LOGINCHELSEAI glance around the empty room. Trying to lift my body, it aches all over. My head, my back, my hands. My waist.The room door opens and a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl steps in. Bearnice."Chelsea," she rushes to my side, cooing."Why am I in the hospital?" I manage out of my throat that's literally glued together. It hurts to even speak."You kinda passed out, and Dante came to see you, and he didn't know you were sick. That's how we saw that you weren't waking up, so he brought you here."She blurs through the turn of events while I was unconscious."The doctor says you'll be discharged in two days," she continues."Two days?!""Yeah," she nods absentmindedly.Two days is hell. I can't stay here for two whole days. I'm gonna be bored out of my mind."That's too much. I have to get back to work." I lift my hand, but an ache shoots through it."Is your boss the spawn of Satan?" Bearnice puts my arm down and shoves me slightly into the bed again. "You're bedridden. I won't tak
DANTEJust one moment ago, she was sleeping. SLEEPING at work, and I wanted to let her go for it. I didn't really care. It was unprofessional, yes. But we've done worse unprofessional things together.Scolding her for it would be too problematic. Besides, the meeting wasn't even that important. But her eyes, they looked droopy.I sit in the conference room mulling over Chelsea and what's going on with her.She looks tired. I should probably let her off work.Walking out of the conference room, I take the elevator to the last floor. As it dings open, I direct my gaze to my office door, but just by the right corner is Chelsea laughing lightly by the coffee maker.My breath catches at her smile. It's full and complete, even though she leans by the wall wearily.And the one making her laugh is... what's his name again? This nerd from the legal team. What's he doing here? His office should be two floors below.He places his hand on her shoulder, and my eyes widen at the sight. What the fuc
CHELSEAWeakness tugs at my bones even as I work.The last three days have been the worst. A running nose that the hot morning teas can't solve and inexplicable weakness.The last thing I need is to be seriously ill.Only when it comes to that will I take leave to treat myself. For now, my mission is more important.My head spins, and I close the laptop and place my head on the table. I should rest my head a bit."Chelsea." I jerk up, hearing my name. Nice instinct. I wonder if I'll ever be able to go back to using my real name.My nerves are immediately alert even if my head feels woozy."Wasn't I supposed to have an appointment by 1 p.m.?""Oh." I glance at my phone, and it's 1:45 p.m."Oh, Jeez, fuck. I'm so sorry.""And you were sleeping." His voice is not cold. "Just bored.""I'm so sorry, sir." I stand up from my seat."I missed the meeting.""I'm sorry, sir," I say again, hoping my words can do something to ease his anger.But he doesn't say anything and just leaves the office.
CHELSEAHe is more deliberate. Slowly, he takes my lips in his, kissing and sucking.And I kiss him back. I don't want this. I don't want him. But his touch makes me lose my mind. I hate him. I hate that he makes me lose myself.My tongue lashes out in a fight with his, and his hands grip my waist tighter. Not enough to hurt, but firm enough to keep me rooted to the wall and trapped with him."Tell me you don't want this," he whispers against my mouth as his hands trail up above my shirt, his fingers grazing the skin on my side.One of his hands cups my face, the other moving under my shirt, not going higher than my stomach."Tell me you don't feel this," he says again against my lips.His mouth trails down my neck, sucking and biting."We're..." My voice comes in whispered pants.Fuck.His tongue licks the sensitive spot behind my ear, and I arch my back, leaning into him."We're... I'm your...""Go on," he coos against my neck. He nips at my neck and sinks his teeth into my flesh.A
CHELSEAI run three feet farther from him than usual. Since we started our morning run today, he has been inching closer to me, and I have been inching away."What do you want me to do?" he suddenly asks out of the blue."What do you mean?" I ask blandly. I know exactly what he means. I've been avoiding him. Well, it's not my fault I can't stay close to him when he affects me this much."You've been jogging about four feet farther away from me.""Three feet," I correct, my face still forward."Alright." He glances at my armband with my water bottle strapped tightly to my arm. "Well, doesn't it seem like you're trying to avoid me?""Jogging three feet farther from you can hardly be called avoiding." I laugh."Okay, then come closer."I stop for a second, scoff, and then jog closer to him."Much better." He doesn't hide the smile on his face.After jogging for a few more minutes, I stop close to a bench and sit. He follows suit without a word.And here I thought he didn't support the id
CHELSEADante steps into the room, and the room is suddenly smaller.He closes the door behind him, inching closer to me."Um, sir." I put my hands forward without moving, stopping him."Sir? Is that what you're calling me now? After all that's happened?""Yes, sir." I swallow hard. "I'm tired, and I need to go to bed. We're leaving for the United States, and I need to be ready and pack my things on time.""We don't need to go back tomorrow." He steps even closer, closing the gap between us. "We can stay in Berlin for a few more days. The company wouldn't die." He coos, his hot breath fanning my ear.I instinctively arch my back into him, losing sight of the plan.No shit. Just focus.Taking a deep breath, I step back, but he steps forward into my space."What is it, Chelsea?" His voice is low, almost a growl."I'm just tired. It's been a long night," I say sincerely, meeting his gaze for the first time. I guess that does the trick as his burning gaze melts."Alright." He smiles and p
CHELSEAMy mind was fully invested in the meeting. Our offer was lucrative enough for the Armenians. Business administration was my preferred area of study. But seeing everything in practice was surely a blessing. The way Dante negotiated the terms almost made me like him. Almost. He was tenac
CHELSEA That insufferable man. Ugh. I kick a small stone in my path a bit too hard, passing a rather dark alley. I'd chosen to walk all the way home after what happened at the office. Dante had yelled at me just before leaving work. What did I do to deserve that? Absolutely nothing. Or maybe
CHELSEA The ride back to the office is steady and quiet, just like our morning run earlier. He had only asked me about the schedule for the day and tried to make small talk. I mean, I knew I'd have to follow him around before I even took up this job, but now, after working for a week, I just hate
CHELSEA The dark peephole glares back at me. I have a job to do. Taking a deep breath, I press the doorbell. The soft ring carries across the hallway. Moments later, Dante opens the door. Once again, my gaze meets his dark green eyes, and all I can think of is how I want to gouge those eyes out.







