Page 24 of Restrained

I feel a kinship with him I can’t explain. He has a drive inside him that matches my own.

We’re going over the purchase orders, sitting on the bed when I hear heels clicking on the living room floor and instantly my hackles rise.

Gretchen walks into the bedroom not long after, her eyes glowing with hatred when she sees me on the bed with Hayden.The way she’s looking at me, I might as well be naked, but I'm fully clothed and sitting several feet away from him.

“Gretchen. I’ll have a few more orders for you after today.” Hayden doesn’t look up from his phone, completely oblivious to his assistant’s jealous glare as he sits on the bed in his black suit and tie.

As always, Gretchen looks beautiful on the outside. Tight, black skinny pants on her legs paired with a white camisole and a pink blazer. She looks professional even if she rarely acts that way around me.

“Anything else, Hayden?”

Her voice is sultry as she turns her gaze to him, but he still doesn’t lift his gaze from his phone. “No. That’s all for today.”

Her eyes move back to me as they roam over my outfit. My blouse is floral with a white background and off the shoulder sleeves that flow to my elbows. It’s one of my favorites, and I paired it with a skintight pale pink skirt and beige heels. I’ve noticed since I've started working with Hayden, I’ve put even more thought into my appearance, and I wonder if she did the same thing.

“I can stick around and help if you’d like?”

Now Hayden lifts his eyes from his phone and to her. “No.”

As much as I despise Gretchen, I nearly roll my eyes at Hayden’s signature response. The simple “no” with zero explanation is the most frustrating thing I’ve ever encountered. Her lips purse tightly as she nods. “Okay. I'll be in touch.”

Hayden only offers a curt nod as she exits, and I hear the door slam shut before I turn to Hayden. “I have to ask.”

“Don’t.”

He’s in a mood today, but I don’t care. “What happened between you and Gretchen? Are you really that cliché that you slept with your assistant?”

He looks more annoyed than furious as he eyes me. “Yes.”

For some reason, I wasn’t expecting honesty. “What happened?”

“We slept together. Once. I shouldn’t have, but I fucked up.”

“She wanted more?” I try to sound bored and completely disinterested even though I'm dying to know more.

He places his phone next to him on the bed, and his whole body shifts to face me. “Are we friends now or something?”

I laugh, unable to stop it. “Well, I'm everything you hate.”

I throw the words back at him, and he chuckles, the sound making my stupid heart flutter in my chest. Deep and manly, so slight it barely qualifies as a laugh and yet... it’s beautiful. “Maybe not, Lola.”

“I wouldn’t mind trying the friend thing.”

He smirks and shakes his head, sighing. “Yes. I think she wanted more. I definitely don’t.”

“But you still slept with her?”

His jaw ticks. “I had a bad day, and I let myself get out of control.”

“What’s that like?” The question falls for my lips before I realize I'm saying the words out loud.

He studies me with intensity that makes my heart feel like it’s going to explode, but I know he isn’t one to lose control often. “Dangerous.” I swallow, the gulping sound humiliating, and I'm glad there’s space between us on the bed. “It was a mistake.”

“Did you at least talk with her about it?”

He looks at me like I'm insane. “I told her it can’t happen again.”

“That’s all?”

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