Her green eyes were bright despite the darkness. When she gripped my forearms, she dug her nails into me. After a minute of screwing her, she was wet like usual, enjoying being roughly taken in the middle of the night. Maybe she was just doing it for me in the beginning, but now, she was doing it entirely for herself.
7
Rome
Calloway never talked about the nightmare he had—and that was fine. His reaction was much better than the impulse he used to have, which was to get so wasted he passed out and forgot the nightmare altogether. He didn’t push me away or tell me to leave him alone. He let me wrap my arms around his body and hold him until the panic passed.
He told me his father used to be a violent maniac with cruel approaches to punishment, but he never went into the details of his childhood. I suspected there were more problems than he let on if he was still having nightmares as a grown man.
But I refused to ask because he would tell me when he was ready.
The following morning, neither one of us said much to each other. Calloway was distant, but not cold, his mind somewhere else. He did his daily routine of showering, shaving, and then drinking a cup of coffee before he left for work.
Since we worked at the same place now, I had to wait inside his house for a few minutes before I left, just in case anyone found it suspicious that we arrived together every single day.
I didn’t care what anyone thought of me. I pursued what I believed in and left the haters behind. But this was an entirely different situation. If my teammates didn’t take me seriously, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish all my goals. It was important for me to earn their respect. The second they knew I was screwing the boss, all my integrity and credibility would go out the window. They would assume I only got the job because I got under him every night—and on top of him.
We had a meeting that afternoon, working through lunch, and it was the first time I’d had to interact with Calloway in front of other people. I knew I could behave myself. I just hoped Calloway would do the same. He didn’t care what the office thought of his personal life—but he didn’t have anything to lose.
I walked into the conference room and purposely didn’t look at Calloway. Lunch was set up in the back, an Italian meal with fettuccini and salad. I put a few scoops of everything onto my plate and grabbed a water before I sat down—far on the other side of the room.
Even though fifteen feet were between us, I pressed my thighs tightly together and looked over my notes while taking a few bites of my lunch. Anytime we were in the same vicinity, I thought about him in inappropriate ways. Thankfully, my office was on the other side of the building and nowhere near his. I could actually think straight with the door closed.
“Hey.” Dean took the seat beside me in a collared shirt and slacks. He was roughly the same age as I was. He left his job at another nonprofit in California before he moved to Manhattan. “I love lunch meetings because of the free food.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, that makes two of us.” I gave him a smile so I wouldn’t appear to be rude then turned back to my lunch.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you something.” He spread out his things on the table in preparation for the meeting.
“Sure.” I assumed he needed help organizing a clothing drive for the schools in the inner cities of New York. That was his department, which focused on providing for school-age children that needed clothes, technology, and books.
“Are you free tonight?” He looked at me expectantly, his handsome face full of confidence. He was a good-looking guy with a heart of gold, but I’d never paid much attention to him.
I could feel Calloway’s gaze snap in my direction, the heat from his look searing right through my skin. Without seeing his face, I knew his expression was dark and absolutely terrifying. Jealousy was a subject we hadn’t encountered just yet, but it was obvious he was incredibly possessive of me.
“To work on a budget plan?” I asked, hopeful I was jumping to the wrong conclusion.
“Actually, I’ve kind of had a crush on you since you started here last week. I was hoping you’d like to go on a date with me.”
Dean was nice, respectful, and friendly. If I’d never met Calloway, I probably would have said yes. But now that Calloway was the man who shared my bed every night, it was hard for me to picture myself with any other man.