Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 75783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Malik might want her, but he can’t have her. She is mine.
Chapter 16
Harper
I left Dawson alone in his office shortly after we finished. It felt strange just walking back over to my room as if nothing happened, but I did. I turned on the TV and grabbed my sketch pad, taking a seat at the desk and trying to lose myself in my work.
Now, it’s been hours, and I haven’t heard from him. I don’t know what’s normal for a situation like this, but this sure as hell isn’t. I always imagined that I would be with someone who couldn’t get enough of me—both in and out of the bedroom.
I don’t know what to feel about Dawson and me. He can’t keep his hands off me sometimes, and that’s something I’ve come to terms with. Dawson is extremely good looking, and I enjoy the sex, but I wish there were more intimacy involved. I might enjoy cuddling and spending quality time with each other afterward. I don’t always want to feel like I’m being discarded after being used.
Thinking about me and Dawson just makes me anxious and confused. In a really odd, fucked-up way, I’m closer with Dawson than I am with anyone else in my life. I’ve told him things I’ve never even dreamed of sharing with other people. It hasn’t even been a full week yet. I don’t fully understand why I opened up to him the way I did, but it’s done, and it’s out in the open now.
The more I think about last night and how I told him about Dave, the more anxious I grow. Dawson and I have a complicated relationship, to say the least. He’s not fond of me working for him, but there’s a part of him that’s extremely protective and possessive of me. He’s unpredictable and does what’s best for him at any given moment. He could take this information and use it against me somehow.
I’m not entirely sure how he would do that. By anyone’s standards, I’m the victim in the scenario, taken advantage of by someone in a position of power over me. But the world is a messed-up place, and anyone can spin a narrative in their favor. Even thinking about that, I don’t think Dawson would use something like this against me. Right?
I guess I don’t know him all that well if I have to question it. I can’t be 100% certain about anything that Dawson does. I would be a fool to put all of my trust in Dawson right now, so I still have some walls closed up regarding him. It’s just so much more complicated now that we’re having sex so casually.
“What the hell is my life?” I sigh, dropping my pencil on the desk and running my fingers through my hair.
Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined I’d be sleeping with my boss, who also happens to be my stepbrother. What would people think if they found out about this? To say that it’s forbidden is an understatement.
Henry and Dawson are both public figures, and something like this would be a scandal for the ages. They could lose funding and investors. Henry could divorce my mom. I would probably lose my job because, let’s face it, women in this position are always discarded. Then what would I do? The only reason I’m working with Dawson is to get into art school, and that won’t even be an option if someone finds out about this.
I’ll have put myself through hell for nothing.
I pinch my eyes closed and take a few deep breaths to try to stop my racing mind in its tracks. Dwelling on all of these things is useless when there’s nothing I can do about it now. What’s done is done, and Dawson and I can’t go back to the way things were before. I have to adapt, and that’s what I’ll do.
It’s getting late, and Dawson still hasn’t come out of his office. I peek my head out of my bedroom door every now and then to try to get an update on what’s going on. Even though it’s a Sunday, I’m still on call for him. I never know when he’ll need me.
Normally, I wait until he’s ready to go to bed to lie down just so I don’t get reprimanded for sleeping on the job. This really is an impossible to navigate contract, but I digress.
I’m exhausted, and I can’t wait for him any longer, so I slip into my pajamas and climb into my own bed tonight. Whatever he’s doing in his office has him occupied, and I don’t want to disturb him. Besides, it might be nice to have a little bit of time to myself.
“Alexa, turn off the lights,” I say as I get cozy under the covers, letting the warmth creep through my muscles as I settle down. I close my eyes and sink into the pillow, letting my body relax.