Tied Up by the Boss (Office Kink #2)(26)

That was the emergency? I sighed. “I’ll pick them up on my way home. I’m leaving now.”

“Who was that lovely lad, Parker, who answered your phone?”

There went my heart again. “My employee with whom I’m working on the project I told you about.”

“He was a sweetheart. And only had the nicest things to say about you.”

“He did?” Drive the stake in further, Mum.

“Oh yes. Said you were the best supervisor he’s ever worked with and that I must have raised you right with how honest and giving you are.”

Parker . . . the incorrigible prat. “He is a great employee.”

“He sounds incredibly handsome too.”

I rolled my eyes. “Mum,” I warned.

“I know. I know. I’m just saying.”

“I’ll be home soon. With digestives.”

“Thank you, Morgan. Drive safe.”

I hung up and put on my coat and scarf. I didn’t know why I was feeling guilty. Sure, I could have ended this on a more positive note, but with Parker and me, it was bound to be volatile no matter what the outcome.

Ending it was the best thing to do anyway. I didn’t lie to my mum. He was a great employee when he wanted to be. But I hoped I didn’t just bugger up everything we’d accomplished.

It was for our own good. I needed to focus on my mother’s happiness. Not mine. She only had a few years left. So what if I had feelings for Parker that went beyond professional? There was nothing that could be done about it. I was finally coming to my senses. And bloody hell, it made everything hurt.

Parker didn’t need to like me anyway. Respect. That’s all I was ever after. And I got it. For a little while at least.





Chapter Fourteen





Parker





Weekends should never feel like they do when a piece of you has been torn up and stomped on like garbage.

That Friday, I went home and got drunker than I’d been in a while. So drunk I called an ex to rant. Another testament to the fact that I needed more friends, who weren’t exes. As I listened to the call ring through, I told myself to be vague and not mention names. Just a guy I’d been seeing. Which was true. I was seeing Morgan, but in a much different capacity than dating.

Maybe that was where we went wrong. We never really knew what it was. But then any pressure to clarify would’ve sent Morgan running anyway. It was already like walking on eggshells with him. And maybe that’s what made it appealing. I never thought I was into sneaking around with a man, much like I never thought I’d be into playing the submissive. Morgan had a way of breaking through every boundary with a simple glance.

Bastard.

Thankfully, my ex never picked up and I ended up leaving the longest voicemail in the history of drunken messages. I figured I’d get a call one of these days soon.

The rest of the weekend was spent in hangover mode. Eating greasy food and nursing a bad headache. I was getting too old for this kind of thing. Not as old as Morgan, of course, but old. I kept thinking about him and his dumb face when he said I violated his trust. Trust?! When I put all my trust in him by giving myself over to his kinks and whims. Just to please him! Sure, it ended up pleasing me too, but that wasn’t the point.

Come Monday, life was just weird.

Not going straight to Morgan’s office was strange. And then having no contact with him other than horribly brief emails throughout the day was . . . sad. Yes, I said it. Sad. I missed him and his growly face. I was bored, and even though I made sure to do my work and maintain my commitment to give my coworkers one hundred percent of my attention and effort, I still felt as if I was just going through the motions. I had nothing to look forward to.

I kept thinking that if this was how it was going to be, why the hell did I ever beg Morgan for my job in the first place? I felt hollow. Like a shell of a person living a bleak, lifeless existence.

The days slogged on until Wednesday when I got a call at fifteen minutes until quitting time.

The caller ID read a name I didn’t expect to see. Morgan Brant.

I thought about letting it go to voicemail, but who was I kidding, I wanted to hear his stupid voice.

“Hello, sir,” I said after clicking the button for the speaker phone.

“Get me off speaker phone, Parker,” he demanded.

“No one is in my office,” I replied.

“Just do it.”

I took it off and picked up the receiver. “Done.”

“I need you up in my office in a half an hour.”

It must be important if he preferred to call rather than email. “May I ask why?”

“No, you may not. See you soon.” And then he hung up. Charming.

When I arrived at his office a half an hour later, it was with a mix of excitement, nerves, and dread. Trying to figure out why he would possibly want to talk to me and what it was that was so urgent was beyond me.

“I’m here, sir,” I said at the door after knocking.

“Come in.”

I walked in and memories flooded my senses. Morgan’s unique scent carried all the way across the room. The light was dim, and the dazzling array of oranges and reds reflected off the furniture. I was already half-hard from thinking about being tied up on his desk.

He looked over at me from his chair, and damn if I didn’t want to run to him and kiss those haughty, bastard lips.