Skin of the Night: Book One of The Night series

by Claire D. Bennett

  “No, it won’t,” I retorted and folded my arms.

  In silence, we stared at each other for a long while. Once he gathered that the storm had passed, he let out a loud sigh.

  “Honestly, Cara, I truly am sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come across that way. It’s just – well, there’s really no excuse, but I’ve got my roles a tad bit confused today. Give me some time to adapt, and I promise I’ll do better. Seeing you again wasn’t something I’d expected, and certainly not here. It’s messed with my head, especially because it’s you. I just need to readjust – to start regarding you as a colleague, rather than as my…” He paused, and I could tell he was searching for the appropriate label by his fleeting gaze.

  “One-night stand?” I filled in.

  His eyes shot to mine, and the sudden certainty they contained made it clear that my suggestion hadn’t resonated with him.

  “I was going to say momentary lover.”

  Since his phrasing was blatantly deliberate, I couldn’t prevent the blush that surfaced in my cheeks. Without a doubt, he’d intended for it to sound more romantic than the label ‘one-night stand’ typically implied, and it made me wonder if it were because he’d experienced our night together as more meaningful than a mere session between the sheets. If that were truly the case, we shared the same view, and quite frankly, I found consolation in the fact that my subsequent interest in him hadn’t been entirely one-sided. Like me, perhaps he too had required several days to recover from our last encounter.

  After pursing my lips for a beat, I replied, “Yeah, well, you’re not alone in that. How do you think I’ve experienced all this? Not only have I managed to fuck my flatmate’s brother, but he also just happens to be my new boss. And yet I still manage not to sexualise you – outwardly, anyhow.”

  I wished I hadn’t added the last part, but my mouth had spoken before my mind caught up. At once, his eyes shot towards me, leaving me to whimper. Why had I said that?

  A smug smile crept across his lips while he propped his back against the door. Folding his strong arms across his chest, he studied me until I felt ready to expire.

  “Outwardly, you say?”

  “Mr Night.” Menace filled my tone. I was not a woman to be trifled with right now.

  Smirking, he nodded to himself. “I admire your resolve, Cara, but why do you insist on calling me ‘Mr Night’?”

  “It’s all part of the resolve you so admire.”

  “What?” he queried, perplexed.

  “I’m creating psychological distance between us, and it’s working, so I’ve no intention of stopping.”

  He burst out laughing then, and I found it awfully patronising.

  “Fuck this,” I grumbled and dropped the contract on his desk. I wasn’t going to sign it. This would never work. The man wasn’t taking me seriously at all, and I found it extremely offensive. I was serious about this placement. That meant I was determined to put our sensual past behind us, but he kept insisting on reminding me of it. As such, he wasn’t treating me like every other employee at all, and that wasn’t something I found acceptable.

  I did not want his special treatment. I wanted to be treated like anyone else in this firm, like we’d never shared a bed. I couldn’t fathom why he would assume it was alright to do anything else.

  My action murdered his laughter. With the eyes of a hawk, he watched me approach him in front of the only sensible exit, but if he didn’t move, perhaps the windows of his office would become sensible options, too.

  “Cara.”

  I hated when he used that tone with me, because it exuded power not even I dared question.

  “Sign the contract,” he ordered.

  While avoiding his eyes, I reached for the handle, but his hand intercepted. Grabbing my wrist, he guided my hand away, and then he completely shocked me. Entwining our fingers, he held my hand most affectionately and fixed his eyes on them.

  Overwhelmed by the intimacy of his action, I followed his gaze. My heart thundered against my ribcage until its beats were of such strength that I wondered if it would burst within me. It felt like my whole body was vibrating.

  What the hell was going on with me? Was this truly just lust, or was I growing infatuated with this imbecile? No, I couldn’t be. I hardly knew him.

  Without releasing my hand, he repeated, “Sign the contract, Cara.”

  Speechless, I continued to stare at his hand around mine. I was trying to make sense of my feelings, but fathoming the extent of his influence seemed impossible. I’d never felt like this, as if he’d set me on fire, and he was only holding my hand.

  “I promise I’ll be good to you,” he murmured and, much to my regret, let go.

  Paralysed, I watched him walk past me to fetch my contract from his desk. Upon his return, he withdrew a pen from his pocket and gave me a grave look.

  “I won’t let you waste an opportunity like this, and I’m not saying that because I want to get in your knickers. I’m saying it as one solicitor to an aspiring one. We’ll work it out. We’ll just have to communicate. This is a strange situation, but we’re both adults. We’ll work our way round it. Please don’t squander your potential just because you happen to have shared a bed with me.”

  Again, I swallowed, hypnotised by his power. Still paralysed, I merely stared at him, undecided. I just couldn’t decide!

  With a sigh, he grabbed my shoulder to make me face the door again. Next, he shoved the pen into my hand and then retreated a step while holding the contract against the brown wood of his door.

  “Three months, Cara. You’ll survive, and you’ll be thanking yourself – and me – for the rest of your life.” He resembled the Devil, urging me to sell him my soul in exchange for perpetual success. Was I really going to take that deal?

  I looked at him for some time, contemplating, until I finally decided that he was right. This placement would most definitely assist my career later on, and I wasn’t about to waste it over an issue like this. Like he’d said, we were adults. We would work our way round it. If his behaviour escalated into being truly intolerable, I reminded myself that I could always notify the HR department of his relentless advances, even if I hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Seeing as he was Jason’s brother and John’s son, I would rather avoid going to such measures, but if he didn’t stop sexualising me, I’d be forced to. And so, since my career was in fact at stake, I finally decided to sign the contract.

  My hand was shaking when I put the pen to the dotted line, but it stilled with revived confidence as I began to write my signature. Once I’d finished, he was quick to snatch the document away. As I embraced my new reality, air stormed out of my lungs.

  I’d signed. I was trapped with him now, for three long months.

  “Excellent,” he murmured, audibly pleased.

  My body was rigid while my eyes followed his. He was walking round his desk now, where he stored my contract in the top drawer.

  “Now, then.” He exhaled and dropped into his chair. While grinning up at me, he spread his arms apart in a jovial manner before inquiring, “Will you have dinner with me today?”

  Grinding my teeth, I glared back. “Are you taking the piss?”

  “Not at all.” He chuckled. “Seeing as you’ll be stuck with me for the better part of three months, I gather we should get to know each other better. Dressed, this time.”

  There he went again. I’d never admit it aloud, but the man had wit. However, I didn’t appreciate the reminder it contained this time around. Despairing, I looked away while shaking my head. “You’re unbelievable. Unless there’s anything else, I’d like to leave now.”

  “It’s a harmless dinner, Cara.”

  Nothing involving that man was harmless. “Goodbye,” I muttered and opened the door.

  “Tell Jason I miss him, will you? Ask him if I might come for dinner this week.”


  Appalled, I froze upon his bold suggestion. Nevertheless, I was grateful for the due reminder. Shutting the door again, I turned to face him and folded my arms.

  “Speaking of Jason,” I said, “I’d rather he didn’t find out about us.”

  Identifying leverage, his smile grew cunning. “Is that so?”

  “Can you promise you won’t tell him?”

  Bringing his pen to his mouth, he chewed on the end of it while he studied me for some time. “Depends.”

  “William, seriously.” I was reaching the end of my tether. “How do you think he’d react if he found out? He’d be awkward around the both of us to say the least, and I’d like to avoid that. God knows, he might even get angry with me.”

  “Have dinner with me, then. If you do, I won’t tell him.”

  I gripped my hips. “Are you listening to yourself? You’re abusing your power. This is essentially blackmailing.”

  A smug chuckle leapt out of his mouth, and the sound made me realise that I’d rather have Jason find out than yield to his blackmail.

  “You know, you really are a right arsehole,” I declared. “Do what you want then, but if you have any regard for my feelings in all this, you won’t tell him.” With that, I turned to open the door again.

  “Wait, wait,” he called to stall me. With a sigh, he said, “I won’t tell him, Cara. I promise.”

  Sceptical, I turned back around. “Really?”

  He nodded gravely. “Of course. I respect you far too much to do such a thing. I was only taking the piss. I’m sorry.”

  “Ha-ha,” I uttered sarcastically and opened the door.

  “Hang on, I’ll walk you out. I’m about to have lunch.”

  Reluctant to obey, I hardly slowed down as I approached the lift. Alongside Andy, Elisabeth was waiting just in front of it. Wonderful. Andy and William were precisely the two people I’d like to spend time with in a lift right now.

  Much to my regret, William managed to catch up with me by the time the doors opened to let us in, and his pace hadn’t failed to grab the attention of both Andy and Elisabeth.

  “Christ, Will, you must be starving,” Elisabeth commented.

  “I heard they’re serving pizza,” William joked.

  During the brief journey, Andy traded regular glances with William over my head. They sent each other cheeky smiles, but Elisabeth paid no attention, which made me think that the two men behaved like this on a regular basis. It wasn’t surprising when taking into account that they were best friends, but it annoyed me nevertheless because I was certain I was the cause of their current amusement.

  Stealing a glance at William through the mirrors, I wondered to myself whether he had misled me on purpose earlier. In the end, his statement had been rather ambiguous. ‘Who says I’d want to?’ didn’t erase all room for doubt. He hadn’t actually denied anything. Had he phrased it that way deliberately, to misguide me, and thereafter buy himself more time to analyse how to proceed? In fact, he might only have said it to retaliate for a bruised ego.

  The possibility intrigued me. Did he truly intend to relent his efforts, or was he only weighing up which route to take in order to win me over, despite my convictions?

  The impression I had of him was that he was not inclined to cease his pursuit when he had his eyes fixed on a prize. He was far too assertive. Last time we’d met, he’d ardently tried to persuade me to give him a chance. So, the question remaining was: was I still the prize?

  “Oh my God, I just recalled – do you know what Andy did earlier?” Elisabeth suddenly exclaimed and whirled around to face William. While laughing, she continued, “He thought Cara was someone else, so he called her Sandra. You should’ve seen him. I’ve never seen him quite so confused.”

  “Did he?” William replied, and it was clear from his tone that he was highly amused. Too curious to stop myself, I stole another glance at him. He met it with a gleam dancing in his eyes, and I immediately grasped that they had talked about it behind closed doors.

  Fuck.

  Once we reached the ground floor, Elisabeth and Andy exited before William and I did, so when he grabbed my arm to stall me, they kept on walking.

  With my heart in my throat, I faced him.

  “Andy knows,” he declared, leaving blood to drain from my head.

  “Did you tell him?” I snapped, both irked and defensive.

  He glared back. “He’s a fucking lawyer, Cara. He can detect a lie when he hears one, especially from me – and he’s not stupid. Of course he remembered you.”

  “Shit,” I whined and stomped my foot.

  Blinking, he dropped his gaze to it. “Did you really just stomp your foot?”

  “William! If Andy spills, it’s only a matter of time before everyone knows!”

  His grip tightened around my arm. “He won’t tell anyone, Cara. He’s my best friend, and he’s got my back. Always.”

  “Tell anyone what?” an exceptionally gorgeous woman probed just as she entered the lift. With raven black hair that cascaded down to the middle of her back, she took my breath away. Slanted, dark brown eyes that were complemented by long lashes met mine. Her full lips tucked into a wry smile beneath her small nose before she turned her attention to the man holding my arm. Once she saw him, it transformed into a grin.

  “That’s none of your concern, Violet,” William quietly retorted and dragged me out with him. Casting a glance at her over my shoulder, I saw her fold her arms over the chest of her slender and curvaceous figure.

  Intrigued, I asked, “Who’s that?”

  “Violet Rodriguez. She’s my partner on a transaction I’m currently working on,” William muttered.

  “She’s gorgeous,” I remarked. When I looked back at him, I found him staring at me with an unreadable expression on his face.

  Returning to our conversation, I pleaded, “Do you swear Andy won’t tell?”

  His jaw clenched. “Yes. But don’t be surprised if he gives you any funny looks. He laughed until he cried earlier, in my office.”

  Well, at least someone was enjoying the chaos of our circumstance. Sulking, I looked towards the exit of the building.

  “Suppose I’ll be seeing you around, then,” I muttered.

  “Suppose so.”

  A week ago, I’d have kissed him goodbye. Strange to think of that. “Later, then. Enjoy your lunch,” I said, and once I looked up, I discovered him regarding me with a strange sort of longing in his eyes.

  He merely gave me a nod, and I sensed his gaze on my back the entire time it took for me to exit the building.

  § § §

  “He’s your boss!” Olivia practically shouted down the phone.

  Trying to remain calm, I asked, “What am I supposed to do, Livy?”

  “Christ, Cara! Is Jason aware?”

  “Of course not,” I growled. “Had it been serious between Will and me, of course I would have told him, but forgive me if I’m not inclined to tell my best friend, and flatmate, that I completely sexually exploited his elder brother.”

  “Yeah, don’t tell Jason. I wouldn’t want to know if I were him. But how did Will react when he saw you?”

  Once I’d given her the scoop on my day, she puffed out a long, loud breath. “Shit. You’re in it now, aren’t you?”

  “Livy,” I whined, “do you realise what a clusterfuck of a situation I’ve got on my hands? And the bastard even tried to blackmail me into having dinner with him today – after I’d signed, and he’d promised to behave. Said he’d tell Jason about us if I didn’t accept.”

  “That’s outrageous! Please, don’t tell me you agreed.”

  “Of course not.”

  “I can’t believe he tried that.”

  “Me neither. I’m livid.”

  “He must be really taken with you.”

 
“I don’t care. It’s completely out of the question. You’d think he’d realise that when he’s the professional between us.”

  “Yeah, he was out of order. I’m so sorry, Cara. I honestly don’t know what to say. I hope for your sake that he won’t tell Jason.”

  “He promised me he wouldn’t.”

  “Well, then I hope he’ll keep it. But, aside from the shock of meeting him again in the role of your boss, have you considered what this means now that you’re living with Jason?”

  “Yes,” I whined.

  “We both know Jason’s very close with his brother. To be honest, it’s a wonder we hadn’t met him sooner.”

  “I know.”

  “And now that you’ve just moved in with Jason, you’re bound to see Will a lot more, even before you start work.”

  “I’m well aware of this, Livy,” I reminded her brusquely.

  “Sorry, Cara. I wish I could be of more help, but I’ve honestly got no idea what to say. It’s a clusterfuck for sure, of epic proportions.”

  I sighed. “Well, I appreciate the moral support.”

  “It’s the least I can do. I feel like you’ve been my acting psychologist for the past three years. About time I return the favour. Anyway, are you on your way here?”

  Upon recalling my plans to revise with her and Aaron, I closed my eyes and stopped walking. “Fuck.”

  “Yeah, Aaron’s here. Do you think you’ll be able to act normal?”

  I briefly considered going home instead, but immediately decided against it when I gathered Jason was likely to be there since his shift at the A&E department at the hospital didn’t start till two o’clock.

  “Well, it’s not like heading home would be any better. Honestly, between the two of them, Jason’s the one I’ll have the hardest time facing.”

  “Yeah, I get what you mean. I wish there was something I could do.”

  I sighed. “Thanks. I appreciate the sentiment. Anyway, I’m sure I’m just overreacting in the aftermath of my shock. It’s not like anything’s really changed. Will and I aren’t going to have sex again. The only thing that’s different this time around is the inevitable continuity of my acquaintanceship with him. That’s what’s messing with my head, because I’ve never been in this situation before. I’ve never had to face Aaron while knowing I’m in touch with one of my previous bed partners, and I’ve definitely never had to face Jason while knowing I’ve fucked his brother.”