Page 21 of Obsessive Cravings

I brushed the strand of hair he’d touched away from my cheek and huffed from the office, not bothering to give his assistant a goodbye. Folding my arms as the elevator took me back to the main floor, I tried to figure out why I wanted this man so intensely. Why I’d wanted him to lift my skirt the rest of the way and fuck me right on his desk.

Because he was a bad boy. I’d known it from the moment I found out who he was, which was strange because the man who’d helped me on the street my first day hadn’t given me that impression. It was almost like that had been an unguarded version of him.

“Riley,” Ken’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

He gestured for me to join him in his office. I closed the door and sat, still discombobulated from my interaction with Greyson.

“Matt no longer works for us. I’ve removed him from the building. I’m sorry for what he did.”

“You knew?” I asked, glancing around and wondering who else in the office had heard his lies.

“I was the one who reported the incident to Greyson. I overheard it in the lunchroom and put a stop to the rumors.”

“It wasn’t true,” I said quickly, irritated that my new colleagues now thought I was the office slut. No wonder they’d distanced themselves.

“I know, which is why I brought it to Greyson rather than just shutting down Matt’s talk. I’ve addressed it with the rest of the staff.”

I could feel the tension in my neck. “That’s just great,” I muttered.

“Listen. Don’t let this experience bias you against the team. They’re good people. Matt’s been on probation for other incidents, and this was the last straw. Greyson seems interested in seeing you succeed, so don’t let this bother you.”

I knew exactly why he was interested in seeing me succeed: he’d put some unrequited claim on me.

“The company Christmas party is in a few days. He insists you attend so we can make it up to you.”

Raising a brow, I sat up. “I don’t do Christmas parties.”

I’d heard the others talking about the lavish annual Christmas party Greyson Tides threw for his employees and the more influential people in town. I wanted nothing to do with the holiday festivities. This was my first year away from Mason, and I knew it would be melancholy. I’d left him right before Thanksgiving and even that had hurt. We usually spent that weekend decorating the house and putting the tree up. The thought threatened to drown me.

“Riley?”

I looked back up at Ken. “Sorry. I guess I’m just still upset by this Matt thing. I don’t think I can do a Christmas party.”

I stood, needing to get away.

“Think about it. If Greyson says you’re going, trust me, there’s no way you’ll avoid it. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off? Get away and clear your head.”

I nodded and left, gathering my things and logging off for the day. I was a jumble of thoughts and emotions. Anger at Matt for his asshole move, shock at Greyson’s words and even more so at my acceptance of them, and sadness from thoughts of missing Christmas with Mason.

I walked around the city, planting myself on a park bench and staring off into space until it grew too cold. Reluctantly, I trudged home, which offered another set of confused thoughts—the uninvited guest who had turned into an invited one. What he’d done to me had been undeniably erotic. I’d never come so hard, and I’d never had a man dedicate all his attention to my climax. And, oh, how I’d climaxed. Just the thought of it had my thighs shaking. His touch had been ecstasy. Everything about it was wrong, but now that he’d given me a taste of what he could do, I craved more. Almost as much as I craved Greyson Tides.

Greyson’s hand on my thigh, his words of ownership sent a warmth flooding between my legs. I chewed my lip, thinking how familiar that touch had been, how the scent of his cologne had lingered on his skin with a strange familiarity.

Pausing at my door, I grasped for the thought that was forming in my mind but lingering just beyond reach. With a shrug, I let the thought go and opened the door, my heart thudding as I spotted the beautiful bracelet that was lying atop the blindfold. My stranger had left me another gift, a row of emeralds and diamonds that sparkled in the light. Another gift. An expensive gift. Before, they’d been simple—flowers, coffee, small things that told me little about him other than he knew my tastes. The blindfold that had left me quivering with anticipation, fear blended with excitement.

But this… I picked up the bracelet. This was the gift of a man who had money, a confident man who was making a statement.

My mind was stringing pieces together, grasping for the one to solidify the thought that was forming.

“Whoa, that is one nice piece of jewelry.” I jumped, dropping the bracelet at Ava’s voice. “Now I’m convinced you have a sugar daddy, and you won’t convince me otherwise.”

Turning to her, I shook my head in denial, seeing that I’d been so distracted by my thoughts that I’d left the door open.

“I don’t know what I have,” I mumbled.

She lifted a brow, one I saw now had a hoop through it.

“That’s new,” I noted, pointing to it.

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