I Hate You, Mr. Boss-Man [18+]

043

Katherine

"An Assistant?" 

I glance over my shoulder, ripping my attention away from the box in my grasp. "I have to hire an assistant?" I repeat with Jesse hot on my trail. I step into the room juxtaposed to his, my belongings on top of my new desk. 

"You don't have to, sweetheart—I just don't want you to be overwhelmed," Jesse says, keeping his voice low enough for me to hear, his lips dangerously close to the shell of my ear. "An extra pair of hands will help ease some of the workloads." His fingers leisurely trail up my thighs, passing my hips to settle in front of my stomach, pulling me flush against his chest. 

"Jesse,"  I hiss, ignoring the light peppering of kisses on my shoulder. "Someone could walk in!" 

"I don't care," He grunts, dragging his lips above my sweet spot, his tongue darting out before he began to suck. His arms are around my waist now, keeping me trapped. I lean into him, enjoying the way my body reacted to him. "And I don't care if it makes me selfish. I want everyone to know that you're my girl."

"Baby, we've talked about this," I say, sighing in content at the shiver that runs down my spine. "The time isn't right. I don't want anybody to know about us yet." 

His arms are off of me in an instant, the warmth of his body behind me disappearing—turning cold. I turn on my heel, my eyes meeting his reproaching expression. "Why not?" Jesse presses, crossing his arms tightly—brows furrowing with disdain. "We've been dating for five months now, Katherine." 

I try to ignore the sting from his use of my name. He only called me Katherine when he was upset or turned on and he was only one of those things right now. I bite my tongue, pushing down the disappointment. "I know," I mumble, suddenly folding my arms as well, plopping down to sit on top of my desk. "But, I already said to give me some time. I don't need—want anyone in our business. That's between you and me."

"And what?" He says, demanding an answer from me. "I'm just supposed to stay quiet and let whoever flirt with you? Don't think I don't know about Zeke trying to ask you out last week." 

My jaw goes slack, lips parting slightly. He wasn't supposed to know about that. The only person who overheard was Jaz. "Jazmine told you," I say as a matter-of-factly. "She wasn't supposed to say anything."

"Oh!" Jesse snaps, nostrils flaring—his jaw clenching in contempt. "So, you were planning on keeping it from me?!" 

Damn me and my big mouth. "No," I whisper, ripping my eyes away from him. "Of course not, I was going to tell you. I just...forgot." 

"You forgot?" 

I nod in response, chewing on the inside of my cheek—bile crawling up my throat. "What does it matter, anyway?!" I grunt, raising my voice an octave higher than before. "It's not as if I said yes. I'd never do that to you." 

"It's that you kept it from me," Jesse says, sighing loudly. "And I had to hear it from gossip in the breakroom. That's why it matters." 

"Jesse, I'm sorry," I go to reach for him, trying to cup his jaw in my palms but, he takes a step back.

"I don't want to keep secrets just to keep you." And with that, he turns around and walks away.

-Later-

My feet throbbed, aching from the heels as I made my way home. 

Jesse steered clear of me for the remainder of the day. I knew he was mad, and I was more than willing to give him the space he needed to cool off but, that didn't mean I wasn't hurt about it. I also knew that trying to keep something like that from him was a stupid move on my end. I didn't want him to think of me as a liar or someone he couldn't trust. It was now that the entirety of the fight brought me back to arguments I've had with Jacob. And that was the last thing I wanted. 

I trudge up the steps, on the verge of having a breakdown at my front door as I insert my house key into the lock, twisting before pushing the door open with my shoulder.
"Jen!" I call out, pushing the door shut while I slip off my heels. "I'm home! And you won't believe the day I've had."

"Kat?" Jennifer speaks softly, her tone wary—cautious, almost.

I turn to face her, taking in the expression on her face, brows furrowed with worry, lips pulled into a thin smile. "You okay?" I ask, shrugging off my overcoat. "You look a little-" My sentence falls short as Jennifer steps off to the side.

My heart descends to my stomach, eyes widening as if they were saucers. My mouth goes dry, taking in the person a few feet away from me. I couldn't believe it. I had to be dreaming.

"Hi, kitten."

Her voice was so soft, the same gentle tone that I used to know. The one she had before Landon passed away. It was foreign, and yet? It still sounded exactly as I remembered.

"M...mom?" I stammer, my eyes flickering to every inch of her face, my memory of her just the same. She was beautiful, always had been. Ever since she was young, my mother could stop a truck with her killer smile, and there wasn't a day that dad wouldn't tell me I looked just like her. Soon, my shock subsided, anger and curiosity filling up my head. "What are you doing here?"

Jennifer steps closer to me, turning her back to my mother as she places her hand on my shoulder. "Do you want some privacy or do you want me to stay?" Her eyes filled with so much concern, but, most of all—resent. For she didn't know Olivia personally, only what I'd told her. 

"Give us a moment," I mumble, still stunned at her arrival. "I'll let you know if I need you." I flash Jen a warm—reassuring smile, giving her a slight nod before she glances back at my mother, turning away towards the hall and into her bedroom. 

My eyes slowly find my mother's face, my heart beating out of my chest. I fold my arms, keeping a fair distance between us. I remain quiet, unable to even muster up a proper sentence. I couldn't fathom her and I even being in the same room, let alone the living room of my apartment. 

"H...How're you doing?" She starts, hesitant at the beginning of her ask. "You look well—you look...beautiful." 

I bite down on my tongue, blinking back the burning of my eyes. I tear my eyes away from her, shaking my head. "I can't," I whisper, my vision going blurry. "I can't do this." I turn on my heel, heading back to the door where my heels were. I needed to get out of here. I wasn't expecting her to be here and I sure as hell didn't want her here. 

"Kathy, wait!" Olivia calls out, making me pause—my chin rising slowly at her nickname for me. "Just give me ten minutes." 

I glance over my shoulder, my eyes red—tears rolling down my cheeks as I meet her green eyes. 

"That is all I ask." 

I swallow thickly, nodding softly at her. "Okay, ten minutes...starting now."