“And who put a stop to it?” she asked.
“I did. Well, kinda…we were interrupted, but I pretty much pushed her away after that,” he replied and there was silence between them for a few seconds. Alisha wasn’t saying a word. It was as though all of this was coming as a shock to her.
“I really don’t know what to say, Devon. You’ve never behaved like this before. Is it just because she has a boyfriend? She wouldn’t have kissed you back or allowed things to escalate if she didn’t want it too,” Alisha reasoned and Devon stood up from his chair.
He walked over to the glass wall behind him and looked out to the busy Hudson River below.
“Maybe she’s just confused. I think she’s a virgin. So it could be that she doesn’t know what she wants,” he said.
Alisha was thinking again.
“A virgin girl in a relationship, who is much younger than you. This girl has clearly pulled a number on you,” she said finally, and Devon let out a deep breath.
“I know, it’s insane. I can’t stop thinking about her, and when I do I get turned on,” he replied.
“And you still can’t tell me who she is?” Alisha urged him.
“No, I don’t want to jeopardize her position. I’m putting an end to this,” he said.
“How?” Alisha asked and Devon shook his head.
“I’ll figure out a way,” he said and then ended the call.
Staring out at the dimming light outside, Devon knew he didn’t want to go back to his empty apartment. He wanted to spend some more time in his office, he could still feel Belle’s presence here. Besides, he knew that if he want back to his place, he would only end up fantasizing about her, and might masturbate to her and that wasn’t something he wanted to do. He wanted to try everything he could to push her out of his mind.
Devon licked his lips as he thought. Something needed to be done. Something substantial, to put some distance between themselves. Even if it meant that it might hurt them both for now, it would have to be done for their own long-term welfare.
For the first time in his life, Devon was beginning to feel like he needed companionship. Not the kind that Alisha provided, but something deeper. He knew that he had found that connection with Belle, but they had met under the wrong circumstances.
Devon shook his head and walked back to his desk and sat down. He would need to come up with a solution, and fast, before things got out of hand.
Belle
Belle was back in her apartment by half past five. She was desperate to come back home, to find some time to think. She could still feel Devon’s mouth on her, between her legs, as she walked up to the apartment. She had felt like that the whole day, fantasizing about him. The way he had made her feel. But now, as she pushed open the door, a wave of guilt hit her.
Thankfully, Jesse wasn’t at home. She went straight for the shower. She felt like maybe if she washed herself she could also wash the guilt off. She had wanted Devon Rymer so badly, so desperately in that moment that she hadn’t thought about Jesse. But Belle had always believed that she wasn’t the type of person who would ever cheat in a committed relationship. She had committed herself to Jesse, and they might be going through a rough and rocky start, but she owed it to him and to herself to give the relationship a chance.
Besides, it didn’t even seem like Devon wanted more. It appeared that it was one moment of weakness, on both their parts and he had very quickly changed his mind. Why would a powerful, successful man like Devon Rymer want her in the first place? She thought as she scrubbed herself. When he could have any woman he wanted, what made Belle so special?
She dried herself and changed into casual home clothes, and walked out of the bathroom to find Jesse home.
“How was your day?” he asked her, as he unlaced his sneakers.
Belle gulped before pasting a smile on her face. Just facing Jesse had brought back that wave of guilt in her. She could barely look him in the eye any more.
“How was yours?” she asked him and he shrugged his shoulders.
“Unsuccessful,” he said and walked over to the kitchen area to pour himself a glass of water.
“Have you eaten already?” she asked him, drying her hair with a towel.
“Yeah, you?” he asked her and Belle clenched her jaw. What was happening to them? Weren’t couples supposed to eat together?
“No, but I’m not hungry I guess,” she said and watched as he walked over to the couch and sat down with a thump.
“Jesse,” Belle said, placing a hand on her left hip. He looked up at her, while he plugged in the controls of his playstation.
“Yeah?” he asked, and he looked away, like he wasn’t expecting her to say anything important. Now that she looked at him, she realized that she felt nothing. None of the emotions she had felt when Devon had looked at her. Even without touching her, he had managed to make her bubble with excitement. Something that Jesse had never been able to do.