Vivica knew better than to say it out loud. If she told him, then he would know that she was thinking about it, and Vivica didn't want him to have that much information. He didn't need to know that she was thinking about him in such a way. He was the boss after all.
“Oh, never mind. It was silly, really; I don't want to get into it. It just seemed so real, you know?”
Vivica tried to get off the phone, but Shane stopped her by saying her name almost sternly like she was in trouble. Why did she respond to that so well?
“You can't say something like that and then just get off of the phone, Vivica.”
“What more do you want me to say?”
“I want you to tell me what the dream was about. It sounds like something that I should know about.”
Vivica didn't want to say. She was trying her best to stay tight-lipped, but he kept insisting. She could feel her face getting red just thinking about it, and Vivica was grateful that he wasn’t there in front of her. Why couldn't he let it go?
“I had a dream that you kissed me. I was in the bed, and I woke up and you were right there. You started to say something and then you just kissed me. Then, you left just as abruptly as you came. I know that it wasn't real, but it really felt like it. I can actually still feel...”
Vivica's words faded out, because the moment was coming back to her, and it felt as real as it had the first time. How could something that didn't happen, feel so real?
“What makes you think that it was a dream?”
She clicked her tongue. “Because you would never kiss me.”
There was another pause, and Vivica wished to God that she hadn't brought any of it up. Obviously, that was a mistake. He was her boss, had given her a job, and a place to stay out of the kindness of his heart. Vivica should have just kept her mouth shut.
“I'm sorry, Shane, I never should have said anything. That was very unprofessional of me, and I hope you can accept my apologies.”
“I will see you when I get back in town. I shouldn't be gone too long. When I get back, we will have a talk about these dreams of yours.”
Vivica was glad he wasn’t there to see her embarrassing reaction. She apparently couldn’t talk to Shane before she had fully woken up. It was hard enough to deal with him when she had all of her wits about her, but at the moment, she didn't have any of her defenses up, and she had just let him slip through the cracks. Now she was shaking inside, trying to figure out what to do next.
***
Vivica was thankful that she was able to lose herself at work. Since she was helping Devin take care of all of Shane's business, they were busy most of the day. She got into the office around 8:00 o'clock and didn't leave until 10:00 o'clock that evening. She was tired and was just about to go home for the night when Devin stopped her on the way out the door.
“Where are you going?”
Vivica wasn’t sure if Devin knew about her living arrangement with Shane or not, so she didn’t want to say too much. She just shrugged and said that she wasn’t sure what she was doing for the night. Vivica was so worried about getting caught, she didn’t see why Devin was asking her that question.
“Why don't you come out with me? We can have some dinner or something.”
“I don't want to hold you up or anything. I'm sure that you have plans.”
Devin disagreed. “I really don't.”
“Are you trying to tell me that you don't have a girlfriend to go home to? Or a wife?”
Devin just smiled, with that twinkle in his eyes that she knew well. She had seen it more than once. Devin was nice, with a certain draw to him that she found fun to be around, but he wasn’t Shane. Vivica had decided, probably twelve hours after meeting Shane, that he was the one for her. She hadn’t thought it was possible, the way he made her fall all over her words and act like an idiot every time he was close. She had eyes only for him unfortunately. It would have been easier for Vivica if it was Devin.
“Are you trying to tell me that you're interested?”
“Curious.”
“Well, I have neither one of those. Haven’t found the right one yet.”
He said it like there was a chance that he had found the right one in her. Vivica didn't like the way the situation was going. She didn’t want to come out and say that she wasn’t interested, but she didn’t want to lead him on either. Vivica knew how men could get if turned down, even the nice ones like Devin. It would break her heart if he turned on her, and Vivica wasn’t ready to see if that was the case yet or not.
She agreed to go out with him, but only because he refused to take no for an answer. Vivica thought that the alone time together was probably going to be problematic. He would not think so, but she knew what would happen. That was how it always went. Vivica liked a guy’s company, and they would like hers. Then, they would want more, and more, until it was more than Vivica was ready for, and they would get mad.
They went to a local bar that wasn’t far from the office. Vivica had a glass of wine because she didn't want to have anything too strong. Sometimes when she had a bit to drink, all of her inhibitions that were there for a reason no longer existed. She wanted to make sure that it didn't happen with Devin. He wouldn't understand. All he would see was that she was flirty and horny. He would think that she was just messing with his head.
