Page 18 of Office Affairs

What else could I say to convince him? As much as I hated it, I’d have to tell him the truth. I’d never truly tried to hide Keith’s existence from any of them, but I had enjoyed the fact they didn’t judge me for being a young mother. “I have a son.”

Russell’s eyebrows shot upward. “No kidding?” He scoured my face for any hint of a lie.

My shoulders deflated as I prepared for the judgment.

“How old?”

I cringed inwardly. “Eight. And I don’t have time to find a babysitter. So I’m sorry, but you’ll have to find someone else to go with you.”

“I want you to go with us.” He spoke in such a calm, quiet way that it worked its way deep down into the part of me that yearned for love, affection, and approval.

His desire for me to attend could mean anything. He might want me there to take notes.

And he might want me there because we both wanted to fuck each other.

Risk versus reward. Checks and balances. He held all the cards, and if things went badly, I’d be the one standing out in the cold without a job.

Russell took a single step, putting his chest inches from mine. His pulse thrummed in my line of sight and when I tipped my head up, he gave a lopsided smile. “Bring him with you.”

No. That was worse than leaving him home. Who would watch him?

I licked my lips and shook my head. I’d asked Miranda to babysit before. Keith liked her and the two of them had fun. Miranda might agree to stay over the weekend, but I’d have to ask soon before she made plans.

Russell’s thick knuckle traced the air near my cheek, sending a shock of need to my core though he never even touched me. “We can hire a nanny to keep an eye on him while we work. He’ll love the hotel. They have a pool, an arcade, and direct access to a private beach.”

I wanted to close my eyes and transport us there right this instant. Sand between my toes and Keith by my side sounded like heaven. Russell’s looming presence pressed in on the vision and I saw the two of us tangled together in the sheets after Keith fell asleep. Did I dare ask him what he expected of me this weekend? Did I really want to know? One look into his fathomless eyes and I read the deep desire I’d felt building all week. I took a step back before I pressed into him. “I need to think about it.”

Disappointment raced over his face, but he covered it and nodded. “Let me know.” He took a step back. “Work retreats come with a bonus.” He rattled off a number that turned my knees weak. That much? For a weekend? Either this really was a work retreat, or I was getting the proposition of my life.

I walked out of the room on shaky legs. “I’m taking my lunch.” I stopped at the door long enough to look back.

Russell had resumed his seat. He leaned forward, propping his elbow on the desk and cupping his chin as he waved with the other hand. Just like that, I’d been dismissed. I’d take offense to how quickly he went from hot to cold, but I’d learned this week that Russell rarely—if ever–displayed his emotions. That almost touch was the closest I’d gotten to seeing him lose control. I hurried into the elevator and collected myself before I reached the bottom floor where Miranda waited for me in the coffee lounge. Employees milled around the room, chatting and enjoying their hour of free time. Coffee cups were scattered on almost every table, along with empty containers and wrappers. No one seemed to clean up after themselves, counting on the cleaning service Chase employed to take care of their garbage. It sickened me to see them looking down on those cleaning up after them like they were schoolchildren who didn’t know any better. Keith had better manners than a lot of these adults.

Miranda sat alone at a table right in the middle, a second cup of coffee waiting in front of the empty chair, just like that first day. That was one thing about Miranda, I could count on her consistency.

I tore open my muffin wrapper and bit a huge chunk out of the bottom. The nutty sweetness of banana and walnut soothed the growing hunger in my stomach but nothing else.

Miranda saluted me with her cup. “How are things going upstairs?”

I took my time chewing and swallowing the bite while I formulated a response. Anything I said here could—and would—be used against me. Maybe not by Miranda, but I’d caught the hush that fell over the room, and the way people lingered close by. “Great.” I picked off a walnut and tossed it into my mouth, following it with a sip of coffee from the cup Miranda had gotten for me. “Best job I’ve ever had.”

“Sabrina, it’s the only job you’ve ever had.” Miranda wagged her head side to side. “Not your fault, of course.”

Again, this was why I loved her. She’d been my best friend as long as I could remember. She told me the truth whether I wanted to hear it or not and never hesitated to call me out on my bullshit. “Speaking of jobs.” I leaned across the table and lowered my voice. “Any chance you could watch Keith this weekend? At my place or yours.”

Miranda hesitated and matched my posture. “Why?”

I eyed the people around us with lifted eyebrows. “I’ve been asked to work this weekend.”

Her mouth puckered into a perfect O. “Seriously?”

My fingers tightened around the coffee cup as confusion swept through me. “Is that not normal?” I’d felt the whole thing was off from the moment Russell brought it up. Maybe he really did plan on this being a weekend getaway where I was the end goal. Why else would he want to shut down the whole company half a day early and fly to fucking California?

“Sabrina.” Miranda’s tight curls swayed when she shook her head. “Honey, I’m worried about you. You need to be careful.”

“What? Why? It’s just a business retreat.” I forced the words out even though I struggled to believe them. I should have shut Russell down. I knew that, but the idea of spending more time with him, Chase, and Garrett away from the office drove me to try and work things out.

Miranda pushed her cup aside and gripped my wrist. Her gold bracelet tinkled on the tabletop, the charms winking in the light. “That’s not what I mean, and you know it. You can’t fall for them. For any of them.”

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