Chapter 2

Sebastian.

My life went on as usual, with one significant change that I’d thought I was slowly growing used to. Willow, my shadow.

At least I had been growing used to her, until I gave into temptation and had her sweet ass on my sofa, which felt too long ago, even if it was only a week ago.

Now, every time I saw her, I didn’t know how to handle her. I couldn’t meet her eyes anymore, and it was getting awkward.

Isn’t she done shadowing me yet?

She was new to the firm, but she had high qualifications, and she was partnered with me because I needed an assistant to help me with my cases. She was a good worker, too fucking good and sexy.

If only I hadn't spanked her.

That was my biggest mistake. I was older and wiser, and I knew better. After all, mixing work and pleasure was how I ended up married to a woman who left me a few years later with a son she didn’t want to look after. So, she discarded the both of us and put all the blame on me.

I couldn’t even say I didn’t deserve any of the blame. I wasn’t exactly excellent husband material, and the only reason we rushed into a marriage from an office affair in the first place, was because we got careless and she got pregnant. And now, here I was repeating the same mistake with Willow.

I wasn’t the only one acting awkward, either.

I gave into temptation because I was high strung that day, I had a lot of worries on my mind, and I had a lot of frustrations riding me, too, and before I knew it, I’d started something.

We had almost fucked. We would have too, if my phone hadn’t rung, but it did and now it was awkward. We both walked away just like that, because it was still the office, and I still had work to do, and there were no personal words exchanged between us since. There just wasn’t the time, and it had been a week already.

I wanted to fuck her so badly and it kept playing in my fucking mind that if I’d done it then I would haven’t imagined what it would be like. I had so many to choose from, a fucking black book full of numbers, why the hell I kept wanting Willow just felt like a fucking disaster waiting to happen, but I craved her like a fucking drug and like an addict, I needed my fix sooner rather than later.

Willow continued to follow me throughout the morning, and we went our separate ways for lunch. I had some more work I needed to handle personally. I finally had the time, and I called for Willow to show up in my office.

I felt a little nervous as I sat behind my desk. Especially since I couldn’t help picturing bending her over it, or pushing her back onto it and fucking her.

Willow opened the door and walked into my office. I looked up, but the look of pleasure I was imagining hadn't left my mind, so I ended up staring at her like an idiot for a minute, trying my best to remain professional and try not to get hard.

“Um, Sebastian?” she said after enduring for a while.

I blinked and came back to myself, then noticed the look of discomfort on her face as she shifted on her feet, her face slightly flushed. Immediately, I cleared my throat and made my gaze more professional, less like I wanted a repeat of what happened last week.

“Willow,” I started. “How long have you been working here?”

Immediately, her stance went stiff, her expression guarded, and I wanted to curse. I didn’t want her to be cautious of me. It wasn’t as if I was trying to blackmail her or anything.

“About two months,” she said, her tone matching her expression.

I nodded slowly, outwardly calm even though I was in a jumble on the inside.

“That’s good,” I said, keeping my tone gentle. “I called you in here…”

“Okay,” she said, still cautious, not waiting for me to finish my sentence. The last time I said that I had her over my legs and I was fucking spanking her. I needed to get that out of my mind like now. Even the skirt suit she was currently wearing, while modest enough for work, showed off her curves underneath the clothes, and I’d always had a good imagination.

Fuck, don’t think about that, I mentally slapped myself when I started thinking of her naked again, bringing my focus back to her.

“About last week… I wanted to apologize.”

She blinked at me for a sec, as if she hadn't adequately heard me. Then the words registered, and her eyes widened.

“Sebastian?” she gasped out in surprise.

I winced, leaning back in my chair and losing some of the professionalism I’d wanted to give off.

“I’m apologizing for having you over my knee, Willow!”

Fuck, that came out all wrong. So, fucking wrong.

“I’m your boss, that isn’t something I should be doing. The company doesn’t mind in-house relationships, but I don’t want to think you only gave in because I was your boss and you were worried about what would happen if you didn’t accept my advances—”

“It wasn’t like that,” she said immediately, a hand shooting out, almost in a panic, as she cut me off. “I wanted it. Really.”

…fuck.

I really shouldn’t, but I was getting hard just from that. It took her a bit to realize just what she’d said, and her face went completely red.

“If you mean that, then…” What could I say? Good? Like hell! “Then I apologize. Regardless of…your preference, I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you that way.”

She didn’t reply this time, and I had no idea what else to say. I was starting to feel antsy, temptation growing again, but I held back as once again my cell vibrated and I thought why does it do that whenever I want to talk to her. Or even just fuck her.

I snatched it up so that I didn’t have to look at her with my imagination running wild.

Then I read the message that came with my phone and cursed.

“Crap. This nanny was supposed to be reliable.”

I scowled at my phone, too irritated to keep pretending in front of Willow. This was the second nanny I’d found this month. Finding someone wasn’t a problem, but finding someone reliable that I could trust to look after my kid while I was away was my big problem. And she picked the worst time to quit, too.

“Something wrong?”

I looked back up at Willow, having forgotten for a moment that she was even standing in front of me. I waved a hand at her, not bothering to hide my irritation.

“My nanny just quit, and I need to get home, then look for a new one. At least I’m done with work for today,” I added in a mutter, running a hand through my hair as I scowled at my phone.

There was no way I could make it in time, even if I made a call right then. I needed to interview the people that came to work for me, and check their references myself, as well as prior clients.

My son was precious to me, after all, no matter how unexpected he’d been. If my ex had tried to take him when she left, I would have fought her for him.

“Um, sir? I can help you.”

“What?” I said, turning to Willow again.

“You need someone to look after your son, right?” she said slowly, unsure.

I nodded. “My son. I have a conference to attend in China, and I’ll be gone from Saturday to Wednesday, so from tomorrow.”

“It’ll be a piece of cake, then,” she said with a shrug. “I’ve babysat children before and had no trouble. I can handle it.”

She said with such confidence, but I was a bit skeptic. But really, I was just worried about her doing this when I wanted to try and create some professional distance between us, so what happened before wouldn’t happen again. This probably wouldn’t help my cause.

I’m desperate, though, and she works for me. I’ve known her nearly two months, and I know she won’t try anything stupid. But it wasn’t her that I was worried about. She didn’t hear the part about the nannies quitting. They were leaving for a reason. Some say that Andy takes after me. I think that he takes after his mom. Either way, he was a handful, that part I couldn’t deny.

Fuck, I have no fucking choice.

I accepted because I didn’t have another choice. I just hoped that Willow and Andy got along, because if not then she may report me for not only sexual harassment, but for something far worse.