get back to work.” I look down, unable to
keep my eyes on him much longer. I fear that he’ll see through my bullshit.
Without saying a word, Kyler steps back and I see the anger on his face. His
eyebrows are drawn, his eyes are hard and his jew is clenched. The doors close
and his disappears. I breathe out a sigh, relieved to be free of the tension that
was pulsating between Kyler and I moment ago. The only thought running
though my mind right now is
what the hell just happened and why am I so upset?