Page 26 of Falling for Hailey

“And she wants yours on her instead?” he challenged.

“Maybe you never learned to keep your hands to yourself. It’s time you did,” I said evenly. If my hands were clenched in fists, if I knew with confidence I could kick this kid’s ass right here in the parking lot, I tried not to betray that with my voice or my face.

“Whatever,” Josh said with a snort and walked off.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Hailey said quickly and rushed to her car and got in.

I was dumbfounded, left standing there. I’d confronted a student in the parking lot in broad daylight for trying to grope a classmate. He walked off. She bolted for her car. And I felt like I had shown my cards, to Josh and to her. Because whether I was acting in the interest of campus safety policy or not, it was obvious to anyone involved that I couldn’t stand to see him put his hands on Hailey. And I’d be damned if I stood by and let it happen.

When I turned and went to my car, I saw Josh lurking at the corner a few feet away, watching. Maybe to see if I left with Hailey or if there was a chance to go after her himself. Maybe because he was just a creepy little shit. Either way, I’d have to keep an eye on him.

CHAPTER19

HAILEY

It was the first afternoon I wasn’t thrilled to scan my badge and go into REM for my internship hours. I still wanted to work on the creative team, and still thought the place was my ideal of a marketing firm setup. The company culture was positive and emphasized both teamwork and self-care. The only problem was how badly I wanted the CEO to bone me. It was so cliché, so tacky to get a crush on my professor and my boss. and my best friend’s big brother. I was practically a cartoon with all that. Getting humid and fanning myself when he walked in the room and being too shy to look at him in class. It was total teen TV drama crap, and completely improper for an adult to lust after her commanding, impressive boss. Her hot ass marketing prof. Her bestie’s sexy bro.

The fact I felt like a fool didn’t make it any less hot. The forbidden thing, that taboo, don’t-look-at-him-that-way caution made every flirtation, every secret glance a hundred times sexier. I did want him. And after he kissed me, there was no question that he wanted me. Even more than that, he’d shielded me, had protected me from being seen and gossiped about. I could have swooned over him, just flung myself back onto a velvet fainting couch with my hand on my forehead like a screen siren. I’d need a feather-trimmed negligee to manage that look, but I could do it. Nothing made me feel more over the top than this attraction I couldn’t resist.

So I was awkward at work. I fumbled, dropped my water bottle not once but twice, had to go back for a folder after I grabbed the wrong one. I was distracted from kissing him, from how we’d left things. He would say it was wrong and a mistake and I’d bravely agree and try not to cry about it in front of him. But then he’d intervened when Josh was following me and trying to get me to leave with him in the parking lot. I’d been shaking and so grateful to Rick then, but I hadn’t known what to say. Partly because I wanted to fall into his arms and cry and ask him to take me home and make me feel better. I wanted sexual healing from him, and it was as obvious and dumb as it was impossible to ignore.

I finished my work and got my things together, congratulating myself on having avoided Rick the entire afternoon. Then he appeared in the hall as if from nowhere.

“What are you, a vampire?” I blurted out. “Jesus.”

“Did I startle you?” he asked.

“Materializing out of thin air will do that,” I said.

“I was across the hall in Selena’s office, actually. Not thin air, or a coffin.”

“Oh,” I said. “Well, have a good evening,” I said with forced cheerfulness.

“I’d like to speak with you for a minute.”

“Okay,” I said, wondering if I had done something to get me in trouble or if this was the obligatory ‘no, I don’t sleep with interns but thanks for throwing yourself at me anyway’ talk.

We walked to the elevator, the same fateful elevator that I’d last waited for with his tongue down my throat and my breasts aching, trying to burst the seams of my bra. I bit my lip in sad restraint.

We rode the elevator down alone. He finally spoke. “I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable. I would never suggest that you had to do anything or involve yourself personally with me to get or keep any position with the firm. It sounds so horrible to have to say this, but I’m not going to demand sexual favors from you, Hailey. I know I put you in an awkward position and I want to apologize,” he said.

The tall, muscular, commanding and articulate man from my favorite TED talk was reduced to uncomfortable protestations and apologies.

“Ikissedyou.” I said. “In case you don’t remember it accurately. No, you didn’t make me uncomfortable or demand any kind of quid pro quo. I know that. If you need me to sign some affidavit indemnifying you for accidentally letting me kiss you in the hallway, I will,” I said, exasperated.

“No,” he said with a vehemence that surprised me. “You didn’t kiss me. I kissed you. You took a step toward me, but that’s all. I lowered my head and took your mouth. You had just licked your lips and your bottom lip was shiny and so soft. I didn’t accidentally let you do anything. I had complete control over myself and if I hadn’t, you’d know it. Because we would’ve been naked against the wall right there by the elevator.”

“Okay then,” I said with a nervous giggle. “I can’t pretend I won’t think about that later.”

“Don’t think you victimized me,” he said. “When I wanted that and more.”

“So did I. But I know why we can’t,” I said sadly.

“So do I,” he said. “I hate it, but it’s true. Anything between us of that nature would be wrong on many levels.”

I walked out of the building and over to the employee parking. He followed me, walking me to my car even though it wasn’t dark outside yet. We were almost to my spot when tires squealed, and we turned to see a car peel away from the parking lot and speed off. He had grabbed my arm, to hold me back or to steady me. Now he searched my face as if to see if I was okay. From having heard a loud noise in a parking lot, which made me want to laugh. How delicate did he think I was? The worst part was how tempted I was to pretend I was so fragile that I needed him to comfort me. Would he? Would he take me in his arms and kiss me again? Craven, I wanted to find out. Pride alone prevented me.

In the dusk, I turned to him. “I can make it to my car. You don’t walk all your employees or students to their cars, do you? This could be considered giving me special treatment or something,” I said, being a little snarky over his cringey apology and the unfortunate agreement that it was impossible for us to be together at all.

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