Chapter 87: Chapter 87
Larry didn’t look at the folder right away. He kept watching her, and it was only after a long beat that his eyes dropped to the pages. He flipped through them with slow, unhurried motions, like he had all the time in the world to decide whether her work mattered.
"You did these changes yourself?" he asked finally.
"Yes," she replied.
He hummed. "And you’re sure these figures are accurate?" His voice was dry, and bored, yet one could tell he was looking for the tiniest mistake to point at.
"I triple-checked them."
Larry set the file down, leaning back in his chair again. "You see, Ms. Monroe, this is where you confuse me. You do the work..... good work, sometimes even excellent. But then..." His gaze sharpened, cutting into her. "...you walk in here like you’re waiting for everyone to realize you’re better than the job."
Celeste’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t give him the satisfaction of replying.
Larry smirked faintly, as though her silence confirmed something for him. He tapped a finger against the desk. "You’ll send this proposal out by the end of the day. If Whiteford likes it, you get to keep your seat at the table. If they don’t—" He let the sentence dangle in the air.
Celeste’s pulse thudded hard, but she nodded once. "Understood."
He closed the file with a soft thump. "Good. And Ms. Monroe?"
She met his eyes.
His smile didn’t reach them. "Don’t be late again."
Celeste held his gaze for a fraction of a second longer before turning on her heel.
She set the files from Larry down on her desk, the moment she walked into her office. She exhaled, brushing a stray curl behind her ear, and was already reaching for her laptop when the faint glow of her phone pulled her eyes away.
"Are you comfortable right now?" The text read.
Celeste’s face softened. "Just a minor headache." She typed back immediately.
Three dots came up immediately.
Dominic: "I’ll pick you up today. I’m sorry about your headache."
Celeste’s lips curved faintly, though her fingers stilled above the keyboard. She stared at the words, and smiled at the directness of them.
Celeste: "No need. I have my car."
The reply came within seconds.
Dominic: "I wasn’t asking."
She bit her lower lip, a ripple of heat curling in her stomach.
Celeste: "Dominic..."
Dominic: "I’ll be there at six."
Her pulse quickened.
Celeste: "You’re ridiculous."
Dominic: "And you’re gorgeous."
Celeste’s nails grazed her desk as she read the next message.
Dominic: "Tell me what you’re wearing now."
She hesitated, glancing toward the closed office door before typing.
Celeste: "White blouse. Pencil skirt."
Dominic: "Buttoned to the top?"
Celeste: "...Mostly."
Dominic: "Undo one more. Now."
Her throat went dry.
Celeste: "I’m at work."
Dominic: "I know. That’s why."
The edge of command in his tone wrapped around her like heat. She glanced at the door again, then slowly tugged the top button free.
Celeste: "Done."
Dominic: "Better. Touch the hollow of your throat for me."
Her breath caught. She let her fingers trace the warm skin at her collarbone, the small dip just beneath it.
Dominic: "Imagine my mouth there."
Her thighs pressed together, involuntary.
Celeste: "You’re distracting me."
Dominic: "That’s the point."
Another beat, then—
Dominic: "Slide your hand down. Stop just below your breasts."
Her skin tingled under her palm, the faintest brush of her fingertips making her shiver.
Dominic: "You’re breathing faster."
Celeste: "Maybe."
Dominic: "Go lower."
She hesitated, heat flooding her face even though she was alone.
Dominic: "Do it. Think of me standing behind you. My hand over yours. Guiding you."
Her pulse roared in her ears. She let her hand drift lower, over the taut line of her stomach, until her fingertips brushed the waistband of her skirt.
Dominic: "Good girl."
The words hit like a jolt, sending a sharp ache between her legs.
Dominic: "Now, very slowly, let your fingers slip under your skirt."
Her breath trembled. She obeyed, her eyes half-closing as her fingertips found warm silk and sensitive skin.
Dominic: "Don’t stop until you hear me tell you."
She bit her lip, the sound of her own soft breathing filling the room. The office around her blurred into nothing but the feel of her own hand and his voice in her head.
Slowly, she did as she was told, the cool air brushing against the swell of her breasts. Her pulse pounded. She shifted in her seat.
Her phone beeped, and drowsy in pleasure, she managed to look at the new text from him.
Dominic: "Are you wet yet?"
Her fingers trembled.
Celeste: "Maybe."
Dominic: "Don’t lie to me."
Her teeth caught her bottom lip.
Celeste: "Yes."
Dominic: "Good. Keep it there while you read the next thing I’m going to say."
She leaned back in her chair, every nerve awake.
Dominic: "When I pick you up tonight, you’re not wearing anything under that skirt. You’ll keep your legs closed in the car until I tell you otherwise. Do you understand?"
Her breath was uneven.
Celeste: "Yes." She typed back with one hand, using her thumb, as she bit her lower lip, and arch on her seat.
Dominic: "Now... make yourself come. But keep it quiet."
Her breath hitched. She shouldn’t respond to that cause she was already so near. The phone buzzed again.
Dominic: "Or, wait.... Cross your legs right now."
She blinked at the command. Almost without realizing, she obeyed. Her thighs tightened, the movement drawing her skirt an inch higher.
Dominic: "Stay like that until I tell you otherwise."
Her fingers tightened on the edge of the desk.
She wanted to laugh it off. She wanted to tell him he had no power here. But her knees were still pressed together, her muscles taut, and her breath was shallower than before.
Her fingers itched to go in-between her legs again.
The phone buzzed again.
Dominic: "Imagine my hand sliding up your thigh, slow. Right there. Over that silk."
Her stomach knotted. Heat flooded her bloodstream so quickly that it left her dizzy.
Celeste: "Dominic..."
Dominic: "Say you want it."
She squeezed her eyes shut. She shouldn’t—
Her phone vibrated again, harder this time.
Dominic: "Say it, Celeste."
Her pulse was a drumbeat in her ears. She didn’t answer. She couldn’t answer. Her fingers were already on her wet sensitive fold again, as she pleasured herself.
Dominic: "Then I’ll make you say it when I see you tonight."