Chapter 88 Full of Surprises
ALICE
The next morning, I felt a lot better and it sure helped when I walked into the office and everyone greeted me like they normally did.
I didn't make the mistake of searching up our story on the internet, so in my eyes, things were finally settling down. Hopefully, by the end of the month, it would be like none of this ever happened.
I stopped by Freddie's office to greet him, but he wasn't in yet, so I went to mine. I was hoping Francesca would be in, too. I wanted to talk to her and figure out where we stood after what happened.
But she wasn't in, either.
Ten minutes later, Freddie came to see me. "Feeling better?"
"Yeah," I admitted. "I mean, it sure helps that everyone's acting so...normally."
He leaned against the door and slid his hands into his pockets. "How did you want them to act? Scandalized?"
"I don't know. Maybe."
He snorted. "You're with the boss's grandson. Do you really think anyone here is willing to risk their position for a moment of judgment?"
Now that he put it this way...
"I guess not."
His lips curved into a smile. "Just relax, okay? It'll all go away soon."
"Hey, do you know whether Francesca will be in or not?"
He scratched the side of his nose with his thumb. "She mentioned she wouldn't be coming in, no. If the plan changes, she'll just show up."
I nodded and he returned to his office. I tried not to think about anything else while I stared at the screen of my laptop. Occasionally, a few things, like the call with my parents, would pop into my mind and taunt me, but I always tried to focus on work instead and it worked for the first half of the day.
Then, Theo came to see me.
Watching him make his way to my office through the glass was something else entirely. My heart galloped behind my ribcage and I stood up to meet him at the door. He looked so great. His hair was styled a little carelessly and a few strands were in his eyes. He ditched his everyday suits for a plain black shirt and pants that fit him like a glove.
His delicious, musky scent hit me as soon as I opened the door.
"Theo," I breathed out as he wrapped his arms around me. "Why aren't you at work?"
"Long story," he murmured against my neck. One of his hands slid down my back and settled right on my ass.
I yelped and looked around wildly. Thankfully, Freddie wasn't in his office. "In case you haven't noticed, the walls here are see-through, sir!"
"Sir?" he chuckled, gently sucking the delicate skin on my neck. "You're really tempting me, you know that? Come on, let's get out of here."
I frowned. "And go where?"
"Anywhere."
I drew back. He had a wild, tempting look in his eyes that made me want to say 'fuck it' and go with him. "What about work?"
"I'll deal with Granny. Come on."
Theo started dragging me toward the door, and I had to ask him to wait just long enough for me to grab my bag. We came across Freddie by the exit, but Theo didn't stop long enough for me to tell him anything. I shot him an apologetic look and he winked.
Once we were in the car, Theo leaned in and kissed me. There was nothing gentle about it. My head wouldn't stop spinning as he dragged his tongue along mine. Heat pooled in my center and I wanted him. God, how I wanted him. I clenched my thighs together and fisted the lapel of his shirt in my hand.
His hand moved from the side of my neck to one of my breasts. He squeezed it so tightly that I sucked in a breath. Theo chuckled before drawing back.
"I'd take you right here, right now," he said huskily, "but that would ruin my plans."
"What plans?"
The mischievous glint in his eyes let me know that whatever it was...was truly wicked. And hell, I was looking forward to it. I could barely contain my excitement. I had to clench my thighs to relieve the pressure I felt growing between them.
He teased my nipple over my clothes, moving his thumb in slow, sensuous circles. "First, I'll take you to lunch."
"And then?"
"Then...you'll just have to trust me. Do you trust me?"
Heat shot through me suddenly and fiercely. He really didn't want to give anything away, so I decided not to push. He mentioned it would be a surprise, right? Well, it wouldn't be a surprise if he told me where he was taking me. "Yes."
"Nervous?"
I shook my head.
"Good."
He turned in his seat and started the car. I chewed my bottom lip and couldn't help but wonder what was going on. I felt that it had to be something remarkable, and I could tell by the look in his eyes that it was something naughty.
Really naughty.
I settled in my seat and from the corner of my eye, saw him steal a glance at me. He chortled. "Why do you look like that?"
"Like what?" I asked innocently.
"Like you're up to no good."
"That's rich. I could ask you the same thing."
"Maybe I am up to no good," he replied, turning his attention back on the road. "You remember what we talked about last night?"
"Of course, I do." I waited for him to say something else, but he didn't, so I went ahead and asked, "Is it about that?"
"Do you want it to be?"
My body had a strange reaction to his question. I clenched my thighs and he noticed. A smirk curved his lips and before I could say anything, he blurted out, “I guess so.”
We didn’t say anything else to each other and he drove us to the restaurant he mentioned. We walked in hand in hand. I felt a little anxious, mostly because of the article and the fact that we were doing this in public. I was scared I’d be recognized and stared at weirdly. Who wanted to be known as the mistress? The whoring home-wrecker?
But Theo was so calm about it all that he passed that security to me without saying a word.
We went to our table, sat across from each other, and I realized that I was happy to be here.
Really damn happy.