He laughs. “I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”
I roll my eyes. “Too bad I didn’t get to know this side of you first. We probably could’ve saved each other a lot of headaches.”
He laughs. “Yeah, but it’s been fun. You can’t deny that. Even when you’re pissing me off, I still like to hear the shit that comes out of your mouth. You always surprise me.” He looks over at me, and the smile he’s wearing is genuine. It’s not the cocky smile he usually has. It’s not the flirty smiles he uses with women. This is the kind of smile I’ve only ever seen him have when he’s enjoying talking with friends, like my brother. It’s nice to be on the receiving end for once.
He pulls into my mom’s driveway and shifts into park as he looks over at me.
“Thank you,” I tell him, feeling that the words aren’t enough.
“Stop saying that, Val. I didn’t do anything special.”
I nod. “You did, though. I could be laying in a hospital bed right now if it weren’t for you.”
His hand lands on my bare knee, and he squeezes it playfully. “Let’s not think about what could’ve happened. Let’s just be thankful things went the way they did.”
I nod, agreeing with him, but I can’t ignore the way my heart started pounding when his hand touched my skin. Unsure of what’s going on, I reach for the handle and open the door. His hand moves back to the steering wheel. He didn’t seem to notice the gesture the way I did, so I don’t mention it.
“See you on Monday,” I say, stepping out and closing the door behind me. On my walk to the door, I glance over my shoulder, expecting him to be backing down the drive, but he’s still in the same place, watching to make sure I get inside. Just before I step through the front door, I wave and so does he.
I close the door behind me and lean my back against it. For some reason, I’m breathless. My heart is racing, and my stomach muscles are tightened. I tell myself that I need to relax; it’s probably just the after-effects of whatever I ingested last night.
“Hey, sweet pea,” Mom says, walking into the living room with a cup of tea. Then she fully takes me in, and her lips part as fear fills her eyes. “What happened to you? Are you okay?”
I nod and stand upright. “I got a little sick last night, but Callan found me and took me back to his place. He stayed by my side all night to make sure I was okay.”
She smiles. “See, I’ve always told you that he was a nice boy. But why did you get sick? I hope you weren’t out binge drinking like all these kids do nowadays.”
I shake my head as I start walking toward the stairs. “I think it was something I ate. I’m never eating sushi again.”
When I get downstairs, I collapse onto the couch and turn on the TV while I kick back and try relaxing. My head is still pounding. I think the only thing that will make it ease up is time. My phone rings and I answer it.
“Hello?”
“Hey, where have you been? I’ve been calling you since last night,” Krista says.
I don’t even know how to answer that. “Did you not notice me missing?” I ask.
“I mean…not for a while. I was dancing with Brian. Decon went MIA too, so I just thought you guys were finally following through. You’ve had like, what, a year of foreplay?”
I shake my head. “He drugged me, Kris. I don’t remember anything, but luckily Callan showed up and saved me from getting raped in the alley.”
“Don’t be dramatic, Val. We’ve known Decon for a year. He wouldn’t do something like that.”
“Callan wouldn’t lie about that, Kris. You need to be careful around him. Promise me you won’t go hang out with those guys anymore.”
“I just left Brian’s house, and everything is fine.”
“Promise me you won’t be alone with Decon, Kris. I’m serious. Things could’ve ended up a lot worse for me. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Alright, I promise. Are you okay?”
“I lost my phone, ruined my shoes and dress, but yeah, I’m fine. I really owe Callan.”
“God, I feel so bad. I honestly didn’t think Decon would do something like that,” she says, guilt dripping from her words.
“Me neither,” I agree with a nod.
The rest of the weekend is spent laying on the couch, hanging out with my mom, and eating way too much food. Monday morning rolls around, and I’m almost looking forward to getting back into the office, and I don’t know why. I guess a part of me wants to see how Callan acts toward me. It feels like we finally broke the ice on our friendship this weekend, like we just needed one thing to bond over. Too bad that thing was me being taken advantage of.
I shower and dress in a black skirt, white shirt, and red heels. I leave my hair down but curl it to make it look a little nicer, and I add a small amount of makeup. When I walk into the office, Callan is already behind his desk. His head pops up, and he almost smiles, but then decides against it.
“There’s a list on your desk of things I need done today,” he says flatly, turning his attention back to his computer.
“Okay,” I say, taking my seat. As I slide my purse beneath my desk, I look up and study him. It seems his easy-going attitude from this weekend has left his body. And in its place is the Callan that’s spent all his time torturing me.
For the first half of the day, I sit at my desk, and he sits at his. We each do our jobs, and neither of us says a word. Around noon, he walks over and hands me a piece of paper with his lunch order. I grab my purse and head to the door. I glance down at the paper and see the same order from the other day.
“No mayo, right?” I ask, pausing, trying any way I can to get him to talk to me.
He looks up, offers a generic smile, and nods.
I leave without another word. I step into the elevator and bump into Maddie.
“Oh, Val. Bennet told me what happened. Are you okay?” she asks, latching onto my arm.
I nod. “I’m fine. I just…” I let my sentence drift off.
“What?” she asks.
“Well, it’s just that after all that happened, Callan was really great. He was friendly, and it felt like we may be becoming friends. But now, he’s downright refusing to acknowledge me.”
Maddie offers up a small smile. “Don’t take it personally, Val. Who knows what he’s thinking? He’s probably just freaked out in the sudden change in your relationship.”
“I guess,” I say, stepping off the elevator with her following behind me.
“Just give it some time. He’ll either go back to how he was before, or this new friendship will take over.”
“Hopefully the latter,” I say with a laugh.
6
Callan
When I reach out and touch her leg—something I mean to be completely innocent—my heart halts and leaps to my throat. My face feels hot and a little tingly. I quickly think I’m having a heart attack, but then she steps into the house, and my whole body calms down. What the fuck was that? I’ve never in my life felt something so strongly. It couldn’t be because of her, could it?
I back down the driveway, thoughts racing a mile a minute. Do I have feelings for Valerie? That thought alone makes me want to laugh. I can’t have feelings for Valerie. She’s my best friend’s little sister. He’d fucking kill me if I laid a hand on her. And, hello, it’s fucking Valerie. The girl I can’t fucking stand.
But I saw her in a totally different light. For once, she wasn’t the person trying to fuck up my life; she was the person about to have her life fucked up. She was taken advantage of and used. And that’s not okay with me. But what was that, that spark I felt when we touched? Am I attracted to her at all? She’s beautiful, I suppose. She’s tall, thin, and has gorgeous features. I guess I’ve never looked at her like that. But if I think about it, she is quite striking.
Fuck, I need more sleep.
I drive back home and crash into bed, instantly drifting off to sleep, but behind my lids, I see her. I see her innocent eyes, her big smile
, her soft lips. I can see myself moving closer to her, kissing her, touching her. I can hear her soft moans and gasps. I can smell her, taste her. And it’s all heavenly.
My eyes pop open, and my heart is racing. What the fuck is going on with me? I take a deep breath to clear my head. It’s obviously just a little mix up in my brain. This weekend, I saw a different side of her, not to mention I didn’t seal the deal with my date. I’m probably just horny, and I’ve spent more time with her than I ever have. Clearly, I don’t have feelings for my best friend’s sister. I can’t. I won’t.
My phone chimes from beside me, and I lift it to read the message.
It’s from Ashley: I’m looking forward to tonight.
Fuck, I forgot about that. But I guess I’ll be able to bang these feelings and urges out of me.
Be there soon, I reply.
* * *
I force myself to get up and get in the car. I don’t feel like meeting up with a girl and having casual sex. I’d much rather sit at home and relax while trying to figure this thing out, but that’s not what I do. I live life; I have fun. Deep down, I’m hoping that tonight will erase these confusing feelings I’m having about Val.
I slide into Ashely, and she feels amazing wrapped around me. I close my eyes, and in my head, it’s not Ashley I’m with: it’s Val. I can see the way her plump lips part with her heavy breathing. I can hear her calling out my name. I can feel my heart pounding like it will jump from my chest at any moment. And when I finish, it feels like nothing I’ve ever felt before. It’s like coming for the first time.
When I get back home, all I can think about is Valerie. The whole point of tonight was to get my rocks off in hopes of getting rid of this attraction I’m suddenly feeling to her but picturing myself fucking her instead of the girl I was with, it only made the attraction take hold that much more.
I want Valerie in my bed. I want to know what it would be like to slide into her. I want to know how she tastes, how soft her skin is against my lips. I want to fucking own her.
“Fuck my life,” I mumble, laying my head back as I look at the white ceiling above my bed.
When she leaves to get my lunch, I feel like I can breathe again. I know she’s noticed a difference in the way I’m acting, but I honestly have no idea how to be around her anymore. I fucking want her, and I can’t have her. Even if she’d allow it, I never could because I know Bennet wouldn’t stand for it. I’d probably lose my job. I know I’d lose my best friend. I can’t spend eight hours a day with her in this secluded office. If I didn’t have to look up and see her, if I didn’t have to smell her sweet perfume drifting my way, I could keep my distance.
While she’s gone, I pick up the phone and call the maintenance guy. He walks in moments later.
“You said you needed help, Mr. Gregory?”
“Yes,” I stand. “I do.” I walk to the center of the room. “I need help moving this desk out of my office.”
“Into the hallway?” he asks, confused.
“Exactly,” I reply. “Now, come on.”
He takes one end of the desk, and I take the other. We move it out of the office and into a rather large seating area just outside my door.
I stand back and look at our handy work. That’ll do.
I quickly rush inside and get her chair, putting it with her desk. The moment I sit behind my desk, she comes walking in, looking pissed as hell.
“What the fuck, Callan?” she asks, dropping my lunch onto my desk and motioning toward her desk that’s no longer in the office.
I take a deep breath. “After last week, I thought it might be easier on both of us to have our breathing room. It’s nothing personal.”
She snaps her mouth closed, nods her head, and turns to leave without a word.
Wow, that went better than I thought.
When the maintenance man gets back from lunch, I have him set up our phones so I can page her at her desk for when I need something. This seems like a much better arrangement. Now, maybe I’ll be able to get her off my mind and keep my damn hands to myself.
As I’m finishing up my lunch, Bennet walks into my office. “Callan, what the hell is that?” he asks, pointing toward the door.
I shrug. “It seemed like the better option.” I can’t tell him I’m fantasizing about fucking his little sister and this is the only way I can trust myself.
“I thought after this past weekend, you two would be getting along a little better. What did she do, anyway?”
“She didn’t do anything,” I confess. “I just think this is better. I have my office to myself, and you won’t have to listen to her complain about me every day. Win-win.”
He shakes his head and rolls his eyes. “Whatever, man. It’s fine by me.” He walks out without another word.
The workweek passes quickly, but not quickly enough. I guess Val decided that me moving her desk was a personal attack, and she won’t even look my way. She’ll answer any question I ask, and she’ll do any task I give her, but friendly Val is gone. On the other hand, so is ornery Val. She doesn’t joke or tease me. In fact, she goes out of her way to avoid me at all costs. The only problem is, every night when I’m alone or with another girl, she’s the only fucking thing I can think about. Putting distance between us isn’t working for me. In fact, it’s only making me think of her more.
I try working my issues out on other women, but none of them can get the job done. I picture fucking her over and over, and each time, my release gets weaker and weaker. It gets to the point that I have issues getting hard altogether. I’m annoyed, angry, and wound tight. Even though I want to have sex and have it end well, my body won’t cooperate.
It’s Friday evening, and most of the staff have left for the day. It’s only myself and Valerie left on this floor. I’m at my desk, and she’s at hers, finishing up our work so we can leave for the weekend. She opens my door and walks in. It closes gently behind her. I watch her walk up to me with determination. She places a file folder in front of me.
“There. Can I go now?”
I nod once, not bothering to talk.
She turns on her heel, but before she can get to the door, she spins back around. “What the hell is your problem, Callan?”
My mouth drops open. “I don’t have a problem, Val.”
“Well, something is going on. I thought we were getting along well. Then the next thing I know, I’m kicked out of the office. What gives?”
I stand up and take a deep breath. “There’s nothing wrong. I just thought this would work better for the two of us.”
She shakes her head and takes a deep breath that causes her chest to rise. With her hands on her hips, she begins walking closer, and it makes me want to take a step back to keep our distance. I know if she gets close enough, I’ll end up doing something I regret. This is Valerie. She isn’t just some random woman that wants a good time. If I touch her, I might as well pack my bags and leave everything and everyone I know.
“Something is going on, Callan. Last Saturday, we were like old friends, talking and laughing. You were going out of your way to help me, and now you can hardly look me in the eye.” She comes to a stop directly in front of me. I can smell her perfume. I can practically feel the heat leaving her body.
I look up, and our eyes lock. I can see anger and passion brewing behind them. She licks her bottom lip, wetting it, and her lips part. It gives me flashbacks to that first dream I had. I can feel myself starting to waver. I’m thinking things like: just one touch, one little kiss. I can blame it on being confused by our new friendship. I can completely dismiss it. I’m sure she wouldn’t tell Bennet. I mean, it’s just a kiss, practically nothing. Maybe it will be enough to get her out of my head. I mean, if I kiss her and feel nothing, this confusion will go away, right?
But what if it makes it worse? What if I kiss her and can’t stop? What if it leads to other things? I need to get her away from me as quickly as possible.
“Damnit, Valerie. I was just being nice bec
ause you’d had a shitty night. I did what I had to do for my best friend’s sister. Okay? It wasn’t a bonding moment. It didn’t mean anything to me. Stop reading into everything.” I shake my head, getting angry at myself. “Why don’t you just go home? We’re done here.” I pick up the file she dropped on my desk and turn my back to her, filing it away in the cabinet for Monday. I close the drawer, and a deep breath leaves me. When I turn around, my door is standing wide open, and she’s nowhere in sight.
Part of me is happy because I managed to get her to leave without doing something I shouldn’t. But another part of me is angry that I’m too scared to reach out and take something I want. This seems like a no-win situation for me.
As I’m leaving the office, I keep trying to think of ways to get her out of my head, but everything I’ve already tried doesn’t seem to work. I need more space. That’s the only thing that will work. I need to be rid of her once and for all.
Monday morning, I’m going to fire her. I don’t care if I end up having to answer my own phone calls. At least I’ll still have a job, and my best friend. The more time that passes, the better I’ll feel until there is nothing left for her anyway.
Just knowing what Monday will bring makes me angry and puts me in a bad mood. Everything about me is tense and sore. My temper is through the roof, and I feel like I’ll snap at the smallest of things.
When I get home, I pour a stiff drink and sit behind my desk, debating whether or not I should call Bennet and give him a heads up. I’m sure he’ll ask me why I want to fire her. I’m going to need an actual answer. I mull it over and decide just to get it over with. After I talk to him, I’ll call her and fire her. Then I won’t even have to worry about seeing her on Monday. Maybe I’ll feel better and be able to enjoy my weekend instead of dreading the coming week.
I grab my phone and call Bennet.
“Hello?” he answers.
“Hey, man. What’s up?” I ask, taking a sip in hopes of being drunk before I tell him the reason for this call.
My Boss’s Sister: Make Her Mine Series-Book 3 Page 4
