Don't Mask, Don't Tell

Chapter 6

Everyone in the workplace knew what happened and judged me for it. I wasn't the one to cheat, yet I was wearing the scarlet letter. The whispers and rumors evoked my deep-rooted insecurities.

Jack's mistress came from money: Charlotte was smart, beautiful, and wealthy. Fuck...If I had swung that way, I would've gone for her, too. Even her name dripped of sophistication and class, deriving from her family's ties to European royalty. She turned heads wherever she went and she always commanded the room.

I couldn't compete with that.

In all honesty, I'm not surprised that he fell for her, but it still hurt.

Charlotte and Jack moved away, shortly after their torrid love affair to avoid a public scandal.

As expected, when you get caught fucking your secretary.

Per the rumor mill, her parents went to great lengths to relocate them. The last I heard, they moved across the Atlantic to be closer to her relatives, but we all know it was to prevent her family name from being tarnished in the media. Not that it mattered anyway, the whole office loved Charlotte and were shipping them long before I ever found out he was cheating.

When Jack left with her, it was like rubbing salt into an open wound. I knew I didn't love him, but he was the first man I had actual feelings for. His lack of remorse didn't fully break me, but cracks had formed.

My trust was gone.

It didn't help that the office mourned their departure as if they died in a horrible plane crash. He was a cheating prick, but you wouldn't know it.

Thankfully, he did teach me one very valuable lesson on dating in the workplace: don't shit where you eat.

From that day forward, I closed myself off to all office relationships, both professionally and personally. I didn't go for drinks with co-workers and I avoided any team events that weren't mandatory. I created two worlds and kept them separate to not only protect my career, but also my heart.

That is until Axel Carrington decided to bulldoze into my life and fuck up my perfect plan.

Eliza notices I'm trapped in my memories probably by the look of dejection across my face. She tries to tactfully bring me back to the present.

"Babe, we don't know his motives. He isn't Jack." She voices his name with supportive disdain. "He could be a good guy for all we know. It's not fair to judge him yet."

I'm really not one to typically judge, but from my experiences, men usually suck. "I know he isn't Jack, but I can't shake the feeling that his motives are far from pure."

Eliza throws her head back laughing. "Well, of course, his intentions aren't pure! He obviously wants to jump your bones again!"

We both let out a laugh as the giant glasses of Cabernet reappear in our hands.

"If we base his motivations off of your theory, and he intends to fuck me, then why did he meet with your dad?"

Eliza looks at me with a puzzled expression. "Maybe to get permission to do it again?!"

We both fall out in an alcohol-fueled laughter.

Could you imagine Frank Alvarez responding to Axel's salacious solicitation? To be a fly on the wall during that conversation!

Liza attempts to reassure me, "You're right about one thing. I may not know his reasoning, but we can't get upset over things we can't control." She takes her last sip of wine and grabs my hand. "Let's see how this plays out before jumping to conclusions, okay?"

I sigh, "Well it's not like he's going to call and fucking tell me. So...I guess waiting is the only thing that I can do."

As Eliza opens her mouth in response, my cell phone goes off. We both freeze in our now tipsy state.

Oh, God...Not today Satan.

I look down to see a new notification. My stomach turns and I'm afraid to check.

Please, please, please don't be Axel.

Thank fuck...it's from Frank. I scan through the short message and promptly respond.

Glancing up from my phone, I see Eliza's emerald eyes searching me for an answer. "It was from your dad." We both sigh in relief. "He wants to meet with me, first thing tomorrow morning."

Shit! Did Axel say something?

"Well... did my dad indicate why?" She looks as confused as I feel.

I read through the message again, "He wants to go over a few housekeeping items, but didn't give specifics."

That familiar anxiety-filled knot twists in my stomach. It's as though I am being called into the principal's office...There goes my sleep tonight.

"Liv, I can see your discontent based on your posture alone," Eliza says, while heading back to the kitchen to grab another bottle of Cab and some snacks.

She knows me too well.

"He probably just wants to discuss the revamped community development project that you have worked on tirelessly." She pops the cork on the new bottle and fills our glasses to the rim, again. "Now enough about work. Let's Google this sexy son of a bitch."

Yep, she's drunk, but I couldn't agree more. It's only fair that I look into him after he showed up at my place of work...He could be a stalker for all I know?

We grab my laptop and Liza drunkenly types in Carrington Cock.

"Goddammit, Eliza! This is a company computer."

She giggles like a preteen and I take over the typing. Thank god for corporate firewalls blocking her image search.

As predicted, we can't find any clear photos of Mr. Carrington, but I do recognize his hand tattoos. Damn. Those hands knew what they were doing.

And...I'm horny.

Prior to the startup of Axel Carrington Enterprises, he was a ghost. How does a man of his stature live in our world today, without a digital footprint? He's not even in tagged photos?! Thinking back to his story-telling sleeves, I hope to remember something unique about his tattoos. I need just a hint of who this man may be.

Liza falls asleep on the couch as I keep digging.

I pull articles on his company and interviews with money magazines. The information online is scarce at best.

However, I do learn that through the help of some generous investors, Axel and his childhood best friend created his company from the ground up.

Color me impressed.

He also seems to be heavily involved with local nonprofit organizations, especially those that support at-risk youth. Of course, he is...

Per one of the gossip columns, we even share the same love of baseball. Go Yankees!

I'm starting to sound like I'm into him.

In all honesty, he seems like a genuine person. Maybe he really was coincidentally meeting with Frank today...

I shut my laptop and throw a blanket over Liza. I should at least attempt to get some sleep tonight, ahead of my morning meeting. With little effort, I try to complete my nighttime routine before sinking into bed. I undress and crawl under the cold sheets, still thinking about the enigma that is Axel Carrington.

I slide my hand into my panties and begin to touch myself to the steamy fantasies of that night, just like he said I would.