One and Only

Part 20

One and Only - Chapter Twenty
Lauren's POV
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"Lauren?"
I blinked, my attention going to Mr. Clarke. "Yes?"
"Did you hear me?" He asked.
"No, sir. I'm sorry. What did you say?"
My boss gave me a concerned look, getting up from his chair to stand in front of me. He rested against his desk, folding his arms. "Are you all right, Lauren? You seem a little out of it."
I nodded, forcing a smile. "Yes, Mr. Clarke."
"It's Richard."
"I'm sorry?"
"You can call me Richard." I nodded at him once more and he shifted his weight. "You're usually so focused. Are you sure everything is okay?"
I reassured the older man again that everything was fine. Okay, well... Maybe not everything. There was a slight problem between Camila and I. Considering what happened a few nights ago, she wasn't exactly eager to talk to me. It wasn't like she cut me off completely-we were still together-but it was definitely different. But I had to push those thoughts aside for now and concentrate on my job. He was telling me all about this dinner I was supposed to go to tonight to meet his boss, AKA more upper management to impress.
"I'll send for you in here again in a few minutes to talk exact details; I just need to make a call." That was my cue to go, but just as I was about to walk out, he grabbed my attention once more. "Oh, and Lauren? Make sure to bring Ms. Cabello-she's certainly welcome."
"Of course." I replied, returning to my seat across from her. I was more into the idea of dinner now that it included my girlfriend. We had recently decided to document our relationship to the workplace-something about protecting the company-and Mr. Clarke, or Richard, was surprisingly supportive of the news. I knew it was just a boring business meeting disguised as a social event, but this was a chance to spend more time with Camila without the risk of it being awkward.
I knew this whole thing was my fault. I hurt her with my own selfishness, but the whole love thing was terrifying for me. I knew that eventually I'd have to let her go... but I wasn't ready to give her up yet. It was inevitable that I would end up alone one day-I'd made the decision as a young girl to never end up like my father who spent his whole life hurt and miserable-but that didn't mean Camila had to end up alone, too. I just needed to buy more time with her before the feelings between us destroyed us completely. There was no harm in that, right? I deserved at least that much. Seven years didn't just go away like that. At least, I hoped.
I couldn't tell you how many nights I had laid awake, wondering if there was ever going to be a time in our relationship where one wasn't hurt by the other. I'd asked myself if putting her through all of this was worth it and I was beginning to doubt that it was. How selfish was I-keeping her away from finding someone else who could actually give her a healthy relationship?
The truth was we cared too much about each other. We were both terrified at the thought of losing our relationship and our friendship. I liked Camila, I had feelings for Camila, but I just couldn't seem to figure out exactly what I wanted to do with them. That's what she was waiting on, anyway: answers. I don't think she understood that I was waiting for them, too.
I hadn't ever dealt with something like this before and it's not like I ever planned on making things official with her. I knew it was a bad idea and I did it anyway, but I didn't exactly know how much I would like her. I thought we were just really good friends and I thought we were going to stay that way. How was I ever supposed to predict that, one day, she would drag all of these feelings out of me? I distinctly remember bottling those confusing thoughts up seven years ago for a reason. Even at sixteen, I understood not to explore those feelings. Now at twenty-three, my teenager self is rolling her eyes and telling me, "I told you so."
I couldn't even think about the possibility of being in love with someone, especially Camila. In my life, love never won. I loved my mom and she left, my dad was in love with her and she left, my dad's secretary was in love with him and he left, James' wife was in love with him and he slept with me, Adam was in love with Camila and she slept with me... What did love promise people, other than false hope for "forever"?
I met Camila's eyes, her brown eyes that encapsulated me every time I got a glimpse of them, and I saw the hurt. I saw how confused she was and how the way she felt for me was physically and emotionally affecting her. She frowned slightly at whatever thought process was going on in her head and looked back at her work, an expression of worry on her face.
I knew what she was scared of-she was scared that I wasn't in love with her.
I was scared that I was.
I needed to come up with something, and quick, before I lost her for good. The incident between us was obviously weighing down on her and, although I saw how hard she was trying to ignore it, it was only a matter of time before she couldn't avoid it anymore-it was only a matter of time before she realized she deserved someone better than me.
"Lauren," I felt a hand on my shoulder, putting a stop to my thoughts. "Mr. Clarke has just gotten off the phone with some important executives and is asking for you again." I turned to see Adriana. "I don't want to worry you, but it sounded urgent."
"Urgent?" Camila said. I looked at her and she grimaced, as if she couldn't believe anything else could get worse for us right now.
I made my way to his office again, intrigued in the 'urgent' events that had taken place in the last few minutes. Richard hung up the phone, motioning for me to sit. "Have a seat." I followed his order and sat, waiting for the information. "So, as you know, upper management has been watching you." I nodded. "But apparently, that's not cutting it-it's not enough."
"Not enough?" I asked, having trouble following.
"You see, they're asking to meet you."
"Well, I can make myself free on most nights, whether it's dinner or longer nights at the office-"
He rubbed harshly at his temples. "You're not getting it. This is upper management, Lauren. They don't just waltz on a plane when we ask-that's kind of what we do for them."
"What are you saying?"
"The corporate headquarters is in Portland, Lauren. We would need to fly there."
I felt anxiety shoot through every part of my body. "When? For how long?"
He sat atop his desk, folding his arms. "These things could take days, weeks... and with what they're planning, it could eventually turn into months."
I gaped, trying to find the right words. "With... With all do respect, Richard, I'm not sure that's something I can do." And then I saw it, everything I'd ever dreamed for in my career diminishing. "It's just that-well, with my personal life right now, I just don't know if that's such a great step for me."
My boss nodded understandingly, "I thought you might say that and I get it. I know this is a tricky situation: you're in a relationship with Ms. Cabello and your friends are here, so I'll give you some time to think it over. Talk to Camila about it, think about your future, think about long-term. In the meantime, we do have a dinner scheduled..." But I couldn't listen to what he was saying at that point. Portland? In Oregon? I couldn't believe how poorly timed this was. Of course I get one of the biggest opportunities of my career when Camila and I are going through a rough patch.
The older man stopped talking and I rose to my feet, my mind a million different places. "Could you have Adriana send over the dinner plans to me?"
He shook his head yes, standing up to see me out of the door.
"Do you mind if I take an early break? I just-" I gulped, "I really need to think about this and I'd like to give you an answer as soon as possible."
"There's no rush, give it a couple of days, but yes. I understand. Just be back after everyone's lunch break ends." He shook my hand and soon, I was outside of his office. I rested against the wall, unable to steady myself, as people started to stare. This was too much-I couldn't make these decisions. I couldn't save both my career and my relationship. My gaze went to Camila, not caring about all of my coworkers beginning to gossip, and I immediately began to think about the breaking point of our relationship. I knew this would be it. If I told Camila I had to go to Portland, it'd be over. She was already staring at me, a concerned look on her face, and that made it worse. I was going to have to give up something huge-something I'd worked so hard on.
I thought I was going to pass out before Mark walked up to me, blocking my view of Camila. "Are you all right, Lo?"
I nodded, trying to breathe. "I'm heading out for a few hours."
"Should I come with? You look like you're about to be sick."
"Y-yeah." I replied. I could use an honest person with me through this. "Come with."
We both moved to grab our things, the whole office now staring at the both of us. I walked over to get my bag, watching as Camila stared back at me.
"Are you leaving?"
"I'll be back later, Camz, around one."
"Are you seriously going to leave with Mark?" She grimaced.
I sighed, not wanting to start something I didn't have the energy to finish. "Not now, Camila. Please." She reluctantly backed off, that same scared look on her face returning. I think she always believed the person I was "in love with" was Mark, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I wanted to say something to reassure her, to help her stop worrying, but I didn't have the words. Instead, I bent down at my knees, grasping both of her hands in mine. I looked at our hands, frowning. There wasn't one thing in the world that I would want more than the freedom to just hold her delicate hands in mine.
"Lauren..." Camila whispered nervously, not used to the whole office watching her.
I brought her hands up to my mouth and kissed them, making the final decision. "I'll be back." I told her, grabbing my bag and walking out the door with Mark.
-
Mark and I didn't walk far, sitting on a bench just outside of our building. He let me sit there and think, my leg shaking out of nervousness.
"You've been sulking for almost an hour now. What's going on?"
I buried my forehead in the palms of my hands, barely speaking the words. "Clarke wants me in Portland."
"What?" Mark exclaimed excitedly. "That's amazing! For how long?"
"He said it could take weeks... Eventually months." I looked up at him but he was looking ahead, the excitement wearing off.
"That's a long time."
"I can't do it." I admitted.
He furrowed his eyebrows, glaring at me. "What?"
"I can't leave Camz like that." I shook my head, looking down.
"Lo, this is a huge opportunity. You're meeting the senior level-you're getting in with the big shots." Mark went off, surprised I'd even considered leaving the offer. "This could change your whole life. It's what you've worked so hard for. It's what you've always wanted."
"What I've always wanted is Camila."
"And you got her. She'll support you-just tell her."
I shook my head no. "We're not doing so well right now."
Mark rolled his eyes at me, "There's always an excuse to not tell someone something like this. You need to talk to her about it. She's your best friend, Lauren. She'll understand. Maybe you can make it work."
"Are you crazy?" I scoffed. "If Camila doesn't trust me right here, she sure as hell won't trust me while I'm across the country." I paused. "I can't lose her, Mark. That just isn't an option."
It was silent for a bit as he took it in-as we both took it in. I didn't need a "couple of days" to figure out a decision. It was made the second he informed me of the plans. I knew making things right with Camila was more important than taking the offer.
"You're really going to give this up?" He asked once more.
I nodded. "I... I think so."
Mark looked almost disappointed at my answer, "Well, I think you'd be great in Portland, but you're still great here. Whatever you do, I'll be here."
"But you think I should go?"
"I know you should go."
I huffed, talking about it not making the decision easier to go through with. "Don't ever date your best friend."
"Don't worry. I'm never doing that to myself."
We shared a small laugh and I was glad to just have someone to talk to about it-but that reminded me of something else.
"We can't do this anymore."
He looked at me, confused. "Do what?"
"We can't act like we're more than friends around other people anymore. I can't have people thinking I'm sleeping with you, especially when I'm dating Camila."
Mark nodded, as if he expected this to happen. "I get it. It was nice while it lasted." He winked.
I was both surprised and relieved he was so okay with it. "Really?"
"Yeah. We're friends, Lo. But you're still really hot, so if you ever need someone to keep you company, don't hesitate in calling me." He chuckled.
"I'd need to get a few more drinks in me before that." I nudged him.
"I thought Camila was going to murder me last time she walked in and found out we spent the weekend together at your apartment."
"Too bad she didn't." I joked.
"Ha, ha. Very funny. Let's get back to work before she really does come looking for me with a knife."
-
When it was time to leave, I figured it was a good time to tell Camila about the dinner tonight. She was packing up, trying to keep her eyes off of me as much as possible. She was a little mad that I went off with Mark, but I think it confused her even more when I kissed her hands goodbye. She didn't know how to feel toward me. "We're going to dinner with Mr. Clarke and his boss tonight."
She stopped her motions to look at me. "Like a business dinner?"
"Something like that." I answered, unsure. She didn't seem too excited. "Why?"
"Lauren, I don't want to go."
My forehead creased in misunderstanding. "Why not?"
"That's all I did when I was engaged to Adam: dinners, meetings, parties... I'm not doing it anymore."
I couldn't help but feel offended. "It's important to me-it's important for my job." I was giving up Portland for her and she couldn't even accompany me to a dinner?
"Well, you should've asked me. Why did you just assume I would go?"
"Fine, I'm asking. Will you go?"
But she didn't bother to give me an answer. "Why don't you just take Mark? Seems like you two fit well together."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She leaned forward. "I think you know what it means."
I frowned. "You're really not going to go with me?" Silence filled the air and I could feel myself growing irritated. "You know what, Camila? The reason I 'assumed' you would go to this with me is because I would've done the exact same for you-no matter how much I hated them. Sorry for thinking you'd do the same." I got up, annoyed. "Oh, and you're right, I could ask Mark. At least he'd go to support me. It was my mistake thinking that you would support me, too." I left, not having time to start yet another argument. This dinner was way too important, especially now that I was turning down Richard's offer. He had already spent so much time reassuring coworkers of his that I was worth it-that I was worth promoting-and now I had to leave him hanging. I didn't need Camila on my mind more than she already was. I just needed to get through this dinner.
-
The restaurant was nice-so nice that I bet our bill was going to be the cost of half my paycheck. So far, I had made a good impression on Richard's boss, whose name was William, and things were going great until-
"Lauren, did you start without me?"
I looked up from my conversation to see Camila in the flesh, all dressed up. She looked exactly like she used to when she went out with Adam.
"Hi, I'm Camila." She shook William's hand. "I'm Lauren's girlfriend and I work for Mr. Clarke."
"Lauren said you couldn't make it." Richard said.
"Did she? Well, I'm here." Camila sat down in the chair next to me, scooting as close as she could.
Richard and William continued the conversation as it was before Camila showed up and she took this as a chance to speak to me. "Sorry I'm late." The brunette whispered in my ear.
"I thought you weren't coming." I responded, a little harshly.
"I changed my mind." Camila said simply, taking my hand and placing it on her thigh. My breathing stopped when she started to move it upwards. "I'm not wearing panties." The words barely escaped out of her mouth and I was surprised I even heard it.
I snatched my hand away, not impressed with her. "I'm not in the mood." I quickly inserted myself back into the conversation, trying to bury those urges deep down. It was no secret that it had been awhile, but I couldn't believe she was trying that here.
I tried to ignore her as much as possible, but then I just felt bad because that's exactly what Adam used to do to her, which is why she hated these dinners so much. I was still a little bitter over her reaction from before, though, and that's why I hadn't said anything else to her.
She had excused herself to the bathroom a few minutes ago and I was beginning to wonder what was taking her so long, but then I got a text.
Camz: Come and get me.
Confused, I looked at the picture attached only to drop my phone a second later, my face as red as the sauce atop William's pasta.
"Is everything all right, Lauren?" Richard asked me, leaning down to pick up my phone that clattered to the floor.
"I'm fine!" I grabbed my phone out of his hand, worried he would see the image of my girlfriend who was obviously trying to prove her earlier statement of "no panties". The men looked at me with absolute concern and I'm sure the expression on my face was the cause. "If you'll please excuse me." I apologized quickly, almost running to the bathroom in search of Camila who was pushing the boundaries. I got a glimpse of the empty bathroom for a split second before I was pulled into a stall, immediately feeling a pair of lips crashing onto mine. I pushed the brunette back, noting how she already had her top undone. "Camila, what the fuck are you doing? You can't be serious." But she didn't seem to be interested in what I had to say, tugging her shirt off and attaching her lips to my neck. I couldn't help but tilt it, giving her more access, and I bit my lip to hide just how much it was turning me on. I suddenly tried to come up with any reason to stop this before it went further. Having public sex while your boss was a few feet away wasn't exactly the career choice I wanted to make right now. "Camz, they're waiting."
"Let them wait." She spoke into my neck, cupping my sex without any warning. "You're 'not in the mood', huh?" Camila chuckled, pulling back to look at me. She seemed pretty satisfied with herself at my reaction-my breathing was rapid and my knees weak. "This tells me differently."
I still had enough willpower to give her some sass back. "I wasn't in the mood until I got your little text. What, are we sexting now?"
"Whatever you want to call it." She pushed me down to sit on the toilet.
"Camila..." I warned. She smirked and sat on top of me, unclasping her bra. I watched with an open mouth as she bared herself to me so openly and felt every shred of self-control diminish. "Oh, fuck this." And then we were kissing, hard. We didn't have much time left before things got more suspicious than they already were.
I slid my hand up her thigh, but the tightness of her skirt was making it hard to get access. I was getting frustrated-our time was running out. "Camila," I breathed, "your skirt."
"Do something, Lauren." She silenced me once again with her mouth and I was left trying to figure it out. Well, I'd had enough. I ripped the fabric carelessly, earning a gasp from Camila, but she didn't exactly have time to yell at me for it because she was too busy moaning into my mouth at the feel of my fingers massaging her hot center. I used my free hand to brush across her nipple, silencing her whimper with my tongue. I hadn't done much to her yet and I could tell she was getting impatient, because the next thing I knew, her fingers slipped past the waistband of my black fitted slacks. "Do you ... h-have any idea ... how hot you look in a suit?" She groaned against my lips, entangling her free hand in my hair to dive once again into my mouth. Camila pressed hard against my small nub and I was eternally grateful that all that came out of my mouth was a muffled moan. She rubbed feverishly at my bundle of nerves and I was seeing stars.
I could feel the wetness pouring out of her onto my hand, more ready than ever for me. Without a beat, I slipped three fingers inside of her molten core, causing her to bite down on my lip. I was pretty sure she drew blood, but I couldn't focus on that right now. We couldn't make too much sound or else we'd get caught and that wasn't exactly how I wanted my night to end. The sudden intrusion didn't seem to slow her down like I thought-in fact, it only fueled her to increase her pace. We were both working toward a common goal, helping each other try to reach it. The thought of that only made me more hot for her. I began to plunge into her as deep as I could-as hard as I could-and the way she was unabashedly pumping herself on my digits was driving me crazy, not to mention the constant pressure she was building up in me. We tried to keep our mouths together as much as possible, the extra help in silencing us much needed due to our certain setting, but it soon became open mouths ghosting one another, silent screams threatening to escape our throats.
I could feel sweat starting to form, our body heat mixing together. I wasn't sure whose breath was whose, my lungs engulfing her hard panting. I was sliding in and out of her so effortlessly, my fingers almost burning to the touch. We were both so close, our foreheads resting together, both of our eyes shut while trying to make one another feel something. I could feel her walls tightening around my fingers, Camila attaching her mouth to mine once more. Her ecstasy was building up rapidly, along with the speed of her fingers against my swollen nub.
The world stopped for a split second just before we came undone, the knowledge flowing into my mind that nothing but me and her mattered anymore. It was just us two in that moment-the fact that we could be caught any minute or the fact that it wasn't the most private place did not matter to me. She made it feel private, and she made it to where I honestly didn't care if we were found out. When she rested her head on my shoulder, exhausted from our escapade, I almost panicked. Every fiber of my body was screaming for me to "get up and leave", calling me an idiot for letting this relationship continue even though I was starting to feel things for her that were completely foreign to me, but the moment she placed a soft kiss on my neck was the moment I knew I couldn't leave no matter how hard I tried.
The sweet moment was cut way too short, though, because before we knew it, the bathroom door opened. Camila quickly got to her feet, trying to pull up her ripped skirt as best as she could, and I zipped my pants up, handing my girlfriend her shirt and bra in the process. I left the stall before she did, walking to the mirror to adjust my appearance. Fuck. I looked ridiculous, my hair a mess thanks to Camila's constant grip. My lipstick was a joke, smeared across my face along with my girlfriend's. I'd had plenty of practice in cleaning up from situations like these though and was almost back to my previous self in just a couple of minutes.
A woman came out of the stall to stand next to me and wash her hands, and I could see her disapproving glare at me through the mirror. I rolled my eyes, waiting for her to finish so that Camila could come out, although I was pretty sure our cover had been blown anyway. She left shortly after and not a second passed before Camila came tumbling out of the stall, holding her skirt up.
"Cute." I commented, leaning my back against the sink and smirking.
"Yet another piece of clothing that I won't be able to wear again, thanks to you." She playfully scolded, running a free hand through her hair to try to make it look less like we just had sex in a stall.
Camila and I cleaned ourselves up and best as we could, bracing ourselves for the questions we were about to be asked.
When we returned to the table, Richard and William gave us a polite smile. "Everything okay?" William asked.
Camila nodded. "Sorry about that. My skirt got stuck in the door and ripped. I had to get Lauren to come try to fix it."
Richard looked to me, "Any luck?"
I held back a smirk at the question. "I tried my best, but I think I only made it worse." Camila bit down on her lip at the reference, her hand interlinking with mine underneath the table.
The business dinner went on once more, the conversation getting back on track to what we were supposed to be discussing. Everything felt right again, like things were going to be okay.
I couldn't believe how wrong I was.
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