Page 16 of The Bonus

Unlike the busy and bustling daytime.

It’s peaceful.

Serene.

I sit at my desk and look around.

So, this is what closure feels like. The end of one era and the beginning of another. I swivel on my chair, feeling proud of myself.

I did it, I made a plan and stuck to it. Did exactly what I needed to do.

I’m moving on.

I sit for a long time as I process everything that has happened over the last seven years, the dressing calendar sessions, the fights and tantrums. The sarcastic snark. The laughter, the crush.

Oh…the crush. I crushed hard, but in my defense, I am only human.

I walk to his office and open the door; it’s darkened, lit only by a lamp and his bathroom light. I look over his desk and smile sadly. It’s hard to believe I’ll never see him sitting here again. I run my hand over his desk, the back of his chair, over the keyboard that houses his fingers all day.

His presence is so strong in here, I can almost feel him.

“Couldn’t even say goodbye,” I mutter to myself as I cross my arms and look out over the view.

“Goodbye,” a deep voice says.

I spin to see Gabriel sitting in the darkened corner of the room.

He has an amber drink in his hand, his elbows resting on his thighs as he watches me.

“Gabriel,” I gasp, “I…didn’t see you.”

He stands and puts his drink down; his eyes are dark and dangerous and he walks over to me and stands so that his face is an inch away from mine.

The air leaves my lungs as I feel the heat from his body.

“I didn’t give you your Christmas bonus yet,” he murmurs.

I swallow the lump in my throat.

He raises his hand and rubs the back of his fingers over my breast as his eyes follow.

What the hell is happening right now?

“I…”

He puts his finger over my lips. “Don’t. Say. Anything.”

He puts his two hands around my waist and walks me back to his desk and then pushes me down onto it.

Thump. Thump. Thump…goes my poor weak heart.

He puts his hand on my chest and pushes me back so that I am lying down.

I stare at him, unsure what the hell is going on right now.

His large hands glide up my thighs and he slides my panties down my legs and takes them off.

Lifting them to his nose, he inhales deeply.

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