IN BED WITH THE BOSS

Scott woke up. Remembering that he had Vivian in his arms when he slept off, he grinned and reached out for her. He frowned when he realized that her side of the bed was empty and sat up. Then he heard it…The sound of the television downstairs.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Putting on his boxers, he headed downstairs. Halfway down the stairs, he could hear her laughing. Not too loudly but a bit carefree. She sounded so happy, and he grinned. What the hell was going on with her, he wondered.

When he got to the living room and sat saw the almost empty box of brownies, he knew what was going on with her and he had to fight the urge to burst into laughter.

“Vivian…” he said softly as he approached her. Careful not to scare her. She lifted her eyes to his and smiled at him. She looked so happy to see him and Scott couldn’t help but smile right back at her.

“What are you doing?” he asked her.

“Watching TV” she whispered back, “I’m sorry that I woke you up, but that scene was just too damn funny.”

“What scene?” Scott asked, enjoying the moment and wanting to see more of her this way. None of her walls were up as they seemed to be sometimes and he realized in that moment how much her being around meant to him.

“The one where Anthony Bridgerton falls into the river.” she replied, “It’s so funny. I used to hate his character but I’m starting to really like him”

Scott moved forward, “Sounds interesting. Can I join you?”

“Yeah, I’d love that” Vivian replied.

And so he slipped into the couch with her, pulling her close so she was sitting in between his legs. She looked so small and delicate, and Scott swallowed hard at the strong impulse he felt to protect her…and the way she was staring at him… He shook his head.

“How many of those brownies have you had,” he asked.

“Four” Vivian replied, sounding so proud of herself. “They were really delicious, and they make me feel so good inside…. I like them”

Scott laughed, “Yeah in sure you feel pretty good, but next time, you shouldn’t eat four at once. You should take your time. The feeling doesn’t come immediately you eat it and you don’t want get overwhelmed. I’m glad I came down here before you ate the entire box”

Vivian didn’t look like she was listening. She looked like she was so proud of herself in fact. “You look so good” she said, as she rubbed her fingers against his cheek. “Maybe you should have one of those brownies so you can loosen up like I did”

“Nah I’m fine” Scott replied, “I’m content to just sit here and watch you.”

He smoothened her hair and brushed the strands away from her face, tucking them behind her ear. “You are so beautiful, Vivian,” he whispered, “and I’m glad that you are here with me tonight.

She closed her eyes and lifted her hand to his,”Scott….” she called, but it came out more like a moan. She felt safe and warm and she could feel a pool gathering between her legs.

“Kiss me” she whispered, not holding back any more. He didn’t hesitate and his lips slanted over hers.

________

Vivian sat in her office, trying to put together some of the documents Scott had handed to her the previous day when her door opened and a worried looking Betty stepped in, holding her phone towards her.

“You have to see this Vivian” she said. “Linda showed it to me and I don’t know who else has seen it.

The look on her face was enough to make Vivian worried too. “What is it, Betty?” she asked.

“Some blog posted a story about Mr McCall… and the woman he’s dating… and she’s not you. Apparently, they attended a party together not too long ago and there was a confrontation or a fight of some sort between Mr McCall and the lady’s brother. It was a big deal too. Mr McCall punched him in the face and made quite a scene. Judging from the look on you face you probably didn’t know about this lady… ”

Vivian shook her head,” No, I didn’t know about her at all”. Vivian said softly, “He didn’t tell me anything about any other woman. He said there was no one”

“I’m sorry” Betty said regretfully, “I’m sorry that I encouraged you to be with him too. I just thought… I didn’t think that Mr McCall would…”

“It’s okay,” Vivian replied, “You really don’t have to feel that way, Betty. I blame myself because I should have known better.”

“Do you need me to sit with you for a while?”

Vivian shook her head, “No you don’t have to. I need to get back to work”

“You know where to find me if you need me. Just make sure you hear from him before you make any decisions.” Betty replied as walked out.

Vivian sat pretty still. Unable to think about anything for a while. Why did Scott lie to her? And who was that woman? She looked really beautiful… Rich and sophisticated…. Everything Vivian was not. She was clearly the kind of woman Scott went out with. Her mind was wandering and she couldn’t think straight. She was grateful that Scott wasn’t at the office because she was sure that she would have matched into his office to demand answers, but the question now was….. Did she really want answers?

————

She couldn’t bring herself to ask Scott about the other woman.

She realized now that she dreaded that answer. It seemed so final… like their relationship would end as soon as she asked him, and she didn’t want it to end…. She didn’t want to loose him.

It was easier to avoid the topic since Scott wasn’t around and was absent at the office. Weekdays separated them-they met on Friday and parted on Sunday. Sometimes Scott came down to her apartment, but more often than not Vivian went up to his.

They went around the city together sometimes, And Vivian found herself seeing a different city from the one she was used to, because she saw it through Scott’s eyes as well as her own, and it slowly crept up on her that they were the eyes of a woman falling in love.

At first she tried to deny it, and then to talk herself out of it, asking whether it was possible to fall in love if it was very definitely one-sided. But it was. Of course it was. Unrequited love-the biggest heart-breaker in history and as old as time itself.

She was headachey one Sunday evening, when she was driving back to her apartment, having just spent a satisfying yet ultimately dissatisfying weekend at Scott’s house.

There had been a dinner on Saturday, a lazy Sunday morning in bed, then the papers and brunch and a walk in the park. They had gone back to bed and then the telephone had rung and Scott had been speaking to someone, and Vivian had slipped out of bed to shower and wondered whether he had even noticed her going.

She found herself wondering about the natural term of his relationships, and wondered, if she finished it, how long it would take him to replace her with someone else whom he found as attractive. And why was she even thinking about finishing it, when to all intents and purposes it was the perfect relationship? Perfect like a diamond-glittering yet cold.

But she knew why…. He was keeping another woman. She had not asked him yet, but she couldn’t keep lying to herself about it.

This was Scott McCall. His charm could not disguise the fact that he was a man who viewed any kind of commitment as he would a deadly cobra.

She had been looking at a huge, double-page spread in one of the Sunday glossies, all about the Caribbean.

“Doesn’t that look blissful?” she questioned, her finger stabbing at white, bleached sand and sea the color of crystal peacock.

He looked up from the financial section, more captivated by her eyes than any damned beach. “Mmm?”

“This. Look.”

He glanced down at it. “Very pretty.”

“Have you ever been to the Caribbean?”

“Once. A long time ago.”

Getting information about his past was like getting blood out of a stone and for once-just for the hell of it-Vivian decided to ignore the I-don’t-particularly-want-to-talk-about-it vibes.

“When?” she asked.

He put the newspaper down. “About five years ago.”

“Who with?”

His face became shuttered. “I’m sorry?”

She was hardly demanding to know all the secrets to his heart!

“I just asked who with.” Vivian replied, and then rushed on incautiously. “Was it with a woman?”

Now he really was starting to get irritated. “Why?”

“No reason, especially.” Vivian shrugged, feeling on the defensive. “It’s just-”

His eyes glittered. “Just what, Vivian?”

“Well, it’s quite interesting to know about other people you’ve been out with. Don’t you think?”