AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her four-inch Tom Ford stilettos click sharply on the floor until she’s an inch away from him. Red talon fingers encircle his bicep as she leans even farther toward him. “What a pleasant surprise.” She tosses me a fake smile over her shoulder pad. “Isn’t it, Bell?”
I nod like a robot, the saccharine lilt to her voice making my teeth hurt.
Oh, wait. That’s my jaw clenching.
Denise pets his arm, purring at him. “I thought there may have been some falling out between you two. I’ve been told things were tense.” She raises an eyebrow at me meaningfully while her spying minions shuffle awkwardly between suit displays.
Meanwhile, Chase doesn’t pull away from her. Doesn’t even flinch. “No. No falling out at all. Just busy. Isn’t that right, Bell?” He doesn’t wait for my response, his affable attitude and annoyingly handsome smirk in place. “Today there just happened to be a break in my schedule. Thought I’d see how the campaign preparation was going.”
She curls farther into him, and with her other hand, she pats his chest. “Nothing for you to worry about, Chase, dear. I have it all under control.”
At that, he does pull back. “Funny. I specifically remember putting Ms. King in charge.”
“Oh, uh, well, you know.” She waves her weaponized fingers in the air. “We’re all just working so well together, there doesn’t even seem to be a need to haggle over leadership.” She turns a killer glare my way. “Isn’t that right, Ms. King?”
Before I can calm down and temper my now erratic breathing, which is totally due to Denise’s bullshit and not the fact that she’s still touching Chase, Chase speaks up. “Great to hear, Denise.” He pulls his arm from her grasp. “And I’m sure one hundred percent true.” His arched brow says otherwise. “Now, if you’ll excuse the boss here”—he tips his head in my direction— “she and I need to have a chat.”
Fuck. As much as I love the pissed-off look on Denise’s face, I’d rather not have a one-on-one talk with Chase. Nothing good for my resolve can come of it.
Chase slides his hand over my lower back, leading me away from the group. That simple touch, even blocked by a blouse and suit jacket, curls my toes. Not the most comfortable feeling when you’re trying to walk in heels.
His hand remains in place until we reach our destination, a dark corner of the department with a large tie rack blocking us from view. His hand slides slowly around my waist when he turns to face me. His fingers graze briefly across my hipbone before falling to his side.
“In here.”
Confused, I look to where his other hand is pointing. A hidden door, wallpapered the same as the walls.
He punches in a code on a small, inconspicuous keypad and pushes the door in.
I follow him, our movement setting off some sort of motion sensor. One after another, fluorescent lights flicker to life as we walk farther into the room.
“What is this place?”
“It used to be shoe inventory, but we outgrew it. Now it’s just storage.” He points to some boxes and mostly empty shelves along the wall. It’s about the size of my apartment bedroom. Which isn’t saying much. “My sister and I used to hide in here.”
I smile, thinking of a young Chase, huddled with Liz, a ball of energy, outwitting their watchers. “Not your brother, too?”
“No.” He looks to the side, brows pulled together in thought. “Thomas was always with Stan, I think.”
“I see.” And I do. I see that this smart, handsome, hard-working man cares. He cares for his sister, his employees, he even cares for the rest of his family. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be so hurt by their actions. And he cares for me. Or he did, at least.
I search his face for answers, answers to questions I’m afraid to ask, but find none. Gone is his charm. His smirk. His features are so serious, he almost doesn’t look like himself.
I want to tell him I’m sorry. That I didn’t want to leave, but that it was for the best. For whom, I’m not sure at this point. But still, it seemed like the responsible, safe thing to do at the time.
I want to tell him that I cried when I left. In the elevator that we so nearly had sex in multiple times. I cried in the cab, and I continued to cry in my plush hotel room. I want to say I’ve missed his face, his wink, his all-too-knowing smiles. I’ve missed holding his hand and cuddling with him and his ugly cat. But mostly, I miss making him happy.
“You left.” His voice is flat, detached, untainted with recrimination. But I hear it nonetheless.
I have no words. So I kiss him.
* * *
Chase
Everything wrong with this past week evaporates with the heat of her kiss.
I know this isn’t the answer I need. Her lips on mine doesn’t let me know where we stand, or what happens once we leave this hidden closet. But, please, I’m not stupid enough to stop the woman I’m jonesing for from taking advantage of my body.
