Page 25 of Losing My Rejection

His cheeks turned bright red. “I… I don’t know.”

I wasn’t sure he was telling me the truth. Something about the way he turned his eyes downward made me think he wasn’t sharing how he actually felt. But I wasn’t going to push it either. Being in bed with another man was probably already upsetting enough. The last thing I wanted him to do was freak out and take his already packed bag on the run.

“Well,” I said at last. “You don’t have to know why right now. But I didn’t do this out of pity and I definitely don’t regret it.”

“But you’re my boss… How can we keep going after all this?” He looked distraught. “I’ve ruined everything.”

“Josh,” I replied with a stern tone. “You didn’t ruin anything. And considering I don’t require your dick to bake, I think we can just keep on working together like we always have. The dough will rise regardless of our sexual attraction. Believe me, the bread doesn’t know anything.”

“You’re not going to fire me?”

“Hell no! You’re the best fucking baker I’ve ever met! I’d pay you more to keep you around if I had to.” I gave him a smirk. “As for the other stuff… well, I just consider that a perk.”

Josh’s gaze fell away again and he pulled his hands away from me. “I… I think I need some time.”

I pulled my hands away as well, getting the message loud and clear. “You take all the time you need.”

I threw the covers aside and swung my legs out of bed. It took me a moment to locate all my clothing and I could feel Josh’s eye’s on my ass until I finally pulled my jeans back on. By the time I’d finished dressing he was sitting up in bed, the blanket pooled around his waist.

“I’m gonna head out, alright?” I said, slipping my shoes on. “And I’ll do my best to avoid Sam.”

“Oh god…” he murmured, shaking his head. “He’s gonna know, isn’t he?”

“Not if I can be sneaky about it.” I walked over to the door, my hand about to turn the knob when I stopped. “Josh? Will you make me a promise?”

He looked up, but he didn’t respond.

“Please don’t run away.” I gave him a soft smile as his cheeks blushed pink again. “I’ll be at the bakery if you want to talk.”

Without another word, I left his hotel room, letting the door close gently behind me. I knew he needed some time to himself to get things figured out, and that was fine with me. I could only hope that he’d listen to me and stay. Even if he decided he didn’t want to be with me, that would be fine. Just as long as I got to see him again.

At first I started for the stairs. However, realizing the bakery van was parked out front with the Amarok Cafe logo blazoned across the side, there wasn’t a single person in town who didn’t know where I was. And that meant Sam had known for hours. That man couldn’t keep a secret to save his life.

Time to do damage control.

I doubled back for the elevator and took it down to the lobby. The moment I stepped out, Sam looked up from his book, his eyes alighting.

“I knew it!” he spat, pointing a finger at me. “I fucking knew it!”

“First of all,” I replied, pointing a finger back. “Keep your goddamn voice down.”

“Sorry,” he whispered, taking a deep breath. “Got excited.”

“Yeah. I know.” I stepped up to the front desk. “How many people have you told so far?”

“Nobody…”

“Sam,” I said in a warning tone.

“Alright, alright.” He held up his hands in mock defeat. “I might’ve mentioned something to Ace and Matt, but that was last night. I didn’t like call them this morning or anything for a status update.”

“Are you sure you didn’t tell anyone else?”

“Yes.”

I believed him that time. “You need to text Ace and Matt telling them to keep everything you talked about to themselves. That boy up there is in tatters and he’s not gonna react well to anybody else knowing about this.”

“Jesus… were you that rough on him?”

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