AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I just woke up,” I hedged, and the moment I said it, I knew I sounded like an idiot.
“With your clothes on?”
I didn’t know what to say, so I shrugged. Katie narrowed her eyes at me, and I had the feeling she wasn’t buying it. But I wasn’t going to tell her what had been happening. Maybe I would tell her at some point, but that point was not now.
Even though Katie must have guessed I was hiding something, she let it go. She knew I would tell her when I was ready. It was one of the reasons Katie and I had stayed friends for so long. We were opposites in many ways, but I valued Katie as my friend. She was always there for me no matter what.
We talked a little about trivial things before we left, then I finally headed home. As soon as I walked into my own bathroom, I peeled off my dress and stepped under the hot spray. It felt great to clean up, but the hot water did nothing to sort out my confused mind.
When I climbed out of the shower and checked my phone, I had a new text message.
I had a great night with you, sexy. Pity you had to leave so quickly, I was very ready for round two ;)
I smiled, and warmth spread through my chest. No matter how much I panicked about us and how unsure I was as to someone finding out about our relationship, there was no denying that Brett made me feel amazing. I really liked him. I couldn’t say I was in love, and I wouldn’t ever let myself get that far. I was fully aware that what we were doing would never be able to last. But I enjoyed spending my time with him. I felt I could relate to him on a level I hadn’t been able to relate to anyone before, and I would enjoy it while it lasted. The way he treated me made me want to see him again, to be with him as much as I could. Maybe, instead of trying to push away from him completely, we could take every day as it came. It would be better that way because it was impossible for me to avoid him. So far, nothing had gone wrong, and maybe he was right when he had said that everything would be fine.
Chapter 13
Brett
When I arrived at the office on Monday morning, reporters and cameramen buzzed around the front door like flies. What was going on? The company hadn’t gotten media coverage like this since we had launched some new products that had been received as scandalous by some. Surely, this was a mistake. I couldn’t think of any reason why they would be hovering around in front of the building.
The moment someone spotted me, they all rushed me, and I was suddenly crowded, pressed on all sides by people asking questions and shoving microphones into my face.
“Is it true that you’re sleeping with your intern?” I heard one of the reporters ask, and my stomach dropped.
“Was it a one-night stand or full-on relationship?”
“Is she getting any benefit from the relationship, or do you have an understanding?”
I couldn’t believe they were badgering me like this, asking me questions without respecting my privacy or my social standing. But I guessed that was the paparazzi. They never cared about anyone’s feelings or personal space. The right to privacy was a novelty that only the inconsequential had access to.
“No comment,” I kept saying whenever they asked me another question. I couldn’t even tell them that I didn’t know what they were talking about, because they would twist my words and make it sound different than I meant it. I’d had enough experience with the paps in the past to know that the only thing they were after was a good story. They didn’t even care if it was the truth. A popular story didn’t have to be factual, and even if it was proved to be a rumor afterward, the world would run with it nevertheless. So I kept mumbling “no comment” until I managed to reach the front door of the building.
The doorman helped me wrestle the door open, and security had to drive the journalists and reporters back so that I could make it to the elevator without being ambushed again. The moment I was in the elevator, the first thing I did was call for extra security. They might not have respected my personal privacy, but I had the right to keep them out of the building.
When I was alone, my stomach turned. It wasn’t possible that they could have found out, was it? No one had known about my dinner date with Erica. I doubted Shane would have run to the press. The downfall of the company would affect him too. And Katie? I was sure Erica had told her best friend what was going on—wasn’t that what women did? Gossip about everything? But she didn’t seem like the type to sell information. I was hoping to God it was just a rumor, something they had thought up to knock me in the gut.
