Graphically Novel (Love Hashtagged #3) (9 page)

When Archer showed up, Tori was seconds away from telling him to go to hell. But the confrontation with her employees left her drained, and she wanted Archer. His comfort. And desperately to not think.

For a moment after she climbed in his lap, she thought he was going to tell her
no
. Then his body responded, and he did as well. It wasn’t a solution, but she wanted to not feel the emotional pain. To only experience the bliss of his touch. When she kissed him, he grabbed back, and she threw herself into the physical. She could cope with the rest later. This would be a salve on her wounds.

Except the tears sliding down her face betrayed her, and she couldn’t hold them back. He broke the kiss, searching her gaze with concern.

“Shit. Tori, no.” He moved his hand to her cheek and brushed away the tears.

She shook her head and tried to lean in for another kiss.

He placed a palm on her chest, keeping the distance between them. “Talk to me, please?”

“No.” She snarled and tore away, clambering to her feet. “I don’t want to talk about this, because our relationship is about sex. Not baring our souls.”

“Except we had friendship first. The sex isn’t worth it if we lose that.”

The words cut deep, drawing out more tears. She ran the back of her hand across her cheeks. “Damn it, Archer. You can’t have it both ways. It’s supposed to be
no strings
. That’s why it’s okay for you to throw yourself at your ex-girlfriend in front of me?” She choked on the words, but she couldn’t stop. “Or maybe that doesn’t matter, since it doesn’t seem to bother you she’s taken.”

“I shouldn’t have acted the way I did with Riley. But this won’t fix it.”

“
Nothing
can fix this.” It took the last of her restraint to not scream. “There are no easy solutions for us. For work. For life. I don’t think there are any solutions at all.”

“There’s an answer. There’s always an answer.”

“Stop.” Desperation filled her “I don’t want this. I don’t want you to be reasonable and rational. I want you to fuck my brains out, so I don’t have to think about what’s going on for a few minutes.”

“Has it worked so far?”

“Temporarily.”

“Is it what you really want?”

“Yes.” Her voice cracked, and she swallowed to try and clear out the raw ache in her throat. “Or are you going to tell me you know better, the way you always do with Riley?”

“No.” He rested his hand on the back of her neck, palm brushing her cheekbone. “I’m here for you. I’ll do what you want, because honestly, I don’t have enough strength to tell you
no
another time.”

She pressed against him, fisted her fingers in his hair, and yanked his mouth to hers. She poured all her frustration, her need, and her every last exposed nerve into the kiss. He growled and drew her closer, pressing his frame against her.

She felt wetness on her cheeks, and she broke away with a sob she couldn’t stop. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep her body from shaking, but it didn’t work.

“Fuck.” A larger, stronger pair of arms circled her, and Archer drew her in.

She buried her head against his chest, unable to control the wails wrenching from deep inside. She didn’t know what she was going to do. About him. About work. About any of it. God damn it—when did life get so complicated? And why couldn’t she stop crying?

He moved his lips against the top of her head, murmuring sounds that didn’t mean anything, but soothed her anyway. As her sobs slowed, he led her back to the couch. He dropped ono the center cushion and tugged her in his lap.

She curled up, listening to his heart and letting the steady rhythm calm her. Neither of them spoke for a while, even after she brought her outburst under control.

“I’ll only ask one more time, I promise. Do you want to talk about it?” he asked

She did. So very much. She wanted to spill her guts and tell him how much work sucked and how much she wished she’d never let Brad talk her into taking that stupid job, and how much she was falling for Archer. She winced mentally as soon as the last thought crossed her mind. This was bad. She couldn’t do this. Archer was off limits. He would break her heart, because regardless of his apology, he still had issues with Riley.

She managed to say, “I do, but not tonight.”

“I’m here when you’re ready.” He trailed his fingers through her hair and pressed his lips to her forehead.

She pushed closer, wanting to lose herself in him. If she couldn’t have him for good, she was going to enjoy him while he was here. “You don’t have to go home, do you?”

“I don’t have to be anywhere but here.”

* * * *

Tori snuggled into the strong body behind her, pulling Archer’s arm tighter. She’d slept better last night than in ages. They watched the worst movies, and somewhere around midnight or one, they’d lost their jeans and climbed into bed. As far as she remembered, she fell asleep the moment he wrapped himself around her.

Too bad she had to face reality. She forced her eyes open and scowled when she saw what time it was. “Damn it,” she muttered.

“How do you have a
damn it
before eight in the morning?” He rested his chin on her shoulder.

She smiled and leaned her cheek against his. Now her head was clearer, life didn’t seem quite as bleak, but she wasn’t looking forward to what came next. “I have a conference call with Candace and HR in thirty minutes.”

“Do you have breakfast ingredients in the house?” He trailed his fingers lightly along her hip, up the elastic of her panties, and back down her hip.

“Probably. I can make oatmeal.”

“Get ready for your call. I’ll make food.”

She couldn’t let him do that; it was too tempting, too comfortable, too much something she wanted to get used to. Still, she couldn’t force herself to turn him down. “If you’re sure.”

“Positive.”

Disappointment trickled in as cool air met her now-exposed back, but it was tempered when he grabbed her hand and pulled her into a sitting position. “Get dressed, bring your phone into the kitchen for your call, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

“All right.” She had to bite her tongue, to keep from asking if he wanted to join her in the shower. There was no way she was embarrassing herself like she had last night. Besides, she didn’t have enough time.

She showered quickly, dressed, and ran a brush through her hair, before pulling it back in a ponytail. The familiar smells of Archer’s cooking greeted her, as she stepped into the living room, and she closed her eyes.

He slid a plate across the table. Pancakes. Except, she didn’t have any pancake mix in the house. He’d made it from scratch?

And then she saw the time, and her enjoyment scurried to someplace unknown, replaced with a sick clawing in the bottom of her stomach.

“I’m sorry.” She slipped in her ear piece and waited for the phone to ring. She really didn’t want to take this call.

“Do what you have to. I’ll stick around until you’re done.”

She picked at her food, torn between enjoying it and the growing uneasiness in her gut. She dialed into the conference number, and the robotic voice told her she was the second person on the line. She and Michelle from HR made small talk for a few moments. How were Michelle’s kids? Was Tori looking forward to the company picnic this weekend?

Damn. Tori forgot about that, and she’d never hear the end of it from Brad if she skipped out.

The clock hit eight thirty and then rolled past it. It figured; Candace was late.

Tori jumped when the line chimed a few minutes later, indicating a third party had joined the call. She shot Archer another look, and he smiled in return. She steeled herself and answered the phone.

“Hi, Candace. This is Michelle in HR.”

“Hi, Michelle.”

Tori swallowed again. She could do this.

“I have Tori on the line with us today. Do you mind if I explain what this call is about, to make sure we’re all on the same page?”

Maybe this wouldn’t be too bad. Michelle was a great arbitrator. This call was her idea, when Tori talked to her about Candace’s complaint. A way to get both sides of the story, and ultimately decide how to handle Candace, in a neutral forum.

“That’s fine.” Candace’s tone was snipped.

“I read your complaint that you feel harassed, and I take that seriously. From a management perspective, Tori explained to me there are certain issues with some of your work and behavior,” Michelle said. “This call is a chance for you to explain to me your side of the story, so I can make sure everyone is treated fairly. Does that make sense?”

Tori liked this letting-Michelle-do-the-talking thing.

“Yes,” Candace said.

“So in your own words, explain to me why you belittled a member of executive management, in front of the entire senior staff.”

Tori’s confidence in the smooth nature of the call fled. That didn’t sound like a nonjudgmental question. Brad had interfered.

“That wasn’t my intention.” Candace sounded as calm and removed as always. “I was frustrated, because I didn’t feel Tori was hearing what I had to say.”

“Mhmm.” Michelle paused. “I apologize if there are stretches of silence. I want to write this all down, to make sure I get it accurate.”

Archer caught her attention, his brows knitted together, corners of his mouth tugged down.

She tried to give him a smile, but it felt more like a grimace, upon delivery. His frown grew, and she turned away so she could focus on the call.

“Have you tried to express these concerns in the past?” Michelle spoke again.

“Of course. Ms. Goode doesn’t like to hear those things that make her less than happy.”

Fury sped into Tori’s veins. “That’s not entirely accurate. In fact, it’s not even close to correct.”

“Tori, we need to let Candace talk now.”

The conversation deteriorated from there, as Candace used each question to redirect the blame to Tori again and again, for her inability to discipline her employee. By the time Michelle was done with her questions, Tori bit the inside of her cheek, to keep from repeating her performance on the other day’s call.

“Thank you for your time, Candace.” Michelle’s polite tone cut like a cheese grater now. “Tori and I need to discuss the next steps to take, and she’ll be in touch with you by the end of next week, at the latest.”

“Next week?” Candace’s question was laced with disdain.

“Yes. We have a number of factors to consider.” Tori couldn’t keep the edge from her voice. She wanted to fire Candace right now, but there were legal factors to consider.

“Just know, if you lay me off, I will haunt you. I will sue you from every angle possible, for wrongful termination and discrimination. I’ll drag your company through the muck so far, you won’t recognize your own public image when you’re done.” Candace clicked off the line before Tori could reply.

Tori stared blankly at her phone. “Can she do that?” she asked Michelle. Speaking her mind was supposed to make life easier, not give her more hoops to jump through. “Can I fire her now, for threatening me?” Who the fuck wanted to work for a company they despised as much as Candace seemed to hate theirs?

“She can try. Anyone can file a lawsuit. That’s why we have to make absolute certain we go about this the right way.”

“I understand. I want her gone, though. Am I allowed to say that?”

“Yeah.” Michelle sighed. “I’ll get you the paperwork. Dot every
I
, cross every
T
, and have Legal sign off on it when you’re done.”

They exchanged a few more pleasantries before disconnecting, but Tori’s mind had already leaped ahead to the dread of having to lay someone off.

“That didn’t sound like sunshine and rainbows.” Archer nudged her plate toward her, concern heavy on his face.

“It could’ve been worse. It could’ve been a lot better, but hey, I’ll probably fire the biggest pain in my ass ever. Yay?”

“Um… I guess?”

She didn’t want to talk about Candace, but the call had reminded her of something else. She took a bite of the food, trying to focus on the way it tasted, instead of the sickness churning in her gut. “I need a favor.” The moment the words crossed her lips, she cringed. Riley’s voice echoed in her skull, saying the same thing.

His expression faltered but then returned to reassuring. “Name it.”

“Our company picnic is this weekend. I don’t suppose you’ll be my backup?” She didn’t deserve to ask him, but she couldn’t walk into that crowd alone, when it was smattered with unfriendly faces. Candace still worked for them, and Mary would be there. Not everyone in the company hated Tori, but the anticipation of a few was enough to set her on edge.

“Absolutely,” Arched said.

She could do this. Archer was charming, so the other executives would love him, and she hated speaking her mind anyway, so it shouldn’t be a problem to keep her mouth shut. The picnic wouldn’t be a big deal. Would it?