Page 43 of Boss On Notice
“You know I don’t care about that. You can fuck who you want to fuck. But I want to wear the ring.”
My eyes constrict as I watch her. I’m having a visceral reaction to her. It’s odd. It’s as if she’s damn familiar. She’s the embodiment of what I’ve been trying to avoid for my entire life. I thought it had worked, but here I’m sitting in the car with it, her, my fucking fear. How did that happen?
“Good night, Heather,” I eventually say.
She still doesn’t move. I don’t like getting aggressive with women. It’s not my style.
Her door opens and Ellis is standing beside it waiting for her to step out. If looks could kill, I’d be dead.
Heather shakes her head and, after a shivering sigh, says, “We’re not done.”
The only reason I don’t say that we are done is because of that one part she mentioned earlier—obligation. Not until tonight have I accepted that Heather Van Buren has up until now been my unspoken obligation. But right now, I can’t process that part of my life. I play the video on my phone again and watch myself fuck Delilah. She’s on my mind, and she’s the person that I need to hash things out with.
CHAPTER14
Sober
DELILAH O’SHAY
Tonight, I had dinner with Xena, Tabitha, and Sarah. Sarah and Tabitha are dancers. I think Xena invited them to dinner with us so that I can remember what’s important. All night I had to hear about all the shows they’ve danced in since their careers took off.
“You don’t want to sit out too long, Lilly,” Tabitha said, flipping her long jet-black hair from hanging across one shoulder to the other. That’s a habit of hers. My guess is that it’s a biological tendency. People have those. “What we do is so taxing on the body. You cannot be out of shape.” Her eyes quickly examined me, judging my physical condition.
I didn’t say anything in my defense. I know I’m not in pristine dancer’s condition. But I’m still a better dancer than she is. And I don’t want to be bony and muscular. I rather like my softer body. After my conversation with Orion earlier in the day, I’d been thinking about going to graduate school and getting my master’s degree in psychology rather than dancing.
“Oh, she’s still got it,” Xena said. “She’s going to quit her job in two months and leave that asshole boss of hers in Christmas past, right, Lilly?”
I smiled tightly at her at first. “Why do you hate Orion so much?” I asked. “Because you barely even know him.”
“I know a lot about him, actually. You’ve been bitching and moaning about him for four and a half years.”
Oh…right,I thought.That’s how she knows him.
Eventually, I made it home. I hadn’t been able to sleep. That’s why I got out of bed and made myself a slice of croissant toast with strawberry jelly. I’ve also made the decision to tell Orion about waking up in his bed and about the ring I was wearing come Monday morning. He deserves to know the truth.
Leaning against the counter, I finish my last bite of toast. I hadn’t eaten much tonight, Tab’s and Sarah’s talk about being in shape and all of their gigs stole my usually hearty appetite. I really don’t care about gaining weight. I’d like to stay healthy but skinny can go right to the hell it takes to maintain such a weight.
My doorbell buzzes and I immediately look at the time on the microwave.
“Who the hell is that?”
Instead of answering it, I rinse the butter knife I used to spread jelly. I think it’s someone who got the wrong apartment number. They’ll figure it out and go away. At least that’s what I thought until the bell buzzes again, followed by knocking.
I race over to the door and look through the peephole.
Jerking back, I gasp. “Orion?”
“It’s me. Open up. I have to show you something.”
* * *
I can still feelthe night coming off him as I watch him fucking me against the wall on his phone. It’s as if my consciousness has left my body on one hand. On the other hand, my pussy is tingling like crazy. Maybe it’s muscle memory that’s taking place down there.
“Wow,” I say breathlessly.
Orion swallows audibly. “Keep watching.”
I’m forced to glance at him, since his tone is rather cold. He comes inside me. Fuck. No condom. I could be pregnant for all I’m concerned.
