Let's Play A Dirty Ass Game, Mr. CEO

Chapter 58: TO BURN HIM

LAURA

The high and the thrill from the dinner night with Tristan hadn’t quite worn off by the time I showed up at the office the next morning.

I walked through the hallways whistling to myself, giving cheery waves here and silly unprofessional winks there. I couldn’t get over how much power had been on my hands last night...I couldn’t get over how good it felt to have Tristan touch me in ways like that, again.

Judging from how much fire that consumed my body last night, even in my dreams, it was confirmed that it would be a real fucking hassle working together. How do we get around that?

It was all I thought about on the ride to the fashion house. José had glanced at me in the rearview mirror until I gave up at some point and had to give him the smile that said everything was okay.

Getting to my office and meeting the pile of work awaiting my attention did not do me much good. It did not succeed in erasing the thoughts of Tristan.

It was obvious we wanted to fuck each other. It wasn’t a crime, per se. There was just so much shit between us...too much shit we have to get through before we can get in each other’s pants.

Not too much in the sense of it, but too much to act like it never happened. The magnitude of it was unforgivable.

It probably wasn’t a problem for an asshole like him, seeing as he wanted to jump the gun last night. He’d have fucked me on that dinner table if I’d let him. And God...was I so ready.

Boundaries...we had crossed one last night, and I would have to think really hard about crossing another. Because consequences were bound to arise. He belonged to another woman, after all.

Despite technically being mine in a way that was only possible biologically.

Heaving a deep sigh, I whipped myself a cup of instant coffee and spent the next few minutes trying to bury every thought of Tristan and what happened between us last night under the dredges of coffee.

Sometime after I opened the first file on the stack on my desk, a knock sounded on the door before it swung open. Mara strode in, wearing a relaxed smile. "Well someone’s glowing this morning."

I rolled my eyes and buried my face in the file. "Morning to you too, Mara." My intuitive best friend was bound to pick up sniffs from last night, any moment now.

"When did you get in? I checked in earlier."

"A couple minutes ago." I watched her as she strode over to the coffee mixer and mixed herself a mug. "Everything good?"

"I’d say 100% on my end." She paused, studying my face carefully. "But seriously, you’re glowing. What’s the secret? Were you out having fun somewhere without me?"

I’d never been able to lie straight to Mara’s face because she had this superpower of just being able to tell every single time I decided to test my luck.

So I just spilled the truth without thinking. "It was nowhere special. I was only out at dinner."

"Dinner? With who?"

I swallowed a lump down and slapped the file shut. "Tristan."

Mara did the dramatic gasping thing that annoyed me, slapping a hand over her mouth. "You don’t have to react that way." I bolted from the seat and strode towards the floor-to-ceiling window. "It was just an official dinner."

"Official dinner after working hours? Just the two of you?"

"What’s your point, Mara?" Irritation burned into my voice.

"You’re playing with fire, Laura! That’s my point!"

Here we go again. I really shouldn’t have mentioned this to the drama queen.

I heaved a sigh and ran my fingers through my hair. Maybe it would be easier to admit it than trying to run and hide from it, especially when it comes to Mara.

"Fire is exactly the point of it all, you know?"

Silence hung between us for a moment. "What?" she finally croaked out. "Can you make me understand?"

"He burnt me, remember? Well would it be so wrong to burn him too?"

"How do you intend to burn a man you e agreed to do business with?" Mara sounded exasperated, shaking her head. "You’re partners now! Whatever hurts him, hurts you too."

"That’s not true," I insisted. "And it’s far from what I mean."

"What do you mean?"

I turned to her, a mischievous smile tugging on the corners of my lips. "He still wants me, Mara. Would it be so bad to play with his feelings just like he did mine?"

She made a disgusted face. "Fucking—You had feelings for him?"

"That’s not what I’m saying."

"That’s kinda how I understand it."

I rolled my eyes and threw my arms in the air. "Alright drop it, for goodness’ sake. I was only there for business."

"But you burnt him with your touch, didn’t you?" She was watching me steadily, with the same mischievous glint in her eyes. "How did it feel?"

I sighed dreamily, shaking my head. "Incredible. Have you seen what it’s like when you take control from a powerful, untouchable man?"

Mara barked a short laugh. "They’re all the same when we have their cock in our hands. They get so powerless and vulnerable."

I kept shaking my head as I turned back to the window, staring past the glass to the city lights in the distance. "It was different with Tristan, trust me."

"Was it?"

I didn’t say anything in response for a long time, until I felt Mara’s arms wrapping around my waist. She leaned her cheek against my back and heaved a long sigh. "You can’t fall for him, Laura. He’s got the looks. He’s got some mad bucks. But he’s not the real deal. I want you to remember that whenever you look at Eli."

It had been making sense until it came to an abrupt end. I shrugged her off and cleared my throat. "Leave Eli out of this mess, please."

"S-sure," she nodded, swallowing a lump down.

I’d just returned to my desk when the head of the production team came running to my office.

Ms. Sally almost never looked this agitated unless it had to do with her work going wrong in some way or the other.

"Ms. Hayes, there’s an emergency."

I sat up straight. "Emergency? What kind?"

"We have an order for 180 dresses in pure Korean silk, and we’re running short of fabric just on the twentieth dress.

I frowned. "What seems to be the problem here?"

"The fabric. It’s really scarce, and our supplier might have disappointed real fucking bad," her Irish accent slipped out in her agitation.

I slowly rose to my feet, heart slamming against my chest, the weight of a bad premonition pressing hot against my eyelids. "What do you mean?"