Page 5 of Whispers in the Dark

“I’m not sure what to say,” I told her, and I wasn’t as I stared at the golden, Greek titan holding a celestial globe above his head.

“We’ll just leave it at goodbye,” she responded.

I smiled at her. “Goodbye.”

She was obviously pleased with herself, and this time she left my office. The door hadn’t closed all the way, so I was able to see Brynn and Bea standing there in the front as they talked for a moment. Both women then left, and I picked up the sculpture. It was small so it wouldn’t take up much room at all. Still, I didn’t want to look at it all the time, so I got up and placed it on the top shelf of my bookcase where it wouldn’t be so visible.

I then returned to my emails, and I was in the middle of one when I heard a knock outside my door. I glanced up as the knob turned to find Brynn standing there. “Do you need something?” I asked her when she didn’t immediately say anything.

“I... ahhh... I’ve helped Bea take her things to her car, but I intend to finish the itinerary for Monday before I leave for the weekend.”

“Okay,” I said, not quite sure why she felt the need to tell me as such. It didn’t appear to be in her work ethic to slack on the job, and it would make a very bad impression to do it this early in our working relationship. “If that’s all...”

“Yes,” she said, then made a beeline out of my office.

I stared at the closed door for several long seconds. Something told me that she intended to say something different but had changed her mind. I didn’t let it bother me as I returned to my emails and spent the next hour answering them all before finally standing up to stretch. It was after six, so I undid the top three buttons of my dress shirt, then removed my suit jacket and tie. I would need to put them both back on by the time I left for the night because fall in San Francisco often brought crisp temperatures with it.

Other things would soon follow, but for now, I moved to the window to look out at the nearby park. I couldn’t see it in great detail, but I did notice the changing hues of the leaves on the top of those trees. Soon, those very leaves would fall, and the trees would be stark and barren. I was not a very big fan of winter, norspring or summer. I did enjoy autumn, though. It often made me want to explore the city, but I never seemed to find time to do it.

Oh well.

I moved away from the window and looked back at the frosted wall. I could see the silhouette of someone, and after realizing Brynn was still here, I walked to the door. When I opened it, she was at her new desk. Seeing her there was a culture shock for me for sure. It would take time to get over the surprise of seeing someone I knew so intimately in a place I considered a sanctuary.

Most people loved being away from work, but I had always been the opposite. When at home, I had too much time to think which was a dangerous thing for me to do. I enjoyed work because it kept me distracted. Now, I just wanted to fuck Brynn at work to do the same.

“Quite the workaholic. You might make me look bad in that regard,” I teased her.

She looked up, and her eyes immediately went to my chest. While I had seen her in various states of undress, she had done the same with me. Upon realizing she was staring, she turned away.

“I was just about finished. I only needed to email it to you.”

“Very well,” I said before turning to go back to my office. “I’m going to be working late tonight. Please let the doorman know on your way downstairs. I’ll talk to you on Monday.”

I went into my office, a bit too abruptly, but I did nothing to change how formal I had just sounded to her. Hiring Brynn had been for her, and not for me. She was in a safe workplace where I wouldn’t need to worry about her like I did when she worked with Randall. I had just returned to my seat when I got the notification of an email from her. Knowing it would be done to my specifications, I didn’t even open it. Instead, I opened another, then felt her presence at the door.

“Did you need something else?”

“Have I upset you in some way?”

And there it was. That had to be what she had wanted to ask me earlier, but had only now gotten the courage to ask. “You would know if I was upset about something. What would make you think that?”

“I just get the impression that... I mean, I don’t know. Something is just different between us now.”

“You’re my assistant, and this is a place of business,” I answered, then realized that she had to have thought about us away from here. I normally checked in with her a few times a week, but since she now worked here, I hadn’t felt the need to do so. “Are you asking me as Brynn? Or as Karma?”

“Both,” she said, her voice dropping to nearly a whisper. She then cleared her throat. “I just can’t help but wonder if I have failed you in some way.”

I got up and walked past her to the door. I closed it, then locked it behind us. “You would know if you displeased me in some way.” I stroked her cheek with my thumb, reveling in the way she slightly shivered. “Have you missed me?”

She turned her face into my palm before replying. “Yes.”

God, if I hadn’t missed her, too. I would have to get her to Lotus one night soon, but there was something I could do to her here and now which would hopefully convince her that I still desired her the way that I had before. Granted, this was completely unchartered territory for me, so I hadn’t figured out exactly how to fully navigate it just yet.

I stepped away, then took her hand and led her over to the windows. I knew everyone at Benedict Technologies was gone, so there was no concern about getting caught. Still I felt the need to protect her, even from idle workplace gossip. I moved behind her, then crushed her against my chest.

“I’ve missed you too, Karma,” I rasped against her ear while slowly pulling up her skirt with one hand.

I kissed along the shell of her ear, feeling her tremble from that touch alone. I wanted to do more, and after getting her skirt up to her hips, I ran my hand down her thigh, growling low when I encountered the garter belt. It was pulled taut, but I got one finger under it, then snapped it. My office was completely silent that even it was heard in the enclosed space.

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