I had nothing, and Oliver King was pushing a boundary I was helpless to defend.

“Oliver,” I said then, swallowing thickly on his name.

He leaned closer, breathing me in, and before I knew it, his mouth was on my ear, his tongue flicking over the soft, sensitive skin. He sucked my earlobe into his mouth, and I felt myself grow wet and achy in an instant. I huffed out a breath, trembled, and fisted my hand in his shirt, meaning to push him away, but instead only succeeded in pulling him closer. He groaned and caught my chin in his hand, turning my face to his. His mouth was almost on mine when I quickly turned away, his lips colliding with my jaw. The waft of alcohol was the stark reminder I needed to be strong and put a stop to this.

King was drunk and upset about his mother, though I still wasn’t sure exactly what had happened to her. He’d never be acting like this if it weren’t for his current state. I needed to be the level-headed one right then. Plus, Eleanor and Gillian were right on the other side of the door. They could walk in at any moment.

Pushing away from him, I stood, still feeling his lips on my earlobe and my chin, the memory giving me unwanted butterflies in my stomach. God, he was beautiful. It would be oh, so easy to give in, but the momentary pleasure wasn’t worth the long-term unemployment. And unemployed was exactly what I’d be if I were to let anything untoward happen with King. Maybe not right away, but I’d lose my job eventually. It was inevitable.

“You should go home and rest. You’re not yourself today.”

“Alexis, come here,” he replied, completely ignoring what I’d said. He had sex in his eyes, and it was pretty much impossible not to melt at the way he was looking at me. There was something about having a strong, powerful man look at me with such need that just melted my bones. And it went to show how much self-control I actually had, because I didn’t allow myself to give in.

I was already walking backward when I said, “I’m going back to work now.”

I didn’t allow him to get another word in as I turned and swiftly left his office.

Ten

Five minutes later I was sitting next to Eleanor, who was diligently typing away when King finally emerged. I felt safe in the fact that my coworkers were there. It meant he couldn’t say anything about what had just happened between us. He stood in the doorway for a full minute, and I could practically feel him staring a hole in my skull before he spoke.

“Gillian, cancel my afternoon meetings. I have a family emergency I need to attend to.”

“Of course,” said Gillian, a mixture of concern and nosiness marking her features. “Is everything okay?”

“It will be,” King replied stiffly before he strode right by her and out of the office. Once he was gone, I felt like I could breathe again. My brain was a scramble of thoughts as I tried to make sense of the morning. King had obviously been going through a tough time, and his behaviour was a moment of weakness. I was just glad I had the strength not to let it go any further than it did.

For the next few hours I plunged myself into work, keeping my head full of numbers and appointments so as not to think about my boss. Every time I found my mind wandering to the way it felt when he touched me, or how intoxicating it was to have his mouth on my skin, his lips sucking, I forced myself to concentrate on data. Data wasn’t sexy. It was dull and flat and two-dimensional, and the perfect bucket of cold water for my wandering imagination.

I didn’t see King for the rest of the day, nor did I see much of him for the following few days. I went out with Eleanor and Gillian for lunch and avoided our strange bathroom chess games. He never called me out on the fact that I was avoiding him, which was a relief. And after a while it became easier to simply concentrate on being good at my job, rather than cultivating a surreal friendship with my boss.

When it was finally Eleanor’s last day, Gillian and I got together to organise for a cake to be delivered to the office. There wasn’t a big going-away party, because Eleanor had stated firmly that she didn’t want one, and you didn’t eff with Eleanor’s wishes. I thought the least we could do was get her a cake, especially since she’d been so helpful training me into the job.

It was just after five when a couple of the other admin workers came over to our area to share the cake. We’d ordered red velvet, since that was Eleanor’s favourite. I stood chatting with my coworkers, a paper plate in hand, when suddenly I felt his presence. He’d been ignoring me somewhat, though I couldn’t tell if it was because he was embarrassed by his drunken behaviour or angry at me for shutting him down.

In my peripheral vision I saw King come to stand behind me. He observed the gathering, which was comprised mostly of women, and I pretended I hadn’t noticed him. Then I felt his hand lightly touch my elbow, followed by his breath on my ear.

“Alexis, can I have a word in private, please?”

I turned my head to him slightly and nodded, my posture stiff. “Sure.”

He gestured for me to follow him into his office. Once I was inside, he shut the door. I still had my cake in hand, and found myself clutching the paper plate like a life raft, no clue what this was all about. Was I going to be given my marching orders? No, it couldn’t be that.

King stood in front of his desk, leaning back against it and folding his arms as he eyed me. I wore a grey pencil skirt and a modest cream blouse, an ensemble I’d never be caught dead in outside the office. It was like a costume, something that made me feel like a different person, someone who belonged here in the City with the privileged and educated. King wore a navy suit with a slim red tie. He could have been a politician if he weren’t so handsome.