Nemesis

by Chantal Fernando

  “Cohen,” I whisper, as he brushes my hair to the side and kisses my neck again. He then pushes me forward with a hand on the centre of my back and starts thrusting in and out of me, taking over. Suddenly, he lifts me, spins me around so I’m facing him, pushes me back down on his cock and starts kissing me hungrily. I’ll never tire of his kisses. I bounce up and down on his cock, loving the feel of him, thick and hard, inside of me, where he belongs. I come before him, like I always do, then bury my face in his neck, catching my breath. I then work him harder, wanting him to finish too. He does, grunting my name the whole time. We take a little while to just enjoy the moment, us wrapped in each other, skin against skin, and my heart beating furiously.

  “I love you, Jacinta,” he says, his forehead resting against mine.

  “I love you too, Cohen,” I reply, kissing him and smiling against his lips. “So fucking much.”

  He grins back.

  We move to lie down on my bed, facing each other.

  I never thought I’d get this with him, yet here I am.

  I’m his, he’s mine, and I’m never letting him go.

  *****

  I wrinkle my nose when I get a text message from Dan the next day saying Hey.

  Hey? Does he not remember the last conversation we had? Maybe he heard about Cohen and me having some issues, and he’s checking to see if my single self needs a shoulder to cry on.

  I reply back with one word: Nope.

  He replies with, Can’t blame a man for trying.

  Idiot.

  I put down my phone and glance up at Sadie, who is frying bacon and eggs for the two of us. She’s being extremely quiet, which is very unusual for her. “Is everything okay?”

  She turns to me and says, “Not really.”

  “What happened?” I ask, brow furrowing in worry. “Sadie, tell me.”

  “Ian and I broke up,” she whispers, expelling a deep sigh as she serves the food onto two plates.

  “Why? What happened?” I ask.

  “He said he’s not ready for a relationship and can’t commit to me,” she explains, looking confused. “I don’t get men. He said he wanted a relationship when we first started chatting online, which is why I decided to meet him because we both wanted the same things, you now? And now, he’s changing his tune all of a sudden.”

  “What did you say to him?” I ask her, carrying both plates to the table. Sadie grabs the cutlery and follows.

  “I said that I thought we were on the same page and told him I was confused with what he wanted. Basically, he wanted to keep sleeping with me, but said he wasn’t ready for anything else right now.”

  I grit my teeth. Did he just say what he wanted her to hear to get her into bed? Or did he realise he wasn’t ready for a relationship? I don’t understand men sometimes. It’s like they ruin every woman they come across until they find the one. If you aren’t the one, you’re going to get your heart trampled on while they happily traipse to the next woman.

  “I’m sorry, sweetie.” I place my hand on hers. “Do you love him though?”

  She shakes her head. “No, I don’t think so. I like him a lot, and it hurts that he’s gone now, but I don’t think I love him.”

  “You did what you could,” I tell her. “You opened your heart and took a chance. Love is a gamble, and you took one, so that’s all you can do, right? He wasn’t the one for you, but someone out there will be.” I pause, considering something. “Cohen has a hot friend named Chad.”

  She laughs, shaking her head. “I don’t think that’s the best idea right now… Maybe in a few weeks.”

  I roll my eyes, taking a bite out of my toast. “I feel like punching Ian in the nuts.”

  “There’s no point,” Sadie says. “He’s dead to us now.”

  “RIP Ian,” I say, chewing slowly. “At least I’ll never have to see or hear about Rob again.”

  Sadie’s lip twitches.

  “And you can find a bigger penis next time.”

  She giggles at that, and finally starts to eat. “I forgot I told you about that.”

  “Do you have to see him again? Like, does he have any stuff here or whatever?”

  “I already took my shit, and he had nothing here, which was probably a sign,” she admits, looking sad again. It’s so hard for me to be happy when my best friend is down.

  Her pain is mine.

  “I’m sorry, Sadie.”

  “Me too,” she says, shrugging. “Oh, well, another one bites the dust. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to ruin your mood. You and Cohen just sorted shit out, finally, and I didn’t want to drag you down with me.”

  “I’m your best friend. You can drag me down with you whenever you like, that’s what I’m here for. Hopefully, I can carry you up with me instead.”

  She sighs and stabs her fork into her eggs. “I just need a few days to wallow. I’ll be fine. I always am. We better hurry up or we’re both going to be late to work.”

  I nod, putting some egg and bacon on my toast, and start making quick work of it. I hug Sadie tightly before we both leave, then on the way to work call up a florist to send her some flowers. Her favourites are peonies, and I hope they cheer her up a little.

  When I arrive at the office, everyone is already here, and the phone is already ringing. I quickly answer it then check over the schedules for the day.

  “You looked so cute when I left this morning,” Cohen says in welcome. “I wanted to take a photo, but then thought that’d be a little creepy.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t,” I say with a little grin. The urge to reach out and touch him makes my fingers tingle. “What are we going to do about work?”

  “I don’t know,” he says, rubbing his hand down the stubble on his cheek. “Let me think about it, okay? I’ll figure out the best way, but I think that I’m just going to have to tell them. It’s not going to affect our work.” He pauses. “Any more than it already does, anyway. I don’t see why it would be such a big deal.”

  “I don’t think it’s that simple though,” I tell him, tapping my pen on the table. “But I’ll leave it in your hands.”

  “It will be fine,” he assures me. “I have to head out, but I’ll see you at lunch.”

  “Okay,” I say, wanting a kiss. My gaze drops to his lips.

  “Jacinta—”

  “Yeah?” I mumble, completely distracted.

  “I’m leaving before I kiss you here in front of everyone, not giving a shit what anyone says,” he growls, turning me on even more.

  “Okay,” I whisper.

  He curses and storms into the elevator. I see him adjust himself, eyes on me, before the doors close.

  I grin.

  He shakes his head at me.

  All mine.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  I enter the house that afternoon with wine, chocolate, ice cream and candy. I order Chinese food for us and put on Sadie’s favourite movie, which happens to be She’s The Man. Cohen wanted to stay over tonight, but I told him that I need to be here for Sadie. I don’t want to be in the room with him while she’s sitting out here alone, all sad and miserable over that asshole Ian. Cohen understood, saying he would stay over tomorrow night instead.

  “You didn’t have to do this,” Sadie says as she sees the spread I’ve set up for us. She grabs a chocolate bar and joins me on the couch. “But I do appreciate it.”

  I press Play and smile at her. “Distractions are key. Tonight, we’re going to watch movies, eat and just relax. Nothing else exists.”

  “Thanks again for the flowers, Jacinta. They’re stunning. Everyone who came into the library stopped and admired them.” She hesitates, then admits, “When I first got them, I thought maybe they were from Ian, but then I read the note. First, I was a little upset that they weren’t from him, but the note made me smile. Fuck Ian. I don’t need him.”

  The note said, ‘Who needs a man when you have a friend like me?’

  “No, you don’t
need him,” I concur, turning up the volume a little. “Fuck him. Fuck everyone who doesn’t see how amazing you are. He’ll probably regret it too, but too bad.”

  She rolls her eyes and looks at the TV. “I don’t know about all that, but I’ll agree with the ‘fuck him’ part.”

  “I should pour us some wine,” I say, standing up and heading to the kitchen. I return with two very full glasses of red wine, giving one to Sadie.

  I sip mine, but Sadie gulps hers.

  I think it’s going to be a long, drunk night.

  *****

  Two Weeks Later

  “Jacinta, can you please come into my office?” Jason asks, setting my nerves on edge. Cohen and I both decided we didn’t want to have to keep hiding our relationship, so we called a meeting with the other three lawyers. That was this morning. Now, Jason is summoning me, and I don’t think it’s a good thing.

  Am I about to lose my job?

  I smooth my blazer down with my hands, then stand and follow Jason. When I enter his office, all the lawyers in the firm are there, except for Cohen.

  Yeah, I’m fucked.

  “Take a seat,” Jason says.

  I stiffly sit down, wanting to run and hide, but I force myself to keep my chin up. It’s awkward having all the men here know my private life, even though essentially it has nothing to do with them. I’m not fucking or making out with Cohen here at work. I’ve kissed him inside his office once, and once only. I’m not unprofessional, and I’m good at my job. I don’t believe that I deserve to lose it.

  “Mr. Lake has brought to light the relationship between the two of you,” Jason starts, looking around the table. “We all frown upon office relationships, and we think it’s very unprofessional for the two of you to get so well acquainted whilst meeting here at the firm.”

  I open my mouth, but then he continues.

  “It’s also a conflict of interest, don’t you think? You know how much I like you, Jacinta. You’re a hard worker and you keep this place running, but I don’t know how we can make this work. None of us are happy with this outcome. I’m a little disappointed in you, Jacinta.”

  Well, ouch.

  Hearing the word ‘disappointed’ from someone is always the worst. I’d rather just be yelled at.

  “I’m sorry,” I tell them. “This isn’t something I planned. It just happened. But I would never let it affect my job, or my productivity here. I’m good at what I do, and if Cohen hadn’t told you, you wouldn’t have known what was going on here. That is evidence that we’re both capable of maintaining professional etiquette whilst in the office.”

  Jason studies me, swirling on his chair, left and right. “Okay, just let us talk and we will get back to you on our course of action.”

  I guess I’m being dismissed.

  I exit, a nervous wreck, and sit back at my desk, wondering if this is even my desk anymore.

  If I lose my job, I’m going to be upset.

  It’s such a fucked-up thing that Cohen’s job isn’t even in question—not that I’d want him to be in trouble with me, of course—but I have to wonder if I was the lawyer and he was the receptionist, would we still have the same outcome? It just feels like it’s always the woman who comes under fire in these situations.

  I glance at my phone; I’d put it on silent, and there are missed calls and messages from Cohen. He left for court after the meeting, and I guess he’d been trying to warn me, because one message said they wanted to speak with me. I wring my hands together. I don’t want to call Cohen back, in case Jason comes out to call me in again. I feel like I’m in court about to be found guilty or innocent.

  I tap my foot.

  What feels like an eternity later, Jason calls me back into his office. This time, we’re alone; the other men probably returning to their busy days.

  “So we’ve decided that, because of your good work ethic, we’re going to let you stay on.” He pauses, then adds, “We aren’t happy with the situation though, and we’re asking you to keep your relationship away from the office. Stay professional, and don’t let it affect your job in any way, or we’ll have to let you go.”

  I nod and tell him that I understand.

  I walk back to my desk, feeling relieved and annoyed at the same time. Are they going to treat me the same after this, or have I lost their respect? I don’t want to work here if they aren’t going to treat me the same. Are they going to be watching Cohen and me closely? I feel like maybe we shouldn’t have said anything. We should have waited until we were getting married, if that happens. Now we still can’t act like we’re together and they’re going to be breathing down our necks. Or maybe everything will be okay?

  I don’t know. Only time will tell, I guess.

  Cohen is still in court during lunchtime, so I eat alone. He only returns in the evening, rushing straight to me.

  “Are you okay?” he asks, looking worried. “I’m so fucking sorry they spoke to you when they knew I wasn’t here. You know what? We should quit. We can easily find new jobs. It’s their loss. Fuck them.”

  I glance around, making sure no one else is nearby. “It’s fine. They said I can keep my job, even though apparently it’s a conflict of interest. Let’s not make any hasty decisions, let’s just see how it all goes.”

  His jaw is tighter than I’ve ever seen it. “I just don’t like how they handled it.”

  “And they don’t like us being together, and we knew there’d be some consequences, so let’s just keep it cool. This is only day one,” I tell him, not wanting him to react then regret it. We need to be smart about this.

  “Yeah, okay,” he says, running his hand through his hair. “I’m not fucking happy though.”

  “I can see that,” I remark, rolling my eyes. “You better go, I know you’re busy all day. I’ll see you after work.”

  “Okay,” he agrees, giving my hand a squeeze. “I love you. If anyone even looks at you wrong, call me.”

  “I will,” I lie.

  “And?”

  “And I love you too,” I tell him, smiling widely.

  Hearing those words leave his lips will never get old.

  *****

  I’m sitting on the kitchen counter, watching Cohen pace and rant about what happened today. Sadie is sitting next to me, wide-eyed, listening to him.

  “It doesn’t sound that bad,” she concludes. “Jacinta gets to keep her job, and Cohen, it sounds like you just got a stern frowning-upon. It will all blow over, and soon they won’t give a shit.”

  Cohen stops in his tracks, looking between the two of us.

  “And Jacinta can handle a little telling off without you,” Sadie adds, smirking. “She’s a big girl. You don’t need to feel guilty that you weren’t there, even though you’re her accomplice in crime. She took the heat. She’s a ride-or-die kind of girl, just go with it.”

  His lip twitches. “You’re absolutely right, Sadie.”

  I throw my hands up in the air. “Oh, so her you listen to.”

  “I am very wise,” Sadie says, nodding. “Unless it comes to my own love life.”

  “We should introduce her to Chad,” I state, and not for the first time. “What do you think, Cohen?”

  “I think that I’m not getting involved in that,” he says, stepping closer to me and resting between my legs. “So when Chad fucks up, you can’t use it against me.”

  “That sounds promising,” Sadie replies in a dry tone. She grabs the elastic off her wrist and ties her brown hair in a high ponytail. “I think I’ll just let someone find me. I’m not looking anymore, because I only find the douche lords.”

  “And their friends,” I add, thinking of Rob. “Although, if Cohen hadn’t seen me out with Rob, he never would have come over to cock-block me, and then we never would have gotten together.”

  “We’d still have gotten together,” Cohen says confidently, giving me a quick kiss. “I was already in too deep by then.”

  “Are we going out for dinner, or are you guys
about to fuck on the table?” Sadie interrupts, poking her tongue out at me. I want to point out that it was her and Ian fucking on the table, but I don’t want to bring him up, so I keep my mouth shut. Now that’s true friendship.

  “Let’s go then,” I say, kissing Cohen once more before jumping off the table. “I vote for Mexican.”

  “Mexican it is,” Cohen agrees, wrapping one arm around me, then the other around Sadie.

  I still think she should meet Chad.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  I meet Cohen’s brother and sister-in-law, and their daughter.

  “It’s nice to officially meet you, Sandra,” I tell her, feeling a little embarrassed over what happened the last time I saw her. I don’t think I was rude or anything—at least out loud, anyway.

  “You too, Jacinta,” she says, smiling. “I’ve heard so much about you. The day I came into Cohen’s office, as soon as the two of us went in the elevator, he said to me, ‘See the beauty at reception? She’s going to be mine.’”

  Wow.

  And that’s when I was being a bitch. I’m starting to think Cohen likes all sides of me, including that one.

  “I kind of thought you were his new woman,” I admit, helping her cut up some of the vegetables for the salad. Cohen and his brother, Kale, are out grilling the steak. Cohen’s niece, Arabella, is with them, playing in the garden.

  Sandra laughs, face lighting up. “Between you and me, I think he wanted you to think that.”

  Damn Scorpio.

  “Yeah, I kind of guessed that,” I admit, shaking my head. “It wasn’t one of our finest moments.”

  “Love makes people do crazy things. It’s like all common sense leaves you. Sometimes, I look back at my past relationships and wonder why I fought to keep some of them, because I wasn’t happy and neither were they. But in that moment, I thought I was in love. It wasn’t until I met Kale that I found out what true love is. And now I’ll do anything to keep it, you know?”