Conquest of the Heart

by R. J. Dillon

  “Wow,” she said. “Must’ve been a really rough day. I won’t pry. Keep eating.” She stood up and walked towards the window, sipping her coffee. After staring out for a few moments, she stretched, and turned back around towards Gavin. ‘He’s not as focused when he’s tired,’ she thought.

  It was unusually quiet. Gavin usually had so much to say. “Can I ask you something?” he said. “I know you’ve already told me, but I have to be sure that I’ve understood you correctly.”

  “Shoot,” she said. ‘Anything to break this horrible silence,’ she thought.

  “Are you, in any way, attracted to Carter?” He stopped eating, too exhausted to look up. He just leaned back on the sofa, staring off into space.

  “Of course not. No. He’s seems like a nice person, but he makes me uncomfortable sometimes. I told you, I’m not trying to date anyone or sleep with anyone. Why?”

  “I just needed to know.”

  This was not the Gavin she had come to know over the past few weeks, and concluded that they both could use a break. “Gavin, you’ve barely eaten, and you look like you’re going to fall over any minute now. Let’s go home. You need to rest.”

  “Will you come home with me? I’d sleep much better if you were there,” he said jokingly and sleepily.

  Faith replied, “Never too tired to joke, huh? No, but if you need a ride home, I’d be happy to take you.”

  “I can always call a limo to come get me. You go ahead.”

  “How about I call the limo for you, guaranteeing that you go home?”

  “That’s fair. Thanks.”

  She called the front desk and requested that the limo be brought around for him. She got her purse and keys, and waited for him to get his things together, then they walked out together. As he was getting into the limo, she said, “Tomorrow will be a better day.”

  He smiled and said goodbye. Things would be better if he knew that Carter was going to stay away from her. He would have to make sure that he did.

  The following morning, Gavin decided he would go see Faith first, rather than everyone else. Maybe a new routine would help this day be better than the previous. He had gotten her coffee again, having noticed that she had a cup every morning.

  Her door was closed, so he knocked before entering. He walked into her office and sat the coffee on her desk. “For you, my dear.” He went back to close the door again. He figured it was closed for a reason.

  “Thanks,” she said looking up. “You look a hundred percent better. You sound better, too.”

  “Yes, I am. Thanks for making sure I got home last night. If you had left, you probably would have found me here on your couch this morning.”

  “I figured as much. I’m glad you got some rest,” she smiled, taking a sip of her coffee.

  “You know, caring for me like you did last night only makes me desire you even more. You’re not doing a very good job of getting me to back down.”

  “Last night was not about getting you to back down, it was about making sure you made it home safely. And you’re right. I’m not doing a very good job.” She took another drink of her coffee and said, “Don’t worry. Since you’re more alert, I’m sure I’ll have plenty of opportunities to tell you ‘no’ or ‘leave me alone’ today.”

  “You would enjoy that, wouldn’t you?” Gavin asked coyly.

  “And so it starts,” she smiled.

  “You’ll get it double today because I missed out on yesterday.”

  “Oh yippee! I can’t wait,” she said sarcastically.

  “You know you like it. I don’t know why you don’t just admit it.”

  “Oh yeah. I love that my sex crazed boss makes it a point to tell me how much he wants to have sex with me every day, because that’s just so awesome. All the girls are jealous, I just know it. I’m special because he won’t stop until he has me. Isn’t it just peachy?” she said in a Sandra D. like voice, batting her eyes at him.

  “You’re extremely sexy when you’re sarcastic. You know why I think you like it? I think you like that I’m pursuing you. You like that I want you, and you like the game. For whatever reason, you won’t admit it. You know what else?” he asked, getting closer to her.

  “I bet you’re going to tell me,” she said, grinning from ear to ear.

  “You like that I won’t give up. You know that the more you say no, the more I’ll keep trying until you say yes. I like that, because I can be around you. Being with you is the highlight of my day.”

  “Well good. I’m glad I can make you happy.” She sat back in her chair and sipped her coffee. “Would you like to talk business now? We’re on the clock.”

  “No. I want to keep talking about how much you want me, but won’t admit it.”

  “You really did need some rest. You’re in rare form this morning. Okay, sure. What the hell. How much do I want you?” Her blood pressure was rising.

  “You tell me,” he sat down, staring right at her. He loved to make her uncomfortable.

  “You seem to have such a good idea. Why don’t you answer for me?”

  “You’re avoiding the question. Why does this bother you so much?” Again, she was playing along, which he found intriguing.

  “Because I don’t like the idea of being used for something that means nothing,” she stated, irritated that she had to explain again.

  “What makes you think it would mean nothing?”

  “Oh come on, Gavin. You haven’t had a serious relationship in years, maybe not ever, who knows. You expect me to believe that you want more than just sex? You haven’t offered up much more than that.”

  “Lauren is great isn’t she? I see she’s filled you in on a little bit of history about me. Well, she doesn’t know everything.” He was sitting back, with his hands clasped together. “You always try to turn this around. This isn’t about me. This is about you. I have never denied wanting to be with you.”

  “I haven’t denied anything. You know how I feel.”

  “Do I? Every time I tell you that you want me as much as I want you, you avoid it like the plague. You’re like me when it comes to being honest. You don’t lie about anything. What you will do, is avoid talking about something if you don’t want to deal with it. So, I’ll ask you again, how bad do you want me?” His arrogance was beginning to show. He enjoyed watching her squirm.

  She didn’t answer. Instead she looked away from him, nervously took a sip of her coffee, and said nothing for a moment. He waited, and could tell he had struck a nerve.

  “Are you going to answer me?” he asked with a menacing grin on his face.

  “No,” she said flatly, holding onto her coffee like it was her last cup on earth.

  “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t have to.”

  “Or because you don’t want to?”

  “Is it time for our meeting yet?” she picked up her cell phone to see what time it was.

  “We have another hour. We can keep going in circles if you like. All you’re doing is proving me right. That excites me. So please, continue. I believe you were avoiding a question.”

  “I don’t want to play anymore. Let’s talk about what happened to you yesterday. Why were you so agitated?” Faith asked.

  “Let’s not, and say we did.” He would leave her alone when he knew she had had enough. She was pretty vocal about that, but she hadn’t shown any signs of surrendering. “Tell me.”

  “Tell you what?” She no longer had her coffee to hide behind. It was all gone. She would have to find something else pretty quick.

  “How much you want me. It’ll make things so much easier on you. Yes feels so good.” He was beginning to get aroused. You could cut through the tension in her office with a knife.

  She stood up, walked away from her desk and went to look out the window, as she played with her necklace. She didn’t like what he was doing. He was grilling her harder than he ever had. ‘He’s had a little too much sleep,’ she thought.

  Turning her back on
him was a big mistake. He liked to sneak up behind her. He got up from his seat, quietly and slowly, moved in close to her, and whispered in her ear.

  “Tell me,” he said. Oh how he loved to torture her.

  “No.”

  “Why not?” he asked, continuing to whisper. He could feel the intensity rising in his pants. As with other times, he almost nibbled at her ear, but held back.

  “Because you want me to,” she said, her eyes now closed. Gavin noticed that she was not moving away from him, which she normally did. This excited him even more. She was breaking.

  “You want to tell me. Stop holding it in. Let it go,” he continued to whisper, speaking more seductively. He slowly placed his arms around her waist.

  Faith’s breathing got heavier. “Je ne peux pas vous dire. Je ne veux pas vous dire.” (I can’t tell you. I don’t want to tell you.)

  Fire ran through Gavin’s body when she spoke French. He quickly turned her around to face him, and leaned in to kiss her. When Faith realized what was happening, she pulled away from him. She stepped back, leaning against the window. She was still breathing heavily as they just stared at each other.

  Gavin broke the silence. “We should get ready for the meeting.” He was thoroughly satisfied with what had just happened. Now he had to calm himself down. A quick cold shower would work.

  He approached her when she didn’t say anything. She looked the other way. He gently cupped her chin to turn her head. He smiled warmly and said, “I’ll see you in a little bit, okay?”

  “Okay,” she said nodding, turning away again. ‘Damn it! This wasn’t supposed to happen. He thinks he’s won,’ she thought. She would make sure that he was aware that things were not going to be that easy.

  Gavin took a quick shower in the locker room of the fitness area in the building to cool off, and then prepared for the meeting. He was looking forward to this evening. That’s when he could get Faith alone again, and after this morning, he was certain that things would progress. He was the first to reach the conference room. When Faith arrived, she was still flush from earlier. Gavin decided to give her some space and didn’t say anything. As they got their laptops ready, and took out their notes, they remained silent. Waiting for Carter, it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop on the carpet. Gavin stared at Faith. He had to come up with a way to snap her out of this.

  Carter finally arrived, apologizing for being late. Noticing how quiet it was, he immediately commented.

  “Why are you two so quiet? You’re usually going at it,” he said, not realizing his poor choice of words.

  Faith turned red again, and played with her notes.

  Gavin said, “We just ran out of things to talk about waiting for you.” He stood up and continued, “Let’s get started, shall we? You can get set up as we go. Faith, will you please begin?”

  They went through their usual routine for each of the meetings. Faith began to calm down as she spoke, and her face turned from red to pink. Carter seemed more like himself, too. Things were getting back to normal. Faith’s brief moment of weakness would be just that. A moment.

  Gavin concluded the meeting as normal, adding that they would continue that afternoon. Carter had left the room first. The room was deathly silent again. Faith picked up her things and left without saying a word. Gavin watched her leave. He erased the white board, but left the monitor plugged in for later. He walked to his office and made a phone call.

  Faith was in her office, reviewing her outlines for the afternoon meeting when there was a knock at her door. She was sure it was Gavin. “Come in,” she said.

  Agnes opened the door, and walked in carrying a bouquet of the most beautiful bouquet of coral roses. “You’ve got an admirer. There are two dozen roses in this vase,” she smiled as she sat them on her desk. “Flowers talk, you know.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Faith.

  “Well, the type of flower and color that it is has a certain meaning. I think someone is trying to say something to you.” As she walked out, she said, “Enjoy.”

  Agnes knew who they were from, and she knew what they meant. What she didn’t know, was how Faith would feel about it. Still, she thought this might be a good sign, and added this to her notes to report to Adrian at the end of the week.

  Faith took the card out of the little envelope sitting amongst the roses. They smelled wonderful. Faith loved flowers, but had never known about the language aspect. The card read, ‘My desire has grown stronger for you, Gavin.’ She didn’t know whether to be mad or flattered. She guessed she was both. She got up and moved the flowers to her coffee table. They looked lovely there. She continued to work, and ate lunch in her office. She didn’t come out until it was time for the afternoon meeting.

  As she went back to the conference room, Gavin saw that her demeanor had changed. Carter was sitting in his usual spot. As she began to set up, she looked at Gavin and mouthed, “Thank you.”

  He nodded, pleased that he had softened her up for the time being. He was sure she would be back to her feisty self when they saw each other later that evening. Gavin started the meeting, which was just as productive as it had been that morning.

  Another day had come to an end. Gavin sat in his office, signing off on paperwork, and Faith was starting to work on the outlines for the evening. Adrian was usually the first one out of the office. Tonight, he was running a little late. He made a phone call just before he wrapped things up.

  “Sorry I couldn’t call sooner, but I didn’t have any news … Yes, it seems this week, activities have picked up a bit … Well of course it’s difficult … I think we’ll know more over the next few months … I will keep you abreast of what’s happening … Talk to you soon.”

  As he walked down the hallway, he saw that Faith was still there and stopped to say goodbye.

  “What are you still doing here?” he asked.

  “Hi, Adrian. How are you?” She got up to give him a hug.

  He could feel sense her tension. “Hey now. Are you doing okay? Is the workload too heavy? Has Gavin been getting to you?”

  “I’m okay. I think I just needed a hug,” she smiled, breaking their embrace.

  “You’re one stubborn woman, you know that?”

  “You know where I get that from,” she replied.

  “Yes I do. Don’t stay too late, alright?”

  “Okay. Tell Juliet I said hello.”

  “Good night,” he said, walking out of her office.

  As he walked towards the elevators, he saw that Gavin was still there too.

  “You too?”

  “Adrian. What are you still doing here? You’re usually gone by two.”

  “I just had to wrap up some loose ends. Why are you and Faith still here?”

  “We’ve been meeting after work to get our outlines and client lists finished for next week. We won’t be working late next week, I promise.”

  “Okay, you know how I feel about that.”

  “I know,” he chuckled. “Tell Mom I said hello.”

  “She wants to see you soon. Try and stop by this weekend.”

  “I will,” Gavin said as Adrian walked out.

  He yelled back, “Good night.”

  Now that everyone was gone, Gavin put his paperwork aside, picked up his laptop, and went to see Faith.

  He knocked on her door, and walked in at the same time. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes, I just started working on outlines for Reno and Philadelphia,” she said. She got up and moved her laptop to the meeting table.

  Gavin noticed that she placed the flowers on her coffee table. “They look nice there,” he said, pointing to them. He walked over to their usual spot, and began to set up. “So what have you found out so far about those two cities?” he asked.

  Faith began to share with him what she found. They worked without any interruptions, and stayed focused on their task. They didn’t want to stay too late, knowing they still had tomorrow and Friday to finish.

  “I�
��m glad we don’t have to work late next week. I really appreciate your willingness to be here.”

  “I know. Whatever is necessary to get things done,” she said.

  After another half an hour of work, they were done for the night. Faith was relieved. It had been another rough morning for her.

  Gavin closed his laptop and gathered his notes. He looked at his watch to see what time it was.

  “This is a record time for us. I was thinking that instead of meeting tomorrow evening, we could both take a break and just plan on knocking out the rest of the outlines on Friday. What do you think?”

  Faith shrugged her shoulders. “That’s fine with me.” She was surprised that he didn’t mention what happened earlier, which was okay with her. She didn’t want to talk about it anyhow.

  “Good,” he said as he got up to leave. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good evening.” He walked back to his office, grinning deviously. “Now the real fun starts,” he said out loud.

  The routine stayed the same the next day – a meeting in the morning, and one in the afternoon. Both meetings went well, as usual. Faith was back to normal, as if nothing had ever happened between her and Gavin. Everyone kept busy with work on the expansion project. Adrian had been in meetings with the board of directors to inform them of their progress. Thanks to Gavin and his team, activities were moving along nicely. Gavin was a little restless because he hadn’t spent much time with Faith. This was on purpose. He had to stand his ground for his plan to work.

  Faith finished touching up her presentations for Reno and Philadelphia. Even though it was nice that she hadn’t had any of her usual interruptions, mainly Gavin, she missed his badgering. She went to see him.

  “Hey,” she said.

  Gavin looked up from his work and smiled. “Hi. How has your day been? I haven’t really seen you today.”

  “It’s been okay. I finished the presentations for Reno and Philadelphia. How are you?”