Page 21 of Sending Nudes to My Boss

“No way,” he says. “This was just for you, Dot. I feel bad about what happened in my office earlier.”

“Why?” I ask, surprised. “I don’t.”

“I don’t want you to ever feel like I’m taking advantage of you or using you,” he says firmly.

“I don’t think that,” I respond. “Maybe I felt that way for a minute, before we cleared up this misunderstanding. I thought you believed I was trading sex for your legal services, and that felt bad.”

“I’d never do that,” William swears. “It’s like I told you. I don’t need you to return the favor. When you sent those photos to me, I kind of…I kind of lost my mind a little bit, Dot. I’d never ask you to send me photos like that, but since you just sent them over without being asked, I thought maybe you were saying you saw more between us than just a professional relationship. And that’s all I’ve ever fucking wanted. I just couldn’t be the first to say that aloud. I’m your boss. It wouldn’t be right.”

“What about now?” I ask him. “I’m still your assistant.”

William nods.

“And you don’t want me to quit, right?”

“I don’t,” he admits. “You’re amazing at what you do, Dot. I’d never be able to function at this level without you. I’ve got so much on my plate, I need all of the help I can get and you’re my right hand person. You keep things running like a machine.”

This unrestrained praise from William makes me feel like I’m glowing from the inside. William’s never been the kind of boss to hand out compliments. Not where I’m concerned, anyways. Now maybe I realize why. It’s because all of this time, he was attracted to me and struggling to maintain propriety in the office.

Guess that's out the window now. And so is his restraint. I’ve never heard him speak about my work in this kind of way. It feels good to know I’ve been valued and recognized all of this time.

I rise from the table, adjusting my clothes back into their proper position. William’s eyes flicker to my collar and then my cleavage as I button up my shirt, hiding everything away again.

“You said you didn’t want me to reciprocate,” I remind him. “Are you changing your mind?”

He exhales roughly.

“No,” he says. “I want you. So bad. But I think for a while, sex needs to be all about you, Dot. I need you to see that I care for you.”

“I think I see that now.”

“You're afraid I’ll get bored,” he says, reminding me of our discussion from before.

“Yeah. Maybe,” I reply.

“I’m going to erase that fear from your mind. Permanently. I just have to figure outhow.”

I shake my head.

“It’s not your fault that I’ve got some trust issues,” I say. “It’s just me. I’m damaged.”

William pulls me into him, holding me firmly against him and kissing me gently on the lips.

“Don’t ever call yourself that in front of me again,” he says. “You’re not damaged. We’ve all got our stories, Dot. This is yours. I’ve got one of my own.”

“I want to know about it.”

“Let’s just say I became a criminal defense lawyer because I’ve personally experienced what it’s like to need one. I got into some trouble during undergrad and went to jail.”

“What kind of trouble?” I ask.

“Fighting,” he says simply. “Guys who were asking for it, but the police don’t care who was doing what. They show up and make the arrests. I shouldn’t have been in the situation to begin with. It was a bad crowd. I think I was attracted to fighting because of how I grew up. But spending a week in jail was enough for me. I had a public defender who thankfully cared enough to go the extra mile and get me out of it. And that’s when I decided what I’d be doing for a living.”

“How did I not know this?” I ask with wonder. “William, you should definitely tell this story more. Think of all the clients who would relate to you.”

He nods.

“I’ve considered it. But for now, it’s just my story. I’m not sure if I’ll ever want anyone else to know. I spent a lot of time and a good amount of money getting that story wiped clean from my records. To voluntarily tell it, after all of that, feels wrong.”

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