I’m only his assistant, I remind myself. But it didn’t feel like that was all this was. Not with the way he treated me today. Not with the things he’d said to me as we made love, telling me I belonged to him and that I was his; that he’d always take care of me.
He’d even told me between rounds of sex that he’d taken care of my grandpa. I lay there as he fed me snacks, and he told me he took care of everything. That his having a place to stay would never be a worry of mine again, whether I was working for him or not. I started to cry and he kissed away my tears and made love to me all over again. No, this is more than a boss and a secretary. It has to be. I can feel it.
Heading down the hallway, I wrap the sheet a little tighter around my body and stop at the end of the hallway, looking for Mason. When I don’t see him, I walk towards his office, which is on the other side of the house. I push open the door and freeze when I see him and Finn Crate, his business partner, in tuxes and drinking from tumblers. I haven’t had any meaningful interaction with Finn, but I’ve seen him around the office once or twice.
“Back to the bedroom,” Mason snaps, stepping in front of Finn and blocking him from my view. The coldness on Mason’s face returns, making a knot form in my throat. I turn, leaving the room and letting the door fall closed behind me.
“Maybe you go through assistants like you do because you’re an asshole,” I hear Finn say, making me pause.
“Speaking of which, I need another,” Mason says.
I know I shouldn’t be listening, that I should walk away and go back to my room, but I’m rooted to the spot. I close my eyes, my heart wracked with pain. Yes, go back to my room like a good little plaything, because that’s what I am. The worst part is, he’s replacing me.
“Another? So you’ll have two?” Finn asks the same thing I was wondering.
“She can’t handle all the things I need, so yes. I think I’ll reach out to Jessie.”
“Jessie is a little wet behind the ears, don’t you think?” Finn says, then laughs. “But then again, Kennedy looks like she’s still in high school. I didn’t think you’d really fuck this one.”
I can’t take anymore. At Finn’s crude words, I run back towards the bedroom, drop the sheet, and go to the closet. It’s then I see everything is put away. All the boxes and clothes that were all over the place are all put away neatly next to Mason’s clothes.
The sight of all our things together only makes my heart break a little more. God, I’m stupid. A tear slips free as I grab a dress and slide it over my head. I pull on a pair of flats before grabbing my backpack.
I don’t know what I’m doing or even where I’m going. I just know I have to get out of here for a minute. Get myself together. I can’t look at him right now, because if I do, I’ll break. Who am I kidding? I’m already breaking. The day that had been pure perfection is now crumbling all around me. I let myself believe in something that wasn’t even real.
I can’t even be mad at Mason. I can only be mad at myself. I knew what this was. What it was from the first day he hired me. I was his whore. Nothing more. Just because he treated me sweetly it didn’t change what it was. I only have myself to blame for falling for him.
I know I can’t stay. It will destroy me to see him with another woman. Would she live here, too? The thought makes me want to vomit. I can’t do this. I feel myself start to shake. The thought of losing something else in my life almost brings me to my knees. The weight of everything falls on my shoulders once again. All my responsibilities land heavily, and I let out a sob.
I’ve lost everything. I feel more tears start to pour down my face as I make my way down the hallway, wanting to get out of here before Mason sees me. I stop in the living room when I see some of my belongings scattered around the room, and put into places. It reminds me that everything I own is here. Not only that, but it’s put away like it belongs here. As if this is my home, too. This isn’t your home, I remind myself. This is your place of work.
I pull the phone out of my backpack, along with the keys that Mason had given me, dropping them on the table next to the front door. When I open the door, I see the man from this morning standing there again, only this time he’s in a tuxedo as well.
I freeze, not sure what to do. I look over at the elevators and back to him.
“You can’t stop me,” I tell him.
He pulls out a handkerchief from his pocket and hands it to me. I take it from him, mumbling a thank you as I move towards the elevators.
“No, Kennedy, I can’t. I’m under strict order to not touch you,” he tells me, coming to stand next to me as I wait for the elevator. I will it to come faster as I watch him pull out his phone. I know what he’s doing, and I have to stop him.