Page 64 of Hayden's Stalker

It’s hard not to notice the difference in Tati as soon as we leave the library. Her body is stiff and alert from the moment we’re back in my apartment. As she escorts me downstairs, her eyes dart around us almost constantly.

When my car comes into view, she gives the most adorable little gasp but doesn’t say anything, and I smile at her. The seat is still set up for her from when she drove it yesterday, so I have no need to help her adjust it today.

As she pulls out onto the street, I can’t resist teasing her, “Hey, if you’re driving my car again, does that mean you owe me another hug?”

My cock jerks in my jeans when her cheeks flush bright pink before she answers, “I don’t know about that. Didn’t you say I should charge double? That means this is just you paying the balance for yesterday’s hug.”

“I see. I suppose that makes sense.” I wait a few moments until her cheeks have returned to their normal color before I ask, “Did you want to drive it two more times before tomorrow, in that case?”

Her cheeks turn bright pink again, and I have to resist the urge to moan loudly. I clearly have an as yet untappedhumiliation kink cause it ishot as fuckwhenever Tatiana is embarrassed.

“I don’t know when we would possibly have the time, sorry,” she says in a slightly higher-pitched voice than normal, and I laugh.

“Well, that’s a damn shame.”

I drop the topic, and we drive in silence to Brendan’s office. I can’t even bring myself to feel guilty about flirting with her today. I think a part of me knows that my relationship with Blake is done. I don’t think I can be with him anymore.

Not just because he treats me poorly but because even if he didn’t, it’s obvious to me that I’ve been crossing a line with Tatiana. A line that is a hard boundary in my relationship with Blake. There is no way I can take off on tour with this woman, even with her as an employee, and not have inappropriate thoughts about her. It’s not fair to Blake to remain calling myself his boyfriend in a situation like the one I seem to be in.

All of this is on my mind as I enter Brendan’s office. Tati follows me in, checks the office out, then leaves us alone.

“Hayden, hi. What’s brought you here today?” Brendan asks with a reassuring smile.

I had intended to talk to him about the stalker, but the first words out of my mouth are, “How do you know when a relationship is over?”

I surprise myself by asking it, but I desperately need to know the answer. My jaw is tight as Brendan settles himself in his chair and looks at me.

“Why don’t you tell me more about why you’re asking this question?”

I think about why this was the first thing I asked him, about the way Blake acts and the way I’ve felt since I met Tati.

“I think my boyfriend is cheating on me, but I also have feelings for someone else. It’s really complicated because she works for me.” I chuckle. “You met her about a minute ago.”

Brendan’s eyebrows raise, but he quickly composes himself. “I see. There’s a lot to unpack there. I think we should separate your boyfriend from the issue of your employee. So if this woman hadn’t come into your life, do you think you would be asking this question?”

I consider the idea and frown. I’d been frustrated with Blake before I met Tati. He didn’t want to come on tour with me, and I wassoworried that this tour would end up being the same asHeart Wide Open.I spent hours on phone calls with Blake trying to convince him I hadn’t cheated on him with some fan or celebrity I’d taken a picture with at meet and greets or events during that tour.

“Probably not,” I admit. “I should have, though.”

“Why do you say that?”

I sigh as I think about my realization yesterday. “Part of what I like about being with Tati is that she doesn’t judge me. When I screw things up, she doesn’t make me feel bad about myself for it. It’s also just easy and relaxed when I’m around her.” I grin at him. “Except for the sexual tension between us.” My grin slips, and I cringe. “I do feel bad about that, though. I know that I shouldn’t be fantasizing about someone else when I’m still with Blake.”

Brendan writes some notes on a pad and is silent for a moment before he looks up at me. “What I’m hearing is that things are tense with your current partner. Is that correct?

“Yes.” I nod.

“How long have you been together?”

“Eight months, but we were together for almost a year a couple of years ago.”

He takes some notes. “So your relationship ended previously. Can you tell me what happened?”

I run through my relationship with Blake, his jealousy, and the final call when he broke up with me after a picture of me hugging a fan backstage was posted online.

“He was adamant once again that I was cheating even though I wasn’t. I was devastated that he did it because he thought I was cheating, and I couldn’t convince him I wasn’t.”

“You’re saying you were upset because he broke up with you because he thought you were cheating when you weren’t?” I nod in response. “That’s understandable. What about the loss of the relationship?” Brendan asks with his head tilted to the side.

---