by Maria Xystra
“I’m glad you feel that way,” I answered back.
“OK, so I take it your boss is there, right?” he concluded.
“Mm-hm, that’s right,” I confirmed.
“What is he saying?” Luke started getting curious.
“OK, let’s get serious,” Cole changed his tone. “Say… What are you wearing right now?” and I heard the smile in his voice. I bit my lips to stop me from laughing or yelling at him.
“That’s a very serious question Mr. Theron,” I gritted my teeth and spoke sarcastically.
“So…?” he prompted, obviously waiting for an actual answer.
“So,” I was fighting hard by that moment to keep my composure, “is Monday good for you?”
“Yeah, sure,” he said. “Whenever it pleases you… I’m willing to please you any day that ends in ‘day’!”
He chuckled at his own comment, while I was still trying to decide whether I should take that as a joke or sexual harassment. Then again, it doesn’t really count as harassment if the other party enjoys it, right?
Imaginary slap landing on my face.
“OK, Monday at 9 o’clock,” I declared, hurrying to end this ridiculous conversation. “Would that be alright with you?”
“Yeah, do you want to have dinner first or cut straight to the chase?” he answered.
I can’t let him get away with this.
“OK, great,” I said and when Cole started saying “We can get straight to...,” I handed the phone to Luke and mouthed at him “Mr. Theron wants to talk to you.”
As soon as he brought the phone to his ear, Luke said “Hello? Mr. Theron?”
Damn it! That gave him the chance to stop whatever dirty thoughts he was articulating.
A short while later I got a text from him.
‘That was a close call. Thankfully, being sharp, I dodged the bullet.’
Being sharp my ass.
‘Well played. My turn,’ I replied and left it at that.
After that, the hours dragged on like centuries, with small breaks of him starring in my thoughts.
*****
Today is the day; Friday at last. Best day of the week and it’s moving so fucking slowly.
I went through the business plan again and our contract with Cole. He’s supposed to come by at some point to drop off some data we need. Hence the really tight pencil skirt, hence the really uncomfortable heels, hence the headache-inducing ponytail.
At around a quarter to five he shows up. He, Luke and Simon from the Accounting department, come into my office for a brief meeting. Simon keeps staring at my chest and I wonder more than once if I’ve spilled anything on my shirt.
When the meeting is finished, Simon comes up to me.
“Erm… Wh-What are you doing tonight Lexy? Y-you wanna go for dinner?” he asks me.
Poor Simon, if things were different, or rather if I was different, I would have grasped at the opportunity to go out with someone like him. Quite handsome, quite smart, a low-profile guy, with a pair of glasses that add to his sophisticated style. I’m sure he will make a girl really happy someday, but I’m also sure that I would make him miserable. So, I stay clear of him until he gets the message.
I give him my usual answer. “Oh, I’m sorry Simon. I already have plans.”
“And you still have a boyfriend?” he timidly asks for the gazillionth time this year.
“Yeah,” I lie to him and check to see if Cole heard us, who I find standing by the door talking to Luke.
By the time I turn back to Simon, he is already leaving my office.
As I take my seat behind my desk, I hear Cole saying to Luke “I just need to ask Ms. Davis something really quick. I’ll see you on Monday.” And not waiting for the other man’s answer, he closes the door and approaches my desk.
I take a seat and get ready to address him. Or undress him!
Imaginary slap.
“What is it?” I demand suspiciously.
“I just find it difficult to tell,” he says seriously. He leans over my desk and like a magnet pulling me towards him, I lean in too. “Are you wearing a thong or panties?” he asks.
I abruptly jump out of my chair causing it to hit the cupboards behind. “Listen, you dickhead. This is my workplace and I don’t want to compromise my position, so if you think you can come here and mess with me you’ve-”
“Rrrraaawwwwrrrrr,” he roars at me and I’m taken aback for a moment. Squinting my eyes warningly, I ask:
“Did you just roar at me?”
“Feisty. I like it,” he states calmly. “But your job is to keep me pleased. So, tell me, thong or panties?”
“None of the above” I simply say clenching my fist to stop it from landing on his face.
“Oh, you’re going commando?”
With Luke looking at us through the glass wall of my office, I walk around the desk and put a hand on Cole’s back. Touching him nearly pushes me over the edge, feeling the heat circulating in my body, gathering at a very specific spot. I suppress this reaction with a deep breath and a really tight teeth-clenching and I gesture towards the door.
“You are so going down,” I threaten him behind my fake smile and start to lead him out of my office.
He raises his eyebrows suggestively. “Down on you? Anytime.”
I push him out before I lose every ounce of control I am barely clinging on to.
*****
Adding the last pieces of data he brought to his folder, I get ready to get off work. Everyone is heading out. Shit, shit, shit. His balance sheet for ‘Nirvana’ is missing. Shit. I try to find Simon to send him to get it, but halfway out the door, I decide against it. I’m going.
One step inside the bar, I scan the room and find Monday’s bartender fixing a drink and Eric heading for Cole’s office. The latter startles when he sees me and pauses in his tracks.
“Where is he?” I demand as I march to him.
“Cole?”
“Yeah! Ass-cole!”
“Why?” he asks warily.
“Is he in his office?”
“Umm, he has a meeting. Kind of important.” He says apologetically and scratches his head.
“Perfect!” I reply and turn away from him seeing that he’s about to stop me.
I knock on the door and before I get an answer I burst inside. At least seven pairs of eyes turn to me. Eyes accompanied by tall and muscular bodies, that is. Cole, behind his desk, widens his eyes in surprise. I take advantage of his brief silence and slip into my role.
“Am I interrupting anything? Collie?” I turn to find him even more taken aback. “Hello, hello, hell-oo!” I salute my audience. “Is this a bad time?” I ask Cole playfully.
“Very,” he tenses, trying to figure out why I’m here and why I am behaving like this.
“OK, so I’ll make this quick.” Mmmm… I don’t think so. I turn to the rest of the guys. “I’m Lexy, Cole’s girlfriend,” I introduce myself, as-a-matter-of-factly, pointing towards him with my thumb. Eight pairs of eyes move from me to Cole and back to me. I spot Eric’s face amongst them as he tries to suppress his laughter.
“Dude, since when do you have a girlfriend?” one of the guys at my left asks in ...astonishment? They actually look pretty excited by this. Not really my intention.
“I...,” Cole starts, and I turn to him with a scowl.
“You didn’t tell your friends about us?” I accuse him with my hands on my hips. “Seriously? This again? You know I get really upset when you don’t acknowledge our relationship! Do you have any idea of how that makes me feel?” I pause for dramatic effect. “What is it exactly? Hm? Are you ashamed of me? Are you ashamed of us?” I continue my acting. “Tell you what,” I raise a warning hand at him, “from now on, there’s nothing to tell: as of this moment you’re back to being single!”
In less than a second I take in the reaction of the people around me. Cole stands behind his desk, fists clenched and placed on it, every vein on his arms and neck popping dan
gerously with a furious-is-too-insufficient-for-this look on his face. The rest of the guys are stunned and their expressions ooze from the shock they seem to have gone through. OK, on second thought, this might have actually been a bad call. A very bad call… A very, very bad Cole.
I quickly register a strange feeling rushing through me and gathering on my face. It’s like you have a serious case of stage fright and someone pushes you in the center of the spotlight. I feel every ounce of my blood everywhere in my body, boiling and burning up my spine. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like this in my whole life.
Thankfully, before I burst into tears – or laughter – and run off the stage, well, out of the room, Eric comes to my rescue and puts an arm around me in consolation.
“Don’t worry, Lex,” he says and pats my back. “Everyone knows you’re better off without him.”
“Thanks Eric, I knew I should have chosen you instead.” I turn to him and wink.
“Well, it’s never too late!” he replies.
“Vegas?”
“Sure!”
“Tomorrow?”
“Tonight!”
It took a moment for our audience to realize we were joking, except for Mr. Angry Bird who is still drilling holes in my skull with his eyes.
As if Eric could sense my discomfort, he chuckles and draws me to his chest for a hug.
“Should I go now?” I whisper in Eric’s ear.
“You should run,” he puts his hands on my shoulders and looks into my eyes. “Leave, Lex, and never look back. Disappear and leave no trace,” he guides me towards the door.
“Not so fast.” An intimidating voice freezes me in place.
Cole comes around his desk towards me.
I exchange brief glances with Eric while he shows me the door and mouths: “Go, go, go!”
I open my mouth to say something, but Cole cuts me off, grabbing me by the elbow and leading me outside his office, closing the door behind him.
“What do you want, Lexy?” he asks with resentment dripping out of every word.
“I need the balance sheet for this bar,” I try to sound unaffected by his bitterness.
“Couldn’t you have just asked for it, sparing me this charade?”
Without giving me a chance to answer back and defend myself – I wouldn’t call that a charade, more like an Oscar-winning performance! – he disappears back into his office.
He returns with the file and the same frustrated look on his face perfectly preserved. Damn you, Theron, how can being angry make you even hotter?
“Th-,” I try to thank him as he hands me the file. He is still holding onto the other end and leans in whispering menacingly:
“Don’t think for a second that this ends here.”
I grab his head and pull him to my lips for a fierce kiss. In my mind, that is. His scent crawls under my skin and I decisively shove him out of my way and leave the place.
This man will be the end of me.
CHAPTER 6
One shower later, I find myself in his bar again. Only this time, I steer clear of his office and purposefully take the barstool furthest from it, in a desperate effort to delay my doomsday as long as possible. Maybe he won’t notice me, or maybe he’s not even here.
As I wait for Sam and Eric to meet me for our movie night I try to hide behind the friendly giant occupying a stool on my right. The place is nearly full so a public – violent – scene seems highly unlikely.
Browsing through the list of songs on the jukebox, I am delighted to find a bunch of songs by my favorite rock band. I select one and wait for it to start.
With my hands on each side of the machine, I let the music take me away and smile to the lyrics as I realize how much they relate to my current state. I particularly enjoy singing along that ‘I don’t like you anyway, I don’t need your shit today.’
“Enjoying your song?” A deep, familiar voice comes from behind me and my blood freezes cold.
I slowly turn to find Cole leaning on the edge of the bar with his arms and ankles crossed, less than two feet away from me.
“H-hey...”
“Let’s take this to my office,” he suggests in a low voice and it’s suddenly so difficult to swallow. He takes a step away from the bar, eyes on me.
“My song just started!” I complain.
“I know. And I don’t care. Let’s go.”
“No!” I blurt out, and he looks at me warningly. “Here’s a thought! Let’s stay here! Here is nice! Here is good!” I am subtly fidgeting. And I add in a whisper loud enough for him to listen: “Here is safe!” as I’m trying to test the waters.
All it took for me to comply was a stern look and a small word. “Now.”
So much for being a fearsome vampire. That goes out of the window when I’m around him.
He has stretched his arm to point the way and as I pass by him, I backslap it out of my way. He might have chuckled. But I won’t turn around to check, that’s for sure.
The door shuts behind me with unnecessary force. A quick glance back makes my eyes land on the punch mark on the wall. I catch myself tensing at the thought of him confronting me and I’m not sure why. I don’t get this kind of feelings that often. And for him to have unleashed such turmoil in just a few days is undesirable. And for me to be so far from control is unacceptable. And risky. And so out of plan.
He makes his way to his desk, not making any eye contact. He sits in his chair and exhales loudly. I look around waiting for him to say something. He doesn’t. He settles into his seat and his thumb finds its way to his forehead, softly easing the crease between his eyebrows. Oh, no, not the thumb. Indication he is in deep thought. This prolonging silence is maddening.
“So...,” I start with hesitation.
He lifts an eyebrow at me and still remains silent. I get the feeling he is waiting to see if I have anything to add. I fall quiet again.
Unconsciously, I lift my hand to mouth in an effort to hide my lip which is being savaged by my teeth.
“Have a seat,” he commands.
“I’d rather stand.” It’s easier for my escape strategy.
“Sit,” he repeats.
My legs betray me and instead of listening to my mind, they follow Cole’s instructions as I awkwardly take one of the chairs in front of his desk.
“Nervous, are we?” he taunts me.
“Just spit it out and get it over with,” I snap at him.
His face splits into a malicious grin.
“Would you like anything to drink?” he feigns kindness.
“Yeah, a beer. I’ll go get it!” and I make to stand from my chair.
“No need to,” he leans and retrieves a beer can from somewhere under his desk. I’m not really surprised. I should have gone for the elaborate cocktail instead.
“So,” he starts and I’m bracing myself for his accusations to start flowing. Instead, he continues with “how was your day?”
I lose my patience with his hold up and lean over his desk from the edge of my chair.
“Listen, this principal-student thing is not gonna work for me, so if you need me to explain and apol-”
“I don’t need you to explain anything,” he flips and leans closer too. “And you’d better be sorry, yes. But a simple apology is not gonna fix this.”
“You’re the one who star-”
“You don’t seem to realize,” he gets off his chair abruptly, “that the little stunt you pulled off earlier could have messed with my business!”
I fail to produce any words. Or thoughts.
“However, I thought it’d be easier to let the guys believe that you’re in fact my girlfriend.”
Wha-?
I feel my eyebrows drawing together as I try to register what he’s saying.
“Wait, what? You let them believe… I’m in fact your… girlfriend?” I repeat his words that won’t seem to sink in.
“Yeah, Ms. Echo, that’s just what I said.”
“But why
- Why would you do that? And… What does that even mean?” I try to make sense of what he’s saying.
“It means that you’ve lost at your own game,” he smirks maliciously.
“And it also means that Sunday is poker night, and you will be there. As my girlfriend.”
I shoot up from my chair.
“What?” emphasis on the ‘t’.
“Yeah, you’ll be there, and you’ll pretend to be my girlfriend,” he states triumphantly.
“Wh- Are you out of your mind?” I demand in profound exasperation.
“It was, after all, your wish.”
“My-” I start but again, I’m unable to form coherent sentences.
“And, besides,” he continues, “the guys liked you and I couldn’t let them down.”
“That’s completely absurd!”
He shrugs.
“I can’t do it! I won’t! I don’t even like you!”
“Well, the feeling is mutual, so suck it up!” OK, that kind of hurt. “You can tune those remarkable acting skills you so dexterously demonstrated a few hours ago and act the part.”
He seems to have lightened up a bit. He comes from around his desk to lead me out of his office.
“Remember, you are the one who put us in this situation, so now you have to suffer the consequences.”
“You got the ‘suffering’ part right,” I remark grumpily.
“I’m glad we’re on the same page,” he says and leads the way. “It’s true what they say. Payback can be a bitch.”
“Well, so can I,” I assure him.
“I bet you can.”
“Oh, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It wasn’t one.”
“You know I’ll get you for this,” I warn him.
“I can’t wait.”
As my eyes land on the punched spot on the wall, I fully comprehend the reasons behind it.
From across the bar I catch sight of Sam and Eric. Good, they have come to my rescue! Well, to be honest, that’s kind of too late now.
As they make their way towards us, I notice that they are carrying two large pizzas and two stupid grins. I turn to Cole with suspicion, only to see his expression is as grim as mine, and he walks towards the bar to answer his phone.