Chapter 103

My throat is dry. My heart hammers out of control.

My hands on the table inch closer to Miles on the other side, seemingly of their own accord.

He stares at me, and I at him. Then, his mouth drops to my lips.

“Meet me in the bathroom,” he says. “The unisex solo stall at the end of the hall.”

The word, “Okay,” barely leaves my mouth before he’s standing. Motioning toward one of the security guards, they step forward.

“I’ll watch the table while you are gone, Miss,” they say.

It’s almost too much. Did Miles plan for this when he agreed to the interview?

Maybe I should reconsider… But my body begs me to follow Miles, remembering the feel of his hands on my skin.

I am utterly weak to Miles. He knows that. I can’t bring myself to care that he does.

So I stand and I follow him into the back hallway of the deli, all the way to the unisex bathroom. I knock, the door opens, and Miles yanks me inside.

His mouth covers mine, his tongue hot and probing.

I open to him, as I always do, melting under the insistence of his lips and hands that trail around me to cup my ass. Squeezing, he lifts me up off my feet. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I claw at his shoulders to drag him closer.

I want him against me as much as physically possible. All the way from mouth to pussy, if possible.

Turning, he pushes me up against the wall of the bathroom. Breaking the kiss, he drops his mouth to the side of my neck and begins sucking in a mark. I drop my head back and moan in pleasure.

God, it feels so good. But it’s not nearly enough. I want him to claim me in every way a woman can be claimed.

When was the last time I had him inside of me? Too long. Far too long.

As we are, with my legs spread wide, I can feel his growing hardness pushing against my inner thigh. Slowly, he starts to thrust. We both twist and angle until he hits me just right.

“Oh,” I gasp. “Miles… please…”

“Tell me how you want it,” Miles says into the skin at the juncture of my neck and shoulder. His voice is deep and lust-rough.

“Harder,” I say. “More.”

He grunts on his next thrust, drilling up against my clit.

I bury my fingers in his hair, tugging at the short strands.

I push my chest out toward him, hoping for friction.

With me wedged between his hips and the wall, he lifts his hands away from my ass to cup at my breasts instead. With practiced ease, he flicks open the top few buttons of my shirt, then snakes his hand under my shirt.

“Miles,” I beg.

“More?” he asks.

I nod, no longer trusting my voice.

His hand searches under my bra. When he finds my nipple he pinches lightly and I cry out.

At the same time, the door to the bathroom swings open.

“Oh my God!” someone says and immediately backs up. “I’m so sorry.”

At once, Miles lowers me. Covering myself, I hop away from him.

“You didn’t lock the door,” I say, my voice panicky and breathless. My body is confused, still turned on but now also full of adrenaline.

“I was distracted,” Miles growls. He runs a hand down his face. “Shit.”

“They saw us,” I say.

“They did.”

“Maybe they didn’t recognize us.”

“Unlikely,” Miles says. “I’m sorry, Esther, but we need to cut this interview early.”

To hell with the interview! “What are we going to do, Miles?”

“Nothing,” he replies. He sounds calm, like he has it all together, but when I look at him, I can see how unnerved he is by all this. Same as me. His body is also confused, his dick twitching in his pants.

Huffing a loud breath, he hobbles to the sink and turns on the cold water all the way. He splashes his face under the stream.

“Miles,” I say again, still panicking. I need his reassurance. He has to know what to do. If he doesn’t, then we are definitely screwed.

“Even if that person goes forward,” Miles says, “All they have is rumors. Whatever they do or don’t say, we can spin.” Turning off the water, he finally looks back at me. The confusion and uncertainty is gone from his face. He’s back in charge now. “I’ll handle this, Esther. Don’t worry about a thing.”

“Kimberly knows I came here for this interview. She’s already suspicious. She’ll put two and two together.”

“Your editor?”

I nod.

“Then we better hope that she likes you enough to want to protect you,” Miles says. “But even if she doesn’t, it’s all hearsay and conjecture without proof.”

“Okay,” I say, starting to feel more in control.

“You go first,” Miles says. “Gather your things and leave. Don’t look back.”

“Okay.” I wrap my arms around myself, suddenly feeling very cold. It’s the kind of chill that comes from rejection.

Miles notices. Immediately he steps toward me, places his hands on my upper arms, and starts rubbing them up and down.

“This isn’t the end of us,” he says. “I won’t let it be.”

The words give me some warmth, so I nod again.

“Go on. Before people get even more suspicious.”

Quickly, I stumble out into the hallway, happy to find it empty. In a rush, I head back to the table, gather my things, and run out the door.

Just as he asked, I do not look back.

Kimberly spots me when I return. She comes to my desk. “How did it go?”

I’ve been thinking what to say the entire way back here. “It was a bust,” I say. “He didn’t give me any answers. He’s totally opaque.”

Kimberly hums as she looks me over. She doesn’t mention the new wrinkles on my shirt or the red love bites I only now remember are on my neck. I move to cover them with my hand but it’s too late. She’s seen.

“That’s a shame,” Kimberly says, and that’s all she says. She turns and heads back into her office.

I sit at my desk, trying to steady my breathing.

In and out.

Miles will handle everything. I need to trust that. We haven’t been found out. We’re going to be okay.

I almost have myself convinced when I receive a text.

Hearing my phone buzz makes my stomach drop, even though it has no reason to. I receive many texts all day long, from sources, and Garnar, and Mrs. Pine. It could be anyone on the other end of the message.

Yet a dark swell of trepidation still overtakes me, swallowing me with fear and anxiety, dragging me down.

Breathe, I remind myself. Then I condemn myself for my foolishness.

My relationship with Miles is nothing but physical. If it’s found out, if we need to break it off, is it really the end of the world?

It shouldn’t be. I shouldn’t have any feelings for Miles beyond wanting him physically.

Yet the thought of breaking things off hurts more than even the thought of having my reputation tarnished.

Fighting for bravery, I grab my phone and force myself to look.

The message is from an unknown number.

It reads, I saw you with Miles.