Page 17 of Sugar Plum Dreams

The way Cinhadmade her feel. For the rest of the weekend, Kristen had cried into her pillow. But when she fell asleep each night, her body hummed from the memories of her time with Cin. By the time she'd woken up on Monday morning, Kristen had made a decision. This, the person reflected back in the mirror, would be the new her.

She made her way into the office. She couldn't help but glance at Cin's office. The lights were on. But Kristen didn't head over there. Alive she might feel, but she wasn't that brave.

"Hey there, we didn't get a chance to talk much at the party."

Kristen blinked down at the hand that held her wrist. She looked up into Justin's confident grin. But was that confidence? She wasn't so sure any longer. Actually, she didn't care. His hand felt proprietary on hers, and she did not want it there.

She broke his hold and gave him her back. "Sorry, I have a lot of work to do."

She sat down at her desk and fired up her computer. Her fingers were poised over the keyboard, hoping he'd take the hint. He didn't.

"Come on, take a break. Let me buy you a coffee." His cologne wafted over, cloying and unpleasant.

Kristen gritted her teeth behind a polite smile. "No thank you, Justin. I'm not interested."

"Playing hard to get, huh? I like a challenge." He leaned in closer, and Kristen recoiled.

"I'm not playing anything. Please leave me alone so I can get to work." Kristen spoke slowly and clearly, annoyance simmering under her composed exterior.

"You're wearing that hot skirt. You clearly want some attention." His fingers trailed down her arm, and Kristen shot to her feet.

She drew in a sharp breath, rage simmering in her veins, when suddenly Cin was there, stepping between them. Cin's eyes were hard as flint as she stared Justin down.

"Hands off," Cin growled. The implied threat in her tone made the hair on the back of Kristen's neck stand on end.

Justin blanched, all traces of his smirk vanishing. For a long moment, they stared at each other, tension crackling in the air, before Justin finally backed away with a scowl.

"Whatever. I didn't know she was into cunts," he muttered but didn't stick around for a response.

Kristen sat back in her chair, the anger draining out of her as quickly as it had risen, leaving her trembling in its wake. A warm hand grasped her own, and she looked up into Cin's concerned gaze.

"Are you all right?" Cin asked softly.

Kristen could only nod, overwhelmed by the tumult of emotions swirling inside her and the memory of Cin's possessive claim echoing in her mind.

Cin squeezed her hand gently. "I'm sorry for causing a scene. But don't worry, Noel will hand him his pink slip today. That is, if he doesn't bloody his nose first for what he said."

"For what he said?"

"About you… What he implied… about us. No one heard. And if he tries to spread any kind of rumor, I'll make him pay."

"I don't want you to do that."

"You don't want me to stop rumors?"

"No. Because it's not a rumor. I am into cunts."

Cin went stock still. Like she was caught in interrogation lights and she was afraid of confessing.

Kristen gazed up at Cin, at the regret and longing warring in those beautiful eyes, and knew with sudden, blinding clarity exactly what she wanted. "No, that's not true. I'm not into cunts, plural. Just yours."

Cin's eyes widened. Her lips parted in surprise. Kristen rushed on, heedless of the audience gathering around them. If any rumors were going to be spread about her, she wanted them to be the truth.

"No one's ever made me feel the way you do. I don't know what this is between us, but I know I want to find out. If you'll have me."

There was a beat of silence. It stretched long. Long enough to make Kristen squirm in her seat, and not in the good way like when Cin had licked her between her thighs. Or when Cin had rubbed her sweet cunt against Kristen's. Kristen could only hope they'd do that again. And more, because she suspected there was so much more.

"Come to my office," Cin finally said.