Questionable Morals and Breached Contracts

Chapter 33: Millie

WEDNESDAY 

"Thank you for picking me up. I don't even... How did you even know where I was?" I inquire, casting a glance at Rhys, who's casually sipping his coffee as he navigates his Tesla through the city streets. He turns to meet my gaze, his left hand finding its place on my thigh, the gentle pressure of his thumb tracing soothing circles. "I went to the office to surprise you and happened upon Jane, who informed me about the family emergency and your location. I rushed over as soon as I could. Glad that everyone is okay," he explains, a soft smile gracing his lips before his focus returns to the road ahead.
As I prepare to respond, Rhys beats me to it. "How did you end up going there anyway if it was Daniel's step-mum or something?" he asks, his eyes fixed firmly on the road. "He came into the office looking completely broken and pale. He barely said two words to anyone. When he eventually told us about what happened, we arranged for a cab to take him to the hospital. I felt bad leaving him alone. No one should have to face such worrying circumstances by themselves," I share sympathetically, hoping Rhys can understand my perspective.
Deciding to withhold certain details from Rhys, I keep the finer points of the day to myself. There's no need for him to know about the charade of pretending to be his wife or the misunderstanding with Daniel's family, who mistakenly believed I was his girlfriend—a misconception neither of us bothered to correct for hours.

Rhys indicates left and smoothly veers onto a quiet side street, parking the Tesla along the pavement. As he turns off the engine, he turns to face me, his expression softening. "You're too kind. You must be starving? Have you eaten at all today?" he asks, his right hand delicately tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "When Daniel was with Louise, I asked Becs to drop off some bits  and my laptop so I could work. I wasn't sure how long he would be and didn't want him to be alone," I explain, a smile playing on my lips as I lightly tap the bag resting on my lap. "Ever the hard worker, aren't you, Miss Grayson," Rhys remarks, his smile eliciting a blush from me. Clearing his throat, Rhys shifts his gaze to mine, a hint of bashfulness in his demeanour. "I hope this isn't too forward of me, but I... thought about you quite a bit while I was away," he admits, his hand nervously ruffling through his hair. Gathering his composure, he continues, "I had a lovely... really lovely time in Paris with you. But I want to make sure we are on the same page... about everything," he says, his eyes meeting mine as he places both hands on my knee.

Allowing Rhys to initiate the conversation, I nod in agreement as he begins. "I don't want work involved in... any of this," he says, his hands gesturing towards us and our surroundings.
"You work for John, and I don't think this needs to be... a well-known situation... unless things... things change? Become more serious than they currently are? Does this make sense? I like.. Spending time with you.. Sorry if I am coming across as a bit of a cock," he adds, his chuckle tinged with embarrassment, prompting me to place a reassuring hand on top of his.
"I couldn't agree more. I don't want anything to change with how we are at work. I don't want any 'special treatment,'" I affirm with a smile, my gaze meeting his.
"And I also had a really lovely time in Paris," I add, tilting my head as I find myself once again captivated by Rhys's sex god beauty. "Good. Good. Okay. Thank you. Pheww, good," Rhys responds, a faint blush colouring his cheeks as my confidence grows. Leaning forward, I bite my lip slightly, prompting Rhys's right hand to slide up my neck, pulling my face towards his. Our lips touch, as we dive into each other as his left hand finds it's way into my hair.

As we're lost in each other's touch, a sudden knock on the window startles both of us. "Bloody hell..." Rhys grumbles, his hands dropping from my neck and hair as he turns towards his window, pressing the button to crack it open slightly.
"Sorry, Sir. Wanted to check if everything was okay," a voice whispers through the crack. Rhys lets out a laugh, his shoulders relaxing as he places his left hand back on my thigh. "All good, Brian. Just having a... catch-up with Millie," he says, his hand squeezing my thigh as I stifle a snigger. "Apologies, Sir. Ready whenever you are," the voice whispers again before the window glass slides back up. "Sorry about that, Millie... Comes with the job," Rhys chuckles, turning to me and placing a single kiss on my lips. "I better get you home anyway. We have a meeting at 10:30 tomorrow, John is back in the office, and we want to start the first build on Friday."

- 

THURSDAY

Deciding to arrive at the office a bit earlier than usual, was a good decision last night.. But not one I am overly happy with this morning. Although I did manage to do some work last night at the hospital, it wasn't as much as I had hoped. By the time Rhys dropped me back home, it was already past 10 pm, and I was eager to rid myself of the hospital scent clinging to my skin. I then fell straight asleep and didn't even manage to open my laptop.
As the elevator doors open, I find the entire office shrouded in darkness, indicating that I'm the first person here. The motion sensor lights gradually flicker on as I make my way through the office floor. Upon unlocking my office door, I glance at the time and realise it's 7:23 am, giving me a nice amount of time to myself.
Casually tossing my bag and jacket onto the sofa, I make my way to the kitchen, selecting the largest mug from the cupboard and placing it under the coffee machine. As the machine beeps to life, preparing my oat milk cappuccino, I take a moment to check my calendar on my phone. I notice that the 10:30 meeting with Rhys, John, and Daniel has been rescheduled to 13:30 at Daniel's request, sent out at the ungodly hour of 2am this morning.
Returning to my office with my freshly brewed coffee, I shut the door behind me and retrieve my over-ear headphones. With a quick tap on my phone, I cue up my "Concentration Playlist". I have an hour and 3 minutes until everyone else arrives.

-

"I HAVE ARRIVEDDDD!!!" penetrates through my headphones, jolting me from my screen. Startled, I lift my gaze to find Becs standing across from me, a huge grin covering her face as she presents two Starbucks cups. I remove my headphones, pausing my music. I was in the middle of a Club Tropicana. "Oooo, you're an angel. Thank youuuu. What time is it?" I ask, taking a sip of the Chocolate Pretzel Frappuccino.

"It's 8:33 am. The sun is shining, and it's shaping up to be a B-E-A-U-TIFUL Thursday. Let's aim for a drama-free day, shall we?" she chirps, skipping back to her own workspace.

As Becs settles into her desk, engrossed in watering her numerous plants, I seize the opportunity to discreetly roll my chair towards the adjoining door, careful not to disturb the silence. With bated breath, I turn the handle, peering through the slender gap. Daniel's office remains covered in darkness, untouched and empty. I attempt to shut the door, only to be interrupted by Becs's  voice slicing through the air.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she calls out, her head tilted in confusion.

Panicked, I swiftly wheel back to my desk, leaving the door slightly ajar and begin shuffling the paperwork in front of me. "Noo...Nothing. Just checking if he's seen the paperwork on his desk," I stammer, fabricating an old excuse for my nosiness. Becs rolls her eyes with exaggerated flair, taking a sip from her Starbucks cup.

With the meeting now pushed back a few hours, I find myself with some unexpected time to catch up on everything before the impending discussions. The prospect of commencing the first build tomorrow or Monday fills me with excitement; it's fantastic news for all of us. If we can pull it off, we'll be leaps and bounds ahead of schedule.
"Becs, I've got a ton of stuff to tackle before that 1:30 meeting. I'm going to pop my headphones back on. If you need me... just throw a toy at my head!" I chuckle, gesturing toward the array of toys covering her desk, ranging from a dinosaur to a baby octopus.
With a mischievous grin, Becs picks up a plush dinosaur and waggles it in the air. "You got it! I'll make sure to aim carefully," she replies.