20 - Clara's Office (2)

‘There she is with her secret smile again. What was she smiling about, anyway?’ Sebastian wondered as he looked at her expectantly. He was still prepared to persuade her with his steely eyes if she offered another excuse, but she surprised him when she acquiesced.

Clara raises her eyebrows and looks at Sebastian, ‘How are you riding with me? Did you bring your own bike, or do I need to carry you on my handlebars?’ 

‘I don’t think I have a spare bike, but maybe you can use Max’s bike. I think you’re almost the same height, right?’

‘I have my bike strapped to my car. I... Uhm... I brought my riding shorts. Do you mind if I change in the restroom and leave my clothes here? I can walk down with you,’ he said it like he had everything planned out. He sounded a little bit cocky, she thought.

‘Hmm.. well..,’ she was about to reply when Max butted in, opening the door halfway, ‘You’re going to a meeting after this, right? Why not use the private shower in her private bedroom? We do it all the time. She has a very good shampoo. It’s the one that rocks your senses,’ Max winks. ‘You know, instead of using the locker room downstairs,’ Max ended.

“There’s nothing wrong with the locker rooms downstairs,” she interrupted. She was grinding her teeth and clenching her fists. When she got hold of a stapler, she threw it at Max. Laughter could be heard from the other side of the door when he closes it. 

He peeked back in to pick up her stapler from the floor. ‘I didn’t know your stapler could fly,’ he joked. Max was betting on their relationship, so why not help it move faster, he thought. It was time his sister got serious with someone, and maybe he was biased, but he liked that Sebastian was established, and there was no possibility of him riding on her coattails. 

Her bedroom was the most magnificent addition to her office. It was added on later during the big system upgrade. They all realized they would stay over in the office more often to finish their projects on time. It was very uncomfortable for them to sleep on the sofas or on the cold floor, so they decided to cut into her office to add a bedroom and a bathroom with a shower to boot.

He could see the fire coming out of her eyes and smoke coming out of her nose, ‘pissed’ was not enough to describe what she was feeling right now. Sebastian can’t help but witness their exchange, he didn’t know what to do. He was half expecting her to decline, now that Max had pushed her buttons so much. 

She wanted him to use the locker rooms downstairs. ‘Fudge. Ugh, fine, I’ll be nice. We need this contract. Letting him use my shower won’t affect me,’ she thought, trying to convince herself, ‘I won’t let it.’

Narrowing his eyes, he was ready to step in and tell her that he would do whatever she wanted to appease her when she said, ‘Fine, leave your suit here. You can use my shower too. It’s through that door,’ she pointed to a door behind her. 

The door was hidden in a nice corner, right by a shelf, and he didn’t notice it until she pointed out the location. No wonder her room looked like it should have been bigger inside than it was.

It looked like a purple oasis, with the accent wall painted a dark purple. It was flanked by a floor-to-ceiling picture window on one side that made you feel as if you were outdoors. And on the other side, he saw the walk-in closet and entrance to the bathroom. 

On the bed, she had a white Japanese-inspired duvet cover with dark purple sheets. It felt like a very relaxing and inviting room. It was a little girly, and it surprised him that she would let him into her private sanctuary, and he didn’t want her to change her mind. 

Sebastian made his way to the bathroom, took several hangers from the closet, and hung his suit. He changed into his Bermuda shorts over his riding pants and loose-fitting, water-wicking shirt because he knew he was going to sweat a lot and didn’t want to risk giant pit stains around the woman he desired. 

He hung his suit right beside her clothes and smiled. ’This looks very homey. I think I like it. This is how our stuff would look side by side.’ He wondered if he should be naughty and go through her closet to see what else might be in her drawers. But he tamped down his curiosities. Right now, she trusted him. No way he was going to break it this soon.

He was finally ready after he changed his socks and shoes.

-=-

She kept berating herself for letting Max talk her into allowing him into her room. The messages she sent him threatened his life and future children. There was no one to blame but her. She rarely falls for these things, especially when her brothers are involved, but for some reason, with Sebastian being there, she caved.

After she calmed down, she continued with her paperwork, and that’s where he found her when he came out of the bedroom. She turned her head and noticed that he looked very comfortable in his riding attire, like he belonged there, very homey.

‘I won’t lie, he’s kinda cute,’ she says to herself. Unknowingly, giving him a smile. She hurriedly turned her head around, not wanting to get caught perusing the whole package. 

He still caught her smiling, and he felt elated. Whatever she was smiling about, he knew it was directed at him. ’Do you want to walk down together? I can wait for you,’ he asked.

‘No, it’s okay. I still need to change into my riding gear. I’ll meet you downstairs,’ she replied. Trying to put some distance between them.

‘Okay, I’ll bring my bike out front and wait for you down there.’ he said

She changed into her biking outfit and looked into the mirror. ‘Shit, maybe I should change. I think he might have worn the same outfit. I don’t want him to think I matched him. Agh! Never mind, who cares?’ She had no other shirts except for white ones. 

She tells Eliana, her secretary, she was going biking and would be back before lunch. ‘Order lunch for yourself and 4 other people, from that sushi restaurant we like. Order our favorites, and please don’t forget to ask Max and Jeremy to join me. Tell them they can’t refuse, or they’re both fired.’