By the time Christian left, I was exhausted. It didn't seem to matter that I hadn't really done much at all. All the stress seemed to weigh down even heavier on me, and I wasn't sure how much more of it I could take.
But I refused to give in. Instead, I finished off my tea, then marched into my bedroom and started packing for the trip. We'd be leaving first thing Friday morning, and I wanted to have everything ready well before then. But as I found myself looking in my closet at the various outfits, I wasn't sure what in the world I should pack. It wasn't a date, but it also wasn't a business trip. It landed somewhere in the middle, which made it nearly impossible to decide on how I should dress.
I didn't want to be too formal and look out of place. But I also wasn't sure if a casual t-shirt and shorts would be appropriate either. Finding something for the actual ceremony was easy enough. I had a pretty blue dress I hadn't had a chance to wear before, and this seemed like the perfect excuse to wear it. It was sleek and stylish enough to look nice but was fairly conservative, so at least I wouldn't show up looking like a slut.
It was about the furthest thing from the little black dress I'd worn to the Halloween ball.
Everything else took far more effort than it should have. It didn't help that I had to stop more than once to run to the bathroom and empty my stomach into the toilet. The peppermint tea had been helping to settle my stomach, but it wasn't an absolute cure. For some things, there wasn't a cure.
But despite how nervous I was about it all, I couldn't deny being a little excited. I'd never been to Texas before and was eager to see his brother's ranch. He'd promised the weather would be gorgeous this time of year, and I couldn't wait to see it for myself. Already I could picture it in my mind, and those thoughts alone brought a smile to my face.
I refused to think about the fact that Christian would be right there with me. That was not a path I wanted to go down right then.
God, I really was turning into a mess. I felt like a ping pong ball, with my emotions bouncing back and forth. Just when I'd finally start getting my mind sorted, something would send my thoughts skittering off course again, and I'd immediately begin second guessing whatever decision I'd come to. By the time I finally collapsed into bed, it didn't take more than a few moments before I was out like a light.
8
Christian
The rest of the week goes by slower than anything I could have imagined. Jade came into work each day, and I struggled to pretend things were as normal as possible. To her credit, Jade seemed to be doing a hell of a lot better than I was at that. She was the absolutely pinnacle of perfection. If she hadn't been here, there was no way I'd have been able to get anything done.
My mind was still an absolute mess. Part of me couldn't stop thinking about her leaving soon, about not having her there to wrangle me on my bad days, about all the effort I'd have to put into finding a suitable replacement for her. I should have already been looking at applicants, but I'd so far put it off.
The other part of me couldn't stop thinking about the upcoming trip. I'd be spending a weekend with Jade, away from the office. And while I'd promised her I would be on my best behavior and nothing untoward would happen during the trip, I couldn't keep my mind from wandering down those paths. The more I thought of Jade, the more my thoughts about her seemed to blur with the mystery woman from the Halloween party until it became almost impossible to separate the two of them in my fantasies.
But I fought those fantasies back. It didn't matter that Jade was only technically going to be an employee for another week. I was still not going to let my horny imagination get the better of me. I did not need the trouble and headaches that came with sleeping with someone who worked for me. Besides, it seemed like Jade had enough going on in her life. She didn't need me adding to that trouble any more than I already had.
Because, as much time as I spent watching her, I noticed just how worn and haggard she was starting to look. It was subtle, and I doubted most anyone else noticed. She still came in dressed as usual, with her hair and makeup perfect, but I noticed the lines forming at her eyes, how she smiled less often. Whatever was going on that required her to quit her job here, it was slowly taking its toll on her, though she was fighting not to let anyone see that.
No matter how many times I asked if she was okay though, she just brushed me off with a fake smile and pretended everything was just fine.
Which left me sitting at my desk, frowning, wishing I could think of a way to get her to open up to me.
By the time I met her at the airport though, she still hadn't given me even the slightest clue what was going on. Part of me even wondered if she would actually come on the trip with me or if she would make some last-minute excuse to avoid it. But the car I sent to pick her up had her at the private airstrip right on time, a small suitcase in tow.
She looked nervous as hell as she approached, and I smiled broadly, trying to put her at ease. "Ready for the trip?" I asked, more than a little excited myself. Not only would
