by Hazel Kelly
Maybe she would even prove it to me in a way that would relieve some of the goddamn pressure she’d built up inside me. Wouldn’t that be a treat? I would be more than happy to oblige her in the same way right here on my desk if she was up for it.
I checked my watch. Emily would’ve left for lunch, but I could probably still catch Ella if I called her in right away.
I picked up the phone to dial her extension when I heard a knock on my office door.
“Come in,” I said, still holding the phone in the air.
It was her. She was in a wine colored dress that left me no choice but to drink her in.
“Ella!” I wanted it to be clear right away that I had no hard feelings. “I was just about to call you.” I set the phone down.
She closed the door. “I bet you were.”
I was disappointed to discover that she hadn’t matched my upbeat tone. “What’s up?”
She walked up to my desk and laid down the little velvet box. “I just came to return these.”
I felt like she’d punched me in the stomach. “What are you talking about? I thought we agreed you would accept them.”
“I changed my mind.”
“But it’s a crime to give them back. They look amazing on you.”
She shrugged. “I thought a lot about what you said the other day.” She could barely look at me. “And now that I understand better what’s been going on between us, I’ve realized that I can’t keep them.”
I stood up. “Why the hell not?”
She took a step back. “I’m not comfortable accepting gifts for sex.”
I didn’t know what to do. Her behavior was as unprecedented as it was downright annoying. “So you’ll accept dinner and drinks and dresses and bonuses, but you draw the line at jewelry?”
Her mouth and eyes went wide at the same time. “How dare you!”
“How dare you,” I said, pointing at her shrinking frame. “How dare you throw a well-intentioned gift back in my face for no reason at all!” I pressed my straight fingers down on the edge of my desk. “You could at least just accept them as a friend.”
“A friend?!”
“Yeah. As a friend.”
She shook her head. “We’re not friends.”
I threw my hands in the air. “Of course we’re friends!”
“Friends don’t lie to each other.”
“What are you talking about? I’ve been nothing but honest with you this whole time.”
She scooted behind one of the chairs in front of my desk. “The whole time?”
“Yes!” I lied. “That’s what pissed you off in the first place!”
“So when you had to cancel our date because of a business trip two weeks ago, you were telling me the truth?”
Fucking Laura. I just stared at her.
“Did you just get business trip and funeral mixed up or-”
“You’re mad because I went to my ex father in law’s funeral?!”
“No. I’m mad that you lied to me about it.”
“Why? It’s not like we’re in a relationship.”
“Exactly! So why lie? There’s no reason for it. Did you think I wouldn’t understand?”
I sighed. “I didn’t want to get into it. I don’t owe you an explanation for everything.”
“I know you don’t, but you don’t have to bullshit me. If that’s how you treat your friends, I’m not interested in being one.”
I shook my head. “Fine. Whatever.”
“Why was she here today?”
I couldn’t believe she asked for an explanation right after what she just said. It was like she couldn’t even hear herself.
“Don’t do this, Ella.” I was ready to pull my hair out. “Don’t come in here and jump to conclusions when you don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“What?! Are you serious? She works here!”
“Right.”
“She decorated every room in this building.”
She pursed her lips.
I saw a flash in her eyes as she wondered if I meant every room, but she didn’t ask.
“One more thing about friends.”
“What’s that?”
“Friends don’t gossip about people they care about with their secretaries.”
I rolled my eyes.
“How much does she know?”
“Who knows? She’s a shark. That’s why she’s good at her job.”
She raised her eyebrows. “I think I have a right to know what she knows when I sit next to her every day.” Her expression was so snotty I wanted to spank it right off her.
I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me.”
“What do you want from me, Ella?”
“I want you to stop lying to yourself.”
“About what?”
“About us.” She waved her hand in the air between us. “About this. You’re in denial, and I don’t understand why.”
“I’m not in denial.”
“I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with what we have,” she said. “I’m saying the opposite. I’m saying there’s something so right.” She shook her hands towards the ceiling. “And it’s killing me that you don’t see it.”
“Ella.” I lowered my voice. “You’re asking too much from me, and that’s saying a lot when there’s very little that I’m unprepared to give you.”
She swallowed.
“I can fuck anyone I want.” I stepped around my desk. “Do you think I take people I don’t care about to my favorite restaurants?” I walked up to her. “Do you really think I get flowers for everyone their first week on the job?” I pushed her hair behind her ear.
She looked up at me like she might crumble into a million pieces. “Why were you about to call me in here?”
“I was going to apologize for making you feel bad and ask you if you’d like to go to dinner on Saturday.”
A few tears gathered around the lower rims of her eyes. “I accept your apology, but I can’t go to dinner with you.”
“Because you have other plans or-”
“Because I need you to go back to being my boss.” Her voice was shaking. “Just my boss.”
“Don’t be silly. It’ll be fun.”
She blinked up towards the ceiling until her eyes absorbed her tears. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” I tilted her chin up. “Just come to dinner.”
Her bottom lip was shaking. “I can’t. I can’t ignore my feelings like you can, and it’s obvious that there’s a lot more at stake here for me than there is for you.”
Then she slipped away again.
And this time, I thought I’d lost her for good.
Thanks
Thank you for taking the time to read this story.
If you enjoyed it, please take a moment to leave a review and tell your friends.
To find out what’s next for Will and Ella, check out the fourth book in the Tempted Series, Twisted by the Boss http://amzn.to/1MMj3Gy
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You can find me on Facebook @ Facebook.com/HazelKellyAuthor or contact me directly at [email protected]. I would love to hear from you.
Thanks again for your support and until next time,
Happy Reading,
Xo Hazel
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