“I started it,” I protested. “I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.”
But rather than making things better, our repeated apologies only seemed to make both of us feel even more awkward. We still couldn’t bear to look each other in the eyes. Suddenly, there didn’t seem to be enough air there in his office. I felt like I was suffocating and knew that I needed to get out of there.
But we had meetings all day. Meetings I would have to attend with Daniel. Where I would have to sit right next to him and pretend that nothing was wrong. Pretend that nothing had happened. What would the rest of the guys in those meetings think if they knew? It would be the end of my business career, I was sure. The end of any chance I might ever have had to one day become a CEO.
I didn’t know how much longer I could keep working here at McGregor Enterprises. Would Daniel fire me? Would he expect me to resign? I wouldn’t be able to sue him, if so, not without letting everyone else in the business world know just what it was I had done. But that would be professional suicide.
“Let’s pretend that never happened,” Daniel said, though, clearly reading my panic.
I nodded quickly. “Pretend it never happened,” I echoed. But the air in there still felt tight, and I knew I was going to need at least a little time off so that I could compose myself. “You know, I’m not feeling so good,” I lied. “Maybe I should head home for the day. I’m sure you can handle the meetings on your own, can’t you?”
I hated to blow off work over such a stupid personal issue, but I didn’t think I could sit there any longer in Daniel’s office, going over whatever documents he wanted to show me before our first meeting of the day. And not only that, but I definitely needed time to cool off, time for that sexual tension to dissipate a little, before I could sit beside him in a meeting.
Daniel looked stricken that I would ask such a thing, though, and for a moment, I was tempted to try to take it back. But what could I do? Tell him that I had just been joking? Somehow, I didn’t think that he was going to buy that. And besides, I really didn’t know if I could stay there, not like this. Not when I couldn’t stop thinking about my body pressed against his, our lips meeting like that.
I took another step back, even though Daniel hadn’t moved. If I wasn’t mistaken, there was the bitter twist of a smile on his face before he turned away from me, shuffling the papers on his desk once more. “Go ahead,” he told me brusquely. “Take the day off. Whatever you need.”
“You’re not mad, are you?” I asked. I wasn’t sure what made me say it. He couldn’t very well get mad at me for the kiss, could he? It took two people to kiss, and he had been just as involved as I had been. In fact, if I really wanted to place blame, he was more responsible than I was, since he was the one who had stepped closer first, and he was the one who had touched me first.
But I had wanted it, I reminded myself. There was no blame there.
Daniel’s face twisted even more, as though I had really hurt him. He gave a sharp shake of his head. “No, I’m not mad,” he said, and I could tell how much control it was taking him to keep his tone even.
I swallowed hard, wondering if this was how I was going to get fired. But Daniel seemed okay with letting me leave for now. Maybe we both needed to collect ourselves.
I wanted to say something else, maybe to try to joke with him, but I couldn’t think of a single word to say. Instead, I finally headed for the door, hurrying out of there. I was so caught up in my thoughts, so focused on what had just happened, as well as on getting out of there, that I bumped into the doorway and almost fell over in my rush to correct my balance. But I made it out.
I rushed past the other desks in the office, and I could feel Erin’s eyes on me, no doubt wondering about my hasty departure. But fortunately, she didn’t say anything.
When I got down to the street level, I realized I was shaking, and I couldn’t tell if it was adrenaline, worry, or something deeper, something more lustful and dirty. I swallowed hard, pressing my palms against my flaming cheeks. Slowly, I pulled out my phone, immediately calling Leanne.
“What’s wrong?” my best friend asked immediately.
“How did you know something was wrong?” I asked, momentarily distracted from my plight.
“You’re calling me in the middle of your workday,” Leanne pointed out. “I assume that means that something’s wrong.”
I sighed and stared sightlessly down the street, knowing that I should hail a cab to go somewhere, anywhere but here. But all I could think about was when Daniel and I had gone for that drink, after my first day of work, and he had hailed a cab for me afterward.
I had been so sure that he was a nice guy, that he was different from what all the tabloids said. But he couldn’t possibly have feelings for me, he couldn’t possibly be interested in me as more than just a one-night stand, and that meant that kiss back there in the office was just a regular thing for him. Another manifestation of his usual pattern.
“Abby?” Leanne prompted.
“I kissed Daniel,” I blurted out. “And now I’m standing out on the sidewalk because I just, I can’t be in there. Even if it means that he fires me now.”
“Oh honey.” Leanne sighed. “Why don’t you come over? Sounds like we have some talking to do.”
“Okay,” I said, trying to pretend that my voice didn’t sound small and fragile, like a child’s. But I knew Leanne wasn’t buying it. She knew me better than I knew myself, I sometimes swore. And suddenly, I realized that she and Matt had been exactly right in cautioning me against getting involved with Daniel.
Without even realizing it, I had let myself believe that there could be something more between the two of us. Like if I just kissed him, then maybe things would work out.
I finally hailed a cab, directing the driver to Leanne’s place. I hated that I felt so close to tears, even though I knew Leanne was hardly the type of person to say, ‘I told you so’.
Chapter 15
Daniel
AS ABBY HURRIED OUT of my office, I closed my eyes, leaning heavily against my desk. Fuck. I didn’t know what had come over me. Except that I did. There was just something about her. It wasn’t just the long hair and the gorgeous body, though. It was more to do with her personality, her intelligence, her work ethic, everything that really made Abby, well, Abby.