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Grayson’s nostrils flare. “I’m not fucking Rachel. Take a breath, Emma. We need to talk.”
“Now? You haven’t spoken to me in days and now all the sudden, you want to talk after I caught you about to leave with Rachel?”
“She is going to lunch. I had no intention of joining her. We were discussing business.”
Staring into his beautiful blue-green eyes feels like claws shredding my heart to pieces. I love this man, and after everything we shared, having him stand here like we’re just a Boss and employee is killing me. It takes everything in me to keep my tears at bay. “I can’t have this talk. I’m not ready to hear how you’re sorry, that you cared for me, but it was never going to work. I’ve heard it before, and I can’t take hearing it from you.”
Bolting out my office, I don’t bother finding Claire. I want to get as far away from him, as quickly as I can.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Grayson
I’m leaning back in my office chair contemplating my decisions, as I’ve done every damn day this week, when Emma walks into the lobby. Her long, tight ponytail, knee-length black skirt, and stilettos stiffen my cock as I think back on the last time she wore that thigh-hugging skirt. She moaned repeatedly as her ass slid across my desk and my dick swelled inside her tight pussy.
Even though I don’t want to admit it to myself, I know the discomfort I’m feeling is because I miss her. I miss leaving roses on her desk every morning and the smile she’d have when she walked into my office with it. I miss being inside her and the way she’d give herself over to me, losing herself to my touch and her desperate need for me and me alone. But it doesn’t matter. I received the call first thing this morning. She’s been chosen for the Atlanta job. As soon as she opens her email she’ll discover it herself.
Running my hand along the stubble on my jaw, I watch her office door she entered minutes ago. As if on cue, she opens it, glances my direction and scurries to Claire’s office. No doubt she’s sharing the news of her promotion. I don’t need to ask to know she’ll accept it.
Our time together was always limited and deep down I knew that, but being with Emma brought a satisfaction into my life that I haven’t experienced in over ten years. Selfishly, I wanted to keep her close so that I could continue to indulge in her affections, but just as I expected, she chose the job over me. I know she thinks she loves me, but Arnold is right—it’s an illusion. She’ll move to the new job and it won’t be long before she catches the attention of another man. It won’t be long before she’s giving him her body and her love.
I pound my desk as anger surges through me. “Damn it!”
The son-of-a-bitch was right. It’s better that I ended things before my feelings got more involved.
In the corner of my eye, I catch her movement coming out of Claire’s office. Hesitantly, she approaches mine. As she enters, her expression is a mix of emotions I can’t fully read.
Awkwardly fidgeting, as if unsure how to approach me or the subject she wants to discuss, she finally blurts it out. “As you know, I’ve been offered the position in Atlanta. Things are moving fast with the opening of the branch. They want me to fly there tomorrow to help with interviews and make hiring decisions. The full move will happen in three weeks. They’re going to pay for a temporary apartment for thirty days, until I can find a place of my own.”
The news stings, but I manage to force a smile. “Congratulations, Emma. You deserve the job. I imagine you’ll take your client list with you?”
“Yes, anyone who isn’t under contract with you, I’ll be taking with me.”
“Be sure to transfer all other duties to Rachel and Lisa for a smooth transition.” The sound of those words escaping my mouth coil my stomach and I quickly shove down the unfamiliar sensation coursing through me.
“Of course. I’ll try to make the transition as smooth as possible.”
“I have no doubt you will. Anything else I can do for you?”
Her eyes darken and there’s one emotion suddenly clear—anger.
“No, Grayson, there’s nothing else you can do for me.”
Beyond my window, the moon is hidden behind dark, dreary clouds. The sound of repeated tings hit the glass as the rain comes down, drowning the city under a blanket of water. The weather outside mocks my own misery, a reflection of my internal turmoil. Lifting the scotch to my lips, I use the alcohol to drown the memories of Emma’s tear-filled eyes as she left my office this morning. My inability to commit has wounded her to the point she now hates me. Maybe it’s better this way. She deserves better than me, a man who can’t bring himself to trust another enough to love or be loved. She was right when she said I let Danielle’s betrayal keep me from letting anyone else in.
Knocking at my door pulls me from my thoughts. I place my empty glass on the kitchen counter on my way to answer. Standing on the other side is Emma, soaking wet, hair drenched. Her eyes roam over me, still in my suit pants, my dress shirt unbuttoned and open. She steps forward and I take a step back, letting her in. Her glossy eyes and the scent of wine suggests she’s had several drinks, too.
I instinctively raise my hand and brush a damp strand of hair away from her beautiful face. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m leaving tomorrow and I…I needed to see you, Grayson. Can we…for one night, forget everything that’s happened between us? Can you touch me like you used to?”
My cock aches with the need to have her, to feel the release and freedom her body brings. Running my thumb along her bottom lip, her eyes close, her mouth slightly parts. With erotic sensuality, she sucks the tip of my finger between her lips. With my cock stretched tight and my desire to have her taking control, I remove my thumb and look into her alluring eyes. My voice catches in my throat as the emotion I see in her eyes takes hold of me. “Yes, Princess. I can.”
Cupping my face, her lips crash into mine as I palm her ass cheeks and lift her, holding her tightly against my erection. Kicking the front door closed, I carry her to my room, never taking my lips from hers. Tearing at the fabric keeping us apart, we strip one another, landing in a needy, breathless heap on the mattress.
The warmth between her legs taunts me and I rush to fill it, to be inside her needy pussy, to have her moaning my name as I bring us both to orgasm. My lips burn kisses across her skin as her scorching heat surrounds me, consuming my breath. Intertwining our fingers, I thrust deep and hard, claiming her body.
Looking up between tired eyes, I see the clock says six a.m. My arm is still stretched out to where Emma’s body laid next to me throughout the night. Unaware she left while I was sleeping, her absence is now felt by the void forming in my chest. Reaching for my phone I start a text, delete it, then toss the phone onto the bed. If she wanted to talk, she would have stuck around.
