by Tia Siren
“Who the hell says it’s so damn early?” Ashton asked.
I forced my eyes open with a grimace to look up at the ceiling of my bedroom while letting out a painful groan.
“What time is it?” I asked, rubbing at my eyes. “It’s not seven, right?”
“Try 9:23 a.m.,” Ashton said. “What the hell is going on, Bastian?”
Shit. I rolled over onto my stomach to look at the tiny alarm clock next to the bed. He was right about the time. I had slept in after spending the majority of the night tossing and turning in bed with images of Joanna’s naked body burning in my mind. I let my face sink into the pillow while the headache in my temples continued to throb.
My head wasn’t the only thing throbbing, either. I could feel my rock-hard and painful dick pressed up against the mattress. That had been the main reason I hadn’t been able to sleep all fucking night long. I had resisted going low enough to jerking off to a woman I did actually care about—especially a woman who had just escaped an abusive relationship. I didn’t have many morals when it came to sleeping with women, but when it came to Joanna’s situation, I didn’t want to cross the line. I wanted to give her the respect she deserved, and getting involved with me would only land her in further heartache.
“Nothing is going on,” I mumbled into the phone. “Can I call you later?”
“Not until you tell me what is going on. I’m at your office right now with the documents for the fashion company you were planning to buy. Remember?”
I swore into the pillow. “Roger was supposed to take care of that. I told him to rearrange my entire schedule this week.”
“Roger is not a good assistant. I don’t know why you bother keeping him around the office when he just mucks it up. Joanna was the one who did a good job. Speaking of that, I heard an interesting rumor this morning about the two of you.”
“Nothing is happening between us,” I said quickly. Unfortunately. “I don’t know what you’ve been hearing, but nothing is happening between us.”
“I haven’t heard that there is anything going on between you two,” Ashton said. “A woman named Sabrina informed me that the office has been getting a lot of threatening phone calls from someone who wants to talk to Joanna. From what I gathered, she left the building yesterday morning and no one has seen her since.”
“Okay,” I said.
“I have a feeling that you know more than what you are letting on here, Bastian. You realize that people are talking about what is going on. There is a lot of talk at the moment about why you’re not in the office to handle a few accounts.”
“I’ll get to work on those accounts today from my house in Park City,” I said, irritation sweeping through me. “It’s a long story, Ashton. I don’t want to get into it out of respect for Joanna.”
“So you do know where she is then? Her friend here is contemplating a missing person report. Do you really want that type of press going on right now?”
“Fuck.”
I pushed myself up into a sitting position to glare across the bright room despite the cloud cover. There was a good couple feet of snow outside with more trickling down. I needed to get into the barn to get out the truck and snowplow to get the roads manageable again for Roger, who now had to come drop off more things for me.
“Joanna is with me.” I relented because I didn’t want Ashton prodding this even further. “Her ex, the one who is probably calling, has been roughing her up. I told her to come stay with me until things settle down.”
Ashton breathed into the phone. “Christ, man. No offense, but why are you involved in that type of situation?”
“Because Joanna walked into my office with marks all over her neck from when the bastard strangled her.” My fingers curled up into fists. “I need to make a phone call to my lawyer about all of the shit he’s pulling. Don’t speak of this to anyone else either, Ashton. I don’t want someone in the office spilling the beans to him when they answer the phone. It could get her hurt.”
“That’s understandable I suppose,” he said slowly. “You need to do something about it, though, Bastian. The entire office is freaked out by it.”
“Yeah, I will. Hand over all those documents to Roger. I’m having him come out to where I am so I can look over everything.”
“Sounds good,” Ashton said. “Call me once you get a chance to look over the papers. I need it by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.”
I tossed my phone down on the bed after exchanging good-byes. I stared down at my rock-hard erection that had yet to go down since thinking about work. My fingers reached down to stroke it lightly. I needed to do something about this before Joanna got up. Even with a frigid-cold shower and plenty of work to do, there was no trusting myself to keep my hands to myself. I’d probably bend her right over my desk to ram myself into her.
And if there was one thing for sure that I had gotten out of last night, despite a shitty hangover, it was that Joanna felt the same urge of attraction for me. We were both attracted to one another despite the situation we were currently in, but I couldn’t let myself get close.
I didn’t want to risk losing Joanna in the process because of my own demons lurking inside me. She had been through enough as it was.
The cold air washed over me. I needed a hot shower before facing the day with this shitty headache, but at least I would be able to somewhat concentrate with Joanna around me this way.
Letting the entire bathroom steam up, I stepped into the tiled shower stall that was warm beneath my bare feet. Living in Utah during the winter months meant having to have floors that were warmed throughout the winters, but it felt good when I leaned my back up against the tiles while I stroked myself to the image of Joanna’s naked body. I should’ve let her take those panties off just so I could’ve gotten a peek at the core of her. I imagined my fingers there, but also sliding into what I imagined was slick and tight heat.
My cock twitched beneath my fingers. I cried out as my peak came hard and swift at those images swirling about in my head. The intensity of it nearly brought me to my knees. I sucked in deep and sated breaths while my heart rate came back down.
I could at least get through the morning now without wanting to fuck Joanna like crazy. I wished it would happened, though. There was no doubt about that, but I knew that having sex with Joanna would change everything between us. I wasn’t sure if I was even ready to let go of the dynamic we had going between the two of us at the moment. It made working with Joanna easy but trusting her even easier.
And she trusted me without a doubt. After everything that had transpired the day before, I couldn’t let myself go there. The striptease had gone too far, and I had let it go that far because of my own selfish desires. It was best for us to brush it off and put it behind us as best as we could.
I couldn’t bear the thought of hurting Joanna after everything she had gone through. After finishing up in the shower, I ventured down to the kitchen to find my housekeeper, Marcie, already doing the dishes from last night. She smiled up at me when I entered through the dining room door.
“Good morning, Mr. Burke,” she said cheerfully. “Full pot of coffee over there for you.”
“Thank you,” I said, offering a grateful smile. I grabbed a mug from the cupboard and, after a second thought, picked up another for Joanna whenever she came downstairs. “I appreciate everything you’ve done getting this place cleaned up, Marcie. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Of course, sir. It’s my pleasure.” She frowned down at the large pot she was currently washing out with bubbles. “I didn’t get a grocery list from you, though. It was a miracle you found some food in here last night.”
I sipped at my hot coffee. “Yes, a miracle. I’ll make sure to write down a list for you later if you don’t mind going. Were the roads bad?”
“My husband has some good snow tires, so it wasn’t too bad,” she said. “I’m sure the snowplow will be heading this direction soon. They’ve been out all night.�
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“We’ll wait and see. I don’t want you out driving unless the roads are acceptable to drive on.”
“Yes, sir,” she said.
I took my coffee to the living room to sit in front of the crackling fire. Sinking down into the leather cushions, I pulled out my cell phone to call Roger.
“Good morning, Mr. Burke,” he said promptly. “What can I do for you today?”
I rubbed at my aching head. “I assume that Ashton has stopped by to deliver a few documents to you?”
“About forty minutes ago, sir.”
“Great,” I said. “I need those documents here by the end afternoon, along with whatever else is piling up on my desk.”
“I’ll be there later this afternoon, sir.” He hesitated for a moment. “Mr. Burke, I have to tell you that Joanna’s ex-boyfriend has been calling around here quite a bit. He’s starting to make the receptionist terrified to pick up the phones.”
“So I’ve heard,” I said darkly. “Do me a favor, Roger. Record the calls. Mark how many times he calls the office by the end of today. I’ll slap a protection order on the bastard for calling the office excessively.”
“I will tell the women up front. I know this is personal, but tell Joanna that I’m proud of her.”
“You can tell her in person,” I said. “By the end of the day, Roger. I mean it. I need those documents Ashton dropped off.”
I hung up after Roger spouted off a time that he would be by the log mansion. I sat in silence until the sound of Joanna coming down the stairs alerted me that she was up. She came into the living room dressed in a simple pair of gray leggings and a black sweater. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a loose braid. Her eyes were puffy and red when she looked over at me with a nervous glint in her eyes.
“Morning,” she said cautiously. “How are you feeling?”
“Just fine,” I responded curtly. “I just got off the phone with Roger. He’s bringing a few things for us to work on from the office, but we have a lot to get done today. No time for chitchat.”
Hurt flashed in Joanna’s eyes. I resisted the urge to apologize because this was in her best interest. Last night couldn’t happen again, even if I wanted it to.
“Okay,” she said in a small voice. “Um, is there any more coffee in the kitchen?”
“An entire potful. Also, Marcie is making a list of things to get from the store. Write down anything you think you need on the list.”
Joanna retreated from the living room in the direction of the kitchen. Guilt lodged itself in my throat. I had already hurt her.
Chapter 14
Joanna
The next two days passed by without a change in Bastian’s cold demeanor. I couldn’t even recall the last time things had been so strict and cold between us. The first year of working under Burke Management had been tough. It had been hard dealing with his famous tempers, but that had evened out over the following years. He’d kept his distance, but much had changed about him since running into him last Friday night at the club. He had revealed a completely different side of himself, but now he was guarded and aloof.
I scanned over a few files that Bastian had handed over to me to read through while he went back up to his office. The first night here, a night I had been so sure would’ve sealed our sexual chemistry, had ended terribly. Not in the way the drunken part of me had desperately hoped for. I hadn’t mistaken the arousal in his eyes, nor the bulge in his pants. I’d been confident in that part at least.
Now I had no idea what the hell Bastian Burke was thinking, or what he wanted in general from me. I highlighted a passage with a sigh. I didn’t want to sweep the other night beneath the rug like he seemed keen on doing for whatever his reasons were.
“Are those documents ready?”
I looked up in surprise to find Bastian standing in the living room with his hand held out in front of him impatiently. I glanced down at the stack of papers I had just gone through and nudged them in his direction with the toe of my sock-covered foot.
“Highlighted like you asked,” I said. I set the file I had been working on for the past hour on top of the stack as well. “Is there anything else you need me to do for the rest of the afternoon?”
“Nothing at the moment,” he said, picking the pile up with ease. “Thanks, Joanna. I’ll be having dinner upstairs in my office. I have things that need to get done by tonight.”
I rose up from the couch then. “I can help you. That’s why I’m here.”
“It’s fine, Joanna,” he said gruffly. “I can handle it on my own. There’s some food in the fridge if you’re hungry.”
He didn’t look in my direction as he spoke. The gesture stung more than I wanted to admit as I watched him walk up the stairs without sparing me another glance.
“What the fuck?” I whispered, hugging my stomach as I sat back down on the couch.
I ran my mind over the other night once again. Nothing about the night had seemed off. The only time he had pulled back was to save me the embarrassment of waking up the next morning and not remembering the night fully. Still, it didn’t sit well with me to have it swept underneath the rug like it had never happened. I made a mental note to try to talk to Bastian about what was bothering him tomorrow, since he had made it clear he would be spending the night in his office.
I pulled out my phone to dial my parents’ house number.
“Joanna?”
“Hi, Mom,” I said. “How are you?”
“I’m fine now that I’m hearing your voice,” she replied, her voice thick with emotion. “I’ve been so worried about you. Everyone from the office has been calling to see if you came here.”
“I know. I’m sorry that it’s been overwhelming and a pain in the butt. They’re just concerned about what happened is all.”
“They have every right to be from how you just up and left with your boss.”
My heart sank to the pit of my stomach. Had someone put it together? Bastian had assured me that he would make it clear I had gone on personal leave and that no one knew we were leaving together. The only person I could think of putting it together was Sabrina, but I doubted she would ever mention it out loud. She hated Sid. She didn’t want Sid to know where I was.
“Who told you I left with my boss?” I asked.
“No one told me,” she said. “Sid implied it was what had happened when he called here.”
Fear crawled up my spine to settle coldly in the center of me. My fingers trembled as I clutched the phone tightly to my ear.
“I told you not to talk to him,” I said. “Why did you answer the phone?”
She sighed into the phone in aggravation. “Joanna, I don’t know who is calling me these days. You don’t have the same number. He called from a different number, too. Your office is calling me from various numbers.”
“What did Sid say to you?” I asked. “I don’t care about the other people calling you.”
“He told me that when you showed up at the house to get your things, your boss was with you. He believes you’re somewhere in Salt Lake, hiding with your boss.”
Shit. I ran a hand through my hair as I lifted my eyes to the stairway where Bastian had disappeared. I didn’t know if warning him would be well received given his change of attitude recently.
“And what did you tell him?” I asked.
“I told him that I hadn’t heard from you, so I had no clue where you were. I really don’t have an idea of where you are, but I hope you aren’t with your boss, either. That doesn’t sit right with me for a lot of reasons.”
“What reasons?” I asked
“He’s your boss for starters. It’s unprofessional. If you’re really in need of help, honey, you need to come home. Your father and I can get you into a shelter, or you can stay here with us. We wouldn’t let Sid come anywhere near you.”
I shook my head sadly. Even if my mother had a firm belief that she wasn’t being followed by Sid, I knew Sid was following her. He had tried to put the charm
on her already in an attempt to get information.
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “I just wanted to call you.”
“Is there anything else you want to talk about, Joanna? I have a feeling you didn’t call me just to hear if Sid has been calling around.”
How could I tell her the truth? That I was indeed staying with my boss and that at one point I had wanted to fuck him? That we were both equally attracted to one another but afraid to do anything about it?
“I just called to talk. I’ll call you in a couple days to let you know what I’m planning to do next.”
“Does that mean you aren’t going to stay wherever you are?” she asked.
Bastian appeared at the foot of the stairs with an empty mug in his hand. He barely glanced in my direction as he headed to the kitchen.
“I don’t know,” I said numbly. “I’ll call you later, Mom. Okay?”
“All right. Keep your secrets then. Just stay safe.”
“I will, Mom.”
I rolled my eyes at her dramatic comment, and we hung up. Stuffing my phone down in the back pocket of my jeans, I walked into the kitchen to find Bastian pouring himself another cup of coffee.
“Want some?” he asked crisply. “Plenty left. Marcie made a full pot.”
“I’m okay for now,” I said. “I, um, actually need to tell you something that my mom just mentioned to me on the phone.”
Bastian sat the coffee pot back in its place. “What is that?”
“She mentioned that everyone at work is calling her because they don’t know where I am—”
“That came to a stop as of this morning,” Bastian interrupted coolly. “I made sure to let them know that if your ex keeps calling, to write it down for tracking purposes. I assured them that you were fine.”
I swallowed thickly. “He’s been calling there, too?”
“I have to get back upstairs,” he said, grabbing his mug of coffee. “I’ve put off some things that need to be done. Hence the coffee break.”
“Right,” I said as he walked out of the kitchen. “Good talk then.”
