Flesh: Part Three (The Flesh Series Book 3) (4 page)

“
Thanks,”
I reply awkwardly as he finishes up what he's doing and crawls into
bed beside me.

“
You
rest now.” He turns off the lamp on the bedside table and
carefully pulls me into his arms.

It feels weird being
nuzzled up against him, but I quickly grow used to it. For a while, I
lay there with him in the darkness, listening to his breathing and
the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, thinking that I shouldn't get too
comfortable because any minute he's going to switch modes and start
trying to seduce me again. He doesn't though. The hours tick by, and
exhaustion gives way to sleep. I fight it, for as long as I can, but
eventually I have to surrender, allowing myself to pass out in
Lucian's arms.

CHAPTER TWO

The morning comes
earlier than expected. I wake to a bright light, causing my eyes to
flutter open and my mind to fight for clarity. It takes a moment to
realize where I am, to recognize the face smiling down at me. Lucian
sets a breakfast tray over my lap before I even have time to fully
wake up. On top of it is a plate with scrambled eggs, two breakfast
sausages, a glass of orange juice, and a small bowl of fresh fruit.

“
Rise
and shine,” he says, though his voice sounds strained.

“
Thanks.”
I groggily pull myself up into a sitting position. Sometime in the
middle of the night, he must have put a blanket on me, because my
legs are now covered. I can't help but wonder what else happened
after I went to sleep, not that I think it's anything devious.

“
How's
your ankle?” He sits down at the foot of the bed, pulls the
blanket off of my ankle, and gives it a quick examination.

I wiggle it, for
good measure. The pain that was there yesterday has subsided greatly.
“It feels better. I think I'm good to go.”

“
Good.”
He stands. “Because as soon as you eat, you need to go. I have
work.” Lucian gestures to the door. Considering that he's only
wearing a pair of sweatpants, I'm guessing that I don't need to be in
too much of a rush.

“
Alright,”
I reply, not knowing what else to say.

“
You
can borrow the crutches if you need to.” He points to them as
he walks towards the door.

“
Thanks.”
I watch him leave, still trying to process everything that's gone on.

For several seconds,
I just stare at the door. The man is completely unpredictable. I had
wholly expected him to pounce on me again last night after my crying
spell, but instead, he stayed true to his word, caring for me as if I
were a patient, and holding me as if I was something more. I shake my
head, trying to push that thought away. I've only known the guy for
three days now. He was probably just being nice—probably felt
bad that he accidentally pushed the emotional overload button with
his dick when he stuck it inside of me.

That's right. We
did have sex, if only for a few moments.

I press my thighs
together, feeling the muscles give resistance. It's amazing that just
a few minutes of him between my legs still caused that delicious
soreness. It will be a reminder of what we did all day long. I'm not
sure if that makes me happy or sad. At the very least, it makes me
feel scandalous, sleeping with a potential client.

I try to push
lecherous thoughts aside and enjoy my breakfast. The eggs are cooked
perfectly, the sausage is juicy, and I'm pretty sure the juice is
freshly squeezed. Damn, a surgeon, a Dom, and a chef. Who knew.
Lucian Reddick certainly is multi-talented.

For as disappointed
in myself as I am for having an emotional breakdown, I can't help but
smile from all the positives. Sure, I'm probably not going to get him
to sign a contract, but at least I got laid. It's such a mannish
thing to think, but damn it, it's been a while, far too long. And I
slept with a total hottie. I can't wait to go home and tell Janice.

Once I'm done
eating, I hobble around the room and find my clothes, pulling them on
and grabbing my things before I head out to tell Lucian that I'm
leaving. He's sitting in the living room, dressed in black slacks and
a blue button-down shirt. I'm honestly surprised that he's not
wearing a lab coat, like I'm used to seeing most surgeons wear. Maybe
he doesn't put that on until he gets to the operating room.

He's got a cup of
coffee in one hand and a tablet on his lap. It looks like he's
reading the news.

“
Thanks
for breakfast,” I say, feeling awkward standing there holding
my shoes.

“
You're
welcome.” He barely even glances up at me.

“
Um,”
I hesitate. “I know I didn't get to do a full consultation with
you, but I was wondering—”

He holds his hand up
to silence me, but he keeps his eyes fixed on his tablet. “I'll
email your supervisor later.”

The way he says it
makes me feel like someone just planted a lead weight in my chest. Is
he going to complain about me?

“
Alright
then.” I turn towards the front door, then back to him, waiting
for him to say something else. “I guess I'll show myself out.”

“
Have
a good day at work or whatever it is you're going to do today.”
He gestures at me dismissively.

My lips sulk into a
frown, and I leave.

Once I step outside,
it seems like the pressure that was constantly baring down on me from
being in Lucian's presence is lifted. Even though I know I screwed up
getting the contract, I somehow feel free. Whether Tyra and Derrick
are mad at me for not landing the contract, I don't care. I'm just
glad to be out of that awkward situation.

The relief doesn't
last long though. As soon as I get into my car, my brain goes into
over-analyzing mode. It's the same thing that happened after I left
Flesh. My mind makes a mountain out of a molehill, combing over
unrealistic possibilities and scenarios.

Just because I lost
the interior design contract with Lucian, doesn't mean I can't see
him again. I do enjoy spending time with him when it's on my own
terms. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to make an appointment at Flesh
every now and then. We've already had sex once, so it's not like we
could do anything else much more forbidden. Besides, now that I've
seen him in his natural element, I do feel a deeper attraction for
him. The man is absolutely amazing. As long as I don't get
attached...

But there's the
kicker. Every time I'm with him, it's like an emotional roller
coaster ride. It doesn't matter if it's at Flesh or his house. And
besides, I really screwed up by crying last night. Maybe he doesn't
want to see me again. Perhaps that's why he was so
dismissive...because he just couldn't wait to be rid of me.

That thought makes
me want to cry again, but I don't. The day has just begun, and I'm
sure it's going to be a long one. I need to go home, get changed,
head to work, and deliver the bad news. One step at a time though.
One step at a time.

***

I slide my key into
the door of my apartment and turn it as carefully as possible. Even
though I know that Janice is probably fast asleep, I don't want to
wake her. She works the evening shift as a manager at Walmart, and
typically doesn't get to bed until around two in the morning.

Lucian woke me up at
six o'clock; I got back to my apartment by seven, and I don't have to
be at work until nine. That gives me an hour and a half to shower and
get ready. And I
really
need a shower. Not only do I smell
like sex, but it feels like I have half of Florida on the soles of my
feet from walking around barefoot.

I close the door and
tiptoe to my bedroom to grab some fresh clothes before heading to the
bathroom. The hot water cascading over my body feels amazing, but at
the same time, it feels strange—like I'm washing off Lucian's
scent. It's a stupid thing to care about, especially since that
entire sexual encounter was so weird for me.

When I walk out of
the shower, a dark shadow in the hall startles me. I grab my chest
just as my eyes begin to focus. It's Janice. Thank God. To be honest,
I'm not even sure why I expected it to be someone else.

“
Late night?”
she asks, leaning against the wall. Even in the darkness, I can tell
that she's half asleep.

“
Yeah. Go back
to bed.” I try to shoo her off, knowing that she needs her
sleep more than I need to gush about my wild night.

“
You didn't
answer any of my texts.” She frowns.

“
Sorry. I was
busy.” I cower a little. It's not like it's my duty to tell her
where I'm at every hour of the day, but usually I let her know when
I'm going to be out all night, which only ever happens when I'm
staying at my parents' house.

“
Felt like
going home for a while?” She crosses her arms over her chest as
if she's cold.

“
No. It's a
long story.”

“
Oh? Sounds
interesting.” She perks up.

“
It is, but
not one I really have time to tell right now.” I glance towards
my bedroom.

“
Well, give me
the short version, and we can get into the details later.”

I hate just giving
her a teaser, but in truth, I'm dying to tell her what happened. “I
slept with a potential new client.”

Her mouth falls open
in disbelief. “You. Slept with someone. You slept with
someone?”

“
Yes.” I
start to wiggle excitedly, but then pain shoots up my leg, causing me
to still.

“
Wow. He must
have been a real charmer to get into your steel clad chastity belt.”
She smirks at me.

“
Don't say
that.” I wrinkle my nose. “You know I went to Flesh, so
it's not like it's on that tight.”

“
You must have
accidentally left it unlocked.”

“
Pfft.”
I roll my eyes.

“
Well,”
she yawns. “For as much as I want to know the details—and
you will tell me the details later—I should probably get back
to bed. It's going to be another long night.” Her lips dip into
a frown.

“
Yeah. Go
sleep.” I grin to myself as I watch Janice walk back into her
room, thinking about those details, the way that Lucian seduced me.
It was so hard to resist him. I still can't believe I ruined it by
crying.

The memory reminds
me of a night of too much drinking, the kind that starts fun, but the
more you drink, the more stupid stuff comes out of your mouth, and
eventually it all culminates into a clusterfuck of horror. It's one
of the memories you wish you could forget, even if there are good
parts attached to it. I can't forget though.

I try to distract
myself by getting ready for work, but Lucian is never far from my
thoughts. Even though I'm not around him anymore, I still feel like
I'm on that emotional roller coaster. The highs come when I think of
how kind he was, taking care of my foot, when I picture his gorgeous
smile, when I recall the sound of his laughter, and when I remember
the way that he kissed me, so passionately. Then the lows hit me like
a ton of bricks, and I internally tear myself down. How could I be so
immature as to cry in front of him, as if he was hurting me.

All I can do to
comfort me is to tell myself that days and weeks will make this a
distant memory. In time, I'll be able to put Flesh and that horrible
consultation behind me. Then I can return to my regular boring life,
a life without sex and excitement—a life more my speed.

***

There's a sick
feeling in my stomach as I approach Environ Design. While I had
thought that telling Tyra that Lucian was undecided would be the
worst of it, I just remembered I never even finished taking pictures
of his house. This is going to look bad. Really bad.

After sitting in my
car and weighing my excuses for several minutes, I finally decide to
pretend that the pictures somehow had erased themselves. For a
moment, I think about deleting all the pictures I took, but then I
realize that would look even worse. At least, the few pictures I do
have will be proof that I actually went to the consultation.

I inhale deeply as I
climb out of my car and limp up to the building. While my foot feels
better than it did yesterday, it still hurts. If I didn't feel
obligated to give Tyra and Derrick the news about the consultation, I
might have called in. As it is, this is news that should be delivered
in person. And besides, since I botched up landing the contract, that
probably means I won't have to leave the office today. If I'm not
going to be doing a lot of walking, then there's no point in staying
home.