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And So, Quietly (Tessa and Devon): Part 1

Tessa stared at the note atop her desk. On it was scribbled a phone number and the message Call me. How many did that make it now? Five? Six?

Gossip about Celeste's definite return had finally spread to every corner of Clement Industries, and all the employees knew the girl and their boss were exclusive. That meant Lincoln no longer required his excess of lovers—Tessa included. And now, a wave of horny men who had their eyes on her wanted to take their chance.

Part of her was surprisingly flattered. The majority of her was annoyed. It wasn't as if she held sentiments for Lincoln. Did their men really think she was desperate, or lonely, enough to accept any of their propositions? They were delusional.

She crumpled the scrap of paper and tossed it in the trash, where the rest of the other notes ended up.

"Horndogs," she muttered.

As she continued her work, four soft knocks on the door jolted Tessa in her seat. Her heart hammered in her chest and her legs began to shake, even though she was sitting.

Everyone had a habit when knocking. Employees did it twice or thrice. Nash liked to knock a tune. Lincoln and Raider barged in without knocking at all. Only one person rapped his knuckles four times quietly.

The door opened, revealing Devon. Tessa swallowed and forced herself to remember how to breathe.

"Boss said you had files on a client named Belov. I need to see those."

She cleared her throat. "Of course. What's the issue?"

Tessa walked to her file cabinets, but she became distracted. There was only so much she could multitask.

Look for a file? Check.

Feel Devon's gaze roaming up and down her body? Check.

Listen to crucial information about their client? Impossible.

Of all men to offer sex to Tessa, Devon was the least expected. He was one of the closest men to Lincoln and also one of the most loyal. Who would've known he had been attracted to Tessa when he knew she and their boss occasionally slept together?

To be honest, she had always felt something was off about Devon. When they interacted with others around, Tessa was able to keep calm and communicate solely as coworkers. Yet, when they were alone, the air was denser, heavier—sweltering. The looks he gave her had always been the same, but it wasn't until recently she realized it was lust in his eyes.

Did he think of her the same way as the others? Or was it pity? To outsiders, it looked like she had been tossed away by Lincoln, though in truth, it had been a mutual parting. Was Devon the same as all those other men? If that was the case, why hadn't she flat out denied him like she had with the rest?

There was one moment between them that could've led to something more. Tessa still remembered the way he pushed her against the door and grinded her on his thigh. She remembered the way his low voice had rumbled in her ear, the way his heat had spread around her body, the way his lips had devoured her...

Tessa shivered and felt herself melting at the same time.

"Found it," she said breathlessly.

When she turned around, she saw that Devon had stopped speaking and his attention was riveted to something on her desk. As she went back to her seat, she followed his line of vision to a pink note.

The contents contained a phone number, plus one line of words.

If you're ever lonely...