CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: CHLOE

“You’re kind of needy, do you know that?”

Theo peered down at me from where he was leaning against the headboard and reached down to brush some hair from my face. “I’m aware, but it’s the first time anyone has ever said it out loud.”

“You’re welcome.” I patted my hand against his lightly toned stomach. “So, uh… What do we do now?”

He raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean, what do we do now?”

“Well, we can’t exactly wake up tomorrow and pretend this never happened.” I sat up and pulled the sheets up to cover my front as I turned to him. “And don’t you dare say you thought that’s exactly what I’d do.”

“All right, I won’t say that.”

I clutched the sheets tightly and moved to swat at him, but he captured my wrist with a laugh and pulled me against him. I curled into his side and rested my head on his shoulder.

“Tell me what you want to do, Chlo.”

Chlo.

Why did my nickname feel give so many warm fuzzies when it came out of his mouth?

“I want to wake up tomorrow and pretend this never happened,” I replied, fighting back a laugh. “But I know we can’t do that.”

“We could if you really wanted.”

“No. If we pretend it never happened, we can’t do it again.”

Theo froze. “You… want to do it again?”

“Do you not?” I jerked back and stared at him. “Was it that bad for you?”

“Whoa, whoa, I never said that. I’d do it again right now if I could, trust me.” He pulled me back against him and clamped his arms around me. “I’m just surprised you brought it up.”

I sniffed, burying myself in his embrace once more. “I’m a big fan of boundaries. Since our original ones have shifted, we should redraw them in a way that’s comfortable for us both.”

“It’s sexy when you assert yourself.”

“I know.”

His chest shook with a quiet laugh. “So confident.”

“Why wouldn’t I be? You seemed to like it earlier when I was telling you what I wanted.”

“Mm.” He slipped his hand up to cup the side of my face and dipped his chin, then brushed a kiss across my temple. “I liked it very much. Almost as much as when you were begging me to let you come in my mouth.”

Ahem.

Now was hardly the time to be shy.

It was a bit late for that.

“I think we should keep the work-home separation the way it is. Which means no touching, flirting, or running your dirty mouth during the hours of seven until seven.”

“Can I think about you in a dirty way during that time?”

“I can hardly police your thoughts,” I muttered. “But you are still my boss, and I’m still your secretary. It would be inappropriate to behave otherwise.”

Theo paused. “There’s an ‘and’ in there.”

“Um, and…” I hesitated. “There’s no need to mix work and pleasure like that, is there?”

“What does that mean?”

I fixed my gaze on the houseplant in the corner, focusing on the variegation of the leaves. “Well, the only time that would need to happen is if we were romantically involved, and seriously so. And we’re not, are we?”

“Right,” he said slowly, his fingers twitching against my back. “We aren’t romantically involved.”

Ouch.

That really had no business stinging as much as it did. Especially since I was the one who’d brought it up to begin with.

“And you hate inter-office relationships,” I continued, rushing the words out before I could focus too much on that painful little flutter in my chest.

“Hate is a strong word. I’m opposed to them,” he replied after a moment. “I think they complicate things too much.”

I tugged the covers up to below my chin. “Why do you feel that way?”

His arms tensed around me.

“Never mind. You don’t have to answer. It’s not really my bus—”

“Ssh. It is your business. I just made it so.” He rested his cheek on top of my head. “You’re aware of how I ended up where I am in the company, aren’t you?”

“Of course. I was privy to the process—the professional one, at least. I know something happened before you moved to the head office, but I don’t know what it was.”

“About two years ago, when I was at the subsidiary company, I transferred teams to the general management one since Gramps had made it clear he wanted to retire and move me to the head office,” he said in a quiet voice. “The lead manager there at the time was about six or seven years older than me, and we hit it off right away. I knew I wouldn’t be there too long, so I didn’t think much of starting a relationship with her. We both agreed it wouldn’t be anything serious at the beginning.”

“That… Did she pursue you?”

“Hmm. I don’t know, to be honest with you. It was definitely a mutual attraction, but in hindsight, perhaps she was slightly more aggressive than I was when it came to pursuing it.” He trailed his fingertips up and down my forearm, leaving goosebumps in the wake of his touch. “We agreed to keep it a secret in the office, but after about six months, I overheard her talking to one of her friends in an empty meeting room. They were talking about our relationship, and I realised then that she was only seeing me because I had something to offer her.”

I tightened my grip on the covers. “You mean because you were the President’s grandson.”

“Yes, pretty much that.”

“What a bitch.”

Theo chuckled. “Believe it or not, that wasn’t what bothered me most. It’s not as though I’m not used to people approaching me because of who I am, and it wasn’t exactly a secret that I’d changed departments to prepare for a move to head office. She was hoping that if we had a relationship, I would put in a good word and secure her a promotion at head office with me.”

“Please tell me you fired her.”

“I had no authority to do such a thing, nor would it have been appropriate to fire someone for such a personal reason.”

Stupid employment ethics. “Then at least tell me you broke up with her.”

“That very night,” he answered. “The real problems started after that. Word of our relationship got around, and the story had been twisted from the truth. Instead of her using me, it was that I’d accused her of using me to get a promotion and was seeing someone else at the same time as her, and I’d used the fabricated accusation as an excuse to break things off.”

Ugh.

As if he’d cheat on someone. I’d thought many things about him over the time we’d worked together, but that he was a cheater was not a thought that’d ever crossed my mind.

He was the most honest man I knew.

“Nobody said anything out loud, but it was clear they sided with Lily over me. She was our direct superior and she’d been there much longer than I had.” A hint of sadness and frustration edged his tired tone. “She was well-liked amongst the staff, and as far as they were concerned, I was the arrogant nepo baby using their office as a stepping stone to greater things.”

No wonder he always worked so hard to prove himself and kept a distance from most people in the office. He’d been up against such bullshit for years.

“They sound like complete pricks,” I said, turning into him and resting one of my arms across his stomach.

He chuckled lightly into my hair. “They were. Still, the resulting fall out made things exceedingly difficult for about a year. If I wasn’t me, there was no doubt I’d have had to resign or request a transfer. The only good thing about being the President’s grandson was that they were all too scared to say shit to my face.”

“Saying it behind your back is hardly better. I’d rather people air their grievances in front of me.”

“Yes, well, so would I.” He reached up and ran his fingers through my hair, stroking it softly. “Lily found another job and left after that year, and things were less tense after that. I gradually started spending more time at head office learning the ropes, and I slowly started feeling more comfortable. If I didn’t already know my position had an end date, though, I probably would have tried to leave that office. I wouldn’t have had a choice.”

“So, it wasn’t the relationship, but rather the aftermath?”

“Mm. That was the worst part of everything, and I swore I’d never do it again. I wouldn’t want to put anyone in the position I was in, even if it was unintentional. Gossip spreads like wildfire in companies like ours, and I don’t think I could handle that again.”

“That explains why you kept everyone at arm’s length when you moved to us.”

“That and the bastard board breathing down my neck.”

I smiled, stroking my thumb across his stomach.

“Stop.” He caught my hand, lightly squeezing my fingers. “Unless you want me to flip you over and fulfil your wish of fucking you again,” he said, nuzzling his nose into the side of my neck.

“Stopppp.” I pushed his face away with a laugh. “I’m too tired for that. Please behave yourself.”

Theo grunted, releasing my hand to hug me again. “Only because I know you’re telling the truth. You haven’t stopped all day.”

“Whose fault is that?”

“You must have a terribly needy and overbearing boss.”

“He’s the worst. He even makes me knot his tie on a morning, and I have to deal with women who fancy him all the time.”

He pushed me down and leant over me, kissing my neck. “I’m pretty sure he has to deal with men who fancy his assistant, too.”

“Unlikely.”

“Mm, you say that, but I’m absolutely sure Lennon has a crush on you.”

I rested my hands against his cheeks and pulled his face up until our eyes met. “Don’t say such ridiculous things.”

Theo raised his eyebrows. “You’re completely blind to the obvious things right in front of you, aren’t you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Doesn’t matter.” He dropped his lips to mine. “He can’t have you, anyway.”

“Nobody can. I’m not an object that can be possessed by anyone,” I retorted, kissing him back.

“And if you were, not many people could afford you.” He pressed one firm kiss against my lips again before resting his forehead against mine, closing his eyes. “Stay with me tonight, Chlo.”

“Stay with you?” I gently scratched my nails across the back of his head. “Where exactly do you think I’m going to go? My bedroom is only twenty feet down the hall.”

“No, stay here.” He flopped onto his side and wrapped me in his arms, pulling me against his body. “Right here.”

“You’re needy. Like a puppy.”

“Mm. So pat my head and tell me I’m a good boy.”

What the—

I laughed, reaching up with my free arm. I patted his head softly and said, “Good boy.”

He smiled, touching his lips to my forehead. “Thank you. Does that mean you’ll stay?”

“Mm, but only because I’m warm.” I cosied into him and turned off the part of my brain that was screaming that this was a Very Bad Idea. “We don’t have anywhere to be until tomorrow afternoon, right?”

“That’s usually my line.” He smiled against my hair. “But no. You can take it easy before lunch, so make sure you sleep in.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And don’t call me ‘sir’ when you’re lying naked in bed with me unless you want me to never get any work done ever again.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Chloe…”

Hehe. “Goodnight, Theo.”

He sighed. “If I can’t sleep tonight, it’s all your fault.”