Page 21 of The Call She Made That He Never Answered
Stepping out of the store, a black sedan screeched to a stop right in front.
I looked up into Lucas's oppressive gray-blue eyes through the window.
Chapter Six
Lucas
I frowned and tossed the cum-stained sheets to the floor—stiff and sticky now. The cleaning staff would deal with it. They'd erase last night's loss of control. I headed for the bathroom, but Ella's face flashed in my mind again. Damn it. Just a ghost of her, and my cock twitched.
This couldn't go on. A married man, reduced to jerking off over his own wife. What a fucking joke. That morning wood, the desperate ache to be inside Ella's body, nearly broke me again. Getting myself off was nothing compared to being inside her. Not even close. I needed to get home. Now. Immediately.
When I reached the elevator lobby, dressed and ready, a familiar voice called out.
"Lucas!"
Vivian hurried over, heels clicking against the floor, files clutched to her chest.
She'd slipped back into her professional mask. "We have a conference call in thirty minutes. The VitaGen board restructuring proposal—"
"I'm going home." I cut her off without hesitation. Surprise flickered across her face. The dark circles under her eyes betrayed three sleepless nights of work.
She'd been grinding alongside me since the gala. I softened. "I can take the call from home."
Vivian looked down, weighing something.
I stepped into my private elevator and hit the garage level. Vivian suddenly darted inside, slightly breathless. "Lucas..." She was tentative, almost pleading. "My sister lives in the same direction as the manor. Maybe I could brief you on the proposal during the drive? Save us time. And I could visit my pregnant sister."
I hesitated. She pressed her palms together like a prayer. Her dedication fueled my ambitions. A simple ride wasn't worth refusing.
"Let's go." I stepped aside, granting permission.
This elevator required my authorization. Without it, Vivian had no access.
We got to my car. Vivian slid naturally into the passenger seat. I drove while she laid out the proposal.
"I've prepared three versions of the opening remarks. You'll need to set the tone... After the meeting, there's a media briefing. Focus on these talking points..."
Vivian was crisp, precise, impeccably professional. Years of working together had built this seamless rhythm. Yet my mind kept drifting back to last night in the break room. Her crossing that line wasn't about wanting me. It was exhaustion pushing her to the breaking point. Like how I'd slept with women before marriage just to blow off steam. An instinctive release for adults who knew sex. As long as neither of us mentioned it, we could pretend it never happened.
"Hold on."
I slammed the brakes. A slender figure in blue caught my eye outside a pharmacy.
Ella.
Morning light poured over her, turning her loose blonde hair to liquid gold. The oversized Prussian blue coat flared in the wind, revealing her tiny waist. She walked out of the pharmacy slowly, the hem brushing her delicate ankles. She looked like a painting.
What was she doing at a pharmacy this early?
Even Vivian noticed. She wrapped up her briefing quickly.
The answer came instantly. Ella donated medicine and supplies to Saint Heart Sanatorium weekly, using the Rockefeller name, whenever she visited her sister Maya. This pharmacy, closest to the manor, was her regular supplier. She could've just signed purchase orders, but she insisted on checking expiration dates herself. Maybe she had too much time on her hands. She threw herself into trivial tasks that brought zero returns.
I pulled up beside her and rolled down the window.
Ella turned those lake-blue eyes toward me. Her pupils dilated slightly. Then her gaze slid past my shoulder to Vivian in the passenger seat. Her brow furrowed.
Before yesterday, I wouldn't have noticed these micro-expressions. But after last night, I suddenly realized Vivian was a woman. A woman who could cause misunderstandings—Grandfather had already proven that. God knows I had zero interest in Vivian. She was a tool. Slightly better than the company-issued laptop. That's it.
