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“What's the matter?”
I blinked, and Gwen was standing beside me, holding my sheet around her chest as if to shield herself from my eyes when I’d already looked to my fill repeatedly.
Her lips felt so soft when I leaned down to steal a kiss. It was pure heaven, and I forgot myself for a moment.
“Nothing to worry about, just work. Wear something a bit conservative today, Terry is coming in for a meeting and I want you to look the part, but I can’t have you drawing attention to yourself or us. Everyone will start questioning, and then Terry will get nosey. He’s the last guy I want on my ass right now. We have to work on more of the details for next year's accessories, so focus on that. And, unless I tell you otherwise, stay in your office as much as possible. Everyone seems to buy our story, but with Terry in town, things sometimes get a little crazy.”
“Okay.” She slipped past me and dropped her sheet, turned the shower on, and threw me a look over her shoulder.
“Since it seems like we will not keep our hands off each other, we’d better make every moment count.” She smiled, slipped into the hot steamy shower I’d just left, and closed the door.
Not wanting to miss a moment with her, I dropped my towel and decided getting dressed for my day would have to wait. As long as we had a few minutes to spare and it wouldn’t interfere with work, I was up for anything.
Two hours later, we had to hurry and grab a quick bite to eat on our way out the door. At least I’d had a moment of pure, blissful perfection.
Sometimes, in my mind, I would envision the perfect life for myself, and so far, everything had worked out to a T. Call it the law of attraction, affirmations, or the motivational talk in my mirror to myself. No matter what, this morning, everything felt as it should in my life. Having Gwen beside me as someone more than just a temporary diversion made me feel good. It felt right for me. Unfortunately, work interjected itself and I couldn’t think about how perfect the moment was again as we drove down the road.
When we arrived at the office, Terry was already in the conference room with all the employees. Martie was awaiting our arrival with a concerned, questioning look on her face. I turned the corner, almost ready to join everyone when she handed me her cell phone.
“It’s all over the news that you two are a couple. They caught you swimming in the pool at the Made Hotel, along with a few other images. Somehow, a reporter was able to get on scene and neither of you noticed. He or she got all the juicy details, and it’s all surfacing now.”
Gwen gasped, and the horrified sound of her worries echoed throughout the hallway. “Now what are we going to—”
“Nothing.” I handed Martie her phone, buttoned my jacket, and turned the corner.
I heard the door close and saw Martie and Gwen edging to the only two available chairs as I stood at the helm of the table.
“Good morning, everyone. I’m so glad you could join us today. I know you all have a lot of questions, in particular regarding the new employee and the photos you might have seen on social media. Most of you met Gwen yesterday, except you, Terry.”
Terry nodded his head. His eyes were curious yet controlled as he looked at Gwen and then back to me.
“Terry, this is our new employee from the east coast, Gwen. Gwen, this is Terry. He’s a partner in the business. Terry, she did an amazing job in New York City when Martie was out sick. Coincidentally, they are related. She’s Martie’s cousin. We’re looking to expand and have someone working the east coast and not just the west, so I thought to bring her on board.”
Terry smiled. “I know. Martie filled me in on everything. Nice work by the way, Gwen. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I saw the photos, and while I could comment, as most of our employees have seen them, I’m sure it’s unnecessary. I think I can safely assume any personal liaison you might have had in New York City is now done?”
“Yes, we are done. I will admit we had a brief fling, but James promised me when we got to California that it was all business.”
I was surprised when Gwen took charge and spoke up directly to Terry and everyone in the meeting room. Terry looked amused. A few people at the table snorted, laughed behind their hands, and made a few rude comments.
“I can assure you, it is all business now, Terry. Gwen is completely professional all the time. In fact, it was me who won her over.”
Terry smiled. “Well, good, because we don’t have time for games. You know office policy. We put that together ourselves in the interest of the business and everyone else. Keep your dick in your pants, at least until you fire her.”
He laughed. It mortified Gwen. I saw it in her eyes. Those photos on social media revealed more than she wanted anyone to know about us and herself as an employee. The pink stain on her cheeks, the way she scanned the meeting room and all the employees and held for a long few moments on Terry told me she was mortified.
For the rest of the meeting, she sat listening to the ideas she'd come up with for next year's accessory line and offered little to no input. I felt bad. This was not how I wanted things to go.
I found her in her office a few hours later, right before lunch.
“You okay, Gwen?” I leaned against the door jamb, eager to close it and have my way with her.
Chapter Twenty
Gwen
“Notreally.Thatwashumiliating for me, and I bet you felt nothing. When a man sleeps with an employee, he gets a pat on the back. When a woman does it, she’s deemed a slut.” She sat back in her chair, closed the lid of her laptop, and watched me.
“I didn't see anyone patting me on the back. You heard Terry, we have an office policy that doesn't allow for sexual relationships between employees. I think if anything, they will think about that and last time.”
