Endless Obsession

“In the evening? On a Saturday?” he asks curiously.

I slip my feet out of my shoes and place them at the bottom of my closet where the rest of my shoes are before going back to my room and sitting on the edge of my bed. I don’t like talking about Asher with Sterling. It feels wrong and makes me uncomfortable.

“He called to ask me about cowboy boots,” I tell him cautiously, wanting this subject over with, but also wanting to be honest. My earlier good mood now turns to anxiety.

“Cowboy boots? He called you on a weekend to ask you about cowboy boots?” he questions, a strange note in his voice.

“Yes. He uhh… he has business in Texas at the end of this week, and I have to go with him.”

I look down and fiddle with the blanket at my side as nervous jitters start to worm their way into my belly. Why do I feel so strange talking to Sterling about Asher? It’s not like Asher and I have anything going on. He’s my boss. All he did was call me to make sure I have the proper attire if I get a chance to explore a bit of Texas. I told him I had never been and always wanted to go, so I’m sure it’s nothing more than him wanting me to make the most of my first experience.

So why do I feel like I’m doing something wrong?

“You’re going to Texas with Asher Knight?” he deadpans.

I flinch at his tone. I keep waiting for the possessive attitude to come out. It doesn’t surprise me that he knows who my boss is. Is there anything he doesn’t know? Apparently so, because he keeps asking me questions—questions I really don’t want to answer.

“Yes.” I try to enforce some strength in my voice, but it doesn’t work. I pinch the material of my thigh-highs and let it slap against my leg.

“For how long?”

“Friday to Monday,” I admit, becoming more antsy and frustrated with all the questions.

“What’s wrong?” he asks. It’s obvious he can hear the edginess in my voice.

“Nothing,” I snap, then flinch when it comes out harsher than I intended.

My tone doesn’t deter him, and what he says next leaves me speechless for several seconds.

“Do you like your boss, Poppy?” His question is asked with a soft voice, but there’s still an underlying tenseness.

After I unstick my tongue from the roof of my mouth, I decide to play stupid.

“Of course I like my boss. I work for him, don’t I?” I reply, knowing damn well what he’s asking.

“Beautiful, you know that’s not what I mean. Why are you acting nervous?”

What the hell is this? Did we start a game of twenty questions and I didn’t know? This is definitely not how I pictured our conversation would go the night after he came to me. I’m still a little confused by the whole encounter, not sure how I should feel, but I figured Sterling would bring it up right away, not imply there is something going on between me and Asher. And why in the hell isn’t he acting pissed? Why does he seem amused by it? What happened to the ‘you’re mine’ attitude?

I fling myself back on the bed, and I swear I hear him chuckle.

Finished with the apparent interrogation, I ask irritably, “Why are you asking me all these questions?”

“I just think it’s strange that your boss, a boss that runs a multi-million dollar company, calls his personal assistant on a Saturday night to ask her about cowboy boots. You don’t find that strange at all?”

Yes. Yes, I do. But I’m not telling him that.

“No, I don’t,” I say and pull myself up to a sitting position. “He was just trying to be nice because I told him the other day I’ve never been to Texas before and have always wanted to go. He’s a nice person, Sterling. That’s all there is.”

I hold the phone against my shoulder to free up my other hand and unclip my garter strap. I roll the first one down my leg, then move on to the next one. Sterling becomes quiet over the phone, so I pull it away to make sure we didn’t get disconnected.

Nope. Still there.

“Hello?” I say, wondering if he’s pissed that I’m being so flippant about Asher calling.

He clears his throat before he answers, his voice taking on a deeper tenor.

“I’m here, and I think there’s a bit more going on with Knight than you’re letting on.”