by Emma Vikes
For the second the time within twelve hours, I wondered how anyone could ever cheat on a beautiful lady like Theresa.
I stood for a brief moment, before going to pull the sheets over her body, thanks to the air conditioning being on full blast. She sighed and smiled in her sleep before snuggling further into the sheets.
I stood up and took one last look at her, committing this moment and all that came before it last night, to memory. This could very well be the last time something like this would happen so I made sure to take it all in as much as possible.
Finally, I turned and left her room.
CHAPTER 10
Theresa
MY HANDS REACHED OUT and felt around the bed in a bid to find Mike. Even though I felt nothing or no one, something had woken me up.
And then I heard it again; a light knock on the door.
“Who’s there?” I grumbled loudly, even as my eyes remained close.
“It’s your breakfast, Miss Theresa,” the response came faintly from beyond the door.
“Come in,” I announced, sitting up in bed, pulling up the sheets to cover my nakedness and trying to adjust my hair before it dawned on me that I had in fact just woken up from sleep and didn’t order any breakfast. A brief glance around also revealed that Mike wasn’t in the room. His clothes were gone and so was he.
The door opened and in walked a staff, wheeling a little feast in front of her. She curtsied and proceeded to open the covered dishes. The aroma filled the room instantly, making my stomach churn in excitement. I was indeed famished.
“I didn’t order for breakfast, you know,” I said as the lady served me a plate on a tray and filled a glass cup with fresh orange juice.
“Your partner did. He said he wanted to wake you up early enough so you both don’t miss your flight. He also said he knew you’d be hungry when you were woken up,” she responded.
Mike’s thoughtfulness had me speechless for a minute. First he’d let me sleep in, then he’d shut the blinds, and now this.
“Did he also order breakfast for himself?” I asked, suddenly concerned.
“Yes, ma’am,” she responded as she walked over and handed me the tray in bed. “He’s currently being served in his room as we speak.” She finished.
“Ok,” I responded after discouraging myself from standing up and going to join him in his room. I began to eat after dismissing the maid.
A smile began spreading across my lips as flashes of last night came back to me.
I really hope things don’t get awkward between us. I thought.
CHAPTER 11
Mike
I WALKED INTO THE FIRM first thing Monday morning and headed straight for my office.
At this time of the morning, I didn’t need to bother that anyone was around. More importantly, I didn’t need to bother that Theresa was around.
After the last night we’d spent in Chicago, everything had become so awkward. First, we had met in the hallway as the bell boys came to get our bags to take them downstairs. She’d wanted to say something but I had missed the sign and turned instead to shut my door. By the time I’d realised and turned to say something myself, she’d turned and started walking towards the elevator.
Getting to the hotel lobby, we’d managed to avoid eye contact all through the checking out process. We’d gone on to sit quietly in the car that drove us to the airport with both of us staring out our own windows as the city flew by. Finally, we’d flown back home in silence.
In fact, the last word that had been shared between us was when I’d kissed her and whispered goodnight the night of our sex tryst. Finally, I was feeling some form of regret. It wouldn’t have gotten this bad if we hadn’t taken it too far; and as the more senior officer, I should have known better.
“Good morning, Sir.” My secretary stunned me as I was trying to open my office door.
“What are you doing here so early?” I barked in alarm, turning to face her.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Sir. I just felt the need to come in early and try and finish up on the work I have piling from last week. With you away, more work somehow managed to appear on my table,” she responded.
“Fair enough,” I said, turning back to push my door open.
“I know you’ve been resuming before me recently, but is it usually this early?” She asked.
I could hear the shock and surprise in her voice even though I was no longer looking at her face.
“Yes. I usually come in this early,” I responded. “And there usually isn’t anyone in yet.” I finished in a mock tone as I walked in.
“Well today, we beat you to it,” she continued, walking behind me into the office and shutting the door afterwards.
“We?” I asked as I dropped my briefcase on the table and proceeded to hang my suit.
“Oh, yeah! Miss Theresa is also in this morning. In fact, I arrived some minutes after her.”
My pulse quickened even though my face remained expressionless. “I see,” I responded, simply.
“You’re welcome, Sir. Let me get back to my table.” She finished, turning to head out.
I sat in my chair for a long while, lost in thought. Sometime during my trance, I’d powered up my system. However, I’d still not been able to stop thinking.
Time must have slipped by because movements in the hallways and offices outside mine had not only begun, but had continued to increase. More people had shown up to work. I, however, had remained motionless since I sat in my chair.
Suddenly my system blinked, dragging my attention away from my thoughts to the fact that I’d gotten an e-mail.
I leaned forward and pulled my mouse to bring up the mail. It flashed on my monitor, startling me for a brief moment.
Our correspondence has deteriorated so much that it’s now by mail? I wondered.
Without opening it, I knew it was work related as I cold already see the first lines. However, she’d never sent me a mail before. She always simply used to walk to my office and brief me on what she needed to talk to me about. I really needed to find a way to repair this before it got out of hand as she’d already begun to act out of character.
I immediately responded with a mail of my own that she should see me in my office so we can treat the issues she’d raised in her mail about a certain account.
Immediately after clicking the send button, my pulse quickened once more.
Is she going to ignore my directive and not come?
And if she does come, how am I going to handle this?
It took her a while before she knocked on my door and came walking in. At the sight of her, my heart melted. I was really doomed.
Before I could form words, she greeted me in her most professional tone and proceeded to address the matter at hand.
Oh, so this is how we are going to play it? Continue with the professionalism from where we left off before the trip? I thought.
Fine! Works for me. I concluded.
I didn’t have to go through another awkward moment of trying to broach the subject. We were simply going to pretend it never happened.
I asked her politely to sit, as I myself put on an air of professionalism and began conversing with her. In minutes, we’d resolved the issue as she finally stood up, excused herself and walked back to her office.
That wasn’t so bad after all. Maybe this method could work.
The day ran its course and was soon over as quickly as it had started.
I went home and was back at the office the next day. And still, Theresa had maintained such high levels of professionalism in our correspondence.
By the Friday, I was already confident that what happened in Chicago was never going to be a problem between us. Apparently, she had moved past it and even though my feelings for her hadn’t changed one bit, I’d been able to handle them better all through the course of the week. I could actually think clearly even if she was standing right beside me. I could look at her, without feeling an uncontrollable lust well up within me. I w
as still crazy about her, but I’d grown comfortable with the knowledge that this wasn’t meant to be. As such, it had been easier to deal with.
Greg walked into my office sometime during noon on Friday. He was extremely excited. A new contract—the second largest we’d ever encountered—had landed on our laps. However, for it to be a permanent deal, they needed us to come up with a draft by close of business. If he couldn’t work on it thanks to the fact that he was currently engaged with the largest contract we had as a firm, he was going to have me handle it.
“We are getting into the big leagues, Mike,” he said with the excitement of a pre-schooler.
“We’ve already arrived,” I responded, causing him to smile even more.
“Oh, by the way, let Theresa work on this with you so we can meet the deadline.”
“Why?” I blurted out before I could stop myself, causing his eyebrows to rise in curiosity.
“I mean, why does she have to work on it with me? It’s a logistics contract and not one involving sales,” I said, saving myself of suspicion from Greg as I pretended to continue browsing through the brief. “Furthermore, she’s still working on finalising the job with the company in Chicago. I’m sure her hands are full. I’d handle this alone.”
“Chicago isn’t running away today, however this is, if we can’t get in a draft in time. A second hand, especially one that’s seasoned, would ensure that we do meet with the deadline. Or don’t you think so?” He asked.
Of course, I think so. There was no way to defy that logic.
“You have a point. I’ll call her to come over so we can begin work immediately,” I finally said in pretence.
The truth was that he was right. However, I was going to let him walk out of my office and proceed to do the job by myself. It was nothing I couldn’t handle even if the stress was going to be doubled because I was working alone.
“Awesome!” He exclaimed as he stood up and walked out of my office.
I leaned back in my chair for a brief moment, before cracking my fingers and proceeding to start the draft. A few minutes passed before my door swung open again after a light knock.
Greg walked in beaming as he had before; behind him was Theresa. I would have literally slapped my forehead as I had done in my mind if they weren’t standing in front of me.
“I thought to stop by her office and inform her about the fact that she was needed in your office on this project. We don’t have time to waste after all.” He grinned.
“Now, I can go back to my office and face Ridgewater.” He referenced our largest clients as he turned and headed out again.
“Please sit,” I said politely after noticing she’d remained standing.
“This is the brief of our prospective clients. It’s complete with their profile and what they expect of us. Go through it and tell me what you think.”
And so, we’d begun working on another project and barely made the draft in time by the end of the day. Greg had kept on dropping by to check on our progress, always leaving more pleased than he came. By close of work, he’d approved the final copy to be sent, barring some little corrections that needed to be made. He’d gone home after that along with almost everyone else, leaving just us two on the executive floor.
As we continued to work and make corrections, Theresa decided to order pizza. Seeing as we had missed lunch, the pizza was going to be our only option.
Our order arrived just as we mailed the final draft to our prospective client. I kicked back and put my feet up on the table as Theresa went to open the door for the pizza guy. She pulled her purse before I could reach for my wallet and paid the guy, in spite of my protest.
We’d then gone on to eat our pizza in silence, savouring the taste of our first meal of the day. With the last two slices left in the carton, Theresa finally spoke up.
“So...we are never going to talk about the night in Chicago?” She said as she reached for one of the slices, causing me to freeze.
CHAPTER 12
Theresa
AS I PULLED THE SECOND to the last slice from the pizza carton, I hit Mike with a question that had been bugging me all week.
“So...we are never going to talk about the night in Chicago?”
From his reaction, I could tell that he had never imagined or expected me to raise the topic. I had to.
I couldn’t continue to pretend that everything was fine and professional. I couldn’t continue to pretend like nothing had happened between us. I couldn’t continue walking around pretending like I hadn’t had the best night of my life with him. I couldn’t also continue pretending like I wasn’t constantly thinking about it over and over again.
It had been pure torture for me this past week, every time I saw him or had to work with him. I’d continued to beat myself up on how I’d allowed things to progress the next morning after we’d had sex.
Maybe if I’d thanked him for breakfast in the hallway as I had intended, even after he’d looked away.
Maybe if I’d said something while we checked out.
Maybe if I’d complimented on how much I’d enjoyed and would miss the city while we were driven to the airport.
These thoughts had plagued me all through the week.
Given the choice, I’d rather be sprawled on the table this moment, with him thrusting away and leading me into the clouds, but I couldn’t have that all because I had let things get awkward.
And now I was scared, scared that I’d messed it all up and could never have the one thing I now wanted above all else; a relationship with him.
Mike had remained quiet, not answering my question, with his hand stretched out halfway to the pizza carton and the last slice in it. I was going to let him recover from the shock while I proceeded to continue munching at my pizza slice.
Finally, he spoke. “I thought we’d moved past it,” he said, withdrawing his outstretched hand.
Now it was my turn to be shocked. “Moved past it?” I exclaimed, loudly. “Moved past it? How the hell have we moved past it? Oh! So, this was just sex to you? Is that all I am to you? Someone you can just have casual sex with?”
Forget shock, I was outraged. The questions and accusations kept flowing out from my lips as he simply sat there without a word, thus infuriating me further. Not only had he just insinuated that there was nothing more to what had happened in Chicago, he just sat there coolly while I whipped myself into frenzy making me look like I was out of my mind.
I snapped finally and hurled what was left of my pizza slice at him. Even this close, his reflexes were top notch as he expertly weaved the projectile which continued on its path till it hit the wall behind him. That drove me over the edge. I couldn’t stand to be in his presence a moment longer.
I jetted off my seat with so much force that it toppled backwards. He’d simply continued to stare at me without saying anything. I turned then and began storming out of the office. I was done.
If he had said any other thing, I probably wouldn’t have been this upset. But the fact that he had assumed that we’d moved past it, insinuating it was just a light matter to him, even though the same matter had kept me in knots all week was enough to make me flip. Now I understood why office romance was frowned upon by so many firms and employers.
Because of shit like this!
I continued my exit in rage, but as my hand reached out and pulled the door open, Mike appeared with lightning speed from nowhere and pushed it shut, standing in front of me and blocking my access to the door.
Goodness, where did he come from?
How did he appear beside me so fast?
His reflexes had definitely been brought to bear once more as he’d most likely moved from his seat, around the table and still reached the door about the same time that I got there.
“What is the matter now? Why are you stopping me from leaving?” I bellowed.
The look I saw in his eyes caused me to simmer down several degrees. It was a soft, pained look.
“It wasn’t just s
ex for me,” he said softly, causing me to melt. My tirade was suddenly over as quickly as it had started.
“You are not someone I can just have casual sex with and throw to the side,” he continued.
“So, why? Why did you think we’d moved past it? Why have you tortured me all through the week with your silence on the matter?” I said bluntly as a tear slipped from my eyes, betraying me and the brave front I was trying to put up.
His hands moved to my cheek as he gently wiped the tear away.
“Because around you, I never know how to act.”
His confession caused my chest to tighten.
“This week has been torturing for me as well and I’m sorry if I ever hurt your feelings with my silence. I didn’t know how to broach the subject and just went with the professionalism flow seeing as it was easier,” he continued.
“So, are we ever going to talk about what that night in Chicago means?” I asked when I’d finally gotten some control of my emotions.
“What it means?” He chuckled. “How about this for an explanation?” He said as he bent his head and brought his lips closer to mine. Just before his lips touched mine, he whispered. “In case you are still confused, Theresa, what it means is that I’ve fallen for you.”
The kiss brought even more tears streaming down my cheeks.
“I’m sorry,” he said as he ended the kiss on noticing I was crying. “I’m sorry that I made you feel so bad. I’m sorry that it took me this long to tell you,” he began apologising.
“Just shut up and kiss me,” I said as my anger and rage melted, flowing out my eyes in the form of tears.
He smiled and bent forward again to kiss me.
As the kiss deepened, my head became light and my legs wobbly. My hands instantly flew up around his neck as I clung on to him for support. And still, he kissed me.