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It’s the hard knock on the door that has him going still and when he pulls away, his hand releasing my hair, I feel limp. I’m only standing with his support right now. My legs are like noodles, and my brain is complete mush.
“Hunter?”
Mr. Middleton hisses and then growls, “I’m busy!”
“You called me, asshole!”
The angry response of someone who has the audacity to insult my boss has me slipping back into my senses. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror affixed to a wall on the opposite side of the room and can’t believe what I see. I look like someone who almost got her common sense completely fucked out of her.
My curls are all over the place.
My cheeks are flushed.
My chest is bare.
My dignity lost.
“Oh, God,” I whisper, horrified at my behavior. “What did I do?”
“Do you have someone in there with you?” The same man’s suspicious voice asks.
“Go away, Vaughn. I’m not going to tell you again!” Mr. Middleton roars, and I still myself.
I hear something unfavorable mumbled on the other side of the door before the footsteps fade away.
When it’s just the two of us again, he takes a step toward me, and I immediately lift a hand to stop him in his tracks.
“No, that can never happen again.”
He arches a brow, “I don’t think you’re-“
“I’m not going to be your little plaything,” I say, suddenly furious with myself for my stupidity. “I should have known that you aren’t different from any other guy out here. All these nicethings that you were doing weren’t because you suddenly wanted to take care of your employee. You just wanted to get in my pants."
Mr. Middleton’s face grows cold.
“I assure you that if I want to fuck a woman, I won’t go in such a roundabout way to do it. There’s never been a lack of women to warm my bed.”
The crushing sense of humiliation is familiar to me, and my hands clench into fists.
“Then go find one of them. I’m not going to be somebody’s source of amusement anymore. I have more self-respect than that.” His eyes turn into slits, and his jaw ticks, but I don’t care if he’s angry. “I’m not going to be some toy for you to play around with until you get bored, sir.”
“You’re making it sound as if I was the only participant in this,” he says in a tone laced with venom. “You couldn’t keep your hands off me. You kissed me back.”
“That’s what you’re going to make me feel bad about?” My laugh is filled with bitterness. “That I kissed you back? You’re an attractive older man. Why not?”
“Older?” he scoffs, shaking his head.
“I’m not blind, and I’m not delusional. I’m attracted to you, but this is where it stops. You had your fun, but you also supposedly have your rules. If this is why you promoted me to a manager, then I quit. I’ll work somewhere else. I need this job but don’t need it that badly.”
“You’re so extreme.” His lips press together into a thin line. “Stop overreacting. It was just a kiss. It doesn’t mean anything. You’re a young, impressionable girl, and I don’t have a habit of bringing inexperienced women to my bed. Trust me, nothing was going to happen beyond that kiss. You think too highly of yourself, Miss Taylor; you’re not that special.”
My nails dig into my skin, but I barely feel it. The coldness that seeps into me as I’m put in my place quite effectively, my pride and self-worth crushed under deliberately ruthless words, is like a wake-up call.
Of course, he thinks I’m worthless, too.
Just another piece of meat, a body to fuck or use.
Nausea curdles my stomach, my hands go limp, and my fists uncurl.
