Frankie's point of view:
"He's four years younger, but that doesn't matter; does it?" Jenny sighs, rotating herself in my office chair and spinning in a circle. "He's so much more mature than what Brian was and he was six years older! And, I mean, who doesn't want a man who cooks for a living?"
Her new interest was in the twenty-five year old chef that her friend Rochelle introduced her too over the Christmas break. He was Rochelle's partner's very good looking cousin who, for the past forty-five minutes, she hadn't shut up about. I roll my eyes, grabbing the red pencil from the holder and coloring in the sketch of the new layout of the new hotel's master bedrooms.
"Age only matters if it's illegal." I tell her. "If you want to go for it, then do it. Get to know each other, find out if he's as good of a chef as he says he is, you never know; he might be boring."
She snorts. "I doubt it. We spoke for four hours and it felt like ten minutes." She lets out a sigh. "Enough about my situation, I think I've been the only one talking the past hour. How did your Christmas go? Don't think I've forgotten about you and Mr Moody spending it together. So - how was it?"
She leans her chin on my knuckles, grinning widely at me in anticipation. I could feel my lips twitch into a disappointment frown as the light colouring began to get heavier at the mere mention of our Christmas break. We returned back to the city yesterday afternoon after a very long and very silent car journey through the heavy snow and fog then, this morning, we rode together to work but parted ways as soon as we entered the foyer.
Again, in silence.
"It was fine." I replied simply. "Christmas is Christmas. So, are you going to ring this new Gordon Ramsey?"
She rolls her eyes, taking the final sip from her coffee and chucking the empty cup into the trash can by her feet. "Like I'll believe that. Something happened, what was it?"
I feel the lines aside of my lips deepening and it causes a crease of concern to wriggle across Jenny's forehead. Clearing my throat, I try to regain my trembling composure and continue with my sketch which had now turned into a messy child's homework. The color trailing outside the lines, a replacement color trying to cover up the mistake I made. Jenny rises up to her feet, brows knitting together.
"Frankie?" She speaks softly. "Did something happen?"
I shake my head, forcing myself to pull a smile. "Nothing I didn't already know. Hey, I don't mean to sound rude but I really need to get these sketches done and put on David's desk before lunch and I've already got sidetracked with your tea and muffins."
Unconvinced, she nods. "Fine, but you know you can talk to me, right?" I nod with the same forced and weary smile. "I'll come back later, good luck."
As the door clicks shut, I breathe a sigh and slump my shoulders. Staring down at the sketch, I huff a breath and crumple the paper and toss it towards the trashcan, only to bounce off the rim and onto the floor. I huff, lifting my pencil to restart but my hand doesn't move. My mind not focusing, but instead drifting towards the man only a door away. Like a rope around my waist, I was tugged in his direction but my stubbornness held its ground.
The lingering memory of Christmas night was still fresh in my mind and it was taking its toll on me and evidently, my work. I was stressed, beyond stressed in fact but I couldn't show it. Showing it would bring questions, questions that I didn't want to answer so I needed to focus, I needed to get my mind zoned back into the way of working; forgetting about Jason.
"Knock knock."
Easier said than done.
My head snaps up in the direction of his voice and he stands with a sheepish smile hanging on the corner of his lips. That dimple. With a ragged breath, I smile tightly. "Morning, Mr Hayes."
The frown doesn't go unnoticed as he allows himself to cross the room, dipping down to reach for the discarded ball of paper. Before my body could comprehend, I watched with horrified eyes as he unravels the ruined layout of his hotel room. His brows are furrowed and he looks to me with a confused expression.
"Is everything okay?" He asks, holding the paper up. "What happened? Why did you chuck this, you've never chucked away your work before."
"I just wasn't feeling it." I slowly announce in a trailed out tone. The admission about my lack of focus being due to his mistake that I have been hung upon from it happened. "Don't worry, I'll have another one drawn up before your meeting this afternoon."
He crumples the paper back up again, discarding it properly this time as my shaky hands lightly begin to follow memory of the rooms layout. I feel his presence creep forward, the heat radiating and making me shift uncomfortably under his towering stance. I bite my lower lip, refusing to look up at him and giving myself jelly legs at one stare. My hand was gripped by his, my pencil now hovering above the paper and frozen from work.
"Is everything okay, Frankie?" He asks. I don't respond, I don't look and I don't move. Which was obviously the wrong thing to do as the softness of his finger nudges my chin upwards. My hand that was free from his grasp, gripped the side of my sketch table and held my wobbly legs as those intense dark orbs stare to mine. "What happened? What's going on with you?"
"I'm fine."
"The biggest lie a woman will ever say." He smirks slightly but doesn't drop either hand. "Seriously, what's going on? You have never threw work away."
Gathering my composure, I move my head from resting atop of his finger and wiggle my hand from his. I leave his side, maneuvering with great difficulty towards my desk. "I'm honestly fine. I just got sidetracked with Jenny and wasn't focusing; I'll get another one drawn up though and bring it to David's office once I'm done."
He still wasn't convinced. I tried to busy myself with the paperwork that I had already filled together in a hope that he would take the silent message and leave the room, leaving me to gather the unsettled butterflies and shove them back in their cages.
He didn't.
"Have I said something?" He asks after moments of silence.
Yes. You kissed me then told me it was a mistake. You kissed me then told me you shouldn't. You kissed me then told me you didn't want to jeopardize our work ethic. You kissed me then told me you would rather us staying boss and employee. You kissed me.
"No." I lie. "Now, I really need to start of these sketches again and I'd rather not be distracted again. Sorry."
With pursed lips, he nods swiftly and doesn't speak another word before exiting and leaving me breathing the longest frustrated sigh. Maybe he was right to keep us strictly professional; if this was us not dating, what would the atmosphere be with us dating?
After another hour, I rush towards David's office with book and papers in hand, blowing away the strands of hair that was beginning to slip from it's french twisted braid. I hear the conversation from inside so I await the beckoning call. Upon entering, David is putting the phone back on the holder and smiles.
"There I was thinking you had bailed on me." He jokes.
"Sorry, I got distracted earlier and had to restart." I explain, laying everything out on the desk in front of him. I brush my hair back behind my ears, resting my hands tiredly on my hips and huffing a long, stressful sigh. "Is there anything else you need?"
"Actually, yes." He says, nudging his chin towards the two chairs in front of him. "You to sit down and tell me why you look like crap."
"Georgia's a lucky girl." I mumble sarcastically. He nudges his chin again and I sigh, relaxing down into the square leather seat.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing." The lies were spilling from my tongue today. "I'm just tired and stressed about messing up those sketches."
"Possibly, but that's not all." He tells me with a matter-of-factly tone. He reclines back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "I have a hour to kill before this meeting."
I force a smile, "I don't have a hour to kill. I have some drafts that need finishing and -"
"And I'm also your boss, who incase you forgot, can clear your schedule." He grins cheekily. I narrow my eyes at his amusement and groan. "So, you going to tell me now?"
David wasn't like my boss, but I still didn't feel comfortable discussing my struggle with my feelings towards his cousin - also known as - his business partner. While I'm sure his opinion would be useful, was I wanting to air my problems out for him to judge?
"I knew it." He says and I open my mouth to speak. "What did Jason do now?"
"How do you know it's about Jason?"
He smirks. "I didn't, but you just confirmed it." groan. "So tell me. What could my dumb ass cousin do to distract you that much that your mind is so focused on him. And it's obviously something bad, because if you two were a couple already then neither you or Jason would be turning in for work this morning."
My wide eyes made him chuckle but the thought of Jason and I locked away in his home was enough to make the beads of sweat gather along the frilly collar of my shirt. I wipe my hands clean on the hugging pencil skirt and sigh frustratingly as the events of the past week unfold from my lips, boiling over like a overfill. The pressure was beginning to lift from my aching shoulders but the cramps on my heart were still strong.
"I knew this would happen." David sighs loudly. He rubs his hands over his face. "Listen, Frankie, everything Jason said is utter bullshit."
I flinch.
"He doesn't want to forget about your kiss. He doesn't want things to be solely focused on work. He doesn't want to see you as just an employee or colleague." He tells me confidently. "But he doesn't want to ruin things between you two because things are probably the best they've ever been between him and a woman. He's never been so happy, so relaxed and so - well, so in love."
In love?
"What?"
David chuckles. "Jason won't show it, he'll try to hide it but he has some serious feelings for you and I'm not talking about a crush. I'm talking about a grow-a-set-and-be-a-man feelings. But he's terrified because this was never his plan; he only wanted you to help him get over Natasha and to make him realise that not everyone is interested in what's inside his wallet. But then he's realised than when he was being taught on how to love, he found it instead."
The pins behind my eyes jag at my tear ducts and make them gather unwillingly along my lashline. My head believed David, but my heart wasn't as easily persuaded. I was dumbfounded by the revelations and David smiles softly.
"I'll talk to him." David said. "I think it would be nice for him to finally find someone with a genuine braincell."
A rough laugh escapes my throat as his desk phone rings. Holding up his finger, I sink back in the chair and let his latest statement repeat; when he was being taught on how to love, he found it instead.
"We'll be there in a minute." David's hardened tone snatches me back from my daydream. Furrowing my brows at the sudden change in his demeanor, I feel chills creep down my back. "We've to go to Jason's office. Now."
I jump just as quickly to my feet as he did. "What's happened? Is everything okay?"
He doesn't speak, but instead marches quickly from his office leaving me to scurry after him with trembling confusion. He doesn't knock Jason's office door but instead almost removes it from the hinges with strength. Through my terrified, sick feeling that swirled in my stomach, I can't help but feel my insides flutter at the sight of the tall, dark and handsome swoon dressed in a grey suit.
"What the fuck is going on?" David growls. My butterflies this time scurry in fear back to their cages and I gulp loudly. Jason runs a hand through his hand, exasperation causing creases to form on his forehead.
"What's wrong?" I pipe up quietly. I look between the cousins. David, whose hard gaze and locked jaw remained focused on Jason and Jason, whose angered eyes turned soft and sad at the sound of my voice. My hands quiver. "You're both scaring me. What's going on?"
Jason licks his lips. "Constable Jefferys rang." The mention of the officer who took control of my apartment's burglary made me tense. "They know who broke into your apartment, Frankie."
The air was knocked from within me, tears immediately springing to my eyes.
"Who?" I whisper. Jason desperately glances to David, who can't look away from the window behind his cousin's head. I raise my voice. "Who, Jason?"
"Jillian."
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23K. Guys, you have me speechless. Thank you all so much!
Now, as you're all aware, I'm planning on ending this story but I have some news; it may be ending sooner than I anticipated! BUT don't panic! It's allllll for good reason - a sequal!! It's already in the works and it's got me that excited that I NEED to post it soon, which is my reason for the ending. I will give you all warning before I just end this part, but please prepare yourselves.
Lots of love to where ever you are in the world!
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