Chapter 9

YVONNE'S P O V

Slam.

“Holy flying fish brains, Yvonne!” I slapped a hand over my mouth, my eyes as wide as saucers.

“Yvonne” Mr Voss called softly from behind the door.

I slammed the door in his face. My very rich, very powerful, very Capable to fire me by the end of today boss

A sob slipped out from me but it was muffled by the hand over my mouth

“Yvonne” Mr Voos called again, softer than the first time. The sound of his voice suggested he was leaning close to the door.

I forced myself to speak. “Sir”

Somebody kill me now and slowly too, I deserve it. How can I be making mess after mess all the time? It's been barely three days and I've managed to earn myself a lifetime of shame and humiliation.

Tears welled up in my eyes. How do I explain his photo on my laptop? How do I explain slamming the door into his face?

“Yvonne are you alright?” He asked, his voice rising with something like worry.

I shook my head, opening my mouth to speak but my throat was clogged. I couldn't get any words out.

My father was right. I'm useful for nothing. I can't even do my job properly without ogling over my boss's picture like a lonely, intimacy-starved, pitiful married woman.

The tears slipped down my cheeks. Wet and hot. Why can't I do anything right? What was wrong with me? Why did the universe decide to curse me with bad luck and bad timing?

My entire face was burning. My body was quivering.

“Are you alright?” his words took an authoritative note. “Answer me, Yvonne”

My heart was beating too hard in my chest. I couldn't breathe. How did I mess things up so fast?

“I'm ...I'm sorry” I croaked out. My voice was hoarse from holding my emotions from overflowing.

He saw my laptop.

He knew I was checking his pictures

He'll fire me, and Edgar would mock me, then Lucinda and Daisy will pretend to sympathize with me while mocking me behind their cubicle

“I'm sorry I slammed the door on you, sir. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that.” I sniffled and wiped my eyes but more tears followed down my tear

For a moment, outside the door was so quiet that I thought Mr Voss had left, but then he spoke in a low voice. “Are you..crying? Yvonne are you crying?”

My cheeks heated again. Why did I have to be cursed with eyes that easily teared up, too?

My shoulders shook with my sobs, “No” I lied, but the shakiness in my voice gave me away.

My Voss knocked once and then ordered “Open the door”

I took a step back. This was it. He was going to fire me too. And then I'd go back to Seattle in shame. He'd probably assume I'm just as terrible as my husband.

“I'm sorry, sir,” I kept apologizing, my eyes pricked with hot tears. “I'm sorry I slammed the door on you. I'm sorry I was browsing through your pictures, I never meant to be disrespectful or creepy”

Mr Voss knocked again, this time more frantically. “Open the door Yvonne.”

A tense beat passed. I couldn't move my feet

“Now”

His last order had me flinching a little. I stared at the door handle through blurry vision. My chest ached with many regrets, I reached for the door knob with trembling fingers and then I twisted it.

The door creaked open just a few inches. A few inches enough for Mr Voss to lunge in and....

Wrap me in a hug?

I stilled, it took a minute for me to process the strong arms warping around me, his firm body pressing into mine, and his soft words he murmured into my hair

“It's okay” he whispered, arms tightening around me. “It's okay. Don't cry.”

“huh?” I voiced out, too stunned to say anything else. This was my CEO, and he was hugging me like we'd known each other for years. The way he held me was nothing more than a comforting hug and soothing words. Mr Voss didn't touch me in any place that would be inappropriate, but still, being in his arms felt too intimate, too good.

I tried to take a step back but he held me tighter, nuzzling his chin into my hair “You've done nothing wrong Yvonne”

A shudder ripped through me. Maybe it was the way he held me, maybe it was the way he said my name.

Maybe it was the way he said my name while holding me, but whatever it was, I found myself slowly leaning into his body, breathing in his scent

My eyes didn't sting anymore, and I felt less embarrassed “Thank you, sir”

“You have nothing to thank me for” he rasped in a low voice. “Just like you have nothing to be sorry for”

Mr Voss placed a finger under my chin and tilted my face up to meet his. My heart slammed into my ribcage when I saw the look on his face

No judgment. No anger. Just his deep blue eyes softly searching mine.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” he rasped, eyes still on me. Hands still around me, holding without a care in the world.

“But I...I slammed the door in your face,” I mumbled. “And I was looking at your pictures like some obsessed...”

“Yvonne.” His voice dropped lower but firm, like a gentle command.

“I’m not upset. I came to inform you that we'd be having a trip to meet some last-minute investors today. They somehow got information that I was in Italy and contacted me last night. ”

I nodded. Right. Business. We were here for business. “In that case, I should get ready so we don't run late”

Mr Voss' finger slid across my chin at the same time he glided his palm along my spine

I froze for half a second, before shuddering in his arms. My reaction to his touch was so instant I didn't understand my body at that point

Instinctively, my thighs clenched, and if Mr Voss would as my h as lower his gaze to my thin pajama shirt, he'd see my nipples poking the fabric

His fingers at my back slid upwards, I resisted the urge to close my eyes and lean into his touch, but .. I'd never felt this way before, never felt so excited and breathless

With the other hand under my chin, he used his thumb to wipe beneath one of my eyes, wiping a tear away with unexpected tenderness.

His eyes didn't leave mine, almost as if he was watching every flicker of reaction from me.

The room suddenly felt too hot. The walls were closing in on me.

Oxygen. I needed oxygen

“I'll leave you to get ready” he rasped, but did not attempt to step out or drop his hands from around me.

I blinked so I could think straight “Yes. The investors”

He smiled.

Mr Clayton Voos smiled. And he had a dimple!

A very sexy, very beautiful dimple.

“No. Not the investor's,” he said then took a step back, taking the warmth of his embrace away with him

His smile remained as he moved backwards towards the door with his eyes trained on me. “The investors can wait. We are having a change of plans.”