The CEO's Secret Affair-Chapter 16: An Emergency

~Ricardo’s POV~

"Is there something on your mind?" I asked Anne for the hundredth time. She felt distant even though she was in my arms. I was right beside her, but everything in me screamed that she was probably thinking about another thing. Another man.

"No...no, I’m fine." She lied once more, brushing my concern off with a half smile. She avoided my gaze, keeping her eyes focused on circles she drew around my nipples.

I leaned forward before she could pull away and pressed a slow kiss to her forehead. She smiled once more, but I could tell it wasn’t exactly genuine.

"Anne," I murmured, my lips still resting against her skin, "just be honest with me."

She stilled beneath me for half a second. Then she sighed, the sound light and practiced. "I told you. It’s nothing."

I pulled back enough to look at her face but she still wouldn’t meet my eyes.

"That’s not true," I argued. "You’ve been distant all evening, I can tell something’s bothering you..."

She shrugged. "You’re imagining things."

I took a deep breath, pulling back a little so her fingers would lose motion on my skin. I wanted her to know that I was serious, and genuinely concerned about her.

"Is this about Lisa?" I asked. "About what she said to you?"

Her head snapped up instantly. "No."

"Anne—"

"I said no," she repeated, sharper now. "And you don’t need to worry about me."

But I already was, and I couldn’t help myself. I shifted, propping myself up on one elbow so I could really look at her. "You don’t just shut down like this for no reason. If she threatened you again—"

"That’s not it," she cut in. Her hand dropped from my chest, curling into the sheets instead. "Why do you keep pushing?"

"Because I care," I said without thinking. She probably didn’t believe that because she sat up abruptly, pulling the sheets tighter around herself like armor. Her eyes finally met mine, blazing.

"Don’t," she snapped. "Don’t say that."

"Anne—"

"No," she interrupted, voice rising now, all the restraint she’d been holding onto finally cracking. "You don’t get to peer into my personal life whenever it suits you. You don’t get to demand honesty from me. I know you’re my boss, but that doesn’t mean you get to know everything about me"

"That’s not what I’m doing." I argued, genuinely surprised by how sudden her mood had changed. Was it something I did? Why was she suddenly like this?

"Yes, it is," she shot back. "And you know what? It’s not like we’re lovers anyway. So I don’t owe you explanations. I don’t owe you honesty. I don’t owe you anything."

She shot up from the bed before I had the chance to say another word. And before I knew it, she was headed for the door.

"Come back to bed, Anne." I said as I scrambled out of bed myself, hoping to reach her and pull her back myself. She paused for a second, like she wanted to reconsider, but swiftly changed her mind. "Let’s talk things out, please..."

"I don’t think we should." She replied after a heavy exhale. "We shouldn’t be doing any of this, we both know it’s going nowhere. You’re my boss, and you’ve made it clear that the only place you’ll show me affection is in the bedroom. Not that I care, but I don’t want to keep up with this anymore..."

When she realised that I was lost for words, she finally exited the room.

"Damn it!" I yelled out, slamming my fists against the bed in frustration. She was probably right, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t try. There was no doubt that I found Anne interesting, I wanted to know more of her, to explore her every depth. She wasn’t like the other women in my life, and just for that sake I was actually willing to try, something I hadn’t done in a while.

But I understood her, she was scared, and rightfully so. The last man she loved was a monster, and I didn’t have the best reputation when it came to relationships. Anne wasn’t the kind to rush into things, and it seemed like I might be moving at a pace she wasn’t comfortable with, not to mention the fact that our affair needed to be kept secret due to work etiquette.

After a minute of reflection, I decided to leave the room and find her wherever she might have gone, but was called back by my phone ringing. Reluctantly, I answered the call.

"Is this Mr Antonelli?"

It was a male voice on the other side, he sounded professional, but it wasn’t a voice I recognised.

"This is him." I answered, hoping to get the call over with. I prayed it was something important, otherwise I might just have to track this number down and have them beat up for wasting my time.

"Great. This is Dr Harrington on the line. I’m calling from the city’s general hospital, your girlfriend Clara Forrest was just admitted, and you’re the only person we can reach for now."

I felt my heart skip a beat. While I didn’t particularly care for Clara romantically, I did have basic human empathy. And even though she clearly had lied to these people, it was clear that my presence was needed at the hospital.

"What happened to her—"

"We will tell you more once you reach the hospital, Mr Antonelli." The doctor informed me before ending the call.

What on earth has she gotten herself into? I worried as I picked up my clothes from the floor. I got dressed in a minute, walked over to the living room, and met Anne partially immersed in a TV show.

"Anne, I’m leaving, there’s been an emergency—"

"There’s no need for the lies anymore, Riccardo. We’ve had sex, you’re free to leave if you want to. Isn’t that why you’re here in the first place?"

I stopped in my tracks, completely shaken by her words. Did she think I was here just for the sex?

"Is that what you think this is? That it’s just for the sex?" I returned for clarification. I needed to make sure I hadn’t misheard her.

"Have a goodnight, Mr Antonelli." Anne replied before turning her head away from me. I didn’t argue, I had a lot to say but it was clear she wasn’t going to listen. If she genuinely thought that I was here just for the sex alone, then none of my efforts mattered anymore. She was far too hurt to see my intentions, and although she still interested me, I didn’t want to waste time on a lost cause.