by Harlow Layne
Sinking down to the floor, Haider looked up at me. Did he really need to get comfortable to tell me his story of infidelity? Why did he think I wanted to hear how he cheated on me? “About six months ago Kiki joined the firm, we met and fell in love.” Looking down at his lap, he shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal. As if he hadn’t wrecked my world.
“As easy as that,” I sniped out. I wanted to stab him or at the very least kick him in the balls. I couldn’t imagine if the shoe were on the other foot, he would be as understanding if I stated that I met someone at work and we fell in love.
“As easy as that,” he repeated. “I didn’t want you to find out like this.”
“I doubt you would have wanted to walk in and find some guy balls deep in me,” I gritted out as I continued to pack the rest of my stuff. Squatting down, I retrieved my vibrator from deep underneath the counter. I didn’t bother to hide it as I securely put it in my bag. It couldn’t get damaged now that I had no hope of getting any real dick in the near future.
“What’s that?” I kept my back to his confusion. Of course, he wouldn’t know what it was. I wanted to stick it up his ass and turn it on, but I refrained. There was no way I was giving Haider the satisfaction it had brought me over the years. Whirling around, I smiled. I knew it was ugly, but I was feeling quite ugly in that moment.
“It’s my vibrator. You should probably invest in one if you want to keep what’s her name out there interested in having sex with you.”
“What… what are you talking about? Why do you have one?” The confusion on his face was comical as his eyes bounced back and forth between my face and the vibrator in my hand.
Going back to finish packing, I fought back the laughter that was bubbling up in me. “I have one because I wanted to have an orgasm every once in a while, and it wasn’t going to happen with you so…” I shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal.
Haider huffed from behind me but I paid him no attention. I wanted to get out of there as fast as possible.
“Pria.” he sighed as he stood up. I watched him through the mirror. He looked sad, but he also looked relieved, which pissed me off.
Stomping out of the bathroom, I grabbed the handle of my suitcase and looked over my shoulder at Haider. “Were you going to ask me to move out last night?”
“I was hoping you’d offer once we talked and agreed we weren’t working.”
We weren’t working because he was cheating on me. He all but encouraged me to work long hours night after night.
Rolling my suitcase down the hall, I glared at the woman who was standing in my kitchen with Haider’s button-up on and nothing else. “The reason we weren’t working is because you’ve been sticking your dick into some red-headed hussy named Kiki.”
“Really, Pria, there’s no need for name calling.” His voice was full of disappointment and I didn’t give one single shit about it. Did he really think I was going to take the news that he’d been cheating on me for the last six months well?
“No,” I whirled around on him taking him off guard enough for him to take a step back, “you should have said something the first time you fucked her. You should have moved out. You should have—”
“It’s my house, Pria. My name is on the deed. You only pay minimal expenses,” he huffed. He had no right to be angry with me.
Putting my hands on my hips, I glared at him for a moment before training my eyes on his mistress. Was it a mistress if we weren’t married? I didn’t care because it sure as hell felt like it. “He wouldn’t hear of me paying for more and once we got married I was supposed to stop paying altogether. I’m sure he’s made me out to be some horrible woman who wanted him to pay her way, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I wanted to pay more, but every time I mentioned it we got into a fight. You better watch your back with him.” I jutted my thumb at my now ex-fiancé. “It would be wise to read up on traditional Chinese families. I can tell you one thing for sure. They will never accept you. You’re beautiful and all, but you’re not Chinese and they won’t accept anything but a purebred.”
I saw a light click on in her head before a wall came down and she blocked me out. Whatever. I didn’t care. Let her get fucked over by Haider just as I had.
Making my way to the door, I shot back, “Enjoy his tiny dick.”
5
Kingston
Hanging up with my mother, I sighed heavily. I hated to disappoint her, again, but there was no way in hell I was going to let her set me up with another one of her vapid friends’ daughters. In the last year, she had decided it was time for me to settle down, find the perfect woman, get engaged (probably so she could plan our engagement party and our wedding), get married, and give her lots of blond grandchildren. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t ready nor did I find any of the women she set me up with remotely intriguing. My mother’s grandmother biological clock was ticking, and she needed me to remedy it.
Throwing all the files I’d need into my briefcase, I closed it up, grabbed my cell phone, and slipped on my suit coat before I left my office. It didn’t matter how big and grand my office was; being in it for sixteen hours a day was suffocating.
Seeing the doors of the elevator about to close, I jogged before I missed it and had to wait another five to ten minutes. I didn’t own the building, but Avery Capital Holdings did take up the entire top floor. Since there was only one elevator in the building, I’d have to wait another ten minutes if I missed the current ride down. On most days it wouldn’t be a big deal, but tonight I was tired, and I just wanted to pick up some takeout on my way home, eat, and then crash. It had been a long day and an even longer week as I got ready for an out-of-town business trip. Hell, it had been a long month if I was being honest with myself.
“Hold the door,” I shouted when I saw I’d have to sprint to make it. I didn’t have the energy to run. I barely had the energy to shout.
I saw a delicate hand hit the button for the doors to open, and I sighed in relief. Stepping onto the elevator, I turned to thank whoever had saved me from waiting. I wanted to be gracious and then go to my corner and wait until we hit the ground floor. All that changed when I spotted the new director of HR huddled on the other side of the elevator trying to pretend she wasn’t there. Or at least that’s what it looked like. Her long hair was down, hanging around her shoulders and acting as a curtain. After a moment, I noticed those slim shoulders of hers were shaking.
Maybe she saw me running for the door and was laughing at me.
Sniff.
Or maybe not.
My body turned to her fully now to see Ms. Wang standing there curling into herself. One hand held onto the railing that went around the entire elevator while the other hastily wiped at her face.
Taking a step toward her, I kept my voice low. “Is everything okay, Ms. Wang?”
Her only response was to turn toward the side wall and stare down at her feet. Okay, she didn’t want to talk. I could understand that. I didn’t particularly want to have a conversation either, but she seemed to be in distress.
I could handle just about every situation in or out of the boardroom no matter how stressful. The one exception was a woman crying. Growing up, my sister had been extremely sick. Almost everything they tried she was allergic to, so she was miserable, and in turn, so was my mother. Both would cry together for hours on end and I would have done anything to make them stop. Now, I had white knight syndrome, or that’s what I’d been told it was called.
Sniff. I turned my head to the sound.
Sniff. Was she crying?
Placing my hand on her trembling shoulder, I quietly spoke her name. “Pria.” What I didn’t expect was for Pria to turn around, bury her face in my chest, and start to sob. Gut-wrenching sobs that caused an ache in my chest. The only other people to ever cause that twinge deep in my soul was my sister, Murphy, and my mother.
Hesitantly, I wrapped my arms around her quaking frame. One hand rested along her lower back and the other held her
head to me. Leaning down, I rested my cheek on the top of her head. “Is this about work? Do you hate it here?”
“No,” she squeaked out. Her dainty arms wrapped around my waist as she snuggled in closer and continued to cry into my chest.
My hand slid down her silky black hair that went almost down to the middle of her back and up again. I continued to try to soothe her the best I could without knowing what was wrong. The only thing I knew was that she was the most beautiful, feisty, and unpredictable woman I’d ever met. I felt as if I knew her even though we were ever only ever together for a few minutes at a time, if that. Something about her spoke to me and I wanted to investigate it further even though I knew nothing could ever happen between us. There was a no fraternization policy at Avery Capital Holdings and as the owner and head of HR, anything we did would be a big no-no. We couldn’t do anything, but I could dream.
Once every last shudder ran out of her body, Pria tried to step back, but I held her to me afraid she might start crying again. Placing her hands on my chest, she looked up at me with a tear-streaked face. Her mascara was smeared under her eyes and her nose was red. Even a sad mess, Pria Wang was beautiful.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to break down on you, but I promise I’m better now.” Her voice was slightly raspy from crying. This time when she tried to step back from me, I let her. My hands slid from her body and then fell to my sides.
“What happened? Did anyone give you a hard time today? An employee? Do I need to fire anyone?” I asked in rapid fire succession.
A small smile tipped her lips. “Nothing happened with an employee. I thought I was finally alone and could leave without anyone seeing me cry. I guess I was wrong.”
I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or not that it wasn’t an employee. If it wasn’t someone who worked at Avery then it had to be something personal and big. Pria didn’t seem like the type of person who cried easily or for no reason.
Nodding as if this all made sense, I tucked my hands in the pockets of my slacks and asked her quietly, “Why were you crying?”
Pressing her back against the wall, Pria looked down at her purple painted toes and wrapped her arms around herself as if she might fall apart again at any second. “Do you remember when you sent me home early yesterday?”
“Yes,” I answered hesitantly. I never let anyone leave early, but I knew she’d been working long hours since she started here. That’s why I couldn’t understand why she was breaking down.
“I appreciate it by the way.” Her tone said otherwise, but I let it go in the hopes Pria would tell me why she broke down on the elevator. “I left, picked up Italian, and went home. Color me surprised when I saw my fiancé’s car in the driveway.” She looked as if she was trying to chew gravel as she said “fiancé.” “I was excited to be able to spend some time with him, but when I walked inside…” Pria gasped back a sob. Her brown doe eyes met mine. “He was fucking some hussy on our kitchen table.”
Shocked, I leaned back against the opposite wall. I wasn’t sure if my mouth was agape or not. One hand fiddled with the keys in my pocket as I tried to figure out what to say.
Cocking her head to the side, she mocked me. “Cat got your tongue?”
“I didn’t know you were engaged, Ms. Wang.”
Hands flying to her hips, Pria glared at me. “That’s all you’ve got to say? If you had ever looked at my hands instead of my boobs, you would have seen the engagement ring.”
My eyes went to her left hand that was sans engagement ring. “Well, in my defense, you’ve got great boobs.”
“Oh please, I know what I’ve got.” Her hands cupped her breasts and pushed them up. My dick twitched at the sight. He didn’t care that the moment was inappropriate. “Give me something better than you’ve got great boobs.” Pria looked around the elevator in a huff. “Is this the longest elevator ride known to man?”
I hadn’t noticed, but we had been in the elevator for quite a while. “It does seem a little longer than normal.”
Flailing her hands around like she was swatting at a bug flying around her, Pria stomped to the wall with the buttons and hit the button for the ground floor. “We could… I could have been on my way to nowhere,” Pria uttered the last part on a cry. Her body started to sink to the ground, but I moved to grab her and sank to the floor with her in my lap.
“What do you mean you’ve got nowhere to go?” I asked into the top of her hair.
Situating herself on my lap, Pria got herself comfortable and snuggled into me. “I lived with my fiancé and now I’ve got to find someplace else to live.”
“Where did you stay last night?”
She hung her head even lower. “A hotel.”
I didn’t see the problem with staying in a hotel. In fact, I’d stayed in one for weeks before. I was going to spend the next week and a half in one, and I didn’t mind.
Noticing my hand on her knee, my index finger started to trace circles on her lightly pigmented skin. “It’s usually affordable to live in a hotel for weeks and the accommodations are quite nice. You don’t even have to make your bed if you don’t want to. I can suggest some hotels I like to stay at if that will help.”
Pria stood with her hands on her hips, and glared down at me. “Not everyone can afford to stay in a hotel for an undetermined amount of time, Mr. Cocky Suit, and there’s no way in hell I’m going to stay with my dad and my Lao lao.”
Disregarding her comment about my cocky suit—not knowing what the hell it meant—I looked up at her and it took everything in me not to smirk at the pissed off look she was giving me. “What’s a Lao Lao?”
“She’s my grandmother and to say we don’t get along is the understatement of the year. I can’t go there.” She started to hyperventilate, shaking her head rapidly. “I’ve got nowhere to go. Nowhere. What am I going to do?”
Standing, I looked around the elevator for something to say and spotted a suitcase in the corner. Somehow, I missed it when I spotted Pria breaking down only moments after stepping onto the elevator. She really didn’t have any place to go.
Clearing my throat, I walked over and picked up my briefcase. “Do you like dogs?”
Pria did a double take. “Um… yeah, I like dogs. Who doesn’t?”
Plenty of people.
“I’ve got a proposition for you that will help you out with your problem and mine.” I wasn’t sure if what I was going to say was the right thing or not, but before I could stop myself, the words tumbled from my mouth. “Tomorrow, I’m headed out of town for a week and a half and I have three dogs who hate to be kenneled.” Hate didn’t even describe the amount of hell they put the last workers at the kennel through. “I need someone I can trust to take care of them.” They can be a bit… much.
“Three dogs… and you trust me? Um, what…” Her big brown eyes looked over at her suitcase.
The elevator doors opened, surprising both of us. I liked our little elevator bubble and was sad to see it end. Walking over to her suitcase, I grabbed the handle and started off the elevator.
“Wait,” she yelled. Turning around, I watched her glide off the elevator as if the last few minutes hadn’t happened. “Where are you going with my suitcase?”
Walking backward with her suitcase in hand, I shot back, “I’m taking you to my place.”
Pria’s eyes went wide. “What? Why? I’m not—”
Not wanting to hear her shoot me down even though I wasn’t going to proposition her with sex, I stopped her. “You can stay at my place while I’m gone and take care of the dogs. Deal?”
Pria sputtered. “Your place?”
“Yeah, you’ll have someplace to stay and can look for an apartment.”
“You, Kingston Avery, are offering to let me stay at your apartment? Am I on Candid Camera or something?”
“Why not? I’m a nice person. Plus, you’ll be helping me out. If you don’t want to help with my dogs then I’ll take them to the new place I was going to try. It’s up to you.�
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“You’re a nice person.” Her tone said she, in fact, did not think I was a nice guy. Yes, I could be an asshole, but not when it came to my dogs. Ever since the takeover of Gainsworth, I’d been working extreme hours, neglecting them, and I felt bad. That’s probably why they’d been acting out more than normal. If Pria agreed to this, she had no idea what she was getting into.
Stepping outside in the cool air, I noticed my driver get out of the town car. He’d been waiting while we forgot to hit the elevator button. “Do you think I’m an asshole or something?”
Pria looked me up and down assessing me. “The verdict is still out.”
Interesting.
Pointing at the car, I said, “That’s my ride. What’s your decision? Are you going to move into my apartment for the week? It’s now or never.”
6
Pria
What the hell was I doing sitting next to my boss, pulling up to his place? I couldn’t live in my boss’s apartment for a week. Could I?
The building was one of the best in the city. It was in one of the nicest neighborhoods in Manhattan, and luxurious, but staying where he banged god knew how many women was gross. What I needed to do was get over myself, otherwise I was going to be living in my father’s home with my Lao Lao, and I’d almost rather be homeless than listen to her nag at me about when I was going to get married. If she found out Haider and I broke up, she’d tell me that I was going to die alone, and it was all because I chose to have a job.
“Pria.” Kingston brought me back to the here and now. His hand was on the doorknob as he looked down at me with… was that concern in his eyes? Maybe he wasn’t an asshole. “Are you backing out?” The sexy smirk on his face told me yes, he was indeed an asshole, and I wanted to slap it off him.
Squaring my shoulders, I narrowed my eyes at him. “I’m not backing out.”
