Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 75553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
He let out a sigh and scrubbed his hand over his face. “Listen, Remy, we need to talk.”
I groaned. “I’ve never heard that phrase used before something I wanted to hear,” I muttered under my breath. I couldn’t believe how fast the tables had turned. This thing with Griff was turning out to be a complete rollercoaster of emotions and I never knew whether I was going up or down and it was leaving me frustrated.
“I’ve really enjoyed our weekend together, but things have gotten way out of hand between us,” he began with a shake of his head. “I think we’ve both been struggling since the conference forced us to be in such close quarters with one another, but we’ll be flying back to Seattle tonight and things will be going back to normal at the office tomorrow. I think it’s best for both of us if things go back to the way they were when we arrive. We can’t do this again.”
He looked sincere as he spoke. I slipped my hand under my robe and pinched myself to see if I was living in some kind of cruel nightmare. I wasn’t. This was real and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My heart felt like it was breaking into two. It was true that we’d never speak about any intention of being together before we’d made love, but I thought I felt a genuine connection between us. It didn’t feel like any casual sex I’d ever had before. What Griff and I had felt real. At least, it did to me.
“At the end of the day, Remy, I’m your boss and you’re my employee,” he stated with a sigh. He put a comforting hand on my arm in an attempt to soothe me, but it didn’t really work. “I know I asked you to be a part of this fake relationship with me out of necessity and naturally, I want that to continue beyond this weekend for both our sakes, but I don’t want to get any wires crossed between us. This is a complicated enough situation as it is and I want you to understand that this fake relationship is going to stay exactly that: fake.”
I gulped. I could feel my face turning red. It was as if he’d managed to find his way inside my brain and read my thoughts. I felt utterly and completely humiliated. It was evident that I’d let my imagination run wild. Of course, Griff wasn’t looking for anything serious. He was a long-time bachelor. I knew that better than most. I couldn’t believe I’d let myself get carried away.
“Remy, I just don’t want what’s happened here to get in the way of our working relationship,” he continued, oblivious to my utter dismay. “I’m not looking for anything serious and I really value you as a friend and an employee.” He gave me a soft smile, but it didn’t help. Nothing short of him declaring his undying love for me would help at that point.
My mood plummeted but I knew I couldn’t carry on sitting there mute. I had to say something. I had to salvage what was left of my dignity. So, I faked a smile and nodded. “Of course. I totally understand, Griff,” I lied as tears threatened to sting my eyes.
“Okay, good,” he replied with a nod before digging back into his breakfast.
“These blueberry pancakes are delicious, don’t you think?” I said in a vain attempt to cover up my distress. I didn’t want to linger on the subject for any longer either, it would only add to how awful I felt.
Griff only nodded in reply before continuing to eat his own food. The silence felt heavy, but I didn’t dare break it. I didn’t want to ruin things by letting Griff know just how far I’d fallen for him. It was time to squash down my hope and my love in favor of maintaining my pride.
Thankfully, I managed to swallow my feelings until we finished breakfast. Griff put his plate down and then dabbed a napkin at his mouth. “I’m going to head downstairs and check out one of the morning conference sessions,” he announced, barely looking in my direction. “I’ll see you later, Remy.”
He stood and my throat grew thick with grief. “See you later,” I managed to say as he approached the door. Without looking back. Griff left me alone in the hotel room and finally, I succumbed to my sadness. Tears spilled down my cheeks and I collapsed back onto the bed with a groan.
“You’re a fool, Remy, an utter moron,” I chastised myself in a thick, angry voice. “You knew exactly what you were getting yourself into and yet here you are, devastated!” I threw a fist down on the bed, feeling annoyed that I hadn’t listened to my own advice or even Shelley’s. I had no one to blame but myself and that made it so much harder to bear.