Page 31 of Brassy Bigwig

“It turns out the mistake was actually crawling into your bed in the first place. God, I’m so fucking stupid.”

With that, I turn on my heel and march out of his office. I fight back the tears that are threatening to fall because I’ll be damned if I let this asshole see me cry.

“Chloe, wait,” I hear him call after me, but I’m not turning back.

I’ve waited so long to hear him utter my real name. But instead of it warming my heart, it hurts. I don’t care what he has to say no apology will be good enough. As I open the bottom drawer of my desk and pull out my purse, I feel him behind me. His arm snakes around my waist, and his warm breath is in my ear.

“I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. This isn’t how I wanted this to go down. Please don’t leave.”

He spins me in his arms and pierces me with a sorrowful, hopeful gaze. I push him away from me and take a deep breath to calm myself down. Slinging my purse over my shoulder, I cross my arms and wait for him to speak again.

“Will you please come back into my office?”

I shouldn’t do it. I should not go back in there. He doesn’t deserve a second chance, but… what if I hurt him by leaving without saying goodbye that morning? Maybe this is his way of getting back at me?

It’s not very nice, regardless.

I’m sure there’s a lot both of us would like to say. If I can get the reason for this cruel and insensitive interrogation, that would be a good start.

“One condition.”

“Anything.”

“Tell me why you’re acting like this?”

He sighs and looks down. His large hands fall onto his hips, and the vision of them as he thrust into me over and over again forces its way to the forefront of my mind.

Not now, Chloe.

“I will, please come sit down.”

He waves his hand toward his office again. Rolling my eyes, I take a deep breath and march back into the room. Flopping down into the chair, like a toddler who doesn’t want to sit in time out, I wait for him to take his seat again.

But he doesn’t. He turns the chair I’m sitting in so it faces the one next to it. Then he sits in that chair so we’re nearly knee to knee.

I cross my arms and legs at the same time and wait for him to speak. With his eyes glued to mine, he leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees.

“About a year ago, I had an assistant that I… started a physical relationship with. Long story short, she blackmailed me with photos and an audio recording that painted a bad picture of me. It took a lot of money to make it go away, and I regret everything that ever happened between the two of us.”

Um, red flag alert…

I don’t know what to say to that. Was it consensual? Do I work for a monster? What the hell do I have to do with any of this?

“When Dex called me on Monday and told me you were my new assistant, I was ecstatic. I’d been trying to find you ever since you fled, and I was happy I finally knew who you were.”

My heart speeds up when I realize he’s been looking for me, too.

“But when I got to thinking about it more, it all seemed like too big of a coincidence. And finding out you gave me a fake name, I thought it was happening all over again. That you were like her and were going to try and set me up for something I didn’t do in exchange for money.”

“I mean, I know we don’t know one another, but after the connection we had in Greece… Do you really think so little of me?”

“No.”

His quick answer stuns me. If he didn’t actually think it, then why go through all of this?

“If you recall, you were the one who asked me out on a date,” I remind him. “Also, Trey Everett, I’m not the only one who wasn’t truthful about their name.”

“I know. And I know I’ve been incredibly unfair to you today, but I didn’t think she was that kind of person, either. At least, not in the beginning.”

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