27

Lauren Hart
“Hey, Sean-oops! Did I interrupt something?”
My wide eyes met Daniel Adams’ playful gaze that lingered on our hands. I instantly pulled my hands away and maintained a good two hands distance from Sean. I flushed red and couldn’t meet his eyes.
He caught us! Crap! What would he be thinking of us?
“What the hell Daniel! Can’t you knock?” Sean yelled loudly, making me flinch at his tone.
“Oh, you very well know that I don’t.” Daniel grinned. “By the way, what exactly is going over here, Sean babe?”
“Would you ever stop calling me that?” Sean roared. God, their bickering is out of the world.
“What? Babe? No!” Daniel replied smoothly, making Sean fume in anger.
And I was stifling my laughter. I should be concerned about myself and here I was enjoying their bickering.
“Miss Hart, would you tell me what was going on here?” I flinched when I heard my name. He raised his eyebrows and his eyes held a mischievous glint.
“I…I came to remind him about his meeting, Mr. Adams.” I stuttered, not meeting his eyes. With every passing second, I grew redder and redder.
Daniel Adams studied both of us for a few minutes and kept smiling secretly.
“Will stop smiling?” Sean snapped. “What are you here for? Just state the reason for your arrival and leave.” He was getting impatient.
“Why? Can’t wait to be alone again?” Daniel wiggled his eyebrows and I looked for something to hide my face with. It was so damn embarrassing.
“Daniel shut up or you’ll leave my office with broken bones,” Sean warned him, giving him a deadly glare.
I scolded myself. I should have left the moment Daniel entered to save myself from embarrassment. However, it wasn’t late to do so.
“Uh, I shall take your leave.” I hadn’t even turned my body to leave when Daniel spoke up.
“No. Don’t.”
“Huh?” I looked at him with a questioning gaze. I didn’t miss the slight playful smirk his lips formed.
“What I mean to say is…you don’t have to leave.” His smirk deepened as he faced fuming Sean. “What you two were doing is way much more important than the work I came for. So, I must be the one leaving.”
“We weren’t doing anything, Mr. Adams. You must stay as you have work, I-” Before I could explain Daniel again spoke up.
“Oh, don’t give any explanation Miss Hart. Believe me, I understand.” He chuckled. “You two continue. I’ll take my leave now besides, I don’t want to be labeled as a private moment interrupter.”
Oh, god! Did he want me to bathe in red color?
“Sean, make sure to give me a call when you two are done.” He commented as he turned to exit. “And make sure to lock the door this time as I might show myself again without knocking.”
Alarmed, I faced Sean who, surprisingly, seemed unaffected by his friend’s teasing, and here I was, panicking to death.
“Oh, I forgot something. Miss Hart?” Daniel faced me again and I gave him my alarmed attention. Now what?
“Y.. yes, Mr. Adams?”
“Call me Daniel from now on, Lauren.”
He smiled and walked out, shutting the door behind him and I lost my senses.
“Thank god, this disturbing element is gone. He gives me a headache.” Sean sighed in relief as he rubbed his face with his palms. Had he not been affected even a bit? How could he be cool with it?
“Headache?” I shrieked, looking at him in disbelief. “You are concerned about that? He saw us together isn’t affecting you even a bit?”
“Don’t make it a big deal, Lauren. He was just teasing-”
“Exactly! He was teasing us!” My voice went out of the edge. My eyes turned wide when something struck me hard. I gripped my hair and pulled it a little, pacing back and forth.
“Omigod, Omigod, Omigod… He saw us, he teased us.” I then glared at Sean and walking closer to him I jabbed my finger in his chest. “It’s all your fault!”
Frowning, he grabbed my wrist. “My fault?”
I jerked my wrist away. “Yes! Yours! Now, he’s going to tell Ariana and Eloise and they will summon me again. They have been already teasing me and now they will take it to another level.” I again started to pace back and forth.
“Lauren.”
“How will I face my other bosses? Considering their nature, they’ll leave no chance to tease me. How will I work? Oh, god. I am gone. I am dead! And-”
“Lauren.”
“Oh my god!” My hands flew to my mouth. “What if all this forces me to quit the job? What will I do? I’ll have to find another job. I have to start the search now. I can’t be jobless. I…I-”
“Enough, Lauren.”
My pacing and unnecessary rambling were stopped by yet another kiss. This time the kiss was short and quick. A reminder that I had to stop thinking too much. But how could I help it? Exaggerating is in my nature.
“You push me to do things and then you say I take advantage of you.” He muttered while cupping my head in a strong grip, looking straight into my eyes.
“And you are not quitting the job, get that?” His voice came out firm.
“But…but…” I couldn’t form words and he again silenced me by putting a finger on my lips.
“Don’t think too much about it. It’s our friends we are talking about; they will always do provoking things, no matter what. You just have to ignore it.”
“It’s easy said than done.” I swatted his hands away and stepped back. “Moreover, all of this can be avoided if you stay away from me.” I cried out. I just wanted him to understand my problems. Even though I wanted to be close to him but it wouldn’t be easy on my part. Not now, not ever!
“Stay away?” He chuckled humorlessly then narrowed his eyes at me. “Not gonna happen.”
“Why don’t you understand, Sean? It’s -” He cut me off.
“Tell me, Lauren, do you really want me to stay away from you after whatever happened between us? Do you want us to be back at boss and employee?”
I raked my hair and averted my eyes. God, why wasn’t it easy? How could have I told him that I was confused? I didn’t want to distance myself from him, but I had to.
“Yes, I want you to stay away from me,” I responded without giving him a glance. All of a sudden, my upper arms were grabbed in a strong grip and I was forced to look at infuriated Sean.
“Then say it while looking into my eyes.”
Those blue, oceanic eyes. That’s why I didn’t want to answer while looking at him because I could never say no to him.
I wanted to be closer to him, to feel him, but at the same time, I wanted to be out of reach to him. For my own sanity. How could have I told him that an innocent crush was developed into a more meaningful thing when I was just a mere fling to him?
“Say it, Lauren!” He shook me lightly, bringing me back to reality.
“You know what?” I removed myself from his hold. “Unlike you, I have a serious job to do. A lot of work is on hold.”
A smirk formed on his lips. “This is not what I asked.”
“But this is what the situation demands. So, it’d be better if you and I concentrate on work first.”
“Okay, ma’am. As you say.” He winked and I flushed. He bloody winked!
“Arrange the meeting with the client at three.” He added and passed me a sweet smile.
Shaking my head in utter shock I quickly turned and ran out of his office, but before I could shut the door I heard him call for me.
“Lauren, thank you for giving me a chance.”
Wait, a chance? When did I agree to give him a chance?
Sean Peterson
I would be looking like a fool because my lips were stretched up to the end of my face. She confirmed that she was affected as much as I was. Although I had no idea as to what was stopping her from confessing her feelings when she wanted to take things further. She could have refused in my face if she wanted otherwise.
No worries, I would not let her leave. Sooner or later, she would be confessing her feelings for me. Her never shutting mouth will spill the truth.
But first, I had to tackle the problems named Daniel and Xavier. They were going way too far. They were acting like kids as if I would hide things from them. I mean, I was- because there was nothing serious going on. It was just an attraction I wanted to work out on.
To give Daniel an earful I had just stood up from my chair when the door of my office burst open and the two devils walked in.
“Seriously, Daniel? Couldn’t wait for a little to gossip?” I asked in disbelief when Xavier and Daniel made their way towards the couch.
“What gossip?” Xavier looked between us in confusion and I glared at Daniel, who was grinning evilly.
Cunning bastard! He hadn’t spilled it to Xavier.
“I didn’t say a word. It’s you that opened the chapter.” He chuckled. “And now as you have opened it up…Xavier-”
“Okay stop! Tell me what are you two here for?” I asked as I sat back on the chair.
“Wait, you two are hiding something from me. What is it?” Xavier questioned. “Daniel?”
“It’s nothing Xavier. He always speaks nonsense, ignore him.” I added.
“Nonsense?” Daniel’s eyes widened. “You mean…you being with Lauren is nonsense?”
What the fuck?
“Lauren? Wait, what am I missing? I want to know right now?” Xavier demanded.
I glared at Daniel, daring him to speak. But, he’s Daniel, why would he listen to anyone?
He passed me a toothy grin before facing Xavier. “I saw them in a compromising position.”
“What?” Xavier and I both exclaimed in unison.
Compromising? Had he gone insane?
“I just had her wrist in my hand. How is this a compromising position?” I snapped at Daniel for manipulating things.
“There you go. The truth is out.” He winked. “And Sean babe, you two were this close.” He joined his hands to show the position.
“Stop being childish.” I snapped and lunged at him but he ran behind the couch.
“Hey, stop, stop, stop.” Xavier laughed and I glared at him. He raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, I won’t laugh.”
I heaved a sigh in frustration. Shaking my head I ran fingers through my hair.
“Sean.” I gazed at Xavier, who called me obviously to comment on something, but his face didn’t have mischievousness as Daniel had.
“Why are you hiding things from us? It’s good that you are taking things further with her. There’s nothing to hide.”
“I am hiding nothing.” I lied. They would eventually know but now is not the right time. “You two are making a big deal out of it because you saw her staying at my home.”
“Hey, I am an eye witness here.” Daniel meddled.
“You shut your mouth. When will you grow up?” I asked him in disbelief.
“You want me to become a serious, grumpy man like you? Not gonna happen. Just accept that I’m sunshine for your gloomy soul. Without me, you two would be robotic machines, working day and night emotionlessly. I keep you sane.”
“Don’t forget I have my own bright sun rays; my wife and my daughter,” Xavier commented.
“I am talking about the work environment, Xavier.” Daniel rolled his eyes.
It felt like they both were unintentionally mocking me about my loneliness. Honestly, I envied them. They were happy with their life. They both had a whole lovely family to go to after work, to share worries and happiness with.
I too wished to have all of that.
“Will you stop it?” I snapped. “If you have nothing important to do then please leave.” I pointed at the door.
“Let’s work now,” Xavier announced. Finally, their teasing stopped and we discussed business for a while then they left.
The meeting with the client was arranged for 3 pm. And it took about two hours for the meeting to end. Lauren was with me the whole time, sitting beside me, jotting down notes on her tab. I was never distracted by her presence before, but now, I was fighting not to look at her. My gaze had been settling at her from time to time which distracted me from the topic of the meeting.
I had to snap out of my fantasy land several times. And I was highly concerned. It never happened to me before. Work has always been my priority, but Lauren’s entry into my life disrupted my focus.
Sometimes I thought if I was going on the correct way or not. And sometimes I leave the concern behind to enjoy, to cherish the current moments with Lauren as she had somehow become a hope of happiness to me.
“What exactly are you up to?” Her voice again pulled me back to reality. I was back in my office after the meeting. I didn’t reply to her and rummaged through the files in the cabinet for no reason. I felt her presence behind me.
“You have never behaved like this. You are distracted and this is not good for your business. You need to focus on work.”
I spun to face her. “When am I not focusing on work? The meeting ended well, didn’t it? I take my priorities seriously.”
“Yeah, your priorities. I saw what you were doing.” She scoffed.
“And what exactly did you see?” I raised an eyebrow, the corner of my lips twitching up.
“You were glancing at me from time to time as if not the client but I was your priority.” She pointed a finger at herself.
She notices every single thing about me-about us and that’s what amuses me.
I smiled candidly. “Will it wrong if I say I want to make you my priority?”
Her eyes went wide in shock and a light blush started to appear on her face. She averted her gaze and muttered. “Yes, it will be wrong. I don’t want to become the reason for your distraction.”
Smirking, I yanked her towards me and snaked my arm around her waist. Her face just inches apart from mine. “Well, Lauren, you are too late for that because you have already become my distraction,” I whispered, caressing her face with my thumb. I felt her body’s natural response to my touch. A part of my anatomy also came to life.
Fuck! Easy there, Sean. You still have a long way to go.
“Then forget about it. Come back to your usual self. It’ll be good for both of us.” She snapped, fire emitting from her eyes.
“What’s good for us and what’s not, let’s leave it on time.” I inched my face closer to her. “For now, let’s cherish the present, the current moment.”
I had almost caught her lips but she pushed her neck back and placed her hand flat on my chest. “Things don’t always work according to you, Mr. Peterson. You have had enough kisses for the day. Now, back off.” Saying that she pushed me away.
“Alright then, be prepared for the goodnight kiss,” I smirked.
“Excuse me?” She shrieked. Her head tilted to one side.
“Oh, didn’t I tell you that I’ll drop you at your place after work?” I made up an innocent face, frowning. But inside I was laughing at her shocked expressions.
She squared her shoulders and crossed her arms at her front. “No need. I have been managing on my own quite well. I don’t require your help now.”
“There is no doubt that you have been managing by yourself incredibly. And I do not doubt your self-worth. I simply offered you a ride back home.” I stated.
“Well, as I said, I don’t need it.”
Here we go again! Why is so stubborn? How should I make her understand that I wanted to spend more and more time with her? I couldn’t say it straight in her face. It was just complicated.
“Then consider it a thank you ride for helping me.” I tried to persuade her.
“You have already thanked me for that.” She huffed and walked past me but I tugged her back by her wrist.
“Please?” I pleaded before she could protest. Her wide eyes studied my face for a while before shutting tightly and then opened “Okay fine. As if I have a choice.”
“Thank you.” I grinned and released her from my hold.
After working till six in the evening I excitedly made my way to the parking lot and waited for her to arrive. I asked her to accompany me to the car but she denied saying she had to deliver some files to the head of the marketing department and asked me to wait in the parking lot.
I stood leaning against my car, waiting for her when a familiar female voice startled me.
“Well, hello Sean.”
My blood boiled with anger when I heard the voice. Rage took over me and my eyes blazed with fire when I saw her face.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I roared.