by Laura Pavlov
“It leaves her exactly where she was. I’ve got to go. I love you.”
“Love you. Let me know when you schedule that appointment,” she said, and I knew she wouldn’t drop this until I did it. My parents had a ton of unnecessary guilt about what happened, and what I saw. They didn’t need to. I had a wonderful childhood. My parents were as good as it gets. Even with all the loss and all the heartache, they always showed up for all four of us boys. They pushed forward. They had nothing to feel bad about.
“You got it.”
We finally ended the call and there was a knock on my door. “Did you miss me?”
I chuckled. Layla was back. I could put some space between me and Maura. She probably hated me after what had happened and the way I’d behaved. I was her fucking boss. She was my intern. What kind of douchebag does that?
“Of course. Were the kids so excited to have you back home?”
“You know. They wanted their favorite meals cooked. They wondered what gifts I brought them. Typical.” She shook her head and chuckled.
“Glad to have you back.”
“Maura did a good job, huh? I was afraid she’d put me out of work.”
“She did fine. You know, I didn’t realize she was actually interested in the creative side of things. Maybe you should have her work in graphics and design a bit over the next few weeks. Let her get some experience if that’s what she wants to do.”
“Look at you. I leave for a few weeks, and you grow a heart? How dare you, Crew Carlisle. Someone rubbing off on you?” she asked.
Thoughts of me rubbing it out to touching Maura this morning in the shower flooded me.
Jesus.
Pull it together, man.
“Nope. Just heard her mention it,” I said. “She’s usually here by now. Did you let her know you were back?”
“Yeah. I called her last night. I think she was on a date. She was whispering into the phone and said it was hard to hear. I told her she could go back to her old hours now. I’ll check with Jen in design and see if she has any projects Maura could jump in on.”
A date? What the fuck? That was quick. Not that we did anything that would warrant her not going on one. But I couldn’t fucking get her out of my mind. I’d turned down multiple booty calls because she was tormenting my thoughts. And she was out painting the town red with some asshole?
“Sounds good.” I forced my voice to remain calm. I had no right to be annoyed. I’d insisted it couldn’t go anywhere. I just hadn’t realized that I didn’t want her to be with anyone else. This was a predicament I’d never found myself in before.
Why the fuck did I care?
“All right. I’m going to get caught up on a few emails. You’ve got two meetings this morning. I’ll let you know when they arrive.”
“Thank you. Welcome back,” I said, trying to shake off my foul mood.
I got to work, and my first meeting arrived before I finished my cup of coffee. When I made my way down to the conference room, I didn’t see Maura at Layla’s desk. How late was she coming in now? Maybe she had a late night last night? Did she spend the night with some dude? My mind was spinning every which way and it was all-consuming.
She’d looked so hurt when I told her that what happened between us couldn’t happen again. Was she playing me?
I focused on my first meeting, and we wrapped up with no time in between. Layla escorted the toy company out and the cookie company in. I had two different teams pitching each company, but we made the transition smoothly. I poked my head out and saw Maura laughing at her desk with Sam.
Fucking Sam.
Of course, he was hanging all over her.
I’d need to send him back to the printing room with Helen the minute I finished up. The dude was on my last nerve. Maura told me he was into Gwen, so why the fuck was he all up in her business? Maura flipped her hair over her shoulder, and I swear lavender flooded my senses and she wasn’t even near me.
Layla approached and I held the door open for her. The pitch team walked in behind her, and I turned my attention to where it needed to be.
Game time.
The day flew by and I’d yet to have lunch and it was nearing three o’clock. I asked Layla to order me a sandwich, and I made my way back to my office. I was going to email Helen right away and bury Sam in hours of printing work. That would make me feel better.
There was a knock on my door, and I shouted that it was open. Could I not get a minute alone today?
“Hey,” Maura said, standing there holding a bag from the deli. She wore a pink fitted dress that hugged her curves in all the right places, and I lost my breath at the sight of her. “Layla had to take a call. She asked me to bring this to you.”
Her posture was stiff, and she wouldn’t meet my gaze. Did she blame me for what happened out in the field? Was she pissed?
Too bad.
I was pissed. She was probably out fucking some dude while I was slapping the salami in the shower alone.
This was her fault.
“Close the door.”
Her eyes doubled in size at my words, and she shut the door before moving to my desk. With absolutely no warning, she chucked the bag at me with a surprising force.
I kid you not. She threw my goddamn sandwich across my desk.
What kind of assistant does that?
Probably one who was freshly fucked and feeling like she was all that.
“What’s your problem?” I asked, reaching for the bag. “This is probably completely ruined now.”
“I think you’ll live.” She stormed toward the door.
What the fuck?
“We’re not finished.”
“Oh. We’re so finished,” she hissed, storming back toward my desk.
What? Wasn’t I calling the shots here?
“Sit down. What exactly are you referring to? I meant we weren’t done with the conversation.” I raised a brow and studied her. Her perfect tits were pressed against her dress, and I ached to touch her.
She rolled her eyes. Clearly this was insubordination at its finest.
“You meant that we were done with everything. You’ve made that perfectly clear. Moving me to a different department because now that you’ve kissed me you want to be rid of me. You’re right about my dad, Carlisle. He is an asshole. But it takes one to know one.” She pushed to her feet and stalked toward the door.
Again.
But I was faster. I caught up to her before she could reach for the handle, and I pressed my chest into her back. “Is that what you think? That I moved you so I wouldn’t have to see you?”
She turned around to face me. Her perky tits were pressed against my chest now and my dick was hard as a rock.
“It’s pretty obvious. I come to work today to find out I have a different job. The timing is uncanny. You can’t even look at me now.” Her cheeks were pink, and her chest was rising and falling with anger, and I’d never wanted to kiss someone more than I did in this moment.
“I didn’t move you to a new department. I said that Layla could inquire to see if you could jump in on a few projects in design. You mentioned that you were interested in that side of the business. I was trying to be nice.” My mouth was so close to hers and I dipped my tongue out and swiped her bottom lip. Needing her in a way that made no sense.
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh. But what do you care? Did you fuck some guy last night on your date?” I regretted the words the minute they left my mouth. I was a jealous asshole, and I knew it. She deserved more respect than that, but I couldn’t stand the thought of her with someone else.
She shoved at my chest. “You are such a jerk. No. I don’t make a habit of making out with one asshole only to move on to the next so quickly.”
I moved back into her space. “Layla said you went on a date. I shouldn’t hav
e said that. I just—”
“You just what? You don’t want me, but you don’t want anyone else to have me? Is that it?” Her words were angry, but her hands tangled in my hair, tugging me closer.
“Did you go on a date with someone else?” I whispered before resting my forehead against hers.
“Someone else would mean you and I had actually been on a date before. You’ve never taken me out.”
I wrapped my arm around her back and tugged her closer so she could feel just how much I wanted her. “If you want me to take you out, answer the damn question.”
“I met with Piper last night. We had dinner.”
Thank Christ. I let out a long breath that I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding. “How’d it go?”
“Good.”
“You want to tell me about it over dinner?” I asked as I nipped at her bottom lip.
“I thought this couldn’t happen again?” she said, and her tongue dipped out to wet her bottom lip and I groaned.
“I did too.”
“So, what’s changed?”
“I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” she whispered.
“Listen, Maura. You’re an intern. This doesn’t look good. We need to keep this between us, at least until we know what this is.”
She nodded. “Does that mean I can kiss you when the door is closed?”
My mouth crashed into hers. I kissed her like my life depended on it. I kissed her like I would die if I didn’t. Because at the moment, I would.
And now that I’d had a taste of Maura Benson… I only wanted more.
Chapter Thirteen
Maura
My heart raced. I knew I was playing with fire but for the first time in my life, I didn’t care. I couldn’t stop myself if I wanted to, and I didn’t. He tipped my head back, his hand resting at the nape of my neck so he could take the kiss deeper. A knock at the door had me falling back against the door, and Crew quickly helped stabilize me. He adjusted my dress because apparently, I was a hot mess. He smiled, and moved back behind his desk, and used his finger to beckon me to move away from the door.
“It’s open,” he said, his voice completely calm and cool. I felt anything but, and I straightened my shoulders.
“Hey, just making sure you got your lunch,” Layla said, her gaze bouncing between Crew and me. “Everything okay in here?”
“Everything is fine. Why wouldn’t it be? Of course, it’s fine. I just dropped off Mr. Carlisle’s sandwich because you told me to bring it in here and he wanted to go over a few things. Nothing really. Nothing important. Because it’s just fine. Yes. It’s all good.” I was stunned that I’d turned into a bumbling fool. What was happening to me?
Layla chuckled and covered her mouth with her hand, and Crew raised a brow at me and his perfect mouth turned up in the corners.
“Thank you for that definitive answer, Ms. Benson. It’s clear that everything is fine. I’ve got my lunch, so we’re all good, ladies.”
“Clearly.” Layla smirked and made her way to the door.
I walked behind her and turned around to make a face at him that basically made it clear that I’d lost my mind. He winked.
My heart fluttered.
My stomach flipped.
Maybe I really was losing my mind.
I hurried out the door and paused at Layla’s desk and she smiled. “How did it go with the design team today?”
She didn’t ask me why I acted like a fool in Crew’s office. She probably didn’t want to embarrass me.
“It went really well. They are actually letting me submit a few campaign ideas at the end of the week for the dog food account, so that’s exciting.”
“That’s amazing. So maybe we could split your time between creative and me. I’m sure it’s way more exciting over there, but I kind of like having you over here with me. And I think Crew prefers you over here as well.” She winked, and I could feel my cheeks pink.
“Yes. Of course. I’ll go wherever you want me.”
“Great. Let’s get to work on submitting these supply orders,” she said, dropping to sit at her desk chair.
“Sounds perfect.” I liked Layla, and I was happy to split my time. Now that I knew Crew wasn’t just trying to get rid of me, but actually wanting to give me the experience in the field I was most interested in—I was thrilled about it.
We spent the next two hours working and I excused myself to use the restroom. I hadn’t heard a word from my father, and I had a sick feeling about it. About the fact that things would never be the same between us. My phone vibrated, and I glanced down once I stepped into the restroom.
Crew ~ Dinner at my place. I’ll have Brad pick you up at 7 PM. Come hungry.
Me ~ So bossy.
Crew ~ I am your boss.
Me ~ Only at the office.
Crew ~ Get your mind out of the gutter, Benson. Did you just take this conversation to dirty town? Where else were you thinking I would dominate you?
I laughed and leaned against the wall.
Me ~ That’s not what I meant, you perv.
Crew ~ Do you think it’s wise to call your boss names?
Me ~ I’m fine with it.
Crew ~ Get back to work. You’re on the clock.
Me ~ You don’t pay me. I’m not on the clock.
Crew ~ Ah…I’ll have to pay up tonight.
Me ~ Now who’s the perv? Nothing’s going to happen. It’s dinner.
Crew ~ Once again, you took it there. I meant I’d pay you in food. You’ve clearly got a one-track mind when it comes to your boss.
Me ~ I’ll see you at 7 PM. For food only.
Crew ~ Prepare to be charmed, Benson.
I used the restroom quickly and sent a quick message to the girls that I had big news and we could talk on Zoom while I got ready tonight. Of course, every single one of them responded with excitement. Coco’s reply was completely inappropriate with endless big hand, big feet jokes. My girls knew I liked him. I could not remember the last time I’d really liked someone. If ever. No one had ever made my stomach flip or my heart race before. And that terrified me. Because in reality, where could this go?
He was a Carlisle.
I was a Benson.
And he was my boss.
He’d also made it clear that he didn’t do relationships.
But for whatever reason, even with all the warning bells going off, I didn’t care. I’d never been reckless before, but I was ready to throw caution to the wind. The girls all thought I should just see where it went and enjoy the moment. And I couldn’t argue with that.
Ivy held up a few outfit choices for Coco, Addy, and Gigi who were currently giving feedback via my laptop.
“I like the flowery short dress with the jean jacket and the booties,” Addy said.
“I agree,” Gigi chimed in. “It’s sexy but doesn’t look like you’re trying too hard.”
“No way. That screams college girl,” Coco hissed.
“She is a college girl,” Gigi argued over her laughter.
“Crew Carlisle is not. He’s all man. And she’s about to graduate. Since when is it bad to try to look sexy? I am totally feeling the lacy bodysuit and the leather skirt,” Coco purred.
“What?” I whipped around, as I didn’t even own a lacy bodysuit.
“I threw it in.” Ivy chuckled. The city lights were shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows in my bedroom. Ivy and I had been thrilled that my father let us move into this place for the past two years. The thought of my dad had my chest aching. Even though I was completely appalled by what he’d done, I still loved the man. He was still my father. I pushed the thought away. I hadn’t heard from him since I returned to Dallas, and my mother obviously didn’t know anything because she’d called this morning and told me all about her tri
p with my aunt.
“I am not wearing that.” I set the curling iron down and stepped out of the bathroom.
“Okay, how about this. The black lacy bodysuit, dark jeans, and that cute black blazer you have. Throw on some heels and you’ll look like you’re going to dinner with a sexy man, not going to a carnival with a boy from Willow Springs High School.” Coco chuckled over her words.
“Coco Radcliff, do not hate on the carnival. You know that’s my happy place,” Ivy hissed. But then she turned to look at me. “That outfit does sound super cute for dinner.”
“Totally appropriate,” Addy said.
“Try it on and let us see.” Gigi laughed when Gray came up behind her and kissed her neck.
Swoon.
“Let’s see the outfit, Maura. I’m starving and I know we aren’t leaving until they see you all done up.” He dropped down in the chair beside her in her and Addy’s apartment.
He and Jett were always over. The two had become the best of friends and they joined in on our Zoom calls all the time.
“Okay. I’ll be right back.” I hurried to the bathroom to change after grabbing everything I needed. I glanced in the full-length mirror behind the door and I was surprised at how much I liked the outfit. It was sexy and chic. Of course, Coco nailed it as always. The girl majored in fashion and design, and she had an eye for this stuff.
I slipped on a few bracelets and stepped out of the bathroom. Ivy turned the laptop to face me, and everyone whistled in approval.
“Girl. There you go. Get ready to have the man eating out of your hands. Although you should consider eating out of his big, manly hands.” Coco sighed.
“Why must you always take it there?” Ivy laughed.
“Looking good, Maura,” Jett said as he’d now joined the group and Addy was sitting on his lap. “But honestly, dudes don’t really care what you wear. You guys way overthink this stuff.”
“You look great,” Gray said. “And now that you don’t hate Crew anymore, I can tell you that I like the guy. He’s a cool dude.”