in my mouth and made him come all over my face. All his conviction was gone by then. He would have given me the world.
I’ve instructed him to arrive late to the office today. She doesn’t need to see him again.
I have a skip in my step as I walk into the office building now. I know she’s at her desk outside Trevor’s office. She’ll be waiting for him to arrive so she can crowd him with his coffee and list of phone calls. I roll my eyes at the thought as I take the elevator up.
The doors open. I’m wearing a firetruck red body-con dress that I know is the most flattering outfit for my figure. You can’t miss the fact that I have curves and a very narrow waist. Erica might be twenty-one, and she may have fooled me once, but she’s never going to have what I have. The respect and devotion of the man she wants.
She catches my eye as I walk towards her desk. I can see she’s a little surprised. She hasn’t seen me in a while and has undoubtedly heard about how I want to break away from Habitat. I know her mind is racing. What am I doing here?
“Good morning, Erica.”
“Mr. Davenport isn’t here, and I’m not sure when he will be.”
“Oh, he isn’t?” I ask, throwing a look at his office door.
“As you know, Ms. Crawford, if you want to see him, you will have to make a formal appointment with me. His schedule is booked up for today, though.” She is speaking with her head held high, trying to create the appearance of authority.
The truth is, she doesn’t actually have any authority over Trevor. He does exactly what he wants.
“Oh, you don’t have to worry, Erica, although that’s very kind of you to offer me a meeting. I know exactly where he is.”
Her eyes widen. She’s searching my face for an explanation but doesn’t want to appear too curious either.
“Where is he?” she murmurs in a cold voice.
“Probably still in his bed where I left him,” I reply with a smile curling the corners of my lips.
I can see Erica gulp. I know that feeling of the heart dropping to your stomach. Hands shaking lightly as you try and keep them under control. This is exactly how I felt when she sat in that cafe and lied to my face.
I don’t feel any sympathy for her. I guess she just has to learn the hard way what integrity is all about.
Her eyes are narrowed at me as she tries to catch her breath and find something to say.
“If I were you, Erica, I would probably leave before he gets here. Since he found out the whole story, he hasn’t been in a good mood. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about since you know him so well,” I continue.
Erica’s hands fly over her desk. I can see her shutting drawers and collecting stationary. She can’t look at my face anymore.
“Another piece of advice,” I offer.
“I don’t need your advice!” she snaps.
“The last thing you should do is pick a fight with a woman who is stronger than you. Maybe we could have been friends. We could have even helped each other. Instead of turning into a slimy stalker, you could have turned into a more professional individual and earned my respect and Trevor’s.”
Erica is now throwing things into a box that she clearly plans on carrying out of here.
“I’ll be just fine!” she hisses, finally meeting my eyes again.
“Yes, I’m sure you will be. But will you be happy? Will you be able to sleep at night?”
Her nostrils flare as she stares back at me. At one point, I think she’s going to pull out claws and scratch my face. I can feel her seething temper. She can’t believe she’s lost and I have won.
“Hope you enjoy pretending to be a mom to that brat!” she says as she makes to leave.
My hand reaches for her elbow at lightning speed. I’m not sure where that reflex even came from.
“Keep her out of it. You don’t know her. In fact, you don’t know anything about him either. Now, scram!”
Erica’s eyes fill with tears and she runs with her box in her arms. I watch her go with my hands hooked on my hips.
At the elevator at the end of the corridor, Trevor steps out just as she is stepping in. I see them exchange looks. Erica keeps her head down