Dmitry took his seat and reached for today's set of financial statements just as Tahey placed his cup of coffee on the side of his desk. His hand accidentally bumped into hers, and a drop of coffee spilled over her hand. He cursed in his mind at this, expecting her to cry out in pain at any moment...but she never did.
His gaze sharply swung up towards her, and while an expression of pain briefly crossed her face, having a drop of hot liquid burn her skin didn't seem to shock her. It was almost as if she was used to this...
Comprehension struck, and Dmitry's teeth gnashed.
Fuck.
This probably did happen once in a while in the past, but she had probably kept her pain to herself, not wanting to further draw his ire.
After carefully positioning her boss's cup on the desk, Tahey was about to step back when she saw the billionaire take out a pack of wet tissues from one of his drawers. She heard a tearing sound after, and the next thing she knew Dmitry's long fingers had already curled around her wrist...
A gasp escaped her, and Tahey could only blink in confusion as her boss pressed the cold sheet on the bright red spot on her skin.
"It should take the sting out in a bit," Dmitry said roughly.
Tahey finally realized what had changed about her boss, and it made her feel quite ill.
Dmitry was caught off guard when Tahey suddenly yanked her hand out of his hold. He was about to ask her what the fuck was wrong when he saw the glisten of tears in her big, dark eyes. Fuck.
"I don't need your pity, Mr. Adrianov," Tahey managed to say in a steady voice. "You've made your point last night, and in my defense, I only...I was...I mean, I didn't know you already had a girlfriend—-"
"She was my mistress," Dmitry heard himself say.
Tahey's eyes widened. Mistress? That woman was his mistress? Like a woman paid to warm a man's bed? But...wait...did he just say—-
"Was," she blurted out, "as in past tense?"
He nodded curtly.
Oh no.
She swallowed hard.
Oh no.
She had promised herself this morning that she would continue working for Dmitry to prove to herself that she could do so, and that she was able to do so because she wasn't...that.
But after what Dmitry said—-
Oh no.
"I wish you hadn't said that," she whispered.
"Then just pretend you never heard them," he couldn't help snapping.
"But I can't—-"
"The fuck you—-"
"Because now it's made me realize I've been lying to myself."
Dmitry's gaze narrowed.
Tahey breathed deep. "Mr. Adrianov..."
Shit. Something about the tone of her voice immediately made him feel wary and cornered, and he actually found himself taking a step back from his secretary. "Don't say another word—-"
"I'm in love with you."
"Fuck."
For some reason, rather than feeling hurt, Tahey actually found herself biting back a smile. It was probably because of the way her boss looked right now. He actually looked seriously ill, almost as if those five words had given him indigestion. Not a fairytale reaction obviously, but it was still a lot better than having Dmitry still acting like she was invisible.
"Fuck."
Oh no. Two F-bombs were never ever good, and so Tahey hurriedly jumped into speech. "Please be assured that I will never let my feelings get in the way of work, Mr. Adrianov. And I would totally understand if you ever end up falling for another girl. I mean, yes, it's probably going to hurt like crazy, but it's not like I can force you to ever like me back. And you've never ever made me any promises - not that I'm expecting you to - but what I'm saying is that you liking another girl isn't like you're cheating on me or something, and..." Shit. She forced herself to stop, realizing too late that she had ended up rambling in her nervousness.
And Dmitry...
The billionaire still looked rather sick, but at least he didn't seem ready to throw her out of the window like he usually did. So that was a good thing...right?
Chapter Five
Tahey stared at her boss, not quite sure she had heard him right. "I'm sorry, sir," she said finally. "Did you just say—-"
"We're flying to Paris in three hours." The billionaire's tone was impatient. "Is that clear enough for you," her boss asked sarcastically, "or do I have to repeat myself again?"
Tahey quickly shook her head. "No, um, I heard that—-"
"Then get to your apartment and start packing." Dmitry's attention switched back to the papers in his hand, and Tahey knew that was as good as being dismissed.
Paris. She was still a little shocked, but her excitement was also growing with every second, and it had her legs wobble just the slightest bit as she walked out of her boss' office.
It had been a week since her "revelation", and everything between them had been rather...unpredictable. She had hoped that Dmitry would eventually feel attracted to her, but she had also feared that her revelation would make things permanently awkward between them.
But instead, it was just the usual, sort of. Dmitry was still cold and aloof, and most times he was also rather impatient and brusque. But one thing that did change was how he no longer acted as if she was invisible.
When she welcomed him to the office with her usual 'good morning', he'd usually nod back, and if she were lucky, he would actually say the words back. She would give him his coffee, and he would grunt his thanks. Small things obviously, and if Keagan knew about this, her friend would probably tell her she was being a little too optimistic, to think that was progress...
But still.
And besides...they were flying to Paris tonight!
Paris!
Her phone vibrated just as the elevator reached her floor, and her heart did a little dance when
