Her Suited Savior

Chapter 10

Calla Stewart's POV

Mr. King looked relieved at my agreement. I didn't say much after that. 

The dress I was wearing was extremely uncomfortable, my hair was a disaster, and whatever was left of my makeup was most likely covered in streaks from the number of tears I had released in the past however many hours.

My boss was staring at me; I was staring at the floor, still struggling to gain control of my emotions. He let out yet another sigh, "Why don't you go change out of that dress? I can grab you something more comfortable to wear," he said surprisingly gently. 

I gave a slight nod in response, letting him know I had agreed to his suggestion.

"Come on, follow me."

I got up and followed him wordlessly. He led me down the hall and into the room at the very end. I assumed it was his. He disappeared into a walk-in closet, then reappeared with a couple of items of clothing in his hand, "You can just use my bathroom to change," he said.

I went to the bathroom and closed the door, ensuring it was locked before turning to face the mirror. I was just as much of a mess as I had assumed. My eyes were swollen and surrounded by the black smudges of my makeup. I wished that I had my usual hair elastics on my wrist so I could at least put my hair into a bun. Unfortunately, Lauren had forced me to remove them. I didn't know where she put them. 

I quickly had enough of looking at my disgusting appearance and prepared to remove the restrictive dress from my body. However, I was stopped short when I remembered the zipper on the back. I would just have to try to deal with it on my own. 

Stretching my arm behind my back, I attempted to pull the zipper down. I twisted around and tried to use the mirror to help guide my actions but it was no use. It seemed my arm refused to be flexible enough to save me any more embarrassment today. I stood in the bathroom trying to find a solution other than leaving the dress on, but there was only one. I took a deep breath and prepared to face my boss with such an awkward task.

When I opened the door he was sitting on his mattress, scrolling through his emails and such. I awkwardly cleared my throat, "Um... Mr. King?" 

He glanced up and scowled, "Why aren't you changed?" he asked.

"I-I can't get my zipper down," I answered, slightly ashamed.

My hands were already slightly shaking and my cheeks flamed as he silently gestured for me to come closer to him, tossing his phone beside him on the mattress. Unfazed by my dilemma, he turned me around and gently pulled the zipper down, placing a warm hand on my shoulder to keep me in one place. I felt humiliated as I stood there, holding the front of the dress to my chest so it wouldn't fall to the floor. 

I heard him take a sharp intake of breath, then felt his fingers gently caress my back, "What happened?" he asked without holding back, referring to the scar running across my lower back.

I flinched away at his touch, "Nothing. Thank you, Mr. King" I said emotionlessly.

I rushed back into the bathroom before he could say anything else. I'd had enough of rehashing the past for the day, I didn't need to share anything else with Mr. King. Especially since I hadn't wanted to share in the first place.

When I emerged from the bathroom in his large sweater and sweatpants, Mr. King was no longer in the room. I let out a sigh of relief and went to the bathroom I had gotten ready in last night in hopes of finding a ponytail holder. Luckily my own were left sitting on the counter, so I slipped one onto my wrist and used the other to throw my hair into a messy bun.