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“Ohhh.” Axel knew as well as I did what that apartment in Harlem represented for Trace. The same thing Harper represented for me. A sanctioned and well-deserved respite from the stressors of daily life. Trace’s on-again, off-again fling was apparently on-again.
“Still, though,” Axel went on. “I’m pissed. We’re supposed to be dealing with this fucking Ian Fairchild bullshit, not dicking off to go get laid.”
“Let the man get laid,” I said. “You’re always the first one to go after that yourself. Trace can’t do the same?”
“Fine, fine,” Axel grumbled. “Itisthe best stress relief. It’s the only way I’m staying fucking sane now, I’ll be honest.”
“Good for you,” I said in the best chiding tone I could muster.
“Don’t give methat attitude,” Axel shot back. “To be honest, it sounds like you need that stress relief more than anyone. Isn’t Jessa available for stuff like this?”
I groaned, dragging my hands down my face. “That is so fucking inappropriate, dude.”
“Haven’t you at least thought about it?”
“Of course I’ve thought about it,” I hissed, snatching up the phone and taking it off speaker. I knew the walls of my office were thick—I’d designed them that way—but I would take zero chances.
“You were so obsessed with her during high school,” Axel said with a laugh. “I thought seducing her would be thefirstthing you’d do. Before the interview even.”
My chest went tight. “She’s on our fucking payroll, Axel. I would never even consider it now. She’s in a different category altogether.”
I wanted this to be true so badly. Maybe repeating it to Axel would make it so. But I thought about Jessa nightly, especially now that I had firsthand knowledge of how relentlessly hot she’d gotten. I could craft odes dedicated to her ever-evolving array of dresses or the constellation of freckles across her cheeks. Just the memory of her sweet laugh as she gave me shit about beingsoft and broodingsent warmth spiraling through me. I didn’t even want to admit how many times I’d imagined pushing up one of those dresses—specifically the lacy black one from the fundraiser we’d attended—and finding that sweet heat between her legs. I’d gotten off to the memory of her image more times than I cared to mention since she’d started here.
Which was why I needed to make sure that line between us stayed firm.
I was liable to cross it if I let my guard down even an inch.
“Youthinkshe’s in a different category,” Axel said. “But she’s not. I see the way you look at her. You’re just as smitten as ever.”
I scoffed. “It doesn’t matter. Even if I was smitten, I’d never do anything.”
“Not even if she walked naked into your office right now?”
I paused. I’d do so many things to that woman if she walked into my office naked. But I needed to be stronger than that. Smarter.
A hookup with Jessa would never be possible. I knew through Jeremy she’d dated her last boyfriend for almost six years. And before him, one other long-term boyfriend. She wasn’t a woman who fucked around. And that’s all I had time for.
As far as I was concerned, Jessa was a stop sign with legs.
“I’d make sure she knew not to wander the office naked,” I replied. “In whatever form that message took.”
Axel laughed. “Sure. I’ll let you act pious. But we both know the truth. You’re as dirty as they come, Damian.”
I grinned as he gave me shit before we hung up. As I dropped my phone to the desk, a new message popped up.
It was from Trace.
The four little words staring back at me made my stomach bottom out. And if there had been any tone set for the morning, this message blew it to smithereens.
We need to talk.
CHAPTER NINE
JESSA
“Ohhhh, shit bricks. Shit bricks.” I wove through the dense crowd, clutching my tote bags dangling from each shoulder as I ran. The doors of my train were about to close, and Icould not miss this ride. Everything inside me tensed. This was the outcome of leaving work fifteen minutes late. Missing this train would make me miss half of tonight’s class.
With a yell, I launched myself through the crowd. The doors had just started to close as I slipped between them. Sweat dotted my temples, and I stood with my chest heaving, looking out at the platform with winded victory.
