26

"Mummy! I missed you so much."

I bend down to receive the affectionate hug my son gives me.

"I missed you so much too."

I cover his face with kisses, and he laughs. His laughter is so contagious that it makes me laugh too.

Carol appears in the hallway and walks towards me quickly. She kisses me on the cheek and smiles.

"And? How did it go?"

I restrain myself from making any expression.

"Nothing out of the ordinary."

She looks unconvinced. She's aware that Louis is here and decides not to touch on the subject too much.

"Fortunately, you arrived just in time for dinner. I bet you must be hungry."

"You have no idea."

I follow her into the kitchen along with Louis. We set the table, serve dinner, and eat as we usually do while chatting a bit.

"Mummy, will you have to travel again?" Louis asks.

"Not for now."

Louis finishes eating and starts to get a little tired, so he decided to go to his room. I accompany him to wash his hands and tuck him into bed.

"Rest," I whisper.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

I return to the kitchen, where I find Carol. She is leaning against the counter and looks at me with her arms crossed.

"Are you going to tell me or not?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

I play dumb. It's better to feign ignorance than to remember what happened on that trip.

"Your look gives you away, Eva. What happened? You can tell me anything."

"My boss kissed me..."

"What?"

She looks at me skeptically, as if she can't believe it.

"You know what? It doesn't matter."

"How can it not matter? Of course, it matters. Tell me."

"It won't happen again; it was just a slip-up. These things happen."

She rolls her eyes.

"Sure. If your attractive billionaire boss kisses you, it's just 'something that happens.' Do you want to be specific? How does he kiss? I'm dying to know."

"Carol," I protest.

My cheeks flush.

"Oh, come on. Aren't you going to tell me?"

"He kisses well, okay? That's it."

And he does this thing with his tongue that...

That's enough.

Carol squeals excitedly.

"A love story. I love it," she sighs delightedly. "Now I'm going to ship you guys."

"Ship... What?"

I look at her, confused. Sometimes she scares me.

"Ship you guys," she corrects me. "I'm going to call you 'Evelliam.' Ahh, it sounds so nice and...!"

I cover her mouth with my hand to prevent her from speaking further. Where does she come up with these things? She starts laughing like crazy, and I remove my hand.

"Don't say that," I sigh heavily. "I'm going to sleep, I'm tired. Have a good night."

"Likewise."

She laughs, and I roll my eyes.

I retreat to my room, put on my pajamas, turn off the lights, and lie down on the bed. Once again, I struggle to fall asleep and find myself staring blankly at the ceiling.

Why did I respond to that kiss?

Why didn't I push him away? And worst of all... Why did I enjoy it so much? Why did my mouth want more? I bring my hands to my face. I'm in a bad place, a really bad place. What's wrong with me? I seem like a mad woman.

I'm supposed to hate him for what he did to me, for the position he put me in, but...

He's my boss.

And he's not a normal boss! A normal boss doesn't kiss their employees with savagery, roughness, and fury. "Nor does he offer them money in exchange for sex..." A voice in my head betrays me and reminds me of how much of a bastard Nicholas Hills is, how much I should hate him for being a self-centered asshole who abuses his power. I'm angry, and not at him. I'm angry with myself for letting this man walk all over me as if it were nothing. I've had enough humiliation. I don't understand why... Why I felt that knot in my stomach when he kissed me, that tingling in my belly, that electrifying surge... My body desired him. And that was the worst part of it all: desiring him, a man like him.

Desiring the man I should hate.

*

The morning starts quickly, and I enter the building in a hurry. I arrived on time, but we have an early meeting, and Mr. Hills made it clear that I must always be punctual.

I greet Julia before entering the room, and there I see everyone about to take their seats. I sit at the end of the table, and Mr. Hills begins speaking, maintaining a firm and concise expression. My eyes catch the movement of his lips, and my mind takes me back to that moment when he kissed me amidst all the unleashed fury.

I want to forget it.

I pay attention to whatever everyone is talking about, but it's too late. I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I missed it, and besides, I didn't sleep well, which only worsens everything. Fatigue refuses to let go of me.

I observe Mr. Hills speaking about some complex measures or something of the sort. What happened on the business trip comes to mind, and I scold myself for thinking about it. When we landed in New York, he didn't even look at me or say a word. I thought he was going to fire me. I yelled at him without holding back, and it wouldn't have surprised me if he had let me go. But that didn't happen. On the contrary, here I am now, sitting in the conference room, struggling to pay attention.

"Would you rather sleep than listen to what is being discussed, Miss Miller?"

My boss's voice reaches my ears, and I quickly open my eyes. Damn! How...? I didn't even realize it; I was just resting my eyes for a moment and got distracted. I adjust myself in my seat and look back at him. Now, I'm the center of his attention.

"I was listening."

"What are we talking about?"

-What? I blink, confused.

"What are we talking about?"

He repeats, and I couldn't feel more stupid.

Son of a bitch.

"Uh..."

"What is the maximum height we were discussing?"

"444.32 meters?"

I swear I heard a similar number, but I'm not sure, so I'm just guessing. In response to what I say, Mr. Hills shakes his head, and his gaze leaves mine as he stands up.

"That's all for today," he commands.

Everyone gathers their belongings and leaves in complete silence. I stand up as the room empties faster than usual and grimace as I do so. These high heels are killing me. I pick up my bag and take a few steps to leave, but... I stop. I don't know why, but I do.

"Next time, try not to fall asleep during a meeting."

I hear Mr. Hills' voice again, and I turn around to face him. Bad decision. His gaze is so intimidating that I feel small again.

"I'm sorry," is all I manage to say. His gaze is intense. "Mr. Hills...," he looks at me, waiting for me to speak. "I... I wanted to apologize for what happened in Los Angeles. It wasn't my intention."

My voice is serious, but he seems to interpret it differently as a stupid smile curves his lips.

"Apologize?"

I lick my lips, nervous.

"I yelled at you, and... you know."

"You let one of my associates kiss you," he interjects, matter-of-factly.

I feel like shouting at him, so I make an effort to calm myself.

Lord, grant me patience, or I swear I'm going to tell him to go to hell.

"He kissed me."

"I recall that when I came to find you, you were letting Fabrizio shove his tongue down your throat."

"I already told you... He kissed me, it caught me off guard."

"You can admit that you enjoyed it; there's no need to pretend. It's done."

His gaze becomes challenging.

"But he kissed me, I already told you..." I stop myself when I notice my voice getting louder. "You know what? Just... forget it. This doesn't make any sense."

I hold my breath as he leans toward me.

"Remember who you're talking to, Miss Miller."

With that said, he leaves the room, leaving me alone.