The streets teem with people.Certainly running into Michael was just a coincidence and will never happen again.I assure myself he cannot possibly work at Sebastian’s company.Sebastian is too good at judging people’s potential to hire someone as sleazy and gross as the male counterpart to the ring leader of my bullies.
After pausing just inside the doors to adjust my clothes, I approach the front desk.Still a bit frozen from shock and horror, I float through the next few minutes without being present.
I follow the woman from behind the counter past the main elevators to the one reserved for executives.
The doors part.Sebastian commands the space beyond.Color returns to the world.My heart gives a prolonged squeeze before galloping into my throat.
Joy blooms deep in my soul as dark-chocolate-colored eyes meet mine, but the sudden surge of emotion amplifies the terror of the last few minutes.I yearn to wrap my arms around Sebastian’s sturdy frame and bury my face in his massive chest, but the thought of infecting him with Michael’s filth holds me immobile.
Every scar on my body itches and burns in remembered horror.
Sebastian’s perceptive eyes pick me apart.His smile wavers.Concern narrows his gaze.He thanks the woman and holds his hand over the door sensor before gesturing me into the elevator.
I slip past him on wooden legs and stand in the back corner.The doors slide closed.I stare at the panel of buttons, absently noting the lack of lights since he hasn’t selected which floor, and focus on regulating my breathing.
“Penelope, what’s wrong?”
The urge to tell him everything twists my tongue.I shake my head and close my eyes.
“Are you hurt?What happened?”
The concern in his rich, gravelly voice clogs my throat, but my tension skyrockets when he moves closer.
Bad habits die hard.A half-truth buried by lies will only bury me deeper, but it’ll stop me from suffocating right now.
“I’m fine, just overwhelmed.I avoid high traffic times as much as possible, so it’s been years since I was around so many people.The sidewalks were too crowded.”
I curb my rambling by pulling my lip ring into my mouth.The hairs on my nape rise.I open my eyes and freefall into Sebastian’s hungry stare.He stands larger than life in front of me.I can’t breathe.
He peels his gaze off my lips and rubs his hand over his face.I struggle to process through my emotional whiplash.
“Are you claustrophobic?I can carry you up the stairs if the elevator is too confining,” he says as though he isn’t making the space seem a million times smaller.
His offer turns my inner woman to goo, so I lean on my cynical side and huff a pathetic laugh.
“To what floor?The top of this building?Sorry, old man, but you’d die of a heart attack.Huffing and puffing and blowing the house down over an awkward nerd like me?No way.”
“I’d die a happy man.Huffing and puffing with you in my arms sounds like the best way to go,” he murmurs.
My insides melt.Desire throbs low in my belly.The lace of my bra compresses my pierced nipples as they harden.Slippery warmth seeps from my pussy and coats my labia rings.
His smirk reminds me of our year together in high school.Too much has happened since then.He left me.
Pain clears my mind.
I grit my teeth before asking, “Are you teasing me again?”
He growls—literally rumbles deep in his chest like a wild animal—and shakes his head.
“No, Penelope.I’m not teasing you, I’m flirting with you.”
I lift a cynical brow.My mouth moves without permission.
“Are you like this with all your female employees?”
The words—and my harsh tone—stun me.A smirk of delight flashes across his face so fast I wonder if I imagined it.He leans closer while keeping his shoulder against the wall, towering over me without invading my space.
“I’ve never flirted with anyone but you, sweet pea.”
