21. Cora

The morning after the disastrous meeting with Griffin's parents, I want to spend the lazy Sunday in bed.

I yawn as I sit up, stretching my arms wide until the back of my hand bumps into Griffin's chest.

He sets down his book, an amused smile playing on his lips. "Morning to you, too."

I shuffle closer, leaning into his side.

"Did you get any sleep?" His arm wraps around me, fingers gently tracing my waist.

"I got some sleep. Not a lot, but enough." I study his tired eyes.

"Were you up all night thinking about what happened last night?" I run my finger along the bags under his eyes. "You look like you haven't slept in a week."

"Well, I still wish the dinner had gone better." Griffin sighs, leaning against the headboard. "A stupid part of me hoped my family would be happy for me."

I give him a serious look as I swing one leg over him and straddle his lap. "I think that might have killed them."

Griffin chuckles, his hands settling on my hips as his cock strains against the shorts he sleeps in. "You shouldn't worry about what they think, though. Everything is going to be fine."

"The more you say that, the less I believe it." I roll my hips, grinding down against him as desire floods through my body.

If there is one thing that will ease the stress from last night, it's starting the day with a bit of fun together.

He lifts his hips and presses into me as his hands drop to my bare thighs. "Mrs. Blake, are you trying to start something right now?"

"Well, I couldn't start anything after that delicious food Mrs. Cecilia gave us last night. There was no moving after two slices of that cheesecake."

Griffin smirks as his hands slide beneath the hem of the nightie I'm wearing. His fingers brush against my wet pussy before both hands leave my body.

I rake my nails down his bare chest, loving the feeling of his shudder beneath me. "You're not going to be a tease, are you?"

"Maybe," Griffin reaches around and cups my ass, dragging me against him harder. "I know you like it. Your pussy is soaked every time I tease you. I bet just thinking about all the things I'm going to do to you has you dripping."

I moan as he leans forward and sucks on my pulse. "See for yourself."

"Cute, but I'm not going to do that." He nips at my collarbone. "Not yet, at least. Where is the fun in giving you what you want?"

I smirk and kiss my way down his torso, nipping at his skin and tracing patterns with my tongue.

The lower I get, the harder his cock throbs beneath me. I tug his shorts off, his cock bobbing free.

Griffin's hands sink into my hair, and he scrapes it back from my face as my tongue flicks over the head of his cock. "Good girl."

I moan as I hollow my cheeks and take him deeper into my mouth. I swirl my tongue around the base before licking my way back up the underside.

Griffin guides my head back down, lifting his hips until his cock presses against the back of my throat.

My head bobs up and down his cock, my tongue teasing him with each pass. I dig my nails into his thighs as his hips rock forward, forcing me to take him deeper.

I graze my teeth along his length, soothing the sting with my tongue before taking him to the back of my throat again.

Griffin pulls my head back, forcing me to look at him. "As much as I love that mouth of yours, it's my turn for a taste."

He flips us over with ease before reaching for my nightie. He drags it up over my head and tosses it off the bed before claiming my mouth in a searing kiss.

Griffin's hand wraps around my throat, putting pressure on the sides as his tongue tangles with mine.

My back arches off the bed as Griffin nips at my bottom lip.

He chuckles as he kisses his way lower down my body. He pulls one of my nipples into his mouth, sucking on it until I'm writhing beneath him.

Griffin takes the other nipple between his fingers, pinching and rolling it until I feel like I'm on the edge of an orgasm.

"Griff, please. Just fuck me now." I rake my fingers through his hair before tugging him back.

He smirks and switches to the other side, ignoring my plea. His teeth graze against the sensitive bud, pulling on it until I'm whimpering beneath him.

Griffin soothes away the sting with his tongue moments before he continues his path of destruction down my body.

He licks and sucks at my skin until I'm sure that I'm going to be covered in marks.

The thought only has more heat pooling between my thighs.

"You're being a tease again," I hook one leg over his shoulder as he kisses my inner thigh. "You're driving me fucking crazy."

"You fucking love it." He flicks his tongue over my clit, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

Griffin sucks on my clit as he presses two fingers into me.

My hips rock off the bed as he thrusts deeper. His tongue flicks over my clit in time with his rocking fingers, shoving me over the edge of an orgasm he's had me clinging for too long.

Griffin's fingers keep rocking harder and faster as my pussy clamps down around him. "Good girl. Keep coming for me."

I fist the sheets, my hips rocking in time with his fingers. Griffin plunges them deeper with every thrust.

Without a warning, he replaces his fingers with his cock in one hard thrust.

"Oh my god, Griff." I cry out in pleasure, my body arching as he fills me up. I moan as he hovers over me, his mouth finding mine again.

Our tongues tangle as he buries his cock to the hilt. He throbs inside me as I rake my nails down his back and pound into me hard and fast, over and over again.

Griffin groans and pulls out, grabbing me by the hip and flipping me over.

I rise onto all fours, arching my back as he slams into me from behind.

His fingers dig into my hips as he hauls me back against him.

"Fuck, Cora. Your pussy is so tight. I want to feel you milk my cock when you come."

I grip the sheets, arching my back more. His thrusts are deeper, his cock sending waves of pleasure through my body with every stroke. I can feel my orgasm building, my body tightening as he continues to fuck me.

"Mm, Griff… soon, I'm coming soon." I moan, my body continuing to tense with each thrust.

Griffin reaches around my hip and between my legs, his fingers circling my clit and sending another orgasm crashing through me.

My pussy pulsates around his cock as I come. I move in time with his thrusts, moaning as his cock stiffens.

"Fuck yes, Cora. Just like that." Griffin's thrusts turn slow and deep as he comes.

We collapse onto the bed, a tangle of limbs, grinning at each other as our chests heave with exertion. I roll into his side just as his phone starts to beep.

Griffin rolls over, grabs the phone from the nightstand, and checks the message. All the color drains from his face as he unlocks the phone and pulls up an article.

"What is it?"

He sits up, his mouth opening and closing several times. "Somebody leaked the story about us to the media."

"Who?" I sit up beside him, leaning into the headboard as my heart plummets to my feet. "The only people who know are your parents, Jake, and Sophie. Nobody else knows the truth about anything."

"Clearly, someone thought payday and ruining our reputations were more appealing than keeping the secret."

"Sophie would never. Neither would Jake." My tone is sharp as I take the phone from his hand to read the article.

There are photos of our intimate moments in his backyard, lounging in the sun. Other pictures of us kissing are further down in the article.

Headlines scream across the articles and gossip columns, detailing the scandalous love affair between the billionaire CEO of the prestige law firm and his assistant— ‘Assistant Marries Boss to Pay Off Debt – A Modern-Day Temptation or Calculated Move?'

There's no doubt his parents had to have spilled the story.

My stomach turns, bile rising in my throat. I feel like I'm going to throw up as I hand the phone back to him so I don't have to look at it anymore.

Griffin sighs and puts the phone on the bed, rubbing his eyes. "I can't believe my parents would do this to me."

I arch an eyebrow as I get out of bed and grab my short nightgown from the back of the bedroom door. "They did this to you?"

"Cora—"

"No, Griffin. This is an attack on me. Everything about that article portrays me in a negative light and makes you look like the innocent man who got tricked by a gold digger."

Griffin gets out of bed and pulls on his shorts as I yank open the bedroom door. "Where are you going?"

"I need a minute to myself and figure out how the fuck I'm going to show my face at work again."

"We can work through this together, and we will. You don't have to go running off."

The pleading look in his eyes tells me that he is desperate to believe his parents couldn't have done this.

"No. I need time to think about what I'm going to do." I step back when he reaches for me. "Please, Griff, this is my life, and I need time to figure it out."

"Fine." He steps back and shakes his head. I'm going to call my PR team and see what they say about this."

I shrug and head for the stairs. "The story is already out there, Griff. It won't die until bigger news comes along to replace it."

As I make my way downstairs, tears roll down my cheeks.

I'm at a loss for how to face the office tomorrow morning and pretend everything is alright.

When I walk into work the next morning, Kaleigh is waiting at my desk. She leaps up from the chair and hurries toward me as everybody else stops working to watch.

I keep my head held high, even as my cheeks flame. "Hey."

Kaleigh loops her arm through mine, towing me into her office and slamming the door shut. "We have a lot to talk about. Mainly, how good is the dick game? He looks like he knows his way around a woman's body."

I burst out laughing even though I feel like I should be crying. "I can't complain."

Kaleigh flashes a knowing smile and sits on the edge of her desk while gesturing to one of the chairs in front of it. "Please, have a seat and share with Dr. Kaleigh all the challenges you"re facing right now."

I groan and set my tote on the ground. "I don't know where to begin. We met with his parents, and their response was to publicly trash me online."

"I could kick their asses for you." Kaleigh crosses one leg over the other. "I mean that. I don't care who they are. Nobody messes with my girl."

My chest tightens as I shake my head. "You don"t have to do that. Everything will be okay. Griffin may not want to believe his parents are behind this, but he"ll uncover the truth eventually."

Kaleigh"s gaze is sympathetic as she gestures towards the door. "You know, once you step out there, the sharks will be circling," she says.

"I know. I have a plan." I swallow hard, feeling like I can"t breathe. "I just need to get through the next hour or so."

Understanding flickers in Kaleigh"s eyes. "Cora, I"ll be sorry to see you go. I can leave early and spend the day with you if you don"t want to be alone."

Tears well up, and I manage a weak smile. "I"d really appreciate that."

Kaleigh nods, standing up. "You go deal with whatever you need to, and I"ll get ready to leave for the day."

"Thank you for not hating me for keeping this from you. I promise the way everything was written is not the way anything happened at all."

Kaleigh gives me a reassuring smile as I grab my bag and head for the door. "I know it isn"t. When you"re ready, you can tell me as much or as little as you want."

"Thank you, Kaleigh."

Leaving her office, I head straight for Griffin"s, feeling the weight of whispers following me with every step.

I step into Griffin"s office, closing the door behind me. He sighs and looks up from his computer.

"There you are, Cora. You were gone before I got up this morning," he says, turning away from the screen with a strained smile.

"I needed to go for a run and clear my head. Did you see my note? I left one on the kitchen counter before I took off," I explain.

He nods. "I saw it. How are you doing this morning? You barely said anything yesterday."

I retrieve a piece of paper from my tote bag. "Here"s my resignation."

Griffin"s eyes widen as he takes the paper, quickly scanning it before pushing it back towards me. "I"m not accepting this."

"Well, you don't get much of a choice," I assert, shifting my weight uneasily. "This is what I have to do now that everyone knows."

"You don't have to do anything. I spoke to HR, and we're dealing with the media. We just need something on file so you can still work as my assistant even though we're married," Griffin counters.

Shaking my head, I tuck my trembling hands into the pockets of my slacks. "No. If I stay here, everyone is going to be against me. They"ll believe our relationship is why I was hired, and it's definitely hurting your reputation. How are they going to trust you? It's best that I leave. I don't want to burden you, Griffin."

"What about all the debt you have to pay?" he asks.

I shrug. "I can figure it out. I might have to put my dreams on hold for a little longer, but I would rather be happy with you than spend my days getting torn down by everyone around me."

Griffin stands and rounds his desk, coming closer to me. "Cora, you have a job here. The media will die down eventually, and everything will return to normal. I'll make sure you're left alone."

"Hear me out," I say, standing taller and meeting his gaze. I've spent a lot of time thinking about what would be best for me and for us."

"Cora—"

"I can get a job somewhere else," I continue, hefting the bag higher up on my shoulder. "Whoever wrote these articles really dug into my life."

"I'm going to find out who did this," Griffin insists, his tone pleading, but I shake my head.

"Griff, if you can't see exactly who is behind this, then we have a bigger problem than I thought," I take another step toward the door. "I'm done working here, effective immediately."

"And what about us?"

"This isn't the end of us, Griff," I say, my voice cracking with emotion, "but we both have a lot of thinking to do."