Garrett

The sense of euphoria that had accompanied me for the last week had vanished. Rain pelted the window of my office, falling so hard it obscured the view of the city. It suited my mood perfectly.

Grimacing, I focused on the document in front of me, rereading the first paragraph for the sixth time. I was no more successful this time, and admitting defeat, I shoved it aside and walked out of the office and down the hallway.

A few people paused in their cubicles, eyes widening when they caught sight of my severe countenance, and they quickly went back to their work. If I wasn't so irritated, I might have felt guilty for their anxiety. I had worked hard to not be that kind of boss.

Unfortunately, the only person I wanted to see at work was not in her cubicle. The clock above Ivy's desk flipped to 9 am. An hour and a half later than she normally arrived in the office.

The small part of me that remained rational whispered she had probably chosen to work later hours today. After all, she had probably been up late getting settled back into her routine after a week away.

The much bigger, more insecure part of me shouted that I'd been a complete idiot and had scared her away with my declaration of love. Several times last night, I'd toyed with the idea of calling her and telling her I'd gotten carried away by the moment. It would be easy to make it a joke. Something along the lines of her magical pussy bewitching me, but I couldn't do it. Couldn't cheapen the moment with humor, especially because I meant every word.

I loved her.

I loved the way she made me lose control. The way she made me laugh, and the way she challenged me. I loved how smart she was and how much depth of character she had. And I loved how she seamlessly fit in with my mothers, never once thinking our arrangement was weird.

It was okay if she wasn't there yet. I meant that too when I said it. It hurt like hell to accept, and I probably hadn't hidden the hurt as well as I wanted. She would get there in time. There was no doubt about that in my mind because this thing between us was the real deal. If only I hadn't scared her away.

"Fuck," I grunted, slamming my fist into my palm before turning to leave.

"Fuck!" Ivy's sweet voice echoed as she slammed into me.

Relief poured through me as I reached out to steady her. But it was short-lived. I took in the sight of her. Her top and pants were rumpled. Oversized sunglasses hid her chocolate eyes from me, and there was a faint white tinge to her hair that suggested she'd overdone the dry shampoo.

"You okay?" I asked in a guarded tone.

Her lips tightened in a wince, and she dropped her purse onto the floor with a thud, not bothering to right it when it tipped over. "Hunky dory."

"You're a little late."

"It's nine." She sank into her chair and clicked the mouse to wake up the computer. Keys clacked as she logged in. "Did I miss a meeting?"

"No." I stared at her. Dread coiled in my stomach. "Are you hungover?"

Ivy rubbed her eyes under her sunglasses. "Migraine. And I didn't get much sleep last night. My sister came back to town."

My anger softened, though a bit of suspicion remained. Suspicion tinged by guilt because migraine or hangover, I suspected my declaration caused it. I eased into the cubicle and crouched beside her chair.

"Hey," I whispered.

She dropped her hands in her lap. "Hey."

"If..." I swallowed. "If this is about what I said yesterday."

"No!" Ivy almost shouted. She pressed her lips together and paled. "I mean...there's more to it than that."

The world tilted off balance, and I put my hand against her desk to steady myself. What an absolute fool I'd been. Breaking my rules and breaking my own damn heart. Now I was going to have to work with her daily while knowing what her skin felt like under my hands. In meetings, I would think about how her pussy tasted on my tongue when she came, and how she always ended up pulling the sheets off the bed when I fucked her from behind.

"Garrett." She touched my hand. "It's not what you're thinking. I promise."

"Oh, yeah." I stood and shoved my hands in my pockets. "I should probably prep for the meeting. Make sure you bring the notes we went over the night before last."

"Garrett, wait." Ivy sprang out of her chair. Her mouth stretched open wide. "I do l—"

Her hand went over her mouth, and she bolted past me. Torn between running after her to check on her and salvaging my pride, I finally decided to sit in her chair and wait for her. Ten minutes later, my phone dinged with a text telling me she'd gone home for the day because of her headache.

"Shit."

Maybe she really was ill, and if that was the case, I was an ass. I sent her a message telling her to rest and not worry about the meeting, but after a few seconds, I canceled the meeting all together. There was no way I could focus today. Not while I worried about how she was doing.

On the way out of her cubicle, I spied the spilled purse and bent to collect it. A thick stack of papers caught my eye and curiosity got the better of me. A grin split my face. It was one of her sister's manuscripts.

The Office Affair: Iris Wilson

Chuckling at the irony, I thumbed through a few pages, pausing on a highlighted section toward the middle. All of my humor vanished as I read the extremely graphic sex scene, but it wasn't lust that replaced it.

"What the fuck?" I hissed, rereading the paragraph about the couple having sex for the first time in the hotel room.

It might have been easy enough to dismiss as coincidental if not for the part where he asked her what she liked about the dirty movie she'd been watching. And she replied that she wanted to be owned.

Had she been using me all along? Stringing me along to feed her sister story ideas?

Gripping the manuscript in my hand, I stormed out of the office. I didn't care if Ivy was bent over the toilet or curled up beneath her covers. I was going to get an answer one way or the other.