Page 42 of The CEO

Instead, I had to wait.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

pria

TWO WEEKS LATER

Since the attack,I’d only been back at the office for two days. King had demanded that I stay home and rest. At first, I thought it would only be a few days, but once I was discharged and realized how much every motion I made elicited a great deal of pain, I ended up working from his place. My options were to work and feel pain or take the drugs they’d prescribed for me and be a loopy mess since nothing else seemed to work.

King had been out of town for the last four days on the business trips he’d canceled to be with me when he found out I was in the hospital. When he walked into the room in the ER, I was shocked. I was ready to write him off after he’d left his apartment, but after our talk, I was one hundred and ten percent in love with him. He’d called and FaceTimed me every night he was gone, making sure I was okay and that the new dog walker was treating the dogs well. There was no way I was going to be walking any of them except Jimmy in the near future. It was too easy for either Sarah or Orvy to jerk me around and I wanted my ribs to heal as quickly as possible.

My phone vibrated with an incoming call. Warmth flowed through my body and settled in my chest when I saw it was King calling.

“Hey, what are you doing calling me?” I looked at the clock on my wall that read six forty-five. “I thought you’d be in a meeting right about now.”

“I’m getting ready to head inside in just a minute, but I wanted to say hi. Are you still at work?”

I knew I should have already left, but I’d been busy dealing with one employee who went off on a tirade during a meeting, and another who had harassed a fellow employee about her period. Getting the statements from everyone who’d been at the meeting had taken most of the day, which is why I was still there even after the sun had started to go down.

“I am, but I was just getting ready to pack up and leave after I called your driver to let him know I was ready.”

“Good girl.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “Before you go, can you pick up a package in my office for me?”

“Sure.” I wasn’t sure why he wanted me to get it when he could pick it up tomorrow when he got in, but I didn’t argue.

“It’s something for you and I want you to have it right away.” He must have heard the uncertainty in my voice about retrieving his package.

“Ah, you didn’t have to do that, King, but that’s very sweet of you.” I packed up my stuff a little quicker so I could see what he’d gotten me.

“Wait until you see what it is.” The husky tone in his voice caught me off guard. Had he gotten me some lingerie to wear once he was back? King may have said he was used to pleasuring himself, but I felt the hard-on he woke with every morning. While I was sure he’d seen to himself while he was gone, I knew he wanted the real thing. It got me hot and bothered thinking of him touching himself.

“You’ve got me intrigued, Mr. Avery. I can’t wait to see what you got me. I’m leaving my office now. Do you want to stay on the phone with me while I open it?” I felt like a giddy schoolgirl about ready to open all her presents on Christmas Day. I couldn’t remember the last time someone got me something for the hell of it.

“I’d love nothing more.”

The amusement in his tone halted me in my tracks. “Is this a prank?”

“No, Pria, it most certainly is not a prank. Go see what I got for you. I think you’ll be happy with what you find.”

“I hope your secretary isn’t at her desk, because it could get awkward. If you could have seen the look on her face yesterday when she saw me. I don’t know why she hates me so much.” If she could have killed me with the daggers from her eyes, she would have, and it made no sense why she hated me. I’d never done anything to her except expect her to do her job.

“You need to start looking for her replacement. She’s the worst secretary I’ve ever had.” He sighed heavily. “I shouldn’t have fired my previous one for letting you in to see me with my pants down.”

“Who knows what would have happened if I hadn’t seen you tucking yourself in that day?”

King hummed down the line. “I knew you were only with me for my cock.”

“It is mighty in every way.”

I slowed my steps as I came closer to King’s office. I wasn’t sure how I’d get in if Mandy was at her desk, but with King being gone I didn’t see her staying past five.

“It doesn’t look like she’s here. I’m going in,” I whispered to King.

“Why are you whispering?” he asked, whispering back.

“Because I don’t want to be caught.”

“I’m giving you permission if anyone asks.”

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