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She looked at me for a long moment.
“Who is she?” she asked, clutching the blanket against her.
“There’s no one. Is it that hard to believe I would rather be alone than involved with you?”
Her mouth opened slightly as I pushed past her, opening the door and leaving her in my sister’s childhood bedroom. I quickly walked down the stairs to where the rest of the party was, wanting to get the hell out of there. All I wanted to do was call Monica. But I saw my mother bringing out a birthday cake as my sister carefully lit the dozens of candles that adorned it. I couldn’t leave now. I was stuck.
Chapter 17
Monica
I showed up to the office early with Troy’s coffee in hand. Despite feeling disappointed by not hearing from him last night, I still had to put on a happy face and be his assistant. We hadn’t spent a night apart in a while, and he had promised he would call after his aunt’s party. I tried not to let my insecurities get the best of me, especially if he was at a family function. But he was Troy. The most handsome man I had ever laid eyes on, and he was a freaking billionaire. Everyone wanted him. I was still unsure of why he wanted me.
Maybe it was because I was easy access for him, given my job as his assistant. It meant a lot of time together, making it easy for him to get whatever else he wanted from me. I didn’t hate it though. I wanted him just as badly. I couldn’t get enough. There was an ease in knowing we could have each other every single day, whether at his place or in a private dressing room. That was something we had tried a few days ago at Bloomingdales as he tried on suits. It was incredibly risky, but mind-blowing. It took everything in me not to scream into his hand as he cupped my mouth trying to keep my moans at bay.
As I rode in the elevator up to my floor, I wondered if I would get used to compartmentalizing my feelings. Knowing when to turn them off or lower my expectations. I checked my reflection in the mirrored wall of the elevator, fixing the red lipstick I had applied to match the strappy mesh lingerie I wore underneath this black dress Troy had bought me that day at Bloomingdales. The bell dinged and the elevator doors opened.
I saw Kathy at her usual post, as if she was checking to make sure I was on time. I had been here for weeks now and was never late, despite Troy often begging me to stay with him in his California king cloud of a bed. I always felt like I had something to prove to the nosy office manager, even though Troy was the one I reported to. He was her boss. I gave her a curt nod and strode down the hallway.
I opened the door to Troy’s office and was surprised to see him sitting at his desk. I did a double take as I held the frosty plastic cup of coffee in my hands. He looked up and gave me that smile that felt like it was just for me.
“Close the door,” he said.
I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. In what seemed like one swift movement, he was up from his desk and already pressed against me. His arms encircled me and his hands gripped my lower back. It took me by surprise.
For one, he was usually never early for work. And second, he never showed this much affection first thing in the morning, especially when the office was full. I looked around warily, but the door was closed and the shades were drawn. I sank a little more into his arms and looked up at him.
“I missed you,” he whispered.
“You didn’t call,” I said, trying not to sound too disappointed.
He sighed. “I know. I got caught up. My family…they’re…” He furrowed his brow. “Frustrating.”
I stood on my tiptoes and nipped his bottom lip with my teeth.
“Don’t do it again,” I whispered against his mouth, surprised by my tenacity.
I felt him grow hard against my lower stomach and heat flooded through me.
“Is that an order?” he asked, his voice low and rumbling.
His hands slid to my backside, cupping my curves through my dress. I pressed even further into him and nodded slowly.
“And here I thought I was your boss.”
He gave me a squeeze before bringing his mouth to mine. I willfully opened and let his tongue slide into my mouth, slowly whirling around as if he was tasting every part of me. I groaned and wrapped my hands around the back of his neck, breathing him in. I pushed him against the wall near the door, so I could close the distance between us even more with something solid behind his back.
“You are feisty this morning,” he said, catching a quick breath before I devoured him again.
I felt his erection twitch against me, and my God, I wanted him right there. My hands flew to his hair, grabbing it in tufts as I rubbed my body against him, feeling his generous length. He let out a low groan, quiet but enough to fill my body with its quiet power.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and we quickly pulled apart just before it opened. I took a few quick steps toward his desk and grabbed some papers to look busy, while Troy reached up and smoothed his hair. Kathy poked her head in before Troy could even say “come in.”
“Yes, Kathy?” asked Troy. I could tell he was exasperated as he ran a hand through his dark hair.
I stood a few feet away, pretending to busy myself with papers at the edge of his desk. She looked from me to him, a noticeable suspicion in her gaze. I tried to ignore it and gave her a warm smile, even though my insides were shaking. Had she seen us? Heard us? My eyes quickly glanced at Troy and the erection that pressed against his dark pants. I bit my lip nervously, wondering if I was just hyperaware and maybe she wouldn’t notice.
“I just wanted to check in on those final reports for the month,” said Kathy, looking at Troy who was standing uncomfortably by the wall I had left him.