Chapter 15

Zoey walked into her apartment to find Ivory curled up on her sofa. Their eyes met, Zoey gave her an apologetic look. She had her doubts about Braylen but she never wanted her closest friend to be hurt. She dropped her bag and keys and eased herself beside Ivory, pulling her into a hug.

"I am so sorry," she said as Ivory felt the tears resurfacing. Ivory didn't tell Zoey the entire details, she hadn't the time before and as such the only information Zoey was privy to was that it was officially over between Ivory and Braylen.

"Tell me what happened." Zoey encouraged. Ivory went into her conversation with Braylen's mother and the fact that the woman he had been seeing was none other than Emery James.

"This fucking bastard!" Zoey couldn't contain her anger, she immediately got off the sofa and began pacing to quell her anger. She was seeing red.

"He knew everything that Emery put me through." Ivory laughed through the tears. "They must be laughing at me." she inhaled sharply, the very thought made her sick to her stomach. Ivory couldn't fathom the fact that she tried to ignore Raiden's offer because of Braylen. She had considered the fact that they had a working relationship and yet here he was forming an intimate relationship with the one person who was capable of making her feel small. She had never felt more foolish.

Ivory spent the night at Zoey's getting up extra early to get to work, making the trip with Zoey since she worked in the same area. Her mind had eased since the day before and she was able to hold her head up again. She promised herself that she would shed no more tears.
When she arrived at the office, Raiden's floor was empty. She entered the office and found that Raiden was already there, he briefly acknowledged her and returned to his task. She was grateful that he didn't question her, there were no reminders of yesterday. Ivory sank into her desk and picked up where she had left off, her fingers moving rapidly across the keyboard.

She looked up at Raiden for a split second. Her mind reminding her of the way his body comforted her the previous day and her body heated. Her fingers paused in their dance.

"This temporary arrangement you proposed." The words flowing out of her lips before she could fully resign herself to the idea. This caught his attention. His eyes gazing at her in sheer astonishment.

"What exactly would it encompass?" Ivory’s eyes lowering at the mention of it.
Raiden was caught off-guard. He had been waiting...no craving... any acknowledgment from Ivory regarding this proposal but he hadn't been expecting it this soon.
He considered her for a moment, her features stern and unyielding.

"Are you accepting?' he probed, his eyes brazenly following every line in her body. Ivory instantly grew shy. Her nerve waning.

"I am considering it. However, I am not sure what it entails." her voice and bravado had weakened. Raiden nodded at her words, understanding that he was previously vague.

"It's not a relationship. As I have pointed out to you before, I am attracted to you and wish to explore a purely physical relationship, albeit temporarily," he said, eyeing her every reaction.

"You mean purely sexual?' she corrected him. She knew the words he used were aimed at sugar-coating the reality but she wasn't interested in half-truths when she was considering going against everything she believed in. Raiden nodded. "How long is it to persist?" The more she considered the option the riskier it seemed. She worked closely with Raiden, would this make their relationship awkward?

"It's terminable at the will of either party," he commented. He wasn't in the habit of forcing a woman to be with him, in fact, it was something he made no great strives over. She had complete freedom to stay or leave his bed.

"Another way of saying when you've grown tired of me." she laughed incredulously. Raiden considered this. It was no secret that he had his fair share of one-nighters with women, women he had no desire to lay eyes on again, yet he wasn't sure if that was the case with Ivory. He had known her, spoken to her. In short, he did like her and it led him to believe that one brief moment would not be enough. This was a first for him as well. Business and pleasure were not meant to be mentioned in the same breath. There was a chance that the outcome would be catastrophic, but his desire for Ivory outweighed his cautionary rules.

"Or when you have grown tired of me." He countered and Ivory rolled her eyes. He couldn't have meant that. There was no breathing female alive that would reject this man, even his ex-girlfriend maintained the proverbial torch.

" It's not to last forever, it focuses on mutual attraction and pleasure without the hassle of being tied down in a relationship." He quickly filled the creeping silence.

"So there is no exclusivity?' Ivory questioned, unsure of whether she would be able to handle him being intimate with her and other females at the same time. She knew it wasn't a relationship and, thus, natural human reactions were unwelcome.

"Sexually, I prefer that there be exclusivity, for safety reasons. However, I shall not be concerned about whether you have any emotional connection with another male. If you shall find someone you wish to explore an actual relationship with we can cease the arrangement." he informed.

"When it ends..." and she knew it would, she had no high hopes for this to last long after all, he was only interested in her body, and once he had been given a taste his interest would soon wane. Ivory didn't consider herself a catch and having limited experience herself she knew she would fall short of his expectations. "how shall that affect our work relationship?" She’d only just found a boss who treated her fairly, it would be upsetting if their desires got in the way of that. Apart from that, she enjoyed working with him. It was the most comfortable she’d been in this company.

"It shall not. If it's awkward having the arrangement and working side by side with me then you may not wish to accept. Although if the proximity is what bothers you, your probation will be ending soon anyway and I have already reconciled to placing you in another department. Our contact will be limited but I assure you I won't ever make you uncomfortable."

"Wait. Are you saying that you believe me competent enough to keep my job?" she got side-tracked from the topic at hand. This was one of those rare moments where Raiden smiled at her.

"I have long arrived at the conclusion that you are overqualified to be a mere assistant. Also, I have come to realize the wrongs that were done to you by your superiors, and I reckon I should apologize for my misinformed first impression." His words rendered Ivory speechless. She was happy to have his approval; a weight had lifted from her shoulders.

"I accept the proposal," she whispered, the sound catching hold of Raiden's attention yet he didn't dare hope, not until he confirmed what she said.

"Repeat." his features had hardened, he didn't want his anticipation to be visible.

"I am accepting your proposal." her words were clearer, no mistake of hearing had been made on Raiden's part.

"Are you sure?" Despite his anticipation, he didn't want her to yield to him because of revenge or some reason relating to her relationship with Braylen because he didn't want her to regret it.

Ivory nodded with certainty. "There were reasons that forbade me, in good conscience, from accepting despite my mutual attraction. However, those reasons no longer control my decisions." She was not constricted by any ethical or moral restraints, not for people who didn't give her any second thought.

"Promise you won't regret it?" he was on his feet now, his destination clear, his gaze intent.
Ivory swallowed past the lump in her throat, the image of Raiden De Ville approaching her with lust in his eyes enough to make her forget to breathe. He stood at her desk, waiting for her response. Ivory racked her brain in an attempt to remember his last words to her. Once she remembered them she responded instantly without thinking.

"Doesn't that depend on your ability?" the words were barely audible but Raiden heard them. A self-satisfied smile danced across his lips mischievously.

"Then I shouldn't disappoint." he wasted no time leaning forward towards Ivory. Her heart was erratic, the blood flowing to her brain made it impossible for her to think to respond. His lips brushing lightly against her lips. The motion was so quick that Ivory hadn't the opportunity to reciprocate.

"Let's continue this train of thought later." his lips brushed past her right ear as he retreated.