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By the time I exit the bathroom, there are three thoughts on a permanent loop in my brain.
One: Owen’s expectation that he can negotiate a dress with me should be classified as an unacceptable demand from a boss.
Two: I will never negotiate the dresses I wear, but hot damn, I’ll enjoy the foreplay of it all.
And three: I hope Jill doesn’t think murder is a reasonable response if she ever learns her CEO made an unacceptable demand of a staff member.
19
Owen
Iundo my bow tie and the top two buttons of my shirt as I follow Charlize into the suite we’re sharing. My eyes are glued to her ass. This dress she’s wearing is something else and I’m not sure what to make of my reaction to it.
I’ve never reacted to any woman’s clothing the way I’m responding to Charlize’s. Tonight’s response, though, was extreme.
I meant every word I said.
I would like to keep dresses like this one just between us.
It’s a level of possessiveness I don’t understand.
I don’t expect Charlize to pay any attention to my demands, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be able to stop myself issuing them.
“Do you need anything before I take a shower and go to bed?” Charlize asks as she walks toward the bedroom, kicking her heels off.
My eyes are drawn to her legs. “No.”
She stops and turns to me. “Are you sure? I know there are still a few things you want to work on before your meetings tomorrow. I could help so you can get through it faster.”
I search her face, noting the tiredness in her eyes. “You go to bed. This work won’t take me long.”
The expression on her face says she wants to argue with me but in the end, she says, “Okay.”
With that, she goes into the bedroom, and I find a spot on the sofa to complete my work.
After opening my laptop, I spend far longer than I should staring at the screen while thinking about Charlize. She’s one of the most capable assistants I’ve worked with, which ensured today ran smoothly. The way she manages and directs appears effortless, like she was born to do what she does. Having this opportunity to see her work has pulled me further under her spell. I almost demanded she leave the cocktail party and allow me to tear that dress off her.
I finally open my emails and am immersed in a report Julian sent through when Charlize comes out of the bedroom.
“Owen,” she says, standing near the sofa across from where I’m sitting, frowning at me with concern. “It’s almost one a.m.”
I glance at the time on my laptop, unaware that more than an hour has passed since I opened my computer. “I’m almost done.”
“Please tell me you’re skipping the gym in four hours.”
I smile. It’s a barely-there smile, a tired one, but it can’t help but push its way onto my face. I like the way Charlize cares about me. It feels good in a way I haven’t felt in a long time. “I was thinking of it.”
“I imagine your muscles will thank you for the sleep.”
I narrow my eyes at her, noting that she doesn’t look like she’s just woken up. “Are you having trouble sleeping?”
She nods. “My brain is wired. It’s nowhere near ready for sleep.”
“Would it help to talk your thoughts out? You could try to get them in my head so they’re out of yours.”
She’s amused by my use of her words, her frown shifting into a smile. “I like that you’re willing to take one for the team, but I’m not interrupting your work. You need to finish that and get some sleep.”
Truth be told, I was done with my work a while ago. I’ve been stalling on going to bed because all I can think about is pulling Charlize into my arms in that bed. I barely slept last night. I spent more of the night out of bed than in it. Thank fuck she was exhausted enough to sleep through all that. We likely wouldn’t have made it through the night without me touching her if she hadn’t.
