Tempting - Chapter 13: Earn It

The thought of her being alone in David's office aroused a new feeling inside of me, one I

experienced rarely. I envision him talking to her, putting his hand on her thigh, and I can't help

but flinch from the thought.

"I think her name was Ms. Collete." I say.

"What about Ms. Collete?" Both me and Elizabeth jump as I turn around in horror, coming face to

face with Ms. Collete herself. I feel like I'm about to faint.

She's wearing a tight red ruffled top with a black pencil skirt, accompanied with black heels.

She's still holding on to her clipboard, eyeing us heatedly.

"Uh, nothing ma'am, we were just talking about the printer. It's broken." Elizabeth says.

"And is that my problem Ms. Fetcher? It seems like you two are just sitting around doing nothing, and that's something I just can't tolerate. I'm going to have to put you guys down and talk to Mr. Malone."

"What!?" Elizabeth shots, her eyes bulging,

"Why? We didn't do anything wrong!"

"No, the thing you both did wrong was loitering on the job." Ms. Collete seethes, a vein popping beneath her pale skin.

"Wait, wait, let me go and talk to Mr. Malone, surely he'll understand the problem, right?" She adds.

"Mr. Malone isn't here. He had decided to stay home for reasons I can't disclose and had put me in charge. So any concerns for him must go through me."

Mr. Malone isn't at work? I think about the day prior, wondering if he said anything about taking

the day off. Guilt starts to grip me as I feel the hard surface of my new phone in my pocket. I can't

wait another day to express my gratitude to him in person, but I don't know if he likes people

visiting him out of the blue. I just can't accept gifts of this value, so I'll make sure to say I

appreciate it.

"Well, the printer isn't working, so we can't get any copies." Elizabeth says.

"Again, I am not skilled in that category so you might want to bring it up with someone who is." Ms. Collete gibes, leaning in.

"And also, I want to give a word of advice. Keep my name out of both of your mouths. There may be consequences if this type of accident happens again."

And with that she turns around, her heels leaving behind distinct clacks as she makes her way

towards David's office. We both stare in the direction she left, complete disbelief on our faces.

"Hmm, at least we now know more about her. She's giving me Grinch vibes" Elizabeth concludes, shaking her head.

"I'll just go to our main office and call maintenance. Hopefully they're available at this hour."

I nod as she leaves too, making my way back to my office. Right before I get there, I see the man

with the dark blue tie again, but this time he's wearing a light grey suit and his honey hair isn't

as gelled back. I don't stare too long in fear that I might upset him.

------------------------------------------------------

My shift is over, and I'm packing my things back into my bag. I pull the strap over my shoulders

and begin to walk out of my office when again I see the man from earlier, but this time he's

talking into his phone by the elevator.

"Well, get him on the phone asap! I can't keep coming back expecting him to be here and be completely stood up! This is a significant waste of my valuable time!.. Yes, I know this deal can be advantageous, but if its costing my dignity, I'd rather just forfeit it." He eyes me walking

towards him and he immediately cuts off the line, saying a quick "I'll talk to you later" as my face

flushes.

"What do you want?" He says in a brisk voice, clearly heated from the conversation.

"I'm... I just need to g-get on the elevator." I motion towards the golden doors behind him and his own cheeks grow with color, but just barely. He scoffs.

"Well, then move along. I was in the middle of an important call."

I nod and walk on the elevator, pressing the button quickly. I didn't want that awkward

encounter to go on longer then it had to. I wonder who he is and who he was talking to.

I make my way to the bus, the evening's slow winds sending shivers down my back. I look up at

the darkening clouds and realize that its about to rain. I didn't bring my umbrella, and I still have

a 15 minute walk to make after getting off the bus.

I weave my hands in my pocket and touch the smooth exterior of the phone. Right, I still haven't

talked to David about the expensive items he bought me yesterday.

I clutch it between my fingers as I board the bus, David's mansion coming to view in my mind.

----------------------------------------

I still feel hesitant as the bus arrive's on David's street, the magnificent houses in clear view of the vehicle's window.

I walk to his dark wood door, not knowing what to do. What if he doesn't respond, or he gets

angry at me for not telling him in advance? I feel little water droplets fall on my head, collecting

in rivers that slide down my forehead to the base of my chin.

I close my eyes and ring the bell, my heart pounding loudly in my chest. At first, I don't hear

anything, and I feel a very strong urge to turn around and sprint towards home, but instead I

press the bell again.

After a couple of moments, I hear a series of clicks followed with the door fully opening.

I feel frozen as David crosses his arms while leaning on his entrance, his shirt non-existent. I feel

my eyes widen as I take him all in. His skin is golden tan with muscles that bulge with every

slight movement. I coast my eyes to the deep lines shaping his abs, feeling my stomach flutter

with temptation . He also has a v-line that runs from his lower stomach all the way to the inside

of his pants. Wait, i'm staring at his pants...I divert my attention back to his bright amber eyes,

extreme heat coloring my cheeks.

"I-" I choke on my words.

"You're soaking." I look down at my clothes and indeed they are soaked from the now malicious rain.

"Gesibel, get back inside." David scolds his white Pomeranian who is currently try to wiggle

between his feet to have access to the outside. He turns his attention back to me as he pushes it

to the flock of dogs behind him.

"You should probably come inside too so you don't get sick."

"Right, sorry if this is so sudden." I apologize timidly, sitting on his cloud white sofa again. The

first time I was here, i thought we were about to... but I assumed wrong as he told me to go

home.

The dogs yap playfully as they swarm David's legs and yip at mine. He walks to the kitchen,

clanking together drinks before coming out. After he sits down next to me, I bite my bottom lip

and coax myself to start the conversation.

"So, um, not that you have to tell me or anything, but why weren't you at work?"

"Had some business outside of the office." He answers bluntly, taking a sip of his drink. I cough into my hand, beginning to form the words I've actually come to say.

"David... I saw the things you gave me. Uh, I-I am really appreciative of all that, but you really didn't need to spend those things on me, I didn't earn them. " I spill, trying not to look down at

the perfectly sculpted abs on his stomach.

I try to find some type of response in his eyes, but they come out completely emotionless. I look down at my hands.

"I swear, I'm not trying to be unappreciative, I really am not. I'm just not used to getting things when I didn't do anything, especially not anything so expensive. I didn't earn any of these things."

"You didn't need to earn them, they were gifts, and also for your benefit in the company." He

says, his gaze unwavering, voice deep. I swallow, my cheeks erupting in heat. I've never gotten

gifts like these, I was taught growing up to be humble and not accept anything too much of value

from anybody.

"I k-know. God, I'm sorry if this is weird. I just can't accept them. Please understan-" My voice cracks as I pinch the skin of my fingers.

"So, you can't take them unless you feel like you deserve them."

"Yeah, I'm not trying to be rude I-"

"You want to earn them Calvin?" My heart spikes as he leans in closer, his voice low.