Chapter 2: Unprofessional

Cecilia

The true mate of my mate shows up out of nowhere. Where does that leave me?

Emeric’s still on the phone, pacing around his desk, when Victoria and I trail into the office behind him.

“Do you want a coffee?” I ask Victoria, gesturing to the drinks I’ve been carrying around awkwardly this whole time.

“Oh, no. I don’t drink coffee. It’s terrible for your skin, you know. Ages you.” She gives me a phony, closed-mouth smile. 

I have no idea how to respond to that comment. All I can think to do is nod politely.

“Where can I go freshen up?” She tilts her head thoughtfully.

“Restrooms are back the way we came. The last couple doors we passed.” My hands being occupied, I jut my chin in the direction I’m referencing.

“Thank you, Cecilia.” She flashes another fake smile, then takes a step toward the door.

But just as she is about to pass me, she wobbles on her heel. The next thing I know, she lurches to the side and crashes right into me, gripping my forearm as she does so; the little tray in my hands is upended, and one of the coffees drenches me on its way down to the floor.

I gasp as heat sears into my thigh, and then drips down my entire leg.

My mouth is open, but I’m too shocked to vocalize anything.

In the next surreal moment, Victoria drops down to her knees.

“Oww!” she wails dramatically.

Emeric, whose back had been turned, spins around wide-eyed. His gaze lands upon Victoria, who looks up at him with her lower lip pouted and quivering.

He hangs up his call without another word to whomever was on the other end and throws the phone down on the desk.

“What the hell just happened?” he barks, rushing to Victoria’s side. His eyes flick from her to me to the coffee on the floor and back to Victoria again.

She holds her arm up in the air, showing Emeric a little bit of coffee dripping from her hand and wrist. Then she darts her pale blue eyes in my direction. “Oh, Cecilia, it’s okay. We’re all a bit clumsy sometimes. But… ouch, it did burn me, and it hurts really bad…” 

“Wait—what?” I say quietly, trying to make sense of what is happening.

“Cecilia,” Emeric snaps, his baritone voice booming. “Go get some ice for Victoria, right now!”

My jaw drops as Emeric uses his jacket sleeve to wipe the splashed coffee off her hand and wrist. A small area of her skin is a little bit red.

“Oh, don’t blame the poor girl, Emeric,” Victoria says as I start backing away in the direction of the door. “I’m sure she didn’t mean to push me.” 

A lot more of the spilled coffee landed on me than on Victoria, but Emeric didn’t notice. His focus was only on her and the dramatic performance she was putting on for his benefit.

“Shit,” I groan quietly, pressing a dish towel into my burning thigh. It soaks up most of the hot liquid that scalded my skin, but my whole pant leg is still damp. Some coffee even leaked all the way down my calf and into my shoe, but I don’t have time to clean myself up properly.

The second I walk back into the office, Emeric snatches the towel and ice pack from my hands and hurries to Victoria, who’s sitting in the big leather armchair behind his desk.

“Thank you,” she mews to him as he kneels beside her and wraps the towel around her wrist. 

“How’s that?” He presses the ice pack over the towel.

“Better,” Victoria answers breathily, nodding at Emeric.

Finally he turns to look at me. “Cecilia. Apologize to Miss Cambridge for your wild unprofessionalism.”

“I will NOT. She did this, Emeric—”

“No excuses!” he shouts. I can tell he’s getting impatient, and that makes my stomach sink. Because I know he’s close to losing his temper completely.  

He didn't believe me.

My heart is torn in two. He won’t even hear me out. But why would I apologize for something I didn’t do?

“Cecilia,” he growls again. I shudder, feeling anger rolling off him like heat waves. “Apologize.”

I’m baffled and hurt by the way Emeric’s reacting. He’s not only eating up Victoria’s act. He’s also readily throwing blame on me for something that he should know would be completely out of character for me.

He should know by now that I’m nothing but professional, nothing but reliable. I’ve proven my character and loyalty to him day over day for the better part of a decade.

I open my mouth to protest again. To defend myself. But Emeric’s dark eyes narrow, and the intensity in his stare chokes me mute. 

“Now,” he demands.

I bow my head in pain and force the words out through gritted teeth. “I’m very sorry, Miss Cambridge.”

“No need to apologize, honestly. I can’t imagine you’d do this on purpose. We all make mistakes, Cecilia…” 

She’s right about that first part. I did absolutely nothing, and really shouldn’t have had to apologize. And beyond that—I’m in pain. The muscles in my thigh are spasming, still reacting to the burn I’ve not yet treated or even cleaned. 

“I do think I should go to the hospital, though.” Victoria sighs. “Just to be safe.”

“I’ll take you,” Emeric says immediately.

“No, no. I’ve been too much trouble already, showing up here and interrupting your workday. I’ll drive myself. It’s fine.”

Emeric walks Victoria to the door, pausing there and lowering his head as she whispers something into his ear. 

He turns around, scrubbing a hand down over his mouth. Something he does when he’s frustrated.

Victoria paces backward and, for the tiniest fraction of a second, she flashes me a smile from behind his back.

Emeric closes the office door.

When I meet his eyes, they look deadly serious.

“Emeric, why won’t you believe me? I’m telling you the truth.” Tears of frustration well in my eyes, blurring my vision. 

Emeric keeps shaking his head and scowling at me, like he did the whole time I was explaining what really happened with Victoria and the coffee. 

“What am I supposed to believe, that she intentionally injured herself to get you in trouble—and then told me not to scold you? Why would she even—” 

“Because she’s threatened by me,” I half-shout. 

I could see that from the moment I met her. Somehow, Victoria knew instantly that there was more between me and Emeric than a simple, professional relationship. I open my mouth to say so, but before I can get out another word, I’m interrupted by a loud, ugly laugh. 

Emeric snorts. “Victoria Cambridge, threatened by you?! What could she possibly feel threatened about—” 

I interrupt before he can finish this question. “Emeric, we have been together for years now…”

Emeric’s dark eyes narrow again. His mouth twists into a deep frown. “You and I are not ‘together,’ Cecilia,” he growls. 

“Then what am I to you?” 

“You are my secretary.” His tone is cold as ice.

“Ric,” I plead, shaking my head. He knows that’s not what I was asking.

He winces, cringing at my accidental use of this nickname, which before this moment I’ve only ever called him in bed. 

“You know that you have never been my girlfriend,” he snaps, getting loud again. 

His words send a cold chill down my spine. “You are just my whore.”