The lack of needed support from Josh has me tossing and turning all night, knowing I'm walking into the devil's den the moment I step foot into work today.I'm late again, gathering Melody and me into my car over thirty minutes late as I drag my feet, knowing once I go, I won't have a moment to myself until come five o'clock.And I can't leave work early two days in a row; after allI have afternoon meetings from twelve, and I cannot remotely meet up with these clients much as I did Josh yesterday.Even so, I'm strolling through the doors of work at eight-twenty, frowning as I clap eyes with Hannah and, unfortunately, Cassidy.She stands almost immediately, her face like thunder, as she marches herself to me as I move myself to the lift that'll take me up to my office on the fortieth floor."You're late. I believe your start time is seven-thirty..." she mutters in disbelief as we walk side by side into the empty lift."I have a daughter to tend to, feed, dress, drive to school. Beside
SebastianI scrape myself through that first day with Cassidy by the skin of my fucking teeth, and that night all I can think of is brown eyes, brown hair in a neat bun and her bent over my fucking work desk as that delectable pencil skirt rides her thick thighs. What the fuck was wrong with me? Why now? Why her?I'm so restless I find myself in my home gym, working out harder than I have for years in the hopes my fucking perpetual hard-on will subside.Did it? You ask.No, it fucking didn't... and did I do anything about it? I hear you ask.Well, I tried; I whacked one out in the shower, pleading the fifth that if god allowed me that small moment of pleasure, I would behave—that I would worship him for allowing me a reprieve in my orgasmic celibacy. But alas, he never let me the pleasure of finding release, much as he hadn't for the last four fucking years.Since that night I last took Beth, the night I lost her.I'm broken, I know that. I've known that since I decided to start dri
I get Melody to school late, but not as late as yesterday, and weirdly, the stars must have aligned to present me with no traffic between her school and work. Meaning I walk through the doors with only a five-minute tardiness to my name today.Cassidy's there, of course, sitting with Hannah as she stares at the doors waiting for—me. She stands immediately at my presence, looking down only briefly at the watch on her otherwise bare wrist. She's dressed in a dress today, something that I believe Melody owns, a pinafore; I do think it's called.It's black and hugs her curves... her breasts, those hips.Clinging its way down to her tight adorned legs that seem to last forever with the aid of those stilettos. She clears her throat, bringing me crashing down to reality. "You have the code, no? Why are you waiting for me down here again?" I ask angrily, my night's lack of sleep still making me cranky. Or is it the fact I was just caught checking her out?"That is not my office; I'm a temp
Sebastian After a further twenty minutes, we were stuck, and at some point, I realised the lights had gone up, and I knew we were in the home stretch to escaping out of here unscathed. Neither of us spoke after my revelation, but that only led to time to think over the horrors of how quickly I spilt my guts. And how quickly I allowed myself to touch the woman I was now seemingly fawning over. Roger was there, opening the lift with a specially designed crowbar on the twenty-first floor; I peeked outside. Looking with relief to find the offices empty as I allowed myself a moment of resignation that perhaps I really and honestly didn't want nor need Cassidy working alongside me. Self-preservation, I think sourly. I've never had to explain that Beth's dead to anyone at work before; after all, they've all worked here alongside me for long enough to know about that particular train wreck time in my life. But things are different under my father. His turnaround of staff is as if
"Seb, shall we take her to the treehouse?" She had asked me. "Mhmm," I agreed, knowing this would make her happy. But despite remembering the day from the photo, my mind does something confronting. One minute, I remember Beth and how happy I was to be basking in her attention, and the next, I remember holding Cassidy's cheek in the lift. Her dimple against my palm, her laugh making my inside squeeze as she laughs at me counting sheep. "Why are you counting sheep?" She asks me, confused, humour in her voice. My breath shudders through my chest, my confusion and unhappiness mixing with... hope. Fuck! It's been eight minutes; the clock enlightens me of that, and I know I must leave and enter the meeting waiting for me to begin. But I take a further two minutes to myself. She's perched outside on the desk that was my PA's, waiting for me as I open the door. I had hoped she would be entertaining my first client, but I realised with horror that Josh was my first meeting. "So you mus
Sebastian"Cassidy," I mutter her name as emotion chokes me. I don't know my up from down to right to left, only the need to ensure she knows I wasn't rolling my eyes at her, moreover reacting to my idiot best friend who isn't helping this situation I found myself thrust into at the deep end. "I'd like to go home," she interrupts my thoughts, making me frown as I realise that I've truly upset her more profoundly than I thought I could."I'm sorry—," I mumble as she stands before me, turning her back to me to open the door, her hand holding onto the handle as if fighting with something inside herself."Look, I don't want to be here as much as it seems you don't want me here. I liked my job and pay over at Tower One. And it was certainly less eventful, but I have my instructions, and I've been made to take a cut and fall back into being a lowly personal assistant.""My father made you take a pay cut to serve as my PA?" I ask, angered. Standing to cage her in, her body heat tantalising
SebastianThat next day, I presumed I'd walk into work without a PA, readying myself for losing the enigma that was Cassidy.Honestly, I had no clue why I had been acting the way I had; my mother brought me up with more manners.She vied to teach me that women were worth their weight in gold, something my father never upheld, though they have been married for more than thirty years, so he must do something right.Cassidy humours me, sticking around for the remainder of the week as I ensure I'm on my best fucking behaviour as I vow not to put that look of desolation upon her features again.But that doesn't mean she doesn't make any excuse she can think of not to spend time with me.Gone is the willing PA vying for my attention, and in her place is a woman that keeps her fucking face down on the laptop that doesn't present the amount of work that she leads me to believe she's completing.I should be happy with the lack of attentiveness and the reprieve she's given me regarding her comp
SebastianCassidy isn't impressed that I turn up at her home address without prior permission as I take it upon myself to ensure she attends this dang fucking conference alongside me as my PA.Perhaps I should have accepted her warning, backed off and allowed her to remain stoic and at a far distance from myself, but then again, I always was one for self-sabotage, it seems.She's shocked as she opens the door to her tiny flat, where I stand on the doorstep under the small archway that shelters her door, much like my porch does."Sebast—, Mr King," she greets me with shock, her eyes bulging in her face as her eyes rove down my now jeans and jumper-adorned body.She told me that she wasn't coming, and she refused to entertain it, but this is part and parcel of her job description as my PA, and I'll be damned if I leave her at home. "Have you packed? We need to leave," I admit quickly, looking to the car I've kept running to keep it warm for her. It's raining, you see, chucking it down,
"We're going out again," Josh admits, a smirk on his face as he looks at Charlotte."Have a good evening then," I tell him, slapping his back in a friendly manner."You too," he nods towards Cassidy as she calls for the lift.I nod, but I don't know what I'm about to do. There are so many things running through my head, so many needs that need scratching, but there's also the hurt riding alongside the need, forcing my mind into a place of unknown.We stand beside each other in the lift, silent as can be.I've barely said anything to her all night, and she seems jittery because of it.Perhaps she knows I'm on to her, but what she doesn't know is I don't fucking care.Yeah, I came to that conclusion at the dinner table.Cassidy's mine now; I won't let her go. Things need to be ironed out, wrongs need to be made right, but I don't feel any less for her than I did this time yesterday evening.I let her brew, walking ahead of her to the apartment door and opening it for the pair of us as s
SebastianI did it; I fucking bagged the contract, and it's signed already as we sit across from one another in the restaurant as we drink to success. "It's a pleasure doing business with you, Mr King," Yu Meng grins back at me. I nod, and I think of the price I've paid for the phones that we will redistribute with our names attached to them.It's a good deal, far less than I expected them to agree on, yet we have to keep it a secret for now, still playing the game that the phones are up for grabs.The three of us shake hands, and I nod to Mr Meng as we walk towards the conference room. Josh and I are wearing a secret smile as we sit at the back during the meeting, and the others ask their questions.I take the opportunity to sit and think over my revelation from this morning and what I want to do.Part of me wants to make Cassidy submit to me; I really want to have her sitting there on her knees, holding herself up as her muscles protest as I make her spill her proverbial beans.Onc
Last night flooded my mind, the memory of Sebastian slipping them from my feet as he held my weight as if I were stick thin and weighed nothing. My cheek blushes, and I groan internally as I place them on my feet and just in time, too, because Charlotte has rejoined me and dressed in only a pair of jeans and an oversized jumper. "Ready?" She asks me, walking to the door with a massive grin on her face. I nod, following along, and we ride in the lift down to the foyer, where we exit the hotel and hail a taxi just outside. We drive only for a short amount of time, being dropped outside of a small collection of very expensive branded shops. I hate to think of us going inside, but she grabs me instantly, taking me inside one that has rows of underwear only fit for consumption in a bedroom. "What's your size?" She asks me, looking down at my breasts as I do. "32D," I admit with a blush. "Don't be ashamed. Seb likes breasts, and you've plenty to keep him occupied all night."
Cassidy I wake to an empty bed, my hand reaching out for Sebastian, finding nothing but the cold bedsheets where he was lying when I allowed my eyes to close for the night finally. I sigh, upset that he's gone already but cognisant that he's probably needed for the work he came here for, which I should be helping him with. I move up, sitting from the bed, finding Charlotte staring right back at me from the sofa as the door hangs wide open, much as Josh had been sitting just yesterday morning. "Good morning," she grins. "Morning," I mimic her, looking behind me to ensure I didn't skip over Sebastian in the room somewhere. I still don't find him, much as I hadn't when I woke up. "He's downstairs working with Josh. They have lots to do today, but not to worry, he's left me his credit card, and I've been instructed to do some retail therapy with you. You can have whatever you like." "I don't want anything," I shrug, walking out to stand before her as I nervously decide wha
SebastianJosh and I asked for a private booth and ordered quickly before watching each other with raised brows and a mutual look of defeat.He swallows whilst reaching for his phone, unlocking it to scroll through everything I had read this morning alone.He's huffing, raising his brows, knitting them together. Chewing his cheek and sucking in his bottom lip much as he might when he and Charlotte argue, and it's then I know he truly has nothing to do with this. This is all my father's doing—solely his burden to bear.There's a torrent of emotion flitting through his features, and I hate everyone because they are exactly how I feel. I preferred it when he was happy for me, when he was blissfully as eager for this new life as I was."Seb..." he sighs my name, turning the phone down at the death certificate as if to say.'What the actual fuck'"Yeah. Yeah, that got me too. The things we have in common, the things that have aligned to bring us both here and yet my father is playing a hug
Derek Draper. I note his name down to search for an obituary, the sudden need to visit this man's resting place to ask for his girl's hand, making itself known. Fuck, she was married?Is that why she stopped us last night?That seems more plausible; the thought of her struggling with the fact she once belonged to another, and now she might be struggling to allow herself to move on much as I had been, would explain the sorrow within her eyes.Fuck! We have so much in common, so many stars aligned to bring our paths crashing alongside each other, but now I fear that I have this all wrong. That I might have allowed myself to feel something for the wrong person.I'm not sure I could let her go even if that's what she wanted...I can't continue chasing her until I know the true extent of her feelings.I sent a secure email to Josh with all my findings, intent on ensuring we have time alone today to talk about this and figure a way through this latest bout of turmoil.Fuck! I really like h
SebastianWe must fall asleep at some point because I wake up startled from a vidid dream of Beth's last night here on Earth.Remembering the way I made love to her for the last time, of the look of pure ecstasy on her face even with the pain still shrouding her eyes. I hadn't taken any form of gratification that night. Only needing to ensure she felt loved. And I've long since thought something broke inside of me that night. But I realise now it was only lying dormant, the sexual need, that is.I roll from back towards Cassidy as she lies in the same position we stared at one another for hours last night. Our noses almost touch, and I reach out to stroke her hair from her face as I study her in her sleep.She's breathtaking, absolutely beautiful, and I fear my heart might just shatter if she decides that I'm not for her.I don't know what made her stop last night, but it must have been something heavy. I could tell by the tears falling down her face. The sorrow that seems almost as
"Sebastian," I sigh, holding onto his hair as he kisses and sucks between my breast."Mhm," he hums, his beautiful eyes flicking to mine instantly, and I hold his gaze. There's a challenge in them, and I'm utterly lost in the depth of his soul as he devours mine with just one look.My shirt is up and over my head, thrown down somewhere behind him as he reaches for my waist.I cringe, hating the extra weight around my stomach, knowing those soft rolls might put him off, but he just scoffs, seeing my reaction and hating it."You're beautiful," he tells me, stepping between my legs once again as he encourages them around his waist quickly. I'm airborne again as he strides towards my room, moving the door with his palm as he beelines for the bed.I land softly, with a soft smile, as he stands like a god wanting to devour me as his last meal.He rids his shirt, taking care to take his cufflinks off before shoving them on the bedside table beside me. And then his suit pants go next, and I
CassidySebastian's been staring at me all evening. His hand reached for mine not long ago, and they've since been conjoined and lying on the tabletop.I've been wanting to jump in the conversation to have input into this weird situation we have going on.Which brings me back to my questions regarding Josh.Is he in on this deal, too?Is he working for Sebastian's father regarding getting Sebastian to move on from his wife?I don't jump into the conversation; I don't find an opportune time, so I sit quietly, listening to everything being said.It seems Sebastian wishes for his daughter to be betrothed to Josh and Charlotte's son. That wouldn't strike me as weird if we weren't in the twenty-first century, and all, because that's precisely what my Pa did with Derek.And I was thankful for that, as I would never have been confident enough to reach out to a man alone.I love how their conversations roll from one topic to another seamlessly, and I see how the three of them must have been f