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I shouldn’t have slept with him, but I shouldn’t have slept with Daphne and Marina either. Jesus, I had made my way around that office.
What’s done was done, and for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to regret it. He had treated me so gently - aside from the rope bondage. It had broken something in me, but now I could build it back again, stronger.
But I couldn’t hide forever.
The business trip ended on Wednesday, and on Thursday I found myself back in the building. It was fine, at first. Until my supervisor sent me off to give Daphne a report on the trip.
I had known there was a new project in the works, but I hadn’t realized they wanted me to head it. That was the reason for sending me on the trip, and Daphne would be overseeing me. It was a great opportunity, and I was confident that I could see it through successfully. Working with an old crush and her new girlfriend wasn’t exactly ideal working conditions, but we were all professionals. It would be fine. I just didn’t know how to face Richard.
The Calloway siblings shared a space on the floor above mine. Each had their own private office that opened into a joint waiting area. Daphne’s secretary (and girlfriend), Marina, had a desk outside her office; Oliver Calloway’s secretary, Richard, had one too. They were the first line of defense and were unavoidable.
I breathed in until air filled my lungs and forced a smile to appear.
Two pairs of eyes I knew far too well rose to meet mine as I stepped inside. “Morning,” I chirped.
I nodded toward Richard before I turned my focus on Marina, unable to bear more than a few seconds of his stare. I could feel his gaze on me still, no matter how I tried to ignore it.
Marina greeted me with a wide smile. She was a good one, and she always had been. I couldn’t deny I had been interested in her too, but I had always known she had feelings for Daphne. It had worked out for them, in the end, so I couldn’t be too bitter.
“Morning,” Marina echoed. “You can go on in, she’s free now.”
“Thanks.” I made a point to not look back at Richard as I walked in, but I couldn’t shake the feeling he was watching me. I couldn’t blame him; Ihadrun away in the middle of the night after he expressly told me to stay till morning.
“Hey, Donovan.” Daphne waved me in. I was grateful to her. Despite everything that had happened between us and Marina, she treated me normally.
After the three of us slept together, she and I had been called off on a work trip, where she let me down as easily as she could. I had expected it, but she had already made her choice. She wanted Marina, and I couldn’t blame her for that.
There were still some lingering emotions that circled me like vultures whenever I was around Daphne, but they were slowly drifting away. It was over before it began, but that was okay. Life moved on.
#
Our meeting ended up running much longer than expected. Marina had to poke her head in to remind us of the time and I was swiftly kicked out. This project was much bigger than I had thought, but the challenge was exciting. It was a perfect opportunity to show that I was worthy of the attention given to me.
I followed the two of them out of her office and I couldn’t seem to fight off the soft waves of sadness that dipped down my throat. They moved in a tandem grown over years of working side by side, only now it went deeper. They knew each other in and out and loved each other with all of their being. I was happy for them, truly, but there was still an inkling of hurt and jealousy.
I wanted that. I wanted to be loved. I wanted for someone towantme, really truly desire me. My entire life had been spent striving to prove myself, to make myself worthy of my family and their ambitions. The feelings I had for Daphne were real, despite it all, and I was happy she had found her person. It just stung to be the one left out in the cold.
Daphne and Marina filed out of the office but I was stilled, watching them leave as my thoughts wrapped around me.
“Hey, Donovan, I wanted to talk-,”
I gasped as Richard’s voice broke through to me. “Sorry,” I flashed him my best salesman’s smile, “I’m really busy today, can’t chat right now.” He started to argue but I headed straight out the door, not giving him a chance.
I could finally breathe once I stepped into the hallway. That whole office made my head spin, and not in a good way. At this point I had slept with 75% of them, so it would be better to maintain as much distance as possible.
It was close to lunchtime, so the halls were mostly empty. I made it halfway to the elevator before a hand wrapped around my wrist.
I tried to pull away on instinct, but the grip was firm. “What are you-” I stopped. “What are you doing, Richard?”
He was quiet, those dark eyes studying me with an intensity that made me want to shrink into myself. He didn’t offer me an answer, only pulled me with him as he walked further down the hallway. I let him lead me without protest, curious to know what he was planning - though I hadn’t expected him to take me into the bathroom and lock me in one of the stalls with him.
“What the fuck are you doing?” There was barely enough room for both of us to stand, and I was painfully conscious of how exposed we were. No one else was in the bathroom, for now, but I refused to get caught like this.
I reached for the latch but he grabbed my hand, forcing it away. “Why do you do this to yourself?”
I frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You still have feelings for them, don’t you? For Daphne, at least. Working with them only hurts you, so why don’t you put some distance between you?”
