FORBIDDEN (#1)

Chapter 7

My first day was terrible. Lisa wasn't lying when she said I would be running for files all day for her. That was exactly what I did, and I hated every second of it. My feet were crying out for help by the end of the day, and by the time I handed Lisa the last file for the day, I didn't bother hiding the annoyance on my face like I had been trying to do all day. She dismissed me at 4:30 p.m. and I sat in my car after work, shoes discarded on the passenger's side already. Roman was nowhere to be found for the rest of the day, which I was thankful for because then I didn't have to think about what I saw that morning. I massaged my feet for a few minutes before driving back home.

            Entering the apartment, I called out for Davis, but there was no response. He was probably still at work then. I would tell him about my day later. As I undressed and prepared for a shower, my phone started ringing. I glanced at the caller ID and my brow furrowed.

            "Mr. Drakos." I answered the phone formally, with a small hint of attitude just for my own amusement.

            "Call me Rome, Violett." He responded exactly how I thought he would.

            "You're my boss now and not just a guy I met at a bar who saved me from my drunken mess, so I think I'll stick to Mr. Drakos."

            "How about this. At work, call me Mr. Drakos all you want, but outside of work, call me Rome."

            I walked into my bathroom, thinking about his words as I looked at myself in the mirror, running hand through my curls. "I'll call you Roman."

            There was silence after my response and then a quiet huff. I could imagine him rubbing the space between his brows in frustration.

            "Why are you calling me anyway? Is it so that I don't spill the beans on your extracurricular activities?" I asked him after the silence went on for too long.

            "No, run your mouth to everyone in the building if you want, I don't care." His answer surprised me, and he continued. "I just wanted to know if you received the files I emailed you."

            That was it? I went into my bedroom and opened my laptop, checking my email. There sat the files he mentioned. "I got it. You know you could've just texted me or something? It would've required less time."

            "I know." Was his response before hanging up. I looked at my phone, shaking my head. That was...random. Not dwelling on it any longer, I showered and pampered myself before getting something to eat. By the time I left my room, Davis was home.

            "Spill. How was it?" he asked me right away and I told him everything. His eyes bulged out of his sockets at me finding Roman deep inside his personal assistant and when I finished telling him about my day, he blinked multiple times in a row.

            "Okay. So, you're telling me that you watched Rome fuck somebody? You enjoyed that and even locked eyes with him as he jumped over his blissful edge? And you're not at his house right now fucking his brains out?"

            I busted out laughing. "Davis, he's my boss now. I can't do that." Though my brain was still finding ways to distract me with images of him bending me over his desk instead of Diane, filling me up deliciously with his thick-

            "Says who? You met him before he was your boss. He called you to tell you about an email, Violett. An email. He wanted to hear your voice, I bet." Davis raised his brows, making me laugh again. I waved my hand in the air, brushing off his words.

            "Stop, nothing is going to happen between us, okay? Keep fantasizing all you want." I smiled when he twisted his mouth, eyes lit up with excitement.

            "Oh, you bet I will. Now, I need to tell you about Nathan." He began ranting about the man he was currently seeing, and I leaned deeper into the couch, happy for the distraction from Roman.

***

"I just saw you the other day, Mason." I groaned into the phone as I sat in bed with a book in my hand.

            "I know that, but it was your first day of work today and I want to see you in person while you tell me how it went." He answered, a pleading tone lacing his words. I gritted my teeth and glanced at the clock. It was almost ten at night, I just wanted to curl up in bed, read a fantasy novel, and prepare myself for another day of work. But it was Mason, and I would only get out of my comfortable spot for him.

            "Fine. I'll be there in thirty." I hung up the phone and got out of bed, reaching for sweats and a hoodie. Once I was dressed, I let Davis know where I was going and I drove to my brother's house, which wasn't that far, but not exactly close either. I pulled into his driveway and exited the car, quickly walking up to his front door. He opened it before I could even raise my hand to knock.

            "Violett! You made it, thanks for coming." Mason's eyes were bright with excitement and I couldn't help the smile that grew on my face. He was always so happy.

            "Of course, I did. So, what do you want to know?" I asked as he led me to his living room. It was a large, open space with three couches, a recliner, and even a loveseat. I sat on one of the longer couches, stretching my legs across the space. Mason sat in the recliner on the other side of the area, by the television.

            "Tell me about your first day, your role, your duties, have you met people? Do you like working there? I know I didn't get to see you today, that's because I work on another floor and I was mostly out of the building, so sorry about that." He gave me an apologetic smile that had me shaking my head.

            "No need to apologize, Mason. You're the COO, I don't expect you to have a lot of time on your hands." I gave him a smile before launching into how my day was. I amended the beginning about his best friend buried in his personal assistant because I didn't think he would care for that image in his head. I let him know that I didn't meet anyone else yet because of what Lisa had me doing and he reassured me that I'll start meeting people soon and they're pretty decent for the most part. Our conversation was nice, and I actually enjoyed his presence, happy that I accepted his invitation to visit him. He began asking me about Carter, which made me freeze, but then his phone chimed, distracting him. I let out a sigh, thankful for that distraction. That wasn't a conversation I really wanted to have, since it was so fresh.

            "Sorry Violett, I totally forgot I had a meeting scheduled here that would be about ten minutes, do you mind?" he asked, a worried look on his face. I shook my head.

            "Not at all, go ahead, I'm not going anywhere," I reassured him and he gave me a grateful smile. A ten-minute phone call wasn't going to be a problem. He left the living room and I started thinking about the duties I would be executing tomorrow and was so in my head, that I didn't hear the new voice in the house until it was directed at me.

            "Hello, Violett."

            I jumped at the intrusion of my thoughts, looking up at a smirking Roman.