Page 36 of Last First Date

I froze in shock, my mind racing as his lips moved over mine. I shouldn't have enjoyed it. I should have slapped him and pushed him away. But that's not what I did. I leaned into him and the kiss. For a breathless instant, the world narrowed. It was just his lips on mine.

The shrill ring of Knox's phone pierced through the silence. He stepped away and walked to answer it. It was like it never happened and he forgot I was even in the room. I turned and walked out. My mind grappled to understand what happened.

What on earth was that?

16

KNOX

Iwoke up to my alarm and considered skipping work again. I rubbed my face and immediately was reminded of my bruised hand. That ushered in a feeling of regret. My confrontation with Benjamin had veered into uncharted territory. I wasn’t used to losing my shit. I had better control of my temper, but the man had pushed my buttons. I was already stressed and frustrated when he pushed too far.

I seemed to be on quite a roll this week. Punching and then firing Benjamin was stupid. As if that wasn’t bad enough, I kissed Waverly. I didn’t even know where that came from. She was yelling at me, and before I knew it, I was kissing her. And it was a damn good kiss. I should regret it, but I didn’t. I regretted that I kissed my assistant but not the way it felt. In fact, I craved another kiss.

I stepped into the shower, knowing I couldn’t skip another day at the office. It was unprofessional. I didn’t want to give the staff any reason to think I was screwing off. I had big shoes to fill and that wasn’t going to happen if I kept playing hooky.

While I was getting dressed, my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number but answered it anyway. “Knox Williams speaking.”

“It’s Benjamin.”

I let out a groan. “What the hell do you want?”

“I’m going to offer you a deal,” he said.

I laughed. “What makes you think I would ever want to make a deal with you?”

“Because I have a black eye and bruised ribs that would make a very compelling case for assault,” he said. “After going to the police to report the assault, I’ll go to the media.”

Part of me wanted to say I didn’t give a shit what he did, but my name in the local papers attached to an assault would not look good. “What do you want?”

“I want my grand opening,” he said. “You’ll do it.”

I wanted to tell him to fuck off. I didn’t need his bullshit. But this was not the time to have bad publicity. It was wrong to hit him, even if he shoved me first.

“Blackmail,” I said. “Wow, you really are a piece of shit.”

“Hey, I’ve put a lot of money and time into this thing already,” he said. “I don’t have the time to start over. I want the party Waverly promised me.”

“Waverly will not be handling your event,” I said.

“I want her.”

“This works both ways, asshole. I’ll personally handle your event, but you will not talk to, look at, or talk about Waverly. Period. Do you understand?”

“I knew you were fucking her.” He chuckled. “Fine. You don’t want to share. I get it, but I also know you well enough to know you aren’t going to be with her forever. When you’re done with her⁠—”

“You’re going to want to shut up right now before I call the police and let them know they better send an ambulance.”

He laughed again. “I’ll have my assistant send over the updated invite list. Looking forward to working with you.” He ended the call.

“Fuck!”

If I could have kept control, I could have been done with all of this. I wouldn’t have to see the piece of shit ever again. Now, I was stuck. I wasn’t in a position to have my name smeared. It would cause my grandparents a lot of stress. If I was painted as an entitled jerk, the business would suffer. That meant I had to suck it up.

I walked into the office, feeling the tension. It was a tension only I felt. I had to face Waverly after kissing her. She hadn't talked to me or even looked at me after she left my office. I knew I could have another legal battle on my hands for harassment. I was making mistakes left and right.

She didn't know why I pulled her off the event. Yesterday, I thought the event was off. I didn't feel like explaining it all to her and left it as it was. But damn her and her defiant ways. She just had to push me.

The only way I could keep her from yelling at me was to kiss her. It worked. But I didn't think about the consequences of my choice.