“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. We could grab some food and take it to your place. My apartment is nice and all, but I’m sure yours is a million times nicer,” I babble, working on the buttons of my shirt. “But maybe we should stop by mine first and grab some clothes because I can’t wear this again tomorrow.”
He doesn’t respond, and I turn to find him standing with his pants and boxers still around his ankles. My brow crinkles and my smile fades when I see the look on his face. “Are you okay?”
Shaking his head in small movements, he bends and yanks his clothes up. “We… We shouldn’t have done that, Amelia,” he says, unable to hide the remorse in his voice.
I can’t disguise the hurt in mine. “What?” He might as well have just stabbed me with a letter opener.
“This was a mistake,” he mutters, zipping up his pants and looking everywhere but at me.
“A mistake?” I whisper, gutted. The light, floaty post-orgasmic bliss has been replaced by a heavy weight.
“Yes. A mistake. I’m your boss and too damn old for you,” he grumbles, pulling on and buttoning his shirt. “This… This can’t happen again. Our relationship needs to remain purely professional.”
“Our relationship has never been purely professional! We’ve always blurred the line, Alex.”
He’s silent as he picks his tie up off the floor and stares at it. It’s one I bought him for his birthday.
“I actually thought we were turning whatever this was into something more, something bigger for a second there.” My voice cracks but then turns harsh. Bitter.Maybe there was never anything real between us…“But I guess you got all you wanted out of it.”
Grabbing my purse from the couch, I curse my choice of heels as I storm out of his office down the hall. As the elevator doors open, I hear him call after me.
“Amelia, wait.”
Ignoring him, I step in and press the button for the ground floor. He runs toward me, looking distressed.
“Wait!” he yells desperately. But I can’t take any more pain tonight.
The doors close before he gets there, and I blink back tears on the ride down, willing the elevator to move faster. I race out the front doors and thank whatever gods might be watching tonight because there’s a cab driving by.
Through tear-filled eyes, I glance out the window toward the building just as the stairway door slams open and Alex rushes out into the lobby. His eyes meet mine, and though I can’t hear him, I know he yells my name.
But the car pulls away and I’m gone.
I don’t answer my phone when it rings a few seconds later. I don’t listen to the voicemail he leaves or read the texts he sends. But I can’t bring myself to delete them so I just pretend they aren’t there and block his number.
No woman wants the man she’s been more than half in love with for a year to look at her with regret right after having amazing, mind-blowing sex. He can shove his shame up his ass and fuck all the way off.
As soon as I lock my apartment door behind me, I peel offmy clothes, climb into the shower, and cry until I’m out of hot water. It runs out faster than my tears do.
I pour myself a big glass of wine and change my plane ticket home. I’m not due to be there for another week, but there’s no way I’m staying here until then. My new flight leaves in the morning, so I keep drinking and start packing before crying myself to sleep for a few hours.
Not exactly sober in the cab on the way to the airport, I email my letter of resignation to Katie.
At this point, I don’t care about cashing out my vacation time or trying to get a reference. I just care about surrounding myself with people who love me, nursing my broken and bruised heart, and getting the fuck away from Alex Delgado.
Chapter 10
What else is there to say?
Alex
Fuck. FUCK!
Chapter 11
What the fuck was that shit?
Alex
