Page 53 of Resisting Fate
She suppressed a smile, almost giddy at the idea of being with Ben again. Tonight. Maybe right on this desk. Then she thought she should make it sound casual, not put any big expectations out there. She didn’t want to scare him away. He’d been very up front with her about the casual nature of his relationships.
She met his eyes. His expression was back to cool and composed. Oh-kay, she could be just as cool and casual. She spoke in a level tone she hoped didn’t betray the level of her excitement. “Yes, one more time.”And hopefully more.“And I will never work for you after this temp gig. You will never be my boss. Ever.”
He stood, glaring down at her. “You want to fuck up a great job opportunity for one fuck?”
Cheeks hot, she stammered, “I-I just thought…” She trailed off as he stalked around the desk toward her. Her mouth went dry, all of her senses on alert, excited by his rough edges that she hadn’t seen since she started working here, excited that he definitely had some interest in her.
Her chair swiveled suddenly, his hands on the arms of it, caging her in as he got in her face, the heat back in his eyes. “You arenotfucking me one time.”
He was so temptingly close. She licked her lips, staring at his mouth.
He leaned back a little, his voice rough. “I don’t care about the job. Do what you want.”
Their gazes locked, both of them breathing harder. Heat pooled between her legs, her body on board even before she touched him.
“Then what’re you so mad about?” she asked, her voice breathy with lust.
He spoke fiercely, every word enunciated with sharp bite. “I’m not happy with your casual one fuck.”
Her stomach dipped, her pulse quickening. “Say fuck again.”
He started to straighten up, away from her, when she grabbed his head and kissed him. He kissed her right back, pulling her up right out of her seat, the fire igniting between them. God, she’d missed this. The rush of excitement, losing herself in his scent and taste. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing close against his hard body, primal instinct taking over for a kiss that went on and on. She wanted to merge with him as close as two people could get.
He pulled away abruptly, taking a step back from her. “That was you,” he growled. “Youkissedme.”
She grabbed the edge of the desk, her knees weak. “I know.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face, looking absolutely miserable. Her heart sank, her gut starting a slow churn.
He gave her a hard look. “Dammit, that wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“Why?”
He spoke through his teeth. “Because I am a professional. I can’t move in on female employees. You are a female employee.”
“But I—”
He turned and stalked out the door. A few moments later, she heard the door to the main office slam. He’d actually left the office because of her kiss.
She put her fingers to her still-tingling lips, staring at his coffee that he’d been too upset to take with him. A dreadful certainty settled over her. She’d royally fucked things up.
~ ~ ~
Missy was immediately proven right when Ben avoided her the next couple of days. No more coffee breaks, no more conversation. Just a polite greeting like you’d give any random coworker you passed in the hall. She’d lost him before she ever really had him. She shouldn’t have acted so casual, that was what set him off. She’d been hedging her bets in case he didn’t feel the same way, and now everything was just…gone. She didn’t know if he was more upset that she’d treated him casually or that she’d crossed the line in the workplace. Maybe both. She should’ve handled it better, waited for a better time to connect with him, somewhere outside of work.
Ben skulked around the office, snapping at Logan, his expression tight. Not at all like the warm teasing Ben she’d enjoyed so much. Logan kept asking him what the hell was his problem. Ben never replied. But she knew it was her. She was miserable over causing him pain when she’d only wanted to bring him closer.
Yesterday, Thursday, she’d told Logan she didn’t want to leave her current employer out of loyalty, which he respected. That just made her feel worse. She should’ve taken that approach all along instead of tangling Ben up in it.
The worst part was, she was running out of time to fix things with Ben. It was nearly five o’clock on Friday, and she had the weekend to figure something out because Monday was her last day, and if she didn’t fix it then, she wasn’t ever going to get another chance. Maybe after work on Monday she could get Ben alone for a private conversation and try to be more open about her growing feelings for him.
Logan appeared in her doorway. “Got a minute?”
“Of course.”
He took a seat and leveled her with a serious look before saying, “Missy, we both really appreciate the work you put in here.”
He paused and, in that pause, Missy panicked. Had Ben told Logan she’d acted inappropriately, crossing the line? She’d never done anything like that before and would hate for that to leave a black mark against her. What if he gave her a bad reference? Shit. She hadn’t thought through the consequences of her impulsive action. That was so not like her.
