Desired by All and He Threw Away 74

ocus on that on the bitter scent the warmth seeping through the cup into my palms.anything to drown out the echo of his voice in my head. 

it was just an act. 

thats what this is.thats all its ever been. 

A PR move. A script. a contract written in ink thats already beginning to smudge. 

but the way he said it- she is the best thing thats ever happened to me.my chest tightens.that line wasnt in the script.it wasnt rehearsed. 

so why did it sound like it was? 

the heat from the cup seeps into my hands until it almost burns.i take a sip the taste sharp and bitter on my tongue grounding me. 

I should delete the call from my mind. Move on.focus on my next massage session files the looming deadlines the reality that my name is already tangled with his in ways i cant undo. 

i stare out the window watching the late afternoon sunlight pool across the field.outside a few athletes jog past, their laughter echoing faintly through the glass. Normal sounds. Ordinary. 

But inside me, everything hums wrong. 

when i turn back to my desk Vanessa’s whisper drifts across the room again. ” sweetheart,” she says dragging out the word with a mocking lilt that makes the others snicker. 

i force a polite smile as i walk past her. “You should save your voice, Vanessa. Wouldn’t want to strain it before the next rumor.” 

Her smile falters. Just barely. 

i sit pretending not to notice the way her eyes flash.the keys of my laptop clatter beneath my fingers as i pull up the sponsorship file typing numbers i can barely see through the fog of distraction. 

It’s just work. Just business. 

except my hands wont stop shaking. 

i press my palms flat against the desk until the tremor eases.my reflection stares back from the laptop screen cheeks still flushed eyes bright with something that looks far too much like confusion. 

He used me. Again. 

And I let him. 

But it didn’t feel like a lie when he said it. Not entirely.thats the part that gnaws at me the part i can’t reason away. beneath the charm and the PR performance there was something raw in his voice. 

something that made me forget to breathe. 

i close my eyes and breathe out slowly trying to quiet the noise inside my head.but the moment i do his voice returns low, teasing velvet soft cutting through the distance between us like a thread i cant snap. 

i tell myself its just his job to sound that way. To make people believe him. 

but my heartbeat doesnt care about contracts or PR stunts.its still racing for all the wrong reasons. 

1/2 

Chapter 24 

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the file blurs on the screen numbers melting together.i blink until they sharpen again my jaw tightening i need to focus. Finish the report. Get the damn approval. Keep this professional. 

my phone buzzes once against the desk the sound sharp and sudden.my stomach twists.his name doesnt flash on the screen but the empty space where it could have been feels heavier than any message. 

i dont move to pick it up. 

the room hums again the keyboards clicking,phones ringing and the faint squeak of sneakers from the court outside. Everything normal. Everything ordinary. 

Except me. 

because even now hours after the call his voice is still in my head soft and steady like it knows exactly where to find me. 

and no matter how many times i remind myself that it was all an act the warmth that spreads through me says otherwise. 

it was just a call.thats what i tell myself as i press my palm against the cool surface of my desk.but the truth hums quietly beneath the lie. 

To me it was never just a call. 

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