The Billionaire's Assistant

Chapter 78

Kat awoke to darkness and a quiet calm within her that made her feel warm, cozy. She nuzzled her head more deeply into her pillow, only to discover that the surface was rough and abrasive, scratching her skin. She frowned and lifted her head slightly, confused, and her eyes widened as she realized where she was, who she was with.

She was curled in Jove's arms, her body swaddled by his, and they lay on the floor right where she'd fallen in exhaustion after countless rounds of mind blowing sex, Kat's mind and body both overtaken wholly by nothing but her desire for more, always more. They'd fallen asleep right there on the lobby floor, the entire tryst just one unexpected visitor away from exposure.

Kat blinked, her eyes adjusting and panic settling in on her. She had no idea what time it was and no idea how she'd get out of the building, if she even could get out at this time of night. She knew from her hours of handbook study that there was a night guard shift and there were also operations teams that worked nights, support staff for overseas executives.

Kat slowly eased her way out of Jove's gentle grip. His steady breathing remained unchanged and his face somehow looked even more alluring when he slept, his pure beauty unadulterated by his commanding energy. She smiled at him, at how long his eyelashes appeared while he slept peacefully. She then turned about, looking for clothing Jove had discarded from her hours ago.

Her briefcase was directly in the center of the room where she'd dropped it, and she scooped it up, her mind on the badges inside. She wasn't sure what Andy was thinking but she couldn't concern herself with it until she saw her, knowing the anticipatory panic may make her freeze. She didn't know what sleeping with Jove had been, a mistake or a necessity, but she couldn't reflect on it now, and, still slipping on her left shoe, hobbled quickly for the stairwell door, racing down a flight of stairs as quickly as she could to take the elevator from 54 in order to not awaken Jove with its chime.

She entered the lobby, relieved to see a skeleton crew of security members. One gave her an uninterested nod as she hurried past and she shot a quick smile in return, the problem of exiting the building solved, and a whole host of other problems now at the forefront of her mind.

She pulled out her smartphone, dying after multiple days without a charge, and winced when she saw the time. 3:17am. This was the first time since moving into the den that she'd stayed out all night, and she knew they were likely worried sick about her, that they assumed the worst. Most of them, anyways. She knew that Andy was likely thinking differently, that Andy had their conversation from the other night in mind.

Andy kept claiming that she didn't know what Kat had done, but at this point it didn't matter. Kat had done everything, betrayed herself, FES, Jove. No matter what Andy thought Kat had done, she'd done worse. And now she was returning home, a true walk of shame, to report that she'd discovered their mission wouldn't even work.

Maybe I can tell them what Jove said instead, she thought wistfully, already certain she would do no such thing, already formulating their argumentative responses to Jove's promises to cut back and see what he could do. Promises that meant nothing, she reminded herself. This whole thing may have just been a ploy to sleep with me, I wouldn't put it past him.

She frowned. She knew she had put that idea past him, far past him, and she wouldn't believe it even if he looked her in the face and said it himself. She'd never believe that he just wanted her for her body. Their hours of conversation, the parts of themselves they exposed to one other, that was more than just lust. She knew there were real feelings there for both of them, feelings she couldn't explain or make sense of. Feeling she couldn't escape.

Her head was on a swivel as she made the brisk walk home, wary of nocturnal interlopers but simultaneously feeling as if a mugging would be the least of her concerns. She turned the final corner and the dens building came into view, her stomach winding itself back into a series of impenetrable knots. She would have to go inside and she would have to face everyone, to tell them that she'd failed, to see the looks on their faces as they realized where she had been, what she had been doing.