Helen headed straight to the bathroom in a daze. She needed a minute to herself to process what had just happened, or even thirty seconds but knew she wouldn’t be able to get it. Alvin came after her and although she tried to increase her pace as quickly as she could without flat-out running, his long legs and shrill voice called out to her. “Helen! Helen!”She turned around to face him. He withdrew with a hiss of breath through his teeth. His reaction crushed her even more and brought tears to her eyes. Aaron had seen her this way! For the first time in more than a month, they were seeing each other again, and she looked like a homeless stray cat. She wanted to bury herself in the ground.“You met the new CEO?” He asked excitedly. “How was he?Does this mean no one else from their team had gotten to meet him?, She wondered. “I didn’t meet him,” she replied. “I just ran into him on the way down from the VP’s office. They’re going to have lunch.”“Oh, alright then,” he said. “He’s su
The next day, she went to work prepared. She vowed to look her best. Her outfit was a real green pantsuit and a white shirt that came straight from the dry cleaners. Her hair was in a fancy chignon, that she had only ever been able to pull off at two other times in her lifetime, and her makeup, although simple, was rosy and adequate to show she was back from the dead.There wasn’t any doubt that she would meet him today, and when she did, she intended to be in the best possible state she could be in. She had no clue how their conversation would go, but she did know the only question she had for him.What the hell was he doing here?Later that morning however, she watched as Alvin was called from his cubicle across from hers, and requested to go up to the executive floor. He stared at me, now back to his usual casual attire of dark jeans and a dress shirt, his eyes widening with horror and disappointment. “I’m not ready,” he mouthed to her.Neither was she, for whatever was happening r
After the party was announced, the manager, Henry, came out of his office.“Marketing team two, you’re forbidden to attend this party. Your account is still a fucking, bloody mess.”The groans were deafening, and it made Helen look around to see if they had suddenly gotten more members than she was aware of. She realized then, that other employees were also grumbling on their behalf.“Just for tonight, boss,” Aarif called out.Henry was already heading back to his office. “Just for tonight, Henry,” Lee pleaded. “There’s pizza, tacos, and a barrel of red wine.”The floor erupted into excitement again, but Henry slammed his door shut behind him to the amusement of many. Soon, the chatter died down, and they got back to work.Later that evening, at just after 7:30, Helen headed down to the floor with Alvin and found it nearly half-filled with the employees. There was laughter and clusters of teams acquainted with each other hanging out. And, of course, the expansive table of food by the
In her spacious corner office, Anna sat at her polished mahogany desk, an air of frustration surrounding her. She had been unsuccessful in reaching Aaron since their last meeting, and her attempts to contact him had been met with silence. Her mind raced with concerns and questions about the man she was determined to win back. The door to her office swung open, and a woman entered quietly. It was the same domestic staff member who had previously supplied Anna with information about Helen. Anna looked up, her expression a mixture of curiosity and impatience."What is it?" Anna inquired, her tone sharp and direct.The woman hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Ms. Anna, I thought you might want to know that your ex-husband left for Chicago a few days ago. He seemed quite preoccupied." Anna's eyes widened, and she leaned forward, her voice laced with urgency. "Chicago? But why? What's he doing there?"The domestic staff member sighed, knowing she was walking on thin ice but compelle
“I-I came here to speak to you.” she finally said. It took all the courage she had. He didn’t even bother looking at her. “Go ahead.” The elevator door dinged open, and he got in.She didn’t move. “Aren’t you getting in?” He asked.She released a heavy breath. “Aaron,” I called, and the elevator doors began to close.His gaze was on her, and she thought that he would reach out to stop it, but instead, he remained in the same position, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pocket.The elevator closed, and she blinked. It took her a few seconds to process what had just happened, and then she realized he was leaving. She couldn’t believe it.“Dick!” she swore, as a surge of anger shot through her. She pounded on the downward button, intending to go after him.Finally, it arrived.She hopped on, but as she arrived on her floor, she stopped it and got off. “Fuck him,” she said, as her eyes misted at his cool dismissal. She returned to her desk and took her seat to calm down but
Helen felt frustrated. She didn't need to use the bathroom. But she, however, needed to breathe well, away from him. She needed to stare at her confused visage in the mirror. What the hell was she going to do? To move them beyond this stage, especially as it now seemed that she had annoyed him to the point of a voluntary stalemate. She has always been a very likable and understanding person. She always tried to avoid having problems with people. Why then was she finding it difficult with Aaron? For them to proceed, she had to be the one to make the move, and the very thought made her limbs tingle with fear. Her head fell into her hands. What was wrong with her? Especially now, when there was so much more at stake between them, even though he didn’t know it yet. She gazed at herself in the mirror again. "What exactly do I want?" She spoke aloud. "Him in my life, or not at all?" She lowered her gaze as her hand rested on her stomach. She did want him in her life. She wanted him s
He brushed the tendrils of escaped hair away from her face. “I have another request for you.” With his thumb and forefinger, he lifted her chin upwards so he could lock her gaze with his. “It’s been more than a month and a half. Any longer and I will cease to be able to function.”Helen's face immediately began to flush with heat as she processed what he was saying. Shy, she tried to pull her gaze from his. He wouldn’t let her. “Helen, I'm serious,” he breathed. “I need to be inside you. How about tonight? Anywhere you want.”Right then, what she wanted more than anything was to kiss him, hard and deep. So her hands lifted to hold the sides of his face. He didn’t wait. With a slant of his head, he crushed his lips to hers and she tasted him again. It was like coming home from a long, arduous, and very unnecessary journey. As his tongue dipped and stroked hers, she felt her knees begin to weaken, the fire he wrought in her heart, draining her entire body of the stamina needed to even
She was already out of his arms and out of the stall. “Easy for you to say, you own the damn company.” she headed over to the mirror to check her disheveled, just fucked hair, and rumpled clothes. And if she looked enough, she could see reddened kiss marks on my neck. “Oh no!” she gasped.Aaron came up to the sink beside her. He wetted a handkerchief and began to approach her. “I’ll do it myself,” she said, not sure she could handle him touching her again. It felt like she was about to spontaneously combust, both from anxiety and ecstasy, and it was all too much, all at once.But he caged her, arresting her between the counter and his rock-solid frame until the only thing she could do was give in. She stared into his eyes as he lifted her skirt once again and slid her thong aside to cover it with his handkerchief.Her eyes fluttered closed, her breathing pattern now in short desperate spurts. When he was done, he arranged her clothes back in place and slipped the handkerchief into