Turning back to Connor, she swallowed yet another lump in her throat, her fingers twisting together nervously in her lap. “I am so, so sorry for everything, Connor. Not only did I abuse the power you entrusted me with in the kitchen, I threatened to make accusations against you that had no basis in truth. I was a horrible, selfish person and I just wanted you to know that even though you can never possibly forgive me, I understand how wrong my behavior was, and I am truly sorry.”
Silence filled the room, so thick and heavy she could barely breathe under the weight of it. Just when she thought she might actually go insane waiting for the hammer to drop, Connor spoke.
“I don’t appreciate you telling me what I can or cannot do, Julia.”
“What?” Confused, she glanced from him, to Derek, and back to Owen, but there were no answers to be found in any of their stony expressions.
“You said I can’t possibly forgive you. But I can.” The corners of Connor’s lips dipped down, and her tummy did a slow, nauseating roll. “It would be extremely difficult for me to trust you again on a personal level, but I do forgive you. Anyone with half a brain could see you’ve changed, and you obviously meant every word of your apology.”
Some of the weight she’d been carrying for so long seemed to lift from her shoulders. “Really?”
“Yes, really. As for professionally —”
Holding up her hands, she shook her head, cutting off whatever it was he felt he needed to say. “My behavior professionally was just as abhorrent as it was personally. I accept that, and I accept that I do not deserve to return to the kitchen.”
“Well, I don’t.” Connor’s frown turned even more fierce. “You’re an excellent chef and I, for one, will not be any part of the reason you deprive the world of your talents.”
“Why isn’t anyone listening to me?” Throwing her hands in the air, she stood and glared at each of them in turn before turning to Owen. “You told me to show you true remorse. There is nothing I could possibly do to prove I deserve that letter, because I don’t. This is my life, my decision. End of story.”
Without waiting for an answer, she stomped out of Derek’s office, slamming the door shut behind her as she stalked towards the exit.
Owen
“Let her go.”
Already halfway to the door, Owen turned back to stare at Derek. “What? Why?”
“She needs some time to cool off. We aren’t going to get through to her in this state, so let her go walk around a bit, work off some of her mad.” Derek gestured to the chair Owen had just vacated. “Have a seat and we can discuss our strategy for when she returns.”
It went against every instinct, but the rational, logical part of his brain told him Derek probably had a point. Begrudgingly, he stalked back to the chair and dropped down onto the plush leather once more. “I swear I spend half my time with that woman trying to decide if I want to kiss her senseless or spank her ass until she can’t sit comfortably for a month.”
The other two men shared a knowing look before wide grins spread across their faces. “Welcome to being a Daddy,” Connor said with an exaggerated wink.
“Personally, I usually choose both, though not necessarily in that order,” Derek added.
“That sounds about right. I’ve had Littles before, but Julia…she keeps me on my toes.”
“I honestly had no idea she was a Little.” Frowning, Connor glanced over at Derek. “Did you know?”
“No.” Derek shook his head. “She didn’t indicate any Little preferences on her intake paperwork, and I never noticed any latent tendencies. I suppose I should have paid more attention to her, and perhaps we could have avoided some of this nastiness.”
“That isn’t on you.” On that point, Owen refused to budge. “For starters, whatever tendencies she does have only really came out when I put her in that headspace, so I’m not sure there was anything there for you to miss. And even if you had missed something, it wasn’t your job to watch over her every second of the day. She alone is responsible for her actions and she knows it. She’s owned it, and trying to make excuses for her now doesn’t honor the work she’s put into accepting the responsibility for her actions.”
It was clear Derek was still struggling with the thought he might have failed her in some way, but he gave a short nod of acknowledgement. “Fair enough. Now, what are we going to do about convincing her not to give up on her dreams?”