Page 63 of The Unplanned Wedding

I bounce on the balls of my feet and shake out my arms. I need to get a hold of myself. I need to get the hell out of here and to my office… Where I can see her sweet face. So I can assure myself that life is worth living. That I can go on, knowing she’s going to be okay. That she’s going to be shielded from my presence intruding into her personal life.

Yes, I did the right thing. I did. So why does everything feel so hollow?

I trudge into my bathroom and stand under the shower. As thoughts of her infiltrate my mind, I allow the images to flow over me. The blood drains to my groin, and I welcome that familiar tightness in my balls. I squeeze my erect cock from base to crown, and again. This is all I will allow myself. I will not touch her, but allowing myself to climax as I think of her is, surely, allowed. I swipe my fist up and down repeatedly. All too soon, my balls draw up and my climax spurts over my palm.

By the time I’m dressed and holding a cup of coffee in my hand, dawn breaks over the horizon. I grab my car keys and head to the parking lot at the base of the building. Traffic is light, and in less than half an hour, I pull into my office. I take the elevator up to my floor and head down the corridor. When I pass her desk, there’s no one there. In fact, no one seems to be here at all. I glance at my wristwatch and realize it’s early.

She won’t be here for another hour yet. I try to focus on my work, butkeep tracking the time on my watch. When half an hour has passed, I call her desk, but there’s no answer.

It’s fine, she'll be here. Wait another half-hour. You can do this. You’ve lain in wait for targets to make a move for days on end in the heat of the Middle East. You can wait another half-hour before calling her phone.

I squeeze the bridge of my nose and draw in a few deep breaths. Then focus on the merger document I’m pursuing on screen. I even manage to lose myself in the details for a little while. When I look at my watch, forty-five minutes have passed. It’s almost eight a.m. She should be here any minute.

I give up trying to work and begin to pace the floor of my office. Back, forth, back. I watch the hands on my watch crawl forward. When the big hand hits twelve, I stalk to the door of my office and pull it open. I see her seated at her desk; her back is to me. She’s staring at her computer screen. I take a step forward and realize, nope, it’s not her.

It’s someone else. And she’s seated atherdesk.At. Her. Desk!I draw abreast with her, and the stranger looks up.

"Who’re you?" I demand.

"I—" She swallows. "I…"

"Spit it out; I don’t have all day," I snap.

The color fades from her cheeks. "I-I'm your new assistant."

25

Knox

"The fuck do you mean? Where’s July?’

"July?" She frowns.

"June Donnelly, my assistant, where is she?"

"I believe she quit." The woman wrings her hands.

I reel back as if struck by a missile. "Quit?" My voice sounds hoarse to my ears. "What do you mean, quit?"

"I… I…"

"She sent in her resignation." A new voice interrupts.

I turn to find Mary looking at me with a sympathetic expression on her face.Awesome! Now the assistants in this office feel sorry for me.I shove that thought aside and train my gaze on Mary. "What do you mean?"

Mary sighs. "I have your coffee." She holds a cup in her hand.

I scowl at it. "That’s not my coffee cup."

"Excuse me?" She blinks.

"June knows which cup to get my coffee in." I sound churlish, but what-fucking-ever.

She half smiles, then wipes it off her features. "I understand, but June’s not here."

"Why the hell not?" I glare at her, but Mary doesn’t seem to notice.

She sails past me and pushes open the door to my office. "Come on, I’ll fill you in."

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