Page 58 of Strictly Business

I can feel my face screwing up as though I’m in pain and my lungs and throat burn where I try and fail to breath. My muscles have all gone tight and I can’t move any of my body. A small whimper leaves my lips as yet another wave of indescribable pleasure crashes over me and then I feel Wyatt’s fingers slip away from me and my rigid muscles turn to jelly, and I flop face first into the pillow.

I still can’t breathe, only now it’s because of the pillow in my face, and I turn my head slightly and find that I can breathe perfectly well, and then Wyatt’s lips rub over mine and I smile, and I enjoy the coming down feeling, the heavy but contented feeling in my body, mind and soul. I feel myself starting to fall asleep once I have my breath back and I shuffle closer to Wyatt and snuggle up against him. He puts his arm around me and holds me close and I don’t think I have ever felt as good as I do in this moment.

CHAPTER42

Serena

Ilook up from my computer when there is a knock on my office door.

“Come in,” I say.

The door opens and I feel my jaw drop with shock. Standing in the doorway to my office is the last person I expected to see there. Ruth.

“Ruth? What the hell are you doing here?” I say, not even trying to hide my surprise at seeing her here.

“Well, after the way Wyatt treated me, I thought I would come back and blow the place up. And I couldn’t resist stopping by the office of my favorite associate to brag about my evil master plan first,” she says.

I’m not sure whether she’s joking or not and my expression must show it because Ruth snorts out a laugh and shakes her head.

“Come on Serena. I’m not that bat shit crazy,” she says. She walks towards me, and I resist the urge to flinch back, but she doesn’t try anything, she just sits down opposite me. Once she’s sitting down, I feel better. I didn’t like the idea of her towering over me whether she’s joking about being crazy or not.

“Anyway, no need to shit a brick or call security or anything. I’m here to collect my things,” she says. “With Wyatt’s knowledge.”

“Do you have another job lined up?” I ask, trying to move the conversation away from Wyatt before it goes somewhere even more awkward than this is.

It’s only been three days since Wyatt fired her, but a good PA never struggles to find work and I’m not surprised when Ruth nods.

“Yes, I have a place at Stoddard and Keel,” she says. “I start work on Monday as the PA for Mrs Keel.”

Stoddard and Keel is one of Smart Marketing Solution’s competitors, but there’s really nothing Ruth can do there to sabotage Wyatt or the firm. Maybe if one of the advertising executives went there it would be bad because they could take some of their clients with them, but no client is going to go with Ruth.

“So, I’m here in the building to collect my things, but I suppose you’re wondering why I’m here, as in here in your office,” Ruth says after a moment.

I nod. I’m more than a little bit curious about that. It’s not like I’m one of the people she would want to say goodbye to or exchange details with or anything.

“Well, I just wanted to say that there’s no hard feelings from my end,” Ruth says.

I should think there bloody well isn’t. God, she has some nerve, and even now, she can get under my skin with it so easily. Breathe, I tell myself. She’s the one who did something bad not me. But she’s going now, and I decide to throw her a bone.

“Same here Ruth,” I say. “No hard feelings. I get it that sometimes if you like someone, it can make you do crazy things. Good luck in your new job.”

“No Serena, you misunderstand me,” Ruth says. “I mean there’s no hard feelings when it comes to Wyatt. He’ll get sick of you. You know that right? You’ll start to bore him. And when you do, I’ll be waiting.”

I laugh. I can’t help it. The icy cold look Ruth gives me tells me that was definitely not the reaction from me that she was going for. Oops.

“I’m sorry,” I say after a moment. “It’s just that you’ve always been there waiting, and he’s never once gotten that desperate.” She visibly flinches but I’m not done yet. She had every chance to walk out of here with her head held high, but she chose not to take them and instead to go down this route. “You might be right about Wyatt and me though. Maybe one day he will get sick of me. But even if that happens, you are delusional if you think for one second that he’d come looking for you.”

Ruth stands up.

“This isn’t over,” she says like she’s a cartoon villain.

“Oh, but it is. And you lost,” I say. “You lost your job. You lost your chance to leave with dignity. And most of all, you didn’t get your man. Now go and enjoy life at Stoddard and Keel. Who knows, maybe there’s someone there who you can stalk for a change.”

She opens her mouth, but nothing comes out and she closes it again and storms to the door and pulls it open.

“Goodbye Ruth,” I say with a wide smile.

I can’t help but laugh and shake my head as she slams the office door. I can’t wait to tell Brook about this. She will absolutely love it.

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