*Alejandro*
I watched as a hint of pink appeared on Anna’s face. “But aren’t we going to…” she began to say, but I cut her short, “No need for any employer-employee stuff tonight. We will have a good time and ensure we get the investment.” I said.
“Alright. I’ll get dressed.” She said.
I looked to the side, and the clock read 7:30 pm. “Don’t worry, you can take your time,” I said. Anna picked the dress from the bed and placed it on her chest. She is standing in front of the mirror, checking herself out.
“But it’s late already. I don’t want us to go late.” She said, “It doesn’t matter as long as you go with me.” I said. She looked over her shoulders and smiled. “I know.” She said, she knew the effects she had on me.
She lets the tower she tied over her chest fall to the ground, revealing her perfect milky skin. I could see her reflection in the mirror. Her breasts filled with love marks.
We just had a passionate time, but I still wanted more. She checked her body out in the mirror. I couldn’t stop myself. I took a step towards her and then another till I had her press on my body.
My hands covered her breasts. She threw her head to the back. “Why can’t I get enough of you? And why do you think it would be nice to tempt me?” I asked. My voice was hoarse, and I placed my lips on her shoulders.
I sucked on it while massaging one breast and nipping the nipples of the other, “we just had a good time a while ago.” She said.
She wanted me to stop, but her body was saying something else. I turned her towards me. “We’ll be late.” She said, My eyes are fixed on her perfect twins.
“Then let’s go late. For now, something else has my attention.” I said before picking her up and taking her to bed. If her taking off her towel in front of me was not an invitation, then l didn’t know what it meant.
And just like I guessed, she wanted me to.
I don’t know how it started or how she was able to consume my mind so fast. She was young, but age was never a barrier to love. I was falling for her a bit too fast.
Everything seems right with her. So I don’t care about going inside of her over and over again.
By the time we were done. It was already 8 pm. I gave her a small peck on her head before leaving her in the room to get dressed.
The short white dress hugged her body perfectly, accentuating her perfect hips. I took her in with my eyes. Her makeup was on point, and her hair was in a bun. A few strands were left in front after she had packed the rest to the back.
I held out my hands, and when she placed hers, I planted a small peck on it, “you look beautiful Love,” I said, and she smiled.
“You aren’t looking bad yourself.” She said, I wore a black Italian suit, and a golden Rolex wristwatch settled on my left hand.
“I hope I didn’t take too much time.” She said.
I wouldn’t care if she took all the time in the world. I knew this party was more than just a dinner night and may last till midnight. “No. You came out at the right time.” I said.
She clutched her bag tightly in front of her, waiting for me to lead the way. “I have a little gift for you before we head out,” I said.
Her eyes shone with expectations, and she moved closer to me. “What might that be?” She asked. I seeped my hands into my pocket and brought out a small white box. I opened it to reveal a diamond pendant.
“Oh, Alejandro,” she muttered. “This is…” she paused and shook her head. “I can’t accept this from you. It’s too much.” She said, and I felt a tinge of sadness growing in my heart. She was rejecting my gift.
“It’s not.” That was the only thing I could say. I walked behind her and put the necklace around her neck. She touched the pendant, “it’s beautiful.” She said.
She liked it, and I was glad she did.
During the ride, Anna received a call from Alison, her friend. As I spoke, my mind reminisced about my conversation with Lucas. “I don’t want to speak to you. Don’t you get it?” He said.
“See. I’m sorry; just give me a chance to fix things. How’s your mom?” I asked. “Like you give a fuck?” He muttered, hate filling his voice, “You say you are sorry; what are you sorry for? Is it for not taking my call when you should? What exactly are you sorry for?” He asked, a tinge of anger visible in his chest.
It broke my heart that I couldn’t have a civil conversation with him for once.
“For everything,” I said, struggling so he wouldn’t notice my voice was breaking. Without another word, he ended the call.
There was a red carpet at the hall entrance where the party was held. Camera flashed. Reporters gathered anyone who came down while two men stretched their hands to create a barricade and stop the reporter from completely intruding into our private space.
People with status and wealth were all gathered here tonight. Anna looked a bit tense as we walked down.
Soft music resounded all over the hall. When we stepped in, Anna released a breath she may not have known she was holding.
People bustled around. Loud chatter could be heard. The hall was filled with a warm bulb hung on the ceiling. When someone brushed her, I placed a hand on Anna’s back to stop her from falling.
“Are you alright?” I asked, removing my hands from her back. She steadied herself and nodded.
“Yes.” The waiter who brushed past her turned and bowed slightly in apologies. Anna looked around. “This is my first time attending an event like this,” she said.
“How about the show?” I asked.
“Oh…” she remembered, “this is my second time then.” She said. Most people spoke French.
People were mingling. “It feels surreal.” She said, A waiter offered us some chops in a tray after we’d taken our seats.
Anna smiled sweetly at the waiter, which made me squint my eyes. I wanted to pull out the eyes of the waiter. I should be the only one who saw her smile that way.
She took a bite from the chop, nodded her head, and said, “This tastes divine.” I smiled, making a skint promise to take her out regularly from now on.
A golden chandelier hung on the high ceiling. After eating the chops, I decided to mingle. Anna wanted to sit back, but the reminder that we had to get the investment made her get on her feet again.
We walked into the crowd. We were greeting and nodding at others. She was fluent in French, so it wasn’t a problem for her to communicate with others. She even served as an interpreter when we found someone who spoke French a bit too fast.
“Mr. Costa,” one man called from behind. His hands were extended, and we shook hands while racking my brain to remember where I saw him from. He had a wild smile on his face, while I had a tight smile on mine.
“It’s been a while; I didn’t think I’d be meeting you here.” The man said, and that was when it clicked. “Mr. Ivan,” I said, and my tight smile turned genuine.
He wore a white tux suit with a black bow tie. “How have you been?” He asked curiously. “Very well,” I said.
Ivan and I had met during one of my numerous business trips. His eyes finally noticed Anna, and he arched his brows before slowly nodding in approval of her.
His eyes lingered on her more than I’d love, but I decided to let it slide. “Who is she?” He asked.
I wrapped my hands around her waist and pulled her closer to me. A small smile tugged at my lips, “Who does she look like she is?” I asked him instead of answering his question.
“Oh wow,” Ivan said, raising one of his hands. “You got a beautiful one there, I must confess.” He said.
We spoke for a while before he left. My hands were still firmly wrapped around Anna’s waist, pulling her a bit closer to me, and she eased into my embrace.
“Why didn’t you tell him who I was to you?” She asked. One man passed us and waved at me. I did the same, though I didn’t know him. “He got the message,” I said.
“What message? I didn’t seem to get that message.” She said.
I know what she wanted to hear. It was clear we were more than just boss and employee. I wouldn’t say I was in love with her, though she was constantly in my head and heart.
“What part of it did you not get,” I said, and we stopped walking. I turned her to face me. “Just forget It.” She said, looking at me from under her lashes.
I leaned into her, and she placed a hand on my chest, “Please, not here.” Her face was getting red already.
I chucked, “I was just pulling your legs.” I said and stood straight.
“You are just…” she stopped. I wanted to say something but didn’t find the right words, so I just burst out laughing.
“You look beautiful,” I said.
Her smile widened.
“Mr. Costa?” I turned at the mention of my last name.
“Helen,” I said, stunned to see the red hair brown eyes woman in front of me. “What are you doing here?” I asked, and before I could answer, she pulled me in for a hug, leaving me stunned as if a gust of wind had hit me. The last time I checked, we weren’t close enough for a hug.
“How have you been? Oh, how I missed you.” She said.
“I’ve been fine, how about you?” I said.
“Well, well, I’ve been around. You didn’t bother to reach me after all these months!” She said and pouted. I almost scoffed.
I shouldn’t be the one she was playing cute for.
“You didn’t try to reach out to me either,” I said. I wouldn’t say I liked the way she was sounding. We had nothing between us, not even a platonic relationship. Our work just collided. So why was she being so… I couldn’t find the right words to say this.
She finally looked behind me and saw Anna.
And God knows what Anna was thinking. Anna kept a straight face, and I felt like tearing her head apart to find out what was going on.
“Hi there.” She said and returned her eyes to me. “I think I’ll have to steal him for a while.” She held my hands. I wanted to pull away, but she held on tightly as if she knew I would pull away at the slightest opportunity.
“It’s about the investment.” She whispered when she noticed my reluctance. I turned to Anna and gave her an apologetic look. “I’ll be right back,” I said and allowed her to lead me away.
“What do you want to talk about the investment?” I asked when we walked a few steps away from Anna. I turned back to see she wasn’t standing there anymore.
“I can help you seal it.” She said. She picked a glass of vodka from a passing waiter holding a tray.
“How?” I asked.
“You don’t need to know. All you have to do is sleep with me.”
***
I searched for Anna across the hall. I wanted to find her and get us out of this fucking place. My conversation with Helen just ruined my mood.
My eyes finally found her, and she was there laughing over something a blonde man had said in her ears.
Upon looking closely, I finally understood why that blonde man felt familiar earlier today.
My heart raced, and my palms grew clammy as I watched them speaking intimately.
I clenched my jaw as I walked towards them.