As tempting as it was to want to open her phone and see what it was about, I refused to invade her privacy. I didn't even try swiping to unlock to see if she had a passcode. It wasn’t right. If Veda was speaking to Clayton she had a reason—most likely something work related that I knew nothing about. I'd been out of the loop for weeks now. For all I knew she'd been reassigned to a new department.
Regardless, it wasn't my position to pry, and whatever it was could wait. I'd just confessed to loving her after knowing her all of five weeks. And I wished I'd had that epiphany sooner, when she wasn’t around, because I wanted to lie down and revel in the sensations pulsing through me.
But first I had to make sure she was okay.
14
VEDA
Everyone standing in the conference room preparing for this luncheon froze when Asher's face contorted. The press release that went out this morning reported his absence as being a break for "health reasons" instead of the standard "personal reasons". I told Jared three times to fix it because I knew how sensitive Asher would be. It was no one's business why he was out of work for so long, and being one of the biggest names in the city, word had gotten out that he was out of sight for a few days.
Now, as most of the executive staff had assembled for today's quarterly luncheon and report briefing, I cringed and waited for the explosion. Asher had been back to work one week, and it had been a quiet week without any stress or hiccups. I'd noticed him being more relaxed and focused, and already, he had really taken me under his wing and started coaching me on how to speak to the press more fluidly, but this moment felt like a powder keg waiting to explode.
"This is not appropriate," he said calmly, and his eyes rose to lock on Jared's pallid face.
"Yes, sir, I meant to… Well, what I mean to say is that I?—"
"I requested that my personal details be withheld." Asher raised his chin and I watched his jaw tighten. Here was where he usually tore someone's head off, but he just took a deep breath and sighed. "Please don't let it happen again," he said, handing the sheet of paper back to Jared, who glanced at me like he'd just witnessed a miracle.
Asher turned and walked away without so much as a peep, and everyone within earshot gawked at the changed man. There were no hysterics or explosive reactions. He didn't raise his voice, and he didn't even use a harsh tone.
"What's gotten into him?" Jared asked, leaning in.
I smiled because I knew. But I lifted one shoulder and cocked my head. "He's sober now…" was the only answer I could give.
I didn't tell Jared the truth—that Asher was in love, and that love changes a man. I knew most of it was due to his sobriety, though. He'd worked so hard to get clean and stay clean, four weeks now, and I was so proud of him.
Jared wandered away, while I trailed Asher for the next thirty-five minutes. We snacked on the various dishes brought in carry-in style, and the platters of meat Locke Global had paid for. He introduced me to a few board members I hadn't met, and doubled back to Robert Lang, whom I learned was actually helping Asher find a sponsor. Every minute next to him had me falling more and more in love with him too, and deeper and deeper into that guilty chasm in my mind.
"It's almost time to start the meeting," he breathed in my ear, probably standing a little too close considering we hadn't gone tothe board about our relationship yet. And I smiled at the dusting of his heat on my ear.
"Yes, Daddy," I whispered, knowing what it would do to him, but my voice was quiet enough no one around me could hear.
"Ms. Porter, you are going to get me riled up." Asher backed away buttoning his coat, which I knew meant he was hiding something beneath and it made me smirk. But Penny walked past carrying a plate of shrimp and the stench made me feel like I might throw up instantly.
"Uh…" I said, covering my mouth. "I need to go get a drink. Don't wait for me. I'll be back."
Asher's eyes tracked after me with concern as I shuffled through the mob of people to the door. Morning sickness was worse than the plague—and it didn't just happen in the morning. It happened all day, any time of the day, and it was triggered by things that smelled funny. I could go three days without feeling so much as a pinch of nausea, and someone's perfume could make me vomit thirty times in a row. I hated it.
And I hated that it came on so fast sometimes I didn't make it to the bathroom. Like right now, when I found myself heaving over an open trash can in the hallway.
"Well, well… Little Miss Flirts With Her Boss is feeling bit off?" Clayton's voice only made the retching worse.
He stood next to me callously eating his own plateful of food, which included that stinky shrimp, and made my stomach turn even more. All the while, my stomach was emptying itself. I had half a notion to miss the can on purpose and let it hit his shoes.
When I finally got control of myself, I straightened. Clayton casually handed me his used napkin and lifted both eyebrows at me while I wiped my mouth, swallowing the nasty taste of stomach acid with nothing to wash it down.
"What do you want, Clayton?" I grumbled while I straightened my blouse, careful not to abuse my already sensitive boobs. I had spent the last four weeks with almost amazing silence from this man. Short of one or two angry text messages, which I swore were drunk texts, I hadn't heard a peep from him. Though, I wasn't naive enough to think I'd gotten him off my back.
"Seems you're swooning over the boss man," he said, popping a shrimp in his mouth. I gagged but managed to fight back the swell of nausea.
I didn't know what to say to him. I knew full well it was time to pay the piper, and I had no way to come up with that much money. It was gone. I couldn’t get it back if I wanted to.
"I don't know what you're talking about." I heard the meeting being called to order inside, and someone shut the door behind me, which was all well and good. I knew I wasn't done throwing up yet.
"Oh come off it, honey. I saw the way you two were laughing like you have some little secret." With the door shut, Clayton's monster came out. He tossed his plate on top of my vomit in the can and glared at me. "Something's going on between you two and I know it. I see the way you look at him. It means you have been cozying up to him… Did you record it? Did you get him to say things to you to make him look like a predator?"
I couldn't answer him. Just the honest question I had no way to lie about made my stomach roll. I hurled. My entire body heavedthis time as I gripped the edges of the trash can and let more of the delicious luncheon food come back up.
