“You could if you wanted to. It might be awkward, but you could get on with it. Maybe he’d want to see you again. If you like him and the sex is good, what’s wrong with that?”
“Everything. He’s still my boss and now, he knows what happened too.”
“Well, did he say anything? Did he say it was your fault or that you were a terrible person or that he wanted you to leave?”
“No,” Callie confessed. “I waited until he was asleep and then I snuck out. He just- kept holding me like he was doing the entire time. I think he did say something that it wasn’t my fault or- I don’t know. I don’t even remember. It’s like a blur. I was saying those things because I thought if I did, it would help me. It- it didn’t. I feel exactly the same.”
Chantara set her cup aside and wrapped her arms around Callie. “Oh, honey. It will be okay. Everything will be okay. If you don’t want to work there anymore, I get it. But sneaking out at four in the morning after some great sex? Four orgasms! What’s Matt going to think when he wakes up?”
“I don’t know. It’s not my problem anymore. He’ll think that we had a great night and then I left and that was that. He will probably be relieved that I quit. Or maybe he won’t even care. We all know he likes the ladies. He’ll probably just hire another assistant and be in bed with her in no time. Maybe that’s why I felt I could tell him those things. Because he’d listen and then just- forget. Like he’ll forget all about me.”
Chantara’s arms tightened around her waist. “That’s a terrible thing to say.”
“But it’s probably true.”
“Don’t you think this is odd? That I’m the one comforting you after a one-night stand? Usually, you’re the one wiping my tears and offering me popcorn and a movie or wine and tissues. You’re always the one telling me everything is going to be okay.”
“Yes, well, your sex life is a little more vibrant than mine is. Has been. Will ever be.”
Chantara laughed softly. “I know it’s five-thirty in the morning, but with another cup of coffee, we should be good to go. How about a bowl of popcorn and our usual break up chick flick?”
“Popcorn? Isn’t it too early for that?”
“It’s never too early for grease and salt. I’ll make us up a batch.”
“The neighbors might complain about the noise. We should at least wait until eight.”
Chantara pulled away and shot Callie a look that was absolutely hilarious. “No way. This place might have paper thin walls, but if anyone complains, I’ll just talk about how Mr. Jones gets up to pee eighteen times a night above us or how Mrs. Fredrick stomps around swearing at her husband until the early hours of the morning.”
“I swear, there might be a frying pan related death there someday.”
“Right. And that girl down the hall, the one who we don’t even know her name and we never seem to see her, but we always hear …”
Callie winced. “She had someone over again?”
“Oh god. All night. I think she might have rivaled your four orgasms if all that screaming, and moaning was to be believed.”
Callie allowed herself a small laugh. If there was one safe place left in the world for her, it was home. Not the home she’d grown up in, but her dumpy little apartment she shared with the best friend anyone could ever ask for.
“Alright, alright.” She capitulated. “Make the popcorn. I’ll get the movie.”
She relaxed against the counter and let some of the stress melt away. She noticed, with the movement, how sore she was, in spots she didn’t even know she could be sore in. Her nipples chafed against the lace of her bra and between her legs… well, she wasn’t even going to start thinking about that. Of course, that hurt.
She knew it wasn’t allowed, really. There were rules, unspoken, invisible, in her own life and governing her professional conduct. She’d crossed every single line. Other than the aftermath, the part where she’d spilled the most private details of her life like it was safe for her to do it, she couldn’t regret the sex. Who knew? It might be another fourteen months before she enjoyed anything that much again.
CHAPTER 15
Matt
The first thing Matt noticed on Monday morning was the empty receptionist desk. Of course, she called in sick. I should have expected it after she ghosted in the middle of the night. He had to admit that as good as the sex was- and it had been fucking mind blowing phenomenal, he felt like he’d fucked things up a little.
He kind of got the feeling that Callie was telling him that stuff about her past life kind of as a goodbye. Like she was getting ready to disappear out of his life completely and she felt safe telling him before she left.