Page 49 of Hurt Me Not
Maybe part of me had also wanted to fuck her as if we were teenagers, just like I hadn’t had the chance to do in high school.
It had been… serendipitous.
But her fucking manager hadn’t left my head. What a dumbass to fire someone like Pearl.
Unforgivable.
So I didn't let him get away with it. I made sure he was paid in full for what he did.
Yes, she was now all mine every day except for the time she was at school, but there was only one person in this world who was allowed to make Pearl cry.
Me.
I pulled up the presentation and immediately got to work. Pearl had some good ideas but little practice. Too many words, though I kept most of them.
And she had left a stupid fucking heart GIF at the end of the thank-you slide.
I hovered my mouse over it, meaning to delete it, but for some reason, I looked back up at Pearl, and she was looking at me with such hope that I couldn't do it.
E. Blackwell: Made some minor tweaks. Good job.
If she were anyone else, I probably would've fired her by now. But she wasn’t, so I wouldn’t. And it wasn’t only because she was my perfect little plaything.
She brought out a part of me that I didn't even recognize. Someone who wanted to protect instead of destroy. Someone who wanted to be gentle. Who wanted to do right by others.
By her.
To hold her. To make others pay when they hurt her.
After high school—after she left—I had never thought about anyone other than myself. Now, Pearl always came first.
P. Meadows: Thank you <3
A fucking heart.She sent me a fucking heart. It was so fucking annoying and incredibly endearing at the same time.
My attention wandered when I saw her look up in the opposite direction. Cristian was walking toward her, holding our food. She gave him a smile as she took it and brought it into my office, not even bothering to knock.
“Oh, looks like they gave us Indian food today. I wonder how the food team knew I was craving it,” she said with an excited tone. She sat down and placed our boxes on my desk as I moved my computer out of her way. Eating lunch together had somehow become a thing for us. “I don't know why you let me buy you food that first day if your company provides it every day.”
“How was I supposed to know you were such athoughtfulassistant?”I drawled.
In reality, my company had never provided lunch—until now. The space we had wasn't enough for our own cafeteria, though I had always planned on changing that. I wanted my employees to be comfortable, which meant more than just a snack cabinet.
Pearl just… sped things up. I didn't want her spending her money. Because I knew she'd go out every single day to bring back lunch for me because she thought it was her duty as a good assistant.
That was what Pearl was good at. Noticing people. Caring for people. Me, mostly. And I’d overlook all the fucking heart GIFs in the world just to keep her.
“Don’t act all humble now. We know you know me better than I know myself.”
I shrugged. She had a point.
“Tell me about school."
Pearl suddenly froze. She tried to play it off and went back to acting normal within a few seconds, but I knew what I saw.
Weird.
She had been so excited to go back. She had even arrived more than thirty minutes early on the first day to tour a campus she already knew.
