Page 85 of Between Love and Loathing
Could I be completely and utterly disrespectful and refuse to eat this? He’d catered in food and then after we ate that, little brownies from a bakery down the street were brought in.
Brownies I could have made. It would have been a perfect opportunity to show Valentino and the other restaurant owners that my desserts had the potential to be an option on their menus.
Instead, he’d asked an outside restaurant he didn’t even care about. I lived with the man.
Was about to screw him in a hallway.
Normally, I would have been excited to try anything that smelled this good, but I really just wanted to shove his face in it.
When I glanced at him, he was looking at his stupid phone, taking a bite of the brownie I should have had the opportunity to make.
I heaved a sigh and stared back down at the food. The scent of it danced in the air, and I could appreciate the caramel and chocolate smell. I took my first bite and had to practically hold back a moan. My phone vibrated on the table, and I snatched it up.
Dominic: Licking your lips like that in my meeting is going to get you in trouble, little fighter.
I narrowed my eyes. Didn’t he know how mad I was right now? Even if I was enjoying this dessert.
Me: Why? I’m not hurting anyone.
Dominic: No but having three men on my team watch you eat is going to get them hurt by proxy. So, knock it off.
Me: You ordered the food, not me. If I had, I know where I would have ordered it from.
Dominic: You’re mad I didn’t order from you?
Instead of answering, I took a big bite and made sure to lick my fingers clean after, moaning for extra effect. Valentino next to me shifted in his seat and then leaned over to whisper that the food was really good, wasn’t it?
I hadn’t actually believed that anyone was watching but I laughed and nodded uncomfortably before setting my brownie down immediately. I really was only trying to grate on Dominic’s nerves.
Dominic: See? That moaning should only be for me. Forget my office. Just stay here once the meeting is over.
Me: Not a good idea. I’m not sure I can handle being alone in a room with you when you’ve so rudely ordered another person’s food. I might demand you get on your knees and apologize.
It was only supposed to be a joke. I saw the way his jaw flexed, how the muscles in his neck tightened before his phone clattered down onto the conference table. “Meeting’s over. I have an urgent matter that needs to be attended to.”
The only person that stopped to question him was Rita. “Dom, I actually have some sketches we should glance over quickly.”
Her eyes were on me, though, waiting for me to move out of the room. I didn’t want the attention, nor did I want people catching on to the fact that Dominic and I had once or twice had relations in the resort. I stood, but Dominic grabbed my wrist and glared at Rita. “Not right now. Send it to my email.”
“Well, then, Clara, let’s go.” The woman was bold even as she saw his hand on me.
“No, you.” He looked at me with fire in his eyes. “You sit down. You’re staying here in this conference room with me. Rita, you’re dismissed.”
I knew she left the room because I heard the door slam much harder than necessary. “Could you be any more blatant by demanding I’m to stay here?”
“If you want me to. I can make sure to leave the windows transparent when I get on my knees in front of you. I won’t be gentle when I apologize though. Expect that the lace is going to be ripped off of you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Dominic,” I said, but my voice was breathy, and I knew I was blushing as my eyes flicked over to the windows overlooking the hallway. Our colleagues were still out there, talking and mingling.
“You worried they’ll see how I can make you come, baby?”
My body reacted to his words, even if I knew it was wrong. We were in the workplace, in broad daylight, with literal eyes on us. He pressed a button that dimmed the windows a little, but I still saw their faces, still saw their bodies.
“Sit down on the table and spread your legs, Clara,” he commanded.
“Honestly, my text was a joke.” It wasn’t. I licked my lips, and he took the back of his pen to drag it down my arm where even that touch caused goose bumps to rise on my skin.
“You don’t joke about your food, love. I was trying to give you time off, not hurt you.” He brushed the back of his large knuckles across my cheek.
