《Uncontrollable Tempration》


 Chapter 1

    Sophia Parker


    I walked into my tiny office on Monday morning and did the usual. I ced my handbag on top of my desk, switched on myputer, and got out Mr Wilsons diary for the day.  Checking my watch, I saw the time was 7:53am which meant that he would be expecting his cup of coffee in exactly 7 minutes.


    I looked through the blinds that separated his office from mine and surely, he was there. He was taking off his jacket which meant he also just arrived. I couldn¡¯t help but watch the way his muscles flex underneath his shirt as he removed his jacket slowly and so¡­


    Stop it Sophia! Its way too early for this!


    I scolded myself.


    I quickly went into the kitchen on our floor and started grinding his coffee beans. I prepared arge super fine ground cup of espresso, just the way he liked it. Taking the cup, I walked over to the huge doors of his office and knocked on it.


    I opened the door when I heard his deep voice call out for me to ¡°Come in.¡±


    Mr Wilson was already sitting at his desk working on hisputer, not even bothering to look up to see who came in. He knew it was me anyway. This was a normal ritual for us at exactly 8:00am every weekday. I walked towards him and dropped the cup on his desk beside him, that¡¯s when he looked up to me with those piercing blue eyes.


    I¡¯ve always wanted to get lost in the depth of those eyes. I close my eyes imagining it for a second until I heard him say¡­


    ¡°Miss Parker, are you okay?¡±


    I immediately snapped right out of my trance. Did I just daydream of my boss¡¯ perfect eyes right in front of him?


    Way to go Sophia!


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m so sorry sir.¡± I said to him, but he didn¡¯t look convinced. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ I had a really rough night, that¡¯s all.¡± I lied hopelessly.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t get enough sleep?¡± He asked as finally took his eyes off me and sipped some of his coffee.


    ¡°No.¡± I looked down.


    That part was actually true, I didn¡¯t get enough sleepst night. And guess who the culprit was¡­


    HIM of course!


    I spent half of my night thinking about him, wondering what it would be like to be in his arms for once. Working for him has been the most difficult job ever, especially with these crazy feelings that I¡¯ve developed for him over time.


    Anytime I hear that deep masculine voice of his, my heart beats so fast it feels like its going to jump right out of my chest and fall straight into his hands.


    Sometimes we work together so closely I just want to scream out of frustration because deep down, part of me just wants him to take me into his arms and-


    ¡°That isn¡¯t good for your health Miss Parker, especially when you have work the next day and have to be in the office by 8:00am. What¡¯s keeping you up all night?¡±


    You!Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Nothing serious, I had some work toplete beforeing into work this morning and I didn¡¯t have the chance toplete them over the weekend.¡± I lied again.


    ¡°Are you sure? Because I clearly remember you finishing up all your tasks on Friday before you left the office. You couldn¡¯t have been busy now could you?¡± He asked, raising his eyebrow and looking at me intensely with those blue eyes.


    ¡°I¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ It wasn¡¯t work stuff, it was¡­¡± I was finding it difficult toe up with more lies. This is why you should never daydream about your boss right in front of him. It would only lead to serious interrogation which in turn, makes you look stupid.


    ¡°It¡¯s totally fine if you were with someonest night Miss Parker. There is no big deal.¡± He finally said.


    What?!


    ¡°No! No! I wasn¡¯t with anyone.¡± I panicked and immediately tried to shut down his idea of me not being single, only to realise that I sounded overly-defensive. I even saw a smile tug at his lips. ¡°Like I said, I was not with¡­ You know what? I don¡¯t need to exin myself to you.¡± I said this time with much more confidence.


    ¡°Sure.¡± He clearly didn¡¯t sound convinced.


    Crap, now he thinks I was with someonest night. There goes my chances of him ever noticing me.


    I don¡¯t think they were ever there in the first ce.


    ¡°I need you to organise a trip to London this weekend, I have been invited to attend the annual conference for security and information science systems. It¡¯ll be a good way to score more clients so I need you there to help me with presenting business proposals. I will also need you to take notes and dictations at the conference and provide general assistance during my presentation. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Got it. And what about amodation sir?¡±


    ¡°The conference is in Canary Wharf so¡­ I¡¯d say let¡¯s try the Four Seasons Hotel.¡±


    ¡°Ok sir.¡± I acknowledged and walked out of his office.


    Finally I could think straight! Being around that man does dangerous things to me. I quickly dashed to my office which was right next to his, scribbled down all the things he said to me on my notepad, and began to work on them.


    I contacted Mr Wilson¡¯s pilot and instructed him to organise permission for a flight to London on Friday. I took care of the fuel for the jet and booked a reservation for a pent house suite at Four Seasons Hotel.


    One of the perks of working as the personal assistant of Mr Wilson is travelling a lot. Already I have been to beautiful cities like Tokyo and Paris.


    On both asions Mr Wilson spent an extra day during the trip to explore the cities and he always got me a present. Either a bottle of perfume or a souvenir. Anything from him is more than enough for me. I wonder what he might get me during this trip to London. Maybe a¡­


    ¡°Sophia!¡±


    I was snapped out of my daydream by Mr Wilson¡¯s voice barking through my inte. He called me by my first name, which means I¡¯ve done something wrong. My heart stopped for a second. He never used my first name, only when I¡¯ve seriously messed up. I peeped at him through the blinds separating our offices and saw that he looked very angry indeed!


    I took deep breaths as I walked towards his office. I was only halfway through the door and he was already barking at me.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you on Friday to change the figures on the Sytner Group report to include disbursements before you emailed it to them! Now you¡¯ve sent them the wrong information and you¡¯ve cost us a lot of money! They¡¯ve approved these figures and our expenses have not been covered!¡±


    ¡°But sir, I changed them. I really did.¡± I tried to rebut but he didn¡¯t listen.


    ¡°Did you?! What does it say here then?¡± He pointed at the email he got from them on his screen.


    Very timidly, I walked towards hisputer and looked at  the figures. In fact they hadn¡¯t been changed.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, I changed those figures. I even saved the work.¡±


    He looked at me with so much irritation. Just when he was about to erupt at me once again, his phone rang. Once he saw the caller ID, his mood radically changed before he answered it.


    ¡°Hey babe, what¡¯s wrong?¡± He spoke into his phone.


    For a moment I was just standing there like an idiot, listening to his conversation with someone who was obviously female. From the way the conversation went, I sounded like it was his new love interest. I couldn¡¯t stand it anymore so I left his office and dashed into the restroom.


    I stared at my reflection for a while until a tear slowly slid down my eye. I wiped it and washed my face, trying hard to control my emotions. Mr Wilson would never see me in that way. He usually likes blonde models that are very tall with perfect slim legs and a perfect body. I¡¯m just a in brte that¡¯ll never be able to match up with his usual love interests.


    Suddenly, I remembered what happened on Friday! He was right, I actually never changed those figures because I don¡¯t recall doing it. All I remembered doing was saving the work.


    I¡¯d started off but I drifted off into a daydream of Mr Wilson, as usual. I was brought back from it when he summoned me to his office and by the time I returned, I just saved the work and sent it.


    Gosh, Sophia how could you be so careless?!


    The tears had started to flow at this point. This stupid little crush, infatuation or whatever its called was really messing me up. I¡¯m not able to function at work or do my job properly without him interrupting my thoughts and making silly errors.


    I had to get over these feelings for him ASAP. If not, they¡¯re going to cause me to make more stupid mistakes, and eventually get fired!


    And I can NOT have that.

 Chapter 2

    Sophia Parker


    I got home after work feeling both relieved and exhausted. After the incident with Mr Wilson, he just chose to ignore me all day which was good because I was too embarrassed to face him again, especially after crying my eyes out in the restroom. However, I feltpletely useless because he acted like I didn¡¯t exist.


    I barely had any work to do after nning the trip because he didn¡¯t assign me with more tasks. It got so boring that I went over to the marketing department to have a chat with one of my colleagues, Phoebe. I told her about the incident and she felt sorry for me.


    However, she also nted a ridiculous idea into my head. She¡¯s the only one aware of my stupid crush on Mr Wilson and she¡¯s kept it between us. She suggested I try and capture his attention rather than get over my feelings for him. That way, he would treat me with more respect and I would have a bit more control over the situation.


    Of course, I thought it was a ridiculous idea. Mr Wilson cannot notice me. He hasn¡¯t in almost 2 years and he won¡¯t start now! He never will!


    But it wouldn¡¯t hurt if I just tried¡­


    Perhaps it wouldn¡¯t, but my efforts wouldpletely be in vain. I¡¯d rather save my energy for something else.


    But I kind of want to do this¡­


    Still, I¡¯d rather not embarrass myself.


    But-


    ¡°Oh Shut up already!¡± I yell at that little nagging voice in my head forcing me to go ahead with Phoebe¡¯s ns. Thank God no one was around me because they¡¯d probably think I¡¯ve gone crazy!


    Maybe I am! This whole thing is driving me crazy! I should probably just resign from work and forget about Mr Wilson forever! But I need this job so much that I can¡¯t.


    It¡¯s been the best job I¡¯ve ever had and considering my qualifications, I¡¯m definitely over-employed.


    I slumped on my couch, turned on the TV and switched through a few channels. One of them caught my eye. I looked closely  and I saw¡­ Mr Wilson! I sat up immediately, my full attention now on the screen. He was being interviewed and was talking about thepany¡¯s finances and how it had managed to do so well over the years. He was also giving a lecture about security systems.


    I studied his handsome face as he spoke. His hair looked perfect as always. What I would give to run my fingers over the smooth texture of his hair. I watched his lips move as he talked about security systems with such enthusiasm and charisma. Those lips that keep me awake every night, depriving me from any chance of sleep.


    Screw it! I¡¯ll go ahead and implement Phoebe¡¯s n. I only get one shot in life so why not?


    I switched off the TV, and walked into my kitchen. I made pancakes and eggs for dinner which is a lovely recipe I borrowed from Frankie & Benny¡¯s.


    I freshened up and prepared to hit the sack only to be robbed off sleep by thoughts of one man. When I finally close my eyes, my dreams were invaded with the same mans face.


    ****


    Adam Wilson


    After my live interview on TV, I decided to call it a day and head home. It had been extremely rough for me working without my personal assistant today. Now I know her worth and I value her more. But what she did today was irritating. Loosing thepany thousands of dors for no reason! I would have fired anyone who made such a mistake on the spot. But I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to do that to her, so I just left her idle for the day.


    I don¡¯t know what it was, but looking past the mess she made today, there is something about her that makes me feel¡­


    ¡°Baby you¡¯re home!¡± Whose annoying voice was that?! I looked and saw it belonged to Charlene.


    She wrapped her arms around me and forcefully kissed me. I pretended I was delighted by her kiss and forced myself to kiss back. When I couldn¡¯t take it anymore I pushed her away.


    ¡°Charlene, what are you doing here? You didn¡¯t tell me you wereing over.¡± Even though we¡¯s spoke on the phone earlier today, she didn¡¯t tell me that she was going to show up at mine.


    She¡¯s always taken liberties since I gave her an extra key to my apartment. Part of my regrets ever giving her that key in the first ce. How did I get myself into this mess?


    ¡°I know, I wanted to surprise my baby.¡± She tried kissing me again and pushed herself on me but I held her back.


    ¡°Wait! Look¡­ Charlene we need to talk. Seriously.¡± I couldn¡¯t take this bondage anymore.


    ¡°Mmm, what about?¡± She replied kissing my neck instead.


    ¡°About us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know we are perfect together baby but can we talk about uster?¡± She tried kissing me again but this time I put her at arms length.


    ¡°Charlene I don¡¯t think I can do this anymore. It¡¯s just not working out for me.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Her eyes brows furrowed in confusion.


    ¡°I think we should call this off, maybe take a break from each other for a while.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± She screamed. ¡°After being together for two months you want to just throw it all away!?¡±


    ¡°Look, it hasn¡¯t been long since we started seeing each other anyway so I don¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°Is there someone else?!¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you doing this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I guess, I¡¯m just not feeling this anymore.¡±


    There was an awkward silence for about a minute until Charlene reached for her coat by the door and started to exit. I caught her by the wrist. ¡°Charlene¡­¡±


    ¡°Just leave me alone forever!¡± Then she mmed the door.


    I let out a heavy breath that I didn¡¯t realise I was holding until now.


    For some reason, I didn¡¯t feel guilty. Rather I felt¡­ relieved. Our rtionship had been nothing but a bondage and now I finally felt free.


    I went to my bedroom and took a quick shower. Iid on my bed and today¡¯s events reyed in my head.


    I remembered how my personal assistant showed up to work looking sleep deprived. No doubt that her lover kept her up all night. She even mentioned she had a ¡®rough¡¯ night.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Anger rose up in my chest and I don¡¯t know why. The thought of her being with someone else made me slightly ufortable and annoyed when it shouldn¡¯t. That was none of my business.


    I don¡¯t know what came over me but these past months, I have looked forward to being at the office because I know I will get a chance to see her there. There was something about her that enticed me but I covered it up with hostility.


    I knew that it wouldn¡¯tst for long though. Soon enough I¡¯d have to discover what it is and confront it. That was myst though before I drifted off into sleep.


    ***


    The next day


    It was 8:15am and Sophia is nowhere to be found!


    When did she startingte to work? I¡¯ve always known her for being punctual, it¡¯s unlike her to not be in the office by this time.


    Just then my door opened without a knock and it was¡­ Sophia?


    ¡°Good morning Mr Wilson. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte, I was held up a bit by the traffic. Here¡¯s your coffee.¡± She hurried over to me and ced it on my table.


    I slowly took in her appearance and noticed that she was looking significantly different from what she usually does.


    The hair which she tied in a ponytail at all times had finally been let down over her shoulders. Only now do I realise how long and wavy her hair is. It looked so pretty and all I wanted to do was run my hands through them. Her dressing had also changed. Her clothes were more fitted and showed more skin. She was wearing a white shirt with the first two buttons undone and a brown pencil skirt which barely reached her knees. The pumps she wore on her feet were almost the same colour of her beautiful milky skin and now that I saw her curves, I realized that she is actually a grown woman.


    Why hadn¡¯t I noticed all this femininity in her before?


    I had always thought Sophia was pretty and mildly attractive, but I¡¯d never felt such intense attraction towards her¡­ until now.


    I knew she was out of bounds because she was my personal assistant. And she was also young. She was 22pared to my 28 years of age, but that didn¡¯t matter now. My brain had suddenly taken an interest in her.


    I could feel the front of my cks tighten because of this new version of Sophia and I shifted ufortably in my seat.


    ¡°Sir are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes. I¡¯m fine.¡± I said shifting closer to my desk so I could hide my lower body beneath it. I reached for my coffee with shaky hands and ended up spilling everything on my desk because I wasn¡¯t able to hold onto the cup properly.


    ¡°Oh my gosh, I¡¯m so sorry Mr Wilson was the coffee too hot?¡±


    ¡°No, err¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t your fault.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll clean this up right away.¡±


    She quickly gathered the files on my desk so they don¡¯t get soiled and sashayed to my private restroom.


    I felt like I¡¯d lost controlpletely. I couldn¡¯t help but stare at her round perky bottom in that new skirt as she strode in and out of the restroom.


    What the fuck is she doing to me? Why now?!


    She came back with tworge towels. She used one to wipe my desk clean and then she used the other for the floor.


    I hissed when she leaned down to wipe the floor. Her glorious bottom was angled perfectly to my view. I had to suppress the groan that threatened to slip out of me by biting down hard on my tongue.


    ¡°All done sir.¡± She said rising up. ¡°I¡¯ll go and make a copy of all these damaged files. Do you want another cup of coffee?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ Yes please.¡±


    ¡°Okay sir.¡± She strode out.


    What the fuck just happened?

 Chapter 3

    Sophia Parker


    I¡¯m normally neverte to work. But today, I was 15 minuteste! That was because I had put in a lot more effort on my appearance than I usually would. I even applied makeup on my face.


    I wanted to see if I could get Mr Wilson¡¯s attention and if I started dressing like his usual picks, then maybe he will finally notice me. I would normally wear loose skirts and trousers to work but today I am wearing something so tight that I can hardly spread my legs. My shirt was also 2 times smaller than my real size, I couldn¡¯t do up the first two buttons.


    I felt so ufortable in these heels but this is what Mr Wilson likes. His usual girlfriends always wear killer heels anytime they show up to his office.


    I didn¡¯t even get the chance to go to my own office first because I¡¯m sote. I just went straight to the kitchen and prepared Mr Wilson¡¯s coffee. I left my bag there and rushed into his office without even knocking.


    ¡°Good morning Mr Wilson. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte, I was held up a bit by the traffic. Here¡¯s your coffee.¡± I hurried inside and ced it on his table.


    He didn¡¯t chastise me for beingte, in fact he didn¡¯t say anything. He just looked at me like he¡¯d seen a ghost. I couldn¡¯t make out how he felt about this because he just stared with a straight face, with his mouth slightly hanging open.


    What if he doesn¡¯t like it?


    Maybe I went overboard because this was obviously not what I usually look like.


    I suddenly felt nervous and instantly regretted doing this. I also saw Mr Wilson shift ufortably.


    Great, now I¡¯m making him ufortable.


    ¡°Sir are you okay?¡± I asked because he looked off-base.


    ¡°Yes. Yes. I¡¯m fine¡± He said reaching for his coffee.


    I was about to fill him in on his diary for today but he dropped his cup spilling the coffee everywhere.


    ¡°Oh my gosh, I¡¯m so sorry Mr Wilson was the coffee too hot?¡±


    I had been in such a hurry that I didn¡¯t let the coffee cool down before I gave it to him. I myself noticed it was very hot when I held it on my way here. Now some documents on his table were ruined.


    Why can¡¯t you just get anything right Sophia!


    ¡°No, err¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll clean this up right away.¡± I said, trying to fix things.


    I gathered the files from his desk and hurriedly went to his washroom to get two towels. I cleaned his desk first then I cleaned the floor.


    This wasn¡¯t an easy task because I had to crouch and I felt like my skirt would rip into two at any given second. It would be so embarrassing if that actually happened.


    I managed to clean up sessfully without ripping my skirt and I asked Mr Wilson if he needed another cup of coffee since the first one went to waste. He said yes and I went and got him another one.


    This time I took my time and managed to make his coffee at a decent temperature. When I returned to the office he finally spoke to me.


    ¡°You werete today Miss Parker.¡±


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m sorry. Like I said there was a bit of traffic.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so Sophia. The roads were very free on my way to work this morning.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ They were actually. But the traffic¡­ it was just outside my street! There was an ident and it took time for¡­¡±


    ¡°No excuses Sophia. Don¡¯t bete next time.¡± He snapped.


    ¡°Yes sir.¡± I ced the second cup of coffee on his table.


    We stayed silent for a couple moments and I could feel him starring at me again like he did earlier. I felt so ufortable in my own skin. I cleared my throat but he didn¡¯t stop looking at me. I decided to say something to fill in the awkward silence.


    ¡°Umm, so today Mr Alfred Lewis will being in by 10:00am. You have a conference with Holt Industries and they will being in by 2:00pm. I have already prepared papers for both meetings. Also the budgets of all departments have not been reviewed in 3 months. Assumptions have been made since and the quality of projections has been reduced. All the divisions are nning on having a session by the end of today and they would like you to be present to give your approval and to finalize their decision.¡± I said.


    Still nothing from him.


    ¡°Mr Wilson!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes! What did you say?¡± he looked like his mind was somewhere far away and I¡¯d just brought him back.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you listening to me?¡± I asked incredulously.


    ¡°I was¡­ but you were talking really fast.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I guess I¡¯d better email you your diary for today.¡± I turned to exit. I found that so odd because he¡¯d never onceined about the speed at which I spoke.


    ¡°Wait!¡± He said.


    I turned back, expecting him to say something but he just kept starring.


    Okay, this is really getting weird. He¡¯s looking at me like I¡¯m some strange animal from another. I definitely shouldn¡¯t have dressed up. I¡¯m sure he noticed I tried hard today and it doesn¡¯t suit me. He¡¯s probably making fun of me in his head. Now I feel so embarrassed.


    ¡°You know what, never mind. You can leave.¡±


    With that I rushed out of his office like lightning. I can¡¯t face him again today, not like this. I don¡¯t know what was wrong with me.


    Did I actually think this would work?


    Clearly it didn¡¯t and now he just sees me as some poor little girl who is trying so hard to be attractive but failing woefully. This whole stunt I pulled has only made things worse.


    I sat on my desk and emailed his diary to him. Then I began to type new copies of all the soiled documents each. Thank goodness they weren¡¯t so many and didn¡¯t have much words on them.


    Every now and then, I looked at Mr Wilson through the corner of my eye through my open blinds and I would catch him looking at me. I wanted to close my blinds so badly because I couldn¡¯t workfortably. After about an hour of debating, I stood up and closed it.


    I went over to the marketing department to meet Phoebe and to also ask her for help! This whole thing was her idea in the first ce! The moment she saw me approaching her jaw dropped.


    ¡°Oh my gosh! Sophia is this you?!¡±


    ¡°In the flesh.¡± I said sitting down at the corner of her desk


    ¡°You look so amazing, I see you went through with my n. So tell me, how did it go?¡±


    ¡°Ugh! Terrible! He just starred at me like I was some strange object from Mars. I shouldn¡¯t have done this.¡±


    ¡°Or¡­ maybe he was astonished by how much beauty his personal assistant has been hiding all this while.¡± She wagged her eyebrows.


    ¡°I doubt that he felt that way.¡±


    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m sure that he did. You look so good.¡± She encouraged.


    ¡°Trust me Phoebe, you should have seen the way he looked at me.¡±


    ¡°Sophia! You¡¯re not as repulsive as you think you are. Any guy that sees you like this and doesn¡¯t feel a thing is either gay or something is wrong with them.¡±


    Mr Wilson is definitely not gay. That still doesn¡¯t put him in the category of guys attracted to me though. I like how Phoebe is so optimistic. But as a realist, I can¡¯t totally believe some of what she says.


    ¡°Sophia!¡±


    I snapped my head toward the voice only to see Mr Wilson himself. He is looking at me angrily like I¡¯d done something wrong.


    ¡°You disappeared for half an hour only for me to find you here chatting! Is that what I pay you for? To chat?¡±


    Half an hour???


    ¡°No sir, I was just asking Phoebe-¡±


    ¡°To my office now!¡± he ordered and walked away.


    I gave Phoebe the ¡®I told you so look¡¯ before running after him. Now she would believe me when I say this man has no interest in me whatsoever. By the time I got to his office he was already sitting on his chair. A huge pile of files were in front of him.


    ¡°I need you to organise all these files into their respective folders and arrange them in the shelf just there.¡± He said pointing to the shelf across his desk.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± I said politely because I know that I¡¯d already pissed him off enough today. Beingte, bringing him hot coffee and now being caught chatting.


    Let¡¯s not make any more mistakes again now, Sophia.


    I picked up the huge lever arch folders but they were so heavy that some fell from my hands and scattered all over the floor on my way before I could reach the shelf.


    The noise was loud enough to get his attention, but I couldn¡¯t.


    Why do I always embarrass myself in front of this man.


    I got on my knees in mortification and began to stack the files again.


    Surprisingly, I felt him beside me. He had crouched down to also help me. I could feel the heat radiating from his body because we were so close. I froze and looked up into his blue eyes and saw him starring at mine as well.


    For a moment I had a tunnel vision, focusing on his face.


    We were interrupted by a knock on the door and he moved away from me swiftly. I suddenly missed the proximity.


    ¡°Come in¡± he said standing up and leaving me to sort out the rest by myself. It was Alice, his secretary.


    ¡°Sir, your 10:00am is here.¡± She said.


    ¡°Send him in.¡±


    After a few moments Mr Alfred Lewis walked into the office. He was one of our clients and hispany specialises in telmunications.


    ¡°Alfred, how nice to see you again.¡± Mr Wilson said to him but he didn¡¯t even acknowledge his greeting. Instead he just stared a me unbelievably.


    ¡°Sophia?¡± He finally asked.


    ¡°Yes, good morning Mr Lewis.¡±


    ¡°Wow, you look different. Very beautiful, I must add.¡±


    At least someone noticed!


    ¡°Thank you sir.¡± I smiled.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    I could see Mr Wilson from the side of my eye. He had narrowed his eyes and was ring at Mr Lewis.


    ¡°Back to work Sophia!¡± He scolded me.


    Him and Mr Lewis began talking but all the while I could feel his eyes on me, which was embarrassing because when I had to reach up to put a folder into the top shelf, I had to pull down my skirt because it kept rising up anytime I stretched.


    When I was finally done, I scrambled out of the office. It was almost lunch time and I couldn¡¯t miss lunch because we were having a conference meeting at 2:00pm which would be extremely long and demanding.


    I sat on my desk for a little while and when it was 1:00pm I left the building with Phoebe to get lunch.

 Chapter 4

    Adam Wilson


    I am having a very difficult time at work today so far and I think it¡¯s going to get worse. I can¡¯t get Sophia out of my mind. Whatever mild feelings I had for her before has intensified.


    It¡¯s like she has infected me like a virus. The only cure is to get her into my bed as soon as possible, maybe that would get rid of the incessant desire for her that I¡¯ve just acquired.


    The one thing preventing me was the fact that she works for me. I have never mixed business with pleasure but all of a sudden she¡¯s be so hard to resist.


    My inte buzzed and I answered. It was my secretary.


    ¡°Sir, everyone is set for the conference. The board of Holt Industries arrived 10 minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Alice, I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡± It was already 2:10pm, I waste.


    I gathered some files and looked through the window adjoining mine and Sophia¡¯s offices. Her blinds were closed.


    I needed her at this meeting so I made my way to her office to remind her to be there.


    Her door was slightly open but just before I entered, I heard her voice.


    ¡°Oh my god! No no no!¡± She said.


    She didn¡¯t sound okay and I was curious as to what was happening to her in there.


    I knew I shouldn¡¯t have but I peered through the slightly open door.


    I froze instantly at what I saw!


    The tight little shirt that I had dreamt about ripping off Sophia¡¯s body earlier was now actually off! Her purplecy bra was on full disy!


    What the fuck is she doing?


    She held her shirt in her hands and I think she was wiping something off of it. I watched her for a few moments until I couldn¡¯t cope anymore.


    I took to my heels.


    I forcefully brushed the indecent image of Sophia that I¡¯d just seen out of my head and walked into the conference room. I greeted my affiliates and started the meeting immediately, refusing to allow what happened to affect me.


    I had managed to do just that for about 5 minutes. But when I saw Sophia walk into the room in nothing but a zer, I lost my cool again.


    Why would shee into a meeting dressed like that?


    I tried my absolute best to concentrate but it was no use. The only thing on my mind was the fact that she wasn¡¯t wearing anything apart from a purple bra beneath that dangerously low cut zer.


    At one point, I asked for whoever was in possession of our business profile to hand them out. Sophia began handing them out, bending over the table and sashaying between each client. I could see some of them had their eyes on her, trying to look beneath the zer and it made me furious.


    I couldn¡¯t handle Sophia being in the conference room anymore dressed like that so when she returned back to her seat next to me, I spoke to her privately.


    ¡°Thank you Sophia but you¡¯ve done enough for today. You should go back to your office and finish the rest of your work.¡± I whispered to her, ensuring no one else heard our conversation.


    ¡°But-¡± She tried to object.


    ¡°Leave.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± She handed the rest of the profiles to me.


    ¡°Wait for me in my office before you leave.¡± I said to her. I needed to have a word with her about her outfit.


    ¡°Alright sir.¡±


    After she left, I performed better and the meeting. My concentration was back on and I was more efficient.


    The meeting was regarding a joint venture with Holt, an aviationpany. We analysed our internal and external policies, procedures and operations of both of ourpanies to see if we would bepatible if we ventured together. Our budgets, safety, morale and workce manners were also examined.


    The meeting went on for another 3 hours and finally concluded around 5pm. The new clients agreed to invest into ourpany and our partnership proposal was also epted.


    This was set to be a major turnaround for our business. I was sure that new opportunities will be unlocked after this and the value of our stocks in the market will definitely increase.


    Afterworking with the new clients over some wine and meal tters, I returned back to my office. The moment I walked in¡­ I heard a faint cracking noise. I looked to my left to find the temptress waiting for me.


    ¡°Mr Wilson, did the meeting go well?¡± She asked, oblivious to all the damage she¡¯d done to me today.


    ¡°Yes. It did.¡± I replied.


    ¡°You said to see you before I left, and it¡¯s now past time. I was just waiting for you to get back.¡± She said nervously.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing a shirt.¡± I got straight to the point, asking her the question seriously. I had an inkling as to the answer but I wanted to hear her side of the story.


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°The shirt you wore this morning. What happened to it?¡±


    ¡°It got ruined really badly at lunch today. It wasn¡¯t my fault it was Phoebe who¡­¡±


    ¡°Be more careful next time. And please don¡¯t show up to any meeting or anywhere in the office dressed in just a zer. From now on, I need you to have at least three spare shirts in your office.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t let this happen again.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± She looked down. She still seemed a little nervous.


    Only then did I look to the floor on my left and notice a tiny broken vase behind her.


    So that¡¯s why I heard a crack.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Mr Wilson I am so sorry, I¡¯ll pay for the damages from my sry. I didn¡¯t mean to, I was just looking at it when it mistakenly fell from my hands. I was frightened when you came in and it slipped. Please, I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    She looked so cute when she begged. I could imagine what she would look like, begging me as I teased her with my fing¡­ Wait what?


    I shook my head rigorously and erased the dirty thought that had creeped into my mind.


    ¡°Miss Parker.¡± I came closer and she took a step back.


    Was she afraid of me?


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    Her eyes were glistening, it looked like she was about to cry which was strange. I wasn¡¯t remotely upset about the vase, I didn¡¯t care enough to scold her about it. But she¡¯d made a handful of errors recently which was slightly concerning.


    ¡°Listen, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not going to charge you for this. It¡¯s only a vase. The only thing you need to do is be more careful. You seem to be making mistakestely, which is very unlike you. Is there anything going on outside of work that I should know about?¡±


    She shook her head in a child-like manner. That was a subtle reminder of the fact that she significantly younger than me and I shouldn¡¯t really be thinking about her in that way.


    Although though her body screamed otherwise.


    ¡°You can leave now Miss Parker. I will see you tomorrow.¡± I stepped aside, letting her go.


    ¡°Thank you sir. See you tomorrow.¡± She said and walked out.


    Once she left my office I tried to workte. But unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t get anything done without thinking about what I had seen earlier in the her office today.


    The image of her beautiful body consumed my thoughts and I found myself wondering what it would feel like to have it perched up against mine. I¡¯m sure she would feel soft and smooth.


    Before I knew it, it was 7:30pm. I hadn¡¯t done a single work, and I was left with a serious hard on.


    Reluctantly, I picked up my phone and called the one person I knew who would be willing to get rid of it for me.


    ¡°Adam, I knew you¡¯d call. You can¡¯t get enough of me.¡±


    ¡°Charlene, can youe over tonight?¡±


    ¡°Of course baby, I¡¯ll be there in two.¡±


    I ended the call and shook my head.


    That woman was so cheap.

 Chapter 5

    Adam Wilson


    I woke up from someone kissing me on my temple. I opened my eyes to see Charlene.


    Oh no!Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Good morning baby.¡±


    I looked at the clock on the side table and saw that is was 9:30am.


    ¡°Charlene! Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡±


    ¡°You looked so peaceful sleeping, I didn¡¯t want to disturb you. Plus, I had enough time to stare at that handsome face of yours.¡± She tried to sound sexy but that only made me cringe.


    Her hand reached out to cup my face but I quickly stopped her. I stood up from the bed and began to put on my clothes.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± She asked


    ¡°Work! Where else?!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°Charlene! I don¡¯t have time for this! I¡¯m alreadyte to work because of you!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have time for what exactly?¡± She asked, slightly confused.


    I didn¡¯t even know why I was angry at her. She was just so annoying for no particr reason.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re treating me like this. First you call me up for us to get back together, now you¡¯re acting strange.¡±


    ¡°Wait, did you think that I called you to get back together?¡± I asked incredulously.


    ¡°Of course! Don¡¯t tell me that this was just a booty call?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh, yes. That¡¯s precisely what it was.¡± I said.


    I was happy that she¡¯d managed to interpret it perfectly without me having to exin it.


    ¡°You bastard.¡± She spat before she started to pack up her things.


    ¡°Hey, at leastst night was fun right?¡± I tried to lighten up the mood a bit, even though I knew I had been an asshole to her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever call me in your life again!¡± She barked before she left my bedroom and mmed the door.


    Wow, it was always so easy getting rid of her. I don¡¯t know what possessed me to call her up in the first ce. Probably because I was seriously horny and the only person I wanted was out of bounds. Charlene was the only immediate solution.


    On reflection, she hadn¡¯t actually solved my problem because I am still not satiated. Sex with her was not as spectacr as it used to be¡­ because now she was the wrong woman.


    I even recalled myself once looking at her eyes as I fucked her but imagining another beautiful pair of eyes which belonged to Sophia. The fact that I was having sex with one woman and thinking about another made me so angry that I sped up the pace angrily making Charlene scream. She had no idea that it was Sophia who was in my mind.


    How pathetic of me.


    *********


    Sophia Parker


    ¡°Miss Parker, I need you toe into my office right now.¡±


    With that I wasted no time jumping up and walking over to his office.


    What¡¯s up with him?


    After all, he waste to work today. Not just 20 minuteste, but 3 hours! Very unlike him.


    Today I toned it down a lot and wore just a simple red dress. I also wore a ck zer over it so I don¡¯t get too cold. When I got into the office I saw Mr Wilson wearing his jacket like he was about to leave.


    ¡°Miss Parker, I have issues to attend to outside the office but I also need some emails replied to as well. Every email that has keywords like ¡®contract¡¯, ¡®megacorp¡¯, and ¡®conglomerate¡¯ in its subject, reply by sending an attachment of the Megacorp contract.¡±


    ¡°Okay sir.¡±


    ¡°Also, Alice is off sick today so I need you to take my calls. Only redirect to me if it¡¯s necessary.¡±


    With that he left, leaving me in his huge office alone. I sat down on his chair and the first thing I noticed was the lingering scent of his cologne. He smelled so masculine, I wonder what it would be like to hug him and drown in his strong scent.


    I quickly recovered from my daydream, which I immediately banned myself from having, and began to actually work. In the course of replying his emails, his phone rang and I answered.


    ¡°Wilson & Co, I¡¯m sorry but Mr Wilson is not avable right now. This is his personal assistant, how can I help?¡± I said politely


    ¡°Who is this?¡± The person barked nastily.


    ¡°Um¡­ Like I said, I¡¯m his personal assistant.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I hope he¡¯s not screwing you too.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me!¡±


    ¡°Tell him that Charlene called and I want to make things work between us, he should call me as soon as possible. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Err, okay.¡±


    Suddenly the line went dead.


    Wow. I had assumed Mr Wilson was semi-single because he hadn¡¯t asked me to deliver flowers or book diner reservations in almost two months. I felt so dumb right now. Of course he wasn¡¯t single! Of course he had a girlfriend! Even if he didn¡¯t, he had people that he was seeing, especially the person who called him on Monday.


    I still don¡¯t stand a chance. I never will. Tears began to fall from my eyes as all the hopes I had had began to crumble again. This happens every time I see him with someone new.


    I need to get over this stupid infatuation I have. He is my boss and it¡¯s wrong for him to ever get involved with me in the first ce . I shouldn¡¯t even care!


    I wiped my stupid tears and looked at the time. It was almost 5pm and Mr Wilson was yet to return.


    I tidied up his desk and turned off the lights. I also packed up my things from my office. I went to the elevator and pressed the button. After waiting patiently, the door opened and I got in.


    There was someone else in the elevator, I usually saw him around the office and in meetings but we¡¯d never really spoke to each other. I believe he led the ounting department.


    ¡°Hey.¡± he spoke to me for the first time.


    ¡°Hi.¡± I smiled at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m Sean Edmund, nice to meet you.¡± He rose his hand and I shook it.


    ¡°Nice to meet you too I¡¯m-¡±


    ¡°Sophia Parker, I know. You¡¯re Adam¡¯s personal assistant.¡±


    Iughed a little at his forwardness. He was quite handsome but not like Mr Wilson. Sean was blonde but they both had blue eyes.


    ¡°Are you okay? Your eyes look a little puffy. Were you just¡­ crying?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Oh¡­ No I wasn¡¯t, I haven¡¯t slept in days that¡¯s all.¡± I smiled weakly.


    ¡°You should get some sleep. How are you getting home?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I¡¯m getting a taxi.¡±


    ¡°Mind if I give you a ride?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    The elevator ride came to a stop and we made our way to his car. He opened the passenger door for me like a gentleman would. And I must say, he had a really nice car. I gave him my address and we started moving.


    ¡°So how long have you worked for Adam?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Its been almost 2 years now.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? I joined thepany about 9 months ago.¡±


    ¡°I know. I remember you. I helped Mr Wilson with shortlisting resumes for the Head of ounting and Finance role. When I saw yours, it was pretty good I must say. I opted for you to get the job.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Heughed and smiled.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±


    Although I don¡¯t remember him getting interviewed which was strange¡­


    ¡°So what¡¯s it like working with him?¡±


    Torture.


    ¡°Umm¡­ It¡¯s okay I guess. He can be very snappy at times but he¡¯s a really good boss. He¡¯s very fair and thoughtful. Definitely the best person I¡¯ve ever worked with.¡±


    ¡°Is he now? How many jobs have you had at so far?¡±


    ¡°Three. This is my third. What about you?¡±


    ¡°Seven.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well¡­ you didn¡¯t put all seven on your resume.¡±


    ¡°No I didn¡¯t.¡± He said. ¡°And that was by choice. There was always something up with the women that I worked with.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had three female bosses and they all wanted to sleep with me. When I refused I got fired. Two ces, I was fired because the women threw themselves at me and uh, we got caught. I had nothing to do with it but they lied and being the man, it seamed fair to fire me instead. No one believed my side of the story.¡±


    ¡°What! That must be terrible! What about your sixth role?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°The sixth ce was my boss¡¯ daughter¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ How old was she?¡± I asked, feeling heavily distraught from his revtion.


    ¡°She was neen. I had only met her a few times before she showed up at my office one day. Let¡¯s just say she made a sudden advance towards me and her dad caught us in apromising position.¡±


    ¡°Wow. You¡¯ve been through a lot. But honestly, who would me those women? You are good looking.¡± I said and heughed a little, looking out my window. I followed his gaze and saw that we had reached my home.


    ¡°Thanks for the ride, I really appreciate it. It was also nice getting to know you a little bit.¡± I said.


    ¡°Same here, Sophia. I guess I¡¯ll see you around at the office?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Have a good night.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    I got out and when I had gotten into my apartment, that¡¯s when he drove off.


    Sean was a very nice guy and also very good looking too. I don¡¯t me those women for throwing themselves at him. But that¡¯s more than enough reason for me to stay away from him. I can¡¯t be with someone who constantly has women prying over them. Even if he doesn¡¯t want to, they¡¯ll make him cheat.


    My phone rang and when I looked at the caller ID, it was Mr Wilson. As usual, my heat skipped a beat.


    ¡°Hello?¡± I answered.


    ¡°Miss Parker, I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t make it back to the office on time. I assume you have left?¡± He asked. There was a lot of background noise where he was. I could just about hear him.


    ¡°Yes, I have.¡±


    ¡°Good. Did you do everything I asked you to do?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. The emails were sent.¡± I confirmed.


    ¡°Did I get any phone calls?¡±


    ¡°Actually, there was one.¡±


    ¡°From who?¡±


    From your vour of the moment!


    ¡°A woman named Charlene. She said-¡± I started but he cut me off instantly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to know what she said. Is that all?¡± He said angrily.


    ¡°That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Good night.¡±


    ¡°Good-¡± beep


    The line got disconnected before I could wish him a nice evening.


    Wow. Talk about being snappy.

 Chapter 6

    Sophia Parker


    It was a Friday, which meant that we were to leave for London today. The conference is on Saturday and in order for us to get there on time, we needed to leave this evening. We would arrive in London by 5am but the actual time there would be 12am. That should give us enough time to get some rest before the event.


    I had already packed my bags and brought them with me to the office today. Most of the things I brought along were work clothes, nothing serious. But Phoebe suggested that I also have outfits for going out. Whenever Mr Wilson and I went on work trips, there was always time to go out and explore so I packed two dresses just in case, anything could happen.


    Mr Wilson didn¡¯t show up during working hours today and I spent the whole day missing his presence. He finally showed up around 5pm, just in time to pick me up so we could go to the airport together.


    As I came out of the building, his driver collected my bag and ced it in the trunk of his Bentley Mulsanne. This was one of Mr Wilson most expensive and spacious cars. He must have used it to host some of his clients today. Once I got in the car, Mr Wilson conducted a full body appraisal of me before he finally graced me with his signature greeting.


    ¡°Hello, Miss Parker.¡± He smiled. That was enough to make my heart malfunction for a few seconds.


    ¡°Good evening Mr Wilson.¡± I managed to not stutter. We began to move.


    ¡°I see you have very few items.¡± Hemented.


    ¡°Yes, there wasn¡¯t much to pack. It¡¯s just for the weekend.¡± I replied.


    After that, he didn¡¯t say anything and an awkward silence followed. I looked at him after a few moments and he was shamelessly staring at me with a smirk on his face.


    Is he checking me out? No way! Mr Wilson would never even look my way. Just in case, I look at what I¡¯m wearing. A grey sleeveless top made of cotton and a ck pencil skirt with my satin knee length boots. It¡¯s okay I guess, not that interesting for Mr Wilson to stare at me like he wants to devour me because that¡¯s what he is doing.


    Because this is a small limo, I am seated directly in front of him with my legs closed in between his legs that are wide open. I don¡¯t know why men have to open their legs so wide when they sit. It¡¯s ridiculous.


    I am so ufortable with this position. I can¡¯t even look directly ahead because Mr Wilson is just ogling me not caring if he gets caught so I turn my head to the side and I am looking at¡­ nothing.


    I began to squirm in my seat due to the difort I am having. Why can¡¯t he just stop looking! Now I¡¯m angry. He is invading my personal space and I don¡¯t like it. I mean, I normally would have loved this attention that he is giving me but it¡¯s just too much right now. And what¡¯s even more annoying is that stupid smirk he has on his face while he is busy viting me with his eyes! What is going on in that silly little head of his!


    ¡°Are you okay Miss Parker? It seems like you¡¯re having a war within yourself.¡± He asked with one of his eyebrows raised. He definitely knew that his gaze was having an effect on me but he decided to y dumb.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just ufortable.¡± I say harshly.


    ¡°Ufortable? What makes you so ufortable?¡± He asked in pretence.


    ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± He feigned confusion.


    ¡°You¡¯re staring at me too much.¡± I said much more sedately, reminding myself that I was speaking to my boss. My sudden outburst was unexpected but he¡¯d pushed me to the edge with his silly little pretence act.


    I didn¡¯t expect his response to be a light chuckle, which only made me fume with more anger.


    Did he actually find it amusing to invade my personal space?!


    ¡°You look lovely today that¡¯s all. Is it wrong for a man to appreciate beauty?¡±


    I swear if the air con wasn¡¯t on right now, I would have melted into a puddle. He literally just called me beautiful! If I wasn¡¯t so mad at him right now I would have probably fan-girled at his statement but I was way too angry.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t appreciating beauty, that was¡­ eye-rape!¡±


    This time heughed loudly. ¡°Eye-rape? Is there even a word like that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! You tell me!¡± I said, feelingpletely mortified! My face was red hot like a tomato, both from anger and embarrassment.


    ¡®Harassment¡¯ would have been more appropriate, but my brain decided to invent such a stupid word in the heat of the moment because I couldn¡¯t think straight.


    I had so many mixed emotions right now and that left me very flustered.


    ¡°Miss Parker, it was never my intention to ¡®eye-rape¡¯ you. Like I said, I was only appreciating how beautiful you look today. I apologise if it made you ufortable. Please, don¡¯t be upset with me.¡± He apologised in a gentlemanly fashion.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said. I was super relieved that he decided to drop this matter. It was certainly one of the most stressful moments of my entire career with him.


    ¡°So how was your day at the office?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Very tedious.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Why? Was it because I wasn¡¯t there?¡± He asked with another smirk tugging at his lips.


    Oh no, he¡¯s back at it again!


    ¡°No¡­ I just didn¡¯t have much to do. Where were you by the way?¡± I asked. ¡°Your diary was empty so I was-¡±


    I stopped myself before Ipleted the sentence. I was just about to share how worried I was about him but he didn¡¯t need to know that¡­ at least not in his current state of derision.


    ¡°You were what?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Were you about to say that you were worried about me?¡± His smirk widened.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t care.¡±


    I hoped that the lie I told was convincing but unfortunately, he didn¡¯t buy it.


    ¡°Miss Parker it¡¯s fine if you were worried about me not showing up to work today. I should have told you that I would being inte.¡±


    ¡°You should have. But really, I wasn¡¯t worried.¡± I lied again.


    ¡°If you say so. I had an urgent matter to finalize with Holton Industries with regards to our meeting held sometime this week. You know, the day you decided to show up in just a zer.¡±


    I gasped at his reference and my poor cheeks turned red once again at the memory of that day.


    ¡°You remember?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t have amnesia. Plus, the sight is a hard one to forget.¡± He winked at me.


    Did he just wink at me?


    I was too shocked to react so I just gaped at him in disbelief.


    Heughed again at my embarrassment.


    Sure, what I did was stupid but it wasn¡¯t like I had any other choice!


    ¡°Sir, I had no choice. I couldn¡¯t show up to the meeting with soiled clothes looking like a clown?.¡±


    ¡°No you couldn¡¯t. But I must admit that I liked what you wore that day. I just didn¡¯t want other men seeing you like that as well. That¡¯s why I had to send you out.¡±


    He liked it?


    Was this his way of acknowledging to me that he found me attractive on that day? Or perhaps, even today as well¡­? A few moments ago, he mentioned that I looked beautiful. Does the great Adam Wilson finally have eyes for me?


    ¡°Is that really why you sent me out of the room?¡± I asked feigning anger. Even though I was dying with happiness inside, I couldn¡¯t give away my true emotions to him so easily.


    ¡°Yes. I was protecting you from the prying eyes of those men.¡± He responded.


    ¡°Well¡­ I didn¡¯t ask for your protection.¡± I challenged.


    I don¡¯t know where I got the courage to talk to him in this way. On a very normal day I would never talk back to Mr Wilson. Maybe the thought of him fancying me gave me a huge self-confidence boost.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡°You are my employee and it¡¯s stated in the Health and Safety policy of your contract that I, as your employer and direct line manager, have responsibility over your safety and security during your employment.¡±


    ¡°Ohe on! Not in that respect. You made me look stupid when you kicked me out.¡±


    ¡°No. Those men were looking at you and I couldn¡¯t help it. I don¡¯t like to share what¡¯s mine.¡±


    I gasped. He said that so causally and possessively, as if I¡¯m an object.


    ¡°I¡¯m not yours.¡±


    Although, the thought of belonging to him appealed to me a little bit¡­


    ¡°Yes, you are. You work for me, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make me your property.¡±


    ¡°I never said you were property. Miss Parker, why are you being so difficult today?¡± He raised his eyebrow again.


    ¡°It¡¯s because you annoyed me earlier!¡± I revealed, feeling entirely worn out and consumed by this conversation. I put my fingers on my temple and gently gave myself a massage.


    He didn¡¯te back with anything and for a moment we both settled into a warm silence. It was definitely needed. Most of my trips with Mr Wilson we¡¯re silent, with asional discussion about work-rted topics. This was the most personal we had ever gotten in entire time working for him.


    ¡°You look sexy when you¡¯re annoyed.¡± He blurted out.


    My mouth flew open at hisment and he smiled.


    That¡¯s it! Something is definitely wrong with this man. I wonder how much alcohol he¡¯s had to consume today¡­


    No matter how much I liked what he said, that was the most unprofessional thing I¡¯ve ever heard him say to me. And he knew it was because he had that stupid smug look on his face. It was so cheesy, all I wanted to do was p him right across the face!


    I didn¡¯t care, I reached out to p him but he was too quick and he caught my hand midair.


    ¡°Let go of me!¡± I struggled to get my hand out if his hold.


    ¡°Did you just try to assault me Miss Parker?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And you deserved it.¡±


    Sure, I may have had fantasies of all kinds about this man but this was not how I ever pictured us crossing the line of professionalism. This was way too poor and lousy. I couldn¡¯t believe the cheek of him!


    ¡°Why? Because I called you sexy? Isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡±


    To be fair, it was a good thing. It was pretty amazing. He has called me both beautiful and sexy today and I honestly feel ecstatic. But I had to pretend because this was so wrong.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t speak to me like that!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it Miss Parker. A sexy woman deserves to be spoken to that way.¡± He said in a low seductive voice that made my thighs clench.


    I couldn¡¯t believe this was happening. What hase over Mr Wilson? He would never speak to me this way!

 Chapter 7

    I reached out again with my other hand. This time he was even quicker before and he caught my hand again. Now he had both my hands held prisoner.


    ¡°I admire your courage Miss Parker.¡±


    ¡°Let me go, please.¡± I said defeatedly and he smiled in satisfaction. He held me like that for a moment, enjoying how helpless I looked before he finally let me go. My hands stung lightly from his hold. They felt like handcuffs.


    ¡°You hurt me.¡± I said rubbing my wrists.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but you attacked me. I was simply defending myself.¡±


    I was about to give him a sassy response but then it dawned on me once again that he was ultimately my boss and this entire encounter was unprofessional. I¡¯d never spoken like this to him before. I even tried to hit him! I¡¯m lucky that he took it lightheartedly and that I still have my job.


    Just then, his phone rang and he answered the call.


    ¡°Hello.¡± He said. I couldn¡¯t hear who was on the other line but when the person spoke up Mr Wilson¡¯s face suddenly became angry.


    ¡°Oh for heaven¡¯s sake! What the fuck do you want?!¡± He was fuming with anger at this point and I became scared. The mood had certainly shifted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever call this number again! I don¡¯t want to hear anything you have to say to me!¡±


    He ended the call and tapped away on his phone. I could swear that I saw him block the caller ID of that person. Even I have never made him this angry before.


    I think that he should have at least heard what the person had to say to him, it could have been important.


    I remembered when I told him that a woman named Charlene had a message for him and hepletely didn¡¯t want to hear it. Could the same person on the phone be Charlene? I thought they were lovers.


    ¡°Mr Wilson is everything alright?¡± I asked, seriously concerned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything will be fine.¡± He looked up. ¡°I think were here.¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    I looked through the window and indeed we were at the airport. The driver alighted and came round to open the door for the both of us. The jet¡¯s crew also helped transport our bags into our private ne.


    We boarded the ne and Mr Wilson made me sit directly opposite him so we were facing each other. I protested at first but then I remembered he was in a bad mood and I didn¡¯t want to upset him any further so I agreed to sit opposite him once again. Soon enough, we had taken off and were on our way to London.


    ***********************


    Adam Wilson


    An 8 hour flight alone with Sophia Parker. I couldn¡¯t ask for anything better. I wanted to use this time to get to know her on a more personal level because I fancy the pants off her.


    Throughout today she consumed my thoughts and I couldn¡¯t wait to pick her up from work so I could see her. Evenst night I had the most sexy dream ever. In the dream, Sophia and I were kissing in my office. She had been so responsive in my dream. I had lifted her up onto my desk and she began unbuttoning my shirt. Just as I was about to do hers, my rm decided to wake me up and the dream ended. I was so angry that I smashed it on the floor and it broke.


    When I finally picked her up from the office I was so happy. I couldn¡¯t help but rey the dream in my head when I saw her. I wonder what it would feel like kissing her pretty lips. They felt so soft in the dream and I really wanted to kiss them badly right now!


    I am going to explore whatever it is that I have for Sophia because she makes me feel a way that no other woman has made me feel before. I covered whatever feelings I had for her with hostility but now, I¡¯m going to stop fighting it. Starting from when I picked her up. I was enjoying our time together until that nuisance Charlene called to ruin the mood.


    Right now we are on the ne together and Sophia is with me. That¡¯s all that matters now.


    ¡°Mr Wilson, did you force me to sit here with you so you could stare at me the whole flight?¡± She asked me. I hadn¡¯t even realized I had been staring at her for quite a while.


    ¡°Yes I did.¡± I said with a charming smile.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± She groaned and covered her face with her hands which made meugh. She was also cute, I must add.


    ¡°Are you hungry yet?¡±


    ¡°Yes please, I¡¯m starving.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I pressed a button and our private flight attendant came up to me. I purchased food for the both of us and we were served steak, potatoes with gravy and some sd. I watched as Sophia indulged in her food.


    I was really impressed by her exquisite taste. She licked her lips when she was done eating and I couldn¡¯t stop the illicit thoughts that went through my head. I wondered how her lips would feel wrapped around a certain part of my- No!


    I stopped myself before I could think further. With Sophia I needed to take things slow. She looked¡­ innocent, but I know she isn¡¯t.


    ¡°Thanks for ordering the food. It was nice.¡± She said.


    ¡°No worries.¡±


    I could now see tiredness in her eyes and I knew she needed to sleep.


    ¡°You can use the bedroom if you need to sleep. I¡¯ll wake you upter.¡± I offered.


    I was also tired but I decided to take a nap on my seat. Like I said, I wanted to take things slow with Sophia. I don¡¯t want to scare her away.


    Sleeping on the same bed with her wasn¡¯t an option right now.


    But very soon it will be¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Adam Wilson


    ¡°Kiss me again.¡± she said.


    Instead of kissing her hard and fast like I did before, I kissed her slowly and passionately this time savoring every single moment.


    We pulled apart and our breaths came heavily.


    ¡°You are such a good kisser.¡± She blushed.


    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m addicted to the taste of your lips.¡± I said to her. She blushed even more.


    We are on the couch in my office and she is straddling me. She looks so tempting because she is wearing the same zer with no blouse underneath, just like the day of the conference.


    I am wondering what she looks like beneath that her zer. She caught my gaze and the outline of her nipples became visible through the zer. The sight of them was enough to drive me mad!


    ¡°Please let me have a look Sophia. They are all I¡¯ve been thinking about.¡± I said painfully.


    She slowly brought her hands to her button of her zer and popped it open. More of her beautiful skin is revealed to me and I can now see howrge and firm they were. Her face reddened as she popped another button and her zer finally released her breasts from being constrained. I stared in anticipation, waiting eagerly for her to pop thest button. When she did, I noticed she wasn¡¯t even wearing a bra to begin with. She opened up her zer to expose her perky nipples but then I heard a very loud sound.


    ¡ª¡ª-


    I woke up instantly and I could still hear the sound. The pilot was making an announcement that we will bending in less than 30 minutes. I cursed under my breath because I was having a very sexy dream about Sophia and I didn¡¯t get to do anything before I woke up. Damn that pilot!


    I stood up and went to freshen up in the restroom. When I was done I went to the bedroom to wake Sophia up.


    I knocked on the door and surprisingly she was awake and invited me in.


    When I got inside, I saw her making the bed neatly.


    ¡°Hey, did you sleep alright?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, I did. And yourself?¡±


    I would have, if only my steamy dream hade to an end properly. I looked at her as she bent down and tucked in the sheets.


    What I wouldn¡¯t give to have Sophia on this bed right now.


    Hell! I¡¯d give all my money and sell all my worldly possessions if only I could have that.


    ¡°I slept okay.¡± I said quickly. ¡°Prepare fornding.¡± Then I walked out as fast as I could, taking myself out of that situation before I acted on impulse.


    She came out of the bedroom a few momentster. She sat in front of me and fastened her seatbelt.


    We both patiently waited for the ne tond. When we alighted, we were greeted with cold temperature. I could see Sophia shivering by my side so I removed my jacket and put it around her.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She said and I gently lead her towards the car.


    Our bags were loaded, and we arrived at the Four Seasons a little bit under an hour.


    The hotel had a very nice view of London and it wasn¡¯t too far from where the conference was being held. I looked at Sophia and saw how her eyes lit up because of how beautiful the hotel was.


    I don¡¯t know why¡­ but I enjoyed seeing her happy.


    We took the elevator to the penthouse suite and I could see Sophia wriggling ufortably.


    ¡°Are you alright Miss Parker?¡±


    ¡°Yes I am.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± She was dancing around, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.


    ¡°I just need to used the restroom.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Once we got into our suite, Sophia dashed inside scouting for where the restroom. Our bags were whirled inside and in the mean time, I ordered us some food.


    I explored the pent house and discovered two rooms, one spacious bathroom, a living room and a guest powder room which Sophia currently upied.


    ¡°I just ordered some food for us.¡± I told her when she returned.


    ¡°Thanks. I¡¯m just need to shower first¡­ is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Sure, go ahead. I believe there¡¯s a bathroom in between our rooms.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you mean one adjoining bathroom?¡± Her eyes widened.


    I was quite surprised myself. Although I chose the hotel, I left the task of booking our rooms with her so I expected her to know about this arrangement. It seemed like she didn¡¯t and perhaps this was an error on her part.


    ¡°Yes. Are you okay with that?¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± She said, but she didn¡¯t sound so sure. ¡°I¡¯m just worried that one of us might¡­ you know, walk in on the other.¡±


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem if you just lock the door. But don¡¯t forget to open it up when you¡¯re done.¡± I told her.


    ¡°Okay.¡± She nodded and disappeared.


    That wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing though, I thought to myself.


    I would love to walk in on Sophia having a shower. I can already picture her body¡­ naked¡­ with droplets of water running through it. I imagined her inviting me in to join her and we end up touching each other. I could just picture us making love in the shower-


    Ding


    Oh for fucks sake!

 Chapter 8

    I open the door harshly and saw it was room service with the food. I moved aside for him to roll it in, paid him the money, and then he left.


    Sophia came out some momentster dressed in a huge white bathrobe.


    ¡°You know it¡¯s 2:30 in the morning, a bit toote for us to be having dinner.¡± She said.


    ¡°Your right, but in New York it¡¯s 7:30 which is an appropriate time to have breakfast, and we are New Yorkers. Plus, we¡¯re still jetgged.¡±


    ¡°True. It¡¯s also been a long time since we had something to eat.¡± Sheughed an angelicugh.


    The sound of her voice made my heart flutter. I quickly ignored it and took a seat at the table. She followed suit and sat beside me.


    Her hair was slightly wet and she smelled like fresh apples. All I could think about was what was underneath that massive robe.


    ¡°So what did you order?¡± She smiled at me.


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± My mind went momentarily nk. Her smile made me forget what I ordered.


    She went ahead to remove the cloche, revealing the food.


    ¡°Ooo, english breakfast. Thank you.¡± She smiled and began to eat.


    In my lifetime, no woman¡¯s beauty has ever had me lost for words. What I currently felt was beyond just a sexual attraction.


    Have I fallen for Sophia?


    That could only be the exnation for these newly acquired feelings of mine. I dream about her, fantasize about her, and think about her all the time. Seeing her happy makes me happy. Like now.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to have some Mr Wilson?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Of course. Yes, I will.¡± I said, bringing my mind back to reality.


    When she was done eating, she stood up.


    ¡°Thanks again for the food, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow- I mean,ter today.¡± She was about to retire into her room but I stopped her. I didn¡¯t want her to leave yet.


    ¡°Wait!¡± I called out to her and she stopped in her tracks, turning around to face me.


    I stood up and slowly walked up to her. I was battling with myself¡­ whether or not I should do what I really wanted to. I stood in front of her and held her face in my hands for a few moments.


    She looked up at me with wide alert eyes. She knew what I wanted to do¡­ but I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it. I would be crossing so many lines if I did¡­ so I let her go.


    ¡°Goodnight Miss Parker.¡±


    She was stunned by my actions but I could swear I saw a hint of disappointment in her eyes before she retired into her room.


    The moment she left, I instantly regretted my actions and wished that I had actually kissed her.


    I feel so angry with myself as I went to take a shower. Throughout, the only thing on my mind was the fact that Sophia was naked in this same spot just moments ago.


    I don¡¯t think there is anything I think about other than Sophia. She¡¯s always on my mind 24/7 and it¡¯s not healthy. I came out of the shower and tried to sleep. I didn¡¯t bother putting anything on because I prefer sleeping nude.


    I wondered if Sophia sometimes slept nude too. Se would look perfect lying naked on my bed in my apartment in-


    Wait what?!


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I run my hands through my hair in frustration with myself over these wild thoughts that I kept having.


    I need to get this woman out of my system!


    I wasn¡¯t even looking forward to closing my eyes because I knew I¡¯d have dreams about her.


    Unfortunately, tonight was bound to be one of my many sleepless nights.


    ********************


    Sophia Parker


    All I could think about was that weird moment when Mr Wilson held my face and told me to have a goodnight.


    What was the point of that?


    Never had he ever done such a thing like that before. I got excited because I thought he was going to kiss me on the lips but I was a little disappointed when he didn¡¯t.


    In my history of traveling with Mr Wilson, he has never been this nice to me. I like the way he¡¯s treating me, perhaps he has finally noticed me as a woman. He called me beautiful, sexy and said I looked lovely. That was the first time he ever used those type of words to me and I loved it! I gradually closed my eyes and I can see Mr Wilsons handsome face smiling at me as I drift into slumber.


    ***


    I woke up reallyte today. It was 9:30am but the conference is by 11am. I quickly got up and started preparing. Before I entered the bathroom I made sure I knocked so I don¡¯t run in on Mr Wilson. Luckily he wasn¡¯t there and I quickly took a shower.


    I wore a ck trouser suit and a light blue shirt with ck heels. I put my hair up in a tight and very neat bun which made my face look sharp. I applied nude makeup on my face, going for a very natural and simple look.


    And with that, I was all set and ready.


    I came out expecting to see Mr Wilson in the living room but he wasn¡¯t. I wanted to wait for him but I decided it would be better if I check up on him, just in case he¡¯s still sleeping. I knocked on his door a number of times but he did not answer. Could he still be sleeping or he¡¯s not even around? There¡¯s only one way to find out.


    I turned the door knob and surprisingly, it opened! I carefully walked in but discovered that he wasn¡¯t in.


    Where could he be?


    I decided to call his phone and when I did, it surprisingly began to ring from somewhere inside his room.


    So he left his cell phone? That¡¯s odd.


    I was startled when I saw someone emerge from a walk-in closet, only to find Mr Wilson himself.


    ¡°Miss Parker¡­¡± He also looked surprised to see me. ¡°I was just about to answer your call.¡±


    My knees went weak the moment I saw him. He was shirtless, only wearing his suit trousers. I had never seen such perfectly sculpted male anatomy before.


    His pectorals wererge and firm and his arms looked so strong. Let¡¯s not get into those abs and that V-line.


    My knees felt like they were going to give out at any moment. So much so that I had to sit on his bed.


    ¡°I- I- I¡¯m sorry Mr W- Wilson. I didn¡¯t- I wasn¡¯t-¡± I paused to breathe. ¡°I thought y- you weren¡¯t in.¡± I said nervously.


    Mr Wilson clearly saw the effect had on me because he was smiling. He began to walk slowly towards me.


    He reached out for his shirt that was ced right beside me on his bed, purposefully leaning in very close to me.


    I almost fainted.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    My head literally went dizzy from how close the proximity of his body was to me. He had such an amazing build and I couldn¡¯t stop looking!


    ¡°I think is best if I put on my shirt. I don¡¯t feelfortable with you ¡®eye-raping¡¯ me.¡± He used the term I made up yesterday. I swear he was having fun watching me squirm like this over him.


    My cheeks went red instantly. I suddenly felt bad for staring wantonly at him.


    He was my boss! At the end of the day, this simply wasn¡¯t right!


    This was beyond just a silly dream or fantasy, this was reality.


    Last night, I could swear on my life that he was going to kiss me. We were both treading on dangerous territories with each other. It may have seemed fun at first but I don¡¯t think I had the courage to actually go through with it.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry sir, I¡¯ll wait outside.¡± I said.


    I started to dash out of the room but he caught me by my arm.


    ¡°Stay.¡± He said with very little emotion.


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I¡¯m sorry.¡± I escaped his grasp and ran out.

 Chapter 9

    Adam Wilson


    The look on Sophia¡¯s face when I walked out of the closet was priceless. I didn¡¯t know I could have that much effect on her. She literally ran away!


    I couldn¡¯t help but notice how gorgeous she looked with her hair styled that way, it made her look a lot more mature.


    I called our driver and got ready before I came out of my room to join Sophia. She was sitting quietly at the dining table.


    ¡°Miss Parker, our driver should be here any minute. Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes I am.¡± She said not looking me in the eye, she was still embarrassed by what happened earlier.


    I decided to respect her boundaries and put what happenedpletely behind us.


    ¡°What¡¯s in the portfolio?¡± I ask looking at the huge folder she had on herp.


    ¡°Just business cards, contact information, a small bio and lists of our services.¡±


    ¡°Brilliant.¡±


    The driver arrived few minutester. We both took the elevator down and got into the car. The venue wasn¡¯t far from the hotel considering we got there in 10 minutes.


    There were quite a number of people in attendance. The most innovate ideas were presented during the conference. Not only did we learn new things, but we made new business contacts. The sales pitch for Wilson & Co. went well and we made 8 new clients.


    One of them was Spencer Hyde and he dealt with sr power equipment. We could really use those in ourpany so we nned to invest in each other. Luckily, his headquarters was located in New York just like ours so it wouldn¡¯t be a problem doing business with him.


    The conference ended by 1pm but we stayed for a little longer for aworking session. Sophia was perfect during this, handing out business cards and information about ourpany to various people. We were done for the day and I could tell that Sophia was exhausted.


    ¡°Would you love to grab some lunch Miss Parker?¡±


    ¡°Yes please! I¡¯m quite starved. But do you mind if I change out of my work clothes first?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Not a problem at all, let¡¯s head to the hotel first shall we?¡±


    I lead her towards the car, trying to avoid photographs from the press as mush as possible. Once we were safely in the car, we could rx.


    ¡°So what did you think of today?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Very groundbreaking.¡± She smiled.


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°Where are we headed to, sir?¡± The driver asked. From the way he spoke, I could tell he was from Yorkshire.


    ¡°The hotel first for few minutes, then The Shard.¡±


    Sophia gasped. ¡°That¡¯s in the tallest building in London!¡±


    ¡°It is indeed. It also has a lovely view.¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t wait.¡± She said excitedly. I loved doing things that made her happy. Her smile is my weakness. I could go the extra mile just to see her pretty face light up.


    When we arrived at the hotel, Sophia quickly got out of the car to get changed. I didn¡¯t need to change because I was already in a suit, which is my normal attire. All I did was take of my tie and loosen the first button of my shirt to look more casual. I was beginning to get impatient when Sophia didn¡¯te down after 5 minutes. Not to be sexist, but what is it with women always taking forever to dress up!


    After another 5 minutes Sophia came down. She was wearing a see-through ck dress that had long sleeves and was not too short, the way it hugged her body made me see her beautiful shape. She had changed to lower heels and her hair was now loose. She looked so amazing. She entered the car and sat beside me.


    We got to The Shard and took the lift to the restaurant which was on the 31st floor. There wererge ss windows everywhere that gave us a panoramic view of the city. I looked at Sophia and saw appreciation written all over her face.


    ¡°This is so lovely, Thank you Mr Wilson.¡±


    ¡°No worries.¡± I said while looking at her. She looked at me, about to say something but stopped when she realized how close our faces were. The urge to kiss her was too much and it took a lot of virtue to stop myself from making out with her in front of the whole restaurant, thankfully a waiter interrupted us. I got us a table for two beside the window and he led us there.


    Instead of looking at the menu, Sophia kept peering out the window.


    ¡°Miss Parker, aren¡¯t you going to decide on what to eat-¡±


    ¡°Oh my god! I¡¯ve spotted the London Eye! It¡¯s right over there!¡± She interrupted me. Sophia was pointing through the ss like a fascinated 6 year old. ¡°Oh and the Tower Bridge is right there! Do you see it Mr Wilson?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I see it. If you ce your order now and we finish eating on time, we can go sightseeing if you want.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, I¡¯d love that.¡± She quickly picked up her menu and started scanning which made meugh a little.


    The waiter came after a while and took our orders. I ordered a roasted ck cod with broli & green beans while Sophia ordered steamed monkfish with poached & roasted potatoes.


    ¡°Any drinks?¡± The waiter asked.


    ¡°Bordeaux 2001.¡± I said.


    ¡°No Mr Wilson! That¡¯s way too expensive!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the money, this is what I drink regrly.¡±


    ¡°Why would you buy a drink for 315 only on a date? That¡¯s not reasonable.¡± She said firmly.


    ¡°A date?¡± I asked with amusement.


    Sophia¡¯s eyes widened at what she had said.


    Is that what this was to her? A date?


    She didn¡¯t respond to me and I saw her cheeks turn red, as usual when she¡¯s extremely embarrassed.


    ¡°Make that Rose instead.¡± I said to the waiter quickly dispatching him with a wave of my hand.


    ¡°Miss Parker-¡± I started but she cut me off instantly.


    ¡°Look! I didn¡¯t know what else to call this okay! ¡°Date¡± was the only word that popped into my mind at the time.¡± She said defensively.


    ¡°Then would you consider all the times we had food together at restaurants as dates?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Those weren¡¯t dates. Neither is this. I shouldn¡¯t have used that word in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy you used it. Let this be our first official date.¡± I smiled.


    ¡°No, this is not a date!¡±


    ¡°Shhh, you argue too much Sophia.¡±


    ¡°Sophia? Are we on first name basis now? Mr Wilson, I¡¯ve told you this is not a date. You¡¯ve just been so unusually nice to me and I forgot that you¡¯re my boss. Please call me Miss Parker like you always do.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯ve called you by your first name before but you¡¯ve neverined.¡± I countered.


    ¡°Yes you have, but only when I did something wrong and you yelled at me.¡±


    ¡°That is simply not true. Besides, me calling you Miss Parker is to keep things professional between us.¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Why would it be anything asides professional?¡± She said without a hitch. Her words bruised my ego a little bit.


    It¡¯s either she was denying the burning attraction between us or she genuinely was not attracted to me, but that can¡¯t be possible. The way she reacted to me shirtless today was enough to prove that she felt something for me.


    The waiter came back with our food and served it to us. Another waiter came with the bottle of rose and two sses.


    ¡°Are we still up for sightseeing?¡± She asked.


    It was almost 3pm and it was already getting dark because it was early winter here in London.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting dark but we can if you still want to.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I think the City looks very beautiful and well lit during the nighttime.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡±


    We ate the rest of our food in silence and it took Sophia less than 10 minutes to finish her meal. She really wanted to see the City. I was happy to have brought her here.


    As we were leaving The Shard I began to think of ces we could visit first.


    ¡°Do you want us to use the driver or should we take the trains?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take the trains! That¡¯ll be more fun!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I dismissed the driver. ¡°Where do you want to go first?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, you take me anywhere.¡± She said smiling.


    ¡°There¡¯s Madame Tussauds here in London. Have you been to the one in New York before?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Is it the one with life-size figures?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think we should go there first.¡± I said as I led her to London Bridge underground station. It was the closest because it was just a minute away. I got oyster cards for both of us and was about to top them up with 50 each but Sophia stopped me.


    ¡°Mr Wilson! 50 is too much, were not even going to use up to 30 today!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter Sophia, lets just have enough.¡±


    ¡°Mr Wilson please, 30 is more than enough.¡± She whined and I ended up putting 30 in both.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter Sophia, lets just have enough.¡±


    ¡°Mr Wilson please, 30 is more than enough.¡± She whined and I ended up putting 30 in both.


    When we got underground, I held on to Sophia tight because there were so many people everywhere. I lead us to the jubilee line and our train wasing in 3 minutes.


    ¡°This is soplicated.¡± She said to herself and Iughed. ¡°Did I say that out loud.¡±


    ¡°You did.¡± I said looking at her as her cheeks turned red. ¡°We¡¯re hopping on the train going towards Willesden Green but we¡¯ll get down at Baker Street Station. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay. How long would it take before we get there?¡±


    ¡°About 20 minutes.¡±


    The train arrived and luckily it wasn¡¯t full so Sophia and I got seats beside each other.


    ¡°Did you ever live in London Mr Wilson?¡± She asked me.


    ¡°Yes, I went to uni here for my masters degree.¡±


    ¡°Really? What uni?¡±


    ¡°London School of Economics.¡±


    ¡°No wonder why you¡¯re so familiar with the transport system here. I also heard that LSE is a very good university.¡±


    ¡°Yes it is. It¡¯s Russell Group.¡±


    ¡°Do you prefer it here or back home in New York?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I really love it here, but only for short periods like holidays, business, or a one year course. I think living in New York is better for me. That¡¯s where my real home is and my business is established there as well.¡±


    We talked some more and before we knew it, our stop was next.


    ¡®We are now approaching Baker Street. Change here for Madame Tussauds. Mind the gap between the train and the tform.¡¯


    Sophia was excited when we came out. We got to the museum in a few minutes and bought 2 Premium tickets for 150. I watched as Sophia delighted in the well sculpted life-sized figures of celebrities and notable people. She made me take thousands of pictures of her with Obama, Queen Elizabeth, George Clooney, David Beckham¡­ literally almost everyone. She even forced me in some pictures as well.


    ¡°That was memorable! Thank you Mr Wilson!¡± She said as she pulled me in for a hug. I was surprised but I hugged her back.


    ¡°I should take you to Oxford Street. It¡¯s the busiest shopping street in the whole of Europe.¡±


    ¡°Take me pwease.¡± She said like a little child.

 Chapter 10

    We got back into the station and took a two stop train to Oxford Circus Station. We got there in 8 minutes and the moment we came out of the station, the streets were bustling with so many people. I checked the time only to see that it was 6:00pm and the streets were as busy as peak period.


    ¡°There are so many people here. What time do the shops close?¡± Sophia asked.


    ¡°Most close by 9:00pm but others close earlier by 8:00pm. Come on, there¡¯s a Ted Baker right around the corner there. Lets go there first.¡± I said pulling her with me.


    We had entered quite a few stores and by the time we were done shopping, it was 7:15pm. We didn¡¯t spend much time but we had a lot of bags. I called my driver up to meet us at the station to take our bags to the hotel.


    ¡°There¡¯s onest ce I want us to visit before we finally go home.¡± I said to Sophia.


    ¡°Where is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a surprise. We have to hurry up because it¡¯ll be closing in less than 2 hours.¡±


    ¡°Please Mr Wilson, tell me!¡± She pleaded as she followed me underground.


    ¡°Then it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise anymore. All I can tell you is that we¡¯reing down at Waterloo Station.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± I smirked.


    She groaned then gave up. After about 15 minutes we got out of the train and when we came out of the station, Sophia¡¯s eyes widened like a tarsier. Just a few meters from us was the Eye of London.


    ¡°You brought me to see the London Eye?¡± She squealed.


    ¡°Not just see it, we¡¯re going on it.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    I bought us two fast tickets and in about 20 minutes, we were in our own private capsule.


    ¡°This is so beautiful, have you ever ridden the Eye before now?¡± She asked me.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°With who?¡±Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°My family. Only once though.¡±


    I put my arm around her as we enjoyed the view and she rested her head on my shoulder. The view was magnificent and I was happy I was sharing it with her. We were like that for a few minutes until she spoke up.


    ¡°You¡¯ve spent over 5, 000 today.¡±


    ¡°Have I?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been keeping track. From the food, to transport, to all the tickets and the shopping which was the most.¡±


    ¡°See, this is the exact reason why I hired you as my personal assistant. You¡¯re very efficient. So far, you have been the best and longest I¡¯ve ever had.¡±


    ¡°Mr Wilson, I feel terrible for making you spend all that money. Everything you¡¯ve done today was for me and-¡±


    ¡°Sophia.¡± I lifted her face with my finger. ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel bad because I spent money on you. 5, 000 is nothingpared to what I have left. The most important thing is that we had an amazing time together today. You feeling terrible about money is ruining it.¡± I said looking at her.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m sorry.¡± She said and I cupped the side her face in my hand.


    ¡°I really enjoyed today.¡± I told her.


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s just one more thing left to do.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± She asked.


    ¡°This.¡±


    I held her face in my hands and slowly pressed my lips to hers for a gentle kiss.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Sophia Parker


    ¡°I really enjoyed today.¡± He said to me.


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s just one more thing left to do.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°This.¡±


    He held my face in his hands and did the unexpected.


    He kissed me!


    The kiss was very gentle and I expected him to pull away after a while but he didn¡¯t! Instead, he put his hand on my waist and pulled me closer to him, pressing my body against his. I could feel the heat radiating from his body and I could breathe his masculine scent.


    I could not believe that this was really happening!


    He moulded my body to his enclosing me in a tight embrace. At first I hesitated but soon I wrapped my arms around him and finally kissed him back. It felt so amazing and just when I thought it couldn¡¯t get any better, he deepened the kiss. I couldn¡¯t stop myself from moaning.


    I¡¯ve ached for this moment forever and I still couldn¡¯t believe it has finally happened! It felt so much better than I¡¯d ever imagined it to be. Kissing Mr Wilson¡¯s was so wonderful. Oh my god, I loWilson


    w he tasted so much!


    Things began to get heated and the kiss became rough. Mr Wilson was kissing me like his life depended on it and I was drowning in pleasure.


    ¡°Open your pretty mouth for me Sophia.¡± He said in between the kiss.


    I did as I was told and he slipped his tongue into my mouth, stroking lightly. Raw passion unfolded as he made love to my mouth.


    ¡°You¡¯re sensational.¡± He groaned.


    I had never felt so much pleasure coarse through my veins before. I slipped my fingers into his hair, getting a good grip and he moaned. It was the sexiest sound I¡¯d ever heard.


    If this is what kissing Mr Wilson feels like then I wonder what making love to him will be like. Just imagining it made my toes curl.


    We pulled apart for some air but Mr Wilson didn¡¯t stop. He kept kissing from my cheek to my jaw to my neck and we were both breathing heavily.


    ¡°Oh god Sophia you are so beautiful, do you know that?¡± He murmured against my ear, brushing his lips against it.


    ¡°Mr Wilson¡­ please¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know what I was begging for. Whatever it was, I needed it it so badly.


    ¡°Say my name Sophia.¡± His hand were busy exploring my body, moulding my hips and squeezing my waist.


    ¡°Adam!¡± I couldn¡¯t believe it but I moaned his name.


    ¡°Yes baby.¡± He said, reverting back to my lips. The way he kissed me created a burning sensation between my legs.


    We went on and on, ravishing each other until we were interrupted by a phone call.


    We pulled apart for good this time and it was his personal phone that rang. He checked the caller ID, only important calls were made on this phone and this could be one of them.


    ¡°Give me a moment Sophia.¡± He quickly pressed a kiss on my lips and went to take the call, leaving me in a bedazzled state. I was so aroused that I had to clench my thighs together tightly and hold on to the bar to steady myself. If not, I would have melted to the ground like a puddle.


    That kiss was so overwhelming!


    I had never been kissed like that before, he was such an expert. I traced my lips with my fingers still relishing in the mind blowing kiss I just shared with Mr Wilson. It was so good that I even called out his first name!


    Wait¡­ that is so unprofessional!


    Reality hit me like a trailer.


    Kissing Mr Wilson had felt so good and although I had wanted it for so long, it wasn¡¯t a good idea.


    There should be a boundary between work and personal life but how is that possible when you¡¯re kissing your boss?


    Oh my god, there are a thousand and one reasons why you shouldn¡¯t date your boss. In this type of rtionship, there is a slim chance of things working out. If things don¡¯t work out between Mr Wilson and I, it will definitely get awkward. What¡¯s worse is if he moves on, which he will, and he¡¯ll start to see other women. That would be so humiliating and I¡¯ll definitely loose my job. Either he fires me, or I quit because we can¡¯t avoid each other at work forever.


    This is the best paid job I¡¯ve ever had and I¡¯m not ready to loose it. This whole attraction to Mr Wilson may just be a psychological thing. For the part year that I¡¯ve worked with him, I have always found him charming, mysterious and confident. Which is everything a girl could want in a man. That¡¯s why women keep flocking at his feet and I am no different from those women.


    Come to think of it, most of Mr Wilson¡¯s rtionships ended on bad terms. Either he cheated or got bored. Especially the ones he got bored with, he brutally disposed them. What if I begin a rtionship with him and he gets bored with me? Let alone cheats on me? I don¡¯t think I can handle that.


    It¡¯s best for me to hide this silly little crush in my bra and concentrate on work because getting involved with Mr Wilson will only lead to nothing but heartbreak.

 Chapter 11

    All this time I have wasted dreaming about how handsome he is, obsessing and crying over him, I could have been with someone else. Someone like Sean the ountant, he seems like a very nice person. Although he too has women falling at his feet also, but I¡¯ll rather risk it with him than Mr Wilson.


    ¡°It was a pleasure discussing with you Spencer. We¡¯ll see where those sr panels can be ced when we get to New York. Take care then.¡± He cut the phone and turned to face me. I was ready to tell him what was just on my mind.


    ¡°That was one of the clients I met today and we¡¯re doing a little business. How do you feel about sr energy in the office? I¡¯m nning on installing panels at the rooftop of the building.¡± He said to me.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be a great idea sir.¡± I said and heughed at me.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Sophia, you can call me Adam. I love it when you say my name.¡± He came closer to me.


    ¡°Sir-¡±


    ¡°Shhh, where were we before we were interrupted by that phone call?¡± He ced his hands on my hips but I quickly removed them.


    ¡°Mr Wilson, we shouldn¡¯t be doing this.¡± I told him. He looked surprised.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s wrong. This is bad.¡±


    ¡°It seems right to me, and it certainly feels good.¡± He tried to kiss me again but I stopped him by putting my hand on his chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious. You¡¯re my boss and I¡¯m your employee. We shouldn¡¯t be doing things like this. It wouldn¡¯t end well and I don¡¯t want to risk anything.¡±


    He looked at me for a while and thought about what I just said. Then he took a deep breath.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, I¡¯m sorry. We shouldn¡¯t have kissed. I assure you this would not happen again.¡± He stepped away from me.


    I felt the loss of contact immediately and I hated it. But this is for the best, business should not be mixed with pleasure.


    The ride came to an end and when we got down, things weren¡¯t the same. There was a very thick tension between us, so thick that I couldn¡¯t breathe.


    Things were worse on the train. We sat away from each other instead of beside each other, like we had been doing all day. We both didn¡¯t talk and it was so awkward.


    Once in a while I would nce at him and all the time, he was never looking at me. He usually has his eyes on me but now he¡¯s just staring straight ahead.


    I miss how today he looked at me like I was the only woman in the world. Now he¡¯s just looks sad. I feel like I upset him which is ridiculous. Mr Wilson wouldn¡¯t care if I turned him down, he had so many other women on his te.


    The train ride was about 5 minutes and I jumped off the train. One thing I like about London is the short train rides.


    I didn¡¯t know the way so I just followed Mr Wilson behind like a lost puppy. He noticed I was struggling and he held onto my hand.


    We walked from the station to the hotel and after the painful elevator ride with him, we got the the penthouse.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to order some foodter on. Do you want anything?¡± He spoke for the first time since The Eye.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Italian by the way.¡± He said as he went through a delivery menu that was on the table.


    ¡°Oh, I love Italian!¡± I squealed.


    ¡°Really? What¡¯s you¡¯re favorite dish?¡± He sat down and rxed on the couch.


    ¡°Carbonara.¡± I said in a woeful ent and Heughed at me.


    ¡°Luckily, they have that here on the menu.¡±


    ¡°Yes! What are you going to get?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have the same thing as you.¡±


    ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll be in the shower.¡± I told him and he nodded.


    I went to my room and found all my shopping bags from today on my bed. I wonder how the driver knew which ones were mine. When I arranged my new things in my box, I got out something to wear and carried it to the bathroom.


    As I took a shower, I thought about him. I felt bad for rejecting him and I think he did too. I¡¯m sure this is the first time he¡¯s ever been turned him down before.


    I worked out the pros and cons of dating Mr Wilson.


    Cons


    1. My job would be at risk. If we break up, I could get fired. Although I don¡¯t think he¡¯s that mean.


    2. If I don¡¯t get fired, I¡¯ll be forced to quit because I can¡¯t work for him while he has other girlfriends. I do that now but I can do that after I¡¯ve dated him too. Imagine him giving me a task to send flowers to histest girlfriend. That would be so weird. I can¡¯t work as a personal assistant to my ex.


    3. If we don¡¯t break up, he¡¯ll definitely affect my working performance. I¡¯ll never get any work done and I¡¯ll probably spend all day in his office and him in mine.


    4. Things will be so unprofessional. Knowing Mr Wilson, he may want to sneak around and engage in ¡®extracurricr activities¡¯ with me during work.


    Pros


    1. I¡¯ll probably get special treatment from him.


    2. I know he¡¯ll take good care of me.


    3. I¡¯ll be so happy in a rtionship with him, I just know it.


    There are more cons than pros to this so I¡¯m better off with my decision.


    After the shower I wore a pair of shorts and a white top. I came out the moment the food arrived. I helped roll the food to the living room while Wilson paid the staff for it. We sat down on the table facing each other and revealed the food.


    ¡°This looks mouthwatering.¡± I said licking my lips.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Heughed.


    ¡°What time is our flight tomorrow?¡± He asked after we were done eating.


    ¡°9:00am. Well get to New York by 12:00pm but the time here will be 5:00pm.¡±


    ¡°Okay I need you to add something to my diary on Tuesday. Don¡¯t forget. Mr Spencer Hyde is going to being into the office by 10:00am.¡±


    ¡°The sr panel guy?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If that makes it easier for you to remember.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Get some rest before tomorrow okay?¡±


    ¡°Ok sir.¡± He retired to his room. I went to my room as well.


    Today is one of those days I would never forget, so much has happened in thest few hours but the most memorable was the kiss. Mr Wilson is no doubt the best kiss I¡¯ve ever had. I love that he expresses himself while kissing, saying things like ¡®you¡¯re sensational¡¯ or ¡®you¡¯re beautiful¡¯. It makes me thrilled to know that he also enjoyed the kiss as well.


    Too bad, it will never happen again. Mr Wilson even assured me that he wouldn¡¯t kiss me again even though deep down some part of me wants him to.


    I guess I¡¯ll just have to suppress that part of me. I¡¯ve done it for a year, I can as well do it now.


    ***********This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    Adam Wilson


    Tonight was just another normal night of sleep deprivation. Today I made a huge mistake. I simply just lost control over myself, I had to kiss her. And it felt so amazing. I¡¯m happy I did but at the same time, I wish I didn¡¯t.


    I had never thought about the implications of kissing her before but now that I have, I realize that it was a bad idea. But she looked so delectable that I couldn¡¯t resist. She had responded so well to the kiss which confirms my earlier assumptions of her possibly being attracted to me. All that talk of being nothing besides professional at The Shard was bullshit. She really is an expert at hiding her feelings.


    Did I just say feelings? What makes me think she has feelings for me?


    Did I just say feelings? What makes me think she has feelings for me?


    She was very involved when I kissed her but that doesn¡¯t confirm ¡®feelings¡¯.


    I checked the time and saw that it was 3:00am. I cleared my thoughts and tried to sleep but at the same time, I didn¡¯t want to go to sleep because my dreams will be filled with a rey of today¡¯s events with Sophia.


    I should really stop thinking about her, she turned me down and there¡¯s nothing I can do, I just have to try and make things go back to the way they used to be.


    In the mean time I have to work, since I can¡¯t sleep.

 Chapter 12

    Sophia Parker


    Today we are leaving and I¡¯m really going to miss London. So many memories were created here, ones that I¡¯ll never forget. Mr Wilson and I have just boarded our jet that¡¯ll be taking us back to New York. I¡¯m sitting directly opposite him just like I did when we wereing.


    Although I had a very short sleepst night, I think Mr Wilson didn¡¯t get any. He is looking seriously tired as he works on hisptop and he even has bags underneath his eyes. I wonder what kept him up all night¡­ I hope it wasn¡¯t the kiss.


    That¡¯s ridiculous. He doesn¡¯t have time to dwell on a meaningless kiss, he had kissed countless girls before.


    On the other hand Mr Wilson was not my first kiss, but he was my best kisser. The rest have only been light and modest but his was so demanding. I had only been kissed by two guys previously and they were both my exs in college.


    ¡°Miss Parker, I need the IBAN and Swift numbers for thepany¡¯s ount.¡± He saidzily.


    I reached for my bag and got out a file containing thepany¡¯s ount details and handed it to him. He continued to work but after a while he shut hisptop abruptly and tossed it to the next seat. He closed his eyes but it didn¡¯t look like he wanted to sleep. He was frowning and there was a crease between his eyebrows like he was thinking hard.


    ¡°Mr Wilson, are you okay? You look like something is bothering you.¡± I was worried about him.


    He opened his eyes and looked at me. I am no expert in reading facial expressions but he looked angry at me, like I did something wrong. He was staring at me with resentment and it made me feel like crap.


    ¡°Sir, did I do anything wrong? Or did I give you the wrong papers?¡± I asked nervously. I was fiddling with the hem of the short dress I was wearing. His resentful look turned into irritation and I just wished the ground could open up and swallow me.


    On second thought, I wouldn¡¯t prefer that¡­ we were on a ne.


    He wasn¡¯t answering my questions so I decided to leave him alone. I gathered my things and put them in my bag. When I slung it over my shoulder and stood up, he decided to speak.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± He asked.


    ¡°To the bedroom. I¡¯m tired and I need to rest.¡± I said but heughed at me.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be tired because I¡¯m sure you slept all night.¡± He said with a hint of irritation.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Maybe I¡¯m not really tired. But I¡¯m not going to sit here and what you look at me like I¡¯m some vomit on the floor.¡± With that, I stormed off.


    What is wrong with him!


    He had been so nice to me throughout the trip but now he¡¯s so mean. The way he looked at me made me feel so bad about myself. Why does he affect me this much? I really shouldn¡¯t care but I do.


    I didn¡¯t know when I started crying but my face was now stained with tears. I thought I would never cry again because of him but I was wrong. Thest time I cried wasst week when I forgot to change the figures on the Sytner Group report. He had scolded me and had felt like a moron.


    Apart from then, I had cried severally when he went out with so many beautiful women. Most of them were either actresses or models and I was nothingpared to them. He would always tell me to send them flowers, book dinner tables and even hotels. It was a constant reminder that I was not his type but it didn¡¯t stop me from silently wishing he could do the same to me.


    Right now I just want to forget everything that has happened between Mr Wilson & I and proceed with my life. I can never be involved with a jerk that has made me cry enough times.


    After today, I¡¯m going to suppress these feelings- in fact, I¡¯m getting rid of them! I can¡¯t continue wasting my emotions on him.


    I wipe my tears and go to the little restroom. I wash all the makeup on my face because I don¡¯t need it anymore. I only wore it for Mr Wilson but I¡¯m done with that now.


    I decide to work during the flight so I won¡¯t have much to do on Tuesday when I resume work. We¡¯rending by 12:00pm on Monday so we¡¯re definitely going to take the day off, although Mr Wilson hasn¡¯t said it yet. I just know it.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    I fill in his diary for Tuesday, not forgetting the sr panel guy. I work on other things and when my eyes get heavy, Iy on the bed to get some rest.


    ********


    Adam Wilson


    To say I¡¯m angry is an understatement. That woman is literally driving me nuts! I¡¯m worried I¡¯ll do something irrational!


    I have been pacing about since she left for the bedroom about an hours ago, how could she just leave like that?!


    Her rejection has been eating at me since, all I can think about is how she had turned me down. How dare she?! Normal women would do anything to get me but I offer myself to her on a silver tter and she rejects me just like that.


    Perhaps she¡¯s not just a normal woman.


    She is better than the rest. She even felt better than the rest when she was in my arms. I¡¯ll never forget that moment when I held her. I had felt like the happiest boy in the world on Christmas Day who had just received the gift he had always dreamed of. But everything ended way too soon.


    Since then, I haven¡¯t been able to function properly because Sophia has dominated my thoughts and I¡¯m sick of it. I can¡¯t sleep, eat, drink, think, work or do anything without her on my mind. I¡¯m obsessed with her! And that kiss has made things even worse!


    That has been the reason for my anger today. I have never possessed this much feelings for someone before and it hurts my masculinity, I feel like a silly little boy with a crush!


    Throughout the night while she was sleeping, I had been awake contemting about her. Then she has the nerve to tell me she¡¯s tired! I wonder what she¡¯s doing now. I¡¯ve been holding myself back from storming into the bedroom but I can¡¯t take it any longer.


    I walk to the door and open it. Surprisingly, it¡¯s not locked. All my anger faded away when I saw Sophia¡¯s angelic face sleeping peacefully. She had taken off her shoes so I could see her lovely ankles and her long legs.


    She is so beautiful, all I want is for her to be mine.


    I have to make her mine at all cost.


    Soon she will be mine.


    ***


    ¡°Sir, wake up. We¡¯re here.¡±


    I felt something tapping me rapidly on my shoulder. I opened one eye and saw that it was Sophia. I immediatelyposed myself. When did I fall asleep? I couldn¡¯t remember.


    ¡°The ne will bending in 15 minutes. Did you not hear the pilots announcement?¡± She asked.


    I had been so deep in my sleep that I hadn¡¯t hear a thing. I must have been so exhausted.


    Sophia helped me pack up myptop and all the documents I have been working with earlier. After organizing my stuff, she sat down opposite me and fastened her seatbelt fornding.


    ¡°Sir, your seatbelt.¡±


    That¡¯s when I noticed I wasn¡¯t strapped in. I fastened mine as well and we waited for the ne tond. I turned on my phone immediately it did and loads of text messages starteding in. I ignored them because I only switched it on to call the driver. When I did, he informed me that he was ready and waiting outside for us.


    ¡°Miss Parker, the driver is here.¡±


    We both got down from the jet an entered the car that was parked close to the jet. The crew also came and loaded the boot with out bags and from there we were off.


    ¡°Sir, are we going to the office?¡± Sophia asked.


    ¡°Of course. We have work to do.¡±


    ¡°What?! But we just got back today! I thought maybe we would have the day off and resume tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I said frankly because I was not ready to let her go yet.


    She huffed but didn¡¯t say anything. She clearly wasn¡¯t happy but I didn¡¯t care.


    When we got to the office, she got out of the car immediately and walked into the office building as fast as possible, obviously trying to avoid me. Her face was so red because she was boiling with rage and it looked like she could explode any moment. Maybe I went overboard by not letting her go home but I really don¡¯t want to. I still want her around.


    I got to my office after a few wee backs from my employees and Sophia wasn¡¯t at her desk. Where could she be?


    I took multiple phone calls and replied a lot of emails and text messages.


    After a while I became concerned. I hope she didn¡¯t disobey me and go home. I left my office and went out to look for her only to see her discussing with one of her friends. I presume her name to be Phoebe. She is exining details of the trip to her.


    ¡°Wow, I never knew Mr Wilson had a nice side.¡± Phoebe said.


    ¡°Oh he does! He can be really nice sometimes.¡±


    She thinks I¡¯m nice? How can she say that after what I just did? I thought she was angry at me, or was she just lying to Phoebe?


    ¡°So what did you get me from London?¡±


    ¡°Oh there¡¯s this amazing fragrance that I got you. I got it personally with my own money.¡± She handed the fragrance to her friend.


    ¡°Aww thank you Sophia¡­ What do you mean by your money?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Mr Wilson always paid for the things we bought. The food, shopping, everything.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you both had a nice time¡­ Sophia, why are you blushing? Is there something you¡¯re not telling me about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not hiding anything! I¡¯ve told you all that happened!¡±


    ¡°I know when you¡¯re lying Sophia but I wouldn¡¯t force you to tell me anything.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying to you Phoebe. I promise.¡±


    I was right, her name is Phoebe. I¡¯ve eavesdropped enough so I went back to my office. I¡¯m still surprised about how well Sophia is portraying me after what I have just done to her. I am sitting down on my chair thinking deeply when I see her walking into her office. I ring her immediately and signaled for her toe. She does after a while.


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°Sophia, I am hungry.¡±


    ¡°Ok, do you want me to order from the Turkish Cuisine as usual?¡±


    ¡°No, I want to have dinner. With you.¡±

 Chapter 13

    This is my opportunity to make things right. I know she is still angry at me but I have also discovered that she is very good at hiding her feelings. I really just want to clear the air between us.


    ¡°Umm okay, what restaurant is it so I can make a reservation before hand.¡± She said with red cheeks. She is ying with the hem of her dress and avoiding my eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that Sophia, juste to my office by 6.¡± I smiled at her. I noticed that she was blushing.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Then she left.


    I just hope this dinner goes well.


    ************


    Sophia Parker


    I closed the door to Mr Wilsons office and took a deep breath. Why does he have to affect me so much! I thought I was done with him but no! Can¡¯t these feelings just go away once and for all! I shut my eyes tightly trying to recover from the embarrassment.


    ¡°Sophia?¡± I heard a familiar voice say my name. The voice was deep and masculine but it wasn¡¯t Mr Wilson¡¯s. I opened my eyes to see Sean.


    ¡°Sean, nice to see you again. It¡¯s been a while!¡± I was genuinely happy to see him.


    ¡°Actually it hasn¡¯t been long. We saw three days ago before you went on your little trip to London.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it feels like forever.¡± I said and he smiled.


    ¡°Um, are you alright Sophia? I was just walking past when I saw you standing here and closing your eyes like you were on some sort of punishment.¡±This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    ¡°Oh, uhhh¡­ I was just trying to uhhh¡­ remember something.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± He said be he didn¡¯t sound convinced. ¡°Are you doing anything tomorrow night?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Good because I have two tickets to see Drunk Shakespeare tomorrow night and I haven¡¯t found someone to go with me yet.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t found someone, or you were just saving it for me?¡± I asked knowingly and he raised his hands in the air.


    ¡°Ok, you¡¯ve got me.¡± He admitted and Iughed. ¡°Yes I was saving them for you.¡±


    ¡°I would love toe Sean.¡±


    ¡°Great, it starts by 6 in the evening at Vineyard Theatre. So, maybe we can go after work?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure. I¡¯m already looking forward to it. I love Shakespeare.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± He raised his eyebrow at me. We started moving away from Mr Wilsons door. ¡°You don¡¯t seem like someone whose interested in poetry or prose. You strike me more as someone who appreciates art.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t poetry and prose still considered as literary art?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You know what I mean. I¡¯m talking about visual art.¡±


    ¡°I love art. All sorts of it. My favorite Shakespeare book is As You Like It.¡±


    ¡°Mine is Macbeth.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I don¡¯t like Macbeth. There¡¯s barely any romance in it.¡± I said and heughed.


    ¡°So you¡¯re a sucker for love aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I believe in love. Do you?¡±


    ¡°I think so. I believe there¡¯s a possibility of me falling in love¡­ someday.¡± He said looking at me intently.


    I can see him intricately for the first time now. He has pretty blue eyes unlike Mr Wilson who has green eyes. He was blonde while Mr Wilson¡¯s was brown. He-


    Stopparing them! omg!


    ¡°Sophia, I have to get back to work now. Hopefully, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± He said.


    ¡°No doubt you will. We have a y to attend.¡± I said.


    ¡°Bye- oh¡­ Ok¡± He said as I unexpectedly hugged him. He carefully put his arms around me and embraced me back. I¡¯m enveloped with his musky smell and I don¡¯t want to let him go. I want to give things with Sean a chance and see how it goes. I first have to give him an impression that I¡¯m interested. We finally pulled apart


    ¡°See youter Sean.¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah, you too. Bye.¡±


    I went back to my office to resume work. I really hate the fact that deep down, I¡¯m anticipating dinner with Mr Wilson. If I¡¯m trying to get over him I shouldn¡¯t be feeling this way.


    I just hope the dinner goes well.


    ***


    Once it was 6:00pm, I started to pack my things. My eyes were so heavy from staring too much at theputer. I usually end work by 5 but because of this dinner with Mr Wilson, I had to stay with him till 6. I looked through the ss and saw him packing up too.


    I think I¡¯m going to start using the blinds now because we keep spying on each other. Today as I worked, I saw him looking at me. When we made eye contact, he winked at me. I had to turn my face to hide my blush, I usually find it so annoying when guys wink at me but I don¡¯t know why I wasn¡¯t upset at that.


    As I am going straight to his office, I notice that most people have gone home. I can¡¯t believe he didn¡¯t give me a day off and even made me work overtime.


    Just as I am about to knock on his door, he opens it from the other side and steps in front of me.


    ¡°Ready?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I chirped.


    Surprisingly, he put his hand on my waist as he lead me to the elevator. But he¡¯s not supposed to do that¡­


    I jumped when I felt him squeeze my waist gently. I pped his hand away after that.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± I barked at him.


    ¡°Rx Sophia, it was just a light touch.¡± He pressed the button for the elevator.


    ¡°No, keep your hands away from me.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? That¡¯s not how you felt yesterday when I kissed you.¡±


    My eyes widened. He said it! I thought we were never going to speak about it but he did. He did it on purpose and now he was looking at me closely, expecting me to say something back.


    The doors of the elevator opened and I entered it.


    ¡°So you¡¯re not going to say anything? Cool.¡± He walked in to the elevator as well.


    ¡°What do you want me to say?¡±


    ¡°I know there are a lot of things about that night that you want to say Sophia. I think we should discuss formally about it, like adults.¡± He said pushing the button to descend.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to talk about. You promised it wouldn¡¯t happen again.¡±


    ¡°Sophia, stop pretending-¡±


    ¡°Where are we going Mr Wilson?¡± I changed the subject. He took a deep breath, epting that I was not ready to talk.


    ¡°One if bynd, two if by sea.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I said.


    The lift descended and when the elevator doors opened, he lead us to his car. When he opened the door for me, I scoffed at him before I got in. I didn¡¯t ask him to open it for me, I¡¯m very capable of doing it myself. He shook his head at me before going round to his side and getting in.


    ¡°Where are my bags from this morning¡¯s flight?¡± I asked as he started to drive.


    ¡°They¡¯re in the car don¡¯t worry.¡± He replied me.


    ¡°Are you sure? Because this wasn¡¯t the car we used from the airport.¡±


    ¡°Trust me Sophia, they¡¯re in the boot. The driver put it in when we arrived at the office, just after you stormed off.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± I folded my arms and looked out the window.


    I know I¡¯m giving Mr Wilson a hard time but I don¡¯t care. He deserves it, after making me work sote today after a tiresome flight. I don¡¯t know why he couldn¡¯t just let me go home. I think he too realized what he did was a bit unfair so now he¡¯spensating with this dinner.


    When we got there, he got down and opened the door for me again.


    I rolled my eyes at his attempt to be a gentleman and got out of the car.


    ¡°Not even a thank you?¡± He asked dismayed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to open the door for me. I can do it myself.¡± I admit that was a bit rude.


    ¡°Sophia why are you acting this way? If you¡¯ve got a problem with me then just say it.¡±


    ¡°Can we please go in now, it¡¯s getting cold.¡± I ignored his apology. I saw him shake his head at me.


    I know, sometimes I can be really frustrating.


    He lead us into a very beautiful restaurant. There were roses and candles everywhere.


    ¡°Hello there, table for two?¡± He told ady as we got in. She took us to a table filled with red roses.


    ¡°This is beautiful.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but to say it.


    ¡°It¡¯s my way of apologizing for today. I¡¯m sorry for being mean to you on the ne and I¡¯m also sorry for not letting you go home on time.¡±


    He pulled out a chair for me but I purposely went to sit on the other chair. He looked at me unbelievably.


    ¡°Enough with the attitude Sophia. Now it¡¯s getting irritating. Remember, I am your boss so I suggest you toe the line.¡±


    ¡°I also suggest you toe the line with those who work for you.¡± I shot back.


    ¡°I am trying to apologize here, aren¡¯t you listening?¡± He ran his hands through his hair.


    ¡°What I mean is, I did not appreciate you touching my waist.¡±


    ¡°Oh so now you want to talk about that? I thought you had nothing to say.¡±


    I looked away and didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Fuck it.¡± He gave up on me. He picked up a menu from the table. I took the second menu and I began to check as well but I was unfamiliar with the food.


    ¡°Could you order for me please?¡± I said, like we just didn¡¯t have an argument.


    He nodded, not even looking at me.


    After a while, he waved his fingers and a waiter came jogging over with a pen and notepad to take our order. He said somethingplicated to the waiter but I knew he ordered two lobsters.


    ¡°Two pan roasted maine lobsters and two cocktails.¡± The waiter confirmed and Mr Wilson nodded. ¡°Right away sir.¡±


    I was okay with that because I like lobsters and he knows it. After everything, he was still so nice to me. Maybe I should stop being nasty to him.


    ¡°So why is this ce called ¡®One if bynd, two if by sea¡¯?¡± I asked when the waiter left.


    ¡°It¡¯s a phrase by Henry Longfellow.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    That didn¡¯t answer my question though¡­


    He brought out his phone,pletely ignoring me. I felt bad, maybe I overdid this whole thing and now he¡¯s pissed. I¡¯m fiddling with the hem of my dress because I don¡¯t know what to do now that he¡¯s not talking to me anymore. We stayed silent for few minutes.


    Initially I didn¡¯t want to use the restroom but when I walked in, it was so clean that I had to make use of it. I washed my hands and fixed my appearance a bit. When I was satisfied, I went back to the table. Our food had already arrived.


    That was fast.


    Mr Wilson had already started eating. The food was very delicious, I even got some on myp while Mr Wilson got some on his tie. We bothughed at each other because we were making a mess. He finished before me and ate some of mine as well because I couldn¡¯t finish it.


    ¡°Would you like a nightcap?¡± He asked me.

 Chapter 14

    ¡°Thanks, but this cocktail is okay for me.¡±


    He ordered one more drink for himself. I¡¯m not particrly a fan of alcohol but when your eating with Mr Wilson, you can¡¯t avoid it. He¡¯s always ordering wine, cocktails, champagne¡­ Never a non-alcoholic drink. The first time I drank alcohol was the first time I ate with him. It was probably my second month of working with him and we were in Japan having dinner. I used to feel very awkward eating with him back then but I¡¯ve done it multiple times so I¡¯m used to it now.


    ¡°The food was so good, I have to forgive you.¡± I said to him and heughed. I was also trying to amend my mistakes, I was ready to talk to him.


    ¡°That¡¯s nice to hear. I was honestly getting irritated with what you were doing.¡±


    He finished the nightcap and paid the bills with a generous tip. By then it was a9:30pm.


    ¡°Come, let me take you home.¡± He said holding my hand and leading me out of the restaurant.


    ¡°Do you remember my ce?¡±This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    ¡°Of course.¡± It had been a really long time since Mr Wilson visited my apartment and it was only to drop me off after one of our many business trips, he had given me a day off unlike today. I doubt if he would remember because it was his driver who drove the car so he may not remember the route.


    ¡°How do you remember?¡± I asked when we got into his car.


    ¡°You live in Murray Hill, that¡¯s easy to remember.¡± He shrugged his shoulders like it was nothing.


    He knew my house indeed because he drove me there. Luckily, I live on the ground floor of my apartment so I didn¡¯t need to climb any stairs to get to my ce. He got out my bags from the car and I helped him carry the smaller one while he took the heavy one.


    I went to London with a very light bag, now it was fair full, I even needed a smaller one to put more stuff. All because of the shopping we did on Oxford Street.


    Mr Wilson helped carry my bags inside the building and when he got to my door I expected him to say goodbye and leave but he stood there, expecting me to open the door.


    He had never been inside my house and I was extremely nervous. My house was not bad but obviously not as nice as his. It admit it was very girl with pink curtains, nts and floral wallpapers. Mr Wilson¡¯s houses were very luxurious. They had dark interior while mine was light and radiant.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want me toe in do you?¡±


    He could tell that I didn¡¯t because I was just standing there looking at him, not making any effort to open the door.


    I didn¡¯t say anything which only confirmed an answer.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he heaved. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll be okay taking these in. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± He turned and left.


    I instantly felt stupid for not letting him in. It¡¯s just a house! Why didn¡¯t I just let him in?


    I think I am loosing my mind.


    I open my door and discovered that my bag was really heavy. I couldn¡¯t carry it so I dragged it in. When I was done, my back hurt so bad. How was he able to carry this?


    I took a shower and unloaded my bags. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at all the beautiful things that Mr Wilson got for me. He has done a lot for me and all I have done for him in return was reject him from simply entering my house.


    I felt terrible and I wanted to apologize to him. I picked up my phone but I couldn¡¯t call him. Hearing his voice does things to me so I decide to text him instead.


    Sorry


    I sent the message to him. I immediately regretted it but I couldn¡¯t reverse what I had done. I locked my phone and went to bed expecting no reply. Mr Wilson hardly reads his text messages anyway.


    I turned off mymp but I was surprised when my phone lit up. I checked to see a text message from him!


    He replied?


    I opened the message.


    What for?


    He doesn¡¯t know why I¡¯m apologizing, meaning he doesn¡¯t mind what I did.


    Phew!


    Nothing, goodnight.


    Goodnight Sophia.


    I smiled so hard at thest message that my cheeks hurt. I don¡¯t even know why I am smiling over a goodnight text, I¡¯m so retarded.


    I locked my phone once again and slept for real.


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    Sophia Parker


    I barely saw Mr Wilson today. He was in a meeting with the sr panel guy since 10:00am till 2:00pm and eventually left the office with him. He is really taking this sr energy thing seriously and I¡¯m afraid he works too hard these days, considering he just came back from a tedious business trip.


    He told me that he did not need my assistance during the meeting which was very unusual. He always requires my help when handling projects and these sort of things. I was bored and idle today and I couldn¡¯t wait for 5:00pm


    Once it was 5pm, I packed my things quickly. I was tired of staying in my office.


    I took the elevator down to Sean¡¯s office which was on the 4th floor. The building has 10 floors, me and Mr Wilson had our offices on the 9th floor. The 10th floor was a pent house which he never used anyway.


    I knocked on Sean¡¯s door and he called out for me toe in.


    ¡°Sophia, you¡¯re on time.¡± He smiled at me.


    ¡°Hey, I couldn¡¯t wait.¡± I smiled back while looking around. ¡°You have a nice office.¡±


    ¡°Have you never been here before?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No, I hardlye over to the ounting department.¡±


    ¡°Oh okay, give me a moment. I¡¯m just gathering my things.¡±


    After he packed up his things we went towards the elevator.


    ¡°Adam left the office very early today, which is unusual.¡± Sean said.


    ¡°I know, he went to do some work.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s he working on?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Sr Panels in the office.¡±


    ¡°Oh really, that¡¯s a brilliant idea because it will reduce the offices energy cost. Then we don¡¯t need to pay so much bills for electricity.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, I actually didn¡¯t think of it that way. No wonder he¡¯s working so hard on this.¡±


    Heughed a bit. ¡°Sophia, you should know that. Aren¡¯t you involved in this project?¡±


    ¡°Actually I¡¯m not. Mr Wilson isn¡¯t involving me in on this one. He only asked for my opinion once but he said he doesn¡¯t need my assistance.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe he just needs to concentrate fully on this project. It seems important to him.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m a distraction?¡± I said in a fake pissed-off tone.


    ¡°No, no¡­ well, sort of. You could be a distraction¡­ but not in a bad way!¡± He was scratching the back of his head.


    ¡°In what way could I possibly be a distraction when I¡¯m there to help him?!¡±


    ¡°Honestly Sophia, working with a beautiful woman like you is not that easy. If I were him I would be having trouble concentrating at work sometimes.¡± He winked at me.


    ¡°You men are ridiculous!¡± I rolled my eyes at him.


    The elevator doors finally opened and standing in front of it was Mr Wilson.


    What was he doing here? I thought he had left the office, why did hee back?


    ¡°Adam.¡±


    ¡°Sean.¡±


    What a weird way to greet each other. Like I said earlier, men are ridiculous.


    Mr Wilson turned to me and I suddenly felt nervous.


    ¡°Sophia, I¡¯m d you¡¯re here. I was hoping I would meet up with you before you leave. I am going to the bank now and I need you toe with me.¡±


    ¡°But the bank closes by 4 and it¡¯s already past 5!¡± I eximed.


    ¡°I have an appointment with a merchant bank not amercial bank now stop whining and let¡¯s go! They close in 30 minutes!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯te.¡± I said.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m heading somewhere with Mr Edmund.¡± I held on to Sean¡¯s arm, who stared at me looking confused.


    ¡°Where are you guys heading to?¡± He asked impatiently.


    I knew he might freak out if he finds out I am going on a date with Sean but I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m not into him anymore.


    ¡°Sean¡¯s taking me out.¡± I said confidently.

 Chapter 15

    His expression changed from angry to furious. He turned to Sean and if looks could kill, Sean would definitely be dead by now.


    ¡°Is this what you do behind my back? Date my employees?!¡±


    ¡°Why are you getting worked up about us going out on a date? It really is none of your business.¡± I defended Sean and stepped in between the two men.


    ¡°Of course its my business!¡±


    ¡°How?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re both my employees!¡±


    ¡°So?!¡±


    ¡°So it is my business! And I do not approve the two of you going out!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to approve it. We can date anyone we want. Thepany has no policy on dating.¡± I fired back. I was doing well until Sean interrupted.


    ¡°Sophia.¡± He turned me around to face him. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t want you to get into a fight with Adam. Listen to him okay?¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s being mean!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Sophia, for now go with Adam. We¡¯ll go another time.¡±


    ¡°I do not approve another time!¡± Mr Wilson barked like a dog.


    I wanted to turn back and give him a piece of my mind but Sean held me back.


    ¡°Come on Sophia. I know you¡¯re upset but promise me you would do what he says. Remember he¡¯s your boss.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± I heard Mr Wilson call out from behind. I ignored him.


    ¡°Okay Sean.¡± I epted.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you some other time.¡± He said. Before he let me go, I hugged him and ced a kiss on his cheek.


    ¡°Bye Sean.¡± I said before I finally followed Mr Wilson. He was not only furious, he was boiling with jealousy. I have never seen him so outraged that his face was literally red.


    Sean walked towards his car while Mr Wilson pulled me by my hand.


    ¡°Hey! Stop pulling, you¡¯re hurting me!¡± I tried to tell him but he didn¡¯t listen. When I hit his arm with my bag, he let go of me.


    ¡°Sophia! What is wrong with you!¡±


    ¡°You were hurting me!¡± I scolded him.


    I walked past him towards his car and he followed behind me. We got in the car and the tension was severe. I folded my arms and looked out the window.


    After a few minutes of driving, we both calmed down.


    ¡°So¡­ what were you guys going to do?¡± He asked me and I could tell he genuinely wanted to know.


    ¡°We were going to watch Drunk Shakespeare at the Vineyard Theater.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯sme.¡± He scoffed.


    ¡°It¡¯s notme! You¡¯re just jealous.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not jealous. What¡¯s there to be jealous about?¡±


    We had reached out destination and Mr Wilson parked the car. There was a huge parking space in front of the building and the car was parked right in front of it, almost at the entrance.


    I got down angrily and began to walk inside. I didn¡¯t really want to be here right now. I wanted to be on my date.


    ¡°Sophia!¡± He called out behind me but I ignored him.


    Before I knew it, he caught up to me. He held me by my wrist and pulled me towards him. I was surprised at his action. I was now facing him, our bodies slightly pressed up against each other.


    ¡°What is wrong with you?! You don¡¯t even know where you¡¯re going to! Why wouldn¡¯t you just wait for me?!¡±


    ¡°Let go of me!¡± I tried to struggle out of his hold but he only held me tighter, his two arms enclosing me around my waist.


    ¡°No, Sophia! I¡¯m tired of you acting like this every fucking time!¡± He was serious. ¡°Why are you making things difficult between us?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You know what I mean Sophia. You can¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not aware that something exists between us, but you¡¯re still going on a date with Sean! Are you serious? Is that how much you want to be in denial?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say to him. I just stared at him because a part of me knows that what he is saying might be true.


    ¡°And that kiss you gave him, was that even real or just to make me jealous? In case that was your n then yes, it worked. I am jealous.¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t even kiss him on the lips!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care! I kissed you first Sophia! I had my spot on the floor way before Sean and now your just going to give it to him? All because you refuse to admit that you feel something for me?¡±


    I gasped at hisst statement. How arrogant of him!


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong! I don¡¯t feel anything for you!¡± I tried wiggling away from him again but he only pulled me closer.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re so much in denial, I¡¯m going to have to prove it to you.¡± He said.


    ¡°What are you¡­ hmm¡­¡± I was stopped mid-sentence when his lips came crashing down on mine. He was kissing me again! I tried to protest for a few seconds but it was no use. My eyes slowly closed and I rxed into it.


    He reduced his tight grip on my waist and began to hold me gently. His lips explored mine like he was telling me secrets he wasn¡¯t supposed to tell anyone.


    There in the middle of the parking lot we both stood, tasting and exploring each other. Soon we were kissing like wild animals. His tongue stroked mine in a way that made me weak. I brought my arms to his neck holding him in case my knees give way. His hands explored my waist, bringing me closer to him if possible.


    His kisses were doing so many things to my body that I couldn¡¯t help the moan that escaped my throat. I pressed myself further against him, wanting to feel every inch of his body. I had never felt so wanton before and I couldn¡¯t help it.


    He paused for a while to get some air and we were both breathing heavily.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t feel that Sophia.¡± He whispered into my ear. The sound of his voice was deep and hoarse which turned me on even more. What I felt was powerful! I wanted him so badly!


    ¡°I¡­ I-¡± I was about to speak when we both heard a loud rming from the building. We turned to see what was happening.


    About four men wearing masks and dressed in all ck came bursting out the door. They were holding bags in one hand and some had guns in the other.


    There was a robbery going on all this while!


    A ck van showed up from nowhere and quickly pulled up in front of the building, close to where we were stood.


    ¡°Sophia stay calm and follow my lead, we have to go, these men are armed.¡± He whispered to me trying not to get the men¡¯s attention.


    We tried to hide without getting noticed but one of the men saw us. He pointed a gun toward our direction and my heart almost leapt out of my chest.


    ¡°Sophia get down!¡± Mr Wilson shouted at me but I was too shocked to do what he said.


    In less than a second, Mr Wilson was in front of me, shielding me with his whole body. Then I heard the sound of a gun shot and he copsed on the floor right in front of me.


    ¡°No!!!¡± I screamed.


    The men got into the van and drove off at the speed of lightning.


    I looked down at Mr Wilson. He wasn¡¯t moving. I dropped to my knees immediately. He was shot in his chest very close to his heart.


    ¡°Mr Wilson!!!¡± I called but he wasn¡¯t answering me. ¡°Oh my god!!! Somebody help me!!!¡± I screamed at he top of my lungs.


    People came rushing out of the building. Some came towards me.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    ¡°Help me please!!! He¡¯s not responding!!! Call an ambnce please!!!¡± I screamed and cried like a mad woman. Tears were rushing down my eyes. I couldn¡¯t believe what happened.


    I cried as I held his unconscious face in my hands and hugged him close to my chest. I stayed in that position up until the ambnce came. They hurriedly carried him into the vehicle and took him to the nearest hospital uptown. I went along with them just to make sure he was okay.


    All the while I couldn¡¯t stop crying.


    In the hospital they had to carry out a minor operation to remove the bullet which was dangerously close to his heart. Thankfully they were sessful. Mr Wilson still wasn¡¯t awake by the time they had finished treating him but at least he was okay. After a few hours of crying and waiting nervously, I was finally allowed to see him.


    I walked into the room and saw him lying on the bed out cold. The sight made my eyes heavy with tears again. Things were about to be okay before the stupid robbery happened. We had just kissed and made up before the incident.


    I wiped my tears and sat next to him. Seeing him like this made me realize how much I would miss him if he ever left me. He has been a part of my life for the past 2 years now, I can¡¯t imagine how it would be without him.


    Instead of being with him, I keep fighting with him everyday and denying the way I really feel about him. How stupid could I be?


    I think it¡¯s time I dropped the act for good. I can¡¯t keep wasting any more time. I have to take what I want before someone else gets it. With so many girls at his feet. I don¡¯t think Mr Wilson would wait around on me forever. I held his hand in mine looking at his face. He looked so peaceful.


    Before I could stop myself, I leaned down and kissed his lips.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t leave me Adam Wilson.¡± I whispered into his ear hoping he could hear me wherever he was.

 Chapter 16

    Adam Wilson


    I slowly opened my eyes and as the strong smell of antiseptic filled my nose. I found myselfying down on a bed, in a room that was so bright. The light from the window reflected off the white walls, making me want to close my eyes again. I felt like I had been sleeping for months, but I was still tired.


    I could also hear the beeping of a machine and slowly turned my head towards the source of the sound. The muscles in my neck were stiff and sore. I noticed Sophia sitting on a chair by the window, she was staring outside.


    I spotted the machine that made the sound, it was a heart rate monitor. I was in a hospital. I tried to get up but the excruciating pain I felt in my chest held me back. I groaned due to the pain.


    Sophia¡¯s head swiveled around quickly to my direction when she heard me groan.


    ¡°Mr Wilson! You¡¯re awake!¡± She rushed towards me, sitting on a high chair directly beside me. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    I tried to speak but my voice couldn¡¯te out properly and my mouth tasted bitter.


    ¡°Water.¡± I managed to croak out.


    She quickly went to the table filled with supplies and got a ss cup. Beneath the table was a mini fridge and she got out a bottle of water. She poured some water into the ss and brought it to me.


    ¡°Here.¡± She ced the cup in front of me and I drank some.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± I managed to speak.


    ¡°Franklin Hospital. It was the closest hospital to you when you got shot.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, my chest hurts. It¡¯s so difficult to breathe.¡±


    ¡°Sorry sir, the doctors said you will bepletely better in about a few weeks but you could be discharged after 10 days.¡±


    ¡°How long have I been out?¡±


    ¡°A day.¡±


    ¡°A day?¡± I said in disbelief. ¡°And you¡¯ve been here all this while?¡±


    She nodded.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Ugh, go home Sophia. I don¡¯t want you seeing me like this.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m here to take care of you.¡± She insisted.


    ¡°I look terrible.¡± All I can feel right now is pain within my chest and a massive headache. I don¡¯t want Sophia seeing me in this condition.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll look fine very soon. You¡¯re going to need some food and maybe some new clothes. The suit you wore now has a bullet hole and blood stains on it. I could go and get some from your house.¡±


    ¡°Are you with my wallet and keys?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You can go to my apartment in Manhattan. You¡¯ll get in with the blue key.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be back in a couple hours with a few supplies.¡±


    ¡°Please pick up a bottle of whiskey for me on your way back.¡± I needed something to ease the pain I¡¯m feeling right now.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m doing that. I¡¯ll see you soon Mr Wilson.¡± She smiled at me before she left.


    Damn that woman!


    ***


    I was watching the news on the little TV on the wall in my hospital room. Apparently I was on it as well.


    CEO of Wilson & Co. survives shooting after bank robbery


    That was the headline. They showed footages of the robbery that happened. Apparently the police caught up with the men before they could escape in their ck van.


    The men had executed their n poorly as the van still had a te number. That made it easy for them to be found.


    The door opened and it was Sophia. She came back with a duffel bag in one hand and food in the other. I was so d because I have been starving and the hospital¡¯s food was no good.


    ¡°Hey Mr Wilson, how are you doing?¡± She asked while walking in.


    ¡°Good Sophia. What have you got there? I am famished!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the hospital give you something to eat?¡± She ced the things on a table.


    ¡°They tried but I couldn¡¯t ingest anything on their menu. Please what¡¯s in the bag?¡± I said impatiently.


    ¡°Oh, just some Chinese food. I bought Chow Mein with Mushroom soup.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a life saver.¡± I said and she smiled her angelic smile.


    ¡°I also brought you some clothes, some supplies from the grocery store and a charger for your phone.¡± She said still smiling at me.


    What will I do without Sophia in my life?


    ¡°How about the whiskey?¡± I frowned.


    ¡°No. No whiskey for you. I¡¯ll have to feed you because I don¡¯t think you can move your arms.¡±


    ¡°Who told you I can¡¯t move my arms.¡± I said stubbornly. I tried to lift up one hand but the pain that stabbed my chest made me retract it immediately. I hissed painfully.


    ¡°I told you, I¡¯m going to have to feed you. Whether you like it or not.¡± She smirked at me. Her foot pressed something beneath the bed which made it sprawl upward setting me in a more upright position. She brought the food towards me and sat down.


    ¡°Here.¡± She used chopsticks to feed me.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this is happening.¡± I said in between bites.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk with food in your mouth.¡± She scolded me.


    I scowled at her. I could see her smiling sheepishly. She was enjoying how helpless and weak I was at the moment. By the time I get my strength and energy back, I¡¯ll show her exactly who is the boss.


    ¡°Almost done.¡± She handed me thest bit of the food. I took it in my mouth. ¡°Good boy!¡± She said to me like I was a 2 year old.


    ¡°You will pay for thister.¡± I red at her.


    She made me drink some mushroom soup and then some water after that. To be honest, eating wasn¡¯t an easy job. Every time I swallowed the food my chest hurt a bit.


    ¡°Thank you Sophia.¡± I told her when I had finished.


    ¡°No sir, I should be thanking you.¡± She said looking down. Her mood became so serious all of a sudden.


    ¡°Why should you be thanking me?¡± I was confused.


    ¡°Because you saved me. I should have been the one who got shot but you stood in front of me.¡±


    She was right. I saw the gun aimed right at her and I couldn¡¯t help but to step in front of her and protect her, it was a natural instinct. She wouldn¡¯t have survived the bullet, but I did.


    I wanted to reach out and touch her face but my injury prevented me from doing so.


    ¡°Sophia, it¡¯s okay-.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not okay! You could have died!¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t. I had a better chance of surviving than you. That¡¯s why I saved you. What matters now is that I¡¯m alive and we¡¯re both fine, okay?¡±


    I shifted my hand slightly and rested it upon hers.


    She squeezed my hand and nodded her head but she still looked sad. I know she was not happy with me risking my life for her but I couldn¡¯t live without her. I¡¯ld rather die than to not have Sophia in my life.


    The nurses came in with a few apparatuses followed by Dr Mason. I had met them earlier on when I woke up.


    ¡°Hello Adam. I hope you¡¯re feeling alright now?¡± Mason said.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine doc, but what¡¯s with all the supplies?¡±


    ¡°Now that you¡¯re a bit stabilized, were performing a chest x-ray to reveal any additional injuries that may be causing your breathing difficulties. We¡¯re also going to perform an arterial blood gas analysis and pulse oximetry. I¡¯m so sorry Ma¡¯am but I¡¯m afraid I have to ask you to excuse us for a moment in order to carry out our investigations.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Sophia said to the doctor. She turned to face me. ¡°I¡¯ll be right outside.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯ste. You should go home and get some rest. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes Sophia, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow then.¡± She gave me onest smile before she left.


    I watched her until she was out of sight. I saw the doctor looking at me. He had caught me starting at Sophia.


    ¡°She seems like a very specialdy to you.¡± He said,


    ¡°She is.¡± It was none of his business but I answered anyway.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re lucky man to have such a beautiful woman care for you. She¡¯s been here all day for the past two days. It¡¯s hard to find her kind these days. You two look great together.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re not together¡­¡± I stopped him and he looked surprised.


    ¡°But clearly she makes you happy, so why not?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s my personal assistant. It¡¯s her job to care for me.¡± I rified for him. I hope he wouldn¡¯t take interest in her too, Sean was already enoughpetition for me.


    ¡°Oh.¡± His eyebrows shot up. ¡°She¡¯s out of bounds do you isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡± I sighed and heughed.


    ****


    Sophia Parker


    Today is the day Mr Wilson is going to be discharged from the hospital and I can¡¯t wait. I visited him every single day at the hospital, bringing him food and updating him about what was going on in the office. He is significantly better because he can now walk, move his arms and breath properly. The doctors said he will be released by 12 pm today so I made sure I was there on time.


    I got to the hospital by 11:30am to find him dressing up in a suit like he was going to work.


    ¡°Mr Wilson, why are all dressed up?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Good morning to you too Sophia. I am going to the office.¡±


    ¡°What? You can¡¯t go directly to the office from the hospital! You need to go home at least! Maybe have a day or two off.¡± I tried to reason.


    ¡°Sophia, my business has suffered 10 days of my absence. I cannot afford to have even an hour off. I have clients waiting for me.¡± He said while knotting his tie.


    Before I could say anything, he grabbed his knapsack and left the room. I followed him behind all the way to the reception where he signed out.


    ¡°I suppose the driver is waiting outside.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s with the car you drove to the bank.¡± I replied.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    He finally stepped out of the hospital for the first time in 10 days and I could see the relief on his face.


    I wonder how things would be from now. After that kiss we had at the bank, both of us never spoke about our feelings for each other. We talked about many things except that. I really had a lot of things that I needed to say to him, I needed to get everything off my chest and tell him that I was ready to be with him. I no longer mind the fact that he is my boss.


    Hopefully, I get the chance to do so today because right now he is in work mode.

 Chapter 17

    We both got into the car and drove to the office. His arrival was so unexpected to everyone because he was supposed to go home. We didn¡¯t have the opportunity to wee him back properly.


    After meeting with all the heads of departments, he went to his office to work. I went to mine and watched him from the window.


    It¡¯s been so long since he was there. I recalled all those times that he used to watch me too and sometimes, he even winked at me. I blushed remembering all the office moments we had together. I wonder if things would be the same. Work was so boring and empty when he was in the office. I always felt like there was something missing.


    Myputer lit up from some newly received emails. I opened them and saw that they were from Mr Wilson. I noticed that they were invoice temtes. He also gave me some instructions on what to do with them.


    I close my blinds, blocking out Mr Wilson. Now I have something to keep me busy.


    ******


    Adam Wilson


    I checked the time and saw that it was almost 5pm, I may have to continue working at home. Sophia would be leaving soon so I rang her toe into my office. I needed to know how far she has gone with those invoices.


    Less than a minuteter she was here.


    ¡°Ms Parker, how manypanies did you prepare invoices for?¡±


    ¡°For fourpanies, starting with the sr panel guy.¡±


    ¡°You mean Spencer Hyde?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you can leave early.¡± I dismissed her and continued working.


    She didn¡¯t leave yet. She just stood there. After a while she spoke up.


    ¡°How about you Mr Wilson? I think you should leave early too.¡± She said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me Ms Parker, just go home.¡± I said to her but she didn¡¯t leave. She slowly started making her way towards me, round my table until she was standing beside me. I looked up at her surprisingly.


    What is she doing?


    She looked nervous as she yed with the hem of her dress. I could tell she wanted something so I gave her my attention.


    ¡°Sophia, Is there anything you need or you would like to tell me?¡± I asked her.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Surely there was, because she was standing behind my desk.


    ¡°Yes actually.¡± She said. Her cheeks were zing red.


    ¡°What is it Sophia?¡± I asked with concern.


    She didn¡¯t say anything, she looked like she was debating to herself whether she should tell me or not. I rotated my chair so I could face her properly. She was now standing directly in front of me, only a few feet away.


    ¡°Come on Sophia, tell me. Don¡¯t be shy.¡± I encouraged her. I was curious as hell, maybe this was about the kiss.


    She finally looked at me.


    ¡°I- I just wanted to say t- that, I¡¯m happy you¡¯re b- back¡­¡± She stammered.


    Is that it?


    ¡°Thank you Sophia. I¡¯m happy too.¡± I smiled at her.


    ¡°And I missed you.¡± She said so quickly you could barely hear it.


    ¡°But Sophia, you saw me everyday at the hospital.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I- I couldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t what?¡± I urged her toplete her sentence.


    Hesitantly, she took two steps towards me until she was standing right between my legs. I looked up at her, confused as hell. I saw her staring at me with something in her eyes.


    What is she doing?


    Very slowly, Sophia put her legs round me and sat on myp.


    I closed my eyes because this had to be a fucking dream but when I opened them again, I saw Sophia¡¯s beautiful face staring nervously at mine. Her eyes filled with passion, immediately igniting my own.


    This was real.


    Sophia was straddling me in my office. I couldn¡¯t count how many times I¡¯d dreamt of a moment like this, and now it was finally happening.


    ¡°Sophia, wha-¡± I tried to speak but she cut me off with her index finger on my lips. Gently she moved closer to connect our lips together.


    My mind started spinning.


    Sophia just initiated a kiss!


    What could this mean? Has she finally began to ept her feelings for me?!


    I put my arms around her waist, bringing her even closer while she wrapped herself around me, holding tight.


    So this is what she wanted all along.


    I kissed her back with intensity, enjoying how sweet she tasted. She felt so soft and delicate on top of me. I was in love with this position because I enjoyed how her body moulded perfectly to mine.


    Our tongues explored each other¡¯s and it seemed like Sophia didn¡¯t want to end it there. She started to unbutton her shirt. An rm in my head went off but I ignored it.


    ¡°Fuck, Sophia.¡± I whispered as I watched her slowly pop her buttons, just like in my dreams.


    She removed her shirt and dropped it on the floor, revealing a pink bra enclosing her breasts. They were much fuller than how they looked when I had identally seen her in her office. She also had a petite figure with a t stomach and a nice set of hips.


    She grabbed me and kissed me again, her breasts slightly pressed up against my chest. I carefully moved my hands to her back and cupped her butt. They felt so soft, I couldn¡¯t help but mould them. I heard her moan so I kept on doing it.


    ¡°Oh god¡­¡± she moaned.


    I finally lifted her up on my desk. With time, her legs would have hurt from straddling me. I stood in front of her, my hands running up and down her thighs. She bit her lip as she looked up at me.


    ¡°You are so fucking beautiful.¡± I shifted my gaze to her little pink bra. I ran my finger across the ckce covering the tip of the bra.


    ¡°Let me see.¡± I asked.


    For a second, I could see the uncertainty on her face but she did as she was told. Pulling down both straps and unpinning the bra from the front, she dropped it to the floor where her shirty, and exposed her perky round breasts.


    holy fuck!


    I have always pictured them to be very beautiful but they were way better than what I ever imagined. Her breasts were the best things I had ever seen. I could feel my mouth watering  and I couldn¡¯t help myself as I attached my lips to them.


    She moaned immediately holding my head to keep me in ce. I suckled her, and kneaded her other breast with my hand.


    ¡°Oh Adam!¡± She cried and whimpered.


    After a while I moved to the other switching my hand and doing the same thing.


    ¡°Adam please¡­.¡± She begged.


    I brought my head up looking into her eyes.


    ¡°Tell me what you want love.¡±


    ¡°I want you.¡± She whispered, running her hands up my torso.


    She slowly brought them up my chest and one of her fingers mistakenly jabbed my bullet wound.


    ¡°Ah!¡± I shouted in pain and fell back into my chair.


    ¡°Oh my gosh! Adam are you okay?¡± Sophia got off the table.


    I looked at my chest and saw a little blood stain on my shirt. Sophia identally poked my wound and opened a fresh injury.


    ¡°Damn, woman!¡± I cursed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it was an ident.¡± She pleaded.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I have spirit and some fresh bandages in my bottom drawer. We could use them.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± She bent down to reach my bottom drawer identally shing me her pink underwear that matched with her bra! So fucking sexy!


    She opened it and brought out a pack of bandages and a bottle of spirit. She removed two from it and came to unbutton my shirt.


    I couldn¡¯t stop staring at her bare breasts that were unted directly at me. Her intention was innocent but her action was so seductive.


    She applied some spirits and I winced in pain.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± She apologized. She ced the two bandages across the wound and cleaned it up.


    When she was done, I tried to touch her but she pped my hand away.


    ¡°What the-¡±


    ¡°No Adam, we can¡¯t continue this. You need to rest because you¡¯re injured.¡± She said.


    ¡°Not again!¡± Iined. ¡°You can¡¯t seduce me up to this point and leave me hanging! We must continue.¡±


    ¡°Adam, no.¡± She insisted.


    ¡°This is all your fault.¡± I groaned.


    ¡°But I said it was an ident!¡± She said getting upset.


    ¡°Ok, ok, but at least let us finish what you started then. Come on.¡± I said trying to pull her into my arms again.


    ¡°No!¡± She grabbed her bra and shirt from the floor.


    ¡°Sophia, where are you going?¡± I asked holding her wrist.


    ¡°I¡¯m going home.¡±


    I took a deep breath and decided to let her go.


    ¡°Alright, but promise me we¡¯ll do this some other time. Tomorrow maybe? When I¡¯m healed up?¡± I pleaded.


    ¡°Okay. Tomorrow.¡± She said smiling. She leaned down and gave me a kiss before she put on her shirt and left.


    Wow. What just happened?

 Chapter 18

    Adam Wilson


    ¡°Hello Adam, how¡¯s it going?¡± Mason said through the phone.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s fantastic doc, I¡¯m just arriving home from work.¡± I said while getting out of my car.


    Mason is the doctor who attended to me while I was at Franklin Hospital. We¡¯re about the same age and we became friends during my stay. It all started the day he noticed I had a thing for Sophia when he caught me staring at her and I told him she was out of bounds. I confided in him about Sophia. I told him everything I was going through with her, it was like he was my therapist. Except he didn¡¯t give me any solutions, he justughed at me and taunted me every now and then because of my feelings. Telling him felt great, although he was a dick about it. I just needed to get things off my chest.


    ¡°Adam are you nuts? Don¡¯t tell me you went to work immediately you got discharged from the hospital!¡± He scolded me.


    ¡°I did and I¡¯m fine, nothing happened to me. Actually¡­ something happened to me and that¡¯s why I¡¯m calling you.¡±


    ¡°What have you done now my friend?¡± He said knowing that it involved Sophia.


    ¡°Well Sophia kind of¡­ injured me.¡± I said. I was in my apartment building, about to use the lift.


    ¡°And why on earth would she do that?¡± He said in disbelief.


    ¡°I have to tell you what happened from the start in order for you to believe me.¡± I got into the elevator and closed the door for some privacy.


    ¡°This obsession with Sophia is not healthy.¡± He took a deep breath. He¡¯d gotten tired of me constantly talking about her.


    ¡°So I was in my office working.¡± Ipletely ignored hisst statement. ¡°I called Sophia in to give me a report of what she did for the day. Next thing you know, she kissed me.¡±


    ¡°She kissed you?¡± He said mockingly.


    ¡°Yes she did!¡±


    ¡°I thought you were the one always stealing kisses from her. You mean this time she gave you one by herself?¡±


    ¡°Mason, I am the happiest man in the world right now. Do you know what this means? Sophia is finally ready to open up to whatever exists between us!¡± I almost screamed.


    ¡°You sound like a crazy person.¡±


    ¡°Oh I am crazy, crazy for Sophia. She has stolen my sanity.¡± The elevator doors opened to my floor and I walked to my door. ¡°I can¡¯t wait for tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s happening tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to finish what we started. We didn¡¯t get a chance to because¡­ Sophia identally jabbed my wound while we were making out.¡± I entered my apartment and sat on my couch.


    ¡°So thats what happened. You need to stay away from her for a while, she¡¯s dangerous to you. Emotionally and Physically.¡± Heughed.


    ¡°Fuck, Mason she drives me nuts! I¡¯m going to have a hard time sleeping tonight.¡± I rubbed my eyes in frustration. ¡°I can¡¯t stay away from Sophia, I want her every second of the day, and all night!¡±


    ¡°Like I said, your obsession is not healthy. Your addicted to her! You need to get your mind off her once in a while. How about we go bowling on Saturday?¡±


    ¡°That sounds like the perfect distraction.¡±


    ¡°Then I can examine your chest.¡±


    ¡°Good idea. So I¡¯ll see you Saturday.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, till then.¡±


    ¡°Take care man.¡± I said and ended the call.


    I closed my eyes and began to rey what happened today between Sophia and I. I can¡¯t wait to make love to her tomorrow, I¡¯ll have to bring her home so she can spend the night. The thought of having her here with me all night makes my heart beat wildly. The things I will do to her will blow her mind. She¡¯ll make up for all the lost time that we could have been together instead of her giving me the run around and making things difficult.


    Damn that woman! I have been with a number of women but only she makes me feel things I have never felt before.


    ¡°So this Sophia¡­¡± A voice from behind startled me. I jumped up quickly to see who it was.


    Charlene??Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°¡­ it seems like you¡¯re head over heels for her.¡± She said.


    ¡°What the fuck are you doing in my apartment?! And how did you get in here?!¡± I shouted in frustration.


    Why won¡¯t this woman just let me be!


    ¡°Rx, I didn¡¯t break in or anything. Remember you gave me an extra key, back when we were together.¡± She said smiling and walking towards me.


    ¡°Get the fuck out now.¡± I tried to say calmly.


    ¡°Come on Adam, I only came to see you because I heard you were involved in an ident and you got discharged. I just needed to know that my baby is okay.¡± She purred.


    ¡°I am not your baby, leave before I do something we both regret!¡±


    ¡°I always knew you had a thing for that Sophia girl, even when we were still together. Tell me, was she the reason you broke up with me?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes! She was.¡± I said truthfully. Charlene¡¯s face red up.


    ¡°So you left me, and downgraded to a little whore like Sophia! She¡¯s not even as pretty as I am! She¡¯s a slut! She only wants your money! And to make a name for herself!¡± She screamed at me. ¡°You will never be happy with Sophia like you were happy with me!¡±


    ¡°But I was never happy with you Charlene!¡± I told her.


    She fell to the floor and began to cry.


    I stood there not knowing what to do. Charlene may be a freak, a pest, and very annoying but I couldn¡¯t stand watching her tear up. I don¡¯t enjoy seeing women cry.


    I stood there not knowing what to do. Charlene may be a freak, a pest, and very annoying but I couldn¡¯t stand watching her tear up. I don¡¯t enjoy seeing women cry.


    ¡°Charlene, I¡¯m sorry.¡± I walked up to her and picked her up. I held her in my arms and hugged her while she cried on my chest.


    We stayed like that for a while until she spoke up.


    ¡°Adam, you¡¯re hurt.¡± She said referring to the blood stain on my shirt.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I assured her.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡± She pulled away to look at me.


    I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a long story, don¡¯t bother yourself about it. Can I have my spare keys please?¡±


    She reached into her pocket and handed it to me.


    ¡°Thank you. Charlene, I¡¯m sorry I broke up with you all of a sudden. I was wrong to hurt your feelings like that. But I¡¯ve moved on and I think you should too. I am happy with who I¡¯m with right now and you deserve someone who you can be happy with too.¡±


    ¡°But I was happy with you.¡± She sniffed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Charlene but the happiness needs to be from both sides. Ours was one sided, it just wasn¡¯t right. I hope you understand.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Good. We could still be friends as long as you don¡¯t interfere with my rtionship with Sophia.¡± I made it clear to her.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright Adam. I won¡¯t. I should head home now, it¡¯s gettingte.¡± She said feeling dejected.


    ¡°Do you want me to walk you out?¡± I offered.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay.¡± She kissed me on my cheek which took me by surprise. ¡°Goodbye Adam.¡± She picked up her bag and left.


    Finally! Charlene is out of my life for good. I need to focus on more important things and make sure I am sorted out for tomorrow.


    I also have left over work from the office that I had toplete before going to bed. Hopefully I can get them all done this night without any distractions.


    *****


    Sophia Parker


    ¡°Work today was so exhausting! Mr Wilson made me go to five different ces today.¡± Phoebe whined.


    ¡°What for?¡± said Lily.


    Lily was a friend of Phoebe and I. She worked as a paralegal for a very hugew firm and she lived just upstairs in my apartment building. The three of us were currently having a sleepover at my house but I waspletely distracted. I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about today at the office. I never knew I had the courage to do what I did with Mr Wilson today. I blushed as I remembered how he lifted me up effortlessly unto his desk. He is such a strong and virile man. I wonder what else he could do to me with his arms.


    ¡°Marketing purposes. My legs hurt from driving round the city.¡±


    ¡°Sorry love. Next time take the subway.¡±


    I¡¯m not sure what he meant by ¡®finish what I started¡¯. Did he mean make love?


    ¡°Sophia, how do you feel about Mr Wilsons appearance at the office today? I definitely wasn¡¯t expecting it.¡±


    From what I felt today, I¡¯m sure making love to him would be breathtaking! I hope he wouldn¡¯t stop once he finds out I¡¯m a virgin.


    ¡°Sophia?¡±


    Would we do it right there on his office desk or would he take me home? I hope he takes me home, that way we can do it all night and the next morning.


    ¡°Sophia!!!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I heard Phoebe and Lily scream at the same time.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been so distracted today, and why are you smiling to yourself? Look, you¡¯re as red as a tomato!¡± Lily said.


    ¡°Something must have happened to you and I know it involves a guy.¡± Phoebe gasped, ¡°Is it Mr Wilson?¡±


    ¡°No! No! Of course not! He¡¯s my boss! There¡¯s no way, absolutely not, terrible, you know. That¡¯s just, not Mr Wilson, no.¡±


    ¡°Pathological liar.¡±


    ¡°Phoebe, there is nothing going on between us.¡± I lied. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m telling her, not yet anyway.


    ¡°Then why are you blushing?¡± Lily pressed on.


    ¡°Because, I was just simply thinking about him. Im d he¡¯s back and he¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Were you having dirty thoughts?¡± Phoebe asked. She is the most blunt person I know. There was no point lying because she knew me all too well.


    ¡°Yes Phoebe.¡± I sighed. ¡°I was having dirty thoughts.¡±


    ¡°A, Sophia has had this massive crush on her boss for almost two years now.¡± She informed Lily. ¡°I think he likes her too but they can¡¯t be together because they work for each other and all¡­¡±

 Chapter 19

    She went on and on about him, giving Lily details of our history together. I was getting bored so I checked my phone only to see I had three messages from an unknown number. I opened them and saw that they were pictures.


    I opened the first picture to see Adam locked in a tight embrace with another woman. My heart nearly stopped. The picture was taken in one of his apartments I recognised and it looked very real. The other picture was of them holding each other and thedy was kissing him! I couldn¡¯t tell but it looked like she was kissing him on the lips!


    Beneath the picture was a message.


    You¡¯re not the only one.


    Oh my gosh!


    I quickly went to the bathroom and dialled the number with shaky hands.


    After a few rings, the person picked up.


    ¡°Hello.¡± She said.


    ¡°Hi. Um, I know I¡¯m the one calling but who are you? And why did you send me those pictures?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to tell you this but you¡¯re not the only one who Adam has lied to. He yed me and he¡¯s trying to y you too.¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± I asked. My heart was beating so fast.


    ¡°Because those pictures I sent were taken today. If you check properly, you would still see the blood stain on his shirt.¡±


    I ended the call immediately.


    This had to be a lie. There was no way that Adam would y me. He hasn¡¯t been with anyone since or else I would know about it. He has been in the hospital for the past week, there¡¯s no way he¡¯ll get involved with someone the same day he got discharged.


    Well, apart from me.


    I checked the pictures once again and in fact there was a blood stain on his shirt!


    I sunk to the floor and cried my eyes out. I¡¯ve been a fool to think that Adam actually fell for me. Of course I wasn¡¯t the only one! I didn¡¯t know he was only trying to get me so he can use me!


    I cried silently so Lily and Phoebe don¡¯t hear me. My phone vibrated and I checked it. It was a phone call from my mum. I picked it up immediately.


    ¡°Hey mum.¡± I tried to sound as normal as possible.


    ¡°Darling how are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m great. How¡¯s everything?¡± I lied.


    ¡°Oh Sophia honey, something terrible just happened. You¡¯re dad had a stroke and he¡¯s currently in the hospital.¡± My mum said with a shaky voice.


    ¡°Oh my! Is he okay?¡± I panicked.


    ¡°Im not sure, but the doctors said they¡¯ll need to undergo surgery if he gets better.¡±


    ¡°Oh mum, I¡¯ll be there as soon as I can I promise. Tomorrow I¡¯ll take the next flight home.¡±


    ¡°Honey, pleasee here as quickly as you can. We need you.¡±


    ¡°Ok mum. I¡¯ll book my flight right now.¡±


    ¡°See you soon honey. I love you so much¡±


    ¡°I love you too.¡±


    I cut the phone and rushed to meet Phoebe and Lily.


    ¡°Sophia where have you been? Have you been crying?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yes Lily. It¡¯s my dad. He had a stroke.¡±


    ¡°Oh my! you need to go and see him. Make sure everything¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°I know but I can¡¯t just leave work without telling anybody. I have to hand in a leave request letter.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll hand in the letter for you. You need to take the next flight to Virginia. That¡¯s where your parents live right?¡± Phoebe asked.


    ¡°Yes, they live in Richmond.¡±


    ¡°Come over Sophia, let¡¯s book a flight.¡±


    *****


    Adam Wilson


    I walked into my building and took the elevator to the 9th floor. With a huge smile stered on my face, a big bouquet of red roses and some choctes in my hand, I just knew today would be a good day.


    I came out of the elevator and walked straight to Sophia¡¯s office only for me to open the door and find that she wasn¡¯t there.


    That¡¯s unusual.


    I checked my watch to see it was 8:10am. Sophia normallyes into the office before 8.


    Probably she was stuck in traffic because I also found it a bit difficult getting to work on time today. I ced the roses and choctes on her desk and waited for her arrival in my office.


    Any moment from now, she should be bringing my coffee in. I tried to rx and not get too excited about seeing her but who was I kidding? I was seriously anticipating seeing her beautiful face.


    I switched on my PC only for it to be flooded with 50 new emails. I already had so many emails to respond to and so many invoices to create. Those 10 days of being in the hospital really left me with a pile of work. I had workedte until 2:00am this morning but still didn¡¯t finish half of my work. Now more has been added this morning.


    I began to work to pass time and before I knew, the time was 9:30am.


    I rang my secretary immediately to report to my office and she came in moments after.


    ¡°Good morning Mr Wilson.¡± She came in with letters in her hands.


    ¡°Good morning Alice. What are you holding?¡±


    ¡°Two letters of request for leave of absence.¡±


    ¡°Grant them.¡±


    I woke up on the right side of the bed today. Usually, I would have checked the letters and most of the time I always decline. Those two employees can thank Sophia for my good mood.


    ¡°Notify me the second Sophia gets to the office.¡± I waved her off and she left.


    Spencer Hyde called and we resumed our business deal. I had been nning to install about 100 sr panels on the roof top of the office but my ns where halted because of the ident, hopefully we can pick up from where we stopped.


    I wasn¡¯t sure 100 sr panels would be enough for the office building, considering it had 10 floors. I needed to seek advice from an expert so I spectively called one of my clients and asking about a sr panels capacity.


    From the call, I concluded that I definitely needed about 50 more. I would have to attach some to the ss windows in order for it to blend with the building.


    I was surprised to check the time and see that 2 hours had passed and there was no sign of Sophia.


    I called my secretary on the phone.


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°Where is Sophia?!¡± I barked.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her, she hasn¡¯t arrived at the office yet.¡±


    I cut the phone and decided to call Sophia myself.


    When I dialled her number, it was switched off. I called her house phone severally but she didn¡¯t answer. I was getting a bit worried.


    What if something happened to her? Was she in some sort of trouble?


    There was no way I could know because I had no idea where she was and she wasn¡¯t picking any of her calls.


    Where could she possibly be?


    I still had a meeting with two new clients to attend today and cancelling would be a very reckless thing to do, considering they were new clients and I would like to make a good impression.


    I decided to go through with the meetings but all the while I was distracted, thinking about Sophia and wondering if she was okay. I rounded them up as quick as I could and left the office.


    I needed to find Sophia.


    I got in my car and drove by myself to Murray Hill, where Sophia lives.


    I realised what I was doing was crazy but I couldn¡¯t stop myself. I had to know what was happening to her.


    I got to her apartment easily. Thankfully, there was no traffic at this time of the day.


    I knocked on her door endlessly but there was no answer. Where could she possibly have gone to on a work day without notifying me or anyone?!


    I was starting to get stressed out. This was not how I expected today to be at all!


    I walked back into the main lobby and saw an old man behind a desk. I walked up to him hoping he could give me some information.


    ¡°Excuse me, do you know Sophia Parker? She lives just here in this building on the ground floor.¡± I said.


    ¡°Ah, Miss Parker!¡± He said with a smile on his face. ¡°Are you looking for the youngdy?¡±


    ¡°Yes I am.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll not find her here. I saw her leave very early in the morning today, around 6:00am. In her hand she had a suitcase, the one she normally uses when she travels. I suppose she went to the airport because she and her chit-chat friends said something about ¡®missing a flight¡¯.¡±


    WHAT?!


    ¡°You mean you saw her leave for the airport?!¡± I almost screamed.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking.¡±


    ¡°No! It can¡¯t be! She can¡¯t just leave without telling me. Especially after what happened yesterday!¡± The man looked at me confused.


    How could she have gone to the airport. She must be far ahead from me right now. Was she trying to get away from me? I hope this had nothing to do with yesterday. There¡¯s no way it did. Even if Sophia was trying to avoid me, she wouldn¡¯t take a flight to another city¡­ or continent.


    ¡°Do you have any idea where she went to?¡± I asked the man urgently.


    ¡°Sorry son, but I don¡¯t.¡± He said pushing up his sses that were hanging on his nose. ¡°She left hastily and if I must tell you, she looked really sad.¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡± She can¡¯t possibly be sad about yesterday. Was she regretting it?


    ¡°Thank you sir. If you do find out more information about Miss Parker please contact me on any of these numbers.¡± I gave him my business card.


    ¡°Okay son.¡± He said and went in, leaving me in the corridor alone.


    What was I going to do now. Sophia was gone and I don¡¯t know where she went to. Worst of all, I don¡¯t know when she will be back!


    My heart protested at Sophia being gone for a long time because it started pounding in my chest. I couldn¡¯t figure out why Sophia would just leave me right after she gave me one of the best moments of my life. The whole thing sounded so strange. I tried to reason but I could not figure out an answer.


    Suddenly I remembered my secretary telling me about leave requests. She must have already handed it to the Human Resources department so I called the HOD immediately!


    ¡°Hello?¡± Paul, my HOD said.


    ¡°Paul. What are the names of the employees you granted leave to?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ben Walker and Sophia Parker.¡±


    Fuck!


    ¡°What was the reason for Sophia¡¯s leave?!¡± I almost screamed.


    ¡°Her father was suddenly ill and she was needed for medical support to him and assistance to her mother.¡±


    Shit!


    I ended the call abruptly.


    Her father was ill! What kind of illness? Was it one that was curable?


    If Sophia lost her dad then she would be an emotional wreck. I would not want her to go through such a devastating experience but there was no way I could help. I didn¡¯t know where her parents live.

 Chapter 20

    It was 4:30pm, there was no point going back to the office so I decided to go home. I was just about to leave the building when I saw adying in, I moved aside to let her in. She smiled in appreciation because she was talking on the phone.


    Sophia???


    I grabbed hold of thedy¡¯s wrist. She looked at me like I was freak but I didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Are you speaking to Sophia Parker?¡± I demanded from her.


    ¡°Excuse me? Who are you?¡± She said shocked at my nerve. I was sure she knew who I was talking about.


    ¡°Give me that!¡± I snatched the phone from her before she could realise it.


    ¡°Hey!¡± She shouted but I ignored her.


    ¡°Sophia.¡± I spoke softly into the phone. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you been picking your calls? I¡¯ve been trying to reach you all day!¡±


    I received no answer but when I checked, I saw that she was still on the phone.


    ¡°Sophia please talk to me, I know you¡¯re there.¡±


    There was a long deafening pause.


    ¡°How did you get Lily¡¯s phone?¡± She finally said.


    ¡°Who the hell is Lily?¡± I said but soon realised I was using someone else¡¯s phone. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m at your apartment right now and I heard her speaking to you on the phone. Where are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not in New York.¡±


    ¡°Where are you then?¡± I asked again.


    ¡°Mr Wilson, you approved the letter I sent in to the office today. I am with my family. They need me.¡± She sounded angry.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know check who I was approving, I didn¡¯t care because I was so happy this morning. Yesterday was amazing and I was really looking forward to seeing today. I even bought you flowers and choctes for fuck¡¯s sake! Only for me to find out that you weren¡¯t in. You don¡¯t know how worried was.¡±


    ¡°Well you shouldn¡¯t be because I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not fine Sophia. You sound angry at me. Is that why you didn¡¯t pick any of my calls?¡±


    ¡°No, my phone is switched off. I¡¯m using and line.¡±


    ¡°Ok but why wouldn¡¯t you just tell me where you are?¡± I whined.


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want you toe looking for me. I don¡¯t want to see you!¡± She shouted.


    Her words hurt like a dagger in my chest. Even worse than my bullet wound when it was still fresh.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand this Sophia. One minute you¡¯re all over me and the next minute, you don¡¯t want to see me. I haven¡¯t even seen you since yesterday! What could I have possibly have done?¡±


    ¡°Think again.¡± She said before she cut the call.


    What the fuck is going on? I thought we were past all the drama and arguments?


    I tried calling her back severally but she never picked up.


    I gave up and turned to see thedy who owned the phone sitting patiently on a chair behind me.


    ¡°Lily, I suppose.¡± I said while walking towards her. I handed her phone to her and she grabbed it.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She said angrily at me earlier for snatching her phone. Just as she stood up and was about to leave I blocked her path.


    ¡°I need you to tell me exactly where Sophia is.¡±


    ¡°No way. I¡¯m not telling you anything.¡± So she knew where she was!


    ¡°You have to, I¡¯m begging you.¡± I said desperately.


    ¡°And why do I have to tell you?¡± Her eyes red at me.


    ¡°Because I am in love with her!¡± I said without realising it.


    She stared at me with wide eyes. I couldn¡¯t believe it myself! Was I really in love with her?


    ¡°Sophia means a lot to me and right now were not on good terms. I need to make things right with her because I feel like she¡¯s mad at me for a wrong reason.¡±


    Lily looked at me carefully as if she was trying to figure out something.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± She asked.


    ¡°My name is Adam Wilson.¡± I said and she gasped.


    ¡°Oh my gosh! Her boss! You¡¯re the guy she has a really huge crush on!¡±


    ¡°Wait- what? She has a crush on me?¡± I was surprised.


    She immediately realised what she said and pped her hand over her mouth. She was probably not meant to say that.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to blurt that out.¡± She apologised.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± I smiled at her. ¡°I also have a really huge crush on Sophia too and she knows it, however she is avoiding me at all cost. I just need to get to her and you¡¯re the only one that can help me right now. All you have to do is tell me where she is. Trust me, you¡¯ll be doing you¡¯re friend a favour.¡±


    She looked at me debating whether she should tell me or not but after a while she gave up.


    ¡°She¡¯s in Virginia. Richmond to be precise. She¡¯s staying at her parents house.¡±


    ¡°How long will she be there for?¡±


    ¡°About two weeks.¡± She said and I almost fainted.


    ¡°Two weeks?!¡± I yelled. Theres no way I¡¯m waiting two weeks before I get to see Sophia. I have to be on the next flight to Richmond as soon as possible. ¡°Do you know where her parents live?¡±


    ¡°Hignd Springs.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you so much for your help Lily.¡± I said gratefully.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee Adam. Would you like toe in for some coffee or tea?¡± She offered.


    ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m fine. I need to head home quickly to make ns for tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll see you around?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± I smiled back.


    On my way home, I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about what Lily said. Sophia has always had a crush on me. A very huge one at that. My happiness could not be contained. But everything vanished when I remembered her words to me in the phone and my chest began to ache again.


    There was something that bothered me, if she really likes me then why is she acting this way? She is very bipr. I can¡¯t seem to understand her sometimes.


    She wants me but acts like she doesn¡¯t. Why would she do that?


    Why can¡¯t she just be straight forward and not confusing?


    My mind was hurting from too much thinking so I stopped.


    I got home and remembered that tomorrow was Saturday, I had a bowling session with Mason. I don¡¯t think I would make it so I texted him.


    Mason, something came up. I can¡¯t make it tomorrow.


    Thankfully he replied almost immediately.


    Let me guess, it involves Sophia¡­


    Ah! He knew me all too well. Iughed and texted him back.


    Yes. Apparently, things did not go as I nned.


    I could tell he wasughing at me right now. He never seizes an opportunity to make an ass of me.


    You crack me up


    Like I said, he wasughing. That bastard! I called him immediately and he picked.


    ¡°Mason, I¡¯m in a bit of a situation right now andughing at me won¡¯t help.¡± I said to him.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡±


    ¡°Sophia didn¡¯t show up to work today. She took a two weeks leave and she¡¯s in Richmond visiting her father at the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Oh shit.¡± He became serious.


    ¡°To top everything she angry at me and I don¡¯t know what for this time, I¡¯m so frustrated. Im flying to Richmond tomorrow morning with my jet. I have to see her.¡±


    ¡°Adam! Look, I know you¡¯re in love and all but you can¡¯t do that! Thats crazy! She needs some space! She¡¯s going through a tough time and if she¡¯s pissed at you then you need toy off for a while.¡± He reasoned and I saw his point.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I shouldn¡¯t just act on impulse. I¡¯ll give her a day or two.¡±


    ¡°No Adam, you have to let her be for those two weeks.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that! Thats way too long!¡±


    ¡°Then why in the hell did you grant her the leave in the first ce then?!¡± He scolded me like I was a teenager.


    ¡°I was an ident! Look, I¡¯ll back off for a week. After that I¡¯m heading to Richmond.¡±


    ¡°So that means were still on for bowling tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°I guess so. I need to get my mind off Sophiapletely. I admit, she¡¯s bing an obsession.¡±This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    ¡°Yes.¡± I heard himugh.

 Chapter 21

    *One weekter*


    Adam Wilson


    ¡°Adam!¡± I heard Mason shout my name. I looked towards the direction and spotted him waving at me. He was with two other guys, probably his friends. He told me they would be joining us.


    This is the second time I¡¯m bowling with Mason. The first was just both of usst week and we had such a good time, we decided to do it again. This time he invited more of his friends he wanted me to meet.


    Thankfully the bowling club wasn¡¯t packed at all, unlike thest time. We could secure at least four bowling alleys to ourselves, one for each man.


    ¡°Mason.¡± I said while giving him a bro hug.


    ¡°This is Adam, he was once a victim at my hospital.¡± He said and Iughed. ¡°These are my friends Fred and Hendrix.¡± I shook hands with them both.


    I grabbed a beer bottle off the table where we were all seated. I usually don¡¯t drink beer but I could manage one or two bottles.


    ¡°So what do you do Adam?¡± Hendrix asked.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Uh, I own apany, it¡¯s called Wilson & Co. We deal with aerospace, defence and security.¡±


    ¡°That sounds interesting.¡± Fred said.


    ¡°Yes and very innovative as well.¡± Hendrix added and we allughed.


    ¡°Indeed¡± I smiled. I love to boast about what we do. ¡°We provide different services from flight management systems, to tactical satellitemunications, image and audio analysis, we even provide cyber security.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing. And your office is here in New York?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I brought out my business card and handed it to them both. ¡°This is my card. You cane see me anytime if you need to discuss business, advice or any other thing at all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s excellent but enough with the business talk.¡± Mason said. ¡°Were here to bowl!¡±


    ¡°The looser pays for everything.¡± Hendrix said and we all agreed.


    Apparently Mason was great at bowling, he beat me the first time. Most of his shots were strikes and he got a total of 270 points. He finished first while Hendrix was second with 239 points. Fred who had 201 points came third and well, I wasst with just 175 points.


    ¡°Sorry man, lunch¡¯s on you!¡± Fred patted me on the back.


    ¡°What happened Adam? I thought you were good at this?¡± Mason said. ¡°Or is something snaking you? Are you still thinking of Sophia?¡± He whispered thest part.


    ¡°You¡¯re bringing her up, I thought the n was to keep her out of my mind. But yes, she might have been the cause of my distraction. Lately, I¡¯ve been eating my heart out.¡± I said to him.


    ¡°Sorry man, but for now, Can you get me an egg mayo and pickle sandwich.¡± It was like he didn¡¯t even hear what I said to him about Sophia.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    What a dick!


    A waitress came and everyone ced their orders. The guys made sure to orderrge because they knew they weren¡¯t paying.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have the multi-grain with grilled turkey.¡± Fred said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with the avocado sandwich.¡± Hendrix said as well.


    For me, I chose two double BBQ Beef with sweet onions.


    ¡°Are you stress eating?¡± Mason smirked at me. I knew he was making fun of me again.


    ¡°No Mason. I am NOT stress eating.¡± I lied.


    Lately I¡¯ve been eaten a lot more than usual to counteract the stress I¡¯ve had for the past few days.


    ¡°Adam, I am a doctor. I can tell what¡¯s going on with you. You¡¯re looked stressed out because you¡¯ve been suffering from excessive longing, now you¡¯ve resulted tofort foods. You¡¯ve even stopped shaving and now you¡¯re growing a stubble. You¡¯re a wreck.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s been happening to you Adam?¡± Hendrix asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s whipped.¡± Mason answered for me. Hendrix and Fred looked at me astonishingly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not whipped.¡±


    ¡°I must admit, she is really pretty. She¡¯s the type you¡¯d want to hold on to, plus she keeps it tight.¡± He wagged his eyebrows at me.


    If it was okay to do so I would have smacked him in the face 50 times.


    ¡°So what¡¯s her name?¡± Fred asked me.


    ¡°Sophia, Sophia Parker.¡± I admitted defeatedly.


    ¡°Hm, a pretty girl with a pretty name.¡±


    ¡°Yeah well here¡¯s the catch, she¡¯s his personal assistant at work.¡± At this point Fred groaned. ¡°She¡¯s really good at the job and he shouldn¡¯t cross that line¡­ although he wants to. I keep telling him it¡¯s a bad idea.¡±


    Mason told them the full story¡­ well at least his version.


    ¡°What do you want from her Adam?¡± Hendrix asked me. ¡°Do you just want her, or do you want to be with her?¡±


    ¡°I want to be with her.¡± I decided.


    ¡°Then what¡¯s stopping you?¡±


    That was a good question.


    ¡°It¡¯splicated. She doesn¡¯t want to loose her job for a chance with me. Plus, I know she doesn¡¯t trust me. I have quite a history with women, she¡¯s witnessed it herself. Even though we¡¯re both attracted to each other, she avoids me by dating other men. Sometimes I just think she deserves someone better than me.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re giving up.¡± Hendrix said.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t know what to do.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Do what makes you happy Adam.¡± Mason held my shoulder. ¡°But don¡¯t do what you¡¯ll regret.¡±


    ¡°I agree, but go for her if you feel she¡¯s the one.¡± Fred said to me.


    ¡°Thanks guys.¡±


    The food came and we all ate.


    I got a text message from one of my clients reminding me about a meeting in Michigan which was few days from now.


    ¡°Mason can I talk to you for a second?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± He said wiping his hands.


    I pulled him away from the others.


    ¡°I have a meeting to attend in Michigan. And I can¡¯t go alone.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ what? You want me toe with you?¡± He asked me stupidly.


    ¡°No, but if I asked would you?¡±


    ¡°Hell no.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I figured. Anyway, I need Sophia toe with me but she¡¯s on leave.¡±


    ¡°You want to disturb the poor girl whose father is ill because you¡¯re too scared to go to a meeting alone?¡±


    ¡°Im not scared! I¡¯m just not used to it. I promised to stay away from her for one week and it¡¯s been a week already. I need to see her, maybe I should ask her if she¡¯ll go with me. She loves travelling.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just ask her on the phone, rather than travelling all the way to See her?¡±


    ¡°Her phone is off remember? And I don¡¯t have her parent¡¯s house number. Plus, I want to see her.¡±


    ¡°Okay Adam. Just don¡¯t make things worse between you two when you get there. And for pete¡¯s sake, please shave.¡±


    ****


    Sophia Parker


    Lately, I¡¯ve been spending a lot of time at hospitals. First with Mr Wilson, now with my dad. I¡¯m so sick of the environment.


    I was currently in the waiting room with my mum. We both held each other while we hoped for the best.


    Dad did not have just an ordinary stroke, the doctor called it a hemorrhagic stroke! It happens when an artery in the brain leaks blood or ruptures. They managed to find the cause of the bleeding and control it for just a few hours but after a while, the bleeding only got worse. Dad has always been a victim of high blood pressure which was the reason for the worsened condition so the doctors prescribed some medicine to lower his blood pressure.


    He is currently undergoing three surgeries. The doctors called them aneurysm clipping, coil embolization, and arteriovenous malformation repair. If the surgery is sessful, he advised mum to ensure he has a heart-healthy eating lifestyle, manage stress and do physical activities like aerobics.


    Mum was looking at a paper the doctor gave to her. The paper held useful information about eating healthy.


    ¡°Apparently, the doctor said we should only drink skimmed milk.¡± She frowned.


    I could understand because I hated skimmed milk as well. I could manage semi-skimmed though.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s tasteless and all but it¡¯s good for the health.¡± I smiled at her, trying to sound positive.


    ¡°Okay, listen to this. ¡®Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, tuna, and trout, about twice a week.¡¯ But your dad doesn¡¯t like fish! He¡¯s scared of the bones!¡± Sheined and Iughed.


    ¡°He¡¯ll have to get used to it.¡±


    ¡°This food rota is horrible! Look at this! Lima beans, chickpeas, broli, corn tortis, brown rice!¡±


    ¡°Are you really going to follow that mum?¡± I winced at the names she called.


    ¡°I have to. So we don¡¯t end up in the hospital again.¡±


    The doctors came out just then and walked towards us. We both stood up, waiting for the good or bad news.


    ¡°Mrs Parker.¡± He referred to my mum. ¡°I am pleased to say that your husband is okay and the surgery went well. But he¡¯ll have to stay with us in the hospital for a while.¡±


    I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard what the doctors said. My mum broke down crying happily.


    ¡°Oh, thank you so much for everything! How long would he be retained?¡± She asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re not sure about that ma¡¯am but until he recovers fully and we¡¯re sure that he is stable. We would let you know as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Thank you doctors!¡± I told them before they went away.


    I hugged my mum and wiped away her tears. She knew that it was up to me to pay the bill for the surgery. I was the only child and my parents were not very rich. They had savings but it was not enough to pay half of what we needed to pay. I also had savings but I just needed a few more toplete the bill. I overheard the doctors saying that the three surgeries were going to cost about $30, 000.


    I may have to go back to work earlier than I ought to, it¡¯s been a week and few days since I left New York and I know I¡¯m not going to be paid for my absence.


    Right now, I need every single penny I can get.


    ¡°Sophia honey, why don¡¯t you go back home and prepare dinner. I need to stay and make sure that your father is okay. You were here all through yesterday and I want you to leave early. I¡¯ll see you at hometer okay?¡±


    I wanted to protest but I agreed. Even though I wanted my mum toe home with me, eat and rest. I didn¡¯t want her to get stressed out here alone. I checked the time and it was 3:20pm.


    ¡°Do you have the keys?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes honey, I do. I¡¯ll being in through the back door from the garden.¡± She said.


    ¡°Okay mum.¡± I kissed her and she smiled at me.


    ¡°See youter.¡± She said.

 Chapter 22

    I left the hospital and drove home with dad¡¯s car. Mum will probablye home with the bus, she hates driving and doesn¡¯t even have her own car.


    I got home and quickly took a shower.


    My room hadn¡¯t changed much since I left for college. Everything was still intact except they had given most of my clothes to charity because there was no way I would fit into them now.


    I checked the remaining contents of my wardrobe for something I could manage to wear. I changed into a white tank top and some shorts I found but they were extremely tight. I wore them anyway since I was the only one at home, and I didn¡¯t bother putting on a bra.


    I put on a robe though, and I went downstairs to the kitchen to prepare dinner. I decided to make Spicy Salmon with Bok Choy and Rice. At least that was healthy.


    I baste the fish with a mixture of honey, soy sauce, and crushed red pepper to give it a tasty ze. The kitchen got hot and steamy so I took of my robe.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After few minutes I was done cooking and I left it in the pot to cool down. I did the washing up and did a bit of cleaning before I copsed on the couch. I watched TV silently waiting for mum toe back home.


    They were showing a old episodes of Desperate Housewives. One of the actors reminded me so much of Lily. They both looked exactly alike, it was so weird.


    I remembered myst call with Lily. She had told me the most ridiculous thing ever. I know she over exaggerates a lot but telling me that Mr Wilson said he was in love with me was just aplete lie. I couldn¡¯t believe her. He is a jerk who only wants to use me and dump me the minute he¡¯s done, he doesn¡¯t love me.


    I jumped when I heard a knock on the door.


    Who the hell was that?!


    I checked the time to see it was 5:00pm. Mum said she would being through the back door and she had her own keys so that definitely wasn¡¯t her. And I didn¡¯t order anything so who could it possibly be?


    Maybe it was the neighbour or something.


    I went over to the door and looked through the peephole. My heart started pounding immediately I saw who it was.


    Think of the devil and he appears!


    What was he doing here?! And how did he know where my parents live?! How did he find me? I am so freaked out right now. Should I open up the door for him?


    I ran my hand through my hair, not knowing what to do. I wasn¡¯t prepared to see him yet!


    He knocked on the door again, more urgently this time. I took a few deep breaths and decided to open the door.


    Hesitantly, I turned the knob and opened the door for him. He was standing there, holding a bouquet of flowers and a card in his hands.


    To be honest, he looked good. He was wearing his usual suit but without a tie this time. The first two buttons were undone and I could see a bit of what was beneath his shirt.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I managed to say calmly even though my heart was racing fast.


    He just stared at me with wide eyes. He opened his mouth as if to say something but nothing came out. He just kept on looking at me¡­ or something on me¡­


    I looked down at myself and then I noticed he was actually ogling me! My little tank top and tight shorts barely covered my body parts.


    I hid part of myself behind the open door and that¡¯s when he finally looked up.


    ¡°Hello Ms Parker. I uh¡­ I came here to see you, and your mother.¡± He said nervously. ¡°I hope you guys are okay?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fine thanks but it¡¯s just me at home right now.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I swear I saw a smile tug at his lips but he hid it immediately. ¡°Can Ie in then?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I opened the door wider for him and he stepped into the house.


    What the hell am I doing?!


    I really didn¡¯t want to let him in but I couldn¡¯t stop myself from saying yes. My body was so aware of him because he never took his eyes off me.


    ¡°Would you like anything to drink? Maybe tea, or coffee?¡± I offered after closing the door.


    ¡°I¡¯ld like some coffee please.¡± He handed me the flowers and the card. ¡°Uh, the flowers are for you but the card is for your dad. I hope he¡¯s feeling better.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. And yes, he is.¡± I took them avoiding as much contact with him as possible. It was a get well soon card which was actually really sweet of him. ¡°Do you want the coffee here in the living room, or in the kitchen?¡±


    ¡°The kitchen is fine.¡± He smiled at me.


    My heart did a backflip when I saw his perfect smile. I turned away from him quickly because I know I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle myself.


    Why does he have to be so damn sexy?


    I put the card on the dining table and went to the kitchen, he followed behind me.


    I was extremely ufortable walking in front of him in my cotton shorts. I just hoped my butt wasn¡¯t wiggling all over the ce. That would be so embarrassing.


    I got a vase for the flowers, filled it up with water and put them inside. They were very beautiful but I kept them aside for now,ter I would decide where to ce them.


    Behind me Mr Wilson sat by the kitchen ind, never taking his eyes off me once. I could feel his stare like needles pricking my skin but I tried my best to pretend like I couldn¡¯t. I put water in a kettle and boiled it up. I bent down carefully to get the coffee beans and sugar from the cab below when I heard him hiss. I looked at him and saw him staring right at my ass.


    I knew it!


    I wanted to hit him for doing so but I couldn¡¯t me him. What I was wearing was quite promiscuous, considering the body type that I have.


    ¡°Sophia, you never told me exactly what happened to your father.¡± He asked. He noticed that I caught him looking so he tried to stop.


    ¡°He had a stroke and was operated on today. The doctors carried out three surgeries on him but he¡¯s fine now.¡± I said facing him.


    ¡°Wow, I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t think it was that serious. Three surgeries is a lot.¡±This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    He was right. I¡¯ll have to work my ass off to try and pay off the hospital fees.


    Then there won¡¯t be any ass for him to look at!


    ¡°I know.¡± I said shakily.


    He looked at me as if he was trying to figure out something¡­ I don¡¯t know what but his eyes wondered from my face to my neck and then finally settled on my breasts. My current posture didn¡¯t help things as I had my palms resting behind me on the counter, and my chest sticking out. Deciding not to wear a bra was a terrible decision. As his eyes lingered there I could feel my nipples tighten from awareness and his brows lifted. He noticed.


    No matter how badly I wanted to cover up, I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to move. Some part of me enjoyed the way he looked at me¡­ and wanted to show him more. Just like that day in his office, when I showed him all of me.


    I should really turn away or maybe put on that robe I had tossed away while cooking, but I couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Sophia¡­¡± He started but before he could say anything further, the kettle switch went off. I used that opportunity to quickly turn around and grind the coffee beans, ignoring the weird moment that just happened. There was definitely a strong chemistry between us and I couldn¡¯t deny that.


    ¡°How many sugars?¡± I asked him as I made the coffee


    ¡°None. I was going to say that I will be attending a meeting in Michigan two days from now. It¡¯s between me and the board of directors of the Sytner Group.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± I ced the cup in front of him. ¡°Would you like some milk with that?¡±


    ¡°No thanks. You know how I like my coffee.¡± He said.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I was just making sure because its a bitte.¡±


    I decided to look for my robe and put it on. But before I got passed him he gently held my arm, stopping me from leaving.


    ¡°I want you toe with me Sophia.¡±


    I looked at him incredulously.


    Is he serious?


    Does he expect me to leave my family and go to Michigan with him?! The whole point of taking a leave was to get away from work (and him).


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯m needed here in Richmond so I cannote with you.¡± I tried not to speak harshly.


    ¡°But I need you there with me, you¡¯re my PA.¡±


    ¡°I took a leave Mr Wilson, you can find someone else to go with.¡±


    Maybe he could take that blondie he was kissing in his apartment the other day.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need just anyone to apany me, I¡¯m not going for recreation, I¡¯m going for business.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you want me to leave my family ande with you just like that. My mother needs me here and my dad is sick! He just had three operations today! I can¡¯t just take off!¡±


    ¡°Okay Sophia, calm down.¡± He slowly tried pulling me towards him.


    ¡°No! Get your hands off me!¡± I struggled and he let me go. ¡°I can¡¯t believe how selfish you¡¯re being right now!¡±


    ¡°Please, there¡¯s no need to get angry, just listen to me.¡± The way he acted like it wasn¡¯t a big deal made me even angrier.


    ¡°How did you even find me here?! Huh?! You think you can just show up randomly and expect me to-¡±


    He didn¡¯t let me finish speaking before he pulled me flush against him and kissed me.


    I fought him with all my strength, no matter how much I wanted to, I wouldn¡¯t give in to him this time. He noticed I wasn¡¯t kissing back and he pulled away. I pushed him off me and acted out of impulse.


    I pped him.


    ¡°How dare you! Don¡¯t you ever kiss me again!¡± He didn¡¯t seem to be affected by the p I gave to him because he didn¡¯t even move.


    ¡°But you kissed me.¡± He referred to that day I made out with him in his office.


    ¡°That was different! I wasn¡¯t being a savage like you!¡± I shouted. ¡°You need to leave now and don¡¯te back!¡±


    I heard the back door click.


    Mum was here!

 Chapter 23

    I quickly searched around for my robe and spotted it hung beside the kitchen apron. I hurriedly put it on before mum walked into the kitchen.


    ¡°Mum, this is Mr Adam Wilson, my boss at work.¡± I introduced him to her.


    ¡°Your boss? Oh it¡¯s so good to finally meet you Mr Wilson!¡± She said happily. She went over and shook his hand.


    ¡°The pleasure is all mine.¡± He said.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re here in Richmond! Did you have some business you were doing around here?¡±


    ¡°No actually, I came to Richmond to see if Ms Parker was okay.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very thoughtful! Since you¡¯re here would you like to join us for dinner?¡±


    No!


    ¡°I¡¯ld love to.¡± He smiled pretentiously at my mother then he looked at me with his nose in the air.


    ¡°Mum, can I speak to you for a second?¡± I pulled her anyway not bothering if she agreed or not. We went upstairs to my room.


    ¡°Mum, what are you doing? I don¡¯t want him to have dinner with us!¡± I tried to whisper.


    ¡°That¡¯s not nice. He¡¯s your boss and he came all the way from New York to see you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because he wants to take me back!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s going to Michigan for business two days from now and he wants me to go with him.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I think you should go.¡± She shrugged.


    ¡°What?! I can¡¯t mum! I¡¯m on leave! Besides, you need me here more than he does. What about dad? I can¡¯t just¡­¡±


    ¡°Shhhh Sophia listen to me.¡± She interrupted me. ¡°If you really want to help us out then you can do so by going back to work.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you want me to go back? It¡¯s too sudden.¡± I pleaded.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    ¡°I¡¯m sure honey. I can take care of dad and myself, don¡¯t worry. Now change into something else, you can¡¯t have dinner with us wearing just a robe.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I said and she left the room.


    I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m going back with Mr Wilson, that arrogant swine! He thinks he can just kiss me anyhow he wants and whenever he feels like. He was trying to shut me up that¡¯s why he kissed me. I¡¯m so angry at his barbaric behavior! And now he¡¯s going to have dinner with us!


    I whined as I went to my box to get something suitable to wear. This time, I made sure I put on a bra. I decided to wear a in light blue sundress. It wasn¡¯t too showy but it was okay for dinner. I brushed my hair a bit and went back downstairs.


    I found mum and the swine seated at the dinning table. They had already stated eating without me. I sat down anyway and served myself.


    ¡°This meal is delicious. Who cooked this?¡± Mr Wilson asked.


    ¡°Oh it was Sophia who did. She¡¯s an excellent cook.¡± My mum chirped.


    I rolled my eyes internally. She was putting up her usual grandstand act anytime she was with someone affluent or of significant importance.


    They conversed throughout dinner but I stayed silent most of the time. I was angry at how he was pretending in front of my mum to be such a charming and warmhearted boss meanwhile he was actually a swine.


    When we were all done eating I began to clear the table.


    ¡°By the way, how is Sophia at work?¡± My mum asked him.


    ¡°She¡¯s one of my best employees. Very hardworking and functional. She¡¯s the longest PA I¡¯ve ever had.¡±


    ¡°Oh I¡¯m so happy to hear that!¡± My mum delighted. I was going to puke anytime soon.


    ¡°Let me.¡± Mr Wilson cleared the table with me. He¡¯s such an actor.


    He helped me to take the tes to the kitchen. I decide to wash up now so I don¡¯t have to do itter. I was surprised when he began to help me.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± I finally attacked him.


    ¡°I¡¯m just helping out, that¡¯s all. Your mum is really friendly and weing. Why are you acting like I¡¯m a burden?¡± He said.


    ¡°Because you are. And I¡¯m sick of your goody-goody act in front of my mum!¡±


    ¡°Goody-goody act?¡± Heughed.


    ¡°Yes! Now I don¡¯t need your help in the kitchen! Just go.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Okay!¡± He said with his arms in the air and left.


    I finished washing up and went back. They had moved to the living room where mum was showing him her favorite photo album of me! More like a documentary of my whole life! She had made that album herself,piling photos of me year after year from the day I was born up to the day I graduated from college. Every birthday picture was there, including all my firsts. Like my first broken tooth, or my first visit to Santa.


    It was so embarrassing that she always showed every visitor that photo album. But I couldn¡¯t me her, I am her only child.


    ¡°When Sophia was in high school, she used to be a cheerleader, see how gracious she looks here.¡± She pointed at the book.


    I groaned and sat on the couch opposite, continuing my Desperate Housewives on TV.


    Mr Wilson actually looked intrigued. He smiled from time to time at the pictures my mother showed him. He nced at me once in a while as if he couldn¡¯t believe I was the same girl in the photo album.


    ¡°She looks just like you here.¡± He smiled at my mum and she giggled, meanwhile I wanted to die of mortification.


    ¡°Oh dear, look at the time! It getting reallyte and I don¡¯t want to keep you here. Sophia would you like to see Mr Wilson off?¡±


    Yes, finally!


    ¡°Sure.¡± I beamed. He knew it was fake.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a pleasure meeting you Mrs Parker.¡± He said standing up.


    ¡°Oh, it was nice to have you here.¡± She stood up as well and hugged him.


    Rolling my eyes, I went to the door and opened it, indicating that I wanted him out of here as quick as possible!


    ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± He smiled to my mum before he went out to the front porch.


    Tomorrow?


    I closed the door behind me leaving just two of us with my mum inside.


    ¡°Why are youing back tomorrow?¡± I scowled.


    ¡°Because I¡¯ll be picking you up. Your mum informed me that you will being back with me to Michigan.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. Are we going directly from here or would we fly to New York first?¡±


    ¡°Whatever¡¯s fine with you?¡± He smirked.


    ¡°We can go from here. By the way, where are you staying for the night?¡± I asked only because I was curious.


    ¡°I could stay here with you if you want.¡± I gave him a dirty look. ¡°Alright! A hotel, it¡¯s really close to the airport.¡±


    ¡°Oh I know it, it¡¯s not far from here either. How are you going to get there?¡± I asked again. I really didn¡¯t care, I was just curious.


    ¡°I rented this taxi man over there for the whole day.¡± He pointed at a cab on the street.


    ¡°What?! You mean he¡¯s been waiting outside for you the whole time? That¡¯s so mean!¡±


    ¡°Rx, what I¡¯m paying him is more that what he¡¯ll make throughout this week.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to waste your money and other people¡¯s precious time like that.¡± I said to him. He was so annoying.


    ¡°Whatever Sophia. I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± But he stood rooted to the spot. I waited for him to turn around and get going. I raised my eyebrow when he didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Can I at least get a ¡®goodbye¡¯? Or maybe a hug?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I folded my arms.


    ¡°Argh! Fine then.¡± He stormed off.


    The foolish part of me wanted to run after him and kiss him goodbye, but I remembered the blondie, his other lover, and then I changed my mind instantly. I am never letting that swine kiss me again! He can find someone else to use and dump, not me. I turned around and went inside the house.


    ***


    Adam Wilson


    ¡°Hey Mase. ¡± I picked up my call. Already in my room, sprawled out on my bed.


    ¡°Adam, how¡¯d it go?¡± Mason asked.


    ¡°Terrible. She was extremely upset when I asked her toe with me to Michigan. She kept going on and on about how selfish I am. I couldn¡¯t take it anymore plus she looked hot so I kissed her. After that, she pped me.¡±


    ¡°Woah!¡± Heughed hysterically.


    ¡°Good news is, she¡¯sing with me. I¡¯m not sure why but I think her mother convinced her to.¡±


    ¡°You met her mother?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, lovely woman. Sophia looks exactly like her.¡± I said.


    ¡°At least you didn¡¯tpletely screw up.¡±


    ¡°Mason, seeing Sophia today was wonderful. Don¡¯t let me get started on how she looked.¡±


    I could barely keep it together when I saw Sophia opening the front door, wearing clothes that left very little to the imagination of what was underneath. If I were a dog I would drool, and if I were a wolf, I would howl. She looked so sexy that I couldn¡¯t stop the sinister thoughts from flooding into my head.


    And in the kitchen, when she was in such an erotic posture. I couldn¡¯t control my eyeballs as they wandered over her beautiful body. It may sound crazy but I think her breasts have gotten a lot bigger, and heck she wasn¡¯t even wearing a bra! I saw her nipples be visible from awareness, she knew I was looking yet she didn¡¯t turn away. If you ask me, I think she enjoyed my gaze just as much as I enjoyed gazing! That was what spurred me on to kiss her, expecting she would give in and kiss me back but she didn¡¯t. I was a little disappointed and that p she gave me confirmed that she was still upset with me over something, but I don¡¯t know what it is!


    I wasn¡¯t even angry at the p, if anything, to me it was as good as effortless and I found it sexy. Sophia is so attractive when she¡¯s feisty. She didn¡¯t hurt me when she pped me, she hurt me when she said I couldn¡¯t kiss her anymore. It didn¡¯t make sense. She kissed me at my office and when I try to do the same, she says no. What does she really want?


    ¡°Spare me all the horny details. I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡± Mason said.


    ¡°I learned a lot of new things about Sophia today. She was a cheerleader in high school.¡±

 Chapter 24

    I remembered one of the pictures of her in her cheerleader outfit. She looked so young and perky in her short skirt. I couldn¡¯t help but imagine her now in my bed, wearing that outfit. They would be so tight because her body has developed way to much to fit into them. The erotic image clouded my brain as I imagined her beneath me¡­


    ¡°That sounds cute but why did she p you? I thought she was into you? She even kissed you once?¡± Mason¡¯s voice brought me back to reality.


    ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s driving me nuts!¡±


    ¡°She has mood swings. She needs to drop by for some diagnosis. Bring her anytime you can.¡± He joked.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I will try. Right now I need to catch some zzz¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, tomorrow is a busy day.¡±


    ¡°Talk to you soon.¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡±


    I hung up and turned of the bedsidemp, hoping to get some sleep tonight. I hadn¡¯t gotten a proper one in weeks and I feel like I¡¯m letting my body down.


    Closing my eyes was a huge mistake because images of Sophia formed in my mind. I pictured her in the blue dress she wore today at dinner. She looked exquisite.


    I tried to sleep but it never came. Only image after image of Sophia from the photo album flooded my mind. If I was going to lie down and be deprived of sleep, then I would rather do something more productive. I got up and went to my desk.


    I brought out myptop and began to work.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Sophia Parker


    I was expecting Mr Wilson to show up early in the morning at the house to pick me up for the airport, but he didn¡¯t show until 6 in the evening! He should have told me we would be flying at night, that way, I wouldn¡¯t have had to rush this morning. I could have taken my sweet time.


    Packing wasn¡¯t an easy job. Last night, I threw all my clothes in the washer and dried them overnight, I arranged them into my box in the morning along with my shoes and other things.


    I¡¯m not really sure I have the appropriate clothes for Michigan, most of them are too casual. I don¡¯t even have a suit, although I have one ck dress that I can wear for an official purpose.


    Right now I was wearing a grey summer dress with my ck knee length boots, suitable for any weather.


    We are about to take off and I¡¯m sitting directly in front of Mr Wilson in his jet and as usual, he simply can¡¯t keep his eyes off me. Part of my liked it but another part of my found it very disturbing.


    ¡°You look nice in that dress.¡± Hispliment made me warm all over.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Did you notice we have a new pilot.¡± He said to me.


    ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t. What happened to Captain Williams?¡±


    ¡°He went to his home town in Ohio for his daughter¡¯s wedding. The new guy is just temporary.¡±


    ¡°Aw, congrattions to him.¡±


    Captain Williams was actually a nice person and I was really happy for him and his daughter. We seldom have conversations but when we do, he¡¯s always so funny and witty. I like his sense of humour, he forces us to call him Captain because he¡¯s one of the best pilots from Skymate. But he¡¯s also gradually approaching 60 years so he may retire soon. Mr Wilson would have to look for someone to seed him.


    Im sure a number of things would have changed at the office when I return, and I can¡¯t wait to start working again. I actually missed it.


    ¡°How was your break from the office?¡± He asked me after a few moments.


    ¡°It was okay, I guess. Spent most of it at the hospital. Everything¡¯s fine now and I¡¯m d I¡¯m back.¡±


    ¡°Good to know. I¡¯m d you¡¯re back too. I couldn¡¯t bear the thought of you not being around for another week.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you really came to Richmond? You really don¡¯t need me in Michigan do you? You just came here to abduct me because you want me toe back. Congrattions, you¡¯ve seeded.¡± I said, wanting nothing more but to hit him.


    ¡°I do need you in Michigan, but honestly you¡¯re right. I also need you with me. Even if I had toe down here to get you, at least I¡¯m happy you¡¯re here now.¡±


    ¡°How selfish of you! I was needed more in Richmond!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about that? Because your mother seemed eager for you toe back with me. And this morning, she told me the reason why.¡± He said.


    ¡°I could have handled things perfectly fine. You didn¡¯t need to steal me away from my parents!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Sophia. If this is not what you really want then I could take you back?¡±


    He surprised me. Would he actually do that? I wasn¡¯t really mad at him for taking me with him, I was just angry because of the anonymous picture I received. Seeing him kiss another woman right after I kissed him made me furious at him. He¡¯s nothing but a skirt-chaser and he doesn¡¯t deserve to be treated nicely.


    ¡°I can¡¯t go back, my mother wants me to go with you. Plus its toote, we¡¯re about to take off.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not toote Sophia, I don¡¯t want you to think of this as an abduction. I genuinely need you, I really do.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. I¡¯m here now.¡± I folded my arms and looked out the window. Mr Wilson let out a deep breath and rubbed his head. I was really giving him a hard time but I don¡¯t care. Next time he won¡¯t go kissing other women them moment I let my guard down for him.


    The pilot came in and told us to prepare for take off and wear our seat belts properly. He could have used the tunnel but perhaps he¡¯s new and doesn¡¯t know about it.


    ¡°How many hours is the flight?¡± I asked the pilot.


    ¡°About two hours ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± There was no point sleeping through the flight because it was a short one. I guess I¡¯m stuck with Mr Wilson for two whole hours.


    After take off, I sat silently, looking at the clouds. I felt Mr Wilson move. He stood up and reached into the overhead bin.


    ¡°I want to use this time to brief you of what would be happening at the meeting tomorrow.¡± He said while pulling out his flight bag.


    He sat back down opposite me and opened his bag. I was surprised to see a Victoria Secret shopping back inside. What was he doing shopping at Victoria Secret?


    I stifled myugh but he noticed.


    ¡°In case you¡¯re wondering. The VS bag isn¡¯t for me. Its yours.¡± He handed it to me.


    ¡°Really?¡± I was surprised. ¡°You got something for me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I smiled so hard, my cheeks hurt. I couldn¡¯t help it.


    Maybe thats why he cameter than I expected. He was out shopping. I opened the bag, trying to hide my excitement.


    In it was the most fetching ck two-piece I¡¯ve ever seen! The top was a halter neck while the bottom had strings. I fell in love with it immediately.


    ¡°You got me a bikini?¡± As much as I really liked the two piece, I found Mr Wilson getting me intimates very weird. He could have just bought me a bottle of perfume, like he normally does.


    ¡°In case you would like to use the indoor pool at the hotel, we¡¯ll be staying in Grand Rapids.¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡± I squealed. Grand Rapids was a beautiful city in Michigan. I couldn¡¯t wait to be there!


    I was suddenly happy I was going on a trip to Michigan. I had never been there before but Lily has and I remember her telling me it was a nice ce. I should be feeling guilty for leaving my mum but it was her who spurred me on to leave in the first ce.


    ¡°There¡¯s one more thing in the bag.¡± He said.


    I checked to find a little jewellery box.  I didn¡¯t know what was inside but I sure was nervous as hell!

 Chapter 25

    I opened it to find a silver ne with my name as the pendant, carved with pretty diamonds. This is one of the most beautiful things Mr Wilson has bought for me.


    ¡°Oh my god! This is so gorgeous!¡± I beamed. ¡°Thank you so much! I¡¯ve always wanted a ne with my name on it. I love this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you do. We¡¯ll only be in Michigan for two whole days, then we¡¯ll be leaving the next day.¡± He said pulling out papers from his flight bag.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°If the meeting is tomorrow, does that mean we have an extra day?¡±


    ¡°Yes we do. We are meeting with the Sytner Group by 12pm. They¡¯ve expanded their business to Michigan and they need more of our services in their new branch. I am going to inspect the ce to see what facilities they would need. Also the branch manager is new so we would have to provide them with full security information and how they would go about it. I have already developed a presentation for the meeting and sent it to your email.¡±


    ¡°You made a presentation? That¡¯s supposed to be my job.¡±


    ¡°You were on leave, who else would have done it?¡±


    ¡°True. But I¡¯ll have to look at it, just to double check.¡± I said.


    ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯ll show you.¡± He said confidently bringing out hisptop.


    I put the ne back in the box and took onest look at the bikini before folding it back into the bag. I know I would certainly look sinister in that swimwear, Mr Wilson must not see me wearing such. I would be mortified if he does. If that was his intention when he bought me the bikini, then his n will not work.


    I tucked the bag away and waited for him to show me the presentation.


    ¡°This is it.¡± He gave me hisptop.


    It wasn¡¯t bad but it was missing a lot of information and there were a lot of formatting errors. It looked like something an amateur would do when asked to make a presentation for the first time. There was also something about the structure of the slides that seemed to be odd. And his attempt to design it was horrible.


    I couldn¡¯t help butugh. He tried his best though.


    ¡°What¡¯s funny? Isn¡¯t it good enough?¡± He asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing but I need to make a few minor corrections.¡± I lied. I was going to change the whole thing.


    ¡°Okay then, here is a sample of the hand outs.¡± He gave me some papers. ¡°Will you be using the bedroom?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. There¡¯s no point sleeping, it¡¯s a short flight. Plus, I have some work to do here.¡± I pointed at the presentation.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be in there if you need me.¡± He said before making his way to the bedroom.


    I felt sad that he was leaving me all alone but he needed to sleep. I could see it in his eyes.


    I faced hisptop, copied the whole presentation and started a fresh one. Iughed to myself because he¡¯ll be so mad when he finds out what I¡¯ve done.


    ***


    2 hourster


    I knocked on the bedroom door for the fifth time now but he didn¡¯t answer.


    What the hell is going on in there?


    ¡°Mr Wilson?¡± I called out his name but he didn¡¯t reply.


    I decided to take my chances. I slowly pushed the door and to my surprise, it opened. He didn¡¯t even lock the door.


    I stepped into the small room and saw Mr Wilson passed out on the bed. He had taken off his shoes and his shirt, leaving him bare-chested. I carefully made my way towards him and noticed he was sweating profusely. Tiny beads of sweat formed on his forehead and on his body, some of them running down his chest.


    I couldn¡¯t help the naughty things that came to my mind as I watched his chest rise and fall from breathing heavily. Mr Wilson was the sexiest male I had evere across and I couldn¡¯t even deny it. I could feel myself getting hot from staring at his body. I really wanted to touch him so I did.


    I reached out and ced my hand on his chest but I jumped back immediately I did.


    He was burning up!


    ¡°Mr Wilson?¡± I squatted beside him and tapped him trying to wake him up. All I got was a groan from him. ¡°Please Mr Wilson wake up. We¡¯rending soon.¡±


    He tossed about and I thought I saw him shiver.


    ¡°Are you cold?¡± I asked and he nodded. ¡°Maybe you have a fever. Come, the ne will bending soon.¡±


    I helped him to sit up then I got a towel from somewhere and dabbed it on his forehead and chest. I tried my best to block all the wicked thoughts going through my head as I dried him up. Touching him and having him so close was doing things to me. I helped him to put on his shirt and his shoes.


    ¡°Come on, we need to sit out there. As soon as wend I¡¯ll find something or someone to make you feel better.¡± I pulled him up to his feet and supported him out of the bedroom to where he had previously sat with me.


    I buckled his seat belt and did the same for myself when I sat down. I felt really bad for Mr Wilson. He must be feeling ufortable. I don¡¯t understand how he could fall sick all of a sudden, he looked perfectly fine 2 hours ago.


    ¡°Where is my jacket?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s here with me.¡± I had picked it up while leaving the bedroom.


    ¡°Let me wear it.¡±


    ¡°No, Mr Wilson you can¡¯t wear it because you¡¯re temperature is too hot.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m cold.¡± He whined.


    ¡°I know, thats¡¯s because you might have a fever. Covering yourself up could make things worse.¡± I reasoned. He said something incoherent but I knew he wasining. He can grumble all he wants, he doesn¡¯t realise that I¡¯m helping him regte his temperature.


    The nended at Gerald R. Ford International Airport, I supported Mr Wilson on my shoulders because he was too tired to walk. We took a taxi to the hotel and got there in 20 minutes. The name of the hotel was JW Marriott and it was an extremely beautiful ce. I didn¡¯t have time to look around because Mr Wilson was ill and he needed attention immediately. I hurriedly went over to the desk clerk to check in. I was given a set of keys that said 58. That was probably our suite number.


    I helped Mr Wilson towards the elevator. He was still sweating as he leaned on the wall for support. He had gotten worse and I felt so bad for him in this condition. He looked like he was about to copse.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Mr Wilson. As soon as I get you to in the room, I¡¯ll go look for help.¡± I was thinking of just buying him medicine for fever but I didn¡¯t want to self medicate. He needs to be properly checked because his illness may be worse than a fever. It could be anything.


    I literally dragged both of us out of the elevator because he couldn¡¯t walk anymore. I opened the door to our suite with the key and pulled him inside.


    The ce was exquisite! There was a living room, dining room and a separate sitting area. There were two rooms each on the opposite side of the suite. I took a guess which one was the master bedroom and went to the one on the right first.


    Luckily it was so I guided Mr Wilson to the bed. I took off his shoes and carefully began to remove his shirt.


    ¡°No, no, no.¡± He pulled away. ¡°Its way too cold.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re so hot!¡± I said and he smiled. I immediately realized how smutty that sounded. ¡°I mean temperature-wise! You¡¯re temperature is hot.¡± I corrected myself.


    He took off his shirt slowly, looking me in the eyes directly. Ugh! Even when he¡¯s sick, he¡¯s still arrogant!


    ¡°Lay down and rest while I find medical help, okay?¡± I stole a few nces at his broad chest.


    ¡°Sure.¡± He smirked at me.


    I rolled my eyes before leaving him in his room. Just as I opened the door to go downstairs, I saw one of the hotel staff bringing in our bags.


    ¡°Excuse me, does the hotel have any health services?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Oh yes we do. Downstairs we have a Spectrum Health System.¡± He said.


    ¡°Brilliant. Thanks for your help.¡± I smiled at him and he smiled back.


    ¡°No worries.¡±


    I took the elevator and rushed downstairs. It took a while before I found the health centre but when I finally did, they were about to close.


    ¡°Hey, are you closed yet?¡± I asked one of the assistants.


    ¡°Not yet but we would be closing in fifteen minutes. What is it that I can hep you with?¡± She said.


    ¡°It¡¯s my boss. He¡¯s really sick and he¡¯s running a temperature. I¡¯m not sure what it is but I¡¯ld like for him to get tested.¡±


    ¡°Okay, are you currently residing at the hotel?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Suite 58.¡±


    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll send someone up to be with you shortly.¡±


    ¡°Oh thanks ever so much.¡±


    I went back up to the suite and took my suitcase to my room. It was a bit smaller than Mr Wilson¡¯s but it was ensuite and so was his. Thank god for that.


    I took off my boots because my legs were hurting.


    After getting a bitfortable, I brought Mr Wilson¡¯s suitcase into his room. He was underneath the covers which was the worst thing you could do when you have a fever. I did what I had to do. I yanked the covers off him and his eyes widened.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t use that, your body is probably above 40 degrees.¡± I exaggerated.


    He groaned in annoyance but I ignored him. I sat down beside him and pulled out a menu on top of the bedside table.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to order some food.¡± I said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have an appetite.¡± Heined.


    ¡°You have to eat something because a medical person ising soon and they¡¯ll most likely give you some medication. And you know you can¡¯t take medicine on an empty stomach.¡±


    ¡°My stomach¡¯s not empty. I had breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Well now it is. It¡¯s been hours since you¡¯ve eaten. Look, the food is from Six. One. Six Restaurant.¡± I showed him the menu. We¡¯ve both eaten there once before. He scanned through it with much boredom then turned away. I decided to help him order instead, he looked indecisive. ¡°Why don¡¯t we get the Chef¡¯s lovely soup? It¡¯s the first one on the menu.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡± He sighed, not bothered at all.


    I picked up the phone on the bedside table and ordered two of that and some water just incase he gets medication.


    ¡°The food will be here in about 20 minutes. And you have to eat it, even if I have to feed you myself.¡± I told him. He didn¡¯t respond. His eyes were closed but I knew he wasn¡¯t sleeping.


    Something like a doorbell rang. It was probably the medicals so I went to open the door.


    ¡°Hi, my name is Dr Pipe. You requested for medical help.¡± A man with a first aid kit said to me.

 Chapter 26

    ¡°Yes I did. Thank you foring.¡± I moved aside to let him in. I guided him to Mr Wilson¡¯s room only to find that Mr Wilson had used the covers again! He¡¯s so stubborn, I can¡¯t deal.


    ¡°I¡¯m Sophia Parker and this is Adam Wilson, my boss. He¡¯s really weak and he¡¯s running a temperature.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll need to attend to him alone because I¡¯m going to ask him personal questions and make other enquiries about his health. Is that okay Sophia?¡± He asked me.


    ¡°Of course. Go ahead.¡±


    I left the room and waited patiently in the living room. I just hope it isn¡¯t anything serious with Mr Wilson. We have a presentation tomorrow and he needs to be well for that. I put on therge TV and browsed through the channels, then I found one showing Desperate Housewives. I grinned in happiness and watched to get my mind off things. 15 minutester the door bell rang again. I opened it to see room service with the food I ordered.


    ¡°Thank you, you can put the bill on our tab.¡± I said taking it from them. I put them down on the dining the moment Dr Pipes came out. ¡°How is he?¡± I asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s okay, the fever was as a result of stress. I found out that he hadn¡¯t been sleeping properly for the past week.¡± The doctor said.


    ¡°Why is that? Does he have insomnia?¡±


    ¡°No he doesn¡¯t, he just stressed out.¡±


    ¡°Did he say why?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I personally cannot disclose that information.¡± He tried to hide a smile but I noticed it. ¡°These are some tablets for the fever and the difort. You¡¯ll need to give them to him after he eats.¡± He handed me the medicine and I took it. ¡°That will be all now Sophia. Though it shouldn¡¯t, but if the fever persists feel free to get back to us at Spectrum Health. The bill for the medicine will be ced on your tab.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much for your help Dr Pipe. Hopefully, I don¡¯t see you again.¡± I said and heughed, understanding my joke.


    ¡°I hope so too.¡±


    I closed the door behind him and went into Mr Wilson¡¯s room. He wasn¡¯t using the covers this time and he was seated upright resting on the headboard.


    ¡°Hey, the doctor said you have to take this but you need to eat first. Here you go.¡± I handed him his bowl of soup but he turned away. ¡°Come on Mr Wilson, don¡¯t you want to get better?¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to feed you.¡± I began opening the food and he looked at me with a ¡®what the hell¡¯ look. ¡°You heard me.¡± I said.


    ¡°Absolutely no way.¡± He argued.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it tastes nice.¡± I dipped a spoon into the soup and brought it to his lips. ¡°Open up.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Mr Wilson please, you have to eat this!¡± I cried out. I sighed heavily and put the spoon back. I was frustrated at him, this is his health we are talking about here!


    ¡°I will eat only on one condition.¡± He finally said.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I hoped it wasn¡¯t anything crazy.


    ¡°You have to sleep here, tonight, on my bed.¡±


    ¡°What?! You mean the two of us will sleep with each other?!¡± I shrieked.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re not going to sleep with each other.¡± Heughed. ¡°We¡¯ll just sleep together.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s a big difference. Sleeping with each other involves activities that require both-¡±


    ¡°OK Stop! I think I know the difference now.¡± I cut him off before he could go any further. I checked the time to see that it was 10:30pm. ¡°We have to eat now because it¡¯s getting reallyte.¡± I usually don¡¯t like eating past 8pm.


    ¡°So, would you spend the night?¡± He pressed on.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what¡¯s going to get you to eat and help you get better then yes.¡± I said immediately regretting it.


    ¡°Good.¡± He took the bowl from me and finally began to eat.


    I ate mine as well and boy, was the food delicious. I had only taken a few spoons when Mr Wilson was finished with his, apparently he had gulped everything down. I don¡¯t know why he rushed his food. Maybe he thought it tasted nice or he was just in a hurry to have me sleeping on his bed. I found myself believing thetter much more.


    I handed him his medicine and he took it ording to the doctors dose. When we were both done, I threw the disposable bowls in the bin and cleared up the ce.


    ¡°The doctor said you don¡¯t sleep properly. Why is that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Stress.¡± He answered simply.


    ¡°But what¡¯s stressing you out?¡±


    He turned and looked at me deeply, as if the answer was written on my forehead.


    ¡°Something.¡± He said before looking away.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to have a shower now and you should too.¡± I said to him.


    ¡°Will you be back after that?¡± He asked and I sighed.


    ¡°Yes, Mr Wilson. I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    ¡°Promise?¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡±


    I went to mine and locked the door before stripping. I¡¯m still unable to believe that Mr Wilson and I will be sharing a bed today. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t go back. I¡¯ll just lock my door and stay in my own room. Perhaps that will be a better idea, I smiled to myself.


    The shower was great. The nozzle was big enough that the watering out touched every inch of my body and it feltforting. The water¡¯s temperature was perfect and I came out feeling fresh. My hair was also properly washed and I felt clean.


    I put on a pair of ck shorts and a ck camisole. Mr Wilson was probably expecting me now, but I¡¯m not going.


    After I rxed a bit, I kind of felt bad a little. I recalled the doctor saying he finds it hard to sleep at night but he refused tell me why. Will he be waiting for me up all night? Well, he can¡¯t because we need to get up early for the meeting tomorrow. Plus he¡¯s sick and needs to rest.


    I didn¡¯t want to keep him awake and disappointed so I got up from my bed and made my way over to his door. I knocked once before entering.


    He was there lying on the bed with his hands behind his head, showing off his muscles. This time he had changed his pants because they were white. I walked in and closed the door gently.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been expecting you.¡± He said.


    ¡°Well, here I am.¡± I folded my arms, standing in front of the bed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t actually think you woulde back.¡±


    ¡°But I did.¡± I could feel his eyes raking up and down my body. Maybeing back was a bad idea.


    ¡°Why.¡± He said more like a statement than a question.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± I began to get nervous.


    ¡°Turn off the lights.¡± He said like amand, his voice deep and throaty. I felt my nervousness increase ten times more.


    I slowly walked to the switch, his eyes never leaving me. I flipped it and turned the lights off.


    ¡°Come to bed.¡± He said.


    It wasn¡¯t too dark, I could still make out where Mr Wilson was but I couldn¡¯t see his face. I creeped towards the bed and sat down before pulling my legs on top of it as well. Iid back and crossed my hands on my chest like the position of a dead person in a coffin because that was exactly how I was feeling right now.


    I closed my eyes and prepared to sleep but I was cut short when Mr Wilson pulled me towards him and put and arm around me. Half of him was on top of me, it was like he was half-hugging me.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I managed to speak. His weight was killing me.


    ¡°Holding you.¡± He said like it was nothing.


    ¡°But you¡¯re crushing me.¡± I squealed.


    Before I knew it, he grabbed me and rolled us over. Now I was the one on top of him. He enclosed me in his arms making it difficult for me to move away.


    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± I said, my head on his chest. He smelled divine and I couldn¡¯t even deny it. He had a shower just like I did. Something in me wanted to put my hand on his chest and feel all his muscles then run them down his abs.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re so warm and soft.¡± He said leaving me shocked.


    Warm and soft? Was he objectifying me?


    ¡°Well you¡¯re hot! And I don¡¯t mean sexy hot, I mean temperature hot. You make me feel like I¡¯m in hell because your skin burns.¡± I felt him chuckle, his action shaking me up and and down in the process and sending warmth between my legs.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m cold and your skin is keeping me warm. Its either this or you let me use the covers.¡±


    ¡°Use the covers then.¡± I said half heartedly. I really didn¡¯t want him to stop holding me.


    He released me and got under the covers, tucking me in as well. He reached out for me again and part of me was d. This time he just held me by his side. Not on top or under him. I was engulfed in his masculine scent and I was overwhelmed with it. His arms were wrapped around me and his sexy body was right in front of me. I was about to go crazy.


    I needed him badly, and I know Mr Wilson will be joyful if I just reached up and kissed him. I couldn¡¯t pretend anymore. I have to give into this need!


    I was going to kiss him.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Just as I reached up to touch his chest, I saw the scar of his bullet wound. It hadpletely healed now and you could barely notice it.


    I remembered when his wound was still fresh. The image of him kissing another blonde girl also came to my mind and that was enough to clear the lust that had clouded my brain at the moment. I stopped myself from kissing him immediately before he noticed.

 Chapter 27

    I remembered when his wound was still fresh. The image of him kissing another blonde girl also came to my mind and that was enough to clear the lust that had clouded my brain at the moment. I stopped myself from kissing him immediately before he noticed.


    ¡°Good night Sophia.¡± He said, oblivious to what I was about to do.


    ¡°Good night¡± I told him too.


    I can¡¯t believe I was just about to kiss him! I should be running away from him because at the end of the day, he¡¯s a yer and he will always remain a yer! I¡¯m the one who¡¯ll end up with the broken heart.


    He has so many girls on his te and I refuse to be one of them.


    Sometimeter, his breathing became even and his hold around me loosened. I carefully pulled away from him, making sure to not wake him up by ident. When I got him off me, I stood up from the bed. Mr Wilson was still fast asleep so I took that as my queue to go.


    I turned on my heels and left.


    ****


    Adam Wilson


    I woke up to an empty bed which was quite perturbing. Sophia was not beside me like she was when I fell asleep or maybe she left in the morning. I checked the time on my phone and it was 8:45am. The meeting is not until 12pm so I still had enough time.


    I got up after a good night sleep which I haven¡¯t had in weeks until now. The reason why I slept wellst night was because I had Sophia in my arms. I knew having her with me was the solution to my sleepless nights since she was the cause of them in the first ce.


    Last night, I confided in the doctor and told him the reason for myck of sleep. It was all because of her! I told him about how much I am dying for Sophia. I swear I¡¯ve never wanted to make love to one woman so badly in my life. And the more she resists me, the more I want her! It¡¯s like she¡¯s torturing me on purpose!


    When she wasn¡¯t around, I almost went crazy. Now that she¡¯s around, she won¡¯t let me touch her! And seeing her in her skimpy outfits are only whetting my appetite for her.


    It was the doctor¡¯s idea to try and have her see me to bedfortably but I took the extra mile by telling her to staypletely. And hell, I enjoyed every moment of herpany.


    She felt so good beside me that if I wasn¡¯t sick, I would have done things to her that a healthy, virile and oversexed male would do to any woman in his arms like that. I was so tempted but I didn¡¯t have the strength for it.


    Thankfully, I¡¯mpletely better now. My temperature is normal and the difort is gone.


    I headed straight to the bathroom to freshen up. I shaved the stubble which was now growing on my chin but I left a little bit of moustache on. I brushed and showered and got ready for the day. I put on a white shirt and a navy blue suit I remember getting from Emporio Armani. This was one of my best suits because it fitted perfectly. I topped it up with a red tie.


    I arranged all my files and important documents that I will be using today into my briefcase and closed it. I put on my shoes and watch, checking the time in the process. It was 9:50am.


    Time was slowly leaving our side.


    I came out of the room to see Sophia all dressed up in a in ck dress that hugged her figure perfectly. Her hair was let down which she rarely did until recent and she wore ckce-up heels.


    Damn this woman!


    Does she have to look this sexy for the meeting? There are a lot of men going to be attending this and I don¡¯t want any of them looking at her!


    I made my way over to her. She was on the dining table arranging some food. I watched her in silence as she set the table for a breakfast meal. When she was done she turned around with a smile on her face. That smile onlysted for a second until she saw me, then it dropped.


    ¡°Mr Wilson, good morning. How are you feeling today?¡±


    ¡°Never better. Good morning to you too.¡± I said taking a seat on one of the chairs.


    ¡°I ordered you breakfast. An almost healthy one. Look, here are some fruits and yoghurt for you, still-cut oatmeal with potatoes as a side. With this you¡¯ll drink some Japanese green tea.¡± She pointed them out to me as she said it.


    I wanted to barf.


    ¡°You don¡¯t expect me to eat this. I have a presentation, I need proper food.¡±


    ¡°This is proper food. You need to hurry so we won¡¯t bete.¡± She sat down opposite me and I looked at her te.


    She had steak and eggs with smoked bacon with a cup oftte. I was so jealous.


    I managed to ingest the food but I felt like I had an acid reflux after.


    ¡°Come on, its not that bad. It was just oatmeal.¡± She said while we walked downstairs to the taxi, taking us to Sytner Group¡¯s newest site.


    ¡°That¡¯s safe for you to say. You didn¡¯t even taste it.¡± I said and sheughed. ¡°Next time, order something I can eat.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± She smiled before getting into the taxi.


    We drove to the Michigan branch. It was decent for a start-up. Since we arrived at 11:30pm, we used 30 minutes to set up in their conference room. Once everything was in order, the meeting kicked off by 12pm.


    I did all the talking while Sophia distributed the hand outs and took a seat amongst the clients.


    I opened the presentation only to find that everything hadpletely changed. I scowled at Sophia knowing what she did. Was my work really that bad? She had changed the whole thing when she only promised to make ¡®minor corrections¡¯.


    The conference table was filled with men and all couldn¡¯t keep their eyes off Sophia, especially one in particr. He sat right in front of her and kept ncing at her. I tried to keep my cool and pretend like I didn¡¯t see him but I wanted to kill the bastard.


    At a point, Sophia noticed he was looking at her so he smiled and she smiled back. I tried my hardest to ignore but I could feel my anger ring up. I decided to turn away andplete the presentation without any distractions.


    ¡°In the security sector we offer the best solutions topanies in various fields like Emergency management, Protection of critical infrastructure, Border surveince and protection, Intelligence systems and Information andmunications systems. For this purpose we provide image and audio analysis services,mand and control systems, intelligence systems and cyber-security solutions. I would be going through these one after the other.¡±


    After about two hours, I finished presenting.


    ¡°Anyone with questions can ask me now for the benefit of others, or see me privately.¡±


    ¡°About the Image and audio analysis systems, what types of videos does it cover?¡± Someone asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I forget to mention that. It includes biometry, behavior analysis and intelligent video. Anyone else?¡±


    I took a few more questions before calling the meeting to an end, only for a lot of people toe to me for private questions.


    I answered and exined a lot of concepts to them personally. They all seemed very interested in the functions of the security systems and I was happy.


    When I was done answering questions, I looked for Sophia. I spotted her at a corner with that bastard that was getting on my nerves throughout the meeting. They were talking andughing and he was way too close to her. I watched them closely and saw him whispering something in her ear. Sophia blushed at what he said and he put his hand on her face. Thats when I lost it. The possessive beast inside me took over.


    Like an animal on instinct, I dashed over to them.


    ¡°Sophia, a word.¡± I said harshly, ring at the bastard. He just looked at me with wide eyes.


    I didn¡¯t want to cause a scene so I took Sophia to another room with nobody in it.


    ¡°Who was that you were talking to?¡± I tried my best to stay calm.


    ¡°His name is Mr Kinsley, he¡¯s one of the department managers.¡±


    ¡°And what were you guys talking about?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She winced at me.


    ¡°I saw you two chitchatting. Was it in anyway rted to what I discussed at the meeting?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°So why are you talking to him!¡±


    ¡°Are you jealous?¡±


    ¡°Stay away from him Sophia. He doesn¡¯t look like a man with good intentions.¡± I said and sheughed.


    ¡°How can you judge someone from their looks? You haven¡¯t even spoken to him before so you don¡¯t know him. I¡¯ve spoken to him and he¡¯s really nice and funny and very-¡±


    ¡°Sophia! Trust me, he¡¯s doing all that to get into your pants!¡± I said.


    ¡°If that¡¯s true then I should stay away from you too, because you¡¯re no different!¡± She screamed.


    What?!


    ¡°You think I just want to get into your pants too?!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded confidently.


    Well¡­ technically I do want to get into her pants as well. Oh god I want to, so fucking badly! But that¡¯s not all I want. To be honest, I¡¯m still not sure how much I want from Sophia but I want a lot more than just to sleep with her.


    ¡°If that¡¯s all I wanted, I would have done so a long time ago.¡± I said to her honestly.


    ¡°You arrogant jerk! What more could you possibly want from me?!¡± She yelled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know! All I know is I want you! Only you! And I know you want me too so just say it for fucks sake! We could both figure out what we want together!¡± I made my way towards her and tried to hold her in my arms but she moved away.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong! I¡¯m not saying anything because I don¡¯t want you! You¡¯re no different from that man! In fact, you¡¯re so much worse because you¡¯re also a liar!¡±


    ¡°But when have I ever lied to you?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you daree close to me!¡±


    I kept moving closer to her and she kept moving backwards until she hit the wall. I enclosed her, putting both of my arms beside her. She had nowhere to go now.


    ¡°Mark me Sophia. Someday you will belong to me.¡± I whispered carefully in her ear. ¡°I won¡¯t stop until you¡¯re mine, even if I have to break down all the walls you¡¯ve built around yourself before you finallye to terms with your desire for me. And when you be mine, I will make love to you.¡±


    She gasped.


    ¡°Yes, I will make sweet and passionate love to you. I will set your whole body on fire in a way that you¡¯ve never experienced before, make you feel things you¡¯ve never felt before, make you scream in a voice you¡¯ve never heard before. Someday, you will be in my arms and I will pleasure every inch of you. And you¡¯re going to enjoy every single second of our lovemaking because no matter how hard you try to deny it, deep down that¡¯s what you really want. And you will wish you hadn¡¯t fought the passion between us by leading on other men. You can waste precious time by avoiding me now but trust me Sophia, that day wille. I swear to you.¡±


    I pulled back and looked into her eyes showing her that I meant every single word I said. She looked like she couldn¡¯t believe I just said that to her.


    ¡°You bastard!¡± A heavy pnded on my face and she pushed me away.


    Damn. I rubbed my palm on my face that stung slightly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever talk to me like that again!¡± She screamed before she stormed out of the room.


    What I said to her was nothing but the truth and she knew it, I was only giving her a heads up.


    I might hase across as disrespectful but fuck it, I had to say it. One day, Sophia will surrender to me.


    But not today. Right now she¡¯s upset and that¡¯s thest thing I wanted her to feel right now. Things were shaping upst night and this morning but I think I just blew it.


    I kicked the table in front of me so hard that it toppled over. I was beyond frustrated with her, myself, and everything in general.


    I went back to the conference room but Sophia was not there. I stormed over to blockhead she was talking to earlier on.


    ¡°Where is Sophia?!¡± I barked at him.


    ¡°She just took a taxi home.¡± He said in an annoying voice. I had the urge to punch him but he was too irrelevant.


    I took the elevator down, trying to catch up with her. The moment I came out of the building, I saw her taxi leaving.


    ¡°Fuck.¡±


    I really wanted to punch something right now. This was all that morons fault, Kinston, Kingley or whatever his name was! If he had just stayed away from her! Maybe I should go back up and punch him real hard.


    ¡°You alright?¡± I heard someone say beside me.


    I looked, recognising the person to be one of the men form the meeting earlier. He was probably a board of director as well.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good.¡± I lied.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem so. You just were just swearing.¡± He said reaching into his pocket and bringing out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m having a minor issue. Nothing too important.¡±


    ¡°Anything a smoke can fix?¡± He had a stick in his mouth, lighting it up.


    I hadn¡¯t smoked in years. I found it to be a disgusting habit and very unhealthy too. But right now, I didn¡¯t care anymore. I felt down in the dumps and I needed some sort of stirring up.


    ¡°No, but I could use one.¡± I said. He handed me a stick and lit it up, then I smoked it.


    ¡°I must say, you¡¯re very knowledgable in your field. That presentation was eye-opening.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡± I felt ttered.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m Henry Fetcher by the way.¡± He extended his hand and I shook it.


    ¡°Adam Wilson, but you probably know that already.¡± Iughed.


    ¡°Say Adam, would you like to join us at the Casino Club this evening?¡± He invited.


    ¡°Oh yeah? What have they got?¡±


    ¡°ckjack, Roulette, Poker¡­¡±


    ¡°Sounds alright. I need to take a break from the so called problem I¡¯m having so I guess I¡¯ll be there.¡±


    ¡°Awesome.¡±This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    This was the perfect way to distract myself

 Chapter 28

    Adam Wilson


    I looked at the resume in front of me skimming through it for the important details.


    ¨C University of Virginia


    ¨C First ss


    ¨C Business Administration and Management


    ¨C 21 years old


    Wow, 21 and already a graduate! Impressive.


    I looked at her picture and she did look young. Her CV was notable and I instantly wanted to meet her. I dialed my secretary immediately.


    ¡°Alice, send in the applicant.¡± I said.


    ¡°Okay sir.¡±


    I looked at her work experience and I was grabbed. She was so young yet she had worked in two ces already.


    Momentster there was a light knock on my door.


    ¡°Come in.¡± I said and the door opened. It was her. I quickly checked the name on the CV.


    ¡®Sophia Parker¡¯


    ¡°Hello Miss Parker, have a seat.¡± I pointed at one directly in front of me. I was seated at the coffee table at the corner of my office, I don¡¯t like conducting interviews at my desk.


    ¡°Thank you sir.¡± She came over and sat down on the seat opposite mine. She looked even younger in person, and very pretty I must add. She was wearing a grey suit with her hair neatly tied back, looking very formal but I could tell this wasn¡¯t her disposition. Her face had a youthful ring to it and she appeared out of her element.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re a graduate at 21 and you finished among the top four with a first ss degree.¡± I went straight to the point.


    ¡°Yes sir. I had a number of promotions during high school.¡± She said confidently.


    ¡°When did you graduate?¡±


    ¡°4 months ago.¡±


    ¡°From your CV, I can see that you¡¯ve had two jobs previously. Tell me about them.¡± I leaned back in my chair a bit.


    ¡°Okay. My first job was a summer internship at BearingPoint. I worked for three months after my first year in college. I was trained in preparing reports and other materials for executives, arranging business travel, taking notes at meetings, and screening callers and visitors. My second job was at my university. I was an Assistant Secretary to the PA to members of the Senior Management Team. My central role was a point of contact for staff and others interacting with the SMT¡­¡±


    She kept going on and about the bosses at her previous jobs and the environment, but I had stopped listening. I watched her as she talked to me. Her hands gesticting lightly, and her pink lips moving softly. Something about her made me upbeat. I felt my heartwarming towards the thought of having her as my personal assistant. I don¡¯t know why but I was convinced she would do a good job. Her voice was rosy and she sounded like an angel.


    I hadn¡¯t noticed she had finished talking until she cleared her throat.


    ¡°Tell me about a challenge or conflict you¡¯ve ever faced at work, and how you dealt with it.¡± I threw the question at her not really caring about her answer, I just wanted her to keep talking to me.


    ¡°Well, there was thisdy I worked with at BearingPoint, she identally shred some important documents that I needed that day and¡­¡±


    I took time to study the Miss Parker. Her hair color was mahogany-brown and she had beautiful hazel eyes, I felt like I could look at them all day which was really weird. Her suit was fitted enough to be her size but not as tight as typical women wear their clothes these days. She looked decent in her zer and suit pants.


    I had a feeling that there was more to her than what she was portraying.


    ¡°¡­ and that¡¯s how I solved the problem.¡± She smiled.


    ¡°¡­ and that¡¯s how I solved the problem.¡± She smiled.


    My heart stopped for a second when I saw that smile. I made up my mind immediately. She was hired.


    ¡°Okay Miss Parker, the job is yours.¡± I said to her.


    ¡°Really?¡± She smiled even wider. ¡°Oh my gosh! Thank you so much Mr Wilson. I am very pleased to ept the position. I look forward to joining the team and want to personally thank you for this opportunity.¡±


    ¡°No problem. My secretary will give you all the details about your new job and other information you need. You will start next week Monday by 8:00am and close by 5:00pm every weekday.¡±This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    ¡°Oh I¡¯m so excited, I can¡¯t wait!¡± She beamed.


    I was happy that she was happy. I can¡¯t wait to work with her, she seems like she has a great personality. And that¡¯s what I need in a PA.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a pleasure interviewing you Miss Parker. I look forward to having you here with me as well.¡± I said standing up.


    She stood up too and I extended my arm to her. Surprisingly she hugged me instead.


    ¡°Thank you so much again Mr Wilson. It was a pleasure being here.¡± She said.


    I wasn¡¯t too sure if I should hug back but when she didn¡¯t pull away after two seconds, I put my hand on her small back. She felt so little in my arms.


    A certain part of her body I noticed earlier that wasn¡¯t so little was pressed up against me and I felt a bit apprehensive about the whole situation.


    She pulled away and smiled before leaving my office. I watched her until she was out of sight.


    I was very happy with my choice and I¡¯m sure Miss Parker will do better than all the other dysfunctional Personal Assistants I¡¯ve had in the past. She was incredible, young and beautiful with an amazing personality.


    And very attractive.


    And good looking.


    And her hair is so long and wavy it looked perfect.


    And her eyes are maic.


    And-


    ¡°Okay enough!¡± I said to myself.


    I¡¯d already taking a liking towards Miss Parker, maybe a little too much. But I know that I won¡¯t be getting rid of her anytime soon.


    ***


    I remembered that day like it was yesterday. The day I hired Sophia.


    Sure, good things came along, but at the long-run, it looks like it was a bad idea. If I knew I would have caught feelings for her so badly then I wouldn¡¯t have employed her. And if I knew things between us would be a disaster then I wouldn¡¯t have taken any chances with her.


    But I did and part of me should regret it but I don¡¯t.


    I can¡¯t imagine a life without Sophia anymore. It feels like all those times when I hadn¡¯t known her, I was iplete.


    Last night was not bad. The casino was a good distraction from my ¡®problems¡¯ and I even won a few games. I came home partially drunk and slept all through the night. Now I¡¯m awake and I realize I still have the so called ¡®problem¡¯ to deal with.


    I got out of bed and cleaned up. I wore a pair of trousers and a shirt. Today was a free day so I¡¯m going to take Sophia out for some sightseeing, and possibly amend things between us. I haven¡¯t seen her since the meeting and I¡¯m sure she must have cooled down a bit by now.


    I went over to her room and knocked. No answer. I knocked again but still nothing. I opened the door and went in but she wasn¡¯t there. Her room was quite smaller than mine but neater and smelled like her. I inhaled deeply, loving her scent maybe a bit too much.


    Where could she be though?


    I thought hard but I couldn¡¯t figure out anything. Maybe she left the hotel. I hope she didn¡¯t meet up with that nuisance from the meeting!!! I could feel my anger boiling up at just the mere thought of her with that bastard.


    I took the elevator downstairs immediately.


    When I got to the main desk I thought I could ask one of the desk clerks about Sophia¡¯s whereabouts. Maybe they may have an idea.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m looking for ady, I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ve seen her around.¡± I said to one of them. I recognized the girl, she was the one who checked us in.


    ¡°Hello sir. What does she look like? Or is it thedy who stays with you in 58?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Exactly her!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s currently at the pool. Straight down to your left.¡± She said like a brilliant and useful girl she is.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I wasted no time, I followed her directions and went through a door that led me towards the indoor pools. I scanned the ce but I didn¡¯t see anyone¡­ hold on.


    I saw a figure emerging from under the water and I knew immediately that it was her.


    She came out of the pool, droplets of water running down her body. She was in the swimwear I bought for her from VS and heck, she made it look even better than I imagined it to be on her.


    ¡°Fuckkk.¡± I hissed.


    I made a silent prayer as I watched her walk up to a lounge chair. She reached inside her bag and got out a towel. She slowly dried her hair and body, oblivious to my presence.


    I stayed rooted to the spot, enjoying the view. I¡¯m d I bought her the swimwear because she looks so perfect in it. ording to Mason, Sophia keeps it tight. And I couldn¡¯t agree any more.


    I walked towards her, my heart thumping in my chest. She heard my footsteps and turned around abruptly.


    ¡°Miss Parker.¡± I couldn¡¯t control my eyes. Its like they had a will of their own which they wanted to aplish by all means, not following any of my instructions to stay on her face.


    ¡°What are YOU doing here?¡± She frowned.


    ¡°I- uh- I- Well¡­¡± I was having a battle with my eyeballs. A battle that I severely lost.


    She noticed I was looking at her and she used her towel to cover herself up. I was disappointed but at least now I could concentrate on what I wanted to say.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking you out. Let¡¯s explore Grand Rapids and maybe have lunch together.¡±


    ¡°Thanks but no thanks.¡± She smiled a very stic smile and resumed packing her things from the lounge chair.


    Okay she hasn¡¯t calmed down, not even one bit. She¡¯s still very mad at me.


    ¡°Sophia. I apologise for saying the truth to you yesterday. Although I meant it and I still do, that was very disrespectful of me. I shouldn¡¯t havee on to you like that.¡± I said to her.


    She turned back and red at me in disgust. Her looks made me feel like I was a huge pile of vomit. If looks could kill, I will be dead in a second.


    ¡°The truth?! You mean when you sexually harassed me?!¡± She shouted. If she wasn¡¯t so mad then I would haveughed.


    ¡°Sexually harassed? I didn¡¯t even touch you.¡± I couldn¡¯t stop myself from smiling and she looked even more pissed.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to touch someone before you harass them! You harassed me verbally!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t harass you in any way love. In fact, I think you¡¯re upset because my words got to you, even though you didn¡¯t want them to.¡± I crossed my arms and smirked at her.


    I soon realized saying that was a mistake because she shoved me so hard that I lost my feet and submerged into the water.


    I identally swallowed a lot of water and my nose stung badly. I managed to swim to one of the edges of the pool ande out. I coughed out the water from my throat, my ears burning in the process.


    I looked at the princess of darkness herself and saw her leaving. She didn¡¯t even care to see if I was alright. What if I couldn¡¯t swim and I was drowning, would she have helped me? Does she really hate me this much?


    I stood up and looked at myself. I was soaked from head to toe. Even in my shoes and socks. All for the sake of trying to fix this so called ¡®problem¡¯.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, I¡¯m done! I can¡¯t take this anymore. This is madness!¡± I scolded myself.


    If Sophia really hates me and doesn¡¯t want to be with me, then so be it! I can¡¯t keep humiliating myself every time. I¡¯ve received multiple abuses, two ps and now I¡¯ve been pushed into a pool.


    For me, the chase is over.

 Chapter 29

    Sophia Parker


    ¡°I hate him so much Lily! I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that Sophia, you don¡¯t really hate him. You shouldn¡¯t have pushed him into the pool. What if he couldn¡¯t swim?¡± Lily said at the other side on the phone.


    I wiped my tear filled face with the back of my hand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care! He deserved it! He¡¯s so arrogant and rude! I can¡¯t believe he would say that to me!¡±


    ¡°He wants you Sophia, he was just making that clear to you.¡±


    ¡°In the worst way possible! He doesn¡¯t want me, he just wants to get into my pants!¡±


    ¡°No Sophia, he¡¯s in love with you. He told me that himself.¡± She said and I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°You know I wouldn¡¯t never believe that. He lied to you Lily!¡±


    ¡°Why would he lie about that?¡±


    ¡°Because! He would do or say anything to get what he wants. He wanted my location from you so he lied to you so you¡¯ll give it to him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that.¡± Sheughed.


    ¡°He¡¯s a lying, maniptive jerk! I will never let him have sex with me.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t say he wants to have sex with you Sophia, he said he wants to make love to you. There¡¯s a difference. One involves emotion while the other is purely based on lust.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re still the same thing Lily!¡±


    ¡°Not really. Making love is expressing his feelings and love for you through sexual activities. Like I said earlier, He¡¯s. In. Love. With. You. And he just wants to prove it to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh Lily, please don¡¯t say stuff like that to me. It makes me so angry.¡± I blew my nose with a tissue.


    ¡°But you used to have a crush on him. I recall one time when you admitted you were having dirty thoughts about him.¡±


    ¡°That was then. Now, I can never think of him in that way anymore. He¡¯s a prick!¡±


    Sheughed at my outburst.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I ever saw in Mr Wilson. He¡¯s a certified womanizer and I witnessed this first hand when he used to being different women to the office all the time. He changed his girlfriends every week. Although I don¡¯t see him bring anyone to the office anymore, that¡¯s because he¡¯s now after me too. He does that so I don¡¯t suspect a thing. Instead, he takes them to his house after he¡¯s done with me at the office. Just like that blonde girl.¡±


    Sheughed even more.


    ¡°Sophia, that picture is probably not what you think. Honestly, to me it didn¡¯t look like they were kissing on the lips. It could have been anybody, maybe his sister.¡±


    ¡°Why would his sister send me that?! Are you even thinking?!¡±


    ¡°Okay. That was stupid. But you need to let go of that picture Sophia. It¡¯s causing damage to your rtionship with him.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not in a rtionship.¡± I said firmly.


    And we will never be.


    ¡°You know what I mean. Or better still, call that blonde girl again, this time with a different number. Find out who she is. If it¡¯s not he¡¯s sister, then maybe it could be one of his crazy ex-girlfriends that doesn¡¯t want to move on and is trying to make his life miserable.¡±


    ¡°And then, when I find out who she is¡­ what next?¡±


    ¡°Talk to him about her, and let him know about the picture as well. He doesn¡¯t even have a clue that you have it.¡±


    She was right but I wouldn¡¯t admit it to her.


    ¡°Whatever.¡±


    ¡°Gosh! I just want to lock you two together in a closet until you both finally admit your feelings towards each other! At least he¡¯s trying, but you¡¯re the one making things difficult!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking out for myself Lily! I don¡¯t want my heart broken.¡± I said to her.


    ¡°Oh, Sophia I have to go. My cookies in the oven are burning.¡±


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll talk to youter then.¡±


    ¡°Love you.¡± With that she hung up.


    Should I really call that blonde girl? I¡¯m not sure I want to know who she is¡­


    Who am I kidding? I need to know who she is!


    I picked up the hotels phone and dialed her number from my phone. It ring a few times but she didn¡¯t pick up. Instead it went straight into voicemail.


    Hey it¡¯s Charlene, please leave a message *beep*


    Charlene???


    The blonde girl is Charlene?! But Mr Wilson doesn¡¯t like her anymore, why would he kiss her???


    I suddenly had a massive headache. All this time, the blonde girl was Charlene!


    What if Lily was right?


    What if she¡¯s just a crazy ex-girlfriends that doesn¡¯t want to move on and is trying to make his life miserable?


    Why did she even send me that picture?


    How did she even know I was involved with Mr Wilson?


    And creepiest of all, who took that picture?


    So many unanswered questions! I needed to talk to Mr Wilson, to clear things out and find out what exactly happened that night because I know he would never kiss Charlene voluntarily.


    I dialed him up but his phone was switched off. I checked the time.


    9:57pm


    He should be back in a few hours so I¡¯ll wait for him.


    Oh heavens! What if this was all a misunderstanding?


    I¡¯ve been so rude to him, he¡¯s probably never going to forgive me for pushing him into the pool and all the mean things I¡¯ve done to him. I should have showed the picture to him rather than keep it away from him.


    Fresh tears began to fall from my eyes as I thought of all that has happened between us. Today was the worst. I can¡¯t imagine how he must be feeling right now. It would be a miracle if he doesn¡¯t hate me already.


    I didn¡¯t want to look like I was just crying so I had a quick shower and wore decent clothes. I sat down on the sofa and waited patiently in the living room for him toe back.


    After an hour of waiting, he hadn¡¯te. I didn¡¯t want to worry too much so I switched on the TV and watched a few reality TV shows.


    ***


    I woke up from a very loud sound. I didn¡¯t even know when I had fallen asleep.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I heard footsteps and someone groaning.


    I looked up to see Mr Wilson. His steps were faltered and he was being carried in by two men wearing all ck. They looked like bodyguards.


    I checked the time and it was 3:17am.


    ¡°What in the world is going on?¡± I asked the two men. Mr Wilson looked unconscious, like he wasn¡¯t aware of what was happening.


    ¡°Hello miss, do you know this man?¡± One of them asked me.


    ¡°Yes I do, he¡¯s my boss.¡± I replied standing up. I went closer to Mr Wilson and he reeked of alcohol and cigarettes.


    ¡°Hello miss, do you know this man?¡± One of them asked me.


    Oh my gosh.


    Mr Wilson has been drinking. He doesn¡¯t smoke so why would he smell of cigarettes?


    ¡°We¡¯re from the Grand Prix Casino Club. We¡¯re just making sure that our client gets home safely.¡± He showed me some sort of identification.


    ¡°We have a search warrant which allowed us to search him in order to find out who he is and where he resides and get him to safety, we assume his name to be Adam Wilson. Other information about him was gotten from his wallet and phone.¡± He handed them both to me and I took them.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said to the men. All the while Mr Wilson was still leaning on their shoulders, muttering incoherent words. The sight of him like this was shocking.


    ¡°Where can we ce him to rest?¡± The other asked.


    ¡°Over here, just follow me.¡± I guided them to his room and they ced him on the bed.


    ¡°Do you know anyone rted to him called ¡®Sophia¡¯?¡± One of them asked.


    ¡°Umm, I am Sophia. Why do you ask?¡± I smiled politely at him


    ¡°Oh¡­ Okay.¡± He looked shocked. ¡°Well obviously he¡¯s drunk so he definitely doesn¡¯t know what he did or said back at the casino.¡±


    ¡°What happened at the casino? What did he do?¡±


    The both men looked at themselves knowingly but decided not to tell me anything he said.


    ¡°You have nothing to worry about, all you need to know is that he¡¯s not in any trouble at all. He yed some games and ced some bets and he won quite a number of them. The thing is¡­ he ced the bets in your name, so you¡¯re entitled to the reward.¡± He dipped his hand in his pocket and brought out some cash. ¡°This is his total earnings, $7, 000.¡±


    He used my name to ce bets?!


    I don¡¯t know whether to be upset or not but I knew one thing. I was not taking that money.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I cannot ept the money.¡± I said to him.


    ¡°Okay, if you change your mind you could alwayse back and cash out within 7 days of yourst earning. But you would need his membership card to do so.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thank you so much for bringing him here.¡±


    ¡°No worries ma¡¯am. Have a nice night.¡± They said and they made their way out.


    Now I was left with a drunken Mr Wilson at 3am, which was not what I expected. He looked like an absolute wreck. He had cigarette burns on his shirt, his hair was wet and sticky, and his clothes were tattered all over. I ced his wallet and phone on the bedside table and went to his bathroom. I fetched arge bowl of warm water and found a face towel. I came back beside him and cleaned him up a bit with the water and towel. This would get rid of some of the stickiness before he has able to have a proper shower.


    ¡°H-h-h-heeeeey! Whaaaaa d¡¯ya think yeeeeer doin¡¯?¡± He slurred and started to sit up.


    ¡°Stay still Mr Wilson. I¡¯m trying to clean you up bit.¡± I said but he didn¡¯t listen. He moved away from me and I couldn¡¯t reach him with the towel anymore. ¡°Come back here, I need to remove the stickiness in your hair.¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong with my hair. I¡¯m perfectly fine in my hair,¡± He tried to sound as sober as possible.


    I gave up and decided to tuck him in just like that. I helped him get out of his shoes and his destroyed shirt, something I seemed to be doing a lottely.


    Mr Wilson mumbled something but the only thing I caught was ¡®glitter and pompoms¡¯.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± I asked him, curious as to what he was talking about.


    ¡°Cheerleading. It¡¯s moreee¡­ She was a cheerleader.¡± He murmured.


    ¡°Who was a cheerleader?¡± I asked him. His eyes were closed but he was not asleep.


    ¡°Sophia.¡± He pronounced my name like a duck. I would haveughed but this was not a cute thing. This was a highly irresponsible thing of him to do. Being out by 3am was something I could never imagine him doing until now. Something suddenly urred to me. Was I the cause of all this?


    My heart raced at the thought of him doing all this because of me. Had I caused him so many problems that he resulted to drinking and smoking? And even gambling in my name?


    I quickly discarded the thought as soon as it came. I realised it was a very silly thing to think, his world does not revolve around me.


    ¡°Sophia.¡± He looked at me like he just saw me for the first time. I saw his eyes move to my chest. ¡°Your breasts are so big now. They¡¯ll barely fit in the cheerleaders outfit. Why-¡±


    ¡°Hold it right there Mister!¡± I pressed my finger to his lips, stopping him before he could continue any further. I could feel a blush creeping up my neck because of what he said but I shrugged it off.


    He was a tattletale when he was intoxicated. Was he always this honest anytime he got drunk? Maybe I could get to know some truth from him right now¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you something and I need you to bepletely honest with me.¡± I said to him like we were ying a game. ¡°What happened in your apartment that night you got back from the hospital?¡±


    He paused for a minute not answering and I could hear my pulse sounding in my ears due to the silence. Then he looked at me like he finally figured out the answer.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Charlene. I saw Charlene at my apartment.¡± He remembers!


    ¡°What did she want?¡±


    ¡°To trouble me as always.¡± His face was scrunched up in disgust.


    I knew it! He wasn¡¯t interested in Charlene anymore! So why would he kiss her? Or was it the other way around?


    ¡°Did she kiss you?¡± I asked cautiously.


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ll say yes. But not on the lips. Why are you asking me so many questions Sophia? My head hurts!¡± He whined and closed his eyes.


    So they didn¡¯t really kiss! To say I was happy was an understatement. I was overwhelmed with joy! All this time I¡¯ve been freaking out over nothing really. I still needed to know more, what he told me was not enough.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mr Wilson, I just need to know why she would kiss you?¡± And why you let her.


    He took a deep breath, tired of my probing. ¡°It was a goodbye kiss. She promised to stay away from me and my love interest.¡±


    Love interest??


    ¡°Who is your love interest?¡± I asked carefully.


    He finally opened his eyes and looked at me.


    ¡°You.¡± He said.


    ¡°Me?¡± I stared back, still trying to process what he just said.


    ¡°I¡¯m in love with you Sophia.¡± He said before closing his eyes again.


    This time I didn¡¯t say anything or ask him questions anymore. I just kept thinking about what he said. The words reying in my head again and again.


    He¡¯s in love with me.


    He¡¯s drunk. But a drunk man¡¯s words is a sober man¡¯s thoughts. Does that mean he really loves me?


    Lily was right. He loves me. I don¡¯t know why, but I totally andpletely believe him. That¡¯s why he took a bullet for me. That¡¯s why he came to Richmond to get me. That¡¯s why after all the harsh things I¡¯ve done to him, he still treats me nicely. How did I not realize this?


    I touched his arm lightly but he had already fallen asleep, and even snoring. I threw the covers around him and tucked him in to bed.


    I watched him for a few moments as he slept, with a smile on my face, remembering that I had done the same thing when he was at the hospital. This time, I know that Mr Wilson loves me and tomorrow I¡¯m going to tell him the same.

 Chapter 30

    Adam Wilson


    Today, waking up felt like dying. My head hurts so bad and I¡¯m still in the same clothes from yesterday. How did I even get here?


    I don¡¯t remember a single thing fromst night. All I know, I was at the casino again with Henry Fetcher. That guy was good at the games and immune to alcohol. As for me, I get sloshed easily.


    I managed to stand up from the bed but as soon as I did, my head spun around. I closed my eyes and sat down again, trying to regain consciousness.


    I looked and saw my phone and wallet on my bedside table. I checked them and everything was intact. The only person that could be responsible for this is Sophia.


    Did she bring me homest night and see me in my drunken state? That was most likely the case. Fuck. I hope I didn¡¯t embarrass myself.


    I ran my hands through my hair only to find out that they were sticky and wet.


    ¡°What the hell did you dost night Adam!?¡± I scolded myself.


    I looked at the clock on the wall, it was 1:24pm. I gently got off the bed this time and had a thorough and rxing shower, washing away all signs ofst night.


    As I wore fresh clothes, I remembered today was the day Sophia and I were flying back to New York by 6pm. I might as well pack my things and get ready now.


    I put all my belongings in the box I came with. Last night¡¯s clothes were still in the bathroom so I went to get them. As I folded them I felt something in them. I checked the pants I had worn and found a pack of cigarettes which Henry had given mest night. They still had a few sticks left in them.


    Suddenly, the urge to smoke was beyond my control.


    I couldn¡¯t smoke in the hotel so I would have to go outside. I put the cigarette in the pocket of my trousers and zipped up my box, finalising my packing. I grabbed my phone and wallet and also put them in my pocket.


    I¡¯m not going to worry about Sophia today. Judging from yesterday we are not on speaking terms, even though she had brought me homest night. I believe she was just being nice and responsible over me, not because she really cared.


    She would most likely be in her room or somewhere else which I have no clue and I¡¯m not bothered. Right now I needed a lighter, my best bet was to buy one downstairs.


    I came out of my room, about to head downstairs but I stopped in my tracks when I saw HER.


    ¡°Hey.¡± She smiled at me, sitting at the dinning table crossing her legs and looking like a precious gem.


    NO!


    With a nk face I nodded towards her direction, trying not to acknowledge how beautiful she was looking in that amazing blue dress. The same one she wore during dinner at her parent¡¯s house in Richmond. Was she running out of clothes? At least we¡¯re going back to New York today so she-


    Enough!


    I don¡¯t need Sophia taking over my thoughts right now. I proceeded to the door to exit but I heard her voice again.


    ¡°I ordered brunch for you¡­ If you don¡¯t mind.¡± She said nervously.


    Why is she nervous? In fact, why is she even talking to me?


    I looked back and saw some food on the table. Just then my stomach began to rumble, proving that I was actually hungry. I didn¡¯t even realise it.


    ¡°Its a trout poke.¡± She said revealing it. It was still steaming hot.


    Just when did she order this?


    ¡°It has some avocado -which is good for you- , sesame, chilie steamed rice and of course, fjord trout.¡± She smiled again.


    I was once told that hunger is the greatest desire in humans. I didn¡¯t really believe it until now. As I perceived the fish my stomach growled again, more violently this time. I couldn¡¯t help it. I went over to the dinning and sat down. Sophia was directly opposite me but my mind was focused only on the food.


    ¡°The temp pilot informed that we¡¯ll be leaving today, by 6.¡± She conversed. I nodded my head in confirmation. My mouth was already filled up with fish. ¡°So¡­ there¡¯s no time to explore?¡±


    I looked up at her. I clearly remember asking her yesterday if she wanted to go out but she rudely declined. Why did she want to explore now??? Few hours before the flight? I shook my head indicating that there was no time for such nonsense anymore and her face fell.


    Normally, I would have changed my mind once I saw the sadness on her face but I was now immune to her charms. Yesterday I had made a decision to literally forget about Sophia. She was no longer my priority and I was no longer interested in pleasing her. She was back to being just my employee, my personal assistant. Nothing more.


    At least that¡¯s what I wanted.


    I ate in silence, once in a while looking at her. She was ying with the hem of her dress, one of her nervous habits. I wanted to ask her what was wrong but I decided not to, forcing myself not to care.


    I finished the food swiftly, drank some water and stood up. Once again, I proceeded to the exit but her voice stopped me again.


    ¡°Are you going out?¡± She asked. I needed to leave and she was dying me!


    I turned around in annoyance. She stood up and made her way towards me stopping just a foot away. I cleared my throat.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I spoke up to her for the first time today.


    ¡°I thought you said there was no time to explore?¡± Her eyebrows furrowed.


    ¡°I¡¯m meeting up with a business partner!¡± I lied. My tone was a bit harsh and I saw her flinch a bit.


    ¡°Well¡­ Can Ie with?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I snapped, more cruel than I intended to.


    She looked at me with wide eyes, not expecting my sudden outburst. Her face fell and she looked away.


    ¡°Ok.¡± She whispered with a shaky voice, sounding like she wanted to cry.


    Oh Sophia, I didn¡¯t mean to!


    ¡°Look, Miss Parker I¡¯m sorry for being so rude.¡± I said more gently this time. ¡°I¡¯m briefly going to check out a nt nearby. The ce is still under construction and its very dangerous. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt that¡¯s why you can¡¯te with me.¡± The lie rolled off my tongue smoothly. I almostughed.


    Her expression softened at my false exnation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back before 4pm. In the mean time you can pack your things and ensure that you are ready for the flight in the evening, okay?¡±


    ¡°I am ready.¡± She avoided my eyes.


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± I said and left.


    Little did she know that I wasn¡¯t really going to a nt¡­


    ***


    ¡°Sir, the ne will bending soon.¡± The pilot informed us.


    ¡°Great.¡±


    I can¡¯t wait to finally get off this ne. I¡¯ve flown a lot in thest few days and I really need a break.


    I looked over at Sophia and saw her putting on her seatbelt. She wasn¡¯t sitting opposite me as usual and I was thankful for that. Instead, she was adjacent and away from me.


    I discovered earlier that it wasn¡¯t her who brought me home early this morning. It was the guards at the club. Even if I was about to die, I¡¯m pretty sure Sophia would note to my rescue, considering she almost killed me yesterday. She really doesn¡¯t care for me at all.


    She has been awfully quiet since our time in the afternoon and also very moody. I had to constantly restrain myself from finding out what was wrong with her because it was none of my personal concern, as just her boss.


    But why does my mind and eyes keep straying towards her?!


    I need to stop worrying abut her, get back on my feet and worry about more important things.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    The nended at the airport in New York. I immediately instructed my pilot to take it to the hangar, where it could recess. I had already arranged for the driver to bring in two cars, one which I will drive myself so Sophia and I can go separately.


    We both alighted from the ne, the atmosphere extremely cold and windy. At this point I would have offered Sophia my coat but she should be fine without it.


    The crew saw to our luggage while my driver pulled up in front of me and handed me my keys. I was about entering my own car to go home but waited for them to put my things in. I noticed Sophia behind me, thinking we were going in the same car. She was struggling to keep her dress in ce and at the same time moving her hair out of her face. The wind was intense.


    ¡°Miss Parker, today is Friday, use the next two days to rest then you cane inter on Monday okay? The driver will take you straight home in that car.¡± I pointed at her own ride where her things were being ced.


    ¡°What about you?¡± She asked nervously, holding on to her dress.


    ¡°I¡¯m going in my own car.¡±


    ¡°Mr Wilson¡­¡± Now she looked at me anxiously. ¡°I- I want to go with y- you.¡±


    I was perplexed. I studied her unbelievably, her eyes wide and teary like she was scared. What was she afraid of?


    It was going to rain and I could sense it. The best thing for us to do is to go in separate cars so we could both get home quickly and on time but Sophia wasn¡¯t having it. She wanted to go with me.


    I was about to insist but I couldn¡¯t say no to those beautiful hazel eyes that were staring at me softly. I took a deep breath, hoping I don¡¯t regret my decision.


    ¡°Get in the car.¡± I said. My tone firm and my jaw tight.


    She dashed over to the passenger side and got in. I instructed my driver that we wouldn¡¯t be needing the spare car anymore and he transferred everything into my car.


    I drove Sophia home, the car ride quiet all through. She didn¡¯t seem to be angry anymore at what I had said to her at the meeting. Once in a while I felt her looking at me but she always turned away after a few moments. I kept my eyes on the road, refusing to look at her. I turned on the radio at some point to ease the awkwardness. I thought I would make it to Murray Hill on time before the rain started but I didn¡¯t.


    I pulled up in front of her apartment. Remembering I had an umbre at the back seat, I decided to go get it.


    ¡°Hold on, let me get an umbre.¡± I told her.


    I came down from the car, the rain hitting me. I got the umbre from the back seat and used it to get Sophia into her apartment building. I went back for her suitcase and tried to avoid it getting wet but it was inevitable.


    Once I saw Sophia to her door, I decided then to take my leave.


    ¡°Like I said earlier, you cane in muchter on Monday. Please make sure you are well rested before you resume work. Ill see you then.¡± I said as professionally as I could.

 Chapter 31

    I was about to insist but I couldn¡¯t say no to those beautiful hazel eyes that were staring at me softly. I took a deep breath, hoping I don¡¯t regret my decision.


    ¡°Get in the car.¡± I said. My tone firm and my jaw tight.


    She dashed over to the passenger side and got in. I instructed my driver that we wouldn¡¯t be needing the spare car anymore and he transferred everything into my car.


    I drove Sophia home, the car ride quiet all through. She didn¡¯t seem to be angry anymore at what I had said to her at the meeting. Once in a while I felt her looking at me but she always turned away after a few moments. I kept my eyes on the road, refusing to look at her. I turned on the radio at some point to ease the awkwardness. I thought I would make it to Murray Hill on time before the rain started but I didn¡¯t.


    I pulled up in front of her apartment. Remembering I had an umbre at the back seat, I decided to go get it.


    ¡°Hold on, let me get an umbre.¡± I told her.


    I came down from the car, the rain hitting me. I got the umbre from the back seat and used it to get Sophia into her apartment building. I went back for her suitcase and tried to avoid it getting wet but it was inevitable.


    Once I saw Sophia to her door, I decided then to take my leave.


    ¡°Like I said earlier, you cane in muchter on Monday. Please make sure you are well rested before you resume work. Ill see you then.¡± I said as professionally as I could.


    I was about to turn and leave when she stopped me, something she seemed to be doing very oftentely.


    ¡°Mr Wilson, w- would you like toe in¡­¡± She stuttered.


    I stared at her. Thest time I was here, she didn¡¯t let me into her home. Why now?


    ¡°¡­ please?¡± She added. Her voice merely a whisper. My eyebrows shot up.


    Was she pleading with me or just being polite? I have no idea and I don¡¯t know what to think. Throughout today, she has been acting strange and I was beginning to get worried.


    I couldn¡¯t and shouldn¡¯t ept her invitation, but her eyes! Those eyes! They were so alluring that I didn¡¯t know when I found myself saying,


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    She smiled and unlocked the door, moving aside to let me in.


    ¡°Like I said earlier, you cane in muchter on Monday. Please make sure you are well rested before you resume work. Ill see you then.¡± I said as professionally as I could.


    Fuck! Adam No! You were supposed to say No!


    I stepped into Sophia¡¯s apartment for the first time ever. It was somewhat different from what I was used to. I¡¯m not sexist but honestly, her apartment was girly. Bright colors on the wall, lots of pink, floral prints, candles¡­ It lookedfortable and well kept. Everything was organized just like her office.


    The sky was dark and so low that her apartment felt small and close. The air was thick with the sweet smell of the rain and a feminine scent.


    ¡°Sorry for the dust, I haven¡¯t been here for a while. Would you like some tea? It¡¯s really cold outside.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I¡¯ll have some, in the kitchen.¡±


    She led me to her kitchen and I took a seat on the kitchen ind. She boiled some water for the tea while I looked around. Pink tes, pink mugs, pink everywhere. I was starting to think that was her favorite color.


    She handed me a cup of tea and sat next to me with hers. The cup was tiny and I finished everything at a go, the beverage warmed me up. ¡°Can I have another?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Sure.¡± She herself had barely taken two sips.


    She poured me another cup and sat down next to me again. I drank halfway and ced the cup back on the counter. Looking out I could see, through the pink curtain, the dimmed lights of the city. On a clear night the view was awe-inspiring, but on this night my only thought was to hurry up and to return home. Being here was not a good idea at all.


    ¡°Mr Wilson¡­ d- do you remember anything fromst night?¡± She looked at me carefully.


    No wonder why she had been acting strange. Ipletely forgot about the st night¡¯ situation. I knew sooner orter, we would have to talk about it.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± I said finishing my cup of tea.


    She seemed upset about my reply but she just nodded and looked away.


    ¡°Why do you ask Miss Parker? Did I embarrass myself? Perhaps I did or said something I shouldn¡¯t have?¡±


    She looked at me like she was calcting something in her head before she answered.


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then why have you been acting weird all day? In case you thought I didn¡¯t notice, I did.¡± I told her honestly.


    The Sophia Parker I knew would be giving me a hard time right now, considering yesterday, she had just thrown me into a pool.


    She blushed and looked away.


    Why was she blushing?


    There was a mutter of thunder from the ckened sky as the wind howled. Sophia shrieked and jumped right into my arms. I held her in ce as she buried her face in my chest. She was scared of the sound of thunder. Iughed in my head.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t be scared.¡± Iforted her. I could feel myself slowly backsliding from my decision.


    She pulled back embarrassed and stood, facing me. Even though I was sitting and she was standing, our faces were still on the same level. She was so close to me, I could smell her hair. She smelled like fresh apples, absolutely delicious.


    No! Adam you need to get out of here before anything happens! Remember the decision you made yesterday!


    It was toote, our eyes locked. Those fucking eyes! And her beautiful face! Her cheeks were still slightly pink from blushing.


    I couldn¡¯t hear the rain against the window anymore, nor could I notice anything else around me. The only thing I saw was her.


    It was like Sophia and I were in a staring contest. Her eyes was fiercely soft and bright, they made me feel like her soul was my ce of worship. I knew they were full ofughter and love, passion and affection; her eyes were an icon.


    They were orbs of divinity.


    They were marvellous.


    They were beautiful.


    She was beautiful.


    Adam! Don¡¯t! Stop! No!


    My brain warned me back to reality. This shouldn¡¯t happen. I should leave but she put her arms around my neck and leaned closer to me even.


    I lost my sanity again. Her face few inches from mine. My heart was racing and my palms were sweating by my side. No matter how much I tried to deceive myself that I don¡¯t care for Sophia anymore, I know I did. I love her and I want to know everything about the woman standing in front of me. And more than anything, I want to feel her lips on mine. But I couldn¡¯t kiss her. She had personally warned me never to dare kiss her again, and I wasn¡¯t ready to be assaulted tonight. Still, I wish I could just have a taste of her.


    She fulfilled my wish when she brushed her lips against mine, very gently and softly but I froze. As much as I loved that she was kissing me, I couldn¡¯t help but feel confused. Why would she kiss me if she gets upset when I kiss her?


    Her palm rested on my cheek and she kissed me, the warmth of her mouth sent a current running through my body.


    Pulling back a bit when she noticed I didn¡¯t return the kiss. She looked at me impatiently, her eyes pleading for me to possess her.


    I shouldn¡¯t kiss back, I should stop this right now.


    ¡°please¡­¡± She begged. Her eyes glistering with need.


    All thoughts of stopping this went out the door. I pulled her tightly against me and possessed her lips the way she needed me to. She moaned going further, deepening the kiss.


    She climbed on top of me until she was sitting on myp, straddling me. I bnced her with my hands on her waist, bringing her even closer so there was no single space between us.


    Later on, I let Sophia take control of the kiss. I simply followed her movements. She kissed me like crazy. Like her life depended on it. Her tongue slipped inside my mouth, gentle but demanding. Her fingers gripped my hair, pulling me much closer. My veins throbbed and my heart exploded. I have never wanted any other woman like this before. Ever.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    The weight of her body on top of mine was extraordinary, I felt her-all of her-pressed against me. She moved from my lips to my jaw, kissing all the way down to my neck.


    ¡°Sophia¡­¡± I found myself moaning before I could stop. She felt wonderful, I wanted her closer closer closer.


    I caressed her thighs and slowly moved up her dress. Her bare skin felt smooth and hot beneath my hands. I gave her butt one or two squeezes and my hands moves up to her stomach, stopping just below her breasts.


    I wanted to be delicate with her so I retracted my hands, cing them back on her waist. She was now rocking her hips against mine and I could feel myself getting hard.


    We pulled apart to catch our breaths, when Sophia began tugging her dress down. She was about to show herself to me but I quickly stopped her, holding her hands.


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± I warned her sternly. Reality hitting me like a trailer. This shouldn¡¯t be happening and if she pulls down her dress, I wouldn¡¯t be able to control myself anymore.


    I arranged her dress back in ce and gently slid her off me, setting her on her feet once again. She clung to me, not wanting to separate yet.


    ¡°Adam, what¡¯s wrong!¡± She protested while trying to climb on top of me again.


    ¡°Sophia stop.¡± I held her at arms length. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She smiled innocently at me.


    ¡°I mean, what¡¯s gotten into you? Why did you kiss me?¡±


    Her smile fell as she tried to think of what to say. She didn¡¯t even know why she was kissing me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I cut her off. ¡°I¡¯m the one here that¡¯s not supposed to understand! Normally you act like I¡¯m a repulsive creature but now you kiss me! I remember thest time you kissed me things did not go too well after that, you ran off and didn¡¯t want to see me again. What sort of game are you ying this time Sophia? Because I don¡¯t think you really know how I feel about you.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not ying any games Adam.¡± She shook her head.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense! Just yesterday, you attempted to kill me! I should be upset with you but I¡¯m not! Instead, I¡¯m here, kissing you back like a moron.¡± I said that more to myself than to her. I stood up angrily and turned away from her. ¡°Mason is right. I am whipped.¡±


    Mason had taunted me many times about my unhealthy obsession about her but I refused to admit it, even though he was right.


    I was a goner for Sophia.


    She had me wrapped around her finger even if she didn¡¯t know it. My goal in life had been to please her and make her happy, I could pretty much follow her every wish and do whatever she wants just to see her smile. No woman has ever controlled my head like this before.


    Many people have ridiculed me because of her; Mason, Fred, Hendrix, Doctor Pipe from the Spectrum Health, even Henry Fetcher and everyone in the casinost night!


    I turned around and faced her again. She was unnerved at my anger.


    ¡°I am sick of your routine. One minute you act like you like me, the next minute you act like you hate me. You¡¯re so bipr and confusing and it¡¯s fucking me up! What do you want from me Sophia?¡±


    ¡°Adam please¡­¡± She was scared with wide eyes. Those eyes that got me here in the first ce. They were now glistering, tears threatening to fall from them. I did not want to witness her cry. I had to leave.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I can¡¯t do this. I think it¡¯s best if we stick to working together professionally, only. Thank you for the tea. Goodnight.¡±


    With that I walked away and left her apartment without looking back.


    I mmed my fist on the dashboard when I got in my car. I need a long break from this, all of it! What I did back there was brutal but it had to be done.


    I¡¯m not one to go against my word. I made a decision and I have to stick with it. Being around Sophia wouldn¡¯t make me realise that decision, especially after we had just shared a kiss. I turned on the ignition and drove off.


    I had wanted to go home but all my ns for tonight had changed.

 Chapter 32

    Sophia Parker


    Lily came through just as I called her. Her apartment was just upstairs anyways.


    ¡°Sophia what are you doing on the floor of your kitchen?¡± She mused.


    She came over to where I was, curled up on the floor at the corner. Tears staining my cheeks.


    ¡°What happened? Why are you crying?¡±


    ¡°I screwed up everything Lily¡­ I screwed up badly.¡± I said between sobs.


    ¡°What do you mean you screwed up? Sophia you just got back from Michigan. Come here.¡± She pulled me up from the floor. ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, not knowing where exactly to start from.


    ¡°Does this have to do with your boss?¡± She asked and I nodded. ¡°Please stop crying Sophia. Come, let¡¯s talk in your room.¡±


    We both went to my bedroom. I sat on my bed and wrapped myself in myforter while Lily sat at the edge of my bed beside me.


    ¡°What happened between the two of you? Did you guys finally talk?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Well¡­ not really.¡± My voice was thick and heavy. ¡°But he was just here a while ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ let me guess, you guys had an argument instead.¡±


    ¡°He hates me Lily, He hates me now. I¡¯ve screwed up so badly, I don¡¯t think I can ever face him again.¡± I burst into tears once more.


    ¡°Calm down Sophia, what did you do?¡±


    ¡°I kissed him.¡± I said and Lily¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad thing! Did he kiss back?¡±


    ¡°He did but then he threw me off him andined. He thinks I¡¯m ying him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous!¡±


    I don¡¯t me him for thinking that way at all. If I was him I would definitely hate myself too. I was the one who jumped into the conclusion that he was using me. Now that I know the truth, I feel like a blockhead!


    ¡°Lily, for you to understand then I have to tell you everything.¡±


    ¡°Im listening.¡±


    ¡°Mr Wilson kissed me for the first time during our trip to London but I rejected him. At that time, I wasn¡¯t sure about getting involved with him because he was my boss. He promised he wouldn¡¯t do it again but he stole another kiss from me the day he got shot. That¡¯s when I realised that I really cared for him. When he got discharged from the hospital, I kissed him that day to show that I was interested. The same night I got the text from the blondie during our sleep over. I was angry and I left the next day to Richmond. A weekter, he came to Richmond and there he kissed me. I pped him and told him never to kiss me again¡­ and I also pped him again on another asion. Don¡¯t forget the pool thing too.¡±


    ¡°So now he thinks you¡¯re a confused person because you kissed him today.¡± She concluded.


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Seems valid. I mean, you¡¯re actually confused.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± I defended. ¡°At least not anymore. I found out who the blonde girl is.¡±


    ¡°Who is she?¡±


    ¡°You were right. She¡¯s a crazy ex girlfriend. I am now 100% positive that the picture was not what it looked like. Mr Wilson wouldn¡¯t kiss Charlene. It was all a mistake.¡± I sniffed.


    Lily threw her hands in the air in frustration and plopped herself backwards on the bed.


    ¡°You two are so annoying!¡± She groaned.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one with the problem.¡± I admitted. ¡°Now, I¡¯ve missed out on the opportunity to be with someone who loved me and cared about me.¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t believe that he loves you.¡±


    ¡°I believe it now. He told me himself.¡±


    Lily¡¯s eyes widened and she shot up from the bed.


    ¡°He did?!¡±


    ¡°Rx Lily.¡± I smiled for the first time. ¡°It was a drunken confession. Besides that was before, I don¡¯t think he still loves me anymore.¡±


    ¡°Shut up Sophia! All your judgements are terrible. Do you think its easy to retract your love for someone just like that?!¡±


    I stared at her, not knowing what to say. She held on to my shoulders and pulled me close to her.


    ¡°On Monday morning, I want you to go to work, into his office, and tell him everything he doesn¡¯t know. This time don¡¯t just kiss him, tell him you love him! Then, you need to clear out all the things that are presently causing problems in your rtionship. Starting with Charlene¡¯s picture, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay. I will.¡±


    ¡°Perfect.¡± She smiled in satisfaction.


    ¡°Lily can I stay at your¡¯s tonight? My ce is really dusty.¡±


    ¡°Sure, we could watch a romance movie on Netflix! Plus, I have some cookie dough Ice cream in my freezer.¡± She grinned.


    ¡°Sounds amazing.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    I walked into Wilson & Co. knowing that I am going to see HIM today. After a long weekend of crying and depression, I am finally going to sort things out with him today. Just the thought of him made my heart beat wildly in my chest.


    Today, I am going to tell him that I love him and I want to be with him. I don¡¯t want a professional rtionship with him anymore, not after all that has happened between us. It¡¯s impossible. Hopefully, he wouldn¡¯t reject me this time.


    I absentmindedly greeted some workmates I came across on my way. They seemed happy to see me after 2 weeks but my mind was set on only him.


    I got to my office a bit early so I wasn¡¯t expecting Mr Wilson to be around. It was 7:50am. Although he said I coulde in muchter, I just couldn¡¯t wait to see him. Lily and I countlessly rehearsed what I am going to tell him today and I felt so nervous, like I was about to give a speech.


    I went over to the kitchen and ground two cups of coffee beans. One for him and one for myself. I¡¯ll give his to him when he arrives.


    Oh I can¡¯t wait! But I¡¯m also scared as hell!


    I drank my coffee and waited patiently at my desk. I switched on myputer to start work but then, I realized there was no work to do. I haven¡¯t been in the office for two weeks and I don¡¯t know what happened while I wasn¡¯t here.


    I¡¯ll just have to wait for Mr Wilson to give me new instructions so I fiddled with theputer a bit. When I got bored, I checked the time.


    8:30am


    I frowned.


    ¡°Where are you?!¡± I groaned to myself. Why is hete?


    Then a thought hit me.


    Maybe he told me not toe early because he wasn¡¯t going toe early either. That made sense.


    I rxed in my chair hoping to snooze till hees. But the moment I closed my eyes, memories of Friday night¡¯s kiss flooded my thoughts. I smiled in reminiscence. It was so amazing¡­ up until the part when he threw me off him.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± I screamed. I was so frustrated with myself. Remembering everything he said about how indecisive I am. He must think I¡¯m crazy, but I¡¯m not. I was just preventing myself from getting hurt. Either way, I am still hurt.


    I stood up and paced around my office. I couldn¡¯t sit in one ce doing nothing while I waited for him. I was extremely restless and idle.


    I picked up my phone and called Lily.


    ¡°Hey.¡± She picked up after the second ring. ¡°How did it go?¡±


    ¡°Lily he¡¯s not here yet. I¡¯ve been waiting for him for almost 2 hours.¡± I whined.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be worried Sophia. Do something to pass the time while you wait for him.¡±


    ¡°I have nothing to do Lily, I haven¡¯t been in the office for 2 weeks.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ Then watch a movie or something.¡±


    I thought about it and it sounded like a good idea. I could setup Netflix on myputer and continue watching Narcos.


    ¡°Okay. Are you at work?¡± I asked.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Yeah, I am. We¡¯re preparing to go to court tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll leave you to do your work then. See you in the evening.¡±


    ¡°Bye Sophia.¡±


    I hung up and went back to myputer, opening Netflix. I watched till I got hungry. Had lunch by 2pm, and continued watching. When I was done with Narcos, I moved on to watch about 2 more movies.


    I don¡¯t know how long I was in my office for but I heard a knock on my door that made me jump. I had been so engrossed in myputer that I hadpletely forgotten where I was.


    ¡°Come in!¡± I called out to the person. I knew it wasn¡¯t Mr Wilson because he never knocks before entering my office.


    The door opened and it was Phoebe.


    ¡°Oh, hey Phoebe!¡± I said excitedly. I hadn¡¯t seen her in a while.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t hey me! You¡¯re back in New York and you couldn¡¯t even tell me. I had to find out from somebody at the office.¡± She sounded pissed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just got back on Friday.¡± I tried to exin.


    ¡°That was three days ago Sophia. How about stopping by at my cubicle this morning to say hi? At least that would have been a nice surprise.¡±


    I was looking forward to seeing Mr Wilson in the morning that¡¯s why I forgot to stop by and see her. But how could I exin that to her?


    ¡°I really am sorry, I should havee to see you. But certain things have happened over the past week and it just skipped my mind.¡±


    ¡°Whatever? What are you still doing here anyway?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just waiting for Mr Wilson. He hasn¡¯te to work yet.¡± Or maybe he did¡­ Just not to his office. But how would I know? I was too busy watching movies. ¡°Did you happen to see him around anywhere?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Sophia, if Mr Wilson didn¡¯te to work by this time then I¡¯m sure he¡¯s noting at all!¡±


    ¡°What? Wait- what¡¯s the time?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s past 5!¡±


    What?!


    I checked the time on myputer and Phoebe was right. It was 5:32pm. Almost 6!


    ¡°Oh my gosh! It really is!¡±


    ¡°Sophia, is everything okay?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes I¡¯m fine.¡± I lied.


    So he didn¡¯te today. And I¡¯ve been here stupidly waiting for him, anticipating to see him again.


    ¡°We need to get going Sophia. Everyone¡¯s left the office already. I was surprised to see you¡¯re still here. I thought you left without seeing me.¡±


    ¡°Oh Phoebe, if I wasn¡¯t so distracted I¡¯m sure I would havee down to see you before I left.¡± It was partly true, what I said.


    ¡°Okay, okay let¡¯s go.¡± She smiled yfully.


    ***


    ¡°He didn¡¯t show up?¡±


    ¡°No he didn¡¯t.¡± I shook my head.


    ¡°That bastard!¡± Lily eximed.


    ¡°Lily! Don¡¯t call him that!¡± I scolded her. We were both in her room and I had just told her about Mr Wilson noting to work today.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you angry at him for not showing up?¡±


    ¡°No. Not really. Maybe something came up or he had ns. Besides, he¡¯d didn¡¯t assure me that he was going to be at the office today.¡±


    ¡°Sophia, I think he¡¯s avoiding you.¡± She said carefully.


    ¡°No he¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°Give me your phone then.¡± She ordered.


    ¡°What for? Are you going to call him?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±

 Chapter 33

    ¡°No! Don¡¯t do that!¡±


    ¡°Sophia! It¡¯s the only way to find out if he¡¯s really avoiding you or not!¡±


    ¡°Okay! Okay! I¡¯ll call him.¡±


    I picked up my phone and dialed his number, my heart was racing. Part of me didn¡¯t want him to pick up because I didn¡¯t know what to say to him if he answered. Another part of me wanted to hear his voice.


    Fortunately and unfortunately for me, the call went to voicemail.


    ¡°His phone is probably switched off or something.¡±


    ¡°Give me his number, let me call him.¡±


    ¡°No Lily, that¡¯s just weird.¡± Iined. ¡°Mr Wilson doesn¡¯t want to be disturbed right now.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I won¡¯t call him. But can I just have his number at least?¡±


    I looked at her skeptically. What does she want to do with his number?


    ¡°Trust me, I won¡¯t call him without telling you about it.¡± She assured me.


    I gave her my phone and she took the number but she dialed him immediately after.


    ¡°Lily! You promised you wouldn¡¯t call him!¡±


    ¡°No I didn¡¯t. I just said you should trust me.¡± She grinned.


    It was pointless anyway because it also went to voicemail on her phone.


    ¡°Damn. He really is busy.¡±


    ¡°I told you.¡±


    ¡°What if he doesn¡¯te tomorrow? What will you do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he will but if he doesn¡¯t, I¡¯ll just keep on watching movies.¡± I said like it was no big deal.


    But it was. If he didn¡¯te I would feel really bad, no doubt. It would mean that he was really avoiding me.


    ¡°Whatever. Your birthday ising up. What are we doing?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ I don¡¯t know yet.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t know?¡± Lily screamed.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    ¡°Because it¡¯s not a big deal Lily, it¡¯s just 23.¡± Lily is a huge fan of birthdays, I am not.


    ¡°We could go to Vegas for the weekend. Your birthday is on a Sunday, I checked.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to Vegas. I¡¯ll find something to do here in New York.¡± I said.


    ¡°You¡¯re no fun.¡± She frowned at me.


    ***


    -The next day-


    He didn¡¯t show up. Again. That bastard didn¡¯t show up. I felt bad for calling him a bastard but that¡¯s what he really is.


    I spent the whole day doing nothing just like yesterday and to say I was bored was an understatement. At a point I went over to see Phoebe but she wasn¡¯t around. Apparently she had gone out for marketing.


    I went home so angry at myself for wasting my day, more importantly I was angry at him for noting! I mmed my door so hard I thought it broke. I had been holding back tears all the way since I left the office but when I got home, I couldn¡¯t hold it anymore. I fell to the floor and cried.


    All I really want is just to see him. Ourst encounter was horrendous and I really really really needed to iron things out with him. But how could I do that if he doesn¡¯t even want to see me?! And anytime I tried calling him, his stupid phone kept going to voicemail!


    At this point I don¡¯t even want to think about him anymore! I stood up and wiped my tears. I needed a distraction so I had a shower and called the girls in for a sleepover. I didn¡¯t want to be alone because I was afraid of what I would do in my anger. I needed my friends around me to stop me if I tried something insane.


    Lily came through almost immediately and about 30 minutester there was a knock on the door.


    ¡°Woohoo! Slumber party! I love it when we have these!¡± Phoebe yelled the moment I opened the door.


    ¡°Keep your voice down Phoebe.¡± Iughed. She was always so excited when I held these things.


    ¡°Oh hey Phoebe, long time. Did you reallye with an overnight bag this time?¡± Lily said.


    ¡°Nice to see you again Lily and yes, I did. Because I don¡¯t live right upstairs!¡±


    ¡°Okay girls!¡± I intervened. We were all sitting on my couch now. ¡°I didn¡¯t really n this so I have no idea what we¡¯re going to do today.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we watch a movie?¡± Phoebe suggested.


    Lily and I both snorted at her idea. The past few days, we¡¯ve both watched more than 10 movies together and we were so tired of that.


    ¡°Ok. Since you guys don¡¯t want to watch a movie how about we y ¡®Marry kiss kill¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I love that game.¡± Lily said.


    ¡°What¡¯s ¡®Marry kiss kill¡¯?¡± I asked. I had never heard of that game before.


    ¡°Basically, you get to chose out of three people, who you¡¯ll marry, kiss, or kill. Simple.¡± Lily exined.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s start with you Lily, so we can show Sophia how the game is yed. I¡¯m going to have to use a generator for this because I don¡¯t really know about the guys you¡¯ve been involved with.¡± Phoebe said.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Lily never tells us anything rting to guys.¡± Iughed.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Phoebe eximed after typing furiously on her phone.¡±Lily! Marry, Kiss, Kill. Andrew Garfield, Logan Lerman or Ansel Elgort?¡±


    ¡°Do you have to say it so dramatically?¡± Iughed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind Phoebe, she¡¯s insane. I¡¯ll feel bad for doing so but I¡¯ll kill Ansel Elgort, then I¡¯ll marry Logan Lerman because he looks like a sweetheart and I¡¯ll kiss Andrew Garfield. He¡¯s hot.¡±


    ¡°This game sounds interesting, can I go next?¡± I said.


    ¡°Okay Sophia, you¡¯re up! Marry, kiss, kill. Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes or Harry Styles?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t answer that. I¡¯m way older than all of them!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter Sophia, it¡¯s not real anyway.¡± Phoebe rolled her eyes.


    ¡°No, give me another one. This one is weird.¡±


    ¡°Okay. This one is called the Chris-es. Marry, kiss, kill. Chris Evans, Chris Pratt or Chris Hemsworth?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ I¡¯ld kill Chris Pratt because I don¡¯t know who that is. I don¡¯t know who I¡¯ll marry between Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth¡­ I¡¯m confused.¡±


    ¡°Just choose anyone Sophia.¡± Lily said.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll marry Chris Hemsworth.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll kiss Evans?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Great. It¡¯s Phoebe¡¯s turn now.¡± Lily took the phone from her. ¡°Marry, kiss, kill. Alex Pettyfer, Robbie Amell or Ashton Kutcher?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this but Ashton Kutcher can suck it!¡± She said and we allughed. ¡°I¡¯m kissing Robbie cus he¡¯s very sexy, I¡¯ve seen him in a lot of movies looking really good. And then I¡¯ll marry Alex.¡±


    ¡°This game is terrible. It¡¯s like we¡¯re judging these guys!¡±  I said.


    ¡°I know! And that¡¯s what makes it fun!¡± Phoebe grinned.


    We yed loads and loads of rounds until we all got tired and fell asleep.

 Chapter 34

    -The next day-


    ¡°Wake up Sophia. You don¡¯t want to bete for work.¡± Phoebe tapped me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go, leave me alone!¡± I groaned. She was disturbing the wonderful sleep I was having right now.


    ¡°Sophia! Mr Wilson maye today.¡±


    My head shot up and I was instantly awake. Sheughed at my reaction the moment I heard her say his name.


    ¡°Are you serious, he¡¯sing?¡± I asked eagerly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I just said that to make you get up. And it worked.¡±


    ¡°Ugh! Screw you!¡± I got up since I had already woken up. We had spread sleeping bags all over the floor of my sitting room and slept therest night. It was veryfortable.


    Lily came out of the bathroom and we all packed up the beds we created and tidied up the mess we had madest night.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you atter at the office.¡± I said to Phoebe. I hugged them both and they left.


    Honestly speaking, I didn¡¯t not want to go to the office today. Something was telling me that he was not going toe today. I could just stay at home all day and sleep. But that would be irresponsible.


    But, what if he doese today? The uncertainty was killing me, I just had to go to the office and see for myself.


    I got ready slowly, taking my time because I wasn¡¯t sure of what the day would be like. For all I know, it could just be a waste.


    I got there at 8:40am and I was thankful because he wasn¡¯t even around. I didn¡¯t even bother calling his phone because it was sure to go to voicemail. I made up my mind that I wasn¡¯t going to cry so I just sat on my desk chair and I did the usual. This time I watched Silicon Valley, Phoebe rmended it to mest night and it was good. I admit.


    I was there for hours until I got hungry. I didn¡¯t want to have lunch alone like I had been doing for the past few days but Phoebe told me she would be out marketing again today so I had no other choice.


    I was going to treat myself today because I really need it.


    I took the elevator to the ground floor but on its way, it stopped on the 4th floor. The door opened and there stood¡­ Sean?


    ¡°Sophia.¡± He was surprised to see me and I was too. I hadpletely forgotten about his existence and I felt bad.


    Had he forgotten me too?


    The thought of him forgetting me made me feel even worse.


    ¡°Sean! I¡­ I- I don¡¯t even know what to say.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything Sophia. How long has it been?¡±


    ¡°Weeks, for sure. I¡¯m so sorry. I went on leave and I came back on Monday. I haven¡¯t had the time to-¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to exin yourself Sophia.¡± He interrupted me. ¡°Truthfully, I hadn¡¯t thought about you since that night we were supposed to go to the Vineyard theatre together. I feel terrible.¡±


    Ouch.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I guess we were both busy.¡± I said.


    ¡°My work has been hectictely, and it very likely to get worse.¡± He got into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor.


    What work could he possibly have? Mr Wilson was not even around. Well, his work was different from mine. He¡¯s not a personal assistant so he doesn¡¯t require Mr Wilson¡¯s presence at all times. Unlike me.


    ¡°So where are you heading?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m grabbing myself some lunch.¡±


    ¡°Same here, care to join?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± I said a little more desperate than I intended to.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Heughed but ignored my desperation. ¡°I was nning to eat somewhere shabby but I guess not anymore. What did you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°Oh, um¡­ I hadn¡¯t actually decided yet. I was just stepping out first.¡± I said stupidly.


    He looked at me interestingly.


    ¡°I mean, I was just gong to check the uh¡­ the ces downstairs.¡± I don¡¯t know why I felt the need to exin anything to him.


    ¡°Sophia. Rx, I know a good ce we could have lunch together.¡±This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    ¡°Where?¡±


    The elevator finally opened up.


    ¡°Follow me. We¡¯re walking.¡± He said.


    ¡°I hope it¡¯s not too far.¡± Iughed nervously because I had 4 inch heels on. They weren¡¯t too high but I just didn¡¯t want to walk around too much with them.


    ¡°Amsterdam Burger Company. It¡¯s not far at all.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ That ce. I¡¯ve had a few burgers there. They¡¯re good.¡±


    The walk took us about 5 minutes and we got a nice table, just by the window.


    ¡°I usually get the Aussie Burger. I¡¯ll stick to that today also, just to be on the safe side.¡± I said.


    ¡°Me too, that¡¯s what I get.¡± He smiled at me. ¡°But today, I¡¯m getting a turkey burger. I want to try something new this time. You should too.¡±


    ¡°No thanks. Aussie Burger for me, I don¡¯t like turkey.¡±


    A waiter came and we ced our orders. The food came some momentster.


    Sean and I were just talking about general stuff until he brought up a topic I really didn¡¯t want to discuss with him, or any body as a matter of fact.


    ¡°By the way, how is Adam? I haven¡¯t seen him in a while but I know he¡¯s around. I mean, now you¡¯re here so he should be here too right?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I sounded offended but I really wasn¡¯t. I was annoyed that we were talking about him.


    ¡°You¡¯re his PA, you should know where he is.¡± Sean said.


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t.¡± I shrugged my shoulders and took a huge bite out of my burger because I didn¡¯t want to talk about him anymore.


    ¡°That¡¯s strange. At least wemunicate through emails.¡± He took a bite out of his burger too.


    I froze.


    What did he just say?


    ¡°Sean¡­ Did you say Mr Wilson sends you emails?¡± I managed to get out. My mouth was still stuffed.


    ¡°Mmmhmm. He sent one this morning. He may not being to work but he¡¯s on track with what¡¯s happening in our department.¡± He said and took another bite.


    I couldn¡¯t believe what I was hearing. He doesn¡¯t send me any emails. Is he really avoiding me?


    ¡°Is it just you he sends emails to?¡± I tried to keep my voice calm.


    ¡°Of course not. All the head of departments get constant emails from him, and other staff too.¡±


    I swear I heard my heart break. It was like the sound of ss shattering against the wall.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± I stood up abruptly and found my way to thedies.


    I couldn¡¯t help the tears that fell from my eyes. I felt so stupid for crying but I was hurt. I was hurt because he didn¡¯t send me any emails. I was hurt because he didn¡¯t want to talk to me. I was hurt because he didn¡¯t even want to see me! Why else would he note to work? It¡¯s obviously because he¡¯s can¡¯t stand me.


    He should just fire me!


    I don¡¯t want to be an obstacle between him and his work. He clearly doesn¡¯t want me in his life anymore, I feel absolutely irrelevant to him.


    Someone joined me in the restroom and I quickly adjusted. I washed my face and wiped it clean. My eyes were a bit red and if you looked closely, you could tell that I was just crying.


    I really hope Sean wouldn¡¯t notice.

 Chapter 35

    I tried my best to make myself look presentable again before I walked back to the table.


    ¡°Where did you go?¡± Sean asked upon seeing me.


    ¡°To thedies.¡± I answered looking down. I didn¡¯t want him to see my puffy eyes.


    ¡°You spent quite a while. I was getting worried. Here, have this.¡± He passed me a beverage. ¡°It¡¯s lemon Ice Tea.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said, taking it from him.


    ¡°Are you going to finish that?¡± He referred to my burger. I had only eaten half of it but now my appetite waspletely lost.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m full.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Heughed. ¡°You¡¯ve only had half of it. Are you sure you¡¯re full?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m okay with the drink. You can have it if you want.¡± I offered it to him.


    ¡°With all pleasure.¡± He took the burger and chowed it down. He apanied it with his drink which he finished in one swig. ¡°It¡¯s on me Sophia.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    We walked back to the office after he paid for the food. He kept going on about how Mr Wilson gave him a pile of work to do and how extremely busy he was. That gave me an amazing idea.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I help you with your work?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to? I mean, I just don¡¯t want to bother you or anything.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not a bother to me at all. I¡¯m actually very bored at work these days because Mr Wilson doesn¡¯t show up. I did ounting stuff in school, I could help you.¡±


    ¡°That sounds great. I could really use some extra help.¡± He smiled at me.


    I was really happy to help. At least now I wouldn¡¯t have to be extra bored at work anymore. We both went to his office. It was the second time of me ever being there.


    ¡°So what would you like me to do for you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I want you to help me create a budget. For weeks now, Adam has been wanting to install sr panels at the office and you are aware of that. However, he kept on postponing the task but now he has finally decided to go through with it.¡± He passed me a document. ¡°Here is the clients brief. Analyse it and construct the chosen budget. That should be simple enough right?¡±


    ¡°Of course! You¡¯re speaking to a first ss student.¡± I bragged and he smiled at me. I sat down on one of the chairs in front of his desk.


    ¡°Are you going to sit here and work Sophia?¡± He looked at me confusedly.


    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°I just thought you were going to do it in your office.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s really lonely up there so I¡¯ll rather stay here¡­ If you don¡¯t mind.¡± I exined to him and heughed.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    ¡°Okay then, you can stay here and we can enjoy each otherspany while working.¡±


    And that¡¯s exactly what we did. Sean was very fun to work with, once in a while we got a little distracted from work and just talked instead. For the first time this week, I was happy and I could say I enjoyed work. He gave me other stuff to do and I did them very well.


    Although we worked a lot, we still had a pile of work remaining. It got reallyte so we decided to finish it the next day¡­ if we could. Sean, being a gentleman, dropped me off at my apartment after we closed from work. Tomorrow, I am going to stay with him in his office again, this time with my own table and chair. Sean said he would have someone arrange it for me because I was really helping him and he enjoyed working with me.


    I am so d I can get to work again. I know it sounds weird but being idle at work is not fun at all.


    Especially when you¡¯re the only one your boss wouldn¡¯t talk to.


    ***


    -The next day-


    ¡°Hey!¡± I greeted Sean as I walked into his office. I didn¡¯t even bother going up to mine because there was no point. I spotted a table and chair beside his, just like he promised.


    ¡°Hey, how¡¯s it going? I hope you like your new workstation?¡± He joked.


    ¡°It¡¯s perfect.¡± I smiled back.


    ¡°Good. Because there¡¯s a pile of work to do on your desk.¡±


    I instinctively wanted toin but I remembered when I had no work to do and was bored out of my mind so I quickly shut myself up and did the work.


    I instinctively wanted toin but I remembered when I had no work to do and was bored out of my mind so I quickly shut myself up and did the work.


    I looked at the first paper at the top of my desk. It contained a list ofpanies and their emails, about 15.


    ¡°Sean, what am I supposed to do with these emails?¡± I asked, confused.


    ¡°Right. Uh¡­ You¡¯re going to be chasingte payments today because our report says we have bad debts. I need you to find out how much each of thosepanies are owing and send them an email for them to follow up. We need to keep a careful eye on the cash flow.¡± He joked at the end.


    I fakeughed meanwhile, I was hurting inside. Being a personal assistant is way more easier than an ountant¡­ I think.


    I finished the task in a few hours and then we both went for lunch. This time, he took us to an Italian restaurant. At first I objected but I went with it anyway. Thest time I ate Italian was with Mr Wilson at the hotel in London, and Sean just had to order the same thing as him. A carbonara dish. He wanted me to get the same thing but I refused, ordering just a slice of pizza instead.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± He insisted.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine with just one slice. I¡¯m not really hungry.¡± I lied.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ But when we get back to the office, theres a lot of work to be done. Since Adam is not around, I need you to assist me in preparing budgets and business nning, including projected revenue. I think you¡¯ll need more than a slice of pizza.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The work was not that tedious but we worked veryte. We retired around 7pm and to say I was d was an understatement.


    ¡°There is a department meeting tomorrow. We need to review budgets we just prepared, as usual.¡± He said to me as we walked towards his car.


    ¡°Mmmmm.¡±


    All I was thinking about was my bed right now, two days working with Sean already resulted in burnout. But him, he didn¡¯t even feel a thing!


    He must be very hardworking.


    ¡°What time is Adaming back from his trip?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What trip?¡±


    ¡°His trip to Maui. You must have nned it for him didn¡¯t you?¡±


    So that¡¯s where he has been all along! On a getaway to Maui! With many prettydies!


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know he had travelled.¡± I said. He¡¯s probably enjoying himself right now.


    Something tells me that it wasn¡¯t a business trip, that¡¯s why he didn¡¯t take me with him. He usually makes me go with him anytime he travels and Mr Wilson never takes a holiday. This was a first.


    ¡°So you didn¡¯t n the trip for him¡­ and he didn¡¯t tell you¡­?¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m sure he must have sent you an email. He just told me he was in Maui this afternoon but he didn¡¯t tell me how long he was going to be there. That¡¯s why I asked you, thinking you would know.¡±


    ¡°Ummm¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say. I couldn¡¯t just tell him outrightly that Mr Wilson and I don¡¯tmunicate at all. He would definitely suspect something. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll check.¡±


    ¡°Good. And please get back to me when you find out.¡± Sean said.


    I nodded, not knowing how I was going to find out but hoping that I would.


    We both entered his car and he took me home.

 Chapter 36

    Sophia Parker


    One whole month has passed now and I¡¯ve worked with Sean everyday since then.


    I found him to be an amazing guy and I am now very fond of him. He has a strong personality and always makes meugh and smile. I began to really like him¡­ a lot. I looked forward to hispany and I enjoyed working closely with him all the time. He always took me out for lunch and paid the bill each time. It was a sweet gesture but sometimes the feminist in me made me ensure that we split the bill. Sometimes he insisted, while other times he let it slide.


    I discovered a lot of things about him during the small time we¡¯ve worked together. Sean is actually from a rich family and doesn¡¯t need to work the way he does. But he tries to live his life as simple as possible. Plus he enjoys banking and ounting, thats why he decided to go into it. He also lives in a condo in a very fine part of the city. I have been to his home once and it was very beautiful.


    Sean, being a gentleman that he is, decided to take me out for dinner this time. We always have lunch together but he wanted something new and different. Besides I owe him a date, the time when we were supposed to but couldn¡¯t go to the theatre together.


    Right now I am getting ready for the evening and Lily is helping me curl my hair in my apartment. She thinks I like Sean and maybe she is right. I do like him, he seems like a very nice person. He is respectful¡­ and also attractive.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you¡¯re going on a date with Sean. I mean, Adam was just in the picture.¡± Lilymented.


    ¡°Well, clearly he has moved on and I also need to.¡± He¡¯s probably having the time of his life wherever he is, not bothering to even call¡­ or email me.


    ¡°So your using Sean to get over Adam?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not using him Lily! I actually like him.¡± I really did.


    ¡°Okay, okay! Do you want me to style your hair up or I should just leave it down?¡±


    ¡°I think I should leave it down. It looks pretty like this.¡± I checked myself out in the mirror.


    ¡°Okay, you¡¯re ready.¡± She said and I stood up. ¡°You look amazing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I was wearing a simple white one shoulder body con dress withce up heels. I wasn¡¯t too overdressed but Sean said he would be taking me to a really nice ce this evening so I had to look decent.


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to wear makeup?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine without it. That¡¯s what you said, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Totally. You look¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You look¡­ pure.¡±


    ¡°Pure? Is that a bad thing?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no¡­ I mean like in an angel kind of way.¡±


    ¡°What are you even saying Lily?¡± I cried.


    She got saved by a knock on the door.


    ¡°Okay. He¡¯s here, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure I look fine?¡± I asked onest time as she dragged me to the door.


    ¡°Sophia, I am certain you look beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Lily opened the door with a huge smile on her face.


    ¡°Hi, you must be Sean. Sophia is ready.¡±


    Sean stood there, his eyes transfixed on me, never ncing at Lily even once. His eyes were wider than usual as he scanned me from head to toe.


    ¡°Hey Sean.¡± I smiled.


    ¡°Wow, you look gorgeous.¡± He said.


    ¡°You too.¡± We both looked at each other. He was wearing a ck tux with no tie. He looked handsome.


    ¡°I¡¯m Lily by the way, Sophia¡¯s friend.¡±


    ¡°Hi Lily, how are you.¡± Sean said politely. It was like he just noticed her for the first time.


    ¡°I¡¯m good thanks. Here¡¯s you purse Sophia.¡± She handed it to me, more like shoved it into my hands, and then she pushed me out the door. ¡°Enjoy your evening!¡± She grinned and shut the door behind us. Sean justughed, choosing to ignore her weirdness.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± He extended his hand to me.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I took his hand. I tried not to show any emotion but deep down I was excited.


    He drove us to a ce called Nerai. It was a nice restaurant on the 54th Street. Beautiful ce, sophisticated Greek dining in the heart of the city.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never had Greek before.¡± I told him when we had sad downfortably. Our seat was by the window at a corner. ¡°Would you order for me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, do you like lobster?¡± He asked with a smile.


    ¡°In fact I do.¡±This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    ¡°Me too. I¡¯m having a lobster cocktail. I¡¯ll get you the same.¡± He signalled for a waiter and ced our orders instantly.


    ¡°So tell me, why have you chosen this sort of lifestyle?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°What do you mean? Is there anything wrong with my lifestyle?¡± He asked confusedly.


    ¡°Oh no! Not at all. It¡¯s just that¡­ you¡¯re from a rich home and you don¡¯t need to be working 8-7 everyday like us in working-ss.¡±


    ¡°I enjoy what I am doing Sophia.¡± He said with a slight smile.


    ¡°I know, you¡¯ve told me that before. But why work under someone else when you can easily setup your own business?¡±


    He took a deep breath.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Sophia. Maybe it¡¯s because I don¡¯t need to setup my own business. We own enough businesses in my family already. I¡¯ve always had everything I wanted in my life. I still do. But I choose the other side of life.¡±


    It all made sense. Sean wanted to live a simple life, which is very humble of him. He wanted to make money the hard way, not just have everything at the tip of his fingers¡­ even though he already does.


    ¡°Are you the oldest?¡±


    ¡°No, and I¡¯m thankful for that. I have two older brothers, and a younger sister.¡±


    ¡°Why are you thankful?¡±


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t get left with the responsibility of taking over everything, if you know what I mean. My brother, Andrew is basically like the next heir. We all get a percentage and some inheritance but he¡¯ll make all the big decisions.¡± He paused for a while. ¡°I know it sounds like I don¡¯t like big things but I just prefer to be happy doing what I want to do. Not being dumped with a lot of responsibility on my shoulders.¡±


    I totally understood where he wasing from. I couldn¡¯t say he was not ambitious because he already has everything he wants and would ever need. He just wants a modest lifestyle.


    We ate our delicious lobster and we kept on talking about many things. He told me more about his family and I told him about mine. He shared funny stories about himself, I didn¡¯t think he was that interesting but he was!

 Chapter 37

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand you Sean! Any normal guy would love the fact that they easily get the attention of women, without trying!¡±


    Sean had previously told me about the women at the ces he used to work before, how that were always after him and getting him into trouble.


    ¡°Well¡­ it is satisfying to know that, but I¡¯ll never take advantage of women because of my looks¡­ or whatever.¡±


    ¡°Not just your looks, your personality.¡± I added.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± He brushed off myments.


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t me them. You¡¯re a catch, you know that right?¡± I flirted with him a little bit.


    ¡°Lets have some dessert wine shall we?¡± He awkwardly changed the subject. I couldn¡¯t help butugh at his reaction.


    We had wine at the end of our meal and continued our talk but this time I didn¡¯t bring up the ¡®women¡¯ issue.


    ¡°So how do you know Mr Wilson?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We were friends back in college.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± My eyes widened. ¡°You both went to the same college?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it awkward you know¡­ working under him?¡±


    I remember looking through Sean¡¯s resume when he applied for his job and I rmended him to Mr Wilson. Heughed and hired him instantly even without an interview which at that point I thought was weird. It all made sense now. Sean was just trying to be formal.


    ¡°Not really, he respects me and I respect him too.¡±


    Now that I think of it, they both look the same age. And Mr Wilson never treated Sean like an employee, he gave him his space and they rted oddly well sometimes. Sean was just a friend he could trust to help lead a department in his business. The only time I ever saw him angry at Sean was the first time he wanted to take me on a date.


    I was studying Sean for a moment, just looking at his handsome features when I noticed his eyes widen. He was looking at something above me.


    ¡°Speaking of whom¡­¡± He drifted off.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Sean.¡± A loud booming voice I knew all too well came from behind me. I just froze in my seat, not bothering to look back.


    ¡°Adam. Great to see you.¡± Sean said without humor. He sat up in his chair a bit. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I was just passing by and I saw both of you through the window. I would like to have a word with you.¡± He said dangerously.


    ¡°Ok sure.¡± Sean looked at me.


    I was still as a frozen fish but my heart was leaping. I could feel his presence right behind me but I couldn¡¯t look back¡­ or even move.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back Sophia.¡± Sean assured me.


    I couldn¡¯t even nod my head, I just gave him a look that I understood him.


    He stood up and followed Mr Wilson and I was left alone. I could finally breathe properly now that he wasn¡¯t hovering on top of me. When I finally looked back, I didn¡¯t see any of them.


    Where did they go?


    I sat impatiently, waiting for Sean toe back. What was he talking about with Mr Wilson? And why didn¡¯t Mr Wilson want to talk with me too?


    I rolled my eyes at myself. Why would he want to talk to me when he didn¡¯t even acknowledge the fact that I existed!


    Well, he did say he was passing by and he saw ¡®both¡¯ of us through the window. That¡¯s the most recognition of me I¡¯ve had from in ages.


    Not too long after, Sean came back into the restaurant without Mr Wilson. He sat down opposite me as if nothing just happened.


    Well, to him it¡¯s nothing.


    ¡°What happened, where is he?¡± I couldn¡¯t stop myself from asking because I was curious.


    ¡°He left.¡± My heart fell.


    Just like that?!


    ¡°Okay¡­ did he tell you anything to tell me?¡± I asked hopefully.


    ¡°No, we didn¡¯t really talk. He just asked me what we were doing. He seemed upset¡­ angry even.¡±


    Why is he angry though??Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know he was back in New York.¡± I said.


    ¡°Me neither. I think he has a problem with us going out together.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s absurd!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious Sophia. Remember the first time I tried to take you out?¡± He asked but I didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°I think we should go.¡± He downed his ss.


    ¡°What? No! We can¡¯t let Mr Wilson ruin our evening.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not ruining anything Sophia. We¡¯re done eating, and it¡¯s gettingte. It¡¯s already 10.¡±


    ¡°I thought we could still spend a little more time together.¡±


    ¡°We will Sophia.¡± He smiled at me. ¡°Tomorrow at work maybe?¡±


    ¡°Noooo.¡± I whined. ¡°At work we¡¯ll be working, we wouldn¡¯t have time for each other like now.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make it happen.¡±


    He paid for the bill and drove me home. I was sad that we had to call it quits. I didn¡¯t want the date to end just yet because I was really having a good time.


    ¡°I had a beautiful evening, with a beautifuldy.¡± He said.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I blushed. ¡°Guess whose birthday it is on Sunday.¡±


    ¡°Beautifuldy¡¯s birthday is on Sunday?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Iughed. He sounded amused, maybe he was a birthday person.


    ¡°How are you spending it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. Do you have any ns on Sunday?¡±


    ¡°No, none at all. I can n something for you.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°Yeah? What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be a surprise.¡± He said and I groaned. He definitely was a birthday person.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll wait.¡±


    He pulled up in front of my apartment building.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow Sophia.¡±


    ¡°You too.¡± I said. I waited for a few seconds before I stepped out of his car.


    I waved at him and finally he drove when he saw that I had safely entered my building.


    ¡°Nothing. Mr Wilson hasn¡¯t been around so I¡¯m helping him instead¡­ for now.¡± I exined.


    ¡°Okay. But Lily told me you guys went outst night. On a date.¡± Phoebe used.


    ¡°It was the first time, and I was going to tell you about it.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. It¡¯s not about you not telling me about it. I thought you were into your boss?¡±


    ¡°Oh my gosh! Phoebe don¡¯t say it like that!¡±


    ¡°Like how? The way it is?¡±


    Thank heavens we were already in the elevator and nobody could hear our conversation. I could feel the heat on my face from blushing.


    ¡°What exactly are you up to Sophia?¡±


    ¡°My birthday ising up soon Lily. I just wanted to remind you.¡± I changed the subject entirely.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. You don¡¯t need to remind me. I know.¡±


    The elevator opened up to the 3rd floor, where Phoebe is stationed. I was going to the 4th floor to see Sean.


    ¡°Come to mine today. We¡¯ll go home together?¡± I offered. She just nodded and left, I wasn¡¯t sure if that was a yes.


    I took a deep breath. How I managed to avoid her question, I didn¡¯t know. But I¡¯m d I did because I honestly don¡¯t know what I¡¯m up to. I still feel for Mr Wilson¡­ a lot.

 Chapter 38

    But there¡¯s Sean who is a genuine nice guy. At least he gives me attention and acknowledges my existence. He seems perfect and ideal but so far I don¡¯t think he¡¯s interested in me that way. Not yet.


    I got to the 4th floor and went into his office.


    ¡°Hey.¡± I smiled at him. He alwayses in before me. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Good morning Sophia.¡± He smiled back.


    ¡°Sleep well?¡± I asked as I made my way to my workstation beside his.


    ¡°Yes I did. Have you been to your floor today?¡±


    ¡°No I haven¡¯t. Why?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just thought maybe since Adam is now in town, he¡¯lle to work today.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡± Heughed at my forwardness.


    ¡°Because¡­ I checked the parking lot before I came in. His car is not there. Have you gotten any report from Spencer Hyde?¡± I changed the topic. Talking about him made me feel some type of way.


    ¡°Uh¡­ In fact I have. Thank you for reminding me. I wanted you to help me with something today.¡± He shuffled some papers on his desk.


    ¡°Ok, what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°I need 24 copies of this document.¡± He handed it to me.


    ¡°Sean! What the hell! This is like a hundred pages! And you want me to make 24 of these?!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not a hundred, they¡¯re just 43. I thought you said you wanted to help me but don¡¯t worry. You don¡¯t have to.¡±


    Now I felt bad forining.


    ¡°Ok. Ok. I¡¯ll do it. Just teach me how to use the copier.¡±


    He gave me a look as if to say he won. The things he makes me do, sometimes I wonder why I¡¯m still helping him.


    ¡°So¡­ how are your ns for my birthday? Better still, what are they?¡± I asked. We both made our way towards his copier.


    ¡°I can tell you that they are almost done but I can¡¯t tell you what they are.¡± He smiled back at me. ¡°Put the paper in here and press this button to copy it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± He left me to do the work and I copied the documents. Doing the same thing repeatedly made me feel a bit dizzy. I decided to think instead.


    I remember myst birthday when I turned 22. It was one of the best ones I¡¯ve had so far, thanks to Mr Wilson. He took me to the Sugar Factory and gave me two tickets to the Empire State Building. Unfortunately he couldn¡¯t go with me so I took Phoebe instead. I had such an amazing time all because of him. This year I¡¯ll be spending my birthday without him and the thought made me sad.


    Time passed and I looked back at Sean, only to find him staring at me.


    What was he looking at?


    I gave him a small smile and went back to my work.


    I continued to do the repetitive action at the same time still thinking about Mr Wilson and all the nice things he has done for me. I could feel myself getting light-headed so I paused for a minute. I felt like I was going to copse.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Sean was right behind me now. I turned around and faced him with a fake smile on my face.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I said but I didn¡¯t sound convincing to him. To make things worse a sharp pain shot through my head, making me stumble a bit.


    Sean held me immediately so I don¡¯t fall.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± He pressed. I put my hand on my head.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I lied.


    Truth is, I wasn¡¯t okay. I was missing Mr Wilson terribly. Since he left, there has been a constant ache in my heart which I cannot ignore anymore. I tried not to let his absence affect me but he still haunts me in my mind, in my dreams, all the time! There is no true escape.


    ¡°Tell me what¡¯s wrong Sophia. I know you¡¯re not fine.¡± He held my face up to look at him. We were way too close forfort but it¡¯s Sean and I trust him.


    ¡°Sean I promise, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just the work that¡¯s making me dizzy that¡¯s all.¡±Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Okay. Then stop. Don¡¯t do it anymore.¡±


    ¡°I can handle it. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t want you to do it anymore. I made a mistake giving it to you in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°Ok, if you say so.¡± I tried to smile.


    He was looking at me intensely which made me feel uneasy.


    ¡°Sean?¡± I said in a warning tone.


    Why was he looking at me like he wanted to kiss me?


    He startled me when he held onto me and pulled me a bit closer to him. We were in a very intimate position and my heart was racing. I knew what he was about to do¡­


    And I let it him do it.


    He kissed me gently and I closed my eyes. It was¡­ good. I liked it and I let it happen. It felt nice but when I thought about Mr Wilson, I suddenly felt guilty. I broke it off immediately, pushing him away slightly.


    I let the kiss happen but now I wish I didn¡¯t. Sean noticing my rejection, let go of me.


    I know I told Lily that I liked Sean but I wasn¡¯t actually sure if I wanted to get involved with him. I never expected him to even make a move on me.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry if you didn¡¯t want that Sophia.¡± He apologized. ¡°But I had to do it, it¡¯s all I¡¯ve wanted for the past week.¡±


    For the past week???


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. I just stared at him incredulously. If Sean was interested in me all this time then he hid it well. I had absolutely no clue.


    ¡°Sophia please. Say something.¡± It was like we were having a staring contest.


    I tried to but I couldn¡¯t. I just shook my head in confusion and turned away. I grabbed my bag from my table.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Sean. I¡¯m not sure if I can do this.¡±


    ¡°Why not? Please stay, let¡¯s talk about this.¡± He pleaded.


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I have to go.¡±

 Chapter 39

    He looked disappointed for a second but he left me and allowed me to leave his office.


    I don¡¯t know why but I had to get away from Sean. I felt awful for doing so but at the same time I felt awful when I was with him¡­. kissing him.


    I still love Mr Wilson and it didn¡¯t feel right with any other person yet, except him.


    I heard someone call me on my way out of the office but I didn¡¯t stop or look back. I just kept going. I needed to get away from here as soon as possible.


    ***


    ¡°Phoebe I¡¯m sorry I left the office without you, even though I promised to leave together.¡± I apologized profusely.


    I haven¡¯t exactly been a good friend to Phoebetely and I feel bad about it. I left her in the office after I told her we would leave together. She was the one who called me on my way out but I had ignored her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know why I came here in the first ce.¡± Sheined.


    ¡°It¡¯s because you love me!¡± I beamed. ¡°And I invited you over. There¡¯s something important that I need to tell you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    I know she wouldn¡¯t be happy with what I¡¯m about to tell her but I had to. I thought this over and made my decision.


    ¡°You¡¯re a really good person Phoebe and I¡¯m d I met you at Wilson & Co. But I have decided to resign.¡±


    At first she looked at me like I was ying. When she saw that I was serious her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets.


    ¡°Seriously? You¡¯re resigning? WHY?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t continue working there. Things have changed and I don¡¯t feel suitable in thepany anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh my gosh! Don¡¯t tell me this has to do with Mr Wilson!¡±


    ¡°A huge chunk of it does! He¡¯s no longer showing up to his ownpany because of me! He¡¯s been avoiding me and that can¡¯t go on forever. If he doesn¡¯t want to see me anymore then he should just fire me. But he hasn¡¯t so I¡¯m making everything easier by resigning. I don¡¯t want to be an obstacle between him and work.¡±


    ¡°Sophia! Stop personalising the reason for him not showing up to the office! He may actually have a valid reason for noting, one that doesn¡¯t involve you! What makes you think he¡¯s avoiding you?¡±


    ¡°Because! He talks to everyone else in the office apart from me! As his personal assistant he didn¡¯t even tell me he was going on a trip to Maui which means he nned it without me and that never happens! Also, did you know he¡¯s actually around?! Yes! He¡¯s in New York, Sean and I saw him yesterday. That was the first time I saw him in a month and he just pretended like I wasn¡¯t there, like I didn¡¯t exist. He didn¡¯t say a word to me.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you want to quit.¡±


    Phoebe didn¡¯t get it. I was in love with Mr Wilson and he doesn¡¯t want anything to do with me anymore.


    ¡°What is my role as a personal assistant when the person I¡¯m supposed to be assisting has gone MIA?¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ve been with Seantely. Hasn¡¯t he been keeping you enoughpany?¡± There was a hint of jealousy in her voice but I ignored it.


    ¡°About Sean¡­ I can¡¯t work with him anymore.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± She frowned.


    ¡°You can¡¯t tell anyone this but uh¡­ He kissed me today. We¡¯ve been hanging out a lottely and I think he has developed some feelings for me.¡±


    Phoebe looked at me warily, it was the kind of look that you give someone before smacking them right in the face. But then, she smiled.


    ¡°You know what? You¡¯re right. I think you should quit your job.¡± Her smile was really huge now that it looked fake.


    ¡°Wait, Just now I thought you didn¡¯t want me to quit.¡± Something was up with her.


    ¡°I changed my mind. You should.¡±This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    ¡°What changed your mind?¡±


    ¡°Nothing! What you said made sense¡­ about the whole Mr Wilson going MIA and stuff.¡±


    ¡°You see! Now you get my point. I¡¯ve already written my letter and I¡¯m handing it in tomorrow. At least that will get Mr Wilson¡¯s attention. If he approves it then I guess that¡¯ll settle everything. He doesn¡¯t want me in his life anymore and I¡¯ll stay out.¡±


    ¡°Oh Sophia, then you¡¯ll have to look for a new job.¡± She hugged me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll find one.¡±


    I hope¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Sophia Parker


    Phoebe and I began to search for a new job for mest night. We didn¡¯t find anything suitable¡­ yet, but it was just our first attempt. I know we would eventually find something.


    On the other hand, today is Friday and I¡¯m on my way to the office, about to quit my job. But first, there was something I needed to do. I thought about this thing alone before I went to bedst night and now I know what I have to do.


    Sean is an amazing person and I made a huge mistake yesterday when I turned him down. I can see myself happy with him and he¡¯s genuinely interested in me. The whole thing I had with Mr Wilson was a flop. He has moved on and it¡¯s time for me to move on too.


    I arrived at work and made my way to the elevator.


    I will be handing my letter to the HR department on the 8th floor since Mr Wilson is not around for me to give him directly. Maybe they would notify him by email about my resignation.


    But before then I went to the 4th floor. I knocked on the door to Sean¡¯s office. When he answered I opened the door and walked in.


    He was sitting down behind his desk but the moment he saw me, he stood up abruptly.  He seemed surprised to see me¡­ but then, why wouldn¡¯t he be? After what happened yesterday, he probably wouldn¡¯t have expected me to be back. At least, not so soon.


    ¡°Hi.¡± I said awkwardly.


    ¡°Sophia¡­ I¡­ I wasn¡¯t expecting you today.¡±

 Chapter 40

    I smiled.


    ¡°About yesterday,¡± he started, ¡°I am terribly sorry about what happened. My actions werepletely out of line and I shouldn¡¯t have done that to you. Are you able to forgive me? And is there any way we can put it behind us?¡±Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    He sounded so apologetic which made me want to forgive him, even though he never offended me in the first ce.


    ¡°Oh Sean!¡± I walked towards him, cing my bag on his desk before I wrapped my arms around him. He froze but hugged me back eventually. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to forgive.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not upset?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. If anyone should apologize, it¡¯s me. I¡¯m sorry for the way I acted afterwards.¡±


    He hugged me back more tightly this time.


    ¡°I¡¯m so relieved.¡± He said, pulling back. ¡°I also have some news.¡±


    ¡°Me too, but you first.¡±


    ¡°Adam called. He asked of you.¡± He said.


    My heart stopped beating for three seconds before it started to function normally again.


    He asked of me??? I thought he hadpletely forgotten about me?!


    I was undeniably happy to hear that Mr Wilson called to ask of me. A part of me also wished that it wasn¡¯t work rted. Maybe he just wanted see me, find out if I was okay, or hear my voice¡­


    ¡°What did he say?¡± I said, sounding more desperate than I intended.


    ¡°Well¡­ it was yesterday, right after you left. He needed you to be a coordinator at an event he was attending but since you weren¡¯t avable he found a substitute.¡¯


    ¡°Oh.¡± I said tly.


    Firstly, I felt extremely stupid to think he actually called to know about my wellbeing!


    Secondly, I was mad because he only called because he needed me to do work, not because he actually cares about me!


    I really really really just wanted to scream!!! Why do I still have hope for this man?! Why do I still care so much?!


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Sean asked.


    I nodded my head, unable to hide the sadness written all over my face. I didn¡¯t even try to hide it. All I can think of right now is getting as far away from Mr Wilson as possible after I quit. I don¡¯t even mind moving back to Virginia.


    ¡°Sophia, what is going on between you and Adam?¡± He asked. ¡°You guys never talk these days. And your reaction to what I just told you right now is¡­ strange.¡±


    ¡°Nothing is going on Sean.¡± I took a deep breath. He looked at me like he didn¡¯t believe me. Even from my tone, I wouldn¡¯t believe myself.


    ¡°You said you also have news. What was it?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Um¡­ I- I¡¯ve decided t- to resign.¡± I got out shakily.


    ¡°What?¡± His eyes grew wide. ¡°You¡¯re leaving? Why?¡± He held onto me again, as if to not let me go.


    ¡°B- because its for the best. I d- don¡¯t feel wanted here anymore and I feel the need to be in a better ce.¡± He looked at me for some seconds, trying to understand before squinting his eyes as ifing to realisation.


    ¡°This is about Adam isn¡¯t it?¡±


    I didn¡¯t say anything. I couldn¡¯t. And that only confirmed the answer for him.


    ¡°Do you love him?¡± He asked.


    What?


    I waspletely shocked by his question! I wasn¡¯t expecting anything like that. Where did he get that from? Is it so obvious? I couldn¡¯t answer because I knew the truth and I was ashamed to say it. At the same time, I couldn¡¯t  say I didn¡¯t because I¡¯ll be lying to myself and he would know too. I kept quiet and again, he took my silence as a confirmation.


    ¡°I always knew there was something going on with you and him.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about Sean?¡±


    ¡°You know exactly what I¡¯m talking about Sophia. From the way he looks at you, I can tell. He loves you Sophia, and I don¡¯t me him. You¡¯re very beautiful, and attractive, and you have an amazing personality. I feel amazing when I¡¯m with you and I can be myself around you. I totally understand why Adam is head over heels for you.¡± He let go of me. ¡°Whatever happened between you two, I¡¯m sure it can be fixed. But please, don¡¯t resign.¡± He begged.


    ¡°I have to. I¡¯ve already made my decision and that¡¯s final. This whole thing with Mr Wilson is crazy and I just want to leave it all behind. I want to start over, with somebody new, someone like YOU.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± He shrieked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I stepped closer to him and put my arms around his neck. ¡°Sean you¡¯re amazing. And I¡¯ld love to try things out with you. You¡¯re better for me than him. I know it.¡±


    ¡°No Sophia. I¡¯m not.¡± He pulled me hands away from him and gave them back to me before stepping away.


    ¡°Why do you say so? Look at the beautiful time we spent together, you were so good to me. You never for once made me feel like I don¡¯t exist.¡±


    ¡°Is that how he makes you feel?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re wrong Sophia. Adam really loves you. And its obvious that you love him to. I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t want to ruin the picture.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not ruining anything because there¡¯s nothing to ruin. Mr Wilson hasn¡¯t even contacted me since the day we got back from Michigan and that was over a month ago. He¡¯s moved on and I have to move on too. I need to leave so he can befortable around his office once again. In case you haven¡¯t figured it out yet, he¡¯s avoiding me by noting to work. He sends everyone emails apart from me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy Sophia. Why would he note to work because of you. If he didn¡¯t want to see you again he would have conveniently fired you.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to fire me because my father¡¯s surgery has me indebted and he knows it!¡± I moved closer to him again. ¡°Please Sean, I don¡¯t want to keep wasting all my emotions on one person who doesn¡¯t seem to care anymore.¡±


    I looked at him intensely but he still seemed unsure.


    I wrapped my arms around his neck and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him. It seemed like his doubts cleared and he kissed me back. He held me closer and inclined his face towards mine. For a long time we kissed, my fingers gripped his hair, pulling him closer but he pulled back. Breathing deeply, he remained astonished by the abundance of what just happened.


    ¡°Sophia, we shouldn¡¯t¡­¡± The doubts came back.


    ¡°Please Sean. I want this. I want you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one for you.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re wrong.¡± I pulled him to me again and he didn¡¯t hesitate to kiss back. He was so bad at resisting, Iughed in my head.

 Chapter 41

    This time his hands moved to my waist. He squeezed gently, indicating for me to jump. I did and he picked me up, cing me on his desk. I don¡¯t know how far this was going to go but I loosened his tie and threw it across his office. I ran my fingers down his hard chest. He was just as big as Mr Wilson, I don¡¯t know who was hotter.


    Ew! Stopparing!


    Sean lightly squeezed my thighs where my skirt had risen up, and he pulled me closer to the edge of his desk.


    ¡°You drive a man crazy Sophia. Your beauty alone hurts.¡± I blushed at hispliment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop kissing me.¡± I said and immediately he bent back my head across his arm and connected his lips to mine once more, softly in a way that made me cling to him as the only solid thing in the world. I parted my lips, allowing him to go deeper and he did.


    He pulled back suddenly again and I groaned.


    ¡°Please,¡± he begged. ¡°We should stop.¡±


    ¡°Why? I thought this was what you¡¯ve wanted all week?¡± I reminded him of how he confessed yesterday that he¡¯d been wanting to kiss me for a while now.


    ¡°Yes, that was before I knew about you and Adam.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said you¡¯ve always known¡±


    ¡°Yes but I didn¡¯t know that you two were in love. Adam is a good friend of mine. He would kill me if he finds out about this. Remember, he almost murdered me the first time we tried to go on a date.¡±


    I had always admired Sean¡¯s well/mannered behaviour (contrary to Mr Wilson¡¯s arrogance) but now he is being too prissy, it¡¯s frustrating.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t let him do anything to you Sean. Besides, if he does he¡¯ll have to face me afterwards. And I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t want to do anything I wouldn¡¯t like.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Do you know why that is? Because he loves you and wouldn¡¯t want to hurt you. So why do you want to hurt him?¡± I rolled my eyes at him.


    ¡°He has ignored me for so long Sean. That alone is hurtful! Do your ave any idea what I¡¯ve been going through for the past month?!¡± I practically screamed.


    ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down.¡± He held my shoulders. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡±


    ¡°Are you referring to being with you or quitting my job? Because the answer to both is Yes.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± He hugged me. ¡°Do you know where you¡¯re going from here?¡± I¡¯m sure he was referring to my next job.


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡± He pulled back slightly to look at me and also adjust my skirt like a gentleman that he is. ¡°I can help, maybe work something out for you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I smiled. ¡°That¡¯ll be grea-¡±


    We were interrupted by his phone ringing. He reached for it at his back pocket and checked the caller ID. He looked at me cautiously.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s Adam.¡± He said and my heart stopped.


    Crap! Why does it keep doing that!


    Sean cleared his throat before answering. ¡°Adam. Hey, how¡¯s it going?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t hear what Mr Wilson was saying so I just followed up from Sean¡¯s replies.


    ¡°Oh really, that¡¯s great¡­ Yeah¡­ I could do that¡­ No problem, Just let me know¡­ Okay¡­ Later.¡±


    ¡°Since when does his phone work?¡± I asked with my eyebrows raised. I remember his calls never going through, I haven¡¯t even tried it in a while.


    ¡°Since always. He¡¯s going to be here today by 8.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I started freaking out but then I realised, I would have gone home before then. ¡°See, he¡¯s avoiding me. I¡¯m going to quit right now.¡± I got down from Sean¡¯s desk.


    ¡°Wait! I think you should do it when he gets here. That way its more direct. You¡¯re not afraid to face him are you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I lied. I was scared as hell.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    I crossed my fingers hoping I would be able to handle his reaction.


    ***


    ¡°Hey Phoebe.¡± I whispered from behind her cubicle, startling her.


    ¡°Oh!¡± She jumped. ¡°Sophia, it¡¯s you. Have you done it yet?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Mr Wilson is going to be in the office by 8 so I¡¯ld do it then. I was wondering if you could wait with me?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll wait. So what¡¯s up? What have you been doing?¡±


    Oh if only she knew!


    I smiled, not knowing whether I should tell her. But then she is my close friend and theres nothing that I don¡¯t usually tell her, except some exclusive things that have happened between Mr Wilson and I.


    Which is over now! I reminded myself.


    ¡°I was on the 4th floor.¡± I said confidently.


    ¡°Why¡­¡± She dragged.


    ¡°Sean and I just had a make-out sesh.¡± I whispered.


    From her facial expression, I could tell she didn¡¯t seem too happy about it.


    ¡°What?¡± I looked at her innocently.


    ¡°I thought you said you couldn¡¯t work with him anymore and you were going to quit?¡± She sounded slightly pissed.


    ¡°Well¡­ yeah. But because I¡¯m quitting doesn¡¯t mean I wouldn¡¯t get to see him. In fact, I think its better that way because then we wouldn¡¯t be co-workers. I thought about itst night, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to date Sean if were not working together.¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t like him?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t know? He¡¯s sweet, good-looking, caring, sexy-¡±


    ¡°Okay! Is that why you¡¯re into him?¡±


    ¡°Not really. He just a really good guy you know, with a pure heart. You hardly find someone like that these days you know.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± She murmured.


    ¡°He was so gentle when he held me.¡± I said dreamily but Phoebe¡¯s face scrunched up in disgust. ¡°What is the matter with you? Aren¡¯t you happy for me?


    ¡°No Sophia, I¡¯m not. He¡¯s not your type.¡±


    ¡°Whats is my type?¡± I asked. She was acting really really really weird now.


    ¡°Mr Wilson is your type.¡±


    ¡°Gosh! Why does everyone keep saying that!¡± I literally wanted to rip out my hair. ¡°Mr Wilson and I are notpatible, Sean and I are, and I¡¯m going for it. I don¡¯t care whether you like it or not!¡±


    I didn¡¯t even realised that I had raised my voice. I saw Phoebe looking at me in a way I¡¯ve never seen before. It was so strange. It was like¡­ like¡­ Envy!


    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t think I can wait till 8. I have to be up really early tomorrow because I¡¯m going out and I have a massive pile of work to do right now which you are distracting me from.¡± She smiled. ¡°So I guess, I¡¯ll see youter?¡±


    ¡°Phoebe I¡¯m sorry for shouting.¡± I tried apologising.


    ¡°Its cool. I¡¯m busy right now. We¡¯ll talk another time.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    She turned back to her work and I walked away. I felt so bad because I knew she was upset with me. But why though? Maybe because I raised my voice. And why does she disapprove of me and Sean being together? Its not like I needed her approval or anything, its just weird.


    I went up to my office to rx. I didn¡¯t want to go back to Sean again because I don¡¯t want to distract him. Maybe I should call Lily instead and tell her what¡¯s going on. She¡¯ll be more understanding.


    I dialled Lily¡¯s phone and she picked on the 3rd ring.


    ¡°Sophia, how are you love darling?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine thanks. I really need to talk to you, are you busy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah but I can spare a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Sean and I kissed and I liked it¡­ a lot.¡±


    There was an awkward silence for a few seconds before she spoke up.


    ¡°Well¡­ Okay? But what about your boss? Adam Wilson.¡±


    ¡°What about him?¡± I sighed. Not Lily too!


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I just thought you guys were soulmates or something. Why are you kissing Sean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to kiss him?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ No?¡± She said half sure.


    ¡°Wow. Thanks for your help Lily.¡± I was about to end the call.


    ¡°Okay okay okay! Wait! I don¡¯t know what to say. I¡¯m just rooting for you and your boss thats all. Sean seems nice but I¡¯m not feeling him for you. You and Adam make a sexier m-¡±This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    ¡°Ok! Once again, thanks for your help Lily!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re most definitely wee. Have a nice day.¡±


    ¡°You too.¡± With that I ended the call.


    Everyone is saying the same thing but I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m going to do what I want to do, what I think is right¡­ and Sean is right.


    ***


    Adam Wilson


    ¡°Tell him I want and invoice by Monday morning or he can forget about the whole deal! I don¡¯t like dealing with clients that don¡¯t follow up.¡± I hung up.


    Thatpany is so frustrating, I think I¡¯m going to stop contracting with them! What a pain in the behind!


    I pulled up into my office building. I haven¡¯t been here in a while, I just came to get some documents from my drawer. I parked my car at my reserved spot and went up to my floor using the elevator. The office was practically empty and I was d. I didn¡¯t feel like being in a busy environment right now nor even seeing anybody. I just wanted to grab some things and get out.


    I went into my office and switched on the lights. I looked around for a while, feeling nostalgic. There was no time for that. I needed to find a file quickly and leave.


    I sat down behind my desk and started rummaging through my drawers one by one. The document I was looking for was a tiny sheet of paper, which would be very hard to find. I just needed patience.


    After about 20 minutes of searching, I found it.


    ¡°Aha!¡± I eximed.


    What was left now was to copy it and keep the original in its file. It feels so weird doing all these things by myself. Now-a-days I¡¯ve noticed howzy I¡¯ve be from people always doing irrelevant stuff for me.


    I put on my copier and waited for it to boot when I heard a knock on the door.


    I jumped back from surprise.


    Who could be knocking on my door by this time of the day? And how did they know I was here?


    I waited to see if it wasn¡¯t just my imagination and the person knocked again. It wasn¡¯t.


    I was so freaked out right now but I wasn¡¯t scared. Who the hell was that?


    ¡°Come in.¡± I called out.


    The door knob turned slowly and the door opened. Someone came in and I looked to see who it was.


    It was HER!

 Chapter 42

    Adam Wilson


    So many emotions ran through me the moment I saw her.


    But there was one so strong I felt the most.


    One that made something inside of me explode.


    I watched her as she closed the door quietly behind her, taking a few moments before she finally lifted her head, barely looking me in the eye.


    Seeing her beautiful face once again made happiness lodge into my chest.


    That was when I realised, all this time without her was torture.


    How could I have stayed away from her for so long?


    She looked beautiful. Stunning. Gorgeous. Everything. My heart swelled in appreciation.


    Missing her was an understatement. I constantly felt her absence the whole time, like there was a shortage of something in my life. Seeing her nowpletes me.


    The silence in the room was deafening as we both stared at each other.


    ¡°Sophia.¡± I whispered, loud enough for her to hear me.


    She didn¡¯t respond. Instead she looked away, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. She looked shy and nervous but still sexy as hell.


    Ugh!


    What I would give right now just to touch that beautiful hair of hers, even to hold her! My mind was ying different games with me as I began to imagine different things. Fighting the urge of something sensual, I let my eyes drift over her body. A vivid image exploded in my head as I measured the length of the short dress she was wearing, exposing her shapely legs.


    I cleared my throat.


    ¡°What are you doing here by this time?¡± I asked softly. Its been so long since I¡¯d spoken to her.


    ¡°I- I needed to see y- you.¡± Although she was stammering, her voice still sounded angelic. ¡°I w- wasn¡¯t expecting you this l-te.¡±


    It was 9:15pm.


    ¡°Its veryte Sophia. You shouldn¡¯t have waited.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll juste back on Monday.¡± She turned to leave.


    ¡°Wait!¡± I stopped her before she could go. There was a letter in her hand and I was curious about it. ¡°Is that for me?¡±


    She hesitated for a moment before she nodded her head.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Slowly, she walked closer towards my desk and I admired the movement of her hips.


    Everything about her screamed sexy.


    She handed the letter to me and I took it.


    ¡°Its my letter of resignation.¡± I heard her say.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Resignation?!This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    The words shook me as they sunk in. I was about to open the letter but I closed it back immediately.


    Something surged through me- a primal need to not let this woman go. The thought of her leaving enraged me so much. I could feel my fists clench so hard, my nails digging into my skin, my mind racing even as if I lost myself in a storm.


    Tell me this is a joke, please. This has to be a joke¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m resigning.¡±


    I heard her perfectly the first time but I choose not to believe it. We stared at each other for a while.


    ¡°You¡¯re resigning?¡± I needed to be sure I was hearing properly.


    ¡°Yes.¡± She said, a little perplexed.


    This wasn¡¯t a joke.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Everything is exined in the letter. Itste and I need-¡±


    I tore it into two right in front of her eyes and she gasped. After that, I put it in the shredding machine right beside me. The machine shredded it some more.


    I couldn¡¯t bear the idea of Sophia resigning and leaving me. I cannot let that happen. Never.


    ¡°You were saying?¡± I said like nothing happened.


    She folded her arms angrily but she didn¡¯t know how erotic her stance was. She had already keened my male interest from the start and her posture did little to dampen it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have another copy sent to your email by tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°No you won¡¯t. Because you are not resigning. What is the meaning of this?¡± I asked incredulously.


    She took a deep breath, her chest moving up and down. The action made my eyes wander to ces they shouldn¡¯t. Given the current situation at hand, I wonder how I still manage to remain perverse.


    ¡°Mr Wilson, I- I can¡¯t do this anymore.¡± Her voice sounded shaky, like she was on the verge of crying.


    Oh no! Don¡¯t cry¡­ Thest thing I want to see are tears in your eyes.


    ¡°Shhh, Sophia. Lets talk about this. Come.¡± All I did was stand up but she took three steps back.


    ¡°No. There¡¯s nothing to talk about. I¡¯ve made my decision, I¡¯m leaving.¡± Tears were running down the sides of her eyes now. I felt my heart shatter at the sight of her crying.


    It was painful to see her like this. All I wanted to do was embrace her and let her tears soak through my shirt. I was the reason for all this, I was the one who left her.


    The crying got worse. I could hear her silently suffocating with each breath she took holding onto her pride and wiping her face furiously. I ran my fingers through my hair in an attempt to calm the silent war within my mind.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go Sophia.¡± She seemed adamant on her desire to leave and that was the only thing I coulde up with.


    She looked at me and shook her head, more tears flowing now.


    ¡°I have to. You were never going to fire me so I quit.¡±


    ¡°Fire you? Why- What are you talking about? Why would I fire you?¡±


    What the hell was she talking about?


    ¡°Because you don¡¯t need me anymore! You¡¯re doing fine without a PA. You¡¯ve tuned me outpletely and I can¡¯t keep going on like this. I might as well just leave.¡±


    ¡°No no no, Sophia I still need a PA!¡±


    ¡°Then maybe I¡¯m the one you don¡¯t need. Don¡¯t worry, now that I resign you can get yourself a new PA. Someone that you can actually befortable with. Maybe then you¡¯ll  start showing up to your office again.¡± She said bitterly.


    This was obviously about me ignoring her. She was hurt and I¡¯m starting to regret ever doing it in the first ce. How stupid of me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that Sophia.¡± I went around my massive desk just to get closer to her.


    ¡°No! Don¡¯te close to me! Just stay right there.¡± She held her hand up and I stopped in my tracks, not wanting to scare her. She was already crying and vulnerable enough so I gave her space.


    ¡°I have made my decision so please¡­ Respect it. Goodbye Mr Wilson.¡± She said before she turned back and ran out of my office.


    I stood rooted to the spot as I watched her leave. The thought of never having Sophia here in my office, working here or even close anymore gave me an anxiety attack. I couldn¡¯t let that happen and something was tugging me to run and beg her to stay.


    After a few moments of contemting, I decided to go after her.


    To hell with respecting her decision!


    Just as I got to the lobby I saw Sophia in the elevator a second before it closed. She was crying severely now and I could hear her sobs, her hands covering her face.


    There was only one elevator so I took the stairs, running down as fast as I could. All the while I was panicking, my feet were moving madly fast. My brain was flooded with the dread and fear of loosing Sophia. It made my mind so hazy that I tripped and fell.


    I bumped my shoulder and it hurt but I stood back up immediately, ignoring the pain.


    I made it to the ground floor but not in time. I saw a taxi leaving and I just knew it was her¡¯s.


    I screamed in frustration and tried to wait for another taxi so I could follow her but none came on time.


    She was gone.


    ***


    -The next day-


    Sophia Parker


    I woke up on Saturday with a massive headache after crying myself to sleep. Lily was beside me still sleeping. She came overst night tofort me and keep mepany, after the events of yesterday.


    I looked into the mirror and groaned. I had two heavy eye bags on my face! My appearance was repulsive right now.


    ¡°Birthday girl in less than 24 hours.¡± She grinned.


    ¡°That¡¯s the first thing you say when you wake up?¡± Iughed.


    ¡°Oh, Sorry. Good morning. And thank God for another wonderful day.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Good morning to you too.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s today looking like?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°We should do something fun, I mean something that would get your mind off the whole thing with Mr Wilson.¡±


    ¡°Geez! Lily you¡¯re the one reminding me of him. He was never in my mind, now you just put him there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Yesterday was so over-emotional. I hadn¡¯t thought I would cry but when I saw him after a really long time, I couldn¡¯t help the tears. Although my resignation was for the best, I was crying because I was throwing everything away. My job, our rtionship, him¡­ I wouldn¡¯t most likely never see him again.


    There was a knock on the door.


    ¡°Who is that?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not expecting anyone today.¡±


    ¡°What if its him?!¡±


    ¡°Oh god I hope not!¡± I got terror-struck at the idea of him showing up at my door.


    It was just 9am and I look like poop right now!


    ¡°Lily I don¡¯t want him here.¡± I said anxiously.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get it. If its him then I wouldn¡¯t let him in.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    She left the bedroom and went to open the door for whoever it was.


    Something told me that I wouldn¡¯t be able to get rid of Mr Wilson easily. His reaction yesterday was nothing like I expected it to be. I thought he despised me? Why would he NOT want me to leave? I expected him to not care about my resignation at all. Probably just take the letter and approve it right in my sight before sending me on my merry way. Instead, he tore it! That meant he didn¡¯t want me to go. Does he still-


    ¡°Sophia! Its just Phoebe!¡± Lilly called out, interrupting my thoughts.


    Oh! Thank goodness!


    I came out and saw Phoebe smiling with a box of cakes in her hands.


    Hmmm¡­ Was that a peace offering?


    ¡°Hey Sophia, I¡¯m sorry for not waiting with youst night. And I¡¯m sorry I snapped. Its just that¡­ I have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°No problem Phoebe. Im happy we¡¯ve reconciled.¡± I took the choctes from her and hugged her. ¡°What is it you want to tell me?¡±


    She looked down at her feet, feeling slightly embarrassed.


    Whoa! This has to be something serious.


    ¡°I- I kind of like Sean Edmund.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Lily freaked.


    ¡°Shut up Lily!¡± I scolded her. But me too, I was freaking out as well!


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, thats why I¡¯ve been sort of mean to youtely. And thats why I agreed for you to quit your job. Normally, I would never be in support of that idea.¡± Now I understand why she acts strange anytime we talk about him.


    ¡°Its okay. You should have told me earlier, that way I wouldn¡¯t have kissed him. Although, now I think we are kind of in a rtionship.¡±

 Chapter 43

    ¡°I know. Its toote. I can see that you already like him and he likes you too. I don¡¯t want you to end it with him, I just thought you should know.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much for telling me.¡±


    She smiled and we hugged.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Adam Wilson


    I threw the cup on the wall and it shattered into pieces. This was probably the third thing I¡¯ve smashed this afternoon¡­


    Still in the aftermath of yesterday¡¯s unpleasant situation, I haven¡¯t even blinked an eye to sleep. All night I tossed and turned up until dawn. I¡¯ve spent my whole day drinking, but I¡¯m not drunk.


    I have work to do but I postponed everything because I wasn¡¯t in the right state of mind. Today my main focus was not on business although it was very rted to it, it was on something much more personal. A slight sh between the two.


    My mind was dwelling on something so exquisitely feminine and alluring that I don¡¯t know how I had managed to control myselfst night and not go to that little apartment in Murray Hill, knock down the door and take Sophia hard and fast!


    I can still remember how she lookedst night seeing her for the first time in a long time. She was better than any fantasy I¡¯ve ever had.


    I frowned at the unweing surge of desire that ran through me. Sincest night, she has been causing me frustration of the most strategic kind.


    I am so angry at myself for letting all this happen. Everything is my fault! I¡¯ve never screwed up so stupidly like this before.


    What in the world was I thinking?! Staying away from her was obviously going to hurt her feelings!


    Ugh! I remember how crazy I went when she left to Virginia, I had to chase her down. She probably felt the same way during my absence, even worse because she didn¡¯t know where I was and when I wasing back.


    At least she went away because her father was ill. Mine was just for stupid, selfish reasons! I took a break from her because I was fucked up emotionally and I needed some time to rediscover myself. Apparently I didn¡¯t know love was not a thing you could ¡®take a break from¡¯.


    All I did was waste my time and fuck shit up some more! When Sophia kissed me, I shouldn¡¯t have pushed her away. That was so idiotic of me. I was just trying to prove a point and it didn¡¯t work because if it did, I wouldn¡¯t be so hung up on her right now!


    ¡°Adam you fool.¡± I chastised myself.


    Maybe I should call her¡­


    I picked up my phone and dialled her number but before it rung, I ended it because I hadn¡¯t thought of what I as going to say yet.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    ¡°What the fuck am I going to say to her??¡± I groaned.


    When has talking to a woman made me so uneasy??? I felt like a nervous wreck!


    I can¡¯t help myself sometimes, I even do stupid things a lot when ites to Sophia.


    I went to my bar and got out a new ss. I poured myself some more brandy, what I¡¯ve been drinking all day.


    As I took a sip I recalled the time I spent in Maui trying to get over her, Clearly that didn¡¯t pay off, I only went there to torture myself. I couldn¡¯t even look at any other woman withoutparing them to Sophia, and not even one could size up to her. I turned down all the women down and went to bed alone every night. It was impossible for me to be with another woman after Sophia. No matter how hard I had tried to deny it, she was the only object of my affection. I thought about her every single day and night, wondering what it would¡¯ve been like if she was there with me. Maui was such a beautiful ce and I would have loved to experience it with her. I could just imagine how happy she would have been, ying around in the exotic beach right in front of the hotel, smiling at the radiant scene¡­


    My phone buzzed and I picked up the call abruptly, snapping out of my daydream.


    ¡°Hello Mr Wilson, this is David from the security department, we have some footage that we think you would be interested in.¡±


    ¡°What is it Dave?¡±


    ¡°Remember how you instructed us to keep an eye on Miss Parker and alert you the moment we find anything unusual? I think we¡¯ve found something.¡±


    Ah yes! I remember telling my boys to stalk her a bit, but that was months ago when she tried to get involved romantically with my ountant, Sean Edmund. I instructed them to stalk him too, although he was a good friend and I¡¯m sure he understood that I had taken interest in Sophia. I assumed his appetite for her had suppressed but then I found them having dinner at Nerai the other day, I instructed my boys to resume the duty. What could Dave have found?


    ¡°Send it to my email. Now.¡±


    ¡°Ok sir.¡±


    I went over to my study and turned on my desktop. I couldn¡¯t wait to see what Dave found. A little bird told me that Sean and Sophia had been hanging out a lot but when I confronted him that night they had dinner together, he assured me that everything was strictly professional and she was only assisting him because she had no other work to do.


    I opened up my email and checked for new messages. There it was, one from Dave.


    I downloaded and opened it.


    It was a security camera footage, the one in Sean¡¯s office.


    He was with Sophia and they were talking¡­ no wait! Hugging!


    What is this?


    Soon they were kissing!


    Anger and jealousy with a mix of possessiveness vibrated through me as I watched the video. They were practically doing ¡®IT¡¯ on his desk!


    He lied to me! He told me there was nothing going on!


    I checked the date of the footage only to find out that this happened just yesterday! Rage fumed through my body. I felt like a provoked wild animal, I was ready to kill anything in my way right now. I was angry at Sophia for kissing another man, but mostly Sean for kissing MY girl!


    I went to my closet to grab my shoes and coat.


    Sean is a dead man. I thought as I wore my clothes.


    I grabbed my keys and stormed off.


    ***


    It only took me a few minutes before I arrived at my destination, Sean¡¯s condo. I knocked rapidly on the front door. Momentster, the door swung open, revealing a confused looking Sean.


    I wanted to murder him immediately but I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself.


    ¡°Adam, what are you-¡±


    ¡°You bastard!¡± I shoved him backwards, unable to control my anger. I invited myself into his house.


    ¡°Whoa, what¡¯s going on?¡± He held his hands up in the air.


    ¡°You told me there¡¯s nothing going on between you and her!¡± I spat.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t.¡± He stated matter-of-factly.


    That made my blood boil. The fact that he was able to lie conveniently to my face. Sean was one of my trusted people, we¡¯ve been friends since college and I never expected him to double-cross me like this.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me Sean.¡± I tried to reason with him.


    ¡°It seems like you want me to, I¡¯ve already told you the truth-¡± Lies!


    My fist connected with his face.


    The punch set him backwards knocking down a flower vase in the process. The vase shattered into huge pieces.


    ¡°Ugh! What the hell?!¡± He groaned.


    ¡°Stay away from her! She¡¯s mine!¡± I barked. Sean recovered and stood up.


    ¡°No she¡¯s not!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you.¡¯ I grabbed him by the shirt.


    I attacked with a big right overhand punch. He stepped out of range, but before he could bring his hands up to defend, I drove my shoulder into his chest, mming him into the wall, where I startednding solid punches into his gut.


    He threw a block with his left hand and hooked his left leg with my own, trying to throw me to the ground. I could tell he didn¡¯t want to fight but I was hurting him. He turned forward throwing us both on the ground. The impact caught me between his shoulder des and the ss centre table broke into two.


    We traded blows until we were both bruised and battered equally. We made a mess around the house and everywhere was now in shambles.


    ¡°You moron! You¡¯ve destroyed my house!¡± Sean winced in pain as we bothy on the floor breathing heavily. His nose was bleeding and he had a burst lip. I had a cut right above my eye that was gushing out blood.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I said.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯ve gotten a pointless fight out of me, would you like to talk like a rational human being would have done first?¡±


    He stood up and held his hand out to me. I took it and he helped me up as well. Pain shot throughout my body.


    ¡°You know that I¡¯m crazy about her.¡± I said calmly for the first time.


    ¡°I do.¡± He affirmed walking towards his bar and getting a drink.


    ¡°Then why did you kiss her?¡±


    He looked at me shockingly like he didn¡¯t expect me to know about it.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday.¡±


    ¡°She kissed me first Adam. And I tried to but I couldn¡¯t resist it.¡± He didn¡¯t even try to deny it. He poured two sses for us both. I¡¯m guessing it was whiskey.


    ¡°What? Is she into you or something?¡± I asked jealously. I took my ss and downed the contents.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Adam. You left her, I was there for her. What do you expect? Although I don¡¯t trust her judgement.¡± He drank from his cup.

 Chapter 44

    ¡°Do you know, she quit yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I tired to talk her out of it but she insisted that it was what she wanted. I think she¡¯s trying to get away from you because you¡¯re an asshole.¡±


    He¡¯s right¡­ I am an asshole, a big one.


    ¡°And please I would like you to leave now.¡± He said dismissively.


    The blood from his nose was now trickling down his shirt and he needed to attend to it.


    ¡°Yeah, of course.¡± I wonder how he still manages to be polite, after all the trouble I caused him. ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry about everything, I-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine Adam just leave.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡± I said then I left feeling stupid.


    ***


    -Later-


    Sophia Parker


    I had fun with the girls today and now I¡¯m back home. We¡¯ve nned what we¡¯re doing tomorrow for my birthday. We¡¯re going to Electric cinema! I¡¯m so excited and I can¡¯t wait.


    Sean also said he would n something for me and I hope it can fit in with Electric cinema. Maybe I should call him and inform him about it. All day I¡¯ve been thinking about what his surprise was.


    I rang him a few times and he finally picked up.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I said.


    ¡°Hey.¡± His voice sounded drab unlike mine.


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound too happy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just tired that¡¯s all.¡± He sighed.


    ¡°What did you do today?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I had ns but they fell through.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me toe over? I have stuff I want to tell you.¡± I tried to sounded excited.


    ¡°No. Please don¡¯t. Just tell me over the phone.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I want to tell you in person. I¡¯ming over. No arguments.¡± I ended the call. He tried calling back but I didn¡¯t answer.


    I got ready and went out to take a taxi.


    I got a text from him saying that he¡¯s not in but I know he¡¯s lying. I texted him back that I was already in a taxi and on my way so he could quit lying.


    I wanted to see Sean and its weird that he didn¡¯t want to see me too. What was that about?


    I caught a taxi and gave the driver Sean¡¯s address. We got there in a few minutes and I paid for the fare.


    I used the elevator to reach his residence and knocked on the door.


    A little whileter Sean opened the door and turned away immediately.


    ¡°Hey, how are you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m good. Good.¡± He replied, not looking at me.


    I came in and noticed that there was a lot of furniture missing like a giant blue vase that used to be at the corner. His centre table and carpet was also missing.


    ¡°What happened to all the furniture?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh¡­ I¡¯m changing them.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I tried to face him but he turned backwards. I felt like he was trying to avoid looking at me.


    ¡°I got bored with them.¡± He said and walked off to the kitchen.


    I followed behind him.


    ¡°Okay, well tomorrow my friends and are going to Electric cinema. I was hoping that whatever you have nned for me can be before or after then. We¡¯re going by 6pm, is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s fine.¡± He said still turning his back on me.


    He was just staring at the kitchen counter, not doing anything. Why is he acting so weird?!


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    There was a long silence. I wonder what the hell was going on! Things between us has never been this awkward before. Something must have happened.


    ¡°I resigned yesterday. You didn¡¯t ask me how that went.¡±


    ¡°How did it go?¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t go how I expected to. Mr Wilson didn¡¯t want me to leave. How crazy is that?¡± Iughed a bit to lighten up the mood.


    ¡°Not crazy at all.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Uh, ok.¡±


    Silence.


    Again.


    He was still staring at the kitchen counter.


    ¡°What are you doing Sean?¡± I asked confusedly.


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Then why wouldn¡¯t you look at me?!¡± I raised my voice unconsciously. I was getting tired of his strange behaviour.


    He didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Is this about yesterday?¡±


    ¡°No Sophia this isn¡¯t about anything. Just go home. Thank you for stopping by.¡± I heard him take a deep breath.


    ¡°You want me to go?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Something was definitely wrong. He doesn¡¯t want to look at me and he even wants me out of his house. There was absolutely nothing that I could have done to him from the span of yesterday till now. So why is he giving me a cold shoulder?!


    ¡°NO Sean! I will not! I¡¯m not going anywhere unless you tell me what¡¯s wrong! You¡¯re being very unusual to me and I don¡¯t like it. It hurts that you won¡¯t even look at me. Tell me what I did to you? Or was it something I said instead? Because it can¡¯t be anything I did, unless its the kiss. I¡¯m sorry I ever did that. You should have told me if it wasn¡¯t something you wanted to do. I don¡¯t want to ruin our friendship so please don¡¯t- ¡±


    He turned around and what I saw almost made me scream!


    ¡°This is why I don¡¯t want to look at you. Because I don¡¯t want you seeing me like this. You shouldn¡¯t havee here.¡± He folded his arms.


    ¡°Oh my goodness, what happened to you?¡±


    I was so shocked to see him that way. He was bruised all over his face. The corner of his lip was cut open and he had a ck eye and a red nose. He looked so terrible and I felt strongly for him. He must be in so much pain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask Sophia.¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?! Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    I rubbed his arm in attempt to soothe him but there were also some scratches there as well.


    ¡°Oh Sean!¡± I hugged him. ¡°Why would someone do this to you? I want to know who the animal is that did this to you! Whoever that person is, they are horrible¡±


    He hugged me back, putting his arms around me. I could feel myself tearing up. He must have had a tough time while I was out having fun. I looked up at him and held his face. I caressed his cheek lightly to try and ease his pain.


    ¡°Why are you crying Sophia?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re hurt really bad and I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine in a few days, I promise.¡±


    All I could see was pain in his eyes. I really wanted to nurse him till he feels okay. Maybe a kiss would distract him a bit.


    I pushed myself up to my toes and reached his lips. He was still too tall so I gently brought his head down and kissed him. Gently and softly, we kissed. I tried not to make it rough because of his sores. I rubbed his back and ran my fingers through his hair. I heard him moan but it sounded more like agony.


    He pulled back.


    ¡°No, Sophia. We can¡¯t.¡± He shook his head, putting some distance between us.


    ¡°Is it because you¡¯re injured? Don¡¯t worry, I wouldn¡¯t strain you again. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not that. We can¡¯t keep doing this¡­ kissing each other I mean.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, Adam would so kill me if he ever finds out about this¡± He whispered to himself but I heard every word he said.


    ¡°He dare not do any- Oh my gosh!¡± Realisation dawned on me. ¡°Did he do this to you?! He was the one wasn¡¯t he! He is such a bastard and he will pay for this!¡±


    I can¡¯t believe Mr Wilson! What an arrogant swine! Only him could be so violent enough to cause such injuries to Sean. Why in the world would he ever do such an irresponsible thing?!


    ¡°Did you tell him that we kissed?¡± Sean asked.


    ¡°Of course not! Why? Does he know?¡±


    ¡°Apparently he does. That¡¯s why I¡¯mpletely battered. He was here and we got in a huge fight. I¡¯m no longer sure if I can make ns with you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. But how on earth did he find out about us?¡±This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    ¡°Since you didn¡¯t tell him, then i¡¯m guessing through one of his surveince cameras. I forgot I had one in my office because it¡¯s so unnoticeable.


    ¡°That¡¯s pathetic! Spying on his workers! Just because he deals with security doesn¡¯t mean he can pry into other people¡¯s lives. He¡¯s insane!¡±


    ¡°Do me a favour Sophia and talk to him. I¡¯m sure you guys can work out whatever it is that is or was going on between you two, because he¡¯s not ready to let go. ¡±


    ¡°No! I hate him! I don¡¯t want anything to do with him anymore. Not after seeing this, what he did to you. He is so ruthless. I can¡¯t even imagine-¡±


    ¡°I fought with him as well Sophia. It wasn¡¯t only him. I hurt him really bad too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you did it only out of self defence. I bet he was the one who struck first.¡± Sean nodded. ¡°He¡¯s such an imbecile!¡±


    ¡°Easy Sophia.¡± He said but then blood slowly oozed from his nose.


    ¡°Oh my goodness, you¡¯re bleeding!¡±


    He put his hand on his nose and went to the sink to run some water over it.


    ¡°You need some ice packs. Do you have any?¡± I rubbed his back.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ In the freezer.¡±


    I got our two of them.


    ¡°Come.¡± I pulled him to his bedroom. ¡°Lie down. You¡¯ll need to sit up straight, and tip your head slightly forward. Thats the only way it¡¯ll stop.¡±


    Hey on his bed and I sat beside him. I applied an ice pack to his cheeks and he flinched at the temperature. I felt so sorry for him. Sean was in such horrible condition all thanks to that moron. I can¡¯t believe he would fight over me¡­ What was the point? He has proved that he¡¯s no longer interested in me so why fight when I kiss another man? He can get any girl he wants, I don¡¯t understand why he can¡¯t just let me be. Ugh!


    ¡°Thank you Sophia. You should go now.¡± Sean held my hand.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m staying here tonight.¡±


    ¡°Thats not necessary.¡±


    ¡°I want to. Plus, you need me. I will take care of you don¡¯t worry.¡±


    I climbed more into his bed andy down beside him. I pressed a chaste kiss on his lips before snuggling up next to him.


    He put his arm around me and held me like that all through the night.

 Chapter 45

    Adam Wilson


    ¡°You need therapy and you need it urgently. Don¡¯t wait till this toxic obsession over a woman finally consumes you. Don¡¯t wait till it¡¯s toote!¡±


    ¡°Shut up Mason. I know she¡¯s here somewhere. Are you going to help me find her or not?¡±


    ¡°For heaven¡¯s sake, no! Let¡¯s just turn back and go home Adam.¡± He put his hand on my shoulder. We were currently in my car, driving through Lexington Avenue.


    ¡°No! Not today. Not on her birthday. I need to find her.¡± I kept on driving.


    ¡°And then what?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I haven¡¯t really thought about it.¡±


    ¡°This is absurd! I¡¯m not going to help you make a fool out of yourself.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t help me, I¡¯ll handle this myself.¡±


    ¡°That will only end up being a disaster. Just don¡¯t do it.¡± He said.


    I ignored him and scanned the street, trying to find her. She should probably be in one of the shops on this street, my men had informed me she was doing some shopping with her friends.


    They¡¯ve been tracking her movements the whole day. Apparently, she even went to church this morning.


    ¡°I found her. She¡¯s right there.¡± Mason said.


    ¡°Where?¡± I snapped my head towards the direction he pointed at.


    Indeed she was there, at the outdoor seating of a coffee shop. With two of her friends.


    My eyes focused on her as I watched them drinking coffee and rxing. She looked absolutely stunning. I took a deep breath at the beautiful sight and Mason looked at me.


    ¡°So what are you going to do now that you¡¯ve found her?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ yet. I wish I could get her alone so we could talk.¡±


    ¡°About what? When you have nothing to say to her?¡± Mason sneered.


    ¡°I do have something to say!¡± I snapped. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask her toe back and work for me again.¡±


    ¡°Why won¡¯t you leave the poor girl alone Adam. Look at yourself, you don¡¯t look so well! It¡¯s obvious that you were in a fresh fight.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you do me a favour and shut the hell up! I¡¯m sick and tired of all your advice. Look!¡±


    Sophia and her friends stood up and were leaving. I drove and followed them up until they branched into a store.


    ¡°I¡¯m going in.¡± I parked the car next to the sidewalk. ¡°Make sure I don¡¯t get a ticket.¡± I told Mason.


    ¡°And make sure you don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡±


    I gave him the finger before I go out of the car. I took a few moments to prepare myself mentally before I went into the store.


    ****


    Sophia Parker


    ¡°Don¡¯t you just love shopping?¡± Lily asked me. We were in Bloomingdale¡¯s and she and Lily were browsing for new lingerie.


    ¡°No I don¡¯t. I don¡¯t like shopping in general. You both forced me to be here right now.¡± Iined.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that Sophia, shopping is a calming activity.¡± Phoebe said.


    ¡°How can you be calm about spending money?¡±


    They both scoffed at me and continued browsing the racks. I rolled my eyes because this was not what I wanted to do but since they forced me to go shopping with them, I might as well treat myself¡­This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    I checked the full cup bras because those are my favourite type. There was a really cute ck one but unfortunately, they didn¡¯t have a D cup so I went for another.


    I had a strange feeling that I was being watched by someone but I abandoned the idea. There were many people in the store and it would be crazy to think I was being watched.


    After searching, I found one that I absolutely loved but it was a C cup! I decided to get it anyway because I couldn¡¯t find the size D. I didn¡¯t want to give this one up because it had matching cords!


    I can wear a C cup¡­ It would just be a little tight, like everything is about to spill out. And I don¡¯t like that.


    I didn¡¯t see those two girls anywhere so I went to the counter to pay for my thing.


    I honestly thought to myself¡­ why am I buying a $60 bra which was not even my proper size? It was so unnecessary.


    I turned back and dropped the purplecey bra and panties right where I had got them from. This is a department store! There are so many other things that I could get instead.


    I found Lily and Phoebe at a corner and went over to meet them. They had drifted off to another ce and they were looking at shoes instead.


    ¡°Where were you Sophia? I wanted to ask you what you think of these.¡± Lily showed me some knee high boots.


    ¡°They look just fine.¡± I said, disengaged. I just wanted to get to the electric cinema already. Shopping wasn¡¯t really my thing.


    ¡°I also picked out this really nice top for work from¡­¡± Lily was saying but she ebbed and her face discoloured.


    ¡°From where? What were you saying?¡± She didn¡¯t respond and I looked at Phoebe who had the same expression. They were both staring at something or someone behind me.


    I was about to turn and see for myself when I heard the voice I knew all too well from behind.


    ¡°Hellodies.¡±


    Not him!


    He sounded very rxed while I was rattled like a mule. I didn¡¯t expect to find him here of all ces! I didn¡¯t dare look back!


    ¡°How are you Phoebe?¡± He asked with his usual preeminence, as if we were at work.


    ¡°I¡¯m good sir¡­ Thank you.¡±


    Thank you?? I¡¯m sure she was nervous as hell!


    ¡°Lily¡­ I suppose. Nice to meet you again.¡±


    Lily smiled madly at him and nodded her head.


    ¡°Pleasure to meet you too.¡±


    There was a short pause of awkward silence. They both looked at me expectantly but I couldn¡¯t do anything! I was frozen to the spot! I could also feel his eyes burning through the back of my head. He wanted me to turn around.


    ¡°Sophia, I¡¯m going to try this top on in the changing room okay?¡± Lily said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back as well. I just need to use the restroom¡­¡± Phoebe also made an excuse.


    I winced at them and gave them ¡®the looks¡¯. I didn¡¯t want them to leave me here all alone with him but they just turned their backs and left!


    Awesome!


    What a beautiful pair of friends. I closed my eyes and waited for him to say something. One of us will eventually have to talk to each other¡­


    ¡°Sophia.¡± He called my name gently.


    I didn¡¯t want to look at him but I didn¡¯t have a choice. Especially after he pleaded.

 Chapter 46

    ¡°Please, Sophia¡­ Look at me.¡±


    Something like a ma pulled me towards him and I turned around and faced him. Immediately I gasped, shocked at what I saw!


    His face looked battered! But even with all that, he still looked good in a white T-shirt and jeans with his perfect hair. I almost felt bad for him but he was the one who picked a fight with Sean in the first ce. I remembered how Sean suffered in painst night because of him! All sense of pity I had for him flew out the window.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I crossed my arms angrily.


    He looked around him as if he just noticed where he really was.


    ¡°Errr¡­ shopping?¡± It sounded more like a question than an answer. It¡¯s so obvious that he¡¯s lying.


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked incredulously. ¡°And what could you be shopping for in the women¡¯s section?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ a handbag.¡± He swallowed.


    ¡°Hmmm, so you and I just happen to be shopping at the exact same store on a Sunday afternoon. That¡¯s a little bizarre don¡¯t you think?¡± He didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°So who is she?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± His face scrunched up in confusion.


    ¡°Thedy you¡¯re getting a handbag. It¡¯s not for yourself, is it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, um¡­ my grandmother.¡±


    Oh cut the crap! It¡¯s very clear that you were following me!


    I wanted to snap at him but I decided to y along with his little lies. Let¡¯s see how far they¡¯ll take him.


    ¡°Ok. That¡¯s very thoughtful of you. Do you need my help picking out something nice for her?¡± I smiled.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be fantastic.¡± He smiled back.


    I took him round to see some handbags. They were all expensive and look like they cost a fortune! But they were also very beautiful. There was a pretty pink one that totally caught my eye. Too bad I¡¯ll never have it.


    ¡°Personally, which do you like best?¡± He asked me.


    ¡°I like that one but this is not about me, it about your ¡®grandma¡¯¡­ something like this would be more appropriate for her.¡± I pointed at a smaller bag suitable for older people. I checked the tag and saw $745! My eyes almost popped out!!


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she would like the same thing as you Sophia. Il¡¯d take the pink one.¡±


    If that bag cost $745, I can¡¯t imagine what the pink one would cost. I picked it up and looked at its tag¡­ $950!


    ¡°I think it¡¯s perfect for her!¡± I grinned. He wasn¡¯t really going to blow a thousand dors on a handbag for his supposed ¡®grandma¡¯ so he should just cut the crap now.


    I handed him the bag and he checked the price too however, he didn¡¯t seem to bothered about it.


    ¡°Where do I pay?¡±


    ¡°Really? Are you sure you still want to-¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sophia. You said it was perfect right? And you like it.¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t think you were really going to get it!¡±


    ¡°And why not?¡±


    ¡°Never mind.¡± I scoffed. It¡¯s his money, he can do whatever he wants with it. We went to the till and the attendant scanned and packaged the bag.


    I was still waiting for him to stop and tell me that he only came into this store because of me and he never wanted to buy this in the first ce. But when I saw him bring out his card from his wallet I knew he wasn¡¯t going to.


    ¡°Stop! Mr Wilson, what are you doing?!¡± I yelped.


    ¡°Paying for the bag-¡±


    ¡°Oh please! That¡¯s not why you¡¯re here and we both know it! You don¡¯t need to prove anything to me by wasting your money. You¡¯re not here to buy anything because you¡¯re following me!¡±


    He stared at me like a deer caught in headlights.


    Before I knew it he swiped his card on the machine and finalized his purchase.


    ¡°Thank you sir.¡± The attendant smiled, happy that she managed to sell.


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy you know that right?¡± I told him.


    ¡°Not everything is about you Sophia.¡± He took the bag from her.


    ¡°Oh yeah? Well, now that you¡¯ve gotten what you needed you can leave. I¡¯m d I helped you.¡± I turned to walk away but he grabbed my by my arm and pulled me back.


    ¡°Okay! Okay! I was following you! And I wasn¡¯t shopping for my grandmother either.¡± He sighed.


    I smiled, happy that he finally admitted it.


    ¡°So you just spent a thousand dors out of joblessness? Why are you following me? Are you bored or something?¡± This man is insane.


    ¡°This bag is yours Sophia.¡± He said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say it¡¯s a birthday present from me to you. Happy Birthday.¡± He handed it to me.


    Happiness filled me up and all I wanted was to take it from him but I couldn¡¯t. Let¡¯s not forget that he¡¯s a total jerk.


    ¡°Thank you for the gesture but I¡¯m sorry Mr Wilson, I cannot ept any gifts from you.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to! I also don¡¯t appreciate you following me, I felt like someone was watching me. That was you wasn¡¯t it? What do you want from me? Why are you bothering me now that I¡¯ve quit?¡±


    ¡°Sophia I don¡¯t mean to bother you, I just wanted to see you today.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s your birthday.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡±


    ¡°Sophia I have always bought you presents on your birthday. Why are you rejecting this time?¡±


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t work for you anymore and I want nothing to do with you. Please excuse me.¡± I turned and left.


    I walked away and thankfully, he didn¡¯t follow me. I found Lily and Phoebe somewhere. They had already finished so we all left to the electric cinema.


    During the whole movie I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Mr Wilson. How he manages to annoy me and captivate me at the same time. He looked so handsome today apart from those red cuts on his face. I¡¯ll be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t d about our encounter today. I was so happy he remembered that it was my birthday. The feeling also annoyed me so much! I wasn¡¯t angry at him but at myself, how I liked being noticed by him. But he irritates me. I honestly can¡¯t stand him! Today in church, I even prayed for these feelings I have for him to finally go away and nevere back and that¡¯s what needs to happen. I need to be free of him!


    ¡°Sophia, what are you thinking about?¡± Phoebe brought me back to where we were.


    ¡°Nothing I¡¯m watching the movie.¡±


    ¡°No you¡¯re not.¡± Sheughed. Iughed too. ¡°Don¡¯t let him get to you okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I smiled. I knew she was referring to Mr Wilson.


    ***


    Lily and I took a taxi home after dropping Phoebe off at hers. When I got to my door I wasn¡¯t expecting a huge package waiting for me.


    I asked Alfred who the package was from, he was an old man, more or less like the valet of the building but he had no idea who had left it.


    ¡°What if it¡¯s a bomb?¡± Lily said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly! Who would leave a bomb at the front of my door?¡± I looked at her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ your ex-boss?¡±


    I ignored herpletely and opened the door to my apartment. I brought the box inside, it wasn¡¯t heavy at all.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s from my mum. She probably posted it and instructed for it to be delivered today.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that makes more sense. Open it let¡¯s see what¡¯s inside!¡± Lily said a little bit too excited.


    I rolled my eyes at her and opened to box. I was filled with fury when I saw what was inside!


    ¡°Wow! That¡¯s a really pretty bag Sophia! Who¡¯s it from?¡±


    ¡°That hooligan! I told him I didn¡¯t want it! Ugh! Why does he have to be such a brute!¡± I screamed.


    ¡°Is it your ex-boss?¡±


    ¡°Who else?!¡±


    ¡°Why are you so upset? I would kill to have this! Look here there¡¯s a note in the box as well.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to read it. Why is he bothering me now? Before, he never wanted anything to do with me.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s realized his mistake. And Sophia, trust me. You really need to read this note. It¡¯s important.¡± She said after reading it herself.


    I took the stupid note and read it.


    Happy Birthday Love,


    Please don¡¯t be furious when you see this, just ept my present as you always have.


    Concerning your resignation, you did not give an appropriate notice. Your contract requires a notice period of at least two weeks. If you don¡¯t show up at work tomorrow then you will be in breach and my employmentwyers would be entitled to sue your for damages. As much as I wouldn¡¯t like that to happen, please show up. I would like to see your pretty face again tomorrow.


    Adam.


    ¡°Oh my gosh! I had totally forgotten about my notice period! That means I still have to go to work for another two weeks!¡± I cried.


    ¡°Are you kidding? How could you forget that? And I don¡¯t even think two weeks is an appropriate notice period. You¡¯ve been working with your boss for a pretty long time. You have to give him a month at the very least, it¡¯s not going to be easy for him to find a recement.¡±


    ¡°What can I do Lily? You know all the legal stuff. I don¡¯t want him to sue me and I also don¡¯t want to go back to work for him. Not even for a day!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you have to. You can¡¯t just leave apany just like that Sophia. There are processes.¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡± I slumped on the couch.


    That imbecile wasn¡¯t nning on letting me go!


    Not anytime soon.

 Chapter 47

    Adam Wilson


    Mason forcefully took me for a medical check up because of my fight with Sean and to his surprise, everything was just fine. The only problem was I was out of shape. Too much unhealthy food had made me gain some extra pounds and I needed to get rid of it.


    This morning I hit the gym before going to work. I need to get my body back and start looking good again¡­ for Sophia.


    I am 100% confident that she would show up today, knowing the implications of not doing so, she had to.


    I¡¯m pretty sure she hates me for doing this to her but that was the only way to make her stay, at least for a little longer.


    Her notice period is going to be 3 months. I have already discussed this with Paul, the head of Human Resources. I told him to do everything he can to keep her working in the office for longer than usual. I also told him to dy processing any documents regarding her resignation like her rmendation, severance pay and holiday entitlements.


    She can¡¯t leave without those.


    Time is running out! I have three months to make Sophia mine before she leaves! And this time, I¡¯m not giving up for anything! Today I am going to drill her, no time for beating around the bush anymore.


    I got to the office reallyte, around 3 pm. Not the best way to start the week. I used the elevator to go up to my floor and when the doors opened, I saw Sophia sitting on top of the receptionist¡¯s table talking to Alice.


    The moment they saw me, they both stopped.


    ¡°Good afternoon sir.¡± Alice said while Sophia carefully got down from the table.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    Part of me grumbled because she looked sexy sitting there with her little white dress exposing her beautifully crossed legs. Thank god Alice was here. If not, I would have grabbed her.


    ¡°Come to my office immediately.¡± I said to Sophia before walking past her. I caught a whiff of her lush scent as I did.


    This woman¡­


    I got to my desk and she came in moments after.


    ¡°Yes?¡± She said a bit rudely but I ignored it.


    ¡°What were you doing out there?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Nothing. I was just talking to Alice because there was nothing else to do.¡±


    ¡°Well I am here now and there¡¯s a lot of work to be done. Also, you were sitting on Alice¡¯s desk. That is very improper.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I wouldn¡¯t do it again.¡±


    ¡°Of course you can. It was only improper because it wasn¡¯t MY desk. I¡¯d love to have you sitting here right in front of me¡­ just like you did a few months ago.¡± I smirked as I tapped my desk, indicating the position sat.


    Her cheeks instantly turned red as she remembered the day I was referring to.


    Good.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you recall because I¡¯d be more than happy to have a repeat of that session. You¡¯re wee to use my desk anytime. This time, I¡¯m healthy and virile and the things I would do to you-¡±


    ¡°Stop!!!¡± She screamed. ¡°I would not subject myself to this sort of treatment from you!¡±


    It seems like my words really had an impact. They always do.


    ¡°What treatment? I¡¯m simply narrating what will happen if you evere on to me like you had before. You remember don¡¯t you?¡± I couldn¡¯t stop smiling as I watched her, trembling with need. She may sound tough but we both know she couldn¡¯t put up a fight. Not for long.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to remember any of that! You know why? Because it will NEVER happen again!¡± She said.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Iughed. ¡°Let me tell you something Sophia, it will happen. Not just once, but over and over. Remember I promised you that someday, we will make love and I am a man of my word. That day is very close now. Maybe before your notice periods ends we would have made love countlessly.¡± I said to her.


    ¡°That¡¯s the whole point of the notice period, isn¡¯t it? You want me to stay so you can have your wicked way with me before sending me away!?¡±


    ¡°I would never send you away my love. You¡¯re the one leaving at your own will and I don¡¯t want you to go. Maybe after we make love a few times, you¡¯ll change your mind and want to stay with me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re disgusting.¡± She spat. ¡°I would never want to stay with a crazy man like you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not crazy Sophia. But I am crazy about you. If you could just stop fighting and give us a chance, I swear you wouldn¡¯t regret it. I promise you that I would treat you like a woman should be treated. Please let me be your man Sophia. I would take care of you in every way. Especially when we make love¡­ I just know we would be explosive together.¡±


    She looked at me and I could see the fire in her eyes. She wanted me but she was holding back.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I can¡¯t.¡± She looked down.


    ¡°And why not Sophia?¡± I stood up from my chair this time. ¡°Tell me what¡¯s holding you back? What¡¯s making you hate me so much? When deep down, you really love me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re toote.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I gave you my love once but you rejected me and disappeared from my life. You hurt me and now I¡¯m with someone else.¡± She wiped away some tears that had begun to fall.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how terribly sorry I am for leaving. But I¡¯m back now and we can pick up from where we left off.¡± I sounded desperate. I also hated to see her cry because of my doings.

 Chapter 48

    ¡°No! We can¡¯t just pick up from where we left off! I¡¯m with someone else now, don¡¯t you get it?!¡±


    ¡°Is it Sean Edmund?! That impostor?!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not an impostor! He¡¯s a nice guy unlike you! You¡¯re a terrible person because you beat him up and destroyed his house!¡±


    Destroyed his house? Please! The damage wasn¡¯t even worth $500. She should quit exaggerating. He deserved the beating he got.


    ¡°He also beat me up too! We were friends and he stole my girl!¡±


    ¡°I was never your girl Adam! And I will never be.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll see about that. You and I are made for each other. Ever since I tasted your lips, I haven¡¯t had any other. And I won¡¯t stop till I taste everything else. Even after I do, I would taste you all over again.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± She screamed.


    I made my way hastily towards her. I was going to grab her and show her how serious I was but before I could reach her, she ran out of my office.


    She knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to resist so she escaped.


    I called Paul on my inte.


    ¡°Inform Miss Parker of her notice period. Now.¡±


    I dropped the call.


    Not up to 10 minutester Sophia came bursting through my door.


    ¡°Seriously?! Three months?! How much sex do you n to get from me?!¡± She looked really angry.


    ¡°Even if I have sex with you every day for the next three months, I still won¡¯t be satisfied. I want you to bepletely mine.¡± for the rest of my life.


    ¡°You selfish bastard. I hate you and I wish I never met you!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that Sophia. I am the best thing that could ever happen to you, and you know it. You¡¯re the same for me.¡±


    ¡°Go to hell!¡± She stormed off this time, mming my door.


    I only smiled because I know soon she will be mine eventually and when the timees, I know I will be the happiest man in the world!


    ***


    -3 dayster-


    Sophia Parker


    ¡°Hey mum.¡± I picked up her call.


    ¡°Hi honey, how are you?¡± My mum said happily.


    ¡°Just great. How is dad?¡±This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    ¡°He¡¯s perfectly fine. I¡¯m so happy he¡¯s back home now. We¡¯ve been following the food ROTA and he absolutely hates it!¡± Sheughed.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Iughed too but it was forced.


    ¡°Sophia, you don¡¯t sound happy. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ I quit my job.¡±


    ¡°What? Why? Sophia, why would you quit such a wonderful job?¡± She shrieked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not so wonderful mum. My boss is hell-bent on sleeping with me.¡±


    ¡°What? Doesn¡¯t he know that you¡¯re a virgin?!¡±


    ¡°No he doesn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this! He seemed like such a gentleman when we met. I never imagined him to be the type to proposition his female employees. How long has this been going on for?¡±


    ¡°Longer than you can imagine¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy you¡¯ve quit honey. That man is up to no good. I knew he liked you and was interested in you but I expected him to court you the right way.¡±


    She¡¯s right. If he was a gentleman he would have courted me properly, just like Sean is doing.


    My inte rang.


    ¡°Mum, I have to go. I¡¯m at work right now.¡±


    ¡°Okay honey. We¡¯ll talkter. Bye now.¡±


    I dropped the call and picked up my inte.


    ¡°Proceed to my office now.¡± The swine said before ending the call abruptly.


    I don¡¯t think I can spend another 3 months here if he¡¯s going to behave like this all the time.


    I went into his office and saw him looking intently at hisputer.


    ¡°Grab a chair ande sit here by my side. I need your help with something.¡± He said.


    ¡°With what?¡± I folded my arms. I¡¯m sure it was something that he could do by himself without my help.


    ¡°Grab a chair,e sit, and you¡¯ll find out.¡±


    Ugh!


    I did as he told me to, taking one of his coffee chairs and cing it at a reasonable length away from him before sitting down.


    He looked at me for a while and I looked back too with wide eyes.


    He suddenly grabbed the chair and pulled it swiftly to him, almost knocking me off but I fell on him instead.


    ¡°Whoa¡± I shrieked.


    ¡°Much better.¡± He said. Our bodies were practically jumbled up. He felt so solid. I moved away from him but the position of the chair did not let me get too far. ¡°I need help with allocating capital to thepany¡¯s priorities.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just give the work to me and let me handle it? You always do.¡± His face was really close.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be better and faster if we BOTH work on it.¡± He smiled down at me.


    We worked closely together, every now and then his thighs brushed mine. At a point, he put his arm around me because we were so close to each other. His hand caressed my arm gently and I shouldn¡¯t be letting him do this to me¡­ but I did. I didn¡¯t stop him anytime he deliberately touched me and pretended it was an ident or how his hand moved up and down my arm as if he was oblivious to what he was doing. I tried not to but¡­ I liked it. Being next to him felt so nice. Once I shivered and he looked at me, I had gotten goosebumps.


    ¡°Are you cold?¡± He asked.


    ¡°A little.¡± I nodded. Not because of the weather, but because of what he was doing to me.


    He brought his jacket and put it around me.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±


    I loved the smell of his jacket. It was just like him, very masculine.


    I looked up at him and oddly, I felt very¡­ soft. I was the opposite of him in every way. I was feminine and tender while he was a hunk and very strong. I imagined him holding me with those firm hands, protecting me, also pleasing me¡­ like he had done before.


    ¡°Sophia-¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I didn¡¯t know that I had closed my eyes and started daydreaming.


    ¡°Are you feeling sleepy?¡±


    ¡°Oh no! Not at all! I just uhm¡­ I- I-¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue shall we?¡± He smirked. He probably thought I was lying but I wasn¡¯t. If only he knew what I was thinking about. He wouldn¡¯t hesitate to put it into practice right here and now.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    We continued to work and when we eventually finished, it was past 5 pm. He offered to take me home but I rejected.


    ¡°I just want to take you home Sophia, I wouldn¡¯t do anything else. I promise.¡± He pleaded.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going home, I¡¯m going to Sean¡¯s.¡± I told him and his face immediately turned red with jealousy.


    ¡°TO DO WHAT?¡± He barked. I even flinched a little.


    ¡°None of your business. Thank you for the jacket.¡± I gave it back to him.


    He took it with anger. It was like someone just spoiled his mood. I didn¡¯t like the way he switched up and let jealousy consume him in such a way. A real man wouldn¡¯t behave so irrational.


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± I said before leaving his office . He didn¡¯t even say it too, he was too busy drowning in resentment.


    I went over to Sean¡¯s with a taxi and rung the bell.


    He opened the door and we kissed.


    This was a real man.

 Chapter 49

    Adam Wilson


    ¡°Flowers, choctes, teddy bears¡­ there¡¯s nothing that I haven¡¯t given her! Yet she still doesn¡¯t approve of me.¡±


    ¡°Why do you need her approval?¡± The shrink asked. I wonder how he is a shrink if he does nothing else but asks stupid questions.


    ¡°Because she is the woman I love!!! Wouldn¡¯t you want the approval of someone you love?!¡± I snapped angrily at him.


    The only reason why I was here in the first ce was because of Mason. He ensured that I seek therapy because of my smoking and rtionship problems with Sophia but I¡¯m not sure this is working.


    ¡°Calm down Adam, I can see you¡¯re frustrated because of Sophia¡¯s rejection and yourck of nicotine for the past few hours.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t ask foolish questions.¡±


    ¡°I asked for a reason. Just take a deep breath and try to answer the question, why do you seek the approval of Sophia?¡±


    Ugh! I would have beat up this guy right on the spot. But I¡¯m trying to change¡­ for Sophia.


    ¡°Because it hurts that she doesn¡¯t like me and wants nothing to do with me. It hurts to see her with another man. What I want is for her to like ME and be with ME. I want her love, not her hatred.¡±


    He was jotting down god knows what as I was talking. I hope this session is useful because this is the first and thest.


    ¡°Do you know why she rejects you?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Sophia was causing me so much trouble and pain that I decided to get away from her. Thatsted for a short while before I came flying back to her just like an stic band.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, the stic band theory. Go on.¡±


    ¡°She was heartbroken because just before I left, she had wanted me. But I rejected her. I got back in time just to catch her resigning from thepany. I had topromise a reason to make her stay and that¡¯s what¡¯s happening. However, each passing day she avoids me at all cost. Even after all the gifts, she never reduced her hostility towards me. And worst of all, she has a man in her life. And this man and I are good friends. I feel totally betrayed.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like she doesn¡¯t love you anymore.¡±


    ¡°No. That¡¯s what she tries to believe.¡± Iughed. ¡°But we both know that she¡¯s wrong. Somewhere in that little heart of hers, she still feels strongly for me. From time, she has always tried to hide her emotions. That¡¯s because she doesn¡¯t approve of me. If she does, I¡¯m sure she would have given herself totally to me because she loves me deeply.¡± I said with confidence. ¡°I¡¯m madly and deeply in love with her. And I¡¯m never giving up on her like before.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not about flowers or choctes. Maybe she wants something more.¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Oh no. I don¡¯t think so. If I touch her she won¡¯t be happy. Although she may respond¡­ I don¡¯t want to take advantage of her.¡±


    ¡°No Adam. That¡¯s not what I meant. You need to show her that you¡¯re a man and you¡¯re willing to go the extra mile for her. After all that you¡¯ve told me, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s terrified that you only just want to sleep with her. Show her that you care for her too.¡±


    ¡°But I do want to sleep with her though.¡± I whined.


    ¡°Let her know that you have other intentions. On that note, this session hase to an end.¡±


    Thank god. I need a smoke break.


    ¡°Congrattions. We would meet same time next week and then you would tell me about any developments with Sophia.¡±


    I doubt I¡¯ll be here.


    ¡°For the meantime, I¡¯d like to hand you this trifold brochure. Read it, it will help to quit smoking and stay cigarette free for good.¡±


    I doubt that too.


    ¡°Thank you for your time.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for listening.¡±


    We shook hands and then I left without a second nce.


    ***


    Sophia Parker


    ¡°Mark me Sophia. Someday you will belong to me¡­ And when you be mine, I will make love to you.¡±


    ¡°I will make sweet and passionate love to you. I will set your whole body on fire in a way that you¡¯ve never experienced before, make you feel things you¡¯ve never felt before, make you scream in a voice you¡¯ve never heard before. Someday, you will be in my arms and I will pleasure every inch of you. And you¡¯re going to enjoy every single second of our lovemaking¡­ I swear to you.¡±


    The words rang clearly in my ear like it was yesterday. It was like I had memorized them.


    They affected me in so many ways¡­ more than I wasfortable with. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if someday, they would actually be true. If he would keep his word like he said and do all the things he said he would do to me. I¡¯d be lying if I said I didn¡¯t want him to, even if I know it isn¡¯t the right thing to do.


    It¡¯s a miracle how I¡¯ve been able to avoid him when all he seems to talk about and try to do is have sex with me. All his stupid and expensive gifts are just ways to try and make me consent but I won¡¯t. Not like that.


    He doesn¡¯t even have a chance with me anymore because I¡¯m with Sean now¡­ but things between us don¡¯t seem to be moving at all.


    Sean is very hesitant in our rtionship, like he¡¯s not very interested in it. He always ends our kisses abruptly and tries not to get personal. It¡¯s been a while, but I have been in a rtionship before and things were very different. I would say he¡¯s more caring than loving. He doesn¡¯t seem like a boyfriend¡­ just a really good friend.

 Chapter 50

    Not to mention, he never really asked me to be his girl. I¡¯ve been the one proiming it and I don¡¯t know how he would react once he¡¯s found out what I¡¯ve done.


    My inte on my desk rang.


    It had to be Sean because Mr Wilson wasn¡¯t in the office right now. He said he had an appointment with someone whom he refused to tell me. In his diary, I wrote ¡®Appointment with anonymous.¡¯


    ¡°Hey.¡± I said when I picked up the phone. I didn¡¯t need to be formal because I knew it was him.


    ¡°What are you doing right now?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Uh, just preparing for tomorrow¡¯s presentation. Why?¡± I asked slyly. Maybe he had something in mind for both of us to do together after work. It¡¯s been so long since we went out.


    ¡°I needed your help with some extra work on my desk, nothing too serious.¡±


    Oh. Guess I was wrong.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see youter at 5 then.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked again. Hope springing back. Maybe he did want us to go out¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll drive you home tonight like I always do.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Nope.


    ¡°Bye.¡±


    Just like I said. Things were going nowhere.


    I turned my attention back to my slides on theputer. We have some business prospectsing in tomorrow and Mr Wilson insisted that Iy out our business rundown for them. Usually he does that, like that time in Michigan but now he wants me to do it.


    Lately, he has been giving me more roles and tasks to do. I¡¯m starting to think it has something to do with my resignation. I don¡¯t know why he¡¯s pounding me with more work.


    What has me really fazed is his constant benefaction. I haven¡¯t gone down to eat lunch for weeks because Mr Wilson always had it delivered right up to both of us, which is something he never did before. And every morning it¡¯s either a box of choctes, or flowers, or a really cute keepsake, or even a teddy bear! One time he got me a teddy bear!


    I couldn¡¯t lie, I loved these little souvenirs from him but his motive behind them is what I don¡¯t like. I¡¯m not going to sleep with him because he buys me little gifts all the time. No matter how cute it is, it¡¯s not changing my mind.


    I sighed and continued working.


    When it was 5pm, I packed my things. Mr Wilson had still not returned from his anonymous appointment so I take it that he¡¯s noting back. Not by this time.


    Sean took me home. I offered for him toe in but he refused saying that he had somewhere he needed to be.


    I invited Lily instead because I honestly didn¡¯t feel like being alone.


    When I opened the door for her, she smiled at me.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Hi. That¡¯s a pretty ne.¡± She said to me as she walked in.


    Subconsciously, my hand slipped to my chest where my beautiful ney. I looked down at it and saw my name carved in a gorgeous font, dazzling with diamonds.


    It was the first time that I wore this piece ever since Mr Wilson got it for me a few months back. I had kept it treasured away but I decided to wear it today.


    ¡°You should wear it more often. Where did you get it?¡±


    ¡°Uh, he got it for me. I don¡¯t know where, but it was back home in Virginia.¡± I closed the door.


    ¡°You mean you¡¯ve had this ever since then?!¡± She knew who ¡®he¡¯ was without me mentioning it.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Gosh Sophia! That man spoils you! Every day he buys you stuff like you¡¯re his girlfriend or something. I have to admit that I¡¯m jealous. I wish I had that much attention from a man.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but his attention isced with bad intentions.¡±


    ¡°What bad intentions are you talking about? Is it bad for a man to love?¡±


    ¡°Can we please not talk about him? I¡¯m with Sean now. He¡¯s the one I love.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t keep lying to yourself Sophia. Don¡¯t make me say ¡®I told you so¡¯.¡±


    At least I¡¯m trying but he¡¯s just not giving me the opportunity. He¡¯s always keeping me at a distance. Even as he dropped me off today, he didn¡¯t look back before he just drove off. I think his heart is not in it¡­ or maybe it has something to do with Mr Wilson.


    Had he told Sean to back off?


    ¡°So we¡¯re baking cookies today.¡± Lily changed the subject. ¡°You could take them to work tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll set them up at the meeting in case anyone wants some.¡±


    ¡°Good idea.¡±


    ***


    Hours Later as Iy in bed, I picked up my phone and decided to text Sean. I hope it wasn¡¯t toote. I was only 11pm.


    Hey


    I waited for about 10 minutes before his response came.


    Hey, you okay?


    I decided to be very honest.


    No.


    I saw the three dots start bouncing, indicating he was typing a response.


    Why what¡¯s wrong?


    What are we Sean? You¡¯ve be very distant from me and I was just wondering why. I hope it has nothing to do with Mr Wilson.


    I waited for longer before his reply came.


    You shouldn¡¯t worry about stuff like thiste at night. And no, Adam has nothing to do with this. I¡¯ve been busytely that¡¯s all.


    I don¡¯t believe him but it took him for his word.


    Okay, can we go out sometime?


    I can¡¯t believe I just asked that.


    Depends.


    On what?


    My schedule.


    Oh really?


    Okay then.


    I¡¯d let you know Sophia. Till then, goodnight.


    I didn¡¯t even bother replying. I just tossed my phone aside. This is beyond him. He never had excuses, I don¡¯t know why he has them now. Somehow he had managed to always fit me into his schedule before.


    I groaned in my pillow.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    I need to secure myself a new job as soon as possible.


    Because soon enough, my time here will be up.

 Chapter 51

    Adam Wilson


    Today¡¯s workout was intense.


    It was chest day and I could feel my ripped muscles.


    Apart from the smoking habit I picked up in Michigan, everything else with my body is fine. I have been eating well and trying to get as much sleep as I can. The shrink suggested at least 5 hours of sleep at night which has not been working out so well.


    But I¡¯m a working progress.


    When I arrived at work, it was already 1pm. I¡¯mte but I made it just in time to prepare for the meeting today at 2pm. I had also bought a box of white choctes on my way for Sophia, her favorite.


    She is presenting and I can¡¯t wait to watch her. This is the first time she¡¯ll do so and I could tell that she¡¯s nervous about it. I remember the look of terror on her face when I told her to do it. She had begged mercilessly but I had none of it. If she was going to leave in a few months I had to make good use of her to her maximum potential. I¡¯m sure she can do this.


    I got to my office and rang Sophia immediately but she didn¡¯t answer. Maybe she wasn¡¯t at her desk.


    I went into her office to confirm that she wasn¡¯t. She was probably already in the conference room so I ced the choctes on her desk. She would know they¡¯re from me.


    I gathered some supplementary documents that I may need during the course of the meeting and I looked up our prospect¡¯s business.


    AIRTEX, the air navigation manager in Arizona, certified for the provision of en route, approach and aerodrome control services.


    They could definitely be of good use to us and us to them.


    I looked up some more about thepany before my inte suddenly rang, startling me a bit.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Sir, the conference room is full and everyone is waiting for you.¡± Alice said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡± I said before I hung up.


    I didn¡¯t know how the time had passed so quickly. I grabbed the documents and went to the room. It was down a few levels on the 7th floor.


    I walked in to see everyone already settled down and Sean sitting directly beside Sophia holding hands with her. My nose red but he was probably doing that because she was nervous.


    Our prospects looked headstrong and I started to wonder if Sophia could handle this.


    ¡°Wee everyone.¡± I began. ¡°For surveince purposes, this meeting will be recorded. We are here to propose a business negotiate between Wilson & Co and AIRTEX. My assistant, Miss Parker will confer.¡± I sat down and handed over to her.


    The moment she stood up, I saw for the first time what she was wearing!


    What the-


    ¡°Wee everyone. I¡¯m Sophia Parker and this is the team; Mr Wilson the CEO of thepany, Sean Edmund the head of the ounting and finance, Scott Johnson from telmunications, Paul Lewis from the HR, Phoebe Woodley from Marketing and Craig Houston from security maintenance.¡±


    Did she even look in the mirror before she stepped out this morning???


    I couldn¡¯t pay any attention to anything she said. My eyes were glued to her outfit. Her legs were on full disy thanks to that extremely short and tight light blue skirt she wore.


    My blood went hot and I was crazed with desire. Desire for Sophia.


    How could she wear such? Could she really be oblivious to the fact that it was 100% provocative? She turned around and I saw here backside.


    Whoa!


    My head was in the gutter. Deep inside.


    Before I knew it, my brain started imagining things. What was beneath that red skirt? I would pay a huge sum just to watch her bend down and sh her und-


    What the fuck! No!


    I looked down at my painfully hard member and cursed. Thankfully, I was shielded under the conference table. This was all because of Sophia!


    My pent up frustration which I had been controlling for months now finally tipped over. I don¡¯t care who she¡¯s with or how she feels, today I will have her. I¡¯ve given her enough time and stayed away but she hasn¡¯t given me the response I want. Today, I will get that response.


    Watching Sophia sashay in that skirt was pure torture but I endured it all through till the end of the meeting. When it was finally over I wanted to approach her immediately but I had to discuss with the AIRTEX clients first.


    The guy was telling me how he was impressed with our work and how he would like to do business with us. I didn¡¯t care at this moment but I tried to be polite and watch Sophia at the same time with my side eye.


    She was talking to Sean of course! That prick!


    Jealousy surged through me as I saw them hug and when he kissed her on her head. She was leaving the conference room.


    I brought out my phone in pretense.


    ¡°Sorry, I have to take this call but it was nice speaking to you. Schedule another meeting with Alice, my receptionist, for tomorrow by 10am. We can discuss further then.¡± I dismissed the bum who was stalling me and went after Sophia.


    She was walking down the aisle, oblivious to me following right behind her. I watched in awe as her hips moved from side to side. That sted skirt entuated her every movement. I was probably drooling like a dog.


    Where was she going?


    She made a sharp left, walking into what¡­


    Thedies room? Shit! I couldn¡¯t go in there!


    But then¡­


    I own this building. Therefore, I can go in anywhere I want. Without thinking, I opened the door to thedies room and walked in abruptly.


    Sophia was there applying something on her lips. She gasped when she caught sight of me through the mirror.


    ¡°What are you doing in here?!¡± She turned around. There was a look of horror on her face. ¡°You can¡¯t be in here!¡±


    I ignored her and closed the door quietly behind us. I checked each stall to see if there was anyone else inside.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± She asked confused.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± She asked confused.


    ¡°Checking if we¡¯re alone.¡± And we were.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Why are-¡±


    ¡°Enough questions!¡± I made my way to her and backed her up against the basin counter. Her breath caught as she looked up at me. I looked down at her small frame and had to resist the urge to scoop her up into my arms.


    ¡°Mr Wilson!¡±


    ¡°Call me Adam.¡± I said to her.


    ¡°I can¡¯t, and I shouldn¡¯t! Please get away from me!¡± She tried to push me to the side but she was not strong enough.


    ¡°No. What is this? What do you think you are wearing?¡± I sounded like an overprotective father.


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business what I wear!¡± She argued but I held her two arms. They felt so soft.


    ¡°What you wear is damn right my business! And that skirt of yours has been driving me nuts since I set my eyes on it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not my problem!¡±


    ¡°No it¡¯s not, but you caused a problem for me¡­ and now you¡¯re going to solve it.¡±


    ¡°Wha- Mmmmh!¡± I invaded her mouth before she could ask any more questions.


    She fought and struggled with her hands but I pinned them both behind her on the sink counter. I kissed and explored the lips that I¡¯ve been dying to taste for months. Oh, how I¡¯ve missed this!


    I wasn¡¯t gentle at first. I invade her mouth, my tongue stabbing deep with precision. I only eased into it when I noticed she started responding and gave a soft moan.


    Yes! She was kissing back!


    Her reflex denials melted away and I released her. She wrapped her arms around my neck while I brought my hands to her skirt and slid them underneath. Her soft, warm flesh was all I could feel and I found myself moaning. I inched the skirt up higher until I saw the underwear that I¡¯d dreamt about all through the meeting. It was silk and had very little material.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± I swore as I watched myself mould her ass through the mirror. She moaned in my ear and buried her face in my shoulder. ¡°Beautiful Sophia. Just beautiful.¡±


    I lifted her from her waist and brought her up to sit on the basin counter top.


    ¡°Adam¡­¡± She cried.


    My dick went rock hard from hearing her little voice call my name like that.


    As she sat, I spread her legs apart and settled in between her. We were lost in a dark, lustrous world of tasting and touching. My mouth left hers only to trail hot kisses along her jaw and down her throat.


    My hand held her knee and started to travel upwards, very slowly. With the other, I brought Sophia¡¯s head up to look into her eyes. Her expression was raw but underneath that, I could tell she was trembling. She knew where I was getting as my hand climbed higher until its heat was wrapped around her inner thigh. She stopped breathing in earnest.


    My fingers spread wide to epass as much as I could touch of her raw skin. I studied her, looking for some form of approval.


    ¡°Please Adam¡­¡± She begged as my hand hovered and tantalized at the tender ce between her legs, on the edge of her silk panties. She wanted this, just as much as I did.


    With no further ado, I was there. Fingers pushing aside the barrier of her panties to slide into hot slickness where she ached the most. Her eyes opened in shock as she gripped my shoulders. She squirmed as my fingers began to move, finding her secret spot and pressing it¡­ flicking it.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± She sang out in pleasure.


    I myself couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. I needed to have her, right now.


    ¡°Come my love, let¡¯s go to the penthouse upstairs.¡±


    That was the closest ce where we could both address this me of desire so profound and deep between us, but she wasn¡¯t having it. She gently shook her head indicating it wasn¡¯t a good idea.


    ¡°Please Sophia.¡± I begged. We both needed this. It felt so right and so necessary. Too right to question.


    ¡°Adam I don¡¯t- ouhhh!¡± I stroked her deep showing her what she was about to turn down. Her hips arched forward and her head fell back. I had to hold her in ce so she wouldn¡¯t fall.


    ¡°Please Sophia, just say yes.¡± I kissed her lips and our tongues connected feverishly.


    ¡°Yes.¡± She breathed in between kisses.


    That was the only confirmation I needed. Now, it¡¯s safe to say that we are both two consenting adults about this.


    She didn¡¯t look stable enough to walk so I wrapped her legs around me, prepared to carry her all the way upstairs to the penthouse. My mind was racing as I anticipated the things that were about to ur between us. This was definitely going to be the best sex of my life due to the long wait.


    Before I could lift her up I heard the door open and someone walked in.


    Shit! I forgot to lock the door!

 Chapter 52

    I looked through the mirror and dly saw that it was only Phoebe Woodley, the marketing manager and also one of Sophia¡¯s friends. Her expression was obviously that of shock but I know I won¡¯t have a problem with her. I¡¯m sure Sophia will keep her under control and get her to not say anything. I don¡¯t want to ruin her reputation at the office.


    ¡°Phoebe!¡± Sophia jumped when she noticed her presence. She had already caught us in apromising position so there was no point trying to hide it.


    ¡°Oh my gosh, I¡¯m so sorry. I- I- Just- I¡¯ll just leave.¡±


    ¡°No, Phoebe wait!¡± Sophia tried calling out to her but she rushed out.


    ¡°Oh no! Phoebe!¡± She was going to run after her but I held her back.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright love, don¡¯t worry about Phoebe. Let¡¯s just go to the penthouse now okay?¡± I pulled her into my arms again.


    ¡°No!¡± She screamed.


    Huh?


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®no¡¯? We¡¯re going to the penthouse now!¡± There was no way I was letting anything ruin this opportunity. She had already said yes.


    I tried to drag her as gently as I could but she fought and pulled her arms out of my grasp.


    ¡°No! I¡¯m not going to the penthouse!¡± She insisted.


    I stared at her in confusion. One minute she was literally begging and ready for me. What could Phoebe¡¯s remote appearance do to change that? Is she embarrassed that we got caught? Because I¡¯m not.


    It¡¯s Phoebe anyway, they¡¯re good friends and I¡¯m sure they share their usual female gossips and secrets. This shouldn¡¯t be a surprise to her.


    ¡°Okay, okay. Although the penthouse is morefortable, I could lock the doors this time and we could do it right here.¡± I improvised.


    I took hold of her once more and leaned in for one of those sensual kisses but before I could get far, a sharp pain shot across my face.


    ¡°How dare you say that?! I said NO! Get away from me!¡± She pped me and pushed me away for good this time.


    ¡°Fcc-¡± I hissed. The pain on my face intensifying by the second.


    She ran out of the restroom, leaving mepletely stunned.


    What in the world?!


    History was repeating itself in a different way. I was stunned and I left with unsatiated desire.


    Never have I felt more serious on one thing: carnal satisfaction, with Sophia Parker. I burned from head to toe with it. It irked me that I had been so close to taking her upstairs but that Phoebe nuisance came to ruin the show. If she wasn¡¯t a friend of Sophia then I would definitely have her fired right now.


    I was so frustrated with the whole situation, I just wanted to punch something! I looked at my reflection through the ss in front of me and it took a huge amount of physical and mental energy not to break it with my fist.


    I left the restroom instead but I wasn¡¯t going to go after Sophia. I¡¯ve learned my lesson but this time I won¡¯t give up like other times. I will continue to fight and do anything possible to have her. Right now I would give her some space. Tomorrow I will deal with her.


    ***


    Sophia Parker


    ¡°Phoebe, please wait! I need to talk to you!¡± I called after her. ¡°What you saw was-¡±


    ¡°A mistake?¡± She finished for me.


    ¡°No, that not what I wanted to say. It wasn¡¯t what it looked like. He mauled me, I swear!¡±


    ¡°And why do you have to justify that to me?¡± She stopped walking away and stood to face me, crossing her arms in confrontation.


    ¡°Because¡­ I- You-¡± I couldn¡¯t find the right words. My head was still recovering from the daze I was in just a few moments ago.


    ¡°Sophia, you should know better than to y with two men¡¯s heart at the same time. Especially when one does not deserve it.¡± She referred to Sean.


    ¡°I¡¯m not ying with anyone¡¯s heart, I promise. What happened there was a mistake. I didn¡¯t mean to, he just came at me.¡± I tried to make her understand but she wouldn¡¯t. She probably didn¡¯t like me at this very moment.


    I know she still has feelings for Sean and seeing me with him one minute and with Mr Wilson in the next obviously made her unhappy.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about what I saw Sophia! You know I very much wee the idea of you and Mr Wilson together. My only problem is that you¡¯re using Sean and he doesn¡¯t deserve it! Ild rather you just keep him out of this! You can¡¯t keep denying yourself from your true feelings and forcing yourself on Sean! That is pathetic.¡± She spat.


    My eyes welled up with tears. She was right. I know I have feelings for Sean, but what I feel for Adam is way stronger. The way he had touched me and how I instantly responded was good evidence of that.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never known you to be a hypocrite Sophia, so stop acting like one. I¡¯m only telling you this as a friend, not because I still have feelings for Sean. Watching you with him is bare torture.¡±


    She said everything in a way that made me feel terrible. I felt like apletely mean person.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± I cried convulsively. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that was how you felt. But please, promise me one thing. That you wouldn¡¯t tell him or anyone about this.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t say a word. But for the mean time, please keep your distance. I¡¯m kind of upset with you.¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    She walked away from me.


    I wouldn¡¯t me her for being upset. I thought I was done with Mr Wilson and I could move on safely with Sean, but I¡¯m not. His touch had taken me to another ce and I cringed inwardly as I remembered how I begged for it.


    Annoyed with myself for not being able to resist him, I went to my office. I noticed some choctes on my desk. This wasn¡¯t the first time he bought this type for me and I had to admit that they were very nice. But right now I tossed them into the bin. I don¡¯t want anything from him! Tears were still gushing out as I grabbed my things and called a taxi. I was going home.


    I felt so irritated with what I did and I didn¡¯t want to see anyone by any chance today. I just needed to leave.


    ***


    The first thing I did was take a hot bath, washing away any imprint of Mr Wilson from my body. My belly flipped over and I ruthlessly quashed the memory of what happened in thedies room. I still couldn¡¯t believe it had happened¡­


    I never knew I could be so weak and let my guard down so easily for him.


    I wish there was a way to speed up my resignation process. How am I going to face Sean after this. Wasn¡¯t this ssified as cheating?


    My phone rang after I got dressed from my bath. It was Sean.


    With shaky hands, I picked it up.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± I breathed.


    ¡°Hey Sophia. How are you?¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°You sure you okay? Because I heard you left work immediately after you left the conference room. Is everything alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just not feeling well.¡± I lied.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t seem sick at all today. Do you want me toe over?¡±


    ¡°Oh no! Please don¡¯t! I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°What if I tell you I¡¯m on my way? I¡¯m point five miles away already.¡±


    Crap!


    I couldn¡¯t tell him to turn back now could I?


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be waiting.¡±


    ¡°See you soon.¡± He said and ended the call.


    He¡¯sing over. Why did I get so nervous all of a sudden? Surely he doesn¡¯t know anything yet but he needs to and I have to be the one to tell him, not someone else. But how do I do that?


    In less than 15 minutes there was a knock on the door. I had already changed into something suitable and arranged a bit.


    I opened the door and saw him smiling on the other side. Guilt arrested me and I felt like a horrible person.


    ¡°Hey.¡± He smirked.


    ¡°I have something to tell you!¡± I blurted out randomly.


    Way to go!


    He looked at me and raised any eyebrow.


    ¡°Well, at least can Ie in first?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I dragged him in and closed the door. He looked worried.


    ¡°Is it an urgent matter?¡± He questioned.


    ¡°Well¡­ something happened today and I have to tell you. I feel terribly guilty and I¡¯m so sorry in advance but Mr Wilson kissed me today. I didn¡¯t mean to, I tried to stop him I swear! But he didn¡¯t listen.¡± I said in a rush.


    The expression on his face did not change at all, he seemed as though it was a normal thing to him.


    ¡°Why do you feel guilty about that?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that cheating?¡±


    Heughed. I don¡¯t understand why he wasn¡¯t angry or upset.


    ¡°Cheating on who Sophia? We¡¯re not dating so it¡¯s not. You shouldn¡¯t feel guilty.¡±


    ¡°But what about what we had?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re a lost cause Sophia. I always knew your feelings for Adam never went away. I see it in your eyes anytime he¡¯s near. Even when he wasn¡¯t around, I could tell that you missed him very much. I know you¡¯re trying to forget about him but it¡¯s no use.¡±


    ¡°I- I- don¡¯t want to feel this way Sean, honestly. I want to be free from him. He¡¯s no good for me. You¡¯re a much better person for me.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I already have my guard up. I was falling for you at first but I realized that you can never feel for me the same way as Adam.¡±


    ¡°No! Stop saying that! I can! If you just let me, I would!¡±


    Why does everyone keep saying the same thing??? Why does everyone think I can never feel for any other person than Mr Wilson??? That wasn¡¯t true!


    ¡°Shhh, it¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t cry Sophia.¡± I didn¡¯t even know when the tears started falling. He pulled me into his arms and hugged me.


    ¡°He did it forcefully. I didn¡¯t want to.¡± I cried in his chest.


    ¡°Are you telling me that at any point, you didn¡¯t give in? And that you resisted him throughout?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t answer that because the truth was humiliating. And I didn¡¯t want to lie to Sean.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t me him for what he did today.¡± He said.


    I pulled back stunned at what he said. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°I saw him, throughout the meeting today his eyes were on you. Not once did he stop looking at your legs. Remember I told you earlier that the length of your skirt was aggravating? Perhaps that was what left him disturbed and forced him to do what he did.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try and defend him. You¡¯re ming my skirt for this just like he did.¡± I scowled at him. I remember Mr Wilson calling me out for it and saying it was the cause of his problems.


    ¡°I¡¯m not defending him. I¡¯m a guy and if I were in his position, I most likely would have done the same thing.¡±

 Chapter 53

    ¡°I¡¯m not defending him. I¡¯m a guy and if I were in his position, I most likely would have done the same thing.¡±


    I gasped. ¡°I thought you were better than him.¡± I said disappointedly.


    ¡°No Sophia, I¡¯m not better than anyone. If I had the right to kiss a beautiful woman like you, I wouldn¡¯t think twice about it. The same goes for our clients today because I saw them looking too. Only Adam has a reason to do so and he simply did it.¡±


    ¡°And what reason is that?¡± I asked, already annoyed at what he would say. The same thing everyone else says.


    ¡°You know the reason Sophia, I wouldn¡¯t say it so you wouldn¡¯t scream at me again.¡± He grinned.


    I punched him on his arm and we bothughed. I can¡¯t believe that he just said that.


    ¡°Well, no matter what you or everyone else says, I¡¯m not subjecting myself to a jerk. He only wants to have sex with me and he can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny that, but I¡¯m sure he wants more than that. I¡¯ve known him since college. He has never fought this hard for a girl only to have sex with her.¡±


    But he¡¯ll still want to. And I know I would let him. Heck, I almost gave him my virginity today if not for Phoebe! I mentally thanked her for showing up.


    ¡°I just can¡¯t. I need to forget about him.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I wouldn¡¯t push you.¡± He winked at me.


    ________


    Sophia Parker


    I knocked firmly on the huge brown doors leading to ¡®his¡¯ office.


    ¡°I can do this.¡± I whispered to myself as I took deep breaths.


    Yes, I am ashamed of what happened yesterday but I wouldn¡¯t let it affect me OR repeat itself in any way today. I¡¯m just going to pretend like it didn¡¯t happen. And if he tries to do anything, I¡¯ll run out!


    After no response, I decided to just walk in.


    I opened the door with one hand, his coffee and dairy in my other hand. I didn¡¯t even bother to look at him or say hello but I knew he was there. My body waspletely aware of his presence.


    I carefully walked to the edge of hisrge brown desk, maintaining as much distance as possible, then I ced the cup as close to him as I could¡­ which was still very far from him.


    ¡°Alice informed me that you scheduled a meeting with someone from AIRTEX today at 10am. It¡¯s currently 9:45. Apart from that, your diary is empty. Is there anything you would like me to do for you today?¡±


    After reading from his diary, I closed the book and looked at anything else but him, trying not to give away any emotions. But deep down I was trembling! I had just pped this man yesterday! I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s angry with me or what he is going to do to me today.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He said with that deep and masculine voice he had and my body warmed up from head to toe.


    I hope whatever he wants me to do is in good faith.


    ¡°I want you to look at ME Sophia. Stop avoiding my eyes.¡± He said in amanding voice, which annoyed me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not avoiding anything!¡± I said harshly.


    ¡°Then look at me.¡± He challenged.


    I looked at him, and suddenly my anger disappeared. His eyes were glittering and they told me everything. The glint they had revealed sadness, and even though he was trying to hide it, his face showed it all. The dark, colourless eyes that mourned his despair stared right at me, like I was the reason for his pain, for his suffering.


    I¡¯ve never felt so guilty of hurting someone so badly like this¡­


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to be my girlfriend Sophia?¡± He asked quietly.


    What?!


    My eyes flew wide open. I waspletely shocked by his question! When did he ever asked me to be his girlfriend?! I didn¡¯t get the memo!


    I couldn¡¯t tell if he was joking because the look he held was so genuine. He couldn¡¯t be seriously asking me that, could he?


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you approve of me?¡± He continued. ¡°Sometimes, you look at me like I¡¯m a repulsive creature and it hurts. Could it be my looks¡­ or my attitude¡­ or my remarks? Or anything else? Please just tell me. I¡¯m willing to change so that you can like me.¡±


    Wow! I couldn¡¯t believe my ears.


    ¡°What does Sean have that I don¡¯t? I mean¡­ he¡¯s a good guy but I¡¯m not too bad myself, right? I¡¯m sorry about that fight I had with him. I promise you that¡¯s not the real me. Sean and I are really good friends, I was just so jealous of him. Seeing you with him makes me so mad. I sometimes wish I could be him, just to know what its like to have your attention. Even if it¡¯s just for a day. ¡±


    Oh my god. What is he saying?


    ¡°I really want to know what your love feels like. So please Sophia, tell me all I need to do to earn it and I promise I will do them all. I know that arrogance is not the way to get you and I¡¯m sorry for every single time I¡¯ve been arrogant towards you¡­ Tell me what your ideal man is and-¡±


    ¡°Okay STOP! Please, Mr Wilson just stop talking!¡± I couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Do you realise what you¡¯ve just said?!¡±


    I¡¯m astonished at the fact that he just disclosed all of that to me, but I found it more disturbing. He sounded like he was wounded and needed some sort of healing. That was something I never expected him to ever say, considering that he¡¯s always so tough. Right now, he sounds like a wimp.


    ¡°Yes Sophia, everything I said is how I truly feel and I¡¯m ready topromise myself so you can love me. You can start by telling me what attracts you to the opposite sex. What are your likes and dislikes in a man?¡±


    ¡°Enough! Please, I¡¯ve had enough of this. I do not wish to discuss that with you so just forget about itpletely.¡± I waved him off.


    Has this man gonepletely insane?! Where has his masculine ego gone to?


    I picked up some scattered files I noticed on his desk and decided to arrange them into their shelves.


    I walked across the room, towards the shelves. He stood up and pursued me.


    ¡°Mr Wilson, please go back to your table.¡± I warned him without turning around. I could feel him standing behind me and I hated it.


    ¡°Why do you do this to me?¡± Heined.


    ¡°Do what?!¡± I faced him. ¡°All I did was give you coffee and update you about your meeting. What else have I done?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being hostile towards me now Sophia but I swear¡­ If I touch you like yesterday-¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T! Don¡¯t you dare bring that up!¡± I gave him a deadly look. He was not going to do that words thing that he usually does. Not this time.


    ¡°So are we just going to pretend like it never happened?¡±


    ¡°Yes! At least I am.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I can¡¯t keep working here anymore.¡± I dropped the files with a loud thud. ¡°I am notfortable with what happened yesterday and I¡¯m scared that you¡¯ll vite me again like you did. That was uneptable! You mauled me and I didn¡¯t have any other choice. Thank god Phoebe walked in.¡±


    If she hadn¡¯t, then we would have been telling a different story from now.


    ¡°Is that how you really feel¡­ like I vited you?¡± He asked seriously.


    ¡°Yes. And because of that, I quit for the second time! You don¡¯t know how embarrassed I was. I thought I could put everything behind me ande to work today without you hounding me but I guess not. This time, I¡¯m leaving and I don¡¯t care about my notice period. You can take me to court for all I care, but I can¡¯t stand another second with you and your unprofessional attitude towards me!¡± I had to catch my breath when I was done ranting.


    He looked at me wordlessly. The look on his face was worse than before, I may have just broken his heart. Although that sounded silly.


    ¡°Is that what you really want Sophia?¡±This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    ¡°Yes.¡± I said without really thinking about it. I tried not to notice the unhappiness and disappointment written all over his face. He simply nodded.


    ¡°Okay.¡± He said strongly but with ace of regret. ¡°I¡¯ll get all your resignation documents ready as soon as possible. Then you can finally be free of me. I¡¯m sorry if I was ever a bother to you, and I¡¯m sorry about yesterday. I thought we were on the same page but I guess not. It was never my intention to embarrass or vite you.¡±


    He turned and finally left me alone. I went back to arranging files on the shelf, thinking about what the hell I just said.


    I heard him call Paul through his inte and tell him to process my documents and finalize them today. He had deliberately kept them on hold and used the notice period to keep me here longer, but now it seemed like he was ready to let me go.


    Yes, I wanted to leave but I¡¯m not sure if I never wanted to see him again. My words were harsher than I expected them to be and all of a sudden I feel very remorseful.


    I finished with the files and walked out just as his 10am client from AIRTEX walked in. I went to my office and sat down on my chair. I looked around, suddenly realizing that this may be thest time this ce belonged to me. Working here was a huge part of my life and I don¡¯t know what it would be like without it. I am really going to miss this.


    My phone buzzed and I smiled when I saw the caller ID was my mum.


    ¡°Hey mum.¡± I answered.


    ¡°Great.¡± I lied.


    ¡°How are you darling?¡±


    ¡°How are things going with your job? You said you will be leaving soon but its been over a month now.¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, things just got finalized today.¡±


    ¡°Great! Because as you know, a while ago your father was discharged from the hospital and he¡¯s at home now. He got worried when I told him about the situation with your job and he wants to see you. He¡¯ll be more than happy if youe home.¡±


    That sounded like a good idea. A good way to get away from all that¡¯s been happening and just clear my head. Whenever I go back home to Virginia, I always find it rxing.


    ¡°Oh mum, I would love to. I could seriously use a break right now.¡±


    ¡°A break from what? Is anything stressing you out?¡±


    If only she knew!


    ¡°A bit, but its okay. Don¡¯t worry so much. I¡¯d love toe tomorrow if that¡¯s possible but I don¡¯t know when my documents are going to be processed. I¡¯ll keep you in touch with what¡¯s happening.¡±

 Chapter 54

    ¡°Sophia.¡± She said with a serious tone. ¡°Is your boss still harassing you?¡±


    ¡°No! No! Not at all, he got the memo already. He¡¯s letting me go.¡± I said. Which was true because he had apologized for his cruel act yesterday and assured me that I would get my documents.


    ¡°Good. I can¡¯t wait to see you my love.¡±


    ¡°Me too. I¡¯m at work now mum so I¡¯ll call youter.¡±


    ¡°I love you darling.¡±


    ¡°Love you too.¡± I said before I hung up.


    I wish I get these papers today so I can leave New York tomorrow. Even the idea of moving back to Virginia was appealing to me but that would be the most cowardly thing I could ever do. I never run away from my issues and if I stay and find another job here in the city, it¡¯s likely that I would run into Mr Wilson again. I¡¯ll just have to deal with it.


    *Hourster*


    ¡°Yes!¡± I breathed. That was thest of it.


    I didn¡¯t know I had so much stuff here in this office. I hadpletely made it my own! Iughed at myself.


    I had two small boxes of personal belongings after packing all my stuff. Normal people just have their stationary.


    There was a knock on my door. Since I was already standing, I went to open it to find Paul.


    ¡°Oh, hey Paul.¡± I greeted him.


    ¡°You alright Sophia?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I just finished packing my stuff.¡± I showed him my empty office.


    ¡°Sweet. Well, these are your documents. You¡¯ll need to review and sign them.¡± He held them out to me and I took them like he was handing me a golden treasure. ¡°I¡¯ve had them ready since day one but you know Adam, he wanted you here for longer and instructed me not to give them to you.¡±


    ¡°Really?! That¡¯s awful of him.¡± I said and heughed.


    ¡°Look. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on between you two, but it¡¯s not hard to put two and two together.¡± He said.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked cautiously. Please let it not be what I think it means.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that Adam has never been skeptical about letting someone go. You¡¯re different.¡± Here we go again. ¡°Whatever happens, just make sure that you don¡¯t regret your decision.¡±


    ¡°I understand perfectly what you¡¯re implying Paul. But I NEED to leave. And nothing is going to change my mind.¡± I smiled at him.


    He nodded his head respectfully and didn¡¯t bring it up again.


    ¡°All you have to do now is get Adam to sign those documents. That wouldn¡¯t be a problem since he prompted me to hand them to you today.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. If he hasn¡¯t left yet then I could ask him to do so now.¡± I was anxious as hell to get them signed. It was as if I was bargaining for my freedom, and who doesn¡¯t want to be free?!


    ¡°No, Adam left the office early this morning after his meeting with a client from AIRTEX.¡± Paul said.


    ¡°Oh.¡± I hadn¡¯t known that. Probably because my blinds were closed and I made no effort to see him or bring him coffee.


    ¡°And it¡¯s Friday today, so you¡¯ll have to wait till Monday. Till then, you¡¯re stillmitted to the office.¡±


    No!


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Goodluck with everything you have ahead of you.¡± He said and hugged me. This may be thest time we see each other.


    ¡°You too Paul.¡± I said and he left.


    Once I closed the door I opened the envelope to take a look inside of it. It was quite heavy and had lots of papers. I wasn¡¯t going to read all of that so I just signed it. About 7 different ces required my signature.


    Once I was done with that, I decided to leave. It was already 4pm anyway. Picking up my two boxes and handbag, I made my way out of the office. I said goodbye to many people on the way, except Phoebe.


    She was still mad at me and obviously, she wasn¡¯t in support of my resignation. She made that clear to me this afternoon when she didn¡¯t have lunch with me. I didn¡¯t even have the guts to ask her but I saw her at our usual Chinese outlet with someone else. I was forced to eat somewhere else all by myself.


    After saying goodbye to everyone, I got a cab that took me home. The first thing I did was to book a flight to Virginia the next morning. I needed a vacation as soon as possible.


    I got arge suitcase and began to pack my clothes, mostly dresses. I will be gone for at least a month so I need enough, unlike thest time where I literally packed nothing and had to squeeze into my old clothes.


    It took me about an hour to finalize packing. After I booked the flight, I remembered Paul saying that I am stillmitted to the office unless Mr Wilson has signed the documents. If I leave for Virginia tomorrow, how will he sign the documents?


    Well, it¡¯s already toote because I¡¯ve booked my flight already. I should have thought of that before doing so.


    I decided to text Paul, just in case.


    Hey, can I get the documents signed by Mr Wilson as soon as possible? I¡¯m nning a trip and I can¡¯t wait till tomorrow.


    After that, I hit send. It didn¡¯t take up to 10 minutes before he replied.


    Not sure about that. Just got off the phone with him and he said he¡¯s on his way home.


    I can get him to sign them today, all I have to do is take it to him. But he has quite a few houses and I don¡¯t know which he¡¯s currently residing in.


    If he could sign them today, that would be great. Is he currently staying at his apartment?


    Yes. On 740 Park


    Thank you ??


    I had never been in that apartment before. But from the outside, it looked beautiful. Maybe the best out of all his residencies.


    Ok, so I need to get ready and meet him there before it getste. It was already 7pm, if I quickly had a shower and dressed up, I would be there around 8pm.


    I am nervous as this may be thest time I see him¡­ at least for a while.


    ***


    Adam Wilson


    ¡°Everything is over. Completely ruined.¡± I spoke to the shrink.


    ¡°I did exactly what you asked me to do! In fact, I humiliated myself for that!¡± I shouted at him before taking a deep breath and calming down.


    ¡°Rx Adam. What exactly did you do?¡±


    What did I do? I lost control. That¡¯s what I did. I was blinded by desire and the only thing I had wanted was to devour her. I went too far and she felt¡­ vited.


    ¡°I cannot tell you what I did to her, but I hurt her. I tried to amend things today but I couldn¡¯t. She was really embarrassed at what happened and she resigned again, for the second time. Maybe I should just leave her alone, even though that¡¯s not what I really want to do but I¡¯ve caused her enough pain.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve both caused each other enough pain. I¡¯m sure other factors must have lead to her resignation.¡±


    Yes, the fact that I had my hands in ces where they shouldn¡¯t have been. Fuck, she couldn¡¯t even look me in the eyes.


    No wonder why she doesn¡¯t approve of me. I¡¯m actually a piece of shit.


    Even when I tried to fix things, she looked at me like I was crazy. I am ready to change for her but she doesn¡¯t believe a word of it.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. She hates me and wants nothing to do with me so I¡¯ve decided to give her her wishes andy off. On Monday when I sign her severance check, she will officially resign from mypany.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve given up.¡± He said while taking down some notes. What the hell was he writing? ¡°How many packs of cigarettes have you smoked since ourst session?¡±


    ¡°Multiple.¡±


    ¡°Not good enough. I¡¯m afraid I have to put you on an Inhtor.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not happening. I¡¯ll stop. okay? Just give me time.¡±


    ¡°How much time do you need Adam?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Maybe when I finally get Sophia out of my system¡­ which is NEVER.


    ¡°Okay. How about we start by cutting down to 1 pack a week.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I smoke up to that yet. But with the way things are going, I could get there.¡±This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    ¡°Good. So it¡¯s agreed, 1 pack a week. Now, what are you going to do about Sophia? You said you¡¯re not going to give up on her. So why are you letting her go?¡±


    ¡°Honestly I don¡¯t know.¡± I sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t force her to be with me. She can¡¯t even stand me. And like I said, I made matters worse. I need toy off.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re convinced about her feelings towards you?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Then why would youy off? It¡¯s only going to end up being another stic band theory.¡±


    He¡¯s right. No matter what, I¡¯ll keep running back to her. I just know it.


    ¡°I have to give her her resignation at the very least, I don¡¯t want her to be miserable. But you¡¯re right, I shouldn¡¯t stop. I can still take a few more blows just for her.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. With all that said, this session is now over.¡±


    We both stood up and shook hands


    ¡°I¡¯ll try not to fuck things up some more before our next session.¡± I said and heughed. ¡°Hopefully, I don¡¯t do anything stupid and Ie back with some good results.¡±


    ¡°I hope so too.¡±


    I left the therapists¡¯ and drove home. I got a call from Paul Lewis with some update about our most recent liaison with AIRTEX.


    Today was very busy. After meeting with their representative, I was invited over to thepany itself to meet with the board of directors. Their main office was in Arizona but they have a branch here in New York. Our business deal was to provide them with 9 en route surveince systems, in airport proximities and on the ground at airfields in Arizona. This is very huge and I¡¯m d I got tond a deal like this.


    After that, I went for my weekly session of therapy and now, I¡¯m back home.


    I took the lift to my apartment. Once I got in, I poured myself a drink before I went to the balcony to rx and have a good view of the city. I took off my jacket and lit a cigarette.


    My thoughts were running wild. Lately, I¡¯ve been feeling lonely. I¡¯ve gone to bed alone for months now and distracted myself all day with work. I have other people to talk besides the shrink, like my family. But they were all far away. Retired and living the dream in Spain. I was left with all the inheritance and the business to take care of.


    But that was not the reason for my loneliness. It all boils down to one woman.

 Chapter 55

    Ever since she crawled under my skin, I physically have not been able to be in thepany of any other woman. She¡¯s the only one my mind and my body responds to now, like she cast a spell on me or something.


    My only problem is getting her. How do I get her to see me as not a douchebag, but someone she can love and trust??


    It seems impossible now but I would give anything just to have Sophia love me. Even if it¡¯s for one night, or a fleeting moment. At least, let me just know what it feels like to hold her in my arms again, without force, just love and nothing else.


    Ugh! I could actually go crazy right now.


    I fetched my phone from my pocket just to look at photos of us, ones she forced me to take with the wax figures at Madame Tussauds in London. I had been very reluctant to take the photos but she insisted. I¡¯m d she did because now I have wonderful memories of our time together. And she looked so beautiful in them. One by one as I scrolled, I saw her pretty face smiling orughing and my heart swole in admiration.


    Fuck! I¡¯m so in love.


    I¡¯ve never felt this way about someone before, which could only mean one thing¡­ Sophia is the love of my life. If I miss out on her then I¡¯ve lost a huge part of my life. I cannot let that happen.


    The door inte rang. It was most likely the reception calling but what for? I put out my cigarette and went to answer it.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I picked up the phone


    ¡°Good evening sir, there is someone here to see you.¡± The receptionist said.


    ¡°By this time??? I don¡¯t want to see anyone!¡± I barked.


    Who the fuck ising to my apartment at 9:00pm??? I heard her mumbling something to someone before she spoke again.


    ¡°Sir, it¡¯s your personal assistant. Miss Sophia Parker.¡±


    My whole body froze.


    She¡¯s here? Sophia¡¯s here?


    I waspletely taken aback at the fact that she was here. What could she want sote?


    ¡°Errr¡­ send her up. No security checks.¡±


    ¡°Ok sir.¡± I dropped the phone.


    My mind was racing right now. So many ideas as to why she was here were forming in my head. Was she here to ask for her job back? The thought made me happy. Or was she here to spend the night with me? That thought made me even happier. Although its most likely not the case.


    I quickly dashed into the restroom to brush my teeth and get rid of the smell of alcohol and cigarettes. Then I waited at the door for her.


    After taking a few breaths to cool down, I heard the doorbell ring.


    This is it.


    I opened the door


    _________


    Adam Wilson


    After taking a few breaths to cool down, I heard the doorbell ring.


    This is it.


    I opened the door


    ¡­ and there she stood.


    Looking effortlessly beautiful.


    Whatever dusky feelings I had before died out instantly because she seemed to light up my entire world easily.


    She looked up at me and I felt a st of warmth pour over me.


    I was so d that she was here. I don¡¯t know what it was, but there was a certain magic in her presence. All I wanted to do was be near her, hold her till the very end and never let her go.


    She was dressed very casually in an oversized knitwear, blue jeans, and boots. But still she looked amazing. Heck! Everything about her was amazing.


    ¡°Come in.¡± I finally said after my long mental appraisal of her.


    I moved to the side for her to walk in and when she did, I caught a whiff of her scent. It was probably her hair conditioner because she smelt like a delicious apple¡­


    Ripe, plump, and ready for plucking.


    ¡°What brings you here?¡± I said, getting my thoughts out of the gutter.


    She was definitely here for something seeing that she had an envelope in her hand. It must be something official.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to uh¡­ get my documents signed.¡± She said nervously as she fiddled with the envelope.


    I stared at her confusedly. The idiot that I am had thought she was here to apologize for everything, or her hasty decision to leave¡­ or maybe even ask for her job back.


    On the contrary, she just couldn¡¯t wait to leave and have me out of her life forever. Showing up at my house by 9pm on a Friday just to get her documents signed was enough desperation. She couldn¡¯t even wait till Monday! Or perhaps tomorrow?!


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t this wait at least until tomorrow?¡± I folded my arms and widened my stance in annoyance. This was just unbelievable.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡°No.¡± She looked down, her hair partially hiding her face.


    ¡°Are you really that eager to leave?¡±


    She didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°I guess silence speaks depths when words cannot.¡±


    That¡¯s when she looked up at me. Her eyes filled with an expression that I could not quite read but I¡¯m sure she wasn¡¯t regretting this. There was no point anymore. If this is what she really wanted then she¡¯ll have it.


    ¡°Come with me. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± I said and began to make my way to the study. She followed behind me.


    A thick awkward silence fell between us as we got to the study, I took a seat at my huge ck desk and she sat on the other side. She pushed the documents to me and I collected them.


    I skimmed through it, checking all the important information. I got out a stamp and a pen to put my signature in any ce where it was required. I took me about ten minutes before I finished going through the bulky document.


    I enclosed it and gave it back to her when I was done.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She said.


    We both stood up.


    ¡°So you¡¯re finally free of me. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what you¡¯ve always wanted. Well, there you have it.¡±


    ¡°Mr Wilson please. Don¡¯t talk like that.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± I challenged.


    ¡°Like you¡¯re some sort of monster that I¡¯ve been trying to run away from.¡± She said.


    ¡°But isn¡¯t that what I am to you?¡± I said slowly moving closer to her till I was in front of her. ¡°A monster who vited the woman he loves and deeply cares about?¡± I said with sarcasm.


    ¡°I- It¡¯s not like that.¡± She shook her head.


    ¡°Then what¡¯s it like? Tell me Sophia, because I¡¯m dying here!¡± I could almost scream in frustration.


    Each time I¡¯d put my signature down on that document, I got a heartache knowing that I was literally signing the love of my life away!


    ¡°I havemitments and I simply cannot wait till tomorrow. This has nothing to do with you.¡±


    ¡°I find that very hard to believe.¡± I stepped closer to her. She was looking up at me now.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a monster.¡±


    So why does she act otherwise?


    ¡°I¡¯m not?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She shook her head.


    ¡°Then prove it.¡± I slid my hand into her hair, my other hand making a trail across her soft white cheek with my fingers. ¡°Onest time before you leave, prove to me that I¡¯m not a monster¡­ and that somehow I could be worthy of your love.¡±


    ¡°But h- how?¡± She said with a shaky voice.


    ¡°Like this.¡± I said as I pulled her swiftly to my chest, crushing her body against mine.


    Almost instantly her hands flew to my biceps, her slender fingers holding onto them for support. She looked at me startled.


    I tilted her head to the side and kissed her, my tongue stabbing deep with precision. She responded right away, trying to match my fervour. It was a good sign. I only hoped that she would be fully open to the desire that we both felt right now.


    I continued to kiss her. The electricity coursing through from her was driving me crazy, but soon I got restless. I needed her. But first, I needed to calm her down and be really sweet with her so she doesn¡¯t change her mind midway. I could literally die if she gave me blue balls one more time.


    I walked her backwards to the edge of the desk, my sturdy frame towering over her. I broke the kiss and Sophia buried her head in the crook of my neck. Her breath had turned into pants. That was overwhelming but it was only just the starter.


    I cupped her cheek and lifted her face. She slowly lifted her eyes to look at me, her gaze soft and filled with passion. From the reaction her body offered me and from her expression right now, I knew she wanted this.


    I lifted her onto the desk and kissed her neck, making a wet trail towards the exposed skin of her shoulder.


    ¡°Adam¡­¡± My name was a soft moan as it left her mouth.


    I grabbed her chunky sweater from the bottom and pushed it up over her head. She raised her hands, helping me get it out of the way.


    For a moment I stopped to look at her, sitting on my desk, in a tiny pink bra, biting her lip nervously.


    ¡°You¡¯re exquisite.¡± I said as I eyed her full round breasts that I desperately longed to see again. ¡°Let me-¡±


    ¡°No!¡± She stopped my hand that was reaching for her. ¡°I think I¡¯ve proved enough.¡±


    Fuck. Not again!


    ¡°Sophiae on, please¡­¡± I begged.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry but I must go.¡± She stood up on her feet.


    No! There was no way I was letting her leave me like this. Even if I have to fall on my knees and beg her like a vagrant then so be it!


    ¡°Please Sophia!¡± I went down on my two knees in front of her and she gasped. I held onto her small waist possessively as I looked up at her. ¡°Please don¡¯t leave me like this, I beg you. Can¡¯t you see that I need you. Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m dying for you?¡±


    Her hand flew to her mouth. She didn¡¯t know what to say.


    I personally never imagined myself crawling on my knees for a woman. But for her, I will break any rules because she was totally worth it.


    ¡°Please my love, don¡¯t go! Just stay with me tonight and make my dreamse true¡­ just this once! Come on, give me a chance!¡± I held onto her behind, hugging her tightly as I continued to beg her. This woman will be the death of me.


    She ran a hand through my hair. I looked up and then she pulled me up to my feet.


    ¡°Sophia, I¡¯m in love with you and I just want to show you-¡±


    ¡°Shhh, it¡¯s okay.¡± She put a finger on my lip, silencing me. She tugged at the buttons on my shirt until she undid the whole front, then she slid it down my arms.


    I¡¯ll take that as a yes.


    I pulled the shirt from my arms and it fell on the floor, leaving me shirtless. She stared at my body in approval.


    ¡°Touch me Sophia.¡±

 Chapter 56

    Reluctantly, she ced her index finger on my chest, tracing the outline of my pecs down to my abs. Her touch was light as a feather but also electrifying. Her cheeks turned red as she did, I couldn¡¯t tell if she way shy, or embarrassed¡­


    ¡°Will you stay with me tonight?¡± I asked.


    She nodded.


    My heart leaped in my chest. That was all the permission I needed.


    With ruthless determination, I wrapped her arms around my neck for support before I ced mine behind her, lifting her up. Her legs locked at my waist and she held on tight to me as I scurried out of the study, straight into my master bedroom.


    I gently ced her on the foot of the massive king sized bed, kicking off my shoes gracelessly before I knelt down in front of her again, this time to remove her boots. One after the other I pulled down the zippers and took them off.


    She stood and unzipped her jeans. I pulled them down her slender legs to her ankles and she held on to my shoulders as she stepped out of them. I stood with her, drinking in her magnificent shape. There was no denying that she was absolutely beautiful¡­ with generous curves in all the right areas.


    ¡°You¡¯re beautiful.¡± I whispered to her as I pulled the straps of her bra down her shoulders.


    I reached behind to undo the sp and her breasts sprung free. My eyes darkened with lust as I gazed at them. I had a memory of them imprinted in my brain already, but it was d to see them again. They wererge and bouncy with perky rose peaks, made to be devoured. Only by me!


    I caressed her heavy mounds, grazing my hand over her erect nipple till she convulsed in my arms. I bent forward andvished them with my tongue. She arched her back and reached for me, wanting more.


    ¡°Adam, kiss me.¡± She said earnestly. Her demand heightening my already painful arousal ten times more.


    With a low growl, I grabbed her by the waist. My lips descending on hers once again, moving my tongue possessively over hers and she moaned. The sound vibrating through me¡­ all the way down to my shaft.


    I gently lowered her unto bed, sliding my body up the length of her. I covered her with my muscled frame and continued to kiss her deeply, loving the delicious feeling of her breast against my chest. The atmosphere was growing tenser with every second that passed.


    I released her reluctantly but just as she tried to reached for me I pressed her back into the pillows. She squealed in protest which made me chuckle.


    ¡°Hold on my love.¡±


    I ran my hand over her belly, down to thecy panties she still wore. I pulled it down over her mound, down her legs andpletely off. The garment was so sexy, I put it in my pocket.


    I sucked in a sharp breath as I saw how luscious she looked, lying on my bed naked. I couldn¡¯t believe it. This same view had hunted me in my dreams for months, but this time it was real. This was really happening. My heart beat wilding in my chest as I realized the current situation. I was finally about to make love to Sophia.


    I backed away to loosen my belt and shed the remaining clothes that hid the rest of my body. Soon I waspletely nude, with her. Before the heat of our passion swept me away, I reached into the night stand for some condoms that I had for no apparent reason. Thankfully, they were of good use now.


    I could see Sophia already trembling, waiting for me toe back to her. Hastily, I tore a packet open and rolled it on in a matter of seconds before joining her again.


    Now on top, our bodiespletely entwined with each other, I kissed Sophia with all my pent-up passion until she groaned against my mouth. Tonight was ours¡­ I was determined to give her everything I could.


    I positioned myself, moulding her into more intimate contact and she wrapped her legs around my hips. I slipped a hand between the heat of her legs and I was met with moistness.


    Wow! She was wet and ready.


    The moment was finally here. I looked into her beautiful eyes and kissed her briefly.


    ¡°I love you Sophia.¡± I said wholeheartedly. I lowered myself and pressed forward, slowly pushing past the slight resistance. She drew in a breath and closed her eyes.


    Fuck, she felt so good.


    The sensation speared me, transmitting wildly and out of control throughout my body. She was unbelievably tight around me¡­ so tight that it was almost too good to be true. Could she be a-


    Oh no!


    ¡°Oh god Sophia, Is this your first time?¡± I asked panicking. Her eyes were still shut and she looked like she may be in pain. Shit.


    I stilled, too shocked for words. It was her first time.


    ¡°Fuck, why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± A wave of guilt hit me.


    Everything all made sense now. She is a virgin, that¡¯s why she avoided this from happening for so long. Now I felt like aplete douchebag. What I did to her yesterday was indeed a vition¡­ even what I¡¯m doing to her right now!


    I love her so much but I don¡¯t think I am worthy enough to take her virginity¡­ at least not in this way. I began to pull away but she held me in ce, her legs locking tight around me.


    ¡°No¡­ Sophia I can¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°Adam, I want this.¡± She said with watery eyes.


    ¡°But you¡¯re-¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore now, does it?¡±


    She was right. I had already broken through. The deed was already done.


    ¡°Please¡­¡± She said.


    How could I resist?This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    ¡°Okay. I promise I¡¯ll be gentle but If it hurts at any point, please tell me my love.¡± I reassured her and she nodded.


    When I sensed she¡¯d rxed, more gently I slid into her moist heat again and filled her with my length. She released her breath in a soft sigh, my nerves tingling in response to her delectable tightness.


    Her nails dug into my shoulders and I kissed her in an attempt to calm her down.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay baby.¡± I coaxed her, kissing away the tear that had fallen from her eye. ¡°It may hurt now but soon, you¡¯ll be addicted.¡±


    I let her adjust to my length before I began to move again, rocking gently back and forth, waiting for her to get ustomed to me. It was like exquisite torture.


    I thrust slow and deep, rhythmically until I increased the pace. Sophia was gasping now, her little moans of pleasure spurred me on as I drove into her.


    ¡°Ohhh¡­ oh¡­ Adam¡­ Please¡­¡± She moaned between thrusts.


    I was going easy on her but she moved her hips along with mine. I grabbed her waist to halt her movements.


    ¡°Sophia, I promised I¡¯ll be gentle.¡± I cautioned but she shook her head.


    ¡°No¡­ I need more¡­ Please, Mr Wilson.¡± She said.


    With that, I couldn¡¯t think straight anymore. My only thoughts were plunging deep into the desire of taking her and I drove into her with intensity. She screamed as I increased my virile thrusting, submerging her totally. Her body shook as it took all I had to give. The pleasure rippled throughout mine and my shaft swelled inside her.


    ¡°Adam¡­¡± She whimpered.


    My breath grew tight in my throat at the sound of her. I knew she was c*mming.


    She clung to me as she exploded, her walls mping down on me while her orgasm hit her hard. She screamed my name as I surged into her one final time, then I was following her. I climaxed deep inside of her, my body jerked as I reached the peak of my passion. I expelled a rush of air from my lungs before I copsed on top of her.


    I rolled over quickly not wanting to crush her slender body, also pulling her with me and into my arms. Her head rested on my chest as we both recovered from what I would describe as a very powerful orgasm. Slowly our gasping reduced to normal breathing and we were back from our crescendo. I pulled the covers over our bodies and she cuddled up to me. Wey like that for a few moments.


    ¡°That was amazing.¡± I finally said, I kissing her hair and rubbing her shoulders.


    She kissed my chest in return.


    I kissed her again and she kissed me again.


    Soon we were battling for who will give thest kiss, attacking each other with kisses until we both tumbled over and ended up on the ground.


    Sophia wasughing unaware of how beautiful she sounded. My heart sunk as I watched her throw her head back. She was an angel.


    ¡°God I love you so much!¡± I finally gave her thest kiss. She giggled and buried her face in my neck, our naked bodies intertwined as we sat on the floor.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this moment is actually happening.¡± I said to her when she finally looked up at me. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she blushed and averted her eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t know how many times I¡¯ve dreamed of it¡­ having you in my arms just like this.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but wonder where our rtionship would go from here. Now that we¡¯ve been together, would she stop being hostile to me? Would she now ept to be my girlfriend? Or would things go back to the way they were before? Oh god I hope not because I wanted Sophia in my lifepletely. I don¡¯t know what that meant but I just hope she felt the same way.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°I feel good.¡± She said smiling.


    ¡°Good? That¡¯s all?¡± I mocked.


    ¡°What do you expect me to say?¡± She whined. Her hands covered her face in embarrassment.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about you love. I need to know if you¡¯re hurt or not.¡± I just took her virginity so it was a cause for concern. I heard that it could be a painful experience and sometimes, it might¡­ involve some¡­ blood.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay. I promise.¡± She said, her hand stroked my cheek reassuringly.


    Okay enough for round two? I wanted to ask but I heard her tummy growl.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± I just realized that I¡¯d skipped dinner for the shrink and I hadn¡¯t had anything yet. ¡°Let me make us something to eat real quick.¡±


    ¡°You cook?¡± She asked in disbelief.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be surprised.¡± I said and kissed her before standing up. ¡°Stay here, I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

 Chapter 57

    Truth was, I can¡¯t cook to save my life!


    ***


    Sophia Parker


    Iy on the massive bed grinning like an idiot while he prepared some food.


    I had never felt sheets asfortable and soft as the ones Iid on right now, plus they smell exactly like him. This was probably his bedroom where he slept every night, and I was currently in it! I don¡¯t know why but that made me so excited.


    I hadn¡¯t even had the time to look around the ce properly. Everything was white and ck, very simple and minimalistic. It was only the roof that had an exaggerated design at the corners. The whole ce was scanty,cking some furniture and decorations but it still looked expensive.


    I wrapped the sheets around me and stood up, wanting to see more of the ce. I found a huge walk-in closet where thousands of suits lined up in all ck. Wow! What was the point of having so many of the same thing?!


    I discovered where the bathroom was and did a quick routine. There was a grand shower and a luxurious jacuzzi in it. Everything about the ce was just fancy.


    I walked back into the room and spotted a huge shelf at the corner with many drawers. One by one I opened each from the bottom to the top. I felt like it was a bit too nosy of me but I could help myself. I wasn¡¯t particrly looking for anything either. I just wanted to see every detail of his room. Most of them were just files and important things anyway but there was something that caught my eye.


    It was a picture, of a group of people. I recognized one to be Mr Wilson himself, but he looked a lot younger. He stood between two elderly people which he resembled so much¡­ his parents. There was also a little girl on the side, he was holding her close to him. This was his family.


    I knew he definitely had one but I had never met them. What I didn¡¯t know was that he had a sister. I was shocked at the very least. Asides from work, how much did I actually know about this man? A man I had just slept with, whom I wasn¡¯t even in a rtionship with!


    Oh God!


    I tried to stay positive and not think about the implications of us sleeping together. Mr Wilson was no stranger. I just need to find out more about him. But how would I do that when I¡¯ve quit and I¡¯m leaving tomorrow? He doesn¡¯t even know that I¡¯m leaving and I don¡¯t know whether or not I should tell him.


    Sophia you idiot! You were just supposed toe here and get your documents signed, not sleep with him andplicate matters!


    I should have resisted his charms but how could I after he pleaded like that? It was the most persuasive thing ever. And a part of me had been wanting him terribly for so long that I couldn¡¯t just resist. Now the whole thing is a mess. Where would this whole thing go from here after I leave?


    I shook my head as I put the picture back in the drawer and closed it. I wouldn¡¯t worry about tomorrow and just enjoy myself for now. I had already given him my v-card so I might as well just go all-in and take all the pleasures he was willing to offer.


    Speaking of which, he was amazing. What we just did¡­ was probably one of the greatest pleasures I¡¯ve ever had in my lifetime. It was my first time of feeling that way and I was d that it was with him.


    It hurt just a bit at first, but just like he said, I was addicted¡­ already looking forward to an encore.


    The door opened and Mr Wilson walked in with arge white tray, filled with different kinds of¡­ FRUIT! I almostughed.


    ¡°I thought you said you could cook?¡± I tried to hold myself together, augh threatening to erupt.


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t. This was the best thing I could do.¡± He said defeatedly.


    I honestly didn¡¯t mind. It was cute enough that he made an effort. Anything was good right now.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I said. I walked to the bed and sat down. He sat next to me, cing the tray between us. ¡°This looks artsy.¡± He had tried to arrange them in a fancy way.


    The tray contained two bowls of different fruits cut up into little cubes. There were pineapples, watermelons, apples, strawberries and some banana slices.


    ¡°Let me feed you.¡± He said.


    ¡°No way!¡± I protested.


    ¡°Any why not? You¡¯ve fed me twice before.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s because you were not capable of doing so yourself. I can eat very much by myself thank you.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s my turn now.¡± He forked a pineapple and brought it to my lips. There was no other cutlery so it was either I ate from him or with my hands. ¡°Open up!¡±


    I red at him before I finally opened and allowed the little cube in my mouth.


    ¡°Do I get to feed you too?¡±


    ¡°You can do whatever you want with me my love.¡±


    We both fed the pieces to each other until it was finished and all gone.


    ¡°Come here.¡± He grabbed me by my waist after he set the tray down on the nightstand. Hey back on the bed with me on top of him. ¡°Kiss me.¡±


    I kissed him with everything I had. My hands rumpled his hair as I hungrily devoured him. He let out a painful grunt as his hands cupped my butt. I ground against him and I could feel him, the only thing separating us was the covers around me and the shorts he now wore.


    I peeled of the covers, wanting him to feel more of me. Now naked, I mounted him and kissed him till I had no air left in me. I¡¯ve never been so wanton before but now that I¡¯ve been with him, there was no more resistance.


    ¡°Oh god Sophia, give me a second.¡± He said roughly before he pulled away to sit at the side of the bed. I caressed his broad shoulders with my hands, rubbing them up and down his delicious body as he removed his shorts and put on protection.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    In a matter of seconds, he pulled me over him and I yelped in surprise as I wasn¡¯t expecting that. I was now straddling him as he sat on the bed, his crotch in contact with mine. The feeling making me unable to think straight. The only thing on my mind was him being inside of me as soon as possible.


    ¡°Hold on to me love.¡± He said and I put my arms around his neck.


    Slowly he lifted my hips up and brought me down on his-


    ¡°Ohhh god!¡± I cried out in sweet bliss.


    He was inside of me for only a split second before he withdrew and plunged into me again, this time with more strength and precision. He repeated this move and I could feel myself tearing up from the insane amount of ecstasy I was feeling.


    I rolled my hips to meet his and soon I got the hang of everything and started riding him.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ Adam¡­ Yes¡­¡± I moaned each time he drove into me.


    His eyes were fixed on my chest as my breasts bounced from each movement. He watched in fascination as they moved up and down before he made a low groan and captured one in his lips.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ that feels¡­ so good¡­¡± I urged him on. He sucked them deep into his mouth making me tremble. His teeth grazed my nipple, the feeling was agonizing and sweet at the same time, I only wanted more.


    ¡°Oh Mr Wilson please!¡± I begged him to take me to that same pleasure point I had been with him earlier.


    He guided my hips towards his ferociously and the pressure inside of me started to build, my whole body twitching helplessly from every stroke. Before I knew it, I began to see stars. I was panting and whimpering and moaning and crying and chanting ¡°Yes yes yes¡± over and over.


    ¡°C*m for me Sophia.¡± I faintly heard him say.


    I don¡¯t know what he meant by that but for a split second I couldn¡¯t breathe- or see- then suddenly something inside me caught fire, shooting sparks all through my body before it exploded. I screamed as the feeling washed over me.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it my love.¡± He said as his own body shook too.


    When everything had subsided, he rested his forehead against mine as we both recovered. I was so weak that I had to clutch his shoulders for support.


    Heid us down on the bed and tucked our bodies under the covers. This time I was so tired that I just clung to him.


    ¡°Sophia.¡± He said.


    I looked up to see him deeply staring into my eyes.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t ever leave me.¡± He pleaded. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to live with myself.¡± He kissed me before hugging me close to him.


    My heart pounded in my chest. All I could feel was guilt because I was doing the exact thing to him tomorrow. If I tell him, I don¡¯t know what his reaction would be like. He may probably convince me to stay or he will go with me. And I can¡¯t have any of that. But if I leave without telling him, that would definitely hurt him.


    I was torn between two decisions. Anytime I¡¯m faced with a situation like this, I always follow my mind because the heart can be misleading sometimes.


    I would tell him, but that would be when I was already long gone¡­


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