Secret Attractions at the Office: A Dirty Office Romance (Working Desires Book 2)

by Hazel Keys

  Maybe being traditional would be the better route to take in this case, Tristan thought as he grabbed his laptop bag, slipping his laptop into it before gently swinging the bag over his shoulder. I can always do more extravagant things for her when we start dating.

  He paused then, his face contorting in a slightly bemused smile. Was that really where he was sitting at that point? Why shouldn’t he, after all? If Amun’s plan worked out with Isabella, any hopes that Tristan might have had to be able to ask her out would get flushed down the crapper. If that was the case, why not just go for the woman who had not only managed to pique his interests as of late but one whom he would not have to compete with another man for her affections?

  She would probably be the kind of girlfriend who prepares lunches for her boyfriend each day. He beamed at the thought, pulling his car keys from his pocket as he walked out of the front of the building. He made sure to say goodbye to Bella before he left, telling her that he was greatly looking forward to spending Valentine’s Day with her. While he had used that line on other women in the past, this was one of the first times that Tristan could say that he actually genuinely felt that way. She bid him farewell, and with nothing more to say he headed out to his car and headed off.

  The question of what sort of gift to give her was still fresh in his mind, his fingers tapping somewhat impatiently against the steering wheel. His mind was pretty much tuning out the sound of the radio that was playing in his car, though when he began to hear a commercial talking about jewelry he started paying attention. It was one of the nearby jewelry stores that were apparently having a Valentine’s Day special on necklaces. He could snatch up a really nice one for less than $300. That sounded like something that he was definitely interested in. When the commercial ended, he quickly merged into the right lane and took the nearest exit.

  He had been fortunate enough to be driving past the road on which the jewelry store in question was located, so with a little bit of backtracking using the roads he quickly found himself parking in front of it. The name Betty’s Diamonds was written in clear letters on the sign hanging over the shop, a small bell jingling musically as he pushed the door open. He was immediately taken back by how bright the shop was, some of the display lights being reflected by the myriad of glass display cases and the jewelry that they contained. He found himself having to blink a few times in order to clear the glare out of his eyes, only then noticing that there was a young woman who was watching him from behind the front counter.

  “Good evening, sir, is there something that I might help you find today?” The woman standing behind the counter couldn’t have been older than her mid-twenties, a curtain of long blonde hair serving to somewhat obscure her big blue eyes. Her chest was quite buxom, and Tristan had to use a little more effort than usual to force his gaze to rise up to meet her own. She was dressed in a rather casual looking outfit, a nametag with the name Susanne pinned clearly to the front of her shirt.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, there is,” Tristan began, his shoes clomping gently on the tiled floor of the jewelry store as he made his way towards the front counter. He leaned casually against it, his deep golden eyes gazing into her own with their usual intensity. “I happened to hear on the radio that you guys are doing a sale on necklaces for Valentine’s Day, and I was hoping that I might be able to take advantage of that.”

  “Excellent. What sort of necklace did you have in mind, sir?” she asked quizzically, gesturing towards the multitude of necklaces that hung behind her as well as to a few that were resting in one of the many cases.

  “Well, it has to serve two purposes. The first is that I am giving it to this woman that I know for Valentine’s Day, as I am sure you can imagine. I want to make sure that the necklace is up to par with her expectations. The second thing is that I am planning to take the opportunity of our Valentine’s date to ask her out, so I want something that can communicate both of those desires without seeming tacky,” he admitted, his eyes scanning over a few of the necklaces as he spoke.

  “Aww, she must be a really special woman to have caught your attention like that,” the cashier said, moving towards one of the other display cases and bringing some necklaces over for him to take a look at. “These are some of our best sellers around this time of year. These are part of our Valentine’s collection, made with the finest diamonds in our inventory that our resident jewelry maker inspects before making each piece.”

  “That does sound rather impressive,” Tristan said with a smile, one of the necklaces catching his eye as he glanced over it. It was what seemed to be a diamond pendant in the shape of a heart, little rubies ringing the outside of the pendant, seemingly having been embedded in the small circle of metal that surrounded the diamond in the center. His eyes widened slightly at it, the male’s hand slowly moving to pick it up. As he flipped it over in his hand to inspect it, he could already tell that he had found something that he was likely going to end up purchasing. The other offerings were nice, but none of them seemed to really capture what he wanted.

  “How much is this one?” he asked, raising the necklace up by its chain as he spoke.

  “That one is currently valued at $450, sir,” she said, that same saleswoman smile still plastered to her lips. “Without our Valentine’sdiscount, it usually sells for $750.”

  “Wow, that sounds quite pricey,” Tristan said with a laugh, his hand moving to move some of his dreadlocks out of his face. “It sounds like a really good deal too, though, so I think that I am going to go ahead and take it.”

  He paid for the necklace with his credit card, making sure to have the saleswoman put the necklace in a special little box for him so that he didn’t risk losing it ahead of time. After thanking her for all of her help he made his way out of the store. Finally, he was fully prepared for his date with Bella.

  Chapter Ten

  Bella

  When Bella awoke the morning of Valentine’s Day, she could barely contain her excitement. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one feeling that way since upon opening her bedroom door she could hear the sound of Isabella humming happily to herself as she stood in front of the mirror combing her hair. She didn’t seem to notice that Bella had taken up a position beside her until the small Asian politely cleared her throat, and when she did notice, a bright pink blush seemed to quickly spread across Isabella’s face.

  “You seem awfully happy this morning,” Bella said with a smile, grabbing her toothbrush and toothpaste so that she might brush her teeth before hopping into the shower.

  “That is because I actually have a date for Valentine’s Day, chica!” The excitement in Isabella’s voice was obvious, and Bella couldn’t help but feel happy for her friend. She was, after all, experiencing a similar kind of joy.

  “Who asked you out?” Bella inquired, her toothbrush making soft brushing noises as she ran it over her teeth, making sure to spend plenty of time cleaning her mouth. She didn’t want to risk making herself look bad in front of Tristan, and nothing would be worse for her than to find out that her breath still smelled.

  “I’m not entirely sure. I just know that I came back to my office after lunch yesterday to find this really cute looking valentine on my desk. It didn’t leave a name, but it said that I should meet them in front of the office building at 2pm, and not a minute later,” Isabella said in a somewhat rushed manner, puckering her lips outward slightly as she began to apply her lipstick.

  “Ooh, a secret admirer, huh?” Bella spit into the sink, letting the water rinse her toothbrush gently before scrubbing at her tongue for a few moments, trying to make sure that nothing was still clinging to it. “Do you have any idea who it might be?”

  “That is the thing, I am not sure who it could be. I know that Bradley seems pretty serious about going steady with Rachel. He’d have to be, since they moved in together, right? I don’t think that it is Ryan, though I admit that he has made passes at me during the annual Christmas party before, but honestly I am not sure whether th
at was just wishful thinking on my part,” she admitted hesitantly, her confusion evident on her face as she glanced over at her friend. “Who else could it be?”

  “Aren’t you forgetting someone?” Bella asked amusedly, biting her bottom lip gently to keep herself from smiling. It seemed that it wasn’t just men who could be oblivious about when a person was crushing on them, and the continued blank expression on Isabella’s face told Bella pretty much everything she needed to know.

  “Well, it can’t be Tristan. I heard him quite clearly when he asked you out for Valentine’s Day at O’Cleary’s,and I know for a fact that he isn’t the kind of guy who would ask someone out only to stand them up for somebody else. I would lose all respect for him in an instant if that was the case,” Isabella said with a huff, some bitter memories of her previous relationships obviously having freshly resurfaced in her mind.

  “That leaves one more possibility,” Bella said, rinsing off her toothbrush and grabbing the mouthwash instead. She swished a little bit around in her mouth, her eyes tearing up slightly at the sting of the alcohol as it killed off whatever germs might have been left in her mouth.

  Isabella’s eyes went wide then, and if she could have blushed any deeper at that point Bella was certain her friend’s face would be completely red by now. “Amun?” Her voice came out as barely more than a whisper, the tone in her voice communicating to Bella that she didn’t quite believe it.

  “He would be the only other person who would have been able to sneak into your office to leave that valentine there,” Bella said sensibly, going back to her room so that she could grab a fresh towel, tossing the old one in her laundry basket.

  She took a quick shower, making sure to use her citrus body wash on every inch of her body that she could reach. She spent a little extra time shampooing her hair, hoping that it would soften enough so that she would be able to style her hair the way she wanted to. After toweling herself off and slipping on her underwear, she made her way to her room to try and decide what she wanted to wear that day. She kind of wanted to keep up the dressy style of clothing that she had been using up until that point, but she also wanted to pick something that was really going to catch Tristan’s eye.

  Noting that it was a nice sunny day, she decided that perhaps it was time to bring out one of her more special garments. Her eyes wandered along the line of garments in her closet, finally coming to rest on the ocean blue Qipao that hung at the end of the row. She was surprised that she had never actually worn it before, though, in her defense, there had not been many occasions that she felt warranted the traditional and rather expensive garment. Today, though, she felt like she could make an exception.

  Her phone buzzed then, and when she swiped her finger across the screen she was surprised to see that it was a Facebook message from Tristan. It asked her if she would be willing to meet him at the office at 2 pm, which struck her as a strange coincidence. She figured that she wouldn’t mention that to Isabella, instead returning her attention to getting dressed. The silk Qipao felt amazing as it slid across her skin, and when she went to check her appearance in the mirror she couldn’t help but smile at how beautiful she looked.

  “Holy cow, Bella. I didn’t know that you could look that pretty,” Isabella said flatteringly, grabbing her friend’s brush and handing it to her as Bella moved to stand in front of the mirror.

  “Aw, thanks, Isabella. I think,” she said hesitantly, a small smile spreading across her face despite herself. She was feeling really confident in how she looked today, and her friend’s comment was only serving to help inflate her hopes that Tristan would feel the same way when he saw her.

  She decided not to put on too much makeup since she wanted Tristan to like her for her as opposed to the China doll that she would end up appearing as were she to go too far with dolling herself up. She settled for using a little bit of powder on her face and some mascara around the eyes to help bring out her golden-brown irises a little more. Topping it off with a thin coat of ruby-red lipstick and Bella was feeling like the sexiest woman alive.

  Once the two of them had managed to get ready, Bella took a glance at the clock hanging on the wall. It was a little after 1 pm, and it was going to take a little bit of time for them to get to the office from where they lived, so they decided that it wouldn’t hurt for them to leave early. Isabella chose to drive, so that left Bella to be free to get lost in her own thoughts as they drove down the highway. She sang along when the song "Groovy Kind of Love"came on the radio, the Phil Collins tune happening to be one of her secret favorites.

  They pulled up to the front of the office building, Isabella throwing the car into park the instant that it came to a stop. Bella slowly climbed out of the passenger’s side, her purse held gently in her hand as she stepped onto the sidewalk. She was being careful as she walked, her heels clicking lightly on the ground. She wasn’t wearing high heels because she knew that she would never have been able to make it through a whole day in those. Instead, she was wearing a simple pair of heels that were only slightly elevated, wanting to take advantage of the small amount of additional height that they gave her.

  Tristan soon arrived in his car, and coming right behind him was Amun in his own car. Bella let out a gentle laugh at the look of shock on her friend’s face when Amun walked over to her with a big bouquet of roses. The Puerto Rican stammered out a thank you, her eyes closing as she took a deep sniff of the flowers. Bella jumped slightly when she heard Tristan clear his throat close to her, her head immediately snapping to the side so she could look at him.

  His dreadlocks had been pulled back into a ponytail of sorts which showed off his rather broad forehead, his beard having been trimmed even more in anticipation of the day. He was dressed in a midnight blue three-piece suit, a white handkerchief poking out of the front pocket of his suit jacket. His hand was hiding behind his back, and when he brought it around in front of him Bella was pleasantly surprised to see that he had brought a bouquet of roses for her as well. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she took a moment to smell the roses, enjoying their floral scent even as it tickled her nose to the point that she felt like she might have to sneeze.

  “Are you ready for our date, Bella?” Tristan asked with a smile, those white teeth of his seeming to gleam even more brightly in his mouth today.

  “I sure am,” she replied in earnest, fluttering her eyelashes at him flirtatiously as she spoke.

  “Perfect. I was thinking that you and I could go off and do our own thing for a while, and then we can meet back with Amun and Isabella at O’Cleary’s to end the night. What do you say?” Tristan’s eyes slowly moved down Bella’s body as he spoke, causing her to shiver with happiness at the somewhat hungry gleam that passed through his eyes as she watched.

  Bella cast a sidelong glance at Amun, noting the fact that he seemed to want to protest Tristan’s decision. She saw Tristan slowly shaking his head in Amun’s direction, unable to see his lips as he mouthed something to his friend. Amun let out a defeated sigh after that, clearing his throat before asking Isabella if she was ready to go for their date as well. Isabella shot a backward glance over her shoulder as she began to walk away, flashing Bella a thumbs up. She waved encouragingly at her friend before turning her full attention back to Tristan, whom she now found herself alone with.

  “Alright, let’s be off,” Tristan said cheerfully, his hand moving to take Bella’s lightly before beginning to walk forward. Bella blushed when she felt his hand wrap around hers, noticing just how small her hand seemed compared to his. She didn’t try to pull away from him since she was secretly pleased with him actually having plucked up the courage to take her by the hand.

  “Where are we going?” Bella asked inquisitively, happy about the fact that Tristan seemed to be taking smaller steps than usual so as to not make her have to struggle to keep up with him.

  “I figured that we could start by grabbing lunch. Are there any restaurants nearby that you are particularly fond of?” Tristan as
ked, his eyes moving to wander over the many signs of the businesses that sat on each side of the street.

  “You remember that little diner that is just a couple blocks from here?” she asked, glancing over at him. “They have specials today that I am kind of interested in trying. I heard about it from the waitress last time I was there.”

  “Perfect. Let’s make our way there,” Tristan replied enthusiastically.

  Chapter Eleven

  Tristan

  As he and Bella walked into O’Cleary’s a few hours later, Tristan was in one of the best moods he had been in in a long time. His day with Bella, though it had only honestly lasted a little over five hours, had actually managed to be one of the most wonderful times he had ever been allowed to experience. As he looked at Bella’s face, which was once again beaming with a wide smile, he could feel that familiar thudding sensation as his heart began to beat faster in his chest. He wasn’t sure when it had happened, especially with how stuck on Isabella he had been for so long, but somehow Bella had managed to win him over completely.

  She had proved to be an enjoyable companion, to say the least, the two of them quickly bonding over Tristan’s compliments towards her Qipao, surprising her with the fact that he even knew what it was. Revealing that he was a bit of a Chineseaphilewas slightly embarrassing at first, but she had seemed to be more flattered by it than anything else, which he chose to roll with. His attention had been closely focused on her, so much so that he had almost walked into the door of the bar on his way in.

  The inside of their usual hangout was practically unrecognizable with all of the holiday decorations, Tristan unable to believe that a bar could actually have that much pink present and still remain credible. He heard Bella let out a gasp as she looked around, the obvious excitement in her voice actually making Tristan have to repress the desire to roll his eyes. She was definitely a woman, alright.