crave | 16+

XIV

JOSIE

I SIT OUTSIDE ELIJAH'S office going through his nightmare of a schedule. The ball was a week ago and it's safe to say nothing had happened between us. A few glances here and there, him greeting me using my full name, and me nodding. I didn't want to say his name to a place where it echoed and bounced on the wall by everyone uttering it, but I didn't want to risk egging him on which would end in him doing God knows what.

So we kept it normal. Casual. He my boss, I his employee, and I liked it. Liar. It was easier this way. Liar. I go back in his calendar to ensure he's been to all his meetings and that Kristen rescheduled anything that might have needed rescheduling. As I check for any step-ups in Kristen's game, I hear a pair of heels clicking their way toward me.

I look up from the monitor plastered in front of me and a smile comes onto my lips when I see Sabrina. I must admit I liked her more than Nate—the one Elijah fired. She'd quickly turned into a work friend. If I was meeting later and had time to fetch coffee I'd fetch her some too. If her lunch was before mine, she'd bring me a salad bowl with her.

"Hi," I smile, warmly up at her. She beams back down at me looking around as if anyone would care what we speak about. Our conversations were pretty bland most of the time.

"2 things," she starts. "1. There's a Devina Baqri at the front desk wanting to see you." I rise from the chair in utter giddiness of seeing my oldest friend after so long. She'd gotten married to Rudra. It wasn't a marriage of love. More a marriage to please her agonizing family but still; I knew she wasn't happy. I looked at Sabrina, an arch in my brow now. She could have called my desk and told me that.

"2. Are you and Mr. Christ fucking?" she lowers her tone an octave and my eyes nearly bulge out of my head.

"What?" I ask her in a hiss that isn't directed at her. Sabrina would never make up allegations. She'd confront me if she had any suspicion (like she's doing right now).

She nods her head looking around again. "Girl, word has spread. Didn't you get the mail?"

"What mail?" I ask frantically, taking a seat and looking through my work mail. Devina could wait a few more minutes. Sabrina came next to me looking over my shoulder. The last thing anyone needed was a secretary who oversaw mails that everyone in the house had gotten from their boss. Sabrina huffed behind me as I refreshed my emails for the third time.

"I knew it," she bellows a half-grin on her lips. "You and him?"

I shake my head so fast I'm afraid it'll twist off. She squints her eyes at me in suspicion and I've never been more confused. She pulls her own phone out of her pocket of her dress pants and logs into her work mail, before putting the screen in my face. What I read almost makes me faint.

Thank you for the many years... Mr.Christ... No more Elijah... Only my secretary can call me... Due to work reasons... Thank you for understanding.

I look up from her screen a heavy fog clouding my mind as I look at everyone else on the floor. No one is looking at me. No one is giving me cold looks that say, you're fucking the boss you slut. I gulp and look up at Sabrina trying my best to pretend it doesn't falter me but my mind goes straight back to the back gardens of the fundraiser.

I'll kill anyone who says it again. I only care about you saying it.

Since he can't kill all his employees he did the next thing. Sent a mail telling them all that he wanted more formality in the house which started by him announcing them by Mr. or Ms. and them announcing him by Mr. Christ.

"Truly, Sabrina. Nothing is going on, but if there is, you'll be the first to know."

She looks down at me for a moment longer before nodding her head. Nothing was going on. Elijah and I had ignored each other for a week like the plague—like nothing happened in those gardens. Like we didn't say the most outrageous things to another, no one witnessing it other than the moon. My lips prickle when I remember what his lips felt like on them.

I sigh and get up walking toward his office instead of away. I'm definitely going to regret this, but what's done is done. I knock on his door, learning from my past mistakes even though, now that I have his schedule in hand I know he isn't in a meeting. A faint come in can be heard from the other side of the door and I say a quick prayer before pushing the big wooden doors open.

Every time I'm in his office I find myself fighting to find my pulse again. Everything about the interior is breathtaking. A little empty, yet breathtaking. My eyes meet him after what feels like eons and a curl is sitting on his lip. He knows why I'm here. He probably thinks I'm here to argue about the mail, to tell him to write a new one saying he didn't mean it, or just plainly yell, which to be honest had been my original plan.

But looking at him, I realize how nice it was of him to do what he did. He may not see it the way I see it, but he opened a new set of doors for me to get to know him. I don't know if that was his intention but I'll take the olive branch and declare truce.

"Thank you."

He stares at me with speculation in his cold gaze. He motions for me to sit without saying anything. I close the door behind me walking toward the seat that's placed in front of his desk. When I bend my knees to sit, a low growl escapes his mouth and I stop midway in motion staring at him, confused and aroused.

He pats his lap and for a second I contemplate if jumping out of his window is less embarrassing. But if this is meant to be more than it already is, I have to stop being difficult too. I clear my throat, walking toward his lap. I stop in front of him, barely towering his tall frame as it is. He places his hands on my waist, pulling me down.

With each leg dangling on each side of him, I can't escape his piercing gaze. Automatically I lean into him, our breaths becoming one. I drink everything in. His face, his eyes, the piercing on his nose, the dimple, everything. When I finally look back into his eyes, I find him doing the same to me.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," he murmurs. My breath escapes my body right then and there. God, please don't let me regret this. I connect our lips in a soft peck that to my surprise stays like that. It isn't anything like the first one we shared a week ago. No, this? This was slow, sweet and I was going to savor every bloody moment of it.

I pull back a drunk smile on my lips. "If this is going to work we're going to need some ground rules."

He smirks. "Are you bossing me around, Miss. Moore?"

"Maybe," I whisper against his mouth. "Is that a problem, Mr. Christ? Giving up authority can be hard, especially for such an egomaniac as yourself."

This makes him laugh. I stare in surprise, the sound making butterflies erupt in my stomach. "What are your rules, love?"

A shudder runs down my spine when hearing the nickname but still, I remain strong and don't combust on his lap.

"1. No fooling around during work hours. I don't want anyone to think I got where I am in the firm because I'm sleeping around with my boss.
2. I believe we will be sleeping around, which means no sleeping with other women or men for that matter. I don't want gonorrhea.
3. No lying. I hate lies. We talk it out instead."

He looks at me for a moment. "Done."

I nod and stand up from his lap. I hand my hand out to shake it in agreement and he smiles before grabbing it and shaking it. "Great," I smile. "I went over your schedule. You have a call in 40 minutes with the Duchess of Santorini. I'm clocking out early; my old friend is here. Don't forget the call. You don't leave a Duchess waiting.

"What gender is this friend, darling?" he calls out, as I start walking toward the door.

"Wouldn't you like to know, Elijah," I say with a grin before stepping out of his office, toward the front desk where Devina is waiting for me.

. . .
im going to the pool 🤭