Sean felt as if his very soul had vacated his premises. He sat utterly frozen, his gaze locked on some distant point on the wall, his face a perfect mask of stunned catatonia. Across the desk, Victor's knowing smile was a predator's grin, and it sent a violent shiver straight down Sean's spine. His mind was a screaming void, completely empty of any viable exit strategy.
Run. Just run. Quit. Change your name. Move to another country. The urge to scream was a physical pressure in his throat.
"Cat got your tongue, Sean?" Victor's voice was a low, teasing drawl. "I've been waiting by the phone. Good thing I held onto this." He lifted Sean's ID card, twirling it casually between his fingers like a tiny, damning trophy.
"I have to admit, I'm a little hurt," Victor continued, placing a hand over his heart in a theatrical display of mock pain. "Was I not attractive enough? Was the performance lacking? Not only did you not call, but you don't even remember? Ouch. That's a blow to the ego."
Sean squeezed his eyes shut. Could the floor just open up and swallow him whole? Now, please? This new, playfully wounded version of Victor was infinitely more terrifying than the stern boss from moments ago.
If this man weren't signing his paychecks, Sean would have already unleashed a torrent of expletives that would peel the paint from the walls. Unconsciously, he bit down hard on his lower lip, the sharp sting a pathetic outlet for his rising frustration.
"Ah, ah, careful with that," Victor chided, a wicked glint in his eye. "If it's bothering you, I'd be happy to help. I'm rather good with my mouth, as you might (ahem) recall." He chuckled darkly at the lethal glare Sean shot him.
"Alright, alright, I'll behave," Victor conceded, though his smile didn't fade. "Just answer the question. Why the radio silence?"
Sean finally released a heavy, weary sigh, the fight draining out of him. "Because I have no business with you," he stated, his voice flat. "I don't remember a single thing from that night."
SLAM.
Victor's hand came down on the desk with a crack that made Sean jolt violently in his seat.
"You're serious?" Victor's voice lost its playful edge, replaced by genuine, incredulous shock. "You truly don't remember anything? I thought you were just playing hard to get."
Sean could only manage a weak, miserable nod, his silent plea screaming into the space between them: Please, just let this go. Let whatever happened fade into nothing.
"Well, if that's the case, perhaps we should… reenact the scene. It might help jog your memory."
At his boss's low, suggestive words, Sean shot up from the chair as if electrocuted. "If there's nothing else you require, sir, I should really get back to my work."
He was out the door before Victor could form a reply, moving with a speed that defied the persistent ache in his body. His face burned, not with anger, but with a scalding, all-consuming humiliation. In that moment, he wished the floor would just open up and swallow him whole.
He shoved through the restroom door, stumbled into the farthest stall, and slammed the lock home. His back hit the door as he slid down it, his hands clawing through his hair. A silent scream tore through him, trapped behind his teeth.
He was losing his mind. Just yesterday, he'd been trying to come to terms with the fact he'd slept with a stranger, who's a man. A man!
And now, he was being forced to confront the brutal reality that the man who'd left him sore and limping was his new boss.
What kind of twisted karma had he accumulated to deserve this never-ending nightmare?
He tugged at his hair, a soft, frustrated groan escaping him. And then the worst of it hit him: that bastard. That gorgeous, infuriating man who'd fucked him senseless clearly had no intention of letting him forget it.
In the midst of his spiraling misery, a voice from outside the stall jolted him back to reality.
"Sean? You in there?"
"R-Renata?"
"Yeah, it's Renata. I saw you bolt in here. You've been awhile. Everything okay? Do you need help?"
Sean scrambled to unlock the door and stepped out, forcing a casualness into his posture. "No, I'm fine. Just… had a fight with my zipper," he lied, catching sight of Renata's concerned face peeking through the door.
He brushed past her quickly, and she gave his shoulder a reassuring pat. "You scared me for a second. Come on, let's get back. The paperwork from yesterday is waiting, and it's a mountain."
And just like that, Sean was forced to shove the entire, world-shattering incident into a tiny box in the back of his mind, burying himself under the avalanche of paperwork that had accumulated in his absence.
Across the office, Victor remained in his chair, his work completely forgotten. A sly, utterly self-satisfied smile still played on his lips as he leaned back, his gaze fixed on the door Sean had fled through. His mind was miles away, lost in the vivid memory of the night he'd first laid eyes on Sean Allinea.