Somehow, that doesn’t make me feel better. “I wasn’t overcome with lust,” I protest. But since I haven’t told her about Olivia’s secret assignment, I can’t tell her the real reason I was out of bounds in his office.
“Right.” The way she says it, with a lilt in her voice, I know she thinks I’m lying. She looks down at my phone and her brow wrinkles. “Who’s the stalker?”
I take the phone from her and see fifteen missed calls from an unknown number. It’s a 212, New York City area code. At first, I think it’s Victoria, or HR, calling to fire me, but I have those numbers in my contact list. I notice one voicemail and hit “play.”
It lasts no more than five seconds: “Juliet. It’s Caleb Sterling. Call me immediately.”
My heart stops.
“What?” Kelsey lifts the phone, checks to make sure it isn’t broken. “Are you fired?”
“Maybe.” I grimace. “That was Caleb. He wants me to call him back.”
“Oooh. What are you waiting for? Call him!”
“Why? So he can read me the riot act and tell me to pack my things?” I shake my head and refuse to take the phone from her. “I can’t deal with that. Not now.”
Kelsey frowns. “Well, I wish I could stay here and deliberate with you, but I’m late for my date.” She gets up and fluffs her hair. “Call him.”
I make a muffled sound from behind the rug.
“Call him!” she chants again, right before the door slams behind her.
Nope, nope, nope. Can’t do it. Not now. Not ever.
Maybe I can just slink away into oblivion, and leave Olivia and Caleb and Sterling Cross far behind. I can find another job that will help pay my mother’s astronomical nursing home bills, right?
Wrong.
Sighing, I throw off the blanket and trudge to the bathroom, turning on the faucet to run a hot bath. I’ve been wound tight all day, and I need to be able to sleep tonight if I’m going to face…
Well, whatever’s waiting for me in the morning.
I strip off my clothes and pour half a bottle of my emergency lavender bath bubbles under the water. Soon, the tiny room is steamy, the bath is full of suds, and I even have the leftover bottle of wine from the other night to help me relax.
From celebration to commiseration in twenty-four hours flat.
Way to go, Juliet.
I sink into the water with a sigh. It feels amazing on my bare skin, exactly what I need. I close my eyes, trying to let my tension and guilt melt away, but all I see is the look in Caleb’s eyes the moment before I reached for him.
All I can feel is the imprint of his hands on my skin. His mouth on mine.
His fingers tracing their slow, tantalizing path between my thighs.
I exhale in a shiver, reaching lower to trace that same path.
‘You’re fucking delicious.’
It was crude, but God, did my body respond to the filthy words. I imagine Caleb’s hands on me now all over again. His tongue probing inside me, what he would have done if I hadn’t pulled away…
I let out a moan, touching myself as I picture us together.
Would he have moved in slow, lazy circles over my clit, the way I’m doing now?
Would he have slid his fingers inside me, thick and full?
Would he have sunk to his knees, and let that wicked mouth drive me to the brink as I begged and pleaded for release?