She had been in and out of her office this morning ever since Alexander and Marcus arrived for their meeting with Mr. Jenkins. Marcus and Jacky hit it off the other day and he wanted to see her again tonight for another date.
“Don’t you see I’m busy, Jacky? Can’t we talk about your date later during lunch?” She said annoyed at the persistent knock.
She quickly stood up, shaking the pain away from the bump on her forehead. She felt slightly dizzy from the bump and her sudden movement, making her wobble on her feet. A pair of hands suddenly held onto her shoulders and assisted to steady her.
She already knew whom those hands belong to even before she even looked at his face. His scent was becoming all too familiar and it was not good for her senses.
“Dani. Are you ok?” He said with a bit of concern, but she could also sense the amusement in his tone. He held her head firmly to look at the discoloration that was slowly developing on her fair skin.
“I’m fine.” She said sardonically, trying to get out of his hold on her. She knew he was just trying to help, but she was not particularly comfortable with him standing so close to her.
“No, you’re not.” You have a huge bruise on your forehead, he pointed out.
“I said I’m fine. It’s nothing. I think I will survive.” She moved away from him.
“Were you looking for this?” He asked, holding out in his hand was the gold round pendant she accidentally dropped. “I found it by the door.”
“Thanks.” She took the shining object from him before returning to her seat, restoring the chain and its pendant inside its casing. “What are you doing here, Mr. Princeton?” Making him known that his presence was unwelcome.
“Call me Alexander or Alex. Mr. Princeton is too formal. I would think that we are more than just an acquaintance.” He took a seat at one of the chairs in front of her without waiting for an invitation. He figured he would not get one anyway.
He and Marcus went here to finalize the closure of the case because he needed to fly out tonight. In truth, his presence was not necessary for this proceeding, but he could not resist the idea of not seeing her again.
“We are neither acquaintance nor friends, Mr. Princeton.” She told him, not liking what he was implying.
“Maybe you should attend to that nasty bruise. It’s starting to swell.” He suggested, pointing to her forehead.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing. I had worse.” She took a small tube out of the side drawer and her compact. “Just give me a minute.”
She inspected the skin just above her eyebrow and found a small swelling around the bluish area with a slight cut. “Let me.” She found herself staring at Alexander’s eyes as he snatched the ointment from her hand.
She did not notice him moved and his sudden nearness caught her off guard. His face was just a few inches from hers, his proximity sending havoc in her nerves.
“You should always be careful.” He said as he spread a small amount of the gel in the affected area. He wanted to touch her, to feel her skin against his. An invisible string pulled him to her and there was no way for him to break free.
He slowly caressed her cheeks as he pulled some stray hair away from her face. His eyes lowered to her lips. How he wanted to kiss her.
She suddenly came to her senses when her phone suddenly rang. “Thanks.” She straightened her shoulders and collected herself while he walked back to his seat. She answered the call, concentrating on the person in the other line while evading his gaze.
“Mr. Jenkins informed me that you will be updating me about the pending case.” He stated as soon as she hanged up the phone.
He assessed her quick change of demeanor. He admired her control as she easily shifted to her professional guise. He wondered what else he would discover if he spent more time with her.
“Sorry, I was just made aware of that by Mr. Jenkins. If we could reschedule because I’m heading out right now.” She said as she noticed the time. It was way past her break, but where was Jacky. She was engrossed in her work that she forgot about lunch.
She wanted him gone. Every minute she spent time with him was a risk she did not want to take. However, Mr. Jenkins just informed her that she needed to discuss the case with him today.
“About that, Jacky just canceled on you. She left with Marcus a while ago.” He casually said. “I suggest that we do it now since I’m pressed for time. Why don’t we have a working lunch so we can finish early?”
When he suggested that Marcus take Jacky out for lunch, Alexander was not sure of his intentions, but he could only guess that it had something to do with the girl behind that desk.
She was a puzzle that he needed to solve. Something that he could not quite understand, but his fascination with her was driving him insane. This was the first time that he felt this way. Intrigued by a girl he hardly knew.
That bitch. Dani thought, realizing that Jacky had set her up again. “Fine. Just give me a few minutes to finish up on this. Can you handle ordering the food? Because I have no time to eat out.” She challenged, raising her brows in the process.
“Of course. Do you prefer anything?” Alexander confidently asked with a dashing smile. Satisfied that he won this round.
“Anything’s fine.” She dismissed him. She buried herself with the papers spread across from her. Focusing on her task and not on the man who was busy roaming around her office.
After a few more minutes, she cleared up her table and took out the files that she needed for the meeting.
“Shall we proceed?” She ushered him to the conference room where they could better discuss the projects. She presented the ongoing first, indicating the different progress, the status of its development, and the pending immediate problems that still needed addressing.
He could not help but be impressed with the way she had presented everything and her knowledge of her craft. He now saw what Mr. Jenkins found in her when he hired Dani straight from college as his intern.
The way she moved around the table as she explained her client, left him mesmerized. He had never seen perfection. He did not realize that his focus shifted on her, the way her body moved, the way her eyes sparkle as she discussed her case, the way her lips opened as she passionately verbalized her ideas, he was hooked.
She suddenly stopped. All too aware of the way he was openly staring at her and not at what she was saying. She immediately felt self-conscious, when she turned around, she was trapped in those beautiful eyes. She traveled back to the night he had fulfilled her craving. Her eyes wandered down to his lips, reminiscing the time it explored her body.
“Excuse me. Delivery for Mr. Princeton.” A commotion by the door interrupted them from their trance.
“That would be me.” He immediately took the food and paid for it.
“I think we should eat first before we proceed to the next files.” She suggested as she laid the food out of the paper bag.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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