AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Madison
Apart of me always knew that if somehow, we got together, I would be a bit more affected than I had been back when he didn't personally or sexually, for that matter, care for my existence. But now, after what he had done the previous night, after the fact that I wanted to recall how many times he had kissed me and realized that I didn’t know because it was so many times, I suspected that I might be in trouble. The craving had started to intensify, and since I had told everyone that he was engaged to protect my nonexistent territory, it was obvious that I was out of control.
Nothing, however, hit me like when we were that close in proximity to each other, like we had been when I had leaned down to hear what he was trying to tell me. Being his secretary, these kinds of situations occurred more frequently than not, and I could still remember the first time it had happened. He was so oblivious. He was trying to find information that he had mentioned earlier in the day and couldn’t find on an agreement I had typed up for him, and I had to lower down to check on account of the fact that my ridiculous thick fake glasses sometimes obstructed my clear view.
Then I could feel his heat, inhale his scents, and look into his gorgeous eyes. To him, it was like what it had been like staring at a wall, but I truly wondered what it felt like to him. For me, I had been convinced in that moment that I was falling in love with him. This wasn't going to be a smooth situation wherein I had complete and absolute control of myself. From what I suspected; he was going to make me lose it from time to time.
Sighing, I received the instruction he had given out about the golf invitation, so I returned to my seat and began to take notes. I was seated with a few men and women, and just then, the woman by my side nudged me. She was much older, so I didn’t expect to be barraged by questions about the rumor I had spread about my boss. However, this was karma coming for me, so I couldn't help but smile when needed and pretend when prompted.
“How is she?” The woman asked, and I was taken aback at first. She soon explained, “His fiancée, you said he was engaged, right?”
“Yeah,” I replied. “Um, yeah.”
“So, how is she? I imagine she’s incredibly beautiful and smart, right? Is she just a pretty girl? Men like him tend to just go for the woman that will give him the least trouble. The others here are so jealous and heartbroken. You hurt a lot of people today.”
I smiled at her and really wished that I could roll my eyes, but she was too close to mine to catch this, so I quickly turned away and returned to work. After readjusting his schedule, I started to count down the minutes until this ended and I could go back to bed. How I had survived this day so far, I didn’t have a clue, but I was done trying, and all I could think about now was my bed.
There was, unfortunately, an afternoon left of the conference for the day, and he had said that he would be attending. I would usually never ask, but I was sure at that moment that what we needed from each other was space, and since I didn't see how we could go to work after all of this together, then there was really no point in hesitating to ask for more. So, the moment the conference was over, I found him and informed him of what I wanted to do.
He seemed quite surprised to hear my request. Twice his lips parted as though he wanted to say one thing or the other, but then he stopped himself at the end.
“I can remain if you need me,” I said, feeling even more incompetent than I already did. “I'm fine. I just need to rest. The hangover's all but gone now.”
“Two minutes ago you said that it was taking its toll,” he said, and my guilt worsened.
“You're lying a lot,” he said. “I don’t like that. I've never once considered you a liar, and I think I'm only now realizing that this is what kept you as my personal secretary.”
I stared at him, completely taken aback, and then I felt even worse.
“I’m sorry,” I lowered my head, “I just… it's difficult for me to ask for this time off when it's the middle of the day. But I need it. I didn't want to admit weakness to you, so I have to… it's not alive. Earlier, I was trying to be strong, but now… I just want to rest for a little bit.”
“That’s okay,” he said, “and you can go. We can talk later.”
“Thank you, Sir,” I said, and he nodded. His gaze lingered on me for a moment, and then he turned and continued on his way. I was finally free, and I couldn’t believe it. As fast as I possibly could, I hurried out of the venue and met Mr. Kit, who was waiting to take me back to the hotel.
As soon as I got in, I stopped thinking. I shut off my brain, took off my clothes, got into bed, and pulled the covers over my head. The room had been cleaned by staff, so it was a relief to me that everything had been stowed away and brought to order. And I shut my eyes and tried my very best not to think of everything that had happened within the past several days.
Chapter Nineteen
Hunter
Barely ten minutes after she left, and I regretted that I hadn’t gone with her. The conference had been bearable when she was there, but now all I could think about was returning to the hotel. I wouldn’t see her, but I’d know she was in the next room, and to me, that was more interesting than remaining here. So, the minute we had a break, I got up and walked out. I sent a message to the organizer apologizing, saying that something very urgent had come up, and then I found Mr. Kit and was driven back.
When I reached my door, I couldn’t help but wait before it for a moment. Just a few steps to the right, and I would be at hers. I wanted above all else to find out if she was doing well. This was what I wanted to ask back in the restaurant, and instead, I lashed out and scolded her for lying to me. I just didn’t know how I was supposed to show care for her, even though I had set down the rule that I wasn’t to relate to her personally. Maybe that was just the decent thing to do as a human being? However, I couldn’t help but think that it was going to make things even more complicated between us. And so, I'd lash out instead.
Now… I wished I had checked whether or not she had eaten during lunch. She needed food if she was to recover, and I was sure she hadn’t had any. So, after some thought, I placed those orders with room service, got in bed as well, and fell asleep. A few hours later, I woke up to the sight once again of the sun setting. It was beyond magnificent, and I wondered if I had ever appreciated it like this back when I was in New York. I was always so busy, always so occupied with one meeting and nearly late to the next. But this time around, for once, there was only one thing on my mind, and that was her.
I tried to go back to bed, but I couldn’t. She needed to eat, so I picked up the phone and sent one of the hotel staff to her room to ask what she needed. There were too many options, and I didn’t want to pick something that she would be forced to eat. Afterwards, I laid down in bed and recalled the plan she had for us to go to the theatre. She hadn't yet reminded me of it, though there was still about two hours left to go. It only meant that either she was still asleep, or she was awake and waiting to remind me as well.
I considered the option and decided that I would stay in instead. I tried watching some television, but five minutes in, and I recalled why I hadn’t watched television in over ten years. Completely unengaging. So, I pulled out my laptop instead and started on an email that I had to respond to from the office back in New York. The time flew, and darkness descended over the city, but I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Chapter Twenty
Madison
The knock on the door startled me awake from my dreams. I was so deeply asleep that not until my phone began to ring, did I jerk awake. Initially, I thought it was my cell phone as I hurriedly reached out for it, but eventually, I realized it was the hotel phone.
I grabbed it and found that it was from the restaurant. "Miss Parish? This is Miss Madison Parish?" the voice on the other end asked.
