Nemesis

by Chantal Fernando

  “Maybe I just want to spend some time with you,” he says, squeezing my shoulder. He moves ahead of me and makes himself comfy on my couch, just as Sadie, Ian and Rob walk in. Rob doesn’t look happy—and with good reason, I guess.

  “Can I get you a drink?” I ask Cohen, who looks completely relaxed.

  “No, I’m good, thanks,” he replies, turning on the TV and clearly making himself at home.

  I look to Sadie, needing her to make the situation less awkward. She’s the type of person anyone can get on with, because she’s friendly, easy to talk to and not shy. She tells the men to sit down, joins them, before officially introducing everyone. “Ian and Rob, this is Cohen, by the way. Cohen, Ian and Rob.”

  They murmur their hellos.

  I mumble something and head into the kitchen, grabbing myself a bottle of water, then returning to the disaster that is my night. There’s a spare spot next to Cohen and another next to Rob, and it might make me a total bitch, but I take the one next to Cohen.

  “What are we watching?” I ask him, cracking open my bottle of water and taking a sip. “Are you sure no one wants a drink or anything? I can bring out some snacks if anyone is hungry.”

  I can at least try to be a good host; the last thing I want to do is come off as rude when really I’m just an introvert who would rather not be in this situation right now. I’m not drunk enough to be happy and social, and Cohen is here. And he’s the real reason why I agreed to the date with Rob, because I was on ‘mission don’t think about Cohen,’ which I’ve obviously failed.

  Ian and Sadie want more alcohol, so Sadie brings out some wine and beer, and we all sit there watching some movie that Cohen picked, one that seems way too serious for a drinks/date night, but whatever. My arm brushing his, I feel the warmth of his skin and want nothing more than to melt into him, but I don’t. Instead, I sit there a little stiffly, smelling his spicy cologne and wishing that for one night I could pretend that I don’t work with him, so I can just bring him back to my room and let him have his way with me. Once Rob goes home, of course.

  Oh, right. Rob.

  I glance over at him to see his eyes on me, not the TV. Sadie and Ian, who are cuddled together and completely oblivious to anything else going on, start whispering to each other. If they leave me alone with Cohen and Rob, I will have to commit murder. Surely, Rob will take the hint and leave though, right? He can’t plan to stay here all night, giving me and Cohen dirty looks. I do feel bad, but not all dates work out well. You win some, and you lose some, and Rob can’t expect me to act how Sadie is around Ian, because there’s just no chemistry there whatsoever. Besides, no man can compete with Cohen, as much as it pains me to admit. He’s too… whatever he is. Just… everything. Everything a woman like me could possibly want in a man.

  Cohen casually wraps his arm around me, and I finally get to bury my head in his chest. I know I’m being rude right now, but I hope my actions make Rob leave. He won’t take the hint, and I feel like if I’d have just been a honest asshole from the start, instead of nice, I wouldn’t be in this situation right now. I stop thinking about all the reasons that this is inappropriate and decide to enjoy the moment, closing my eyes, not caring about the movie. I make a soft moaning noise against his chest, and I know he hears it, because his arm tightens around me.

  Fuck.

  We’re skating on thin ice right now. I know it, and I know that he does too.

  I can’t believe he’s here, in my house, and I’m in his arms. Like we’re a couple or something. Like I’m more than just his work colleague. What the fuck am I doing? So much for not thinking about it. I keep my eyes closed, and eventually I half fall asleep.

  Rob leaves.

  Sadie and Ian head back to her room.

  And Cohen and I stay here, cuddled together on the couch, wrapped around each other. I lift my head and look at him. His eyes were closed, but they open when he feels me moving. Without a word, I slide off him and offer him my hand.

  He takes it.

  I lead him through the dark hall, into my room. He takes off his shoes— I had slid mine off earlier—and we both slip underneath the sheets. I usually sleep without a bra, but I don’t dare take it off. I don’t dare to move at all, except to lay my head on his chest once more.

  He kisses my forehead, and I stop breathing.

  Then, even though all I want to do is jump him, to kiss him, to feel him everywhere, to have him pound into me, I listen to my head over my body.

  And I go to sleep.

  And Cohen, he does the same.

  Chapter Six

  When I wake up, Cohen is already awake.

  I lift my head and look at his face. I still can’t believe we spent the night in my bed, cuddling. How did this even happen? What do I do now? I have to say that I never thought I’d be in this situation, but here I am. Should I be offended that he didn’t make a move on me last night, or grateful? I really don’t know. I’m glad I won’t have to sit at work, thinking about how I spent one night with him, but we did still cuddle all night, which is, in a way, even more complicated than a one-night stand. We didn’t have sex, but we still wanted to be here, with each other. That reeks of something more confusing than a case of out of control lust. I notice him staring at the wall, brows furrowing in concentration.

  “What are you thinking about so hard?” I ask him, my husky morning voice making an appearance.

  He looks down at me, his lip twitching. “Just trying to remember the last time I slept next to a woman without fucking her beforehand.”

  “Charming,” I mutter, closing my eyes again. What do I do now? Say, ‘Thanks for the cuddle session, bye, I’ll see you at work tomorrow’? I know, coffee. I’ll offer him some coffee. “I’m going to make some coffee. Do you want some?”

  “Yes, please,” he rumbles, but pulls me back into bed when I try and move. “Stop overthinking shit, Jacinta. Nothing happened.”

  I know that nothing happened—trust me, I was there—but still, it’s not like it’s normal to do what we did. Who just has casual sleepovers with their boss? Me, apparently.

  He runs his hand through my hair, almost roughly, but it feels good. He massages my scalp a little, then lets me go.

  “The bathroom is through that door,” I tell him, pointing. “Let me know if I can get you anything.” I pause, committing his ‘I just woke up’ look to memory, before I rise from the bed. “I’ll go make the coffee now.”

  I head into the kitchen, wondering if Ian also stayed the night. Cohen comes in just as the coffee is ready; I hand him his and sit down on one of the stools by the breakfast table.

  “Any plans for today?” I ask, inwardly cringing when I realise it sounds like I’m asking if he wants to do something.

  “It’s my niece’s second birthday,” he replies, bringing the mug to his lips. “Why? Want to come? We can cuddle there too. I’m sure my brother won’t mind.”

  I almost spit out my coffee, then throw him a dirty look and groan. “I personally think it’s too soon to joke about.”

  “You’re overreacting.”

  “You’re under-reacting.”

  “Well then, we even each other out,” he says, sitting down next to me. “We didn’t fuck, Jacinta, and trust me, I don’t think you understand just how much willpower that took on my behalf.”

  “I’m going to pretend none of this happened,” I think out loud, staring into my coffee. “Tomorrow is a new day. A new day not to do shit like this.”

  “Are you always so dramatic?” he asks, his expression softening as he looks at me.

  “Yes.”

  “If you’re going to act like this, we may as well just fuck,” he states matter-of-factly, taking a drink then putting his mug down. He turns to me and pushes my hair back behind my ear. “You’re beautiful in the morning.”

  “No one is beautiful in the morning,” I respond, feeling a little dazed as he stares into my eyes.

  “You are,” he says softly, then stand
s and kisses my forehead. “I better get going. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”

  “Bye,” I murmur, watching him as he walks out.

  I sit by myself, finishing my coffee, contemplating my life right now. The bottom line is that we didn’t have sex, so maybe he’s right. Why stress over shit that I can’t go back and change? I think what’s haunting me the most is that I don’t want to change it.

  Cohen Lake cuddles like a fucking champ.

  *****

  I arrive at work early the next morning, armed with coffee and a determination to act normal. When Cohen arrives, I smile and wave hello, then continue sending emails. He stops at my desk, studies me for a moment, and then says, “Good morning.”

  “Morning,” I reply, lifting my gaze when he doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.

  “Are we good?” he asks me, scanning my face. He’s wearing a blue shirt today, and it suits him, but I think I prefer him in white, or black like he was on Saturday night. Yeah, him in that V-neck t-shirt…

  I nod.

  “I’ll see you at lunch then,” he says, tapping his hand on my desk before heading to his office. I watch him disappear then return my attention to my laptop. Maybe Cohen’s right, and I am overreacting. No one else knows what happened, and no one else will know.

  It’s the perfect crime.

  I smile to myself and get on with my work. When lunchtime comes around, Cohen appears at my desk.

  “I’m starving, you ready?”

  I stand and grab my bag. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

  “I thought we could try somewhere new today,” he says, glancing at me to gauge my reaction. “What do you say?”

  “Yeah, okay,” I say, shrugging. We walk side by side to the elevator. He gestures for me to go in before him, and then he presses the ground floor button. The doors shut and we turn to look at one another, a strange tension filling the confined space.

  I clear my throat, thinking of something to say. “How was your niece’s birthday party?”

  “Good,” he replies, smiling to himself. “It was a Disney princess-themed party. All the men had to dress up as princes.”

  My eyes widen as I picture him dressed as a prince. “Please tell me you have photo evidence of that.”

  “I do—” he smirks “—but you aren’t seeing it.”

  “Why not?” I ask as the elevator comes to a stop. We exit and walk outside, the sunlight and light breeze hitting my skin. “You have to show me, Cohen. You can’t just say that and not back it up with a picture.”

  “Why do you want to see it so badly?” he asks, putting his hand on the small of my back to lead me in the right direction.

  Because it sounds like a fantasy?

  Because I’ll probably think about it next time I’m alone and using my pink vibrator?

  Yeah, I’m definitely not going to be saying that out loud.

  “I’m just curious,” I say, trying to play it off. “If you don’t want to show me, then fine. I won’t show you the pic of me dressed up as a Disney princess, which was the theme for my birthday last year.”

  He stops in his tracks and looks down at me with a narrowed gaze. “Which princess?”

  “Jasmine,” I reply, grinning. “I so have the long black hair.”

  “I know,” he says, sounding strained. He reaches out and touches a lock. “It’s long and thick and fucking sexy.”

  I pull my hair out of his fingers. He thinks my hair is sexy?

  “This is escalating,” I state, walking straight ahead. Cohen falls into line next to me. “So, where is this place?”

  “We need to turn right up ahead,” he tells me, once again putting his hand on my lower back. If anyone saw us, they’d think we’re a couple. That’s what it must look like, us walking together, his hand on me. Our cute banter. Except we aren’t that, or anything close to it.

  “Here,” he says, leading me towards a posh looking restaurant.

  I roll my eyes. “Of course this is the place you would choose. Do we even have time to eat here?”

  “No one else is even in the office.” He smirks. “They won’t know how long we take.”

  “Yeah, but no one will be there to answer the phone,” I point out.

  “They can leave a message, and you can get back to them,” he says as he opens the door for me. “After you.”

  I walk in and look around. It isn’t so posh that I’m scared to breathe in here, but it looks really nice. “This is where you usually go?”

  He shakes his head. “Nope. I’ve never actually been here before, it’s new. I wanted to check it out though.”

  A waitress seats us at a table, and I pick up the menu to browse.

  “If you get the burger and fries, I will never speak to you again,” he murmurs, glancing at me over his menu with a grin.

  “Don’t try and change me, Cohen,” I tease. “They don’t even have a burger option. What kind of place is this, anyway?”

  “A good one,” he says, putting the menu down. “What do you want to drink?”

  “Want to live on the wild side and get some wine or something?” I ask, wiggling my brows. “Since we’re such rebels as of late.”

  Cohen watches me for a second, his expression blank, then he throws his head back and laughs.

  Hard.

  “What the fuck is so funny?” I ask as he hugs his stomach, which I hope is starting to hurt from all his laughter.

  “You,” he chokes out, trying to contain himself. “You… Fuck. Jacinta.”

  “Lawyer who can’t even get his words out,” I grumble, still waiting for him to explain.

  “You think me coming over and fucking cuddling you, with not so much as a kiss, is being a rebel? Fuck, Jacinta, you kill me.”

  “I’m about to,” I grit through clenched teeth.

  Okay, so it isn’t really rebellious, but it’s not like it’s something I can go around telling people either. Like, ‘Oh, Cohen stayed at my house, but don’t worry, nothing happened.’ People would talk, judge and look down on me if it got out. So yes, it might not be worthy of the term in his eyes, but I’m a good girl, and this is my version of being a rebel.

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart,” he continues, reaching over and taking my hand in his. “If they try to lock you up, I’ll get you out. No matter what.”

  He says it with a straight face which makes me want to laugh, but I refrain. “Are you done, Cohen?”

  “Maybe.” He grins, showing off his straight white teeth. “Have you decided what you want?”

  “Whatever is most expensive,” I say, pursing my lips.

  He laughs more.

  Oh, wait. I’m going to pay today, so maybe not.

  “Hear from Rob?” he asks after we order.

  “No, but Ian and Sadie have hit it off, so I’ll probably be seeing him around.”

  “Hmmm.”

  “Hmmm, what?”

  “Nothing,” he says, smiling and thanking the waitress who pours him some water, and me a glass of red wine. When she leaves, I lean over the table and ask, “What happened the other day?”

  “You’re going to have to be more specific than that,” he says, leaning back and watching me expectantly.

  “You came out of your office looking a little… dishevelled, right after your client, Lucy, left your office,” I whisper, deciding that we’ve gone past the point of boundaries. “Did you do something with her?”

  “Like give her legal advice?”

  “Like fuck her,” I blurt out, getting straight to the point.

  “And if I did?” he asks, taking a sip of water.

  “She’s your client.”

  “Do you work for human resources now?” he jokes, then puts the glass down and leans forward. “I didn’t fuck her, Jacinta. I’d need more time for that than one thirty minute appointment.”

  I swallow. “But something did happen.”

  I’m not stupid. I know something did. I also know it’s not my business, but I’m curious.
This man went from someone I checked out when he wasn’t looking to someone I see and interact with every day. Someone who slept in my bed…with me. Someone I now feel comfortable enough with to ask personal questions.

  He licks his lips and looks away. “She hit on me. Kissed me and ran her hands all over me, which was probably why I looked a little dishevelled.”

  “Why would she do that?” I ask, wrinkling my nose.

  “You might not believe this, but I’m not completely distasteful to some women,” he replies, flashing me a displeased look.

  I roll my eyes. “I mean, surely it’s not normal for a woman to come in for legal advice and then hit on the lawyer. There has to be a reason, or an explanation.”

  He grimaces, and I know I’m right. “I’ve fucked her before, years ago. Not when she was my client.”

  “I see,” I say, finally piecing it all together. “And she thought she’d just pick up where you left off?”

  “Something like that,” he says, then turns the tables on me. “Would you have slept with Rob if I wasn’t there that night?”

  “Hell no,” I respond vehemently. “I didn’t even sleep with you and I think you’re one of the sexiest men I’ve ever laid my eyes on, so why would I sleep with him? He’s not even my type.”

  I clear my throat when I realise what I’ve just blurted out.

  I need a filter.

  Chapter Seven

  “That’s quite a compliment,” he murmurs, suddenly looking a little… shy? “Especially coming from you.”

  “I didn’t meant to say that.” I cringe and look around the restaurant, hoping our waitress chooses this moment to arrive with our food.

  “I’m glad you did,” he says, eyes finally meeting mine again. “I think you’re absolutely stunning, Jacinta. You have a rare, natural beauty that any man would be drawn to.”

  Now it’s my time to look away, especially when I can feel the heat rush to my cheeks. “Uhh, thanks, Cohen.” I change the subject as soon as I can. “Are you sure we won’t get in trouble for taking a longer lunch?”

  “Yes.” He certainly sounds sure. “And, by the way, you’re cute when you blush.”