Oh! A player Gets A Player!!

Chapter 7 

"Erm…. I… I just wanted to say thank you, for giving me this opportunity to work with you," Jasmine told him as she entered his office. 

He had a feeling she wanted to say more than that but was temporarily stunned by the way he spoke to her. She looked a little bit flustered, maybe she wasn't so confident after all. 

It amazed him that he could do that to her, make her feel this way, it showed that she was human after all, unlike him. She looked beautiful even as she just awkwardly stood there. She looked drop-dead gorgeous like she would be the death of him someday.

"You don't need to thank me, this is not charity," he replied. 

He was trying his best to keep his distance, at least until his life was calmer, which might never be. However, right now was not the best period to spark a steamy office romance. He had his head filled with war and possible attack strategies and here his mate was, turning his world upside down. 

"I know, but I just thought it was proper courtesy to do that, I guess I was wrong," she retorted. 

She looked at him squarely before turning back as she headed towards the door.

"Wait!" He exclaimed. 

That stopped her in her tracks. Jason felt bad that he was treating her this way. As much as he tried to deny it, he couldn't ignore this strong urge to be with her. 

And what better way to protect her than having her by his side always, he rationalized. 

If only he saw the smirk on Jasmine's face before she turned back toward him, maybe he would not feel so guilty after all. Jasmine planned to push till he breaks. She knew it wouldn't be easy to get close to someone like Jason Halem, she knew there would be walls she would have to tear down if needed, and she was ready to use every trick she knew. 

She didn't move from where she stood. He told her to wait and she obediently did just that. It was up to him to take the next step, to choose what follows after this. Whatever he said next would determine the trajectory of their relationship. He knew that she knew that, all that was left was for him to take action. 

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to be so rude," he said with such softness that she knew things would work out as planned. 

She stared at him. He looked tired, he was tired. The war had not even fully begun and he was already wary of the battle. He wished things were different. He wished times were different. He wished all he had to worry about was claiming his mate, making her his, but life has never been so easy on him. 

However, he concluded that it was better that he accepted his feelings. He wanted to get close to her, even if it was just to protect her. Truth be told, by now he was fetching for any excuse to make this irrational decision of his worthy of pursuit. 

"It's okay," she said, "but I do hope all is well Sir," she said, looking concerned. 

"I told you, call me Jason," he corrected her. 

"Oh sorry, my bad, hope you're okay Jason," she restated. 

He wasn't okay. Jason Halem was far from any definition of okay. He felt like his head was on fire and he was on edge. He could be attacked anytime soon, from anywhere and that thought scared him. It also made him want to use whatever time he had more effectively. She wouldn't understand all these things, she was only human after all. 

"I will be alright Jasmine," he said, with a little smile. 

It was more of a reassurance to himself. 

He will be alright, he has to be alright. 

She knew that look. Something was wrong but she wouldn't pry. If he wanted to talk to her about what was going on in his life, he would. 

For now, she was just okay that he was a little bit more relaxed with her, like the first day they met. There was a spark between them, she felt it and she planned to milk it dry. He had kinder eyes now, his muscle seemed a little bit less tense. 

There was something strange about him though and she just noticed it now. His eye colour changed occasionally, it happened too often for it to just be normal. 

When he walked past her like she was the plague a while ago his eyes were dead black like they lacked any soul. She was terrified but she still moved to start a conversation. 

However, now they were golden, a soft brightening golden that gave him delicate features, it was a very big contrast from what she saw before. It intrigued her because she didn't know what to do with this information. 

She could bet that the very first day they met his eyes were a golden brown that shone with amusement. He was a fascinating man indeed. 

They were still staring at each other even though both parties were at a loss for words. She wanted him to say more, but he was done talking. 

"Okay then, I'll get back to work…" she announced. 

He simply nodded as a response. By now she had guessed that he was a man of few words, speaking only when necessary, so she was okay with the nod, at least he acknowledged her. 

She took slow deliberate steps as she walked out of his office to her desk. She knew he was watching every step she took and she made sure she gave her best performance with those simple steps. 

Jason was holding his breath all the while she was in his office. Of course, he could never tell her about his problems but she was making it hard for him to be a gentleman here and let her go for now. 

He wasn't mistaken. She was very open about the fact that she liked his company at the very least. Her eyes spoke more than the words she uttered. On the contrary, though, she could just be a very jovial person with a knack for making people's lives a little bit more chaotic than usual. 

Whatever it may be, he wasn't complaining. Sure he wasn't used to someone like her. To be honest he had never met anyone like her. She was bold and courageous and he could sense that she went for what she wanted no matter the obstacles. 

People usually walked on eggshells around him. He wasn't the friendliest of persons but somehow he was always able to take control of every room he entered. He was a born leader. So somehow he was more revered than loved. There was hardly anyone bold enough to push their ideas on him. 

Jasmine didn't look like someone to say yes to every single word he uttered and he liked that. She was going to be a beautiful challenge and he was up for it. 

***

It was almost time for a lunch break and Jasmine was racking her brain for the most suitable way to ask Jason to join her for lunch. 

She knew it was her first day at the office but she wanted to get things rolling as soon as possible. She wasn't planning on working here forever, so the sooner she got closer to him and wins his trust, the sooner she would get the information she wanted and get out of here. 

She didn't want to come on too strong though, or seem desperate, but how could she make things as natural as possible with the boss being so tight-lipped and aloof.  

Inviting him to lunch was the easiest way to start a conversation with him but she could envision him just shaking his head with a definite no slipping from his lips. 

She was done with the work for the time being, even though it wasn't even much for her. In her opinion, freelance journalism was more tedious than answering a few calls and setting up appointment dates. However, it was only her first day at work and it didn't seem like a busy day so she shouldn't be so hasty to jump to conclusions. 

With that in mind, she gently walked to the door of the office and knocked twice before opening the door. He had told her not to bother standing by the door after knocking. She found it odd that he already knew she was the one coming like he could read her mind or something like that. 

However, it was her smell that gave her away. Jason would not forget that lovely scent, it was distinctly hers.  

"How may I help you Jasmine?" he asked when she stepped in, with that stern voice of his. She was getting used to this side of him so she wasn't so fazed anymore. 

"Well, I was going out for lunch and I was wondering if you could join me if only you'd want to. Plus I'm not too familiar with the surroundings so it would be nice if you could recommend some good locations for me," she said in one breath. 

It wasn't a planned speech, but as soon as she opened her mouth to speak the words just came out one after the other.

Thank goodness she was able to finish her sentence even with the icy stare he was sending her way. His face was completely blank and held no emotion at all. 

She was sure he was going to refuse her offer, he looked like that was exactly what he planned to do. However, she was not one to give up that easily so she was already planning what next to say to persuade this handsome devil. 

"Okay, give me a minute," he replied.

"Wait, what!" She exclaimed.

He chuckled a little while giving her a look like he thought she was going a little bit crazy, the cute kind of crazy. 

"I'm joining you for lunch as you offered, why do you look so surprised?" He asked with a sly grin.

Oh! Two can play this game, Jason. 

"Well you didn't look like you were going to accept my proposal," she told him. There was no point beating around the bush, he knew what he was doing, it was intentional. 

"Oh, are we getting married now?" He mocked her, raising his eyebrow suggestively. 

She was lost for words. How could someone behave so contradictory so fast? It was like he was two persons in one and she hated it. He was completely unpredictable, always finding a way to tease her or test her patience. Well, she asked for his attention, she wanted him to notice her, so why was she complaining? 

"Erm, erm, sorry… but.." She tried to string words together to reply to him but she was hopelessly failing to do that. He always made her speechless, out of pure embarrassment. 

"It's okay Jasmine, I was only joking!" 

Some joke that was! 

"Hmm, yeah, I knew that," she asserted, straightening her skirt. 

She was just trying to act busy, anything to keep her from looking into his eyes full of mischief. She did not like being this way, but Jason seemed to be a master of evoking strange emotions in her. 

She was always in control of her emotions. Nothing fazed her anymore as she has seen the worst and best of man, sadly there were too little good and too much evil in man. So early on she had to put on this facade regardless of how she felt inside. 

It helped her forget the nights she cried herself to sleep following the loss of her parents. It helped her survive all the foster homes she bounced back and forth through. She was not lucky enough to find a home she could find love. Someone like her was not made for love anyways. She was better off alone. She was a survivor and she was doing just fine by herself.  

"Let's go, Jasmine, I know somewhere you might like." 

His voice brought her back to reality. He was right beside her and she wasn't even sure when he walked toward her. With him being so close to her, he felt almost intimidating. He was tall, but so was she for a woman, but it was a particular aura around him that brought about this formidable presence. 

She nodded and walked past him as he held the door for her to pass. She thought he was doing too much acting all gentlemanly, she was used to doing everything herself, including opening her doors. 

However, to Jason, this was just a simple gesture, one of the many things he would do for anyone, even though to him Jasmine was not just anyone, not in the slightest bit.