4

All Rights Reserved.

©️ 2020 Princess.

Uploaded 2022.

Iron clamped around her wrist, jerking her forward- Releasing the tiniest of screeches, she halted her progress by shoving her hand against something hard-Hayden Colby's chest. Her face was uncomfortably close to his, and for a moment she knew sheer terror, because in his eyes she saw reflected a savagery that she suspected existed only on movies or series like game of thrones. His breathing was harsh, his chest moving up and down beneath her fingers. Her knees had hit one of the stairs and to her mortification, she realized she'd somehow become wedged between his thighs.

She was afraid to move, afraid not to. He was looking at her as though he'd never seen her before, as though he was trying to determine how every aspect of her features had been formed.

"What are you doing?" he rasped. She swallowed the tight ball suddenly lodged in her throat.

"You-you were .........I came her with my friend ". He lowered his gaze to her mouth and she realized it had been so very long since she'd been this close to a man, so very, very long since her lips had been so near to being kissed. She recognized the passion flaring in his eyes. Her heart thudded, her knees weakened, and she thought she was in danger of finding herself sprawled in his lap. She fully expected him to draw her nearer, to place that perfectly shaped mouth, those full lips on hers- Lifting his free hand, he cradled her cheek. His palm was much rougher than the others she had been with.

Rougher and larger. He skimmed his thumb over her lips, before lifting his gaze back to hers.

"Careful, sweet," he said in a gruff voice.

"I'm not a man who settles for only a kiss." embarrassment slammed into her, and she feared he saw in her eyes what she saw reflected in his. Desire. Desire that must go unsatisfied, that must be left to burn itself out. She had too much pride to admit he'd accurately guessed what she wanted and was too cowardly to reach for. To protect herself, she chose to be stern.

"Unhand me, sir." Abruptly he released her. Her balance was off. She started to fall and he grabbed her waist with both hands. With great difficulty in retaining her dignity, she righted herself and stepped back, brushing her hands over her dress. He cocked his head to the side.

"What are you doing here, Miss West"

She looked at him startled because of the way he said it. It brought her back to the days she used to work for him and then she realized she didn't work for him again which made her smile a bit.

"I am just here with my friends sir" She replied and noticed a dark figure behind him. She squinted her eyes and her mouth dropped when she realized who it was.

"Eric!"

"I see you always regard your bosses by their first name" she flushed at what he said, she also thought of how he knew Eric was her boss.

"Emily come on" she turned around and looked at Lindsay. She was already at the top of the stairs.

"Sorry excuse me I have to go".

"Let me help you it seems we are going to the same place right " Eric said and grabbed a hold of her hand aware of Hayden glaring daggers at his back.

"I don't think..... because..it's the VIP__"

"Yes I know that . In this club it's only VIP not VVIP" Eric said leading her up the stairs. When they got up they let them in and she noticed that it was a bit brighter than down below. She spotted Lindsay near the pool table and walked up to her with Eric at her side.

"Hey"

"Hey. Good evening Eric I didn't know you would be here" Lindsay said.

"I think we all deserve a break once in a while"

"Okay guys I want you to meet my friends Sarah" she said pointing to the girl in green.

"And this is Maddie" pointing to the one in purple and Emily noticed the way she was eyeing Hayden but who wouldn't with his face personally sculptured by Adonis and his accent. His accent was so fucking hot, she thought.

They all greeted each other then notice Hayden standing behind then nursing his vodka that he took for the waiter.

"Oh and this is Hayden my childhood friend" If Emily was shocked she didn't show it. She could not believe they were friends.

"Thank you for finally acknowledging my presence" Hayden said as he move closer to the pool table.

"So now how about we have some fun and dance" Lindsay screamed after a minute pause as the DJ started to play. Eric left to meet some of the other girls.

"Yeah let's do this shit!" Sarah yelled back . As the song started playing, Maddie grabbed her hand and smiled.

"Come on let's dance, don't worry the light will soon get so dim you won't know who you are dancing with" Maddie said into her ear. And the lights indeed when dark. Lindsay passed her a drink and she took a sip. She wasn't really the one to drink but there was a first time for everything. She was aware that Hayden was still looking at her even without the lights she could feel his gaze all over her body.

She took a sip of her drink again welcoming the burn at the back of her throat. She moved side to side for while. Lindsay also came up to her and turned her back to Emily rocking against each other. She let out a laugh and moved her body too. She lost time of how long she danced. She could not remember the last time she danced like this. Infact she didn't think she ever has. She could feel his sultry eyes follow every move she made.

By the time the song ends, shes burning up. Not from sweat or exertion, but from Hayden gaze raking over her like flames licking through paper. Once Lindsay and her return to the booth, for a quick break she gulped the rest of my water, then lifted her hair up to fan her hot neck with one hand. Lindsay dragged her back to the dance floor as the DJ started playing again.

As she was moving her body , swaying her hips to the music until she felt someone at her back grinding his thighs against her back. She turned around to see who it was but the person held her more firmly his hands squeezing her breast she let out a squeak trying to pry herself from him but he didn't budge. She was about to start kicking and screaming when she felt the person move away. She turned to see who it was and saw two figures on the floor throwing punches.

She squinted her eyes and gasped when she saw Hayden in top of the person who had supposedly held her. She touched his shoulder telling him to stop that they were creating a scene but as he jerked his hands back it connected with her face. She fell on the floor holding her nose thinking of how she had been falling a lot. It was safe to say going to a club was not her style. People were already gathering around on the music had stopped. She saw that the lights came back up which made her want to run. They could all see her clearly. Sarah and Lindsay rushed up to her.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

"I am fine, just a ... misunderstanding" she said but her nose still hurt like a mother fucker. She stood up to touch his sleeve again.

A hand touched his sleeve, and he turned, teeth bared. It was Emily.

" Please stop" she said, and with just those two words, the rage drained from him and he dropped the asshole like a piece of discarded laundry. The spiteful idiot instantly began to crawl away.

"You!" Hayden said, in precisely the same voice with which he used to roar some version of hate. The fool heard and understood; he froze. Hayden's jaw clenched as he fought to contain the sense of molten outrage that threatened to overwhelm him every time he thought of the situation he now faced. In fact, he had thought of little else for the past couple of and was now digging pretty deep into his reserves of self-restraint!

"If you ever utter a word about her that is less than complimentary, I will not slam you against the floor again. I will instead send you through a window. And not on the ground floor, either." Hayden didn't wait for an answer; who expects garbage to answer back? Instead, he held out his arm to her they turned, they saw that the club was now crammed with people. His eyes sweeping the crowd with the air of a man who has ruled the world.

"There is nothing to see here, you can all go back to what you were doing" he said succinctly and took her outside. Lindsay followed her and said.

"Hey Emily you don't have to worry about me if you want to leave I will take a cab or Eric will offer me a ride" Emily was about to deny and say she was alright and she could stay but they all knew it was a lie. This was just not her scene

"Okay, sorry though"

"No problemo. See ya. And make you you take care of her" she said pointing at Hayden which made her blush. Lindsay finally left which made it just the two of them outside. She finally summed up the courage to look him in the eye.

"I am sorry for hitting you it was a mistake" He whispered .

"It's okay. I know it was a mistake, I just didn't want you going to jail for beating someone up"

"He fucking deserved it"

"Yeah but.........I am grateful for.. you standing up for me, I don't think anyone has ever done it"

"And I will do it again"

"Just.... it's okay. I'd better go home now, you should go back in"

"No I will go with you i___"

"Please can you stop with this....I just don't want to do this anymore. I am fine can you just let me be you fired me I left can it just be like that"

"No it can't" he said after a tiny pause. She took a deep breath then exhaled.

"I made a mistake, by firing you. We all need you"

"I just can't up and leave anytime you want me too, I am also a human being. I have feelings"

"What do you want me to do to get you back in my office"

"I don't want to come back......and there are plenty of reasons. Yes including what happened in the office. I am not the type to just hook up and leave even if I am ......look Nothing personal, I've actually never had better .......you know what we did" she flushed.

"But with my body clock ticking I can't afford to waste my time with a man-even one as lovely as you-who is commitment-phobic.' with that said she left.

Hayden had not been offended by her comments or lost any sleep over them, but they had made him wonder...

"Do you think I'm commitment-phobic?" he later asked his childhood friend, Eric. Eric's response was tactful.

"Of course not, but maybe if you put as much effort into your personal relationships as you do work?"

"That's the problem. I don't have to put that much effort into work...some days" he admitted.

"I find myself hoping that there will be a disaster just so that I can fix it...there's just no buzz. My life is totally predictable. There are no real challenges-nothing to get the adrenaline pumping."

'Maybe there's a life-changing surprise around the corner, maybe with Emily. Why don't you just give it a go," his friend suggested, looking amused.

"I don't know"

"You have to or you might regret it later, I am speaking from experience, well ..not in a relationship way but a career.... you know what I am talking about right"Eric left before he even got a reply. Hayden could not remember the last time he had a girl friend, the last one he had only lasted for three weeks. So he thought it was better if he stick to his usual fling .......but then again anytime he sees Emily something inside him wants to change, she made him want to become a better person.

Hayden closed his eyes as he laid on the couch the dozed off. He woke up a few hours later because his neck ached badly. So he stood up and went to his room to take a quick shower then went off to bed.

Meanwhile at Emily's..............

Emily had taken her bath and had something to eat by the time she came home and yes she was eating late, but she could care less if she gained weight. She was about to turn of the lights when Lindsay knocked on the door saying she was crashing for the night. Emily helped her with her shoe and dress then told her to brush her teeth then wipe the make up of her face. When Lindsay was done in the bathroom she took the night gown Emily laid out for her then wore it.

Emily shifted so that there would be space for her, as soon as Lindsay landed on the bed she passed out.... snoring. This was going to be a long night, Emily thought.