Page 11 of Chasing Amber

I’ve occasionally locked myself in my bathroom and masturbated in my bathtub. But I worry I might be too loud, and there’s no way I can ever relax enough standing in my shower to reach orgasm. I’d probably fall and break my neck.

Dating? Ha. I haven’t been on a date in over four years. The last time I went out with a guy, my bodyguard sat at a table near us. He tried to be inconspicuous, but I couldn’t relax, and therewas no way for my date to remain ignorant of his presence. I never saw him again.

To say I’ve been cockblocked is an understatement. And why the hell am I thinking about masturbating right now anyway? Jeez. I toss my phone on my nightstand and pace. At least there’s more space in my bedroom than in my bathroom.

What a fuckup. I’ll never be able to relax until I confront Isaac and give him a piece of my mind. That’s what I have to do. He can take it or leave it.

I take several deep breaths and turn toward the door. Yep. I’m going to talk to him. I’m a grown woman. I can talk to my bodyguard and convince him to back the fuck down.

CHAPTER 4

Isaac

I’m trying to keep it together, but I’m losing the battle. I hate that Amber is in her bedroom and won’t talk to me. I know I said I would give her space, and I will. I would never go back on my word, but I’m frustrated.

I’m mad at myself for inadvertently rocking the boat. I should have stayed out of her room. But she wasn’t responding. What if she’d been hurt or hit her head or something? Was I supposed to stay out of her room and just hope she didn’t die?

Fuck.

I cleaned the kitchen and turned off all the lights in the rest of the apartment for the night. I’m in my room, but there’s no way I can go to bed. It’s early, and I’m pacing.

There is no telling what Amber will do now that I’ve changed the game. Fire me? Maybe. Seems unlikely. But she’s embarrassed. That’s for sure.

Suddenly, I hear her door opening, and I spin around just as she steps into the frame of my door. My girl is fierce anddetermined with her hands on her hips, her spine rigid, and her gaze narrowed.

She has no idea she’s adorable and can’t pull off fierce and determined. I won’t tell her this, of course. I keep it inside, not allowing anything in my expression to give away my internal mirth.

Before I can say anything, she lifts a finger and shakes it at me. “Erase the last few hours from your head, Isaac. Got it?”

Her words are unexpected. I’ve visualized several possible scenarios. This wasn’t one of them. I give a nod.

“I mean it. Rewind. I’m too tired to fire you and deal with adjusting to a new bodyguard. I don’t even need a fucking bodyguard. I’m not in any danger. My brother is wasting his money on your salary. It’s madness. I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself. I don’t need a keeper.”

I don’t dare move or speak. I simply nod again. She needs to get this out of her system. I won’t stop her. It changes nothing. It’s just words. If it makes her feel better to pretend tonight never happened, I’ll go along with it for as long as she needs. Eventually, the rubber band will snap, but it doesn’t have to be tonight.

She continues, “Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to have someone shadowing you all day, every day? It’s so annoying. I can’t even pee without thinking you can hear it. I haven’t been on a date in so long that I’ve forgotten how to have sex.”

This makes me flinch. There is no fucking way she’s going on any dates. If she’s about to suggest such a thing, I will be forced to shut that shit down. And sex? The thought of my girl having sex with another man makes my blood boil. She’s thirty years old. I’m not an idiot. It’s not as though I think she’s a virgin. Of course, she’s not. But I’d rather not think about her fuckinganother man. I’m the only man she will ever have inside her for the rest of her life.

After she decides to take her head out of her ass and recognize that she’s mine…

She keeps shaking that finger. She has her other hand on her cocked hip. She’s a force to be reckoned with.Not. “Do notevermention this evening again. Wipe it from your head. We’re going back to how things were before you barged into my room without permission. One peep and I will tell my brother to fire you. Are we clear?”

If we were in an actual relationship, I would take this Little girl over my knees, pull her pants and panties down, and spank her bottom until she was too sorry to ever threaten me again. But we are not. She is not technically mine. She hasn’t agreed to anything of the sort.

This is not over. Not even close. But I’m not sparring with Amber tonight. She’s hurting. Something happened in her therapy session that snowballed into her curling up in her closet. I wish she would talk to me about it, but she’s not going to do it tonight. She needs me to agree with her so she can go to bed.

I want to say something snarky, but I hold my tongue. It will only infuriate her further for me to say, “Yes, Mistress,” or some shitty response that goes with her threat. I’m a bigger man than that. All I do is nod.

That’s what she needs. She spins on her heels, stomps back into her room, and slams the door.

I blow out a breath and stare at the empty doorframe for a long time. My chest is tight. I hate that my girl is in so much pain and won’t let me in. I could help her in so many ways.

She’s having nightmares. She might think I don’t know, but I do. She cries out, which yanks me out of my sleep. I don’t sleep soundly. I can’t. I’m alert at all times. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her while I was asleep.

If she would just recognize that we’re more than employer/employee, I could help her. If she would let me hold her, it would make all the difference. She needs to let her guard down, let me in, let me carry some of the weight.

If I were in her bed at night, I bet she could sleep better. If she weren’t so sexually frustrated from not dating, she would definitely sleep better.

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