Mr. Masters (Mr. 1)

I frown. “Come in.”

Mr. Masters walks in, his eyes finding mine across the room. “Can I talk to you for a minute, please?” he asks quietly.

I nod.

He clenches his hands together in front of him as he stands at the end of the bed.

“Take a seat.”

He looks around, realizing he doesn’t have any other option but to sit down on the side of the bed.

“What is it?” I ask.

“About last night.”

I scrunch my eyes shut. “I don’t want to talk about last night. I’m so embarrassed about it.”

“Don’t be.”

My eyes open, and he watches me intently.

“I have to ask you a question. Why did you call me Julian last night?”

I frown and scratch the top of my head. I shrug. “I guess I was hoping we could be friends.”

“You want to be friends with me?”

I shake my head. “No.” I think for a second. “I want to be friends with the fun guy who drove me into town in his Porsche. I wanted to be friends with Julian.”

He fiddles with the blanket as he listens.

I smile sadly. “I had built up in my head that I was coming to work for a woman, that I could support her for twelve months, and that we could form a friendship.”

“You were disappointed when you found it was me?”

“No,” I exhale heavily. “I just think that maybe last night I was too familiar, expecting a friendship that wasn’t there.”

“I wasn’t offended. I was tempted,” he whispers.

I frown. “W-what do you mean?”

He swallows what seems like a lead ball in his throat. “I was tempted to be Julian… for just one night.”

The air between us changes.

What?

“I was never...” My voice trails off. “I’m not that kind of girl. You didn’t need to be tempted. I can assure you that nothing would have happened.”

He drops his head. “I can see that. I didn’t mean to make you feel cheap this morning. That was never my intention.”

We stay silent for a moment.

“I told you off this morning because I was embarrassed.”

“You?” I whisper. “Why on Earth would you be embarrassed?”

“Because I’m a lot older than you and I… I hold a position of power by being your boss.”