She’s still here?
“Dancing,” I answer before sitting down and pouring myself a glass of gin.
I need something bitter to wash away the bitter taste still lingering in my mouth from the fiery kiss I shared with Violet, something strong to dispel the frustration still simmering in my veins.
I lift the glass to my lips and gulp its contents down.
I can’t believe Violet bolted. Again. And there I was hoping that the third time would be the charm. In fact, for a moment, I thought we’d finally be going all the way. She was responding even more than before. She was even the first one who leaned against me. She was the one who turned. She was the one who asked me to dance. But just like before, she was just leading me on. She took me to a new height only to drop me and watch me shatter from the fall.
I set down my empty glass and let out a groan.
I guess I should be grateful she didn’t shove her knee into my crotch this time, though that doesn’t change the fact that my balls were still left a little blue.
“You look upset.” My female companion sits beside me and puts her hand on my thigh. Her fingers skitter across the dark denim as she purrs, “Would you like me to cheer you up?”
Would I? I consider her offer for a moment. There’s nothing I’d like more than to have sex right now. Rough sex to exorcise the lust still burning in my blood. And this woman is practically begging for it.
But no. Violet was the one who ignited this fire in my loins. She’s the only one who can extinguish it. No other woman will do.
I don’t want any other woman.
I stand up. “I’m going home.”
She gives me a look of disappointment. “Already? But…”
“You can stay until the club closes,” I tell her. “I booked this box for the whole night. Feel free to order more drinks and put them on my tab. Just make sure you have someone to call to take you home.”
“Sure you don’t want to take me home?” she asks with a grin as she plays with a tendril of her hair.
I don’t answer. I just grab my jacket and leave. I came here to relax and that’s impossible now, so there’s no point in staying. I might as well just go home and get some sleep. In my bed. In my apartment next to Violet’s.
I frown. On second thought, maybe I’ll just stay at a hotel until Monday.
~
Come Monday I’ve put the whole incident behind me. Or so I think until I see Violet in my office. One look at her and I remember Saturday night. I remember how she looked in that little black dress. I remember rescuing her from that jerk. I remember the dance. I remember the kiss.
And, of course, I remember her running off like Cinderella at the stroke of midnight, which I’d rather not.
This is why I wish we didn’t have to work together.
Judging from her expression, Violet seems to remember everything, too, but she pulls her shoulders back and puts on a smile.
So she’s going to pretend nothing happened, is she?
“I just wanted to ask you what you thought of the report I gave you last Friday, if you’ve had a chance to look at it.”
“I have.”
She rubs one of her fingers. “And?”
I hear the expectation in her voice, so I narrow my eyes at her.
“Ms. Cleary, are you fishing for a compliment? Because I seem to remember you specifically telling me not to give you any.”
I’m not surprised. Like I said, Violet may be smart, but she doesn’t seem to know what she wants.
“I’m not asking for a compliment,” Violet replies. “Just feedback.”
“It’s fine,” I tell her as I lean back in my chair. “For future reference, if you don’t hear anything from me, your report is fine. If it isn’t, you’ll know. Loud and clear.”
Violet doesn’t seem to be happy with that.
She draws a breath. “About the things I said last Friday…”
“Let me guess. You didn’t mean them.”
Her eyebrows arch. “Well, I… I meant it when I said you didn’t have to be nice to me and bring me coffee or anything like that.”
“You said you didn’t want me to be nice to you,” I correct her.
There’s a difference.
“Anyway, I didn’t mean that we should stop working together.”
“You said you didn’t want any help with work, either.”
“But I’d still like us to work together,” she says. “To communicate about work.”
“That would be helping you with work, wouldn’t it?”
“No. That would be you being my boss.”
“Being a nice boss, which you were against.”
Violet sighs. “So what? You’re going to be the mean boss again?”
“Do you want me to be?” I ask her.
She doesn’t answer. I shake my head and grin.