I broke the kiss to sit up and cup her bottom, pulling her to me. I put my hands under the back of her knees and gave her a seductive look.
“I was going to buy a couple of European islands for myself,” she said.
I nodded, bending down to take one of her nipples in my mouth and teasing the hardened pink bud with my tongue. “Well, good thing I’m a fantastic swimmer,” I said, biting down on her gently while I massaged her other breast. “You can’t keep me away,” I said with a gratifying suck, and she closed her eyes with a groan of pleasure.
29
AVA
Iwoke up the next morning, feeling deliriously happy at the touch of Desmond’s hand on my waist. The sun shone brightly down through the window in a blue sky that seemed to promise endless happiness.
Until I realized just what I had waiting for me two hours into my day.
That sent me sitting bolt upright in bed and searching around for my clothes.
“What time is your interview?” Desmond asked, rightly interpreting my haste as I ran to the master bathroom to get showered and dressed.
The place was so big that I had to run between the closetin the bathroomto grab my bathrobe to the shower at the other end of the bathroom, fifteen feet away.
“In two hours,” I said, squeezing the lemon-scented body wash onto my hands and scrubbing myself. “I need to give off an aura that sayswoman you don’t messwithbecause this is my only chance to let Kyle know that I can’t be scared into hiding anymore.”
Desmond waited by the side of the glass shower door until I stepped out in my bathrobe.
He gave me a kiss, water droplets and all, and said, “You will do it, sweetheart. I believe in you.”
That sent a warmth exploding through me that I hadn’t known was possible. Desmond was checking way too many boxes in thegood partnercolumn.
What a pity that this is just a short-term fling.
Desmond stepped into the shower while I got dressed. I’d packed a spare set of clothes in my bag last night before I came over, and Desmond had made sure it was pressed and ready for me in the morning.
“Hulle Laundry Services,” I read out loud when I saw the black bag that encased my neatly ironed clothes and raised my eyebrows in mild awe before I took out my clothes and put them on. It smelled like lavender and definitely gave offconfident womanvibes.
Desmond knew me too well.
“I thought Hulle was a bakery?” I asked as Desmond came up from behind me. “I’ve never been there, but I hear they make amazing cakes.”
He pressed a kiss to my hair. “It’s the same one. They’ve branched off into many industries,” he said. I looked at the bag again. “I’ll take you there sometime. But for today, you’re going to kick ass in that interview.”
Reaching up on my toes, I gave him a quick goodbye kiss. “Thank you,” I whispered before I ran out the door and into the elevator, knowing that my cab ride was just around the corner.
Desmond had persuaded me to try a local cab service, and I’d given in to him for just once. It had worked out great and saved me a good ten minutes of walking at breakneck speed to get to the subway station.
After that, cab rides to work on the days I stayed over at Desmond’s had become my new norm. He paid for it, just like he paid for the breakfast he ordered in occasionally when I was in the shower, preempting me from cooking eggs and bacon after I got dressed. I’d stopped fighting it, and for once, I just learned to accept that he was going to do things for me. It felt good in a way I hadn’t remembered feeling for a long time. Relaxed.
It’s short-lived after all, I reminded myself whenever a pang of guilt hit me at the amount of effort he was putting into taking care of me.
Desmond and I would move on, possibly when Mom’s restaurant reopened and I didn’t work here anymore.
For the next ten minutes, I spent most of the car ride practicing what I had to say about Kyle’s involvement in the embezzlement.
I reached work and got out of the car, smoothing my skirt as I did so, when I heard another car pull up behind us. Desmond’s car.
Jesus. This guy was going to give us away if he insisted on following me at such a close distance.
“Wait,” I whispered as Desmond got out of the car, a smile on his face when he saw me climb the steps. “Wait a few minutes first.”
I hurried away into the lobby, and in my haste, I ran into a couple of women who were talking to Otto at reception. I stopped to apologize just as one of the women turned to look at me.
