“What? You’re joking, right?” I asked, not believing the words that escaped my friend’s mouth.

The tears clouded her vision, so she parked at the side of the road few blocks away from the company. She wiped away her tears along with the smudged make-up. “You think I would joke about something like this?” she said in a shrill voice, scowling her face at me.

“No, of course not, but it is Brandon that we are talking about. The same Brandon whose whole body was shaking when he tried to confess to you in high school, the Brandon that would always get you a bouquet of flowers to tell you he was sorry after each fight. Are you sure that we are talking about the same man?”

She lowered her head, covering her face with her hands as tears were falling down. “Yes…” she said between her sobs. I could feel a painful twinge in my left chest at the sight of my best friend weeping figure. I circled my arms around her, pulling her head in to my chest; stroking her head soothingly as I tried to calm her down. I could feel the tears soaking in to my white blouse.

“It’s okay Cher. Didn’t you say that you think that he is cheating on you? I am sure that there must be some misunderstanding.” I assured her.

I could feel the friction of her head against my chest as she was shaking her head. “He has been acting so weird these past few weeks, April. He always comes home late, he never did that before. If I message him, he would always reply immediately unless he’s at work, now… now he would reply after few hours. And he has been so busy texting or messaging someone on his phone. He doesn’t even touch me anymore…” The last part came out like a faded whisper. She tilted her head up, meeting my eyes with her tear coated eyes. Her nose red, irritated from the sniffling and rubbing. “Does that still sound like he’s not cheating on me?” She asked, her voice cracking.

Cher, who was normally an overly confident girl brimming with brightness, looked so small, so broken, lost; searching for validation, reasons, and answers. Answers which I couldn’t give to her.

“I would be lying if I said yes, but we will never know until he admits it. It just… sounds impossible; he’s the type of man who would die first before hurting you like that.” I just refuse to believe that he would ever cheat on her.

She scoffed. “He’s still alive.”

A vibration of a phone could be heard, but it wasn’t mine. Cher pushed herself away from my embrace and wiped away her tears. She grabbed her phone from her handbag and looked at it. “It’s from Brandon.” She said. “He wants to talk to me about something.” She continued in a soft whisper.

“He’s going to break up with me, I am sure of it!” She wailed, tears raining down again.

The dam of my tear ducts broke down as I couldn’t handle to see Cher like that, but I suppressed it. Cher needs me right now. I can’t be crying too.

“Hey, hey…” I called, but she kept on crying. I cupped her cheeks with my hands, making her face my way, forcing her to look me in the eye. “It will be alright, I can feel it. Even if he cheated on you, I’ll make sure that he will pay by cutting off his dick.” She lets out a feeble laugh, her cries reduced to sobs. I grabbed her hands. “I will go with you, okay?” She nodded.

“Okay.”

I smiled sympathetically. “Now stop crying, you’re ruining your only good quality.” I said as I wiped her tears away with my thumbs.

“Fuck you.” She said, letting out a light wobbly laugh slapping my arm.

I laughed.

Her face features were still pulled down, shoulder slumped. “I love him April. I love him so much that imagining a life without him is impossible. It’s killing me April.” She said, just above a whisper.

“Yeah…” I replied, stroking her head.

…

We arrived at work and Cher’s complexion looked better than before after letting everything out, but I still felt worried about my friend’s mental health. “Are you sure that you should work today?” I asked. Unbuckling my seatbelt.

She smiled. “I should ask you that. Are you going to be okay with that leg?” she asked, eyebrow raised.

I shrugged. “I’ll survive.”

“So will I.” She smiled reassuring and got out of the car.

‘Damn my friend is strong.’

I grinned and followed her, calling out to her to wait for me as we went in to the building.

Leaning against the cold metal wall of the elevator, I waited until I had reached the floor. Cher had a meeting, so she wasn’t with me. I was scrolling through my phone to see if I had any appointments or meetings today.

Private Number: “I would never cheat on you.” He popped up out of nowhere. I sighed, rolling my eyes.

April: “I never asked and don’t care.”

Private Number: “Well, I care and I sure as hell care if u even think of cheating on me.”

April: “We are not even dating!”

Private Number: “That’s because u don’t want to admit that u have feelings for me!” What in the world is he talking about!? Me liking him? Forget it!

April: “There’s nothing to admit because I don’t have feelings for you!”

Private Number: “Says the girl who was clinging on to me in her sleep.”

A tint of red overshadowed my face.

April: “I don’t remember that.” When did that even happen!?

April: “Also, maybe I dreamed that I was tying the knot with my baby Damon.”

Private Number: “And I’ll be tying a knot around his throat so tightly that his cricoid cartilage gets crushed if you don’t stop talking about him.”

‘Asshole.’ I grumbled, annoyed.

The elevator’s door slides open. I quickly put my phone away, took my crutches and hopped out without looking around properly. I really should have looked better because the next thing I knew, my face collided against something hard, really hard. It was like a stone-brick wall. I winced as my nose took the biggest impact and rubbed it, trying to soothe the sting. “Who in his right mind puts a wall right here.” I grumbled.

The wall vibrated, and I could hear a chuckle from above my head. I slowly looked up, meeting the sharp blue globes, staring at me with a glint of amusement in them. “Sorry.” He said, giving me a sheepish smile.

I gasped and slightly jumped away, forgetting about my unstable leg.

“Wow, careful there.” He puts his arms around my waist and kept me steady, sending electric currents through my whole body.

My body temperature rose up. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Moore! I didn’t watch where I was walking.” I said, trying to escape his heated hold.

‘Why do I always bump in to him like this?’ I groaned internally.

But he didn’t let me go.

“Mr. Moore?” I called.

Mr. Moore said nothing instead, he directed his piercing gaze at my ankle. “What happened?” He growled, tightening his grip on my waist. I winced at the pressure.

“O-Oh this? It was just a clumsy fall accident.” I laughed awkwardly, trying to pry his hands away from me.

His gaze instantly met mine, and I flinched. His blue sky eyes darkened like the night sky. “And you still came to work?” He raised his perfectly arched eyebrow and looked at me as if he wanted to ask where my sanity was at.

I got slightly ticked off. ‘Why does everyone have to ask me that!?’

“Well sir, this company doesn’t pay me if I take a sick leave and I’ve got bills to pay.” I tried to hold back the irritation that bubbled up, but the sassy spin in my tone was clearly noted as I gave him a look, telling him to mind his own business.

I could see the simmering of his anger in his eyes as deep wrinkles formed on his forehead. My fingers were itching to soothe those lines away that were marring his forehead.

“I will have a word with the executive members.” He said calmly, smiling at me, but the smile didn’t meet his eyes. “But you can’t work today.” He said in a firm tone, living no room for any discussion.

“But-!” I was about to oppose his command, but he was quick to silence me, pressing his rough but warm thumb on my lips as he slowly backed me up against the wall.

“And if you have to work…” he breathed out, stroking his thumb across my lips; his eyes flickering from my lips to my eyes and I did the same. My eyes lingering longer on his lips before they moved to his eyes. The need to feel them, taste them. My body couldn’t help but react to his every movement, his every touch.

‘God, why does he have to be so irresistible?’

“Then you will have to work as my secretary today. I’ll pay you double.” He continued, stating his proposal in a low whisper, his minty breath fanning my face.

‘What?’ Me as his secretary? Isn’t that absurd? I have zero experience with that. There’s no way that I can do that, not even for one day.

I was about to open my mouth to refuse his proposal and to just go home, but he hushed me up with his finger again.

‘Can this man let me talk for just one minute!?’ I really got frustrated.

“I don’t take a no for an answer.” He said, smirking at me.

The pumping veins on my forehead were about to pop out, getting irked at how forceful he was.

I could hear a cough on the side. Looking over, I saw we had gotten ourselves an audience. My colleagues were all standing around us in a circle formation, witnessing our conversation. The female colleagues were all staring at me with disdain, especially Sabrina. Her normally beautiful face that she would use to charm men with was now overshadowed by a real sour expression, envious of the situation that I’m in now. That’s also when I realized that Mr. Moore’s arm was still around my waist, which only fueled the envy of my female colleagues.

Mr. Moore, just like me, noticed our spectators, but still didn’t loosen his hold on me. Instead, this man just propelled me towards his office, leaving our colleagues behind with their imaginations about what our relationship could be.

‘Am I going to be killed?’ I thought as dread came over me, scared for my colleagues’ retribution once I’ll get back to my seat.

Once entering Mr. Moore’s office, I could see that he likes a simple interior. His entire office was painted white with an undertone of grey. Infront of the big wide insulated glass was his chestnut brown colored desk, dominating the center of the room, with a pile of documents on it. On the side of the room was a same colored two-seater sofa bed with a cream-colored carpet in front of it.

It was a simple interior, but it was nice. I liked it.

Finally, Mr. Moore lets go of me walking over to his desk. Now that I finally had a good look at him, I took the time to scrutinize him as he was walking over there. His silky onyx black hair was combed back, he was wearing a navy check suit that made his blue eyes pop out, and not only that.

My eyes flickered over to his ass. The suit didn’t no justice to cover up his muscles or his ass. It hugged that man’s body, perfectly showing every bump.

‘God, he got some ass there.’ I thought, basically eye fucking him.

I slapped myself mentally, scolding myself for acting like a starved hyena. I swear I am a virgin! That man’s sexual ambience can even turn a virgin in to a sex craving being.

He sat down in his chair. “Sit down.” He said, gesturing towards the sofa bed. I huffed, blowing away a strand of hair away from my face as I hopped towards the sofa, plopping down on it, crossing my arms and legs as I was glaring at him.

He chuckled and worked on some papers. I just stared at him and admired the view of a handsome man working. A wrinkle would mar his face once in while showing his disapproval of some documents.

But I also disapproved of me not doing anything.

“What’s my task exactly, Mr. Moore?” I asked.

“To rest.” He said, his eyes never leaving the papers as he scribbled on them.

I exhaled, frustrated. If I really wanted to rest, I would have stayed home. So what? Was he never planning to let me work today from the beginning? Why not just send me home then?

I glowered at him and stood up, making my way to the door.

“Where are you going?” He said calmly, still not breaking away from his focus on the papers.

“To work.” I answered.

“Sit back at the couch, Ms. Westwood.” His voice hardened as he spoke.

My heart almost jumped out of my chest from hearing my last name through his

lips.

Hearing my name passing through his lips in his baritone voice sends shivers through my spine. I don’t even want to know what would happen if he said my first name.

“My name…” My voice came out like a whisper. His eyes finally met mine. “I would be a terrible CEO if I didn’t even know the name of the people working here, wouldn’t I?” He grins. “Even though I would have liked it better if you would have given your name to me on the night that we had met.” He chimed.

“So,” He said, resting his chin on the back of his hands with his elbows placed on his desk. “Are you going to sit back or do I have to punish you?” He looked at me, eyes smoldering with an unexplainable heat scorching deep inside of them.

My breath hitched, my body heated up, and it released hormones at the word ‘punishment’, somehow not minding it if he was the one giving it.

“What do you want from me, Mr. Moore?” My voice came out like a squeak, gasping for air as the sexual tension that was coating the air was choking me.

He stood up from behind his desk and stalked slowly towards me like a predator trying to cut off his prey's escape routes.

He slammed me against the door and I let out a gasp, letting go of my crutches. He hunched over, meeting my face, pupils dilated. His gaze went to my lips, lingering on them. My breathing became shallower and more elaborated, feeling the closeness of his face. His pink tongue went across his lips sensually. His eyes flickered back to mine.

“You know what I want.” He husked.

My eyes shifted to his lips, and I licked my own lips. My body was shivering from fear and anticipation. “I don’t.” I breathed out sensually, meeting his eyes.

He let out a primal growl, cupping my chin roughly, pulling me in closer. Our lips were just inches away from each other and the need to connect them heightened.

“I want you April.”