Billionaire's Pleasure-Chapter 77: Happiness
Lara’s POV
At some point, it was impossible not to observe Brent’s happiness at work as the weeks went by. In my absence, there had been no sign of escorts entering or exiting the building, and I had not issued any orders. It’s possible he’s hiding something that’s brought him far more success than I’d ever accept rather than displaying it.
On other days, I was more content than envious of the person or thing that was bringing him joy. I was aware that I had been preoccupied with a client I had nicknamed Philip and with whom I had been conversing on a regular basis. He was the longest-serving member of my regular group. Even though Philip’s past troubles should have troubled me, they just served to fuel my passion for him. In our deepening relationship, I revealed my darkest fantasies to him as we gave in to our lust and explored new ways to bring each other together. It was becoming worse and worse, and I was hooked before I knew it.
At the same time, I found myself attracted to Philip, which was inconceivable in my line of work. Because of my sentiments for Brent and the fear that I was moving past them, it felt difficult at first. Wasn’t it appropriate that he seemed to have moved on from his affections for me?
As the nights drew closer, I began to look forward to our chats. Even though I was aware of how much he was consuming my time and business, he was still making enough money to keep me afloat. I wondered whether he was one of those wealthy men who utilized phone sex operators and escorts on occasion since Philip admitted to doing so. He didn’t seem to have any financial problems. My day at work was brought back to me in a big way when I saw that scene. No one would ever know, although I did remark that I frequently returned home and used things for my own benefit during the daytime hours. I was sincere when I told Philip that it was him, as I was with all of my clients.
As time went on, I realized how much I meant what I said. I was breaking one of the rules in my line of business by personalizing it. Despite the fact that we hadn’t spoken about it, my thoughts were focused on one of my clients. That’s the first thought that popped into my head. As far as I know, I’m the only woman in the world who can do what I do. I didn’t get along with any of the other operators because we worked from home. Any of them had met a client face-to-face, but not to my knowledge, so I couldn’t question further. Strippers socialized with coworkers, and prostitutes were also likely to be present. However, it had the potential to change everything for me. It was just the way things were Brent generously reimbursed me, which I greatly appreciated, despite the fact that the sum was insufficient to cover my debts and outlays. Changing my life or moving to a new apartment was not something I wanted to do because I was content with where I was at. I didn’t need Philip’s help, and if he got wealthy, I would never ask for it. To be honest, I was bragging about how well-equipped I was to take care of myself. My feelings for Philip were growing stronger and stronger as time went on, and I needed him to bring up the subject of meeting again. At work one day, I was astonished to see that it was already November when I checked my calendar. Work and phone calls, if you want to call it that, didn’t feel like I accomplished anything. The only thing that made it seem that way was the fact that I was paying off my debts at a rate that I’d never expected to be possible. As a result, I considered temporarily withdrawing from Philip. I needed to take back control of my life since I was becoming overly interested, if not obsessive. Those were the days in my life when I kept everything apart and craved for them. Although I was initially skeptical about the idea, I opted to switch off my phone at the end of the day for one week. That meant that I would lose business, but I needed to bring my life back to a more normal state.
Due to my erratic sleeping patterns and anxious state, I was unwelcome at both work and other social gatherings. He exhibited his worry for my well-being by asking if all was well and expressing his concern. When I entered his office, I noticed how nervous he appeared to be as well, and I noticed that he was spending more time on his phone than was usual. Rage flashed through his face as he never spoke but hung up on whatever phone he was on. Am I doing alright, sir?
Because he appeared to be meditating for a long time, I enquired. In other words, "Yes, I’m making an effort to contact a friend." It’s important to note that something has changed. When Brent turned to face me, I noticed his face was pale, as if he hadn’t received enough sleep in the past few days or maybe weeks. Like my granny used to say, we were perfect together. When she died at the age of seventeen and I was no longer living in Tennessee, I was heartbroken. Why do you put on such a happy face?
I gave a shrug and replied, "I was simply thinking of my Gram," as an explanation. "I’ll miss her," he says.
"Has she made her way back?" Brent inquired as I pressed my glossed lips together.
"A few years ago, she died." As a result of our recent move, I hadn’t seen her as frequently as I had in the past. He rose up and approached me cautiously, before embracing me and kissing me on the lips.
Saying, "Lara, I’m sorry," When he spoke, it was with genuine concern in his voice, and I smiled and wrapped my arms around him. A small part of me wanted that I could go back in time and undo my prior decision for just one night since Brent smelt fantastic and I had always loved his masculinity. Without Philip’s enticing voice encouraging me on, "I wasn’t getting the same turbulent orgasms, and I was feeling withdrawal symptoms. Do you have anything else on your mind?"
"There has been a noticeable change in your demeanor."
As I pushed him closer to me, I muttered, "I...I’m okay." To paraphrase him: "I’m just trying to get through this." Instead of ending the night in someone else’s bed, I was tempted to ask him out to dinner or drinks, but I had to remember that he was still my boss...and that I was still dealing with my feelings for Philip, whether they were rational or not. When I wanted another man, I didn’t use one man to get it. It’s one thing to talk about your desires; it’s quite another to really do anything about them. My employer, whom I see every day and who formerly had feelings for me, would be offended by this. As I studied his troubled features, I took a deep breath and moved back. "I’ll get back to you as soon as possible."
My response was, "Absolutely," and I smiled. Every chance I got, I’d been in touch with them both and hoped to run into them again soon. That I was doing well at work and had a bright future ahead of me was frequently mentioned by them and Brent. In my purse, I had my personal and client phones secured in a drawer. I walked out of the office, shut the door, and returned to the desk, staring at the drawer. Before unlocking the drawer and removing the drawer to turn it on, I took a look around. Inquiring minds wanted to know whether he had called to see if he had missed me as much as I had. Missed calls and texts pounded into my phone, and I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. In addition to Bert and a few other regulars, Philip was responsible for the majority of calls. I found a few texts from him as well, and I sighed when I saw how frequently he inquired whether I was okay. He told me he wanted to meet me again, and I accepted. When my name was called, I jumped and dropped the phone since I was reading them so many times.
"Lara?" As Brent approached, he queried. As I inhaled, I trembled and pressed my palms to my temples.
"Sorry." As I forced a fake look on my face I said that I was afraid of you.
Is there a problem with "I’ll say something?" When he asked again, I quickly shook my head.
She said, "I was just reading some...messages." It was only when he looked at me and shook his head that I said, "Back to work." I picked up my phone and looked down once more as he walked back into his office. The phone rang and I didn’t hear it since it was on mute, as it always was when I wasn’t working. But then I saw Philip’s name flash across the screen. It wasn’t something I usually took with me, but lately, I’d been turning into a pathetic person. In the end, I shut off the phone and stuffed it back into my purse because I couldn’t communicate with my friend in the same way that we had loved it here. I may turn it on later.
When I was working on a report for him, I was singing along to the songs on my computer speakers and checking my personal phone for holiday texts from my mother. We spent much of our time together at Mom’s place because she was a great chef. While we were waiting for her to arrive at the airport to meet her new love interest, Kenneth, she introduced him to me. Her dating history had been spotty since my father abandoned our family when I was twelve years old. To finally meet the man who seemed to hold such significance in her life, I was ecstatic.
My trusty program double-checked my work once I finished the report and analyzed it properly. I took a few deep breaths and then sent it on its way to Brent.
Another cup of joe was all I could think of. After taking a quick look around, I made the decision to stand up and start slicing and dicing. I greeted everyone in the break room with a smile before making my way to the coffee maker.
