Page 21 of Sinful Mates

Standing, I flip him the bird behind his back. Theo chuckles at me before he chases after Tobias, leaving me in the car garage by myself. Trudging in, I see Tom. He comes over and gives me a warm hug. “God, I miss seeing your face every morning,” I tell him. Hopefully, he won't watch the embarrassment of me on the cameras with the whole flipping off Tobias thing.

“I miss our morning coffee dates, too.” He turns and watches Theo and Tobias leave. Once they are out of sight, he turns back to me. “So where did they put you?”

I roll my eyes. I should feel angry at Tom, but I know his heart is in the right place. “At their apartment building.”

“Really? That’s interesting. Just be careful, Imogen. It’s not the best neighborhood for someone like us to be in.” I stare, confused. Someone like us? That’s an odd thing to say considering how ritzy the place is.

“I’m fairly sure it is one of the safest areas around here," I reply. Will he explain more?

He pauses. “I suppose you’re right, dear. Don’t mind me. I just worry about you.” I can tell he wants to say something else, but Tobias pops his head back around the corner.

“Imogen, hurry up," he snaps at me.

Why is he in such a bad mood all the time? What have I done to him? I think about it for a moment, lips twitching. The correct question would be what have I done to him today? “Shit, got to go, Tom,” I sing, scrambling to catch up with Tobias.

The elevator ride is tense the whole way to the office. Once free from my metal confines, I race around, turning everything on. Theo lingers behind, following me around like a lost puppy. Not even he’s game enough to piss Tobias off today. More than he is, anyway. Today will be another long day, Tobias's mood swings have been getting worse. We are constantly walking on eggshells at work, and outside of it, things keep going downhill with him.

At lunch time, I escape into the small kitchenette, needing another caffeine hit. While I’m busy pouring the hot water, I feel a presence behind me. I know instantly who it is. “What do you need, Theo?” I ask with my back turned to him.

He steps closer. His chest moves against my back, soft breathing against the back of my neck. Putting the jug down on the counter, I turn around, only to be entranced by his hypnotic eyes. They burn brightly and I swallow, almost forgetting to breathe. Fog takes over my brain. I hold onto the counter with my hands, the only thing grounding me before I’m lost in his gaze.

He presses his lean body into mine, his leg sliding between mine and lodging there. My breasts are squashed against his hard-toned body. I can even make out the muscles on his abdomen. Theo’s hand leisurely moves up and brushes a piece of hair back that has escaped my bun behind my ear.

“What are you doing, Theo?” I whisper, trying to keep my voice low so Tobias won’t overhear and come yell at me more today.

“Getting a reaction,” he whispers back against my lips. I don't get a chance to ask more before his lips smash into mine, cold yet demanding. His tongue brushes my bottom lip, and I gasp from the chill, my lips parting. Theo's tongue plunges into my mouth, capturing mine and toying with it. While I’m distracted by the coldness of him, he reaches up with one hand and grabs my breast though my dress. He squeezes it hard, and I am unable to stop the embarrassing moan that escapes my lips.

He chuckles against me and my senses return. I’m kissing my boss! And not only that, he’s my other boss's partner.

I place my hands against his chest to shove him back. His lips leave mine and he nips at my jawline. My eyes flutter and the hands meant to place him away, hold on instead. I can't fight this, it feels so damn good. His hands curl around my hips and he sets me on top of the bench, pushing against me so his hard erection brushes against me.

His lips move down, kissing and sucking on the skin of my neck, his cold tongue tracing a pathway. My hands bury themselves into his hair. Theo’s mouth devours my skin, sending goosebumps everywhere his lips touch. I moan in encouragement, lost to his every touch. The contrast of my now burning skin to his cold lips makes me shiver. When he gets to my collarbone, he pulls the top three buttons of my dress open kissing the top of my breasts. My thoughts are lost to the teeth nipping at my sensitive skin.

It hurts when he bites my breast. I squirm, but even then I can't push him away. His tongue glides over the bite mark and the chill of it takes away the sting. My head falls back against the wall. Theo tugs my dress down lower, my breasts threatening to spill out. My eyes flutter, and the fog fades in a blink. There, just over Theo's shoulder and watching us, is Tobias. He stands in the middle of the doorway, calm enough, but his dark eyes burn. His arms are crossed over his chest, not interrupting us, but just watching.

I gulp, looking away and tugging my dress back into place. Theo looks up, following where I’m staring and his eyes lock onto Tobias. He helps me adjust my clothes back and stands, releasing me from whatever spell gripped me.

“About time you came looking for us.” Theo winks at me with a cocky smile on his face. I’m breathless and confused, glancing between the two of them. Is this the reaction he wanted? A pissed off Tobias catching us being inappropriate in the kitchen? Theo strides out of the room like nothing notable happened, like he hadn’t just been caught making out with their secretary.

Tobias calmly stands there for a second before turning around and leaving, his fists clenched tightly. I know Tobias’s silence is deadly, like a ticking time bomb.

I quickly fix my dress and try to get my bearings. What the fuck just happened? I had no intention of doing anything. I know it’s wrong, yet my body reacted like I was possessed. Theo overwhelmed my senses completely, overriding my common sense. Jumping down from the bench, I quickly grab my coffee and go back to my desk. After this, I can't let myself slip back into fantasizing about them, either of them. That has to be why I can't resist Theo. I've been lost in another one of my own imaginings.

Chapter Nine

When work is just about finished, I receive a call from the foyer downstairs. A package has arrived. Seeing it as an opportunity to escape from the tension hovering over the office space, I hurry downstairs and retrieve the box. I take it back upstairs, grab a pair of scissors and get to work. I slide the blade down and to the sides to tear the tape. Once the excess tape is removed, I open the box.

Whatever joy has been left in me dies. I stare at the dark plastic urn nestled in the box's confines. I forgot all about my mother's remains. I was supposed to get a call to pick them up, not have them mailed to me. The hospital is directly across from us. Why didn’t they call me instead of shipping them?

My bottom lip trembles. I pull the urn out, hugging it to my chest. I bite myself, trying to stop the shaking. This is all that is left of the most important person in my life. The woman who was so strong willed and full of life, reduced to handfuls of ash. I slip the urn back into the box. What is the whole point of living if we are just going to die, anyway? I remember when I was a child and a close friend of mine died, I asked my grandmother that exact question.

My grandmother's reply was simple. “It’s the memories in between that of life and death that matter.” I didn’t understand what she meant back then. In a way, I do now.

It’s the memories we leave behind, both the good and the bad. The memories others hold of us that get to live on. Now that’s all I have left of her - memories. Memories are what I will have to hold closest to my heart because they are the only things to remember her by. I will never get to hear her voice again, never get to feel the warmth of her hugs. Everything I'd forced to the back of my mind rushes forward because of this small plastic urn, the only thing left of the amazing woman she was.

I pack the urn back into the box, secure the lid and stare down at it, lost in my thoughts. I stared off blankly into space. I don't notice Tobias until he speaks. “What’s in the box?” he asks, moving the lid, ready to peer inside.

I close the box before he can see. “Nothing,” I say, picking it up. It’s already time to leave for the day. I follow Tobias. Theo saunters out of his office and heads to the elevator seeing that we are ready to leave.