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Eighteen

I interrupted with a grin. "Dickest isn't a word." But that all happened, and a lot more. I wouldn't really say her friends intimidated me; it was more like I didn't vibe with anyone except her. Her friends were all rich and snobby, kind of like the women Lauren and I loved to troll. The only one I would say I was totally cool with was Annie.

Her hand waved in my face. "Whatever, but my point still stands." She chewed at her pen. "You aren't intimidated by anyone."

"That's what I thought too until I met that psycho," I muttered to myself. He was probably the most intimidating man I had ever met. There was a level of how intimidating Rogue was. Intimidating and very scary. With a sigh, I added with, "West is also my friend."

"West is your fuck buddy."

"He can't be my fuck buddy when we haven't even fucked yet."

She laughed, and a few others looked toward us before they resumed their discussion. "Which reminds me..." She poked my side, curiosity written all over her face. "Why haven't you both tear each other's clothes off? What's stopping you?"

"We haven't kissed properly, and I don't know why," I told her, my phone buzzing with a new reminder. "I'm not going to make the first move and come off as desperate."

If West didn't want anything to happen between us, I didn't want to be the one to ruin things, but it was weird. I knew he wanted me. He said so himself, so what changed? Did he saw me with Rogue? No, he couldn't have. The door had been locked. Then he must have seen him walking out of the restroom when I was inside. If that was the case, I would have seen a change in him. Maybe he fooled me into thinking he didn't know anything happened. Was that it? Argh.

Hanna gasped, tapping on my shoulder three times. "Wait, wait, does he not find your attractive?" She seemed genuinely shocked. "Weird. Anyone who looks at you knows you're a banger."

"Right?"

"Is he gay?"

I laughed. "Doesn't give the vibe. Anyway, it's not like I won't survive without the sex."

"No, no," she muttered with a shake of her head. "You need to show him you want to. Maybe he got a vibe from you, and that's why he hasn't made any move yet."

I frowned. "What, like he's intimidated by me?"

Her arms crossed. "It may come as a surprise to you, Beth, but you can look a little intimidating and aggressive."

"Shut up."

"Just make the first move. You have nothing to lose. Maybe he's waiting for you to—being a gentleman and all. He wants to do right and not chase you off."

Surveying her, I had the look of playful disgust when I said, "You're so invested in my love life it's actually concerning. Maybe you should get a boyfriend too. I heard Terrance from HR has a thing for you."

"Oh, please." She rolled her eyes. "That one is a boy. Moi likes big boys with big dicks and muscles. Rip me into two kinds of men, not those who will turn me into a soft petal."

A loud noise left my mouth, sounding like a peal of choked laughter. "You're disgusting."

Just then, Robert announced his presence by walking into the boardroom, followed by two Mogue's employees, one of them being Sabrina Young, and the other, a tall man. Right behind them, Rogue stepped in with powerful strides in his black suit and tie, his gaze burning through everything in the boardroom. My eyes widened so largely, and I almost slipped off the chair in shock.

My heart lurched. My stomach dropped. I tried to catch a breath, but couldn't. His gaze seemed to find me in a room of nine people. It was like being hit with a spotlight and everything was just so blinding.