Chapter 31: Chapter 31

^SIX YEARS LATER^

^Sydney, Australia^

MELODY

“Good morning, Miss Adam,” Joseph greeted me as I walked swiftly inside.

“Morning, Joseph,” I said and stopped for a moment at the desk and took a breather. I was late, and I knew it.

“Running late, Miss Adam?” Joseph asked. Joseph was a security guard whose wife, Molly, was seven months pregnant.

I held up the box in my hands and waggled my eyebrows. “Give these to Molly,” I said in a singsong.

Joseph’s smile grew wider. Brown eyes lighting up, he took the box from my hand and placed it on the desk.

“Thank you. She has been wanting me to ask if you would bake a cake for her, but I didn’t know how to ask.” He scratched the back of his neck nervously.

One day, I’d baked a cake for Jenny, my office friend, on her birthday.

Luckily, Molly had been here, and she’d liked the cake so much and had asked for the recipe, but due to complications with her pregnancy, she was on bed rest and couldn’t make it for herself.

“Oh, shoot. I’m late.” I glanced at my watch. “You don’t need to think about how to ask, just tell me, and I’ll bake one, okay?” I reached over and gave his hand a squeeze.

“Okay, and thank you again, Miss Adam,” he said sincerely.

I nodded and jogged as best I could in heels over to the elevator. Minutes later, I was on the eleventh floor and rushing past Cari, the copy editor.

She smirked at me. She knew how nervous I got when I was late.

I made it to my desk and dropped my purse on it. The phone rang.

I nervously picked up. I already knew who it was. “Hello?”

“Come to my office.”

“Yes, sir.” I hung up and walked over to Mr. Marvick’s door. Taking a deep breath, I tapped lightly before opening it.

Mr. Carter Marvick was the CEO of Scarlett Publishing House, the biggest publishing house in Sydney.

I had been working here for the last four years. I loved my job the way a mother loves her newborn baby. I’d worked my ass off for it and everything else I owned.

A lot could change in six years. I wasn’t the same naive girl I used to be. In six years, I had learned to live alone. I had learned to cook and do so many things. I could say I was proud of myself.

I pushed open the door slightly, and I was immediately met with brown eyes boring into mine.

He looked at me over the rim of his reading glasses before snatching them from his face and tossing them on the desk in front of him.

“You’re late.” He stated the obvious, never taking his eyes from me.

“I’m sorry, sir. It won’t happen again,” I said.

He looked up. “In almost four years, you’ve never been late. It’s twice this week. Why?”

Before I could respond, he asked, “Is everything okay?”

“Yes. I just had a rough week. I promise it won’t happen again.”

He didn’t say anything for several seconds, then nodded and motioned for me to sit. I sat on the chair across from his desk.

“Melody, you can tell me anything. You know that, don’t you?”

“I’m fine. Sir,” I said, emphasis ~sir~.

Jenny had told me a few months back that Carter had feelings for me. I’d brushed her off, laughing at her, but now I’d started noticing a few things that always kept me on edge.

Not that I didn’t like Carter. I liked him, but as a boss, nothing more.

He was handsome with jet-black hair and brown eyes. He was in his midthirties, and it wasn’t about his age. Age had never bothered me and it would never.

I just didn’t want a relationship. I wasn’t looking for anything.

Thinking we were done, I got up from my seat to leave, but his voice stopped me.

“Melody, I have been wanting to talk about something else.” His voice held some uncertainty, which meant he wasn’t sure himself.

“Yes?”

“Are you dating anyone?” he asked, never taking his eyes off me.

“I’m seeing someone,” I said, which wasn’t a complete lie.

His face fell. “Oh, okay.” He nodded.

“Can I leave?” I asked.

He nodded, and without wasting a second, I bolted out of the office and rushed to the washroom.

After closing the door behind me, I leaned my head against the door and exhaled the breath I’d been holding since I’d walked out of his office.

“Mel?” Jenny’s voice came from the other side of the door.

“Yeah?” I called, breathing hard.

“Are you okay?” Her voice was full of concern.

I washed my face with cold water and fixed my makeup before opening the door.

“I’m fine,” I said. We walked back to our desks.

“So?” She raised her eyebrows in question.

I shook my head as always. “I’m not interested, Jenny,” I said, opening my laptop.

“Why not? He’s handsome, successful.” She paused, looking around and leaned closer. “I’ve heard he’s ten inches,” she whispered.

“What the fuck, Jenny!” I said loudly, attracting attention to us.

“I’m not lying. Believe me, if I wasn’t married, I would definitely bone him, even if it was only for one night,” she said with a shrug.

I rolled my eyes at her eagerness and started working on a manuscript. There wasn’t much to edit.

It was a romance novel, a captivating piece, a romance that ran so deeply and meaningfully that the characters truly came alive on the pages.

I managed to keep myself busy all morning, and before I knew it, lunchtime had come.

“So, have you given it any thought?” Jenny inquired before taking a bite of her BLT.

“About?” I asked, taking a sip of diet cola.

“Fucking the ten-inch cock of the boss.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

I spit out the cola, making a mess and coughing loudly. “Jeez, have some filter!” I whispered, glancing around and seeing a couple of people looking at us in disgust.

She shrugged and took a sip of her lemonade.

In the last four years, I had come to know her enough to know she wasn’t going to drop the subject soon.

“What if I told you I have a boyfriend?” I said and took another sip of my cola and set it back down on the table.

“Say what?” she shrieked, making me wince.

“I have a boyfriend. I don’t need a ten-inch cock,” I said, mimicking her.

“I don’t believe you,” she huffed and looked away. A second later, she turned and looked at me. “You’re not lying. Are you?” She narrowed her eyes.

I shook my head.

She glared. “I’ve been singing songs about boss cock for the last five months. You didn’t tell me you have a boyfriend.” She paused. “We always go clubbing together, and he’s never with you. Why?”

“I want to keep it a secret for now. I don’t want anyone to know we’re dating,” I said, shrugging.

“Why?” she dropped her sandwich and leaned across the table.

“Because my boyfriend’s name is Daniel Weston,” I said, whispering his name.

A few months after graduation, Dan had joined his father’s business, Weston Corporation, as his father had always wanted him to.

He’d worked hard and had won the Businessman of the Year award last year.

Now he was CEO of Weston Corporation and was considered to be one of the most eligible bachelors.

“Come again?”

“You heard me.” I shrugged.

“I know, but I want to hear it again. Maybe I heard wrong.” She was practically bouncing in her seat as she talked.

“Daniel Weston,” I said again.

“Now I know you’re lying. If not, then prove it to me. Make a video call,” she demanded, crossing her arms.

“I can’t make a video call here, Jenny,” I said.

“Okay, come with me.” She took my hand and dragged me along with her to the washroom, closing the door behind her. She turned and crossed her arms. “Now call,” she said.

I sighed and tapped on his number. It was a good thing we were still playing the game we’d started in college. We were each other’s safety net.

“Hey, baby,” he answered after a few rings.

I smiled shyly. “Hey, honey,” I answered. I just hoped he would understand now. I looked past him to make sure he wasn’t in a meeting or a conference.

His eyes lit up in recognition. “I was just about to call you. I was missing you so damn much.”

“I miss you too, honey,” I said. “Remember I told you about my friend in the office?”

“Jenny?” he asked.

Jenny’s smile widened at hearing her name.

I nodded. “What about her?” he asked.

“Well… I told her about us, but she said she doesn’t believe me.”

“Oh, now she believes you,” he laughed.

“I don’t think so. Why don’t you talk to her and make her believe?” I handed my phone to Jenny.

She practically snatched the phone from me. “Are you really her boyfriend?” she asked.

“I am.” I could feel him smirking. They talked for about five minutes, and in her excitement, she blurted out about a ten-inch cock and started blushing like a teenager.

I snatched the phone from her before she could say something else and he got a chance to laugh at me.

Before I could hang up he called, “Baby, wait.”

“Yeah?” I asked and regretted it soon after seeing the mischievous grin on his face.

“Did you think about the ten-inch cock of your boss?” he asked in a serious voice.

Jenny burst out laughing hard. I glared at her, and biting my lips, I shook my head at Dan.

His eyes narrowed on me; he knew when I lied. “Mel?”

~Fuck.~

~

How could I not think of my boss’s ten-inch cock when I’d been hearing about it constantly? I wasn’t a nun or celibate anyway.

“I… I… Bye. Love you.” I hung up the call, and Jenny burst out laughing.

I glared at her and walked out of the washroom. She followed me, laughing. “Did you really think about the boss’s cock?”

“Shut up, Jenny!” I tried to be serious but ended up laughing with her.

“Tell me you didn’t think of his cock,” I said, walking toward our desks.

“How can I not! If you ever fuck that ten-inch cock of Mr. CEO, take at least one pic to show me.” She winked, grinning like a lunatic.

“If we get there, I will personally send you a picture of my dick.”

We were startled by the voice.

~Well, fuck me...~

~