“Good morning,” she greets coquettishly as I step out of the bathroom. She’s seated at the edge of my bed with my blanket wrapped around her petite figure.
She looks radiant and naturally beautiful. My eyes land on the hickeys on her neck, and I can’t help but feel a little proud.
Dumbass.
I grit my teeth and assume my usual expression.
“Mmm.”
Turning cooly, I open the closet without sparing her another glance and start slipping into my suit. I’m not the least bit bothered by her presence, even with her eyes following me around the room.
“I-I…”
“Do you need anything?” I ask flatly, slightly tilting my head to look at her.
The smile on her lips immediately disappears and her expression turns blank.
Her blue-green eyes meet mine and our gazes lock for a few seconds before she shakes her head in response and slips out of the room without speaking.
Watching the door close behind her, I release a deep breath, chastising myself inwardly for handling the situation so insensitively. But sensitivity has never been my thing, and I don’t think I could achieve it even if I wanted to.
Over the years, I’ve learned that silence is the strongest message a man can send a woman. Natalie is a wise woman. She will understand it.
Screwing her is already a grave sin, and a fuck up I literally cannot un-fuck.
Giving her false hope is something I refuse to do to her.
Chapter 7
NATALIE
I sigh heavily, staring absently at the sunset through the glass walls. It hasn’t been that long since I started working at the company my grandfather left me, but I already want to quit and hide. It’s hard work, which isn’t something I’ve ever shied away from, nor is it something I normally can’t handle. It’s just that the miserable emptiness I feel every time I go home is consuming my energy.
It’s weird.
I thought I’d grown numb to this over the past three years.
I thought the defenses I’d built were impenetrable.
But when I was with Derik, I was over the moon with hopes and expectations, only for them to be crushed the moment I opened my eyes that morning.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I learned that Derik had dumped one project after another on my team. He’s deliberately made me the leader, forcing me to work long hours in addition to my other classes and training. I suspect he’s trying to preoccupy me with work.
I sip from my mug, forcing myself to enjoy the coral-orange sky over the desert cityscape.
The passion of the night we spent together is long gone now. It seems as though it was all a dream at this point. It’s been about six weeks since I last saw him. He’s gone when I wake up in the morning, and I hear him come home after I’m in bed at night. There have been days he’s flown to other states or gone back to headquarters without informing me. He’s just gone without a word, and I don’t know if he’ll ever be back.
I know well enough that a man’s silence is a clear message and dwelling on it is only a waste of my time.
What happened between us happened with my consent, and I don’t regret it,
so there’s no use crying over spilled milk.
My thoughts are pulled back to the present as I feel my phone vibrating in my back pocket. I purse my lips when I see the caller ID.
Speak of the devil.
“We’ll be attending Mr. Wilson’s sixtieth birthday banquet tonight. Be ready to go by seven.”
I open my mouth to respond just as I hear the beep of the line going dead, leaving me alone in the silence again, abandoned. I understand that he doesn’t want anything to do with me, even after bedding me—it is crystal clear—but he doesn’t have to treat me like a plague!
Angrily dragging my feet to the employee kitchen, I pour the remaining tea from my cup into the sink and leave. Derik has never been the boss of me. I’ve always done my part as I owe him for watching over me and taking care of the business my family left. I quickly march to my office and furiously grab my bag.
I don’t bother masking my rage as I stride across the halls.
“You seem to be in a particularly bad mood, Ms. Quinn,” I hear Mason’s voice comment, seemingly out of nowhere, as I step onto the elevator. Apparently, he’s been following quietly behind me in my storm out of the office. He presses the main floor button knowingly.
I grumble and let out an exasperated sigh, still fuming over Derik’s attitude.
Mason chuckles.
“Love life problem?” he pries.
I smirk.
“Do I seem like the type of woman who has time for that, Mr. Moore?” I ask formally. The man is easygoing, but I’ve always believed that formalities are necessary in a workplace, so I continue to address him that way.
“Oh, come on, Natalie. We’re technically off work.”
