I awoke late the next day to delicious smells coming from my kitchen. As eager as I was to get food, my body was not so forgiving. I moved slowly as I got out of bed and gingerly dressed for the day, putting on a comfortable pair of torn, light blue jeans and a navy blue halter top. I brushed my hair, a daunting task given the bruises on my wrist. I loosely tied it back and gradually moved out to the living room.
Blake was in the kitchen, cooking a late breakfast. He was arguing with Desiree, whose face was planted on the counter top, her hands rubbing her temples. I snuck in quietly.
"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?" Desiree groaned.
"Do you not get it, Desiree? Sorry doesn't keep my job. Sorry doesn't ensure my future at the company," Blake retorted, his hands on the counter.
"Oh my God! Why are you so worried? Daddy will just fix it."
"Contrary to what you believe, he can't. Your father doesn't get to choose Arthur's successor. He can rally all he wants, but at the end of the day, it's Arthur's choice. And if the other board members don't want me around, he won't hesitate to ax me to keep the stock price up."
Desiree threw her hands up in defeat. She wasn't used to not getting her way. She just sat there pouting like a child, waiting for Blake to tell her what she wanted to hear. What a bitch!
I was feet from the kitchen counter before Blake saw me. His gaze softened when I approached and he relaxed.
"Good morning, Kaitlin," he said with a smile. My heart leapt and I almost melted. How could any man do this to me just from a smile?
"Morning," I smiled back, moving into the other seat at the counter. Desiree had returned her head to the counter top, her arms obscuring her face. I couldn't help but chuckle at her condition.
"Hey, Desiree. How are you feeling this morning?" I asked in a raised voice. She gave no audible response, just mumbled into the counter.
"What was that? I couldn't hear you." I looked over a Blake, who was finding just as much enjoyment in my torment of Desiree as I was.
"Fuck off!" she grumbled, before concealing her face again. I tried to stifle my laughter, but it was incredibly difficult. Karma was definitely dishing it out to her and I was finding it exceedingly enjoyable.
Blake was busy about the kitchen, making breakfast. I had never known many men in my life who were able to cook, let alone produce the delicious smells that were arising.
"Want any breakfast?" he asked.
"Sure, what are you making?"
"Let's see...I've got bacon, toast, eggs. I can make you some pancakes if you want. Um-"
He was abruptly cut off as Desiree ran towards the bathroom, covering her mouth. I watched her speed by with glee. It may seem mean, but after the years of hell she put me through, it was nice every once and a while to see her suffer on this scale. It made it feel like there was some kind of justice in the world, even if that was served from the bottom of a vodka bottle.
"Shouldn't you be holding her hair back?" I asked, although I hoped he wouldn't. I wanted this momentary alone time with him.
"I tried to this morning, but she didn't like that I was berating her. So after the second time, she asked me to leave her alone." He was focused on the food as he spoke. "This is her fifth trip already. Besides, after her behavior last night, she's getting off way too easy."
I was reminded of our discussion in the bathroom the night before. Blake had told me of Desiree's lewd behavior and was worried what would happen to his career as a result. After the conversation I walked in on this morning, I was equally concerned.
"Any word yet on the potential fallout?" I asked, as he finished making my plate.
He looked towards the bathroom door before moving in close to me.
"Arthur called this morning and told me not to worry. I'll be fine."
"Then what was all that?" referring to his argument with Desiree.
He lowered his voice.
"Last night, I realized it wasn't fair to either of us for me to continue a physical relationship with Desiree. To escape it, I'm over blowing the impact her behavior last night will have on my career. She's being punish-"
Desiree walked back in, ending our conversation. I wondered what sort of punishment he was dishing out to her and why she was being relatively calm, at least by Desiree standards. How would punishing Desiree benefit either of us?
"Feeling any better?" Blake asked, condescendingly.
Desiree just glared before returning to her position at the counter. Blake smirked as he placed a plate of egg whites, bacon, and wheat toast in front of me and plain toast in front of Desiree. I was starved.
"So, Katie, how was your night?" Desiree asked.
Oh no. This was the topic I wanted to avoid. Although Blake and I had reconciled the night before, I didn't want to tear open healing wounds. But leave it to Desiree to find a way to do so.
"It was okay." I didn't want to delve into detail, but she wasn't satisfied with my response.
"Just okay? I saw you leave with that asshole Vance. Come on, something had to have happened. Spill it!"
"We had sex." I was curt, and quickly returned to my meal. Couldn't she tell that I wanted her to drop it? Oh, wait! This was Dumbass Desiree. A stack of rocks had more sense than she did.
Blake dropped a lid on the floor, causing a loud clang.
"Ow!" Desiree cried. "Be more careful! Some of us are still suffering from a hangover."
"Sorry," he responded, a look of disgust falling his face. I could assume it was no accident. Blake had less of a desire to relive last night than I did. Hearing details of my exploits would only make matters worse.
Desiree returned to her interrogation.
"You've gotta give me more than that, Katie. I want details. Details!"
"AH!" Desiree had grabbed my wrist. She jumped back at my shriek, but only for a moment. Her curiosity finally won out as she took my wrist into her hand and turned it over, revealing the deep purple bruise buried in my flesh. Her mouth dropped and her eyes lit up.
"He likes things KINKY!!" she smiled, eyeing me for more details.
Another series of clangs came from over the counter. Blake threw a bunch of pans and lids into the sink. His face showed nothing but rage and disgust, the same things I feared he would have towards me for what I had done.
"What the hell is your problem?"
"Nothing. That was an accident." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Now that you mention it, kindly wait to have this discussion until I am gone. I don't want to hear the details of my assistant banging my co-worker. Unlike you, Des, I still have to work with these people almost every day."
"Fine," she relented throwing her hands in the air. "But I want every hard hitting detail later, Katie. Don't hold out on me."
I gave a weak smile. I had no desire to tell her anything, nor to relive my misadventure. I was trying to move forward and be happy with the restart that I was having with Blake. Leave it to Desiree to kill the mood.
I continued to eat my meal in silence. I had nothing to say to Desiree and anything I wanted to say to Blake, I couldn't say in front of her. A few minutes passed in quite, until Blake's phone rang and he excused himself from the room.
"Oh my God! What an asshole!" Desiree complained.
"What happened with you two? You guys were hanging all over each other last night and today, you guys are ready to commit murder." I knew the story of last night, but I was hoping Desiree would be able to give me more insight into Blake's punishment. Desiree, being the blabbermouth that she is, was more than happy to spill the details.
"So, 'apparently', I got a little wasted last night and behaved 'inappropriately'. Blake now thinks that his job is at stake, so he's 'punishing' me."
"How?"
"He says I can't have sex or anything fun for at least two weeks. Can you believe that?"
"Crazy!" I was overjoyed at this news. He was right that her punishment would be for both of our benefit, at least for the time being. After the two weeks, I don't know how he will avoid sleeping with her, unless he plans on breaking up with her. It took all my effort to suppress a smile. Things were finally falling into place.
"Yea, well I won't be having sex with HIM for two weeks," she replied, winking at me. She could only mean one thing: Kurt would be spending a lot more time around the apartment.
I didn't have time to fully digest my food or the knowledge of Kurt's impending presence, before Blake returned with news.
"I just got off the phone with Arthur and he might have a solution for the current predicament. There's a small tech company out in California that Arthur wants to work with. However, they are not entirely sold on us moving in on their operations, so I have to convince them. He thinks it's the only way to keep from a stock slide. So pack a bag Kaitlin, we're heading to California now."
He hastily gathered his belongings and headed for the door.
"Wait, how about I come with you? I could help," Desiree pleaded, seductively.
"No, Des. Besides, after what happened last night, I think we both need a little time apart. Plus it will make your punishment easier for you if I'm not around. I'll see you in a couple of days. Kaitlin, I'll be back in a half an hour to pick you up. We have to swing by the office and pick some stuff up before we head to the airport. Make sure you're ready to go." And then he was gone.
I headed to my room and shut the door. I didn't need Desiree distracting me as I quickly packed for this trip. I was savoring the idea of alone time with Blake. Even though it was a business trip, I knew I would spend time with him, uninterrupted by Desiree.
My thoughts were disrupted by my phone going off. It was a text from Blake that contained a simple message: "Missing you already!"
***
Like Blake said, he returned to my apartment in a half an hour. I was already waiting outside when he pulled up in his black Audi. He smiled at me, taking my bag like a gentleman as I eased into the passenger seat. When he returned to the driver's seat, he threw the car into gear and sped off, without saying a word.
It would remain this way until we hit the first stop light. Once we were stopped, he leaned over, giving me a quick, yet passionate kiss. My heart raced as his lips moved against mine. I didn't want it to end. I wanted to stay locked to his sweet lips for eternity.
When he finally pulled away, he gazed into my eyes lovingly.
"I've been waiting to do that all morning." He took my hand, interlacing our fingers as he turned his eyes back to the road. I smiled at the show of possession and affection. He made me feel that I was more than just some fling.
"How are you feeling this morning? I didn't make things worse last night?"
"A little sore, but it's manageable. And last night with you was perfect."
