Tell Me Something (The "Something" Series Book 1) (16 page)

Catherine gave me a smile. “It was my highlight, as well. Are you leaving?”

Josh found his voice. “I’ll escort you back to the hotel.”

I shook my head. “No, no, you two catch up. Like I told Mr. Singer before we got here, I wouldn’t be staying long. I have friends here in London who I’m getting together with. I’ll meet you in the lobby tomorrow morning, Mr. Singer.”

I could see in his eyes that he knew I was lying, but I wasn’t giving him a chance to accompany me back to the hotel.

“Oh, good, sweetie, go and have some fun. I forget that the night is probably young for you.” She leaned in and gave me a hug. “I look forward to talking next week. It’s been a pleasure.”

I could tell she meant it, and I was grateful for the solidarity. I didn’t bother to glance at Josh again. Instead, I quickly made a beeline for the exit.

I hurried back to the hotel and went straight up to my room. There I changed out of my gown and put on my Old Navy jeans, cursing Josh all over again for humiliating me with such a rude assumption. After pulling on a sweater and shoving on my boots, I went back down to the lobby. I was thankful that the front desk clerk could give me directions to the nearest late-night pharmacy.

***

Relief flooded me once I was on the busy sidewalk, mingling with the crowd and luckily not running into Josh. I had feared he would take off after me, and I wasn’t ready to speak with him. Of course, the fact that he was with Catherine didn’t thrill me, either. But considering she had a lot more in common with him and lived in New York, well, perhaps it was for the best. I wasn’t typically insecure, but my emotions were heightened at the moment.

I stopped in the pharmacy and made short work of buying the essentials, which included chocolate. Tucking my purchases into my purse, I walked back towards the hotel.

Seeing a pub across the street from the building, I decided to stop in. Happy that it wasn’t insanely busy on a weeknight, I took a seat and smiled at the bartender asking for a cider. I had started to relax when I felt my phone vibrate.

“Hello.”

“Where the hell are you?” Josh’s voice was angry.

“Are you kidding me? That’s the first thing you’re going to say to me?”

“Haylee, you are trying my patience.”

I looked at the phone as if I wanted to strangle it and promptly hung up. Asshole. Not my most mature moment, however, considering he was technically my boss and this was, in fact, a business trip.

The phone rang back, and I sighed. Maybe we could start this over. “Hello.”

“Haylee, if you hang up on me again…”

I cut him off. “Unless your next words are
I’m sorry,
Josh, I have nothing more to talk to you about.”

“What in the hell was I supposed to think with your high-end clothes and a new outfit every damn day and then to hear that they were all designer—”

I hung up on him again. It felt good to switch my phone off. I gulped down my cider, and the bartender poured me another one.

“On the house, love, that sounded brutal. My name is Greg.”

“Nice to meet you, Greg.” I smiled, and we spent the next hour laughing about some of the American versus English customs. I was in an exceptional fit of giggles over the word fanny, which meant something entirely different in London and was quite offensive as it described female genitalia, when I saw Josh walk in.

He was still dressed in his tux, but his tie was undone. He looked both pissed and sexy as hell.

“Uh, Greg, it was nice meeting you. Thank you for saving my night,” I uttered, pulling out some bills to pay my tab.

He glanced over towards Josh. “Boyfriend?”

“No. Worse, I’m afraid. He’s my pissed-off boss.” I smiled at Greg and stepped around Josh and out the door.

He followed me and we walked in silence until we entered the lobby, and the front desk clerk smiled. “Oh, good, you found her.”

I gave her a tight smile, and Josh and I went up in the elevator.

He still hadn’t spoken to me by the time we got up to our rooms. I went through my door and directly into my bathroom. I planned on taking a quick shower and then going to bed. If he was going to ignore me the rest of the night, that suited me fine.

Unfortunately, it didn’t appear I was going to get that reprieve. He strode into my room through the connecting door without even a knock.

“I am so pissed off right now, Haylee, it is probably for the best if we don’t speak tonight.”

“You’re pissed off at me? You’ve got to be kidding. How hard is it to say you’re fucking sorry, Josh?”

“I’m not the one who took off in a foreign city and then hung up on me twice, and what was with the bartender?”

I threw my hands up, not believing his audacity. “Uh, what’s with Catherine and you?”

Well, that got my point across as I saw his jaw clench.

“I’m not playing tit for tat. You’re at the bar picking up on men, and I’m out searching for you, having to ask the front desk where you went. By the way, why did you need a pharmacy?”

The change of subject took me completely off guard. “What?”

“The pharmacy. The clerk said you asked for directions. What did you need there?”

His gall knew no bounds. “You know what, Josh? I’m not sure what hurts most: the fact that you would honestly believe I’m squandering my money on designer clothes even after I told you I’m saving for law school, or that you would say something like that in front of someone I had just met and respect, even if you for a moment thought it was true. You humiliated me, and then you add insult to injury by being pissed off at me because I needed a moment. I wasn’t hitting on anyone tonight. I was only being friendly with the bartender, and now you’re going to demand to know what I purchased at the pharmacy. I can’t even—”

“I’m sorry.” He cut me off, saying it softly. “Oh, shit, Haylee. Please don’t cry.”

I wiped my eyes, knowing I was being overly emotional but unable to help it. I let him engulf me in a hug and sighed. “Why couldn’t you have said that at the party? I don’t understand it. You knew you were wrong, and yet you merely stood there.”

“I know. The only defense I have is that Catherine would have seen through it. You were standing there hurt and I wasn’t sure how to apologize as a boss would to his employee. Hell, I don’t know if I’ve ever done that before, especially in front of an audience. I froze knowing I was completely over the line. Then on the phone I was worried and pissed off, so I didn’t say it. I told you I’m not good at them.”

I sighed, realizing he had a small point. Josh Singer, multi-millionaire and my boss, probably wouldn’t have commented to begin with, let alone apologize. But it still smarted.

“Thank you for apologizing.” I accepted quietly.

“Now, will you tell me what you needed at the pharmacy?” The man was like a dog with a bone.

“Tampons. Happy now?” I flushed three shades.

He made it worse with his next question. “You started your period tonight?”

“Ugh, yes, and I really don’t want to discuss this at all.”

He only chuckled. “Haylee, I was married. It’s not like I’m unfamiliar with a woman’s menstrual cycle. It doesn’t embarrass me at all.”

“Well, that makes one of us.” My eyes focused on my feet.

He lifted my chin. “Haylee, it’s natural.”

I groaned, thinking this conversation was anything but natural and wanted to pull away, but he wouldn’t let me.

“I want you to feel comfortable with me, even about this. How are you feeling? Are you cramping?”

“Josh. God, this is way too personal.”

He dipped his head and kissed me. “I want to be personal with you.”

I felt my stomach flutter at that statement.

“Come on, I’ll draw you a bath.”

I hesitated. “Josh, I don’t—I mean I can’t, you know, right now…”

“It’s not all about the sex, Haylee. Come on, let’s get a bath started.”

He took my hand and led me through his room and into his large bathroom. He started the water and put one of the towels on the warming rack. “Not sure how safe these things are, but I like the idea of one.”

I liked the idea of a toasty towel, as well. I sighed at the large jetted tub. A warm bath would feel like heaven right about now.

“Did you take anything: ibuprofen, Tylenol?”

“Uh, no. I didn’t think to buy any, but I managed to grab chocolate.”

He smiled and made short work of rounding up two pills and a glass of water for me. “Here, they will help you sleep better.”

After undressing, I tossed them back and settled into the tub. My eyes opened when I heard the water splash.

Josh was getting in with me. “Scoot up so that I can get behind you.”

I did as requested and then lay back on his chest.

“Catherine adored you. Must have been some ladies’ room conversation,” he commented, soaping up my shoulders and massaging them.

“I genuinely liked her, too. She has an enthusiasm and sincerity that is refreshing.”

He paused and then rubbed down my arms. “Funny, she said essentially the same thing about you. She is excited about having a twenty-something-year-old friend in the city.”

I laughed. “Yeah, well I’m pretty boring, so if she’s looking to party it up, I think she might be disappointed.”

“Probably for the best. Her divorce has done a number on her self-esteem. The last thing she needs is to go wild and crazy. She’s a professional woman who needs to remember she could easily become page six news.”

“So you guys are friends?” I had to ask.

He reached around and started washing my breasts. “Yes, we’re friends.”

I sensed there was more. “But she would like to be more?”

He sighed and then was honest. “Yes, and I’m trying to be a good friend to her post-divorce, but she is panicked about being thirty-three-years old and now unmarried without kids.”

“Did you know her ex-husband?”

His hands felt amazing as they made their way to my legs. “Yes, I knew him, not that we were friends. He is an executive with Morgan Stanley.”

“What happened?”

“Her story to tell,” he declared.

I should have expected that from him. “I just meant that she is beautiful, successful, fun, and—well, she’s nice. It doesn’t add up unless he was a complete asshole. Actually, it doesn’t make sense why you’re not interested in her.”

“I would think it would be obvious. Marriage, kids, plus, as much as I like Catherine, I’ve only ever thought of her as a friend.”

“Looking at the two of you, it would be easy to imagine you both together. You look like you’d fit as a couple.” His arms went around me.

“I felt the same way when I saw you laughing tonight at the pub with that twenty-something-year-old English bartender and also on your night out with Zach. But I’d like to think the perception of what fits and the reality can be very different.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“You can ask anything, but whether or not I’ll answer depends on the question.”

In other words, his marriage was off-limits. “Are we exclusive?”

He tensed and I assumed the reason was because I was pushing the boundaries of what he was willing to offer. This relationship may be temporary, but the thought of him with another woman didn’t sit well at all.

“I haven’t been with anyone else, if that is what you’re asking. I guess I had assumed we were exclusive,” he confided.

I sighed in relief. “I like that assumption,” I said smiling.

He shifted and started to rise out of the water. “Water is getting cold. Come here, let’s get you dried off.” He helped me out of the tub and wrapped me up in a warm towel.

“I’m a fan of the warm towel, might be worth the fire risk.”

He took one for himself and smiled. “I think you’re right about that. Did you, um, need some time in the bathroom before bed?”

My face heated. “Uh, yeah. I’ll go back to my room and then get dressed.”

“You’re cute when you blush.”

My face heated even further. “Good night, Josh.” I smiled, giving him a kiss.

“You’re sleeping with me tonight, aren’t you?”

All right, this threw me. “Um, you want me to?”

He kissed my forehead. “Get dressed in your pajamas and come back to my bed. I’ll massage your back.”

Damn if he wasn’t the best boyfriend ever, I thought, crawling into the bed a short time later and then feeling his hands massage my lower back where it was always sore this time of month.

The next day involved a lot of shuffling of meetings with an unforeseen crisis concerning the purchase of the Hong Kong business. Something about the government and taxes, but I wasn’t brought up to speed on the details.

From the grim look on Josh’s face, it was evident he was not happy. Now at ten o’clock at night, we were still in the office, conferencing with both Brian, who was on site in Hong Kong, and a bunch of attorneys. I didn’t know how he did it, but Josh still looked impeccable in his suit after a fourteen-hour day.

Hours earlier, he had offered me a chance to go back to the hotel, but I wouldn’t hear of it. I think he was relieved since, in my opinion, he could not have handled all of the logistics of the many calls. Not that he wasn’t brilliant, but men like Josh didn’t bother with the details of how to videoconference. Hell, they didn’t need to.

“Gentlemen, I trust this is now in good hands.” He wrapped up the call and glanced at me after finally hanging up. “Let’s go,” he stated, obviously still annoyed with his day.

We walked back to the hotel in silence and then took the elevator up to the hotel suites. “Do you want me to order room service?” I inquired, as we went through his hotel room door.

“Sure, that’s fine,” he said tersely, not offering any further guidance.

Most girls might take his abrupt mood personally, but having witnessed a portion of how Josh’s day had gone, I didn’t blame him for being irritable. Plus, we were still in business mode. Compared to Warren’s moods, Josh’s were pretty easy to anticipate.

Calling down for a couple of burgers with fries, I threw some chocolate chip cookies into the order, too. Why the hell not?

In my room, I quickly changed into my jeans and sweatshirt, happy to take my hair down and remove my makeup.

A short time later, Josh walked in from his adjoining room with the tray full of food while I was on the phone with Nigel, catching up on the coming week’s schedule. I hadn’t even heard room service knock with the delivery.

“Right, Nigel, I’ll ask him. Talk to you tomorrow.” I hung up and looked towards Josh.

“Ask me what?” Josh remarked, lifting up the lids from the burgers and looking back at me with an expression that let me know what he thought of my meal choice.

I shrugged. “What? You had a long, bad day and you probably shouldn’t leave the ordering up to a woman who is hormonal if you want a salad.”

Well, that got him. He laughed out loud. “Fair enough.”

He set the tray on the small table and we both dug in. “What were you going to ask me?” he prompted.

“Nigel asked if you wanted him to make your travel arrangements for Thanksgiving. It’s next Thursday.” Nigel had also mentioned that last year Josh’s mom and brother had come into New York, the year prior Vegas. He clearly spent the time with his family, it was just a matter of where that would be this year.

From the irritated look on his face, this wasn’t high on his priorities. Or he didn’t want to discuss holiday plans with me particularly.

“I don’t know. It’s a week away,” he scoffed.

“I know, I mean imagine two assistants trying to plan a whole week ahead of time—it’s crazy.”

He paused in chewing his food. “Are you being sassy, Ms. Holloway?”

Holy hell, the way he said that spiked my libido instantly. I not-so-innocently dipped my fry in ketchup and sucked it off while watching his eyes darken. “I wouldn’t dream of it, Mr. Singer,” I retorted, batting my eyelashes.

He reached across the small table and wiped the ketchup from the side of my mouth.

I took the opportunity to take his finger and suck it gently, getting satisfaction out of his breath catching.

“Haylee, you need to get some sleep,” he suggested huskily.

He was always concerned about me getting enough rest. It occurred to me that there might be a reason for it. “Will you tell me why you are always so concerned about my sleep? It comes from somewhere.”

He sighed and then was surprisingly open. “I’m an insomniac most nights. At one point in my twenties, I was not as aware of how I pushed people. I had Mark up all night on a deal, and he fell asleep driving home. He was fine; the car wasn’t. It was an important lesson for me to pay attention and to ensure that no one else I cared about got put in jeopardy because I didn’t allow them to get enough rest.”

I was speechless and caressed his face to show my gratitude for his confiding in me. “Thank you for sharing that.”

“So, you should probably get to bed.”

“I can always sleep on the plane.” Then before he could protest, I was down on my knees, undoing his belt and freeing him.

“I don’t know what in this lifetime I did to deserve this, but I will take it,” he mumbled.

Smiling, I licked the pre-come from his tip, enjoying his sounds of pleasure.

“Ahh, Christ… how long do your periods last?” he inquired.

I paused and tried not to be embarrassed by his frankness. “About four to five days I guess. Why?” I went back to licking his shaft from base to tip.

He groaned. “Because I want to be inside you. I want to make you come.”

“Hmm, can’t you enjoy being on the receiving end for a few days?” I asked, going lower and paying attention to his balls.

He gripped the table. “God dammit, Haylee, I’m not going to last long with you doing that.”

His cock hardened further with my fist stroking his length. I took him all the way into my mouth, using my tongue and lips to suck him harder.

After a few minutes of my delicious torture, he let go and spilled into my mouth, hot and thick.

Swallowing all of it, I then kissed his tip lightly before climbing back into my chair.

After slugging back my soda, I went back to eating my burger and watched as he zipped himself up. “So you moved most of your meetings from tomorrow to today. Does that mean you want to leave early tomorrow?”

His brows raised. “And just like that we are back to business?”

Laughing, I said, “The lines are so blurred that I honestly have to kind of go with it. Otherwise, I would be insecure as either your girlfriend or your assistant, and I don’t think you’d appreciate that. I figure when we’re alone they will need to blur, and when we are in public, well, it’s only business.”

He contemplated this while eating his fries. “Girlfriend, huh?”

Crap, I hadn’t realized I’d said that. My face heated. “You know what I mean, and that wasn’t the point of what I was talking about.” I refused to be embarrassed, and lifted my chin, indicating as much. “Plus, since no one knows but the two of us—well, except for Mark, technically—I figure I can call you whatever I want.”

Smiling, he seemed to enjoy my response. “You are sassy tonight.”

Hmm, yes I was. “Does it freak you out to be called a boyfriend?”

Gathering up his dishes, he finally answered after a minute. “It’s strange at my age, after having been married, to be a boyfriend again. But I guess I like that you would consider yourself my girlfriend.”

Okay, so in other words I was taken, and he wasn’t? I would try not to read into the fact that he didn’t consider himself my boyfriend.

“I worried about how you—or myself for that matter—would be able to balance both the work and the personal. For what it’s worth, I like the way we weave in and out so far. Although I know it isn’t always easy, you’ve been nothing but professional. You’re unlike any other woman I’ve met. Maybe it’s your age that makes you so refreshing. I don’t know.”

“You could spend time with other girls my age and let me know,” I quipped, insulted.

Chuckling, he shook his head. “Point taken and no, thank you. I had meant it as a compliment.”

“So you’re saying you’re happy to be banging your secretary?” I had thought I was being funny, but his eyes narrowed, and I could tell he was instantly pissed off.

He crossed to me and gripped my chin firmly. “Don’t ever insult yourself or me by referring to us that way again. You wonder why I want to keep things a secret. It’s to avoid people saying or even thinking something like that. People don’t need to put a disrespectful label on it, and neither do we, all right?”

I could only nod and then swallow.

He took my mouth greedily as if to prove the point.

I was about to protest as I didn’t think he’d want to kiss me after I had gone down on him. But he didn’t seem to care and, to hell with it, neither did I as he deepened the kiss.

Pulling back, he nipped my bottom lip. “I’m going to run the bath. Meet me in there when you’re ready.”

It was incredibly sexy how he not only took charge but was adamant about making me feel like what we had wasn’t cheap. Swallowing hard, I checked my feelings and took a deep breath. I needed to remind myself that this was only temporary. It didn’t matter if he thought of me as his girlfriend or put a label on it or not. If I let myself believe for a moment that we had a future together past me leaving for school, I risked a broken heart.

Josh was in his robe when I padded into the bathroom. I wasn’t sure where his thoughts were, and he didn’t reveal them as he peeled my robe off.

After sliding into the tub, I was pleased when Josh stepped in behind me. He soaped my back like he had the night before. “Tell me something?” I whispered.

Behind me, he let out a breath. “I’m an asshole who doesn’t like to say he’s sorry.”

I giggled. “You’re supposed to tell me something I don’t already know.”

Chuckling, he admitted, “All right. I have a fear of needles. My mom tells me I would hyperventilate when I was a child when I knew I had to get shots.”

I smiled since it was easy to assume Josh was fearless.

“Now tell me something,” he returned, soaping my breasts.

His touch made my breath catch. “I was only teasing when I made the comment about banging your secretary, but I think subconsciously I needed your response to reassure me that I mean more than that to you. I don’t know why, because your actions have never made me feel cheap, but hearing you get angry over it cemented the idea in my mind. I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention to push you into having to reassure me, but I do feel better now that you have.”

He was quiet. I wasn’t sure what he was thinking, so I twisted to get a read on his face, but he kept me in position with his hands.

“Stay where you are,” he whispered. His hand traveled down my stomach and then lower.

“Josh, I’m still on my…”

“Shhh, I promise I won’t go any lower than this,” he assured me, putting the pad of his thumb on my clit. “Okay?”

Groaning in pleasure, I could only nod when I felt his breath at my ear.

“Do you know what you do to me with your honesty, Haylee?” he asked in his honey voice.

I shook my head as he rubbed me softly, teasing.

“You completely beguile me. Does that feel good?” he whispered.

I squirmed under the tutelage from his hand. “Yes.” It sounded like it was someone else’s passion-filled voice answering.

He increased the pressure and tempo. “Relax, and let your body feel it.”

I did, exploding in record time as I felt his lips on my neck.

“That’s it, now again.”

I started to protest, but his hand had already started. “Josh, I can’t…” I practically begged.

“Yes, you can. Let it go.”

I did, completely coming undone under his hand as his hot breath caressed my ear.

“Good girl.”

I felt like jelly and barely registered what was going on when he lifted me out of the tub and dried me off.

He left me for a moment and returned with my underwear and T-shirt which I had laid out on my bed.

“Here, get dressed, and then let’s get you into bed. You’re exhausted.”

That was an understatement, I thought, barely able to keep my eyes open. By the time he enveloped me in his arms, I was completely asleep.

***

I was still getting dressed when Josh entered my set of rooms hot and sweaty, apparently having visited the gym first thing this morning.

My mouth watered at the sight of his body on display in shorts and a T-shirt.

“You and I have plans for today before we fly home. As soon as I get back from a breakfast meeting, be ready to go.”

“Plans?” I questioned.

“Yes, a surprise. So pack your things and be ready when I get back in about an hour or so.”

I was intrigued and started packing.

After Josh returned from breakfast, he changed quickly and we headed out. Although it was sunny, the air was crisp, and I was glad I dressed warmly.

I had expected a car at the curb, but instead Josh turned right.

I walked alongside him for two blocks until we came to a stop in front of a sign that read
Big Red Bus Stop.
Sure enough, the double-decker bus pulled up a short while later, and we boarded.

“I was told this was the fastest way to see the sights around London,” he noted as we wound our way upstairs.

We found ourselves alone in the open-air top since everyone else must have opted for the warmth downstairs. Taking the seat on the side, he slid in beside me and put his arm around me.