After I Saved Him My CEO Said We Were Strangers Chapter 01
I was on a project site with our CEO, Reed Blake, when a steel beam broke loose overhead.
I didn’t think. I just ran and shoved him out of the way.
When I woke up, he was the only one in the hospital room.
He sat by my bed, his attention fixed on his laptop.
On impulse, I faked amnesia. “What are we?” I asked.
He paused, his eyes lifting from the screen. “Boss and employee,” he said.
…
I lay in the hospital bed, the wound on the back of my head a dull throb.
But when Reed Blake said, “Boss and employee,” the pain vanished.
Maybe I’d hit my head hard enough to actually lose my mind.
Otherwise, how could I have ever thought we were anything more?
I had loved him for seven years.
Two years ago, I’d finally decided to give up on him.
I’d already bought a ticket back to Chicago.
I was going to go home, let my mother set me up on a few dates, and marry someone who actually liked me.
The day I put my resignation letter on Reed’s desk, he stared at me for a long time.
Then he said, “Stay.”
And then, “Stay with me.”
The company had a strict policy against executives dating direct reports.
So for two years, our relationship was a secret.
At the office, we were just a boss and his employee.
But in his apartment, we kissed. We held each other. We slept in the same bed.
I watched the man beside my bed.
The glow from the laptop on his knees cast one side of his face in blue light.
The top button of his shirt was undone.
I could just make out the faint red mark I’d left on his neck that morning.
I didn’t point it out. I just smiled.
“You take good care of your employees, then.”
Reed’s eyes narrowed, as if trying to gauge if I was being sincere.
A few seconds later, he snapped the laptop shut and nodded.
“Thank you for today. Since it’s not serious, I’m going to head back to the office.”
“If you need anything, call my assistant.”
With that, he stood, smoothed the front of his suit, and walked out.
The smile stayed on my face until the door clicked shut behind him.
I dropped my head, my fingers twisting the thin hospital sheet.
A sharp pain tightened in my chest.
Then came a knock at the door.
It was Reed’s assistant.
He crossed to the bed and handed me an envelope.
“Blair. Mr. Blake asked me to give you this.”
I opened it. Inside was a check for a hundred thousand dollars.
“Get some rest. Mr. Blake says you can come back to work when you’ve recovered.”
I stared at the check, motionless.
The assistant set the envelope on the nightstand and left, quietly pulling the door closed behind him.
My fingers brushed the crisp edge of the paper.
The tears I’d been holding back finally fell.
Reed Blake was tired of me.
A two-year secret relationship. For him, it was probably just a whim.
And now he was done.
So he was putting everything back in its proper place.
A boss compensating an injured employee. Clean. Proper. Cold.
I closed my eyes, and the dull ache in my head returned, sharp and clear.
This time, Reed, I’m done.