Page 165 of Tempting All The Way

That’s where I’m at though, and now that I’ve started, I’m not changing course. I’m more than halfway done with the list. Ticking off another item, I roll my neck and look at the clock. Three in the afternoon. I have three hours to get another ten items crossed off, and then I’ve won.

What exactly? I have no idea.

Standing, I stretch my arms over my head. I walk into the kitchen to get an energy drink from the fridge. I briefly eye the muffins in the break room before deciding against them, in order to stay focused.

Chapter Fourteen

There’s a knock at my door. I look at the clock. It’s ten to six. Terri would have already left for the day.

“Come in,” I yell out.

The door opens and Dani walks in with a stack of papers and files in her arms. A guilt I’ve never felt before has been tearing me up all day over the list of tasks I gave her. It wasn’t even achievable. I knew that when I sent her the email. I was pissedoff, still am. For whatever reason, she won’t stay in my fucking bed and wake up with me the next morning. I wonder if it has anything to do with that asshole ex of hers. I know she says she’s over him, has moved on. But what he did… leaving her on their wedding day. That has to be eating her alive.

The prick is an idiot. Any man who would walk away from a woman like Dani is an A-class moron. She’s the whole fucking package.

Perfect. Or at least she would be if she’d stay in bed all night.

“Dani?” I try to hide the surprise in my voice at seeing her walk into my office.

I know she’s been holed up in the copy room all day. I got a chewing out from Nathan and Xavier, who both bombarded me at lunch today about why Dani was surrounded by files and shit in the copy room. I swear the two are nosier than Mrs Stange, the old lady who used to live across the street from me. I’d always catch her peeking out of her curtains, and whenever my parents had one of their fights, she’d be over the very next morning to see my mother just to get the inside scoop. Not that the old bat needed to. She, along with the whole neighbourhood, would have been able to hear my parents’ arguments. They weren’t exactly quiet about them.

“I have everything on your list,” Dani says, dropping the pile of files on my desk.

“Everything?” I ask with a raised brow. There is no way she has everything.

“Yes,everything,” she confirms while straightening her shoulders. Her eyes connect with mine; she doesn’t look away.

“Okay then.” What the hell am I meant to say? She’s fucking worked all day and managed to get the unachievable list of tasks completed.

I turn back to my computer and type out another email to her.

Sender: Alistair Warner

Subject: Most important task of the day

Dear Miss Hutchinson,

There was one task I forgot to add to the list I gave you this morning.

Undress. Now!

Sincerely yours,

Alistair

I hit send and look up to see Dani about to exit the office. “Shut the door and lock it,” I tell her.

She turns around and stares at me. “You cannot be serious right now.” Her words are hissed in my direction.

“Oh, I’m deadly serious, little girl. Shut the door and lock it.” I hit the button on my desk that fogs the glass windows of my office.

Dani stomps her foot but she follows the command like the perfect fucking little submissive she is.

“Good girl.” I praise her. “Now, there was one more thing on your list. Check your emails,” I tell her. I wait as she draws her phone out of her pocket and pulls up her emails. She reads it and shakes her head.

“No,” she says, looking directly at me.

“What do you meanno?” I push to my feet and glare back at her.

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