“No.” I lied, feeling like I’d been caught doing something naughty at school, and dropped the pen onto the desk.
Rowan continued to smirk, before leaning over to grab the small hand-held mirror he used to show patients their teeth. I looked at my own reflection, horrified to see the dark ink blot on my lower lip.
“Fuck, how long has that been there?” I laughed; a mouth full of ink.
“Not that long.” He grinned.
“Tosser.” I glared back at him, wiping the back of my hand against my mouth. “I’m going to look like a right tit on the bus home.”
“Come here.” Rowan beckoned me over, leaning to grab a pair of gloves and some cotton wool pads. I held my hand out to take them from him, but he pulled away out of my reach. “Sit on the chair, I’ll sort it.”
With my pulse rocketing steadily, I sat on the dentist’s chair at the centre of the room, side-on rather than leaning back like a patient would. I watched Rowan dip the cotton wool into the fluid we used to clean the instruments.
“Hold still,” he instructed, grasping my jaw tightly in one hand and using the other to clean the ink from my lips. I obeyed, sitting still and silent, unable to focus on anything other than fighting off the flurry of urges that assaulted me.
“Christ, it’s all over your tongue as well,” Rowan muttered, eyes fixed on my mouth. Before I realised it, I found my gaze on his lips in return.
“I mean, you can help me get that bit as well, if you’d like?” I mumbled, my voice deep and coarse. Even I hadn’t truly comprehended what had just come from my mouth until Rowan’s hand faltered.
“I, uh, I think that’s the worst of it,” he replied, ripping his gaze from me.
I got to my feet, silently berating myself for being so forward. My ears grew hot with embarrassment, and I cleared my throat. “I’m just gonna go…” I trailed off, gesturing out into the hallway.
“Y-yeah, sure,” Rowan replied, his voice tight.
I hurriedly slipped out into the hallway, cursing under my breath and faltered, momentarily forgetting where I was going.
Bathroom.
I hastily entered the cold, tiled room and rushed to the mirror. The ink from my lip was gone, but I poked my tongue out to inspect the rest of the black mess and rubbed the worst of it off against a damp paper towel.
I stared at myself in the mirror for a long moment. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I hissed at my reflection. “Why would you say something like that? He’s your fucking boss, get a grip.”
I continued to scrub the ink from my mouth, my mind whirling at a million miles an hour. I hadn’t been so embarrassed in all my life. It was wholly unlike me to put myself out there in such a forward, confident fashion and yet apparently I chose to lose my self-control with a man that I knew was completely unobtainable. Why? I could only assume insanity.
After delaying my return to the office for as long as I could, I eventually headed back to Rowan. The dentist was nowhere to be found and I wasn’t sure whether to be disappointed or relieved.
Chapter Three
Fiddling with my hair, I pressed a finger to the buzzer on the side of an old block of flats. The intercom crackled before a familiar voice became clear.
“Hello?”
“Hey Becca, it’s Max.” I smiled, even though she couldn’t see me.
“Hello! Come on up.” There was another, higher pitched buzz and I pushed my way into the building.
At the door of number twenty-three, I was greeted by Becca. “Come in.” She beckoned me through. I kicked off my shoes at the door before following Becca into her flat. “Would you like a drink? I’ve already got the popcorn ready.”
“Sure,” I replied, with a nod.
“Alcoholic?” Becca made her way to the kitchen, which was built into the open plan living room.
“Sounds great. Have you got beer?” I asked.
“Is vodka alright?”
“Fuck me, it’s a good job it’s the weekend,” I teased. “Sure, with orange?”
