sharply, tugging me out of my cubicle and towards the exit.
“I'll be back soon, Claudia, I have no idea what's going on right now.” My lids lower, brows folding in apology. “I'm sorry,” I mouth silently.
Crossing her arms, she looks bewildered and hurt all at once. I wish I had taken the opportunity to explain this to her earlier. Then she would know it's all business, and not a choice of my own. Daniel is the one pulling the strings on this, there's nothing I can do.
“I don't know what the hell you're doing,” I say, whispering to Phade as I follow him to the elevator. “But this isn't the Phade show.”
“Are you sure about that?” he asks, peering down at me from over his shoulder. “Because you and Daniel could have fooled me.” Chuckling to himself, he hits the button for the lobby and is smiling to himself as the doors close. “What's the deal with your friend there? She didn't seem very happy.”
“My friend is a little confused.” My voice is dry and short. I'm not in the mood for his games today; not after last night's dinner. “And you're not helping with that.”
“She wants to fuck me, doesn't she?”
“Full of yourself much? You do realize you're not the center of everything, right?”
“I call it how it is. Ain't no rose colored glasses here, sweetheart.” He nibbles on his bottom lip as he leans against the wall and fiddles with his fingers. “You should try taking yours off sometime. It'll blow you away, I promise you that.”
“Not everyone you meet wants to fuck you, Phade. I know you think they do, but you're sorely wrong.”
“You did,” he says, glancing at me from the corner of his eyes. “Did you tell her we fucked?” Turning his eyes back to the elevator doors, I can see his smile spread wider. I don't answer him, the silence is all he needs to know the truth. “That's what I thought. So, who's making this about me again?”
“You know what,” I snap, grabbing his bicep to make him face me. My hand curls around the muscle, it's solid and firm, and I can't stop my fingers from exploring a little bit. “You're not. . .” He flexes, I suck in a quick breath of air, choking on it as it goes down. “You don't. . .”
What the hell was I saying?
Shit! I lost my train of thought!
“I don't what?” he asks, tilting his head.
Yanking my fingers off his arm, I take a step back. “You don't make the rules, and you don't get to just show up unannounced like this and steal me away.”
“I don't?” Phade takes a step in, forcing me to take another step back.
“Like I said before, this isn't the Phade Show.”
Phade looks up at the camera in the corner of the elevator. Licking his lips, he mirrors my movements, staying with me. “Want to make it the Sylvia and Phade show instead? Think anyone is watching?”
“Oh no, no, no, no.” Shaking my head, my lids shoot open. “We can't and we're not. Not here, not now, not ever again. What happened between us was a mistake, that's all it was.”
“There's no such thing as a mistake in life.” He smiles wider, sinister and sexy all at once. “You do or you don't. And you did—we did.”
“It should never have happened.”
Moving his shoulders fast, a gust of his cologne washes over my face. Taking in a deep breath, I try not to let him see it. Phade really is a hard man to deny. Everything about him screams bad boy, dripping in sex appeal, and drenched in pussy wetting good looks.
I'm wetter than I've ever been right now. It's crazy and I can't wrap my head around it. One glance from this man and my panties are soaked, and my body is ready to bend over and give him full access.
It's animalistic, pure intoxicating desire that just surges through my system. And I can't stop it. I can't turn it off. I can't avoid it. Not when he's so close.
“Oh yeah, says who? You?” He steps in hard and fast, pinning me against the back wall. “I don't believe you. I can see it in your eyes, in your body, in the way you're breathing. You enjoyed every second with me and you still think about it.” Lowering his face to mine, he hovers his lips over my cheek, moving from one side to the other. Never touching my skin