Shay's POV
I was feeling beyond frustrated and needed something to calm me down. I didn't know where else to go, and I didn't want to go home yet, so I headed back to the bar where I had been with Chase.
To my surprise, he was still there, sitting in the same spot where I had left him. However, now he was talking to a petite brunette sitting beside him. I walked over and leaned against the counter next to him, signaling the bartender for a whiskey sour, hoping it would finally ease my frustration. When I glanced to the side, I saw Chase already looking at me.
"Um... hi. Again," He said, offering me a tight-lipped smile.
"And you're still here. Why am I not surprised?"
He chuckled and quickly turned back to the brunette sitting quietly beside him.
"Well, I was about to leave, but then Alexa here was alone tonight, so I wanted to keep her company."
I rolled my eyes and gave a small wave to Alexa, who just smiled politely in return.
"Well, don't let me stop you. I'll be sitting here, minding my own business."
I grabbed my glass of whiskey sour and took a small sip. The drink immediately burned my throat, making me wince at its bitterness.
"Did you find your friend?" Chase asked.
I released a loud sigh and then slowly nodded.
"I did. She was drunk, and I helped her back to her apartment."
"Was Jason with her?"
I stared blankly at him before taking another sip of my drink.
"Yeah. He brought her home, and I met them outside Sylvia's apartment."
He whistled and leaned back away from the counter.
"Well, that sucks. But why did you come back here? Don't tell me you guys fought again."
Before I could reply, Alexa suddenly got off her seat and flashed us both a fake smile.
"I'm leaving. It was nice to meet you, Chase."
She placed a kiss on Chase's cheek and strutted away in her red high heels. I shook my head, smiling when I caught him staring after her for far too longâchecking out her ass, more specifically. He then turned back to me with a huge grin on his face.
"Thank God she finally left. I couldn't stand to hear another word about her ex."
I nearly choked on my whiskey while trying to stifle my laughter. He shot me a mean look.
"So, are you leaving too?" I asked.
He frowned and then shrugged. "Should I?"
"You can if you want to."
"And leave you here drinking alone? I'll pass. I actually have some things to be depressed about, so let's drink together and be sad all night. What do you say?" he asked cheerfully.
I burst out laughing. "I'm not drinking because I'm sad, but cheers to that anyway."
We clinked our glasses and continued talking for the rest of the night, just happy to be sharing the same bubble and enjoying ourselves. I never thought I would get this close to Chase Evans, but I was glad that we met in the first placeâeven though it had been a complete disaster.
And even though I'll never forget that he was once someone I had almost married through an arranged marriage, being friends now might be one of the best things we've done so far.
OoO
I tried to endure my hangover the next morning as I got ready to go to work. It's my fault that I even decided to go drinking last night, and now I'm bearing the consequences. I skipped breakfast and just grabbed some coffee from a café to help soothe my brain, which felt like it was about to explode. When I arrived at my office, I could barely hear the words of my assistant until I had settled down and finally realized what she had said.
"Meeting in 25 minutes. Jason Cartwright."
A meeting with Jason Cartwright while I'm still in this state only made my headache worse. I leaned my head back in my leather armchair and closed my eyes. A knock sounded at the door, and I called out for whoever it was to enter without even opening my eyes.
A masculine voice suddenly cleared his throat, and when I opened my eyes, I saw it was him. He looked great in a grey suit that hugged his body like a second skin. His hair was perfectly styled, and my eyes stopped on the watch around his wrist. It was the watch I had given him as a gift a few weeks ago. I couldn't believe he actually kept it and was wearing it now.
"I came to get the required documents regarding the talc supplies," he quickly informed me.
I snapped my attention back to him. "I was going to submit it during the meeting."
He nodded while putting both hands in his pockets.
"I know, but I wanted to verify something first before the meeting starts. Can I see the file now?"
I moved the folders on my desk and grabbed the file from the bottom, passing it to him. He opened the file, and a slight frown appeared on his face as he flipped through the pages. After a moment, he closed the file and looked down at me.
"Perfect, I'll handle the process of the talc supplies. You keep working on the SFO project, and I'll take care of this."
I scoffed. "So you're telling me what to do now?"
He frowned in confusion. "What do you mean? This is also part of the project I'm working on. I just want to get this done quickly so we can move on with our work."
I glared at him while standing up. I grabbed my other folders and my phone from the table and started heading toward the door.
"Whatever."
He must've heard me, because the next thing I knew, his hand was tightly gripping my arm, making me stop.
"Let go of me," I calmly ordered, but he didn't release my arm.
He suddenly pulled me closer, and I collided against his chest. His eyes locked deeply with mine, and for a second, I felt breathless. I couldn't move or resist, and he clearly knew it. His arm snaked around my waist.
"Let... go," I struggled to say. I tried to push him back, but the guy was built like a brick wall. He didn't budge.
I used all my strength to push his arms off me, but the more I moved, the tighter he pulled me. Without warning, he swiftly turned me around, and my lower back hit the edge of my desk, making me let out a surprised yelp. He leaned in close, his arms braced by my sides. My heart was pounding so hard against my chest that I was afraid he could hear it. I tried to move, but he leaned even closer. I braced myself, trying to avoid the proximity of his lips.
"Stop resisting. If you try to move one more time, I swear I won't be responsible for what I might do to you right on this table."
My breath hitched at his words. I stood still, swallowing the tight knot in my throat, and finally looked up to meet his eyes.
"Now, was that hard to do? All you had to do was listen."
I glared at him. "Youâ"
He suddenly placed his finger against my lips, cutting me off.
"Stop talking. You've already done that a lot these days. I know I said I would listen to what you have to say and accept it, but... were you always this persistent?"
I braced my arms behind me on the table, and with a slight movement, he grabbed both sides of my waist and lifted me up to sit on the desk. He leaned closer, standing between my legs. My mind went blank, and I couldn't think of anything to say or do. He smirked, likely because he noticed how badly I wanted to stay serious and mad, but the situation made it impossible.
Without warning, he leaned in and kissed me. I froze on the table, eyes wide open in surprise.
It was just a small peck on the lips, but it felt like two magnets touching before pulling away again. His lips quickly pulled back, and for a moment, I almost thought my heart had stopped beating. His hand cupped the side of my face, and he leaned back in, fully kissing me.
The familiar feeling of his lips against mine sent butterflies through my body, an electric sensation spreading over me. My mind went blank, and before I could process what was happening, I found myself kissing him back.
My hand automatically went around the back of his neck, pulling him in closer. His hands were on the side of my waist, pulling my body against his. It took me a minute to realize the kiss had turned into a full-blown make-out session.
This was one of the moments I had wished to avoid, but I realized I was no match for him. He still had the power to control me, just like he had done earlier. Although I liked how he made me feel, it was a major problem now.
This had to stop. I could never get over him if I kept letting him do things like this to me.
Finally, I forced myself to pull away when I suddenly felt his hand on the side of my thigh, pushing my skirt up. I pushed him away, and he looked startled by the abruptness. He stared blankly at me.
I rubbed my lips with the back of my hand, feeling a small sting, and he chuckled as he ran his fingers through his hair.
"Are you smiling right now?" I glared at him.
"So what if I am? I didn't know you wanted to kiss me back that badly."
I gritted my teeth in annoyance and got off the table, adjusting my skirt and smoothing my hair down with my hands.
"Shay Iâ"
I raised my hand and slapped him across the face. He stumbled back in surprise, and I was pissed. I hated myself even more for letting it happen. Slowly, he turned his face to the side and looked directly at me. I caught the tick in his jaw.
"Whatever just happened, we will never repeat that again. You and I are done, Jason, and it's about time you start learning to accept that. I don't want anything to do with you anymore. I made that clear when you told me the truth. That's it."
I picked up my things and walked out of the room, leaving him behind. All this time, while I was busy trying to bury my feelings, they erupted again in a single moment. It felt like I was back to being the innocent and naïve girl I once was. Completely oblivious to the truth, trying to escape my reality when it was always right in front of me.
He reminds me of that feeling, and it's one of the many reasons why I wanted to get away from him. But after what just happened...
I don't think he's planning to leave me alone, even if I begged him to.