“No, nothing to worry about.” Paisley’s hand slid around the back of her iMac, her slim fingers pressing the power button and sending the computer to sleep. “Just…woke up late.”
“Oh?” Georgina’s brow rose. “Late night?”
Paisley blushed. “A little, yeah. But it won’t happen again, I promise.”
Georgina’s belly fluttered, the idea of Paisley being with someone else riling a slight jealousy within her.
“What you do outside of here has no bearing on your work. You’re the best assistant I’ve had in at least ten years.”
“Well, thank you.”
Georgina watched Paisley slip her arms through her light jacket, the weather outside bright with a slight wind-chill. She willed her mouth to move—to ask what she really wanted to ask—but Georgina suddenly felt nervous. Her heart was currently situated in her mouth.
“Did you need anything before I left?”
“Go to dinner with me.”
“What time?” Paisley asked, lifting her diary from the desk. “And should I add it to your schedule?”
“No, not that type of dinner.”
Paisley frowned, her arms falling to her sides.
“Tonight, or tomorrow. Dinner…just you and I.”
“O-oh.” Paisley’s eyes widened. “You mean…”
“You can say no.” Georgina cocked her head, smiling. “I’m sure you have much more entertaining things to do than share dinner with me.”
“Actually, I don’t.”
“Then seven pm would be great.” Georgina felt her cheeks heat. Paisley made her feel a certain type of way, but Georgina couldn’t put her finger on the reason why. Georgina wasn’t a stranger to love, she’d had her fair share of relationships, but two years had passed since her last serious connection with another woman—time simply passing by in a blur. Georgina didn’t avoid love, she had a monumental amount to give, but she’d taken a break. She admitted that.
“Could we do tomorrow?” Paisley shifted from left to right. “I feel like I need time to prepare…”
“Prepare?” Georgina asked.
“For the date.”
Everything within Georgina settled. She hadn’t initially been sure that Paisley understood her reasons for asking her to dinner, but it appeared she did. It would only make things easier for them both in the long run if they were on the same page.
“Then tomorrow works for me.”
“What are you smirking at?”
Georgina’s head shot towards the direction of Paisley. If this working relationship was to remain intact, Georgina would have to refrain from thinking about her assistant. Her Paisley. She’s not mine anymore.
“Nothing.” Georgina shook her head.
“No, you were,” Paisley said. “Tell me.”
“I was just reminiscing.” Georgina’s gaze drifted back to the window, the fear that her voice would break preventing her from truly holding a conversation with Paisley. “Go to lunch if you’re ready.”
“I brought lunch with me today.”
“Oh.”
Does she want to spend her lunch hour with me? Georgina’s heart burst at the prospect.
“It’s getting busier in the city around lunchtime. Tourists, workers…everyone who eats food seems to be out with friends and family.”
“Christmas will do that.” Georgina nodded, the idea of sharing lunch with Paisley now a distant memory. “Well, I’m going to head out and get some coffee. You can enjoy your lunch in peace.”
“Okay.” Georgina felt Paisley’s gaze on her. “Did you want me to go for it for you?”
“No, I can do it myself.” Georgina’s voice held an element of disappointment. “You’re here to work. Not to wait on me.”
“Okay, well I don’t mind, so if you change your mind…”
Georgina stood up, taking her heavy coat from the back of her chair. “I won’t.”
She walked towards the door, pulled it open, and glanced back over her shoulder.
“Are you sure you’re happy in here with me?”
Paisley shifted in her seat. “Happy?”
“Do you want to be in this office with me?” Georgina was fearful of Paisley’s response, but she had to know. If being here was making Paisley miserable, Georgina would do what she could to change that. She’d already ruined Paisley’s life…she wouldn’t make it any harder for her.
“It doesn’t really matter which office I’m in. Work is work.”
“Right,” Georgina said, disappointed by Paisley’s nonchalance. “Yeah. Work is work.”
Paisley sat cross-legged on Georgina’s office couch, shoving another forkful of chicken fried rice into her mouth. Her boss was due back a while ago, Paisley now waiting for further instruction for the rest of the day. Anything on her desk was completed; she made sure of that before she stopped for lunch. The plan had been to have a clear schedule for when Georgina arrived back with her coffee, but she was nowhere in sight.
Paisley worried though she knew she shouldn’t, the desperate need to track Georgina down becoming more apparent as the minutes passed. Was she in danger? Paisley didn’t believe so. After all, Georgina appeared visibly relaxed since the office situation with the knife. Paisley knew she should question Georgina about that day—the things she said, too—but was it even her place to do so anymore? Georgina would shoot down her questioning as she had every other time.
I was just reminiscing. Georgina’s words played over in Paisley’s head. Had she been thinking about their past? Paisley would be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about it, too. The dreams still haunted her. The craving for Georgina’s arms too much to deny. Nothing good could come from feeling this way, but the only woman Paisley had ever loved was here and back in her life. How could she possibly go on with her life like nothing had ever happened between them? She couldn’t. It really was plain and simple. Paisley glanced at Georgina’s desk, a smile curling on her mouth.
Paisley leaned over Georgina’s desk, placing her palm flat next to her boss’. Every moment she spent in this office was becoming more painful, harder to keep her hands to herself. Last night, they’d gone on a third date out in the city. Nobody would know that, Paisley wasn’t out to her friends or family, but Georgina had explained that it was perfectly fine. She wouldn’t push Paisley to come out, and it wouldn’t affect their relationship. Both had agreed to keep things strictly professional around the office, a real challenge but Paisley had seen a hunger in Georgina’s eyes last night as she put Paisley into a taxi.
“You see here?” Paisley pointed at the screen with her free hand. “I think it would be beneficial to change that paragraph.”
“Okay,” Georgina said. “Whatever you think.”
“You’re the lawyer, Gee.” Paisley frowned; she’d never called Georgina that before. “I mean…”
“I like that.”
Paisley side-glanced at her boss, her cheeks heating. “Sorry, I don’t know where that came from.”
“I don’t care where it came from.” Georgina’s hand fell to her side as she sat back in her seat. “It sounded good coming from you.” The palm of her hand settled on the back of Paisley’s thigh, her knees almost giving way as Georgina touched her for the first time.
“G-Georgina.” Paisley closed her eyes, her mouth falling open as Georgina’s hand slid further up, beneath her skirt.
“Today is Friday…”
“I-I know.” Paisley nodded.
“Are you busy this weekend?” Georgina’s voice was low, sultry.
Paisley’s chest heaved, goose bumps spreading over her skin. “N-no.”
“Perhaps you could come home with me this evening. Think of it as a business trip.”
Paisley loved that idea. Her parents wouldn’t think twice about where she was if she told them she was away with work.
“A conference. Whatever you want to tell the folks.”
“Yes.” Paisley wasn’t sure what she was agreeing to. It could
have been spending the night with Georgina. It could have been the consent she wanted to give…willing Georgina to move her hand higher. Her skin burned where that soft hand sat, the throbbing between her legs making her underwear damp. If Georgina did, in fact, take this further right now…how would she react to Paisley wearing a G-string under her skirt?
“Yes, what?” Georgina pushed her fingertips against Paisley’s wet sex, her underwear disappearing between her lips. “Mm?”
Paisley gasped. “Yes, to everything.”
Georgina shifted, pushing Paisley’s underwear to one side and teasing her clit. “Is there something you need to tell me?” Georgina asked as she stood up, her hand still exactly where Paisley wanted it. She leaned over Paisley’s shoulder, her lips brushing her ear. “I don’t think anyone has ever been this wet.”
“Oh, God.” Paisley’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the smooth surface in front of her. “G-Georgina.”
“I think we should save this for later,” Georgina explained. “I wouldn’t want anyone to walk in here and catch you bent over my desk.”
“F-fuck.” Paisley groaned when Georgina’s hand disappeared from between her legs.
“But…”
Paisley’s eyes found Georgina’s. Hunger. Want. Sexual tension.
“I’ve wanted to taste you for so long.” Georgina slipped her index finger between her lips. “Mm, as I thought.” Georgina licked her lips. “Perfect.”
Being back in this office—sharing this space—it brought back so much love. So many memories. As she watched Georgina from her own desk, Paisley ached to step closer. To feel those lips she’d felt only a few nights ago. She wanted to…but she wouldn’t. The hurt she felt was still too raw. It may have felt like a lifetime ago, but the moment Georgina left stuck in her mind like it had happened just moments ago.
The door flew open, startling Paisley. Georgina strode through the open space, the door closing behind her as she sat down at her desk. Paisley stared, her mouth moving but no words found. Georgina tapped away at her keyboard, and Paisley presumed she was logging back into her account. Georgina didn’t look up, didn’t acknowledge that Paisley was in the room. Now this felt awkward. The throb between Paisley’s legs made everything awkward.
“Nice break?” Paisley shoved another forkful of rice into her mouth, willing her thoughts to disappear.
“Fine, yeah.” Georgina shrugged. “As of tomorrow, you will be moving offices.”
“W-what? Why?” This news shocked Paisley. Truly.
Georgina eyed Paisley over the top of her computer. “Because it’s for the best…”
“Am I not doing my job to the best of my ability?”
“You are,” Georgina said, sighing. She sat back in her seat and closed her eyes momentarily. “It’s me who is the problem, Paisley. I’m sorry, but I can’t work with you. I thought I could…but I can’t.”
“I haven’t done anything wrong.” Paisley climbed from the couch, forcing the lid back on her lunch container. “I’m trying here, okay? I don’t think you understand how hard it is to be working with you again.”
“I know you hate me. That’s why the best thing for both of us is if you move on…”
Paisley’s voice caught in her throat. “I don’t hate you.” I still love you. Paisley shook her head, returning to her seat behind the desk. “My work for the morning is done. What’s next?”
“Take the rest of the day off.”
“So, now I’m going to lose pay because you can’t be an adult and work with me? Be my boss?”
“I’ll pay you for the day, don’t worry…”
“Do I have to look for another job?” Paisley asked. “Another firm?”
“Is that what you want to do?”
“Just give me a straight answer, Gee.” Paisley clenched her jaw, no longer willing to give this woman another second of headspace. “I mean, you show up here. You kiss me. I don’t know what you want from me.”
“I told you what I wanted.” Georgina swivelled in her seat, her back now to Paisley. “That night when I kissed you, I told you what I wanted.”
“You want me back in your life…” The words hung in the air for a moment or two, neither willing to take the next step and continue this conversation. Paisley couldn’t begin to understand why Georgina suddenly wanted her back, no matter how hard she tried. In her world, Georgina had become a ghost. In her world, the woman before her had once tore her heart from Paisley’s chest. “But I don’t understand why.”
“Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to be here with you?” Georgina turned around, her eyes lifting and finding Paisley’s. “Do you realise how devastating it is when I sit here watching you?”
“Do you realise how devastating it was for me when you left?” Paisley countered. “Because I really don’t think you do.”
“Of course, I do.” Georgina dropped her head to her hands, her elbows resting on her desk. “I don’t think you know how much I hurt, too.”
“No, you’re right,” Paisley said. “I don’t know how much you hurt because you weren’t around.”
“I couldn’t be.”
“Bullshit.” Paisley scoffed. “I’m tired of this cloak and dagger game you’re playing.”
Georgina wept, her hands covering her face. Paisley could see that Georgina wasn’t the woman she once knew, but she didn’t know where to start with fixing the relationship between them. Paisley couldn’t for one minute imagine being back in Georgina’s life. At least, not in the way she would like to be.
“I’m not playing games with you, Paisley.” Georgina wiped tears from her jaw. “I kissed you, and I don’t regret a moment of it. It may not have been what you wanted, and for that I’m sorry, but I don’t regret doing it.”
“I wish I didn’t regret you doing it.” Paisley ran her hands down her thighs. “I wish I could forget about the fact that you walked away from me, but I can’t, Gee.”
“If only you knew the truth.” Georgina spoke barely above a whisper. “If only I could have been here. For you. For us.”
“Why won’t you tell me?”
“Because I fear it will only make things worse,” Georgina said with an honesty Paisley hadn’t heard in a long time. The distress in her voice was frightening. “And you may think that this can’t be any worse, but I assure you...it can.”
Paisley remained silent, Georgina’s words playing over in her mind. What could possibly be worse than the things they’d already faced? For Paisley, the disappearance of Georgina was the ultimate betrayal—the final insult—so why would Georgina possibly believe that her reasons for leaving could be worse?
“When you leave here today, just remember that I love you. I always have, but sometimes...” Georgina paused. “Sometimes in order to love someone and to protect them, you have to hurt them.”
“I think we need to talk.” Paisley took her satchel from the floor beside her desk, standing and moving towards the door. “I’m done here for the day, but we really need to talk.”
“What’s the point?” Georgina smiled weakly. “You’ll only leave with more unanswered questions. More anger. More hatred.”
“I won’t.” Paisley breathed out. “Because we’re going to sit down and discuss this. Like adults.”
“I’d love nothing more than to discuss the last three years with you, Paisley. But you have to accept that there are things I’m not willing to tell you.”
Paisley’s heart sunk. “Did someone hurt you?”
“Physically, no.” Georgina looked spent. Emotionally. Physically. “If you want to talk, I’d be happy to do so...”
“But it’ll be on your terms?” Paisley cocked an eyebrow. “As usual.”
“Yes.” Georgina cleared her throat. “Take it or leave it.”
9
Georgina stood in the kitchen, her hands braced against the granite countertop she once cooked dinner for two on. She’d poured every ounce of love into those meals, those times spent with
Paisley. Just the two of them, alone. Nothing and nobody in the world interfering.
Paisley had contacted her almost an hour ago to tell her she was coming over, but Georgina didn’t feel positive about their impending meeting. Paisley had every right to know the reasons why Georgina left, she deserved a breakdown of every second, but Georgina simply couldn’t do it. She would offer as much information as she possibly could, hope Paisley could understand, and pray for a miracle with her ex-girlfriend. She couldn’t do any more than that. For one, she didn’t have the mental capacity to deal with the aftermath. Two, she wouldn’t break Paisley’s heart all over again with particular information.
As much as she wanted to blurt out the entire truth—the people involved—this wasn’t only about her. It would affect others. The potential…devastation. Georgina would never usually think about other’s feelings before her own, but this was different. She may never have a relationship with Paisley again but refusing to give up every piece of information could only help Paisley. Even if she never knew that.
Her eyes followed the open space, the double doors separating the kitchen and living room pushed open. The log burning fire roared to her right, her massive leather corner couch warming as the flames danced higher. As Georgina moved through into the living room, something caught her attention. Jammed behind the radiator on the wall of the bay window was a thick shard of glass. Georgina carefully removed it, holding it up and shuddering. She would remember that night for the rest of her life. The night when she came home to find every stained-glass front window smashed in, glass all over her house. The night when she knew the threat she received truly did have substance to it.
A sudden ringing of the doorbell caused Georgina to drop the shard of glass to the floor, almost catching her foot on the way down. She swiftly removed it from the plush white rug and placed it on top of the mantelpiece. Paisley was waiting outside; she wouldn’t keep her waiting any longer. Georgina steadied herself as she entered the huge hallway. The hallway where she once pushed Paisley up against the wall, whispering the things she would do to her. A wave of love tinged with sadness travelled through Georgina’s entire being.
Forever Yours Page 7
