Jake
It hasn't been easy, pushing Laura from my mind after everything that happened. At first, I thought the workload at the office would be enough to distract me. The mountain of contracts, meetings, and deals that needed closing kept me buried for the better part of the week, but that didn't stop her from creeping into my thoughts when I least expected it.
It wasn't just the sex. It was the way she looked at me after, like I had shattered something fragile between us. I told myself it was for the best. I was her boss, and that alone made what happened a mistake. No matter how much I tried to rationalize it, though, I couldn't shake the image of her walking away, the hurt in her eyes that I tried to ignore.
Laura was ask avoiding me, and I could tell. She would leave the office before I did, or take the longer route through the halls so we wouldn't run into each other. She was always professional in meetings, but she wouldn't meet my gaze. It stung more than I wanted to admit, even though I knew this was what I wanted, to keep things simple, professional. But hell, it didn't feel simple at all. Not when every time I saw her, my chest tightened and I remembered the way her lips felt against mine, the way she looked at me like I was the only thing in her world.
My phone rang just then, pulling me out of my thoughts. It was Mike. He wanted to confirm if I would still make it to the bar as discussed.
"I just pulled in." I let out as I put the car into a park and hopped out.
The bar was packed, it would be so easy to lose myself in the crowd and forget about everything. From the entrance, I could already see Mike and Dave having so much fun.
Mike was the kind of guy who always had some woman on his arm, and tonight was no different. He was sitting at the table, grinning like an idiot with a blonde wrapped around his shoulder. Dave, on the other hand, was all business. He had been my closest friend since college, the one who always gave it to me straight.
"About time you showed up," Mike called out as I slid into the booth beside him. He shoved a beer in my direction. "Where've you been? Thought you were too busy to hang out with us regular folk."
"I've been swamped at work," I muttered, taking a long sip from the bottle. The cold beer slid down my throat, but it didn't do much to cool the storm brewing inside me.
Dave shot me a knowing look, leaning back in his chair. "Work, huh? This got anything to do with that assistant of yours?"
I froze, the beer halfway to my lips. Dave was always perceptive, but I hadn't expected him to bring up Laura. "What do you mean?"
He shrugged, but there was a glint in his eyes. "I've seen the way you've been acting lately. You've been distracted, Jake. And I'm guessing it has something to do with a certain someone from the office."
Mike raised an eyebrow, clearly interested now. "Wait, hold up. Are we talking about that Laura girl? The one you've been staring at like she's the last drink at the bar?"
I cursed under my breath, running a hand through my hair. "It's not like that."
Dave smirked, but there was a seriousness in his tone when he spoke. "Then what's it like? Because, man, you've been off your game ever since that trip. If you're into her, maybe you should do something about it."
Mike, ever the playboy, scoffed. "Nah, man. Don't mix business with pleasure. Trust me, it's a bad idea. Look, you're already in too deep. You should just let it go, have a little fun tonight, and forget about her."
I frowned, my fingers tapping against the table. Dave's words stuck with me. He was right, I had been distracted, and a part of me wanted to do something about it. But Mike's advice wasn't wrong either. Laura and I had already crossed one too many lines, and going any further was dangerous, especially considering how things ended.
As if reading my mind, Mike grinned and nodded toward a group of women at the bar. "Tell you what. I've got just the solution to your problem."
Before I could respond, Mike was up from the table, sauntering over to the women with that cocky swagger of his. Within minutes, he returned, a tall brunette trailing behind him. She was stunning, no doubt about it, long legs, curves in all the right places, and a smile that screamed confidence.
"Jake, this is Chloe," Mike said, gesturing to the brunette. "She's interested in meeting you."
Chloe slid into the seat beside me, her eyes locking onto mine. She leaned in, her perfume filling the space between us. "Mike's been telling me you're having a rough week. Maybe I can help take your mind off things?"
I glanced at Mike, who shot me a wink, then back at Chloe. She was really attractive, curvy and her cleavage was inviting. I could get drowned in those popping babies, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was, she wasn't Laura. No matter how much I tried to push Laura from my mind, she kept slipping back in, and the thought of going through the motions with someone else just didn't sit right with me.
"I appreciate it," I muttered, standing up from the booth, "but I've got some calls to make."
Mike frowned, but Chloe just smiled. "If you change your mind, you know where to find me."
I nodded, grabbing my phone and stepping outside. The cool night air hit me like a slap in the face, and I dialed Laura's number before I even realized what I was doing. It rang, once, twice, and then went to voicemail.
I tried again. Same result.
A knot tightened in my chest. She was ignoring me. Maybe she was still hurt, or maybe she just didn't want anything to do with me outside of work hours after the way I brushed her off. Either way, I wasn't going to force her to pick up. But the frustration boiled in my veins.
I should've been relieved that she wasn't picking up, but it didn't feel that way. It felt like a door slamming in my face, like she was moving on without me, and I didn't like it.
By the time I walked back inside, I knew what Mike was going to say before he even opened his mouth. He was right. Maybe a distraction was what I needed after all. Something to stop me from thinking about Laura, from imagining what could've been.
Chloe was still sitting at the booth when I returned. She flashed me a knowing smile, sliding her hand up my arm as I approached. "Changed your mind?"
I didn't answer, just nodded toward the door. She stood up, grabbing her purse as she followed me out of the bar and into the night.
We got a room at a hotel nearby. The moment the door clicked shut behind us, Chloe was on me, her hands running over my chest as she pulled me toward the bed. I kissed her, but it was rough, almost mechanical. There was no passion, no spark. She wasn't Laura, and that thought ran through my head over and over again, like some kind of sick mantra.
I pushed her down onto the bed, my hands gripping her hips as I tried to drown out the thoughts of Laura, to lose myself in the moment. Chloe moaned, arching her back as I moved over her, but I wasn't there. I wasn't present. My mind was a million miles away, back at the island, replaying that night with Laura.
Chloe clawed at my back, pulling me closer, and at me with so much hope, the way her lips had felt soft and desperate against mine.
I was tired of the way she staring at me. Seeing her face was making things worse so I grabbed her, pushed her to the wall and then pushed the whole of me inside her. She moaned so loudly but I could tell she enjoyed it. She liked it rough, and maybe that would help calm my nerves too.
I cursed under my breath, frustration boiling over as I moved faster, harder. My strokes got rough after a while, and her ass slapped loudly against my body as I rammed carelessly into her.
Chloe like it so much, she was moaning like crazy, but none of it registered. I grabbed her boobs tightly and I came hard inside her.
"Ohh shit!!" I let out. I shouldn't have done that.
"Don't worry about that. You don't expect that I would leave that in me. I'm on the pills too. The juice is coming out the same way they came in." She let out as she fell to the ground, and stared at my still slightly erected manhood, like it was some popsicles she wanted to chew.
"What?" I let out while she sat there, breathless and grinning like she had just won a lottery. "That was... intense," she murmured, reaching out to stroke my chest. "You're something else, you know that?"
I stood up, pulling on my pants. I couldn't even look at her anymore. She was starting to irritate me already.
"Round two?" she teased, her voice dripping with satisfaction.
"No," I said bluntly.
Chloe pouted, clearly disappointed. "Come on, just one more round. I promise I'll make it worth your while."
"No. I'm done."
Her expression shifted, a mix of frustration and confusion. "Seriously? You're just gonna leave?"
I didn't answer. I pulled out my wallet, flipping it open and pulling out a wad of cash. I tossed it onto the bed without looking back at her.
"Here," I said flatly. "For your time."
And with that, I walked out the door.