Page 24 of An Illicit Seduction

“Girl, we gotta go.” She hadn’t yelled but the emphasis on her words held a deeper meaning that Seraph was able to pick up on.

Nodding slowly, she blinked away the fog of lust that had begun to settle over her mind. “That’s right. We’re on a bathroom break.”

From behind, Yolanda let the door to the restroom swing close and placed a hand on both Seraph and Marissa’s backs, guiding them toward the other end of the hallway. “Come on, they’re waiting on us!”

The helpless look that Seraph wore wasn’t an act. Damon rendered her completely incapable of making the right decisions, but she had these two women here blocking the invisible hold he had over her.

“I gotta go,” she said apologetically.

“Okay.” His response was simple, but Seraph knew it was anything but okay. “I’ll be seeing you later, Seraph.”

She licked her lips at his veiled threat and faced forward, leaning into Marissa as she turned the corner and reentered the main area of their floor.

“Where’s your office?” Marissa asked her in a low voice.

Gesturing with her chin, Seraph steered them to the right. “We’re working out of the conference room today.”

The three women made their way through the maze of cubicles until they reached the glass wall of the conference room where several people were sitting in cushioned chairs at odd intervals around the oblong table. Some were pouring over papers while others typed away on laptops. Nearly everyone wore headphones or wireless earbuds as they worked. Seraph pulled her arm from Marissa’s and turned to the two women to thank them when her eyes collided with Damon’s. Maybe it was her bewildered expression or the way she gasped when she saw him, but Marissa didn’t even hesitate. Instead of turning to see what—or who—caused Seraph’s reaction, she reached around the woman and opened the door of the conference room and pulled her inside.

Seraph blinked rapidly and led them to the section of the table that she had commandeered. Taking a seat, she pulled her laptop toward her and watched as Marissa sat and grabbed the sheaf of papers sitting alongside the computer. She turned to Yolanda.

“YoYo, go on to our department, but keep an eye on him and text me when he leaves. That’s when I’ll come out.”

Yolanda nodded and started for the door, but Seraph grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

“Thank you, Yolanda. You didn’t have to do this, but I appreciate it more than you know.”

The other woman shook her head. “Nah, sis. I had to. We have to look out for each other because if not us, then who?” With that, she left the room.

Releasing a heavy breath, Seraph shook her head. “I’m a fucking mess.”

With a sharp tap on her forearm, Marissa got her attention. “No, ma’am. None of that. You’re strong and will get past this.”

Seraph chuckled humorlessly, keeping the sound low so as not to attract undue attention from the rest of her team. “You wouldn’t say that if you knew why I was avoiding him.”

Marissa stared at her for a moment, and then asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Glancing around the conference room, Seraph checked for any inquiring eyes and found none, but she couldn’t shake her paranoia. Leaning forward, she dropped her shoulders.

“You probably think he’s beating me or something but—”

“Girl, that man could be harassing you about a stapler for all I care.” Marissa leaned closer and dropped her voice until Seraph had to strain her ears to hear her next words. “I know fear when I see it, and the look I saw on your face—in your eyes—when you were at that sink was all the explanation I needed to make a move.”

A muffled buzzing sounded, and Marissa sat back in her seat, reaching into the neckline of her shirt and retrieving a cell phone. She stared at the screen for a second then looked up at Seraph.

“He’s gone.”

Before she could say anything else, Seraph grew overcome with gratitude and wrapped her in a tight hug, whispering, “Thank you,” into her ear. When she pulled back, Marissa gave her a hard stare.

“When he said that he’d see you later…was that the threat it sounded like?”

Seraph cringed. The way those words had rolled off of his tongue and the knowledge of what he meant by it made her loins quiver. “It definitely was, but not like you think. Don’t worry, though. I’m leaving early and he has no idea where I’m going. He won’t be seeing me later at all.”

Marissa pursed her lips. “Okay, but that’s just for tonight. If this guy is seriously a problem then maybe—”

Reaching over, Seraph grabbed Marissa’s hands over her cell phone and squeezed them. “He’s not a serious problem. Not really.” She squinted as she thought about it. “I mean…he is, but not like you think. It’s just—” Breaking off mid-sentence, she shook her head and squared her shoulders, looking Marissa straight in the eye. Rambling would not get her point across.

“Look. I am incredibly grateful that you’re concerned for me, and I could never repay you for how you came through for me back there. I just need to get through tonight without running into him again. That’s my only priority right now. I can’t even think about tomorrow or the next day.”