“It’s true though,” he repeated softly and let out a sigh. “I don’t know what Alex told you, but…that woman I got into trouble with…It was more than the pictures, that was just a part of it. I don’t know how they leaked, but it didn’t matter. We were already over by then. She left me for a friend that I had introduced her to at a party.”
She felt her heart break for him. “Oh, Alex,” she whispered softly. She reached out to put a consoling hand on his arm. She felt him tense slightly. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I was really rude to you.”
“It’s OK, I can be an ass, sometimes.”
“But, still…I’m sorry that happened to you. People can be very cruel.”
“Yes, Vivian,” he said her name tenderly, still looking away from her, “But, I’m still a massive fuck-up.”
“Ben!” She stood quickly and in front of him. The silly and pleasing sight of him in a towel had easily been overridden by her overflowing pity for his pain. She’d felt like a screw-up many times in her life and to know how devastating the feeling was on the human heart…It pushed her smart sarcasm aside. It was times like this that she thanked her mother and father for being two kind psychologists who always urged compassion for even the most frustrating of people. He turned slowly to her, but still looked down at the floor. “It’s OK to make mistakes. We’ll be able to work together and get you back into fighting shape, you know? I’ll do anything I can for you!”
She felt something in the air suddenly shift, as if the room’s temperature had suddenly increased five degrees, and she watched a wicked grin flash over her new boss’s face.
“Anything?” he breathed heavily as he quickly looked up at her with his green eyes dancing. Her stomach flipped and she gasped.
“You faker! You really are a bastard!” She cried, but her sigh of disgust that was to follow was silenced as he pulled her suddenly towards him and crushed his lips onto hers.
Oh, yes! Her body was screaming in pleasure and the lust-driven half of her brain was cheering in ecstasy. She melted into his arms as their lips melded together in a flurry of passion. His mouth was soft and demanding all at the same. She felt his tongue explore her mouth, devouring the instinctive protests that were rising in her throat, but dying in frequency as he pushed her body harder into his chest. Her hands flew to his stomach and she raked her fingers over his muscled chest and down to his lower stomach, earning a sudden, deep moan of pleasure from his throat.
She shivered in his grip, sweeping her hands upwards against to grasp his face as one of his hands closed in on the back of her neck. He pushed her mouth further against him as she gripped his face to take more control, earning another shiver of pleasure from his body when her nails raked against the dewy skin beneath his jawline. He shifted to allow her pelvis to meet his against the desk and groaned as her shapely thigh brushed against the the gradually hardening bulge underneath his towel. She felt a telling wetness soak through the lace underwear beneath her pencil skirt. Oh, yes. She had needed this, wanted it. Her fingers wound through his tousled hair as she pressed her breasts against his naked chest.
“Vivian, Vivian, Vivian,” he whispered hoarsely between the parting of their lips before they met again. Her blood surged with heat. She wanted to make him say her name over and over, wanted to hear the demi-god that was pressed against her groan for more. She felt strangely powerful and sucked his bottom lip, nipping it gently before she felt his hands on her sides. His fingers greedily took in her strong curves. He pressed her further against him. She opened her mouth to gasp as his thumb brushed over the thin cup of her bra underneath her shirt.
“Oh, Ben,” she moaned as his lips fervently left hers, traveling down to her neck as he toyed with her breast in one hand. How could she ever think this assignment was going to be a bad idea? Her mind was hazy with pleasure as she felt his tongue trace the edge of her deep neckline, so close to her breasts, that begged to be touched and caressed. Why was she still wearing a shirt? She let out a pleasured gasp as he lightly pinched her nipple through the fabric. Yes, yes, yes.
Suddenly, the phone rang. Like a terrible downpour of cold water, her mind suddenly cleared. No, no, no! She ripped herself away, chest heaving as she desperately tried to regain her breath. He held his arms still outward, pouting at the absence of her body between them. He opened his mouth, but she thrust a hand upward and in front of his face, leaning her weight against the armchair for support.
“This,” she said sternly, “This was a mistake, Ben.”
“But, Vivian-“
She grabbed her purse while shaking her head wildly. “No, Ben, no. You’re my boss,” she muttered hurriedly and then straightened her back to glare at him, “And you’re also a jerk!” She added the last part as if to remind herself, mind still reeling bitterly at the lack of his skin against hers.
“Viv,” he pleaded, but she was already running for the door. She ripped open the door, but turned back suddenly, the cold handle resting between her fingers.
“This didn’t happen. I’ll see you tomorrow. To do my job,” she said sternly and slammed the door be
hind her. Anita whipped her head around as Vivian ran past her bewildered friend for the elevator.
“Vivian! Are you-?”
“I’m fine! Feeling sick, taking a half day!” Vivian yelled back quickly as the elevator doors opened. She nearly toppled an older man with a cane as he moved to exit and finally collapsed against the corner. The doors closed. She was alone. Her shaking finger weakly hit the button for the parking garage.
At last, she found her car, but could not find the strength to turn it on. Instead, she felt tears sting her eyes as she dropped her forehead against the steering wheel.
“I’m such an idiot,” she whispered and hurriedly wiped away the rolling hot tears stinging against her cheeks. Here she was, allowing herself get taken in by hormones for a rude businessman. Alex’s face flashed across her mind. She smacked a hand against her forehead with a groan. With her beloved permanent boss’s brother no less! A womanizer, a suave bastard! She could lose her job! And she wasn’t royalty, so how would she protect herself from a scandal if it blew up?
She wept openly. For how long, she wasn’t sure, but she cried until she felt nothing at all in her chest. Not even the faint ghost of longing for the man that had swept her into his arms. She turned on her car. Soft jazz played over the speakers as she leaned against the car seat with an exhausted, heavy exhale.
“It’s OK. It’s never going to happen again. Ben will keep his mouth shut, because his brother will literally kill him if he finds out. I can say he seduced me, attacked me, came at me like a lion,” she reasoned while nodding her head as hypothetical scenarios poured through her mind. For some reason though, despite his character, she felt intensely bad about pinning the blame all on Ben. Her heart still warmed when she thought of his face.
“It’s been two days, Vivian! Get a hold of yourself!” She yelled in frustration and slammed her hands on the steering wheel. She glanced towards the side to see the same older man with a cane from earlier in his car, glancing at her nervously. She cringed and waved with a fake laugh. He quickly looked away and exited his parking space. She groaned again. “Fuck my life.”
Eventually, she found herself at her apartment. Tired, torn, and incapable of higher cognitive functioning, she sank into a much needed bubble bath. The smell of roses filled her candle-lit bathroom. She was on her second glass of red wine which sat beside her on the white porcelain ledge. She sighed in frustration and ducked herself underwater.
The sound of her phone ringing beckoned her back above the surface. She left it on constantly, even when she showered, because sometimes Alex called for important things even after work and he paid her too well to be ignored. She hurriedly dried one arm with a towel and grabbed her phone which had been playing relaxing music.
Sure enough, Alex’s name appeared across the screen. She took a deep breath and answered, “Hello?”