Chapter 2
That night, it was like nothing happened, and yet, somehow, everything did.
Jonathan sat with me in his arms the whole night.
He was on the floor, holding me close like I was a giant pillow he couldn't let go of.
Whenever I so much as shifted, his arms would clamp down, making my ribs ache from how tightly he held me.
When morning came, he left.
Before he left, he tossed me a new phone.
"Your old one broke. Take this," he spoke as if he wasn't the one who smashed my phone last night. "Don't be late for work. Or you'll lose your attendance bonus."
He straightened his collar, looking every bit the professional again, like the lunatic who barged into my apartment last night was nothing but a bad dream.
I stared at the busted lock scattered across the floor, and my whole body went cold.
*****
At the office, I sat at my desk with huge bags under my eyes.
My coworkers were all whispering to each other.
"Did you hear? Mr. Frost cut his treatment short and came back."
"No way. Last time he lost it, he put that supplier in the hospital for two weeks. Is he really fine now?"
"Who knows? Better to keep your distance from him."
Jonathan's assistant, Leila Nolan, knocked on my desk, her voice cool. "Eloise, Mr. Frost wants to see you." Her eyes held a hint of smug amusement and curiosity. "Rough night, huh?"
Her gaze flicked to the mark Jonathan had left on my neck.
I yanked my collar higher, mumbling, "I had a nightmare."
When I was on the top floor, I pushed open the door to the President's Office.
The blinds were drawn tight, casting the room in darkness.
Jonathan sat in his big leather chair, spinning a pen between his fingers.
The air was thick with a tense, restless energy.
The department managers stood trembling, afraid to even breathe.
"Is this your plan?" Jonathan's voice was soft, but it sent a chill down everyone.
He hurled the folder to the floor, papers scattering everywhere. "Get out. Do it again."
The managers scrambled out of the office like they'd been pardoned from death row.
The moment the door closed, Jonathan looked up at me.
His eyes were even more bloodshot than last night, crazed and agitated.
"Come here," he ordered.
I stood frozen at the doorway, my legs heavy as lead. "Mr. Frost, here is your schedule for today."
"I said, come here!" He slammed his hand on the desk, the wood rattling from the impact.
I flinched, bracing myself as I forced my way to the desk.
Before I could even steady myself, his iron grip seized my wrist.
The world spun around me.
He yanked me into his executive chair, making me fall right onto his lap.
"Jonathan, this is the office!" I blurted out, panic rising in my chest, frantically trying to get up.
"Don't move." He clamped his hand around my waist, his grip so strong that I thought he might crush my bones.
Jonathan pressed his face into the crook of my neck again, the same spot as last night.
He was trembling.
His body shook from some deep, restless mania, and I could feel it through his touch.
"Let me have a sniff... just a while..." His voice trembled, thick with a kind of sick, twisted hunger.
He sounded like an addict.
I stayed rigid, afraid to even breathe.
I could feel his breath growing steadier, his heartbeat slowing and settling.
I was his remedy.
The thought made me more disgusted and terrified.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"Mr. Frost, Ms. Nolan is here," I said after I heard Leila's voice.
I frantically tried to push him away. "Someone's here. Let go of me."
But Jonathan didn't budge. If anything, he held me tighter.
"Come in," he said coldly.
The door opened.
Leila stood in the doorway, catching us in a position so compromising that it bordered on obscene.
Her jealousy was almost bursting out of her eyes.
"Mr. Frost, this document—" Leila said
"Leave it. Get out," Jonathan snapped, not even glancing her way. His hand slid under my shirt, his fingers rubbing against my lower back.
His fingertips were icy cold.
"Ms. Klein takes her job very seriously." He shot Leila a cruel, mocking smile. "She's helping me... take the edge off."