Page 18 of Abyss

Well,now I have yet another fucking thing to apologize for.

I press the tips of my fingers to my forehead, closing my eyes and focusing on my breathing.

Except, every inhale is laced with something sweet. Like vanilla and lemons. Like fucking icing and sugar. It’s not just infuriating, it’s downright maddening.

Only a week ago, I had no knowledge, no memory of this particular scent, except maybe when I entered a bakery. And though I can’t say it’s overpowering in the way she wears it, it’s all I can think about now.

After locking myself in my office post my failed apology this morning, I finally left for a meeting a couple of hours ago.

Except, I found her in Jett’s typically locked, off-limits office.

Without taking the time to understand why she was there—apparently, a building manager was inspecting fire alarms, and she was waiting for him to be finished—I unleashed another harsh tirade, telling her to leave the room or risk being fired.

Yeah, not my finest moment, indeed, especially when her irate and hurt eyes flashed at me before she silently moved past me, letting me piece together the situation.

I run my hand down my face.

Just like yesterday, Belinda sent me an email letting me know she was leaving. And just like yesterday, I’ve given her—and my new admin—more reasons to be disappointed.

Not only that, but Maddy messaged me an hour ago—How are things going with Kavi?—to which I still haven’t formulated an answer. But I know that if I don’t reply soon, my bloodhound of a daughter will be knocking down my door in curiosity.

Fuck, this is a disaster.

My phone vibrates with an incoming call, and seeing Jared’s name on the screen, I take a hopeful breath. He’s our main contact at Rose City Skyport and right now, with howshitty my day seems to have gone yet again, all I’m looking for is some semblance of good news.

“Jared, how’s it going?” I turn, leaning back in my chair to look out the wall-to-wall windows behind me.

The sun made a fleeting appearance today, shining brightly for all of ten minutes. But now, under the shroud of darkness, only the hints of twinkling lights from nearby buildings bravely glimmer through the ongoing downpour.

“Good evening, Hudson. I have some good news for you.”Thank God.“The team is ready to sign the contract with Case Geo—”

“Wonderful!” I cheer, running a hand through my hair and imagining my brother and his fiancée’s dejected faces when they find out they didn’t win the contract. “That’s great news!”

“It is . . .” he trails off for a second before speaking again. “However, Silas wants to meet you and Kavi this week before we officially sign. Can you fly over Thursday night? The three of you can go to dinner, and then, if all goes well, we can finalize details and sign Friday morning.”

My brows pinch. Did he just say Kavi? How does he know her already, and why does their CEO want to meet her? “Kavi?”

Jared chuckles on the other side. “Yes. Your new assistant? Belinda sent us an email introducing her, since she’ll be dialing down at work starting next week. She also attached the updated version of the slides Kavi worked on, and Silas was pretty impressed. Said he wanted to meet her before we put ink to paper. He’s old-school like that and always wants to meet the people he works with in person.”

My head dips and I find I’ve been rubbing circles on my sternum, as if trying to release a constriction inside my chest.

What the fuck?

He wants to meet Kavi? A woman I haven’t even vettedproperly. A woman who’s been nothing but a headache since the moment I met her. A woman who’s been the bane of my existence over the past week.

And as if she can hear my thoughts—probably can, given I’m pretty sure she’s a witch—a knock sounds on my door before she enters.

With the phone still pressed to my ear, I watch her hips sway in her tight skirt as she takes long strides to my desk, paper in hand. Her bulky Docs thump with each step.

My eyes trail up to her cinched waist before briefly halting on her breasts. The woman looks like a perfect figure-eight in her attire, and fuck if that doesn’t piss me off just a little more.

I noticed her as soon as she came in this morning, her poor excuse for a raincoat dripping over my carpeted floor. Through the conference room windows, I watched her visibly relax, seeing no one was around, before she rushed over to Belinda’s desk and pulled a few tissues out of a box.

Caleb was showing everyone the financial projections on the screen at the front of the room, but at that moment, I couldn’t say what was on them or whether he was speaking in English or French. My eyes were stuck to the magnetic pull that was Kavi Jain, as she leaned over, wiping mud off her precious shoes. Her partially wet hair was pulled to one side as she focused on her task.

And when she shifted, her gray shirt shifted with her, the neck dropping to give me—and anyone who faced in the same direction—an expo of her fucking tits.

Tits I’d noticed, whether I wanted to or not, from the second I laid eyes on her. Tits I’d thought about. Tits I’d fucking jacked off to over the course of the past few days.

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