No. He said he loved me, but it was out of some other reason. He was worried, and Solomon, and… I shouldn’t expect anything, regardless of all of this. I fully expected him to be upset with me, since I’d basically singlehandedly destroyed his understanding of almost everything around him by revealing Solomon and Beatrice’s scheme.
“We’re naked,” Asher said, interrupting the silence. “We’re naked and my marriage is ruined and my company might be in shambles.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “It’s all my faul—”
“What’s your favorite movie?” he asked. “We can watch it. Let’s go get a pizza. We can pick it up, with Jeremy. We’ll need to put clothes on, of course. I’m starving.”
I blinked. “What?”
He swept me in for a kiss, leaning me across his lap and dominating my lips. I wrapped my hands around his neck, returning his kiss with fervor.
“Will you help me?” he asked. “You’ve done so much for me so far and I can’t thank you enough.”
“If… if you want me to, I can. If you want me to stay and help you, I’ll try.”
“I don’t want you to go anywhere,” he said. “Not just for this. I meant it when I said I love you, Jessika.”
I couldn’t help it; I cried. Tears streamed down my cheeks and Asher kissed them away, smiling at me.
“Shh,” he said. “Stop that. No crying.”
“I love you, too,” I said, lips quivering. “I’m so sorry about what’s happened to you. I don’t want you to be upset at me for it. I know that—”
“No,” he said firmly, shaking his head. “It’s not your fault. This would have happened regardless. Maybe we made some mistakes, too, but this would have still happened. I won’t let you blame yourself.”
I nodded. I wanted to believe him, but I was too scared to say it.
“I need you,” he said. “Please say you’ll help me?”
“I’ll help,” I whispered. “I… I’m hungry, too,” I added, averting my eyes.
“Good. Let’s get dressed, get some food, watch a movie back at home—the guest home—and relax. In order to solve any problem you need to be in a peaceful state of mind, no matter the situation. That’s going to be a rough one here, so I might need your help.”
I laughed. “Alright.”
Home, he said. Not “my home,” but just “home.” Our home. With me.
*
His Absolute Devotion
*
When we left Landseer Tower, Asher held my hand. No one was around since he’d let everyone leave early for the day in celebration of a particularly beneficial arrangement between Landseer Enterprises and a previously reluctant company, but it didn’t matter. The way his fingers held onto mine, his warm palm pressing slightly against my own, it was amazing. I felt brazen and bold and if the world saw us right now, no matter what happened, I knew that we could persevere.
It was a good feeling but I didn’t know if it was the proper feeling. With his wife, Beatrice, and his director of public relations, Solomon, plotting to ruin Asher’s marriage and company, I thought we shouldn’t be so complacent. This wasn’t a game, it wasn’t a minor obstacle. Asher Landseer was the billionaire CEO of Landseer Enterprises and he possessed a lot of worth that was capable of becoming destroyed.
And yet, when he held my hand and walked with me through his office building, I felt comfortable and confident. A little less worried and unsure, and much more optimistic. Everything would work out fine, right?
As if reading my mind, when we reached the elevator, Asher leaned down and kissed my forehead. Just a peck, but it eased me into more relaxing thoughts. And then he swooped in for more than a peck, pressing his lips against mine, hard and demanding. I nearly fell over, so caught up in the emotion of his touch. He wrapped his arms around me and held me up and when the elevator dinged its arrival and we should have stepped through the doors, he ignored it.
I kissed him, needing to feel everything he felt for me. His words, his emotions, the slight doubt in the back of his mind and the surety, despite it all, that everything would work out in the end, it shifted from him to me. Our lips acted as a conduit, some amazing miracle of thoughts and sensations. I’d never felt this way before, never kissed anyone like this before, and it overwhelmed me. I needed it so very very badly.
The elevator doors closed on us sometime during our kiss. Maybe a second ago, or a few minutes, but when we paused and he held me close and I looked, the elevator car had passed us by.
“We missed the elevator,” I said, smiling.