Chapter 6. Stay

Chloe POV

I pushed open the door to Mr. Gonzalez's room and took my time looking around, taking in the trendy, masculine space with cream walls and grey drapes, plus a black leather couch off to the side.

I helped Mr. Gonzalez into his room and let him lie on his bed. I took a deep breath, bent down and removed his shoes, leaving his white socks on. I pulled the sheets to cover him and was going to leave when he reached out and grasped my hand. ''Stay…''

Confusion filled my eyes as I turned to face him.

''You can sleep here beside me, Chloe…'' he mumbled, and my eyes widened. Why would I want to sleep next to him?

''Uh…I'm going to stay but…I-I'll sleep on the couch...'' I replied, biting my lip in nervousness.

I waited for his response, but he loosened his hold on my hand and soon released it… and the next thing I knew, he was already snoring aloud.

I shook my head as I strolled towards the black leather couch, just a few meters away from his bed. I took a glance at my boss' sleeping form again before I lay on the couch and closed my eyes.

I tried all I could to sleep, but I couldn't figure out why I couldn't. I thought back on what had transpired earlier that night. Easton had a breakdown and couldn't stop thinking about his wife. He loved her so much that he couldn't bear the thought of letting her go. But he had no choice but to do it, or Rosie would continue to hurt him over and over again.

Soon, my eyelids became heavy and just as I was about to fall into a deep slumber, I heard Easton whimpering. I jumped to my feet and dashed towards him.

''Rosie…'' he called out. ''Rosie, please…'' Easton's chest was heaving up and down, and he was sweating profusely even though his room was completely air-conditioned. He's having a dream about his ex-wife.

''Sir…'' I gave him a little shake on the shoulder. ''Sir…you're having a bad dream.''

His eyelids flickered open, and his gaze suddenly locked with mine. ''Rosie…?''

''No…I'm not---''

He smiled, and before I could say anything, he grabbed me by the back of my neck and pressed his lips to mine.

Oh, no!

My eyes widened before I squeezed them shut. My senses erupted as I tasted his lips, which were a mixture of mint and whisky. I gasped, and he took advantage, sliding his tongue into my mouth, tasting, stroking, exploring. I was at a loss for what to do. Due to his intoxication and his perception of me as Rosie, I had to stop him.

My subconscious, on the other hand, was instructing me to kiss him back. Shit, no!

When Easton placed his hand on my breast and delicately palmed the soft flesh through the thin fabric of my dress, I became tensed and uncomfortable. I opened my eyes, and I realized that it was time to shove him away from me. So I did.

He groaned, his eyes still closed as he went back to sleep. Oh, God! Why did I let my boss kiss me?!

I went back to the couch feeling so lost. I have to sleep now and leave early. The last thing I wanted was for Easton to see me when he woke up in the morning.

An hour later, I lay on the couch still wide awake, my mind playing back the kiss I'd shared with my boss an hour ago. It still seemed surreal, still felt as though the kiss had just been a figment of my imagination—something my tired mind had conjured up.

Easton's snoring, on the other hand, confirmed the events had taken place.

***

Easton POV

I winced as I felt a pounding headache in my head, and the rays of the morning sunlight pouring through the windows did nothing to alleviate the pain.

''Fuck!'' I groaned as I sat up, holding my head with both of my hands. I don't remember how many glasses of whiskey I had last night. I tried to recall anything, but couldn't. The last thing I remember is that I was on the verge of finishing the bottle of whisky in the restaurant when Chloe arrived and stopped me.

Chloe?

I blinked my eyes open and frowned as I realized I was sitting on my own bed in my own room. I wasn't sure how I'd ended up here. I pulled myself up, careful not to jolt my head too much. I looked around, and my brows furrowed in confusion when I saw a woman in pink lying on my couch.

She's here…

But what was she doing here in my room? Did I touch her? Did we have sex last night? Oh…fuck!

I lowered my feet to the ground and started walking toward my sleeping assistant. The unsettling events last night came back in a rush, and I recalled how I broke down and asked Chloe to stay and sleep next to me. Shit! That was embarrassing. And I couldn't recall what happened next.

''Chloe…'' Her light brown hair was dangling in front of her face, so I bent down and brushed it away from her face. Then I paused in my tracks as I took in how gorgeous she looked in her sleep.

No… I couldn't feel something on her. We're friends. Partners…yeah, business partners. We both work at the same place, and I don't want us to cause gossip in the office. Besides, I'm still married.

''Chloe…'' I rubbed my hand on her arm gently, and I sighed when I felt how smooth her skin was. Shit! I shouldn't be touching her. It sent a tingle sensation through me. But how was I supposed to wake her up if I wasn't going to touch her?

How about flicking her forehead? No… It might hurt her.

Blowing her face? But I haven't brushed my teeth yet.

How about tickling her feet? Hmm…

I rose to move to her feet, and that's when she opened her eyes, widening them as she noticed me standing in front of her.

I cleared my throat and straightened my back. I turned my face into a serious expression, with my hands resting on my hips. She pushed herself up and used her hands to fix her clothing and hair back into place. ''G-good morning, Sir...''

''Good morning, Chloe...'' I said as I returned to my bed and sat down in front of her, my brows furrowed seriously. ''Tell me, Miss Bell…nothing happened to us last night, right?'' I had to get serious and asked her straight to the point.

''What?''

''I didn't touch you…I didn't kiss you- we didn't have sex last night, right?'' I panicked a little when her mouth partly opened in shock; her eyes moved sideways as if she was searching for an answer. Afterward, she made a shaky motion with her head. Thank God!

''We...'' she began, pausing for a second before breaking into a laugh, much to my astonishment. ''Of course, we didn't do that! Just how could you possibly consider something like that? I mean, you were too drunk to the point where you couldn't even walk into your own room? No, absolutely nothing...never!''

''Are you sure?'' I asked, raising a brow at her. ''We can talk about it and---"

''I'm sure!'' she exclaimed, cutting me off.

''You're well aware that I am completely out of my mind when I'm drunk, so if anything went wrong, I really apologize, Miss Bell...''

''Trust me, Sir…Nothing happened.'' She said, her eyes fixed on her hand as it played with the hem of her dress.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but my lips pursed as I locked my gaze on her when she looked up. Even though it appeared as if she was concealing something from me, she couldn't possibly be lying to me, right? I trusted her because she's a good-hearted woman with a good reputation.

''Okay…In any case, Miss Bell, thank you very much for driving me home last night...'' I got to my feet. ''Would you be willing to wait for me outside? It will only take a few minutes for me to get dressed for work, after which I will bring you home so that you can change your clothes as well.''

''Sure…'' She nodded, her gaze lowered as she stepped out of my room. I heaved a heavy sigh as I walked to my bathroom to take a shower and get ready for work.

***

Chloe POV

''I'm sorry, sir, but...'' I came to a complete stop directly in front of my doorstep, turning around to face Mr. Gonzalez. ''My apartment is quite filthy. I mean… really dirty.''

Easton smirked, his hands tucked into his pockets.

''Dirtier than your mind…?''

It was only a whisper, but I was able to make out what he was saying. Was he attempting to flirt with me? I can do it too.

''It's surely not dirtier than yours...'', he laughed, throwing his head back, and I rolled my eyes, twisting the doorknob and easing the door open.

Pressing my lips against each other, I let Easton in, and he followed me inside my apartment. As I watched his gaze wander throughout my living room, I felt a wave of embarrassment flood over me. It was the first time he walked into my house, and I hadn't even had time to clean it.

''Nice...'' he commented as he looked around.

''It's barely bigger than your broom closet…'' I joked as I closed the door behind him.

''If I have to be honest, it's a little bit smaller than my Jacuzzi...''

''Oh…'' My cheeks turned beetroot, and he burst out laughing. I motioned to him to have a seat on my old couch while I snatched the shirt that was hanging on my television.

''I'm just kidding, Miss Bell...'' Easton grinned, venturing in at his own leisure. He lowered himself to the couch and spread his arms on the headrest like a king. ''I'll wait for you here, Miss Bell. Please, hurry up.''

''Okay, Sir...If you want to watch television, the remote control is right here,'' I said, pointing to a black rectangular device that had been placed on the center table.

As soon as he nodded and reached for the remote control, I rushed to my bedroom, leaving him selecting a channel to watch on his own.

Immediately after, I stripped off my dress and went into my bathroom to take a quick shower. I didn't want my boss to wait long, so I had to move fast.

As I rubbed the loofah across my breasts, I couldn't help but remember how Easton palmed one of them. I moaned as I continued scrubbing my skin. So, he's right when he told me that I have a dirty mind.

I laughed silently, but then the soap suddenly slipped out of my hand, and it landed on the tiled floor. Clumsy Chloe…

I brushed Easton out of my mind, washed the shampoo out of my hair and the soap off my body, and finished showering.

Just as I was going to reach for the towel on the rack, my right foot stepped on something slick.

Fuck! The soap! It's too late to regret not picking up the soap off the floor.

I yelped as I tried to balance my body, but I ended up falling with my bum landing first on the cold, wet floor. Oh my God!

''Ouch…'' I groaned as I caressed my bare butt. A few tears had already gathered in my eyes, involuntarily generated by the sharp pain that spread throughout the area that surrounded my hipbone.

As I crawled up and tried to get up, the bathroom door suddenly burst open.

''Miss Bell!''

I screamed, my eyes widening as I sat back; my hands flew to cover the pertinent parts of my body. ''Mr. Gonzalez! What are you doing here?''

Easton's eyes grew wide, staring at me. I saw how his eyes raked over my body with desire as he froze on the spot.

''Mr. Gonzalez!'' I yelled to wake him up. It seemed as if he was being hypnotized by my body now.

''W-what? Oh…'' he swallowed hard before he turned around, groaning. ''I-I'm sorry… I heard a loud thud from here, and I thought something happened to you, so I barged in without knocking. I'm sorry…''

I could feel my body get hot all over as a result of my shame. ''I accidentally stepped on the soap…and I-I slip and fall down.''

''D-do you need my help?'' he asked, still facing his back to me.

''C-could you please hand over my towel?'' I asked, biting my lip. My voice was almost out of breath as I spoke.

Easton nodded and reached for the towel on a rack that was right next to him. He remained facing the door as he handed me the fluffy towel.

''Thank you...'' I mumbled as I extended my arm and reached for the towel. After wrapping it around my body, I attempted to get up again, but the pain in the back of my hips was excruciatingly painful. ''Sir… I need your help.'' I said, and he swiftly turned around and rushed over to me.

He didn't waste any time and picked me up once I stretched my arms, and he carefully strolled out of the door towards my bed. He put me down gently and sat beside me, his gaze fixed on my face.

''Where does it hurt? Do you want me to call a doctor?'' he asked concernedly, pushing a few strands of my wet hair behind my ears before wiping away my tears.

What was he doing, acting so sweet all of a sudden?

''M-my hip hurts…but there's no need to call for a doctor.'' I stammered pathetically.

''But it might be serious. How can you go to work in your situation like that?'' The worry in his voice didn't subside, but then I realized that he was merely concerned about my work. He worried he wouldn't find someone to help him in the office. ''Wait right here…''

And before I had a chance to object, he stormed out of my room in an instant.