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I know all that. But I took the risk, so I have to face the consequences.
I’ll be there soon, I reply.
I remind myself not to break the speed limit when I get into my car. It’s tempting to surge through the city like a possessed demon, to drive as fast as I can, and not give a damn about traffic laws.
The news cycle moves fast. People already forgot about the fight.
Maybe it’s time to break the Kennedy lie and tell my woman the truth, so Alice doesn’t have to suffer under the delusion of thinking I could want anybody except for her.
Parking up at the office, I ignore the blatant staring and gaping of the employees.
I must be walking like there’s a fire attempting to burst out of me.
As I ride the elevator up – thankfully, I’m alone – I check my phone.
Alice has sent me a text.
I think she’s going to call me in soon. Everybody else has just left. None of them would look at me. There’s definitely a bad smell in the air.
I shouldn’t have held your hand. Deleting the message feels easy, even if it’s the truth. I shouldn’t have done it because of the danger it’s put her in.
At the same time, it’s my right to hold my woman, to be physically close to her.
Aurora’s assistant lets me through.
I find Alice sitting in the lobby, leaning forward with her hands clasped together.
Despite the circumstances, my lust and affection erupt at the sight of her. She’s wearing a skirt similar to the one I first saw her in, but it’s so much more tempting now I’ve felt her hips. Now I know how gorgeously wet and warm the place between her legs is.
Her cheeks are flushed, her anxious features clear, and her wild, gorgeous hair pulled back in a messy, beautiful ponytail.
She stands, steps toward me then steps back.
We’re alone in the lobby. Aurora’s assistant is through another door.
I can’t stop myself.
It’s the worst time to do this, but I do it anyway….
I step forward and loop my arms around Alice, pulling her into a hug, kissing her firmly, and savoring the taste of her. She kisses me back with just as much passion as though, despite our minds playing games, our bodies never doubted what we wanted.
Touching her hips tenderly – forcing myself to be gentle, or I’ll lose control – I softly distance her.
She stares up, letting out a breath that has my heart twitching.
It’s the fear in her breath, the anxious wondering.
“It’s going to be okay,” I tell her, smoothing my hand over her messy hair.
“I hope so,” she murmurs.
We’re holding hands… the thing that got us into trouble in the first place. But it feels as natural now as it did when we were approaching her apartment.
I give her a supportive squeeze, and then I decide this is it.
I’m going to tell her the truth.
About Kennedy, about what the fight was really about.
About the PR strategy.
Sure, maybe there’s a chance she’s some scheming mastermind who wants to trap me, but what are the chances, really? What are the odds I’ve misread her so profoundly?
I don’t have much experience with women, but I feel like I’ve known my woman for a long time.
“Alice….”
The door to Aurora’s office opens.
Alice steps back instinctively, letting my hand go.
I know why she does it, why she has to do it. To try and save her job.
But that doesn’t stop the pain from lancing through my heart, the ugly knowledge that there’s still so much keeping us apart.
Aurora looks between us, a deep frown on her lips, clearly able to tell something just happened between us.
But through the frown, I’m sure I can see a glint of approval, especially when she meets my eyes.
I wish you’d find a nice woman, she told me once. Settle down. Be happy. You deserve that.
But apart from everything else, Aurora is seriously dedicated to her career. Just because she wants me to do well doesn’t mean she’s willing to risk her company’s reputation.
That is exactly what happened: Aurora setting up a PR stunt like this and then not keeping tight enough reins on me so I didn’t sabotage it.
But nobody could tame me where Alice is concerned.
“Come in, both of you,” Aurora says, her tone difficult to read.
I almost place my hand on Alice’s back, meaning to guide her, but then I let it drop.
Aurora tilts her head and spots the movement. She’s not missing anything today. Not that she often does.
Aurora walks into the office, past the modern art on the walls, the headless marble sculpture, and the large windows showing the Hollywood sign.
She sits on the other side of her large desk and gestures for us to sit.
She must know I could walk out of here anytime I want.
I’m a client, not an employee.
