Page 8 of Royal Bastard

Had he pictured me in bed? I tapped at my chin as I turned back to my desk. I’d started to come out of my shell a little thanks to Alana, and I knew people today were much more open about sex and sexuality, but Aaron had kept me locked away for so long, he’d even blocked certain television channels on our cable package, so it was all new to me. Alana was very open about her sex life, or lack of, and she’d taught me quite a lot about the world I’d been hidden from for so long.

“I think he has the hots for you, Evie.” I heard Alana’s voice as she came to our mutual desk, really just a long table with some drawers on one end.

“No, he doesn’t!” I protested immediately.

“Girl, get real. I’ve seen how he looks at you. He can barely take his eyes off you when you’re in the room.” She gave me a look that said she knew what she was talking about and I needed to pay attention.

“He doesn’t look at me!” I let my hair fall around my face to hide the way her words made my heart race.

“He can’t stop looking, you mean.” She opened her laptop and started to type in her password. “If I was you, I’d go for it.”

“But, he’s my boss.” I gave the rather tepid reply.

“So, what?” She paused to think. “Well, I suppose with you being in that program it could cause problems, but... it would be worth it. Henry would be worth it. He needs a good woman and you are one of the finest. Both physically and mentally.” She looked at me directly, without any sign of a taunt or a tease.

“Wow. Do you really think so?” I couldn’t believe it, but if she said so, then maybe…

“I know so. I’ve been here a lot longer than you. He’s interested.” She gave me a cute little smirk before she opened her email to check what kind of hatemail might have come her way while she was gone. Lawyers aren’t always the most loved people in the world, and she delighted in calling the angry emails people sometimes sent to Henry hatemail. I’d be terrified to open anything like that, but I guess you grew a thick skin after a while.

The rest of the day went by in a blur of typing, making copies, printing files, and arranging everything into the correct folders. I didn’t even have time to think about how much of my life I’d wasted trying to apologize to Aaron for getting pregnant. I was too busy, running from room to room, and before I knew it, Alana was pulling her bag from one of the desk drawers and turning to me.

“Hey, look, I want to go home a little early and change, I’m sick of these slacks cutting into my waist and I plan on eating tonight so I need something else to wear. Will you be ok for the last meeting with Henry tonight?” She wouldn’t meet my eyes so I kind of suspected she had made this decision on purpose.

“What meeting?” I didn’t know anything about a meeting.

“He just needs one of us to go over his agenda for that speech he’s giving at that charity event. You just have to listen, tell him if something doesn’t make sense, and then you’re done. It shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes.” She gave me a wink of a twinkling brown eye before she headed out of the door without another word.

She had decided to go home early on purpose! This was an attempt to set me up with Henry!

“Alana!” I called out to her, but she only waved as the elevator doors closed.

Shit!

I looked around as the word pulsed in my brain. Aaron hadn’t allowed me to swear, it wasn’t ladylike, but that had never stopped me from thinking of them in times of stress, and this was one of those times.

What was I supposed to do now?

What I always did in these situations, I finally decided. Don’t give up.

I squared my shoulders and waited for Henry to buzz me on the office line or come out to get me.

I didn’t have anything else to do, and honestly, I was just too nervous. What if I did something stupid like threw myself at him like some kind of desperate harpy? I would be so ashamed, I knew it wouldn’t happen.

“Hey, Evie? What are you doing here?” Henry finally came out of his office and looked me over without a hint of indecency in his gaze. He was just doing that automatic check he did with everybody.

“Uh, Alana had to go home to change before we go to dinner, so she left me to go over everything with you.”

“Oh. Alright. Come in then, please.” He moved back into his office and sat down behind the desk before I could even get into the room.

I was aware of him as a man. I could smell his aftershave, feel his presence, and knew this was a bad idea.

I opened the file with his speech and handed it to him. I’d spent the afternoon doing a quick edit and knew it was polished to perfection.

He read over it and then looked at me. “This is perfect, there’s no need to go over it any more than this. Why don’t you head on out since you’re going out with Alana?”

“Oh, if that’s alright with you?” I was already out of my chair and he followed behind me.

“Yeah, it’s no problem.”

We paused just in the doorway and I looked up at him with a happy smile of relief. “Great, I’ll head on out then. Thanks so much.”

I don’t know why I did it, but I reached up and cupped his cheek. It was something I’d done with Aaron a million times, but this was my employer!

“Oh, I’m…” but Henry halted the apology when he moved his hand up to cover mine.

Neither of us said a word, but I could see the way his eyes went dark and hooded, knew exactly what his thought were, because his eyes were glued to my lips.

He wanted to kiss me and I knew I wouldn’t stop him. I wanted his kiss, I wanted to feel him pressed against. God, I needed to feel a man pressed into me, it had been so long, so hard to go through life without any kind of touch or comfort. I only wanted his touch. Henry’s touch and no one else’s.

“Ahem. Yes, well, you’d better go.” Henry broke the spell we’d both been under and moved away.

“Yeah, uh, you’re right.” I scurried away, grabbed my bag, and walked quickly to the elevator.

I didn’t look back, mainly because I knew if I did I wouldn’t be able to leave. Henry had been the one to pull away, so obviously he had far more sense than I did. If only, I thought, as I rode the elevator down. If only.