I was giving one last look to the guest list when my eyes landed on the man putting the huge flower vase near the entrance of the penthouse. Leaving the notebook on the table, I rushed towards him and said, "Do you want to get me killed? Alice specifically wanted white orchids. These are purple."
"We couldn't find the white ones in the flower shop," the man whose name I didn't know replied.
"Then go search every other flower shop in the city. God, do people not have common sense these days?" I said frantically.
"Hey, don't freak out. It will be fine." I heard Sunshine's voice as she reached my side. She volunteered to help me keep a check on the arrangements for the gala. We had been in Alice's house since 12pm and it was 5 in the evening now. The guests would start arriving in no time and there were still many things to do.
"How can I not freak out?" I asked, pulling out the to-do list from my pocket.
"Like this." Sunshine shrugged carefully and a
Dustin and I stood next to each other, observing the party around us. I had to admit, Stav went out of his way to make sure there was no mistake on his part. Not that I was going to tell him that. His big ego didn't need any more boasting."Everybody is dancing," Dustin commented, staring at the corner where some couples were gathered. "Spare me a dance?" he said and extended his arm."For old time's sake." I nodded and put my hand on top of his. We moved to the dimly lit area with our one hands linked. He placed his other arm on the small of my waist, while our eyes locked together. Dustin had a beautiful face; piercing grey eyes with skin that resembled melted caramel and sharp cheekbones. And the fact that he always smelled so good didn't help either.We moved in synchronization with the rhythm of the music. The familiarity of his hold made my stomach flutter. It felt right but it was too late now. We were broken up for reasons that were still there. He might
"And the net budget of the project was 5 million. Half the revenue produced went to-"I was standing in front of the ceiling-high glass window of my office, staring at the beautiful moon while dictating some important points to Stav. The sky was clear today, hundreds of stars filling it like white paint on black canvas."Where was I?" I asked him when I found myself distracted.When no reply came, I turned around and found his eyes closed. His hand was limply resting on the notebook and his head was bent forwards, unsupported.Walking towards his chair, I seated myself on the desk in front of him. Crossing my arms in front of my chest, I kicked his shin and he jumped up in his seat. He looked around flabbergasted and it took him a moment to realize where he was."Good morning, sweetheart, would you like some tea?" I said sarcastically."Um..." He blinked twice. "Coffee would be better."His sentence earned him another kick on the shin
Stepping towards my office, I stilled when I heard loud voices coming from Alice's room. She was barking at someone in full anger and I couldn't help but feel pity for that person. But that didn't mean I wasn't glad it was someone else and not me."You are fired. Go pack your stuff," she said to that certain someone when I reached the door of her office. "Never show me your face again." Her voice boomed.After a brief pause, a woman stepped out of her office that I guessed worked in finance. She had tears streaming out of her eyes uncontrollably and her nose was flushed red."Are you okay?" I said to her, but she ignored me and ran away with her heels making noise against the marbled floor.Sighing, I entered the office and handed over the cup to her. "Your pumpkin spice latte exactly how you take it," I said."And where is the scone?" she asked."They were out of scones. I brought muffins." I passed the brown paper bag to her."I ask
Once my driver stopped the car in front of the office building, I stopped scrolling my mobile screen and walked out. Some people walking past me acknowledged me with a nod as I walked towards the massive building.While walking, a car caught my attention through my peripheral vision. It was Stav's car and although there wasn't anyone in the driver seat, it was jerking slightly.Curiosity piqued inside me and I walked towards it, stopping right beside the door to the passenger seat. The black tinted windows didn't let me see much but there was certainly something going inside. My mind went to a dirty possibility of him having sex inside, but it sounded like too much of a stretch.In the end, I finally tapped my knuckles on the window glass, and after a brief moment, the glass slide downwards. My eyes met with a very naked Stav, staring back at me with a toothbrush in one hand and a plain black shirt in the other."What are you doing?" I asked while my eyes
"Wow. This place is amazing," one of my colleagues, Simon, said as he gulped the beer. "Who knew we would be spending our Friday night in one of the most exclusive clubs in the city?""It's not a big deal. My cousin is friends with the owner so he helped me get the membership card," I said and tipped the waitress.When Alice gave me the evening off, I told everyone that I'd be joining them to their night out and it was my treat. Now, all eight of us were sitting in a corner booth, drinking beers, eating cheeseburgers and gossiping about work."How come you can afford a membership on an assistant's salary? Your parents must be loaded," he asked with curiosity, and I just shrugged sheepishly."Don't tell me you guys don't know?" Sunshine interfered. "Our friend Stav here is Christopher Trajano's son.""Wait. The Christopher Trajano?" Gio asked."The one and only," I replied in an unenthusiastic manner. I hated talking about my family because w
Shifting in my sleep, I groaned as I felt a heavy weight on me. Something was crushing me, something heavy and masculine but I was unable to open my eyes due to the pounding veins in my head. My mind went blank as I tried to remember where I was or what happened in the club last night.After a lot of effort, I succeeded in opening my eyes and a sigh of relief left my mouth when I found the familiar ceiling hanging over me. But the relief didn't last long. My insides twisted in panic when the arm around me tightened.Shit.My eyes slowly travelled upwards from the muscular arm that was holding me in place to the face of my probable one night stand. And when I recognized the familiar sharp jaw and plump lips, the panic heightened.Crap. Crap. Crap."Stav," I slowly jerked him."Hmm." He mumbled and snuggled deeper into me. The fruity scent of his shampoo filled my nose and I stilled. His face was inches away from me and I couldn't help but fee
With a large burrito in one hand and beer in the other, I was watching Vampires Mermaids on television when my phone suddenly started ringing. A groan left my mouth when my eyes fell on the name of my boss on the mobile screen. Putting the burrito aside, I picked up the phone and answered it."Be at my apartment in exactly an hour," she stated in her signature voice."Wait," I said in confusion. "Are... Are you going to fire me? I swear I didn't take a peek when I was changing your clothes. What other proof do you need?""I am not firing you, idiot." Her annoyed voice came from the other side of the phone. "Be here. We have some work to do.""But it's Sunday," I mumbled under my breath, staring at my ragged clothes. "I could have other plans.""Do you have any plans?" she asked."No, but...""Figured." Saying this, she cut the call, leaving no room for an argument.Well, here goes nothing.••&bull
It was a regular morning. As soon as I entered the elevator, my eyes fell on Alice standing in a corner, scrolling on her mobile screen. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, with a few locks framing her face. She was wearing a red silk blouse with black pants that accentuated her long legs."Good morning," I said as I went to the opposite corner. She lifted her head to look at me and a frown appeared on her forehead."What happened to your hair?" she asked.I stared into the mirror at the top of the door to check what she meant but couldn't find anything. "What?" I asked her."It is a mess," she replied."Oh no, it's not a mess. It took me fifteen minutes to create this just-out-of-bed look." I cleared.Rolling her eyes, she walked towards me. "We have a meeting and I am not letting you enter the conference room with that hair. Lower your head."I did as she said. Once I bowed my head, she extended her hand and ran her fingers through my
"Let's call it a day," I said, leaning back in my seat and stretching my arms. "Do you want me to order some food for you, Mr. Trajano?" Celine asked. "It's fine. I'll go home and eat with my wife." I said and stood up to leave. Once I reached the elevator, my eyes fell on Sunshine, standing inside with her hands linked with Thea. Apparently, after dating me, Sunshine reached this conclusion that she wasn't into men anymore. That was a pretty big blow to my ego, not that I didn't deserve it. "Stav." She acknowledged me with a nod. "Sunshine." I passed her a professional smile. The whole elevator ride was somewhat awkward, after which I went straight to the parking lot where my driver was already waiting for me. Almost one year ago, a month before my marriage to Alice, we decided to merge both companies. I took over as the CEO of Montelebalo-Trajano enterprises while Alice decided to head the board. It was the only thing feasible, becau
"What the hell is your doing? Stav, untie me right now." I groaned."Patience, love," Stav said and guided me out of the car. I had been blindfolded for the last fifteen minutes now and despite my utmost displeasure, all I got in response was, "Patience.""Where are you taking me?" I groaned as I felt my heels sinking in the ground. He held me straight by wrapping his arm around my waist and led me forwards."I am going to tie you up and have my way with you," he whispered in my ear and I felt a shiver down my spine. I heard him chuckle at my reaction, after which he untied the blindfold and rolled me around to see where he had taken me.In front of me was probably the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. We were on a dark beach, dimly illuminated by a few fire lamps dispersed here and there. The sun had already set and the moon was casting its beautiful shadow on the blue water. There was a table set near the shore, two chairs around it facing the sea.
The minute I saw Dustin dressed in a three piece suit, I immediately realized that this was a mistake. It was never supposed to be a "friendly" dinner. And then there I was, dressed in blue jeans and a button down black shirt, with my hair tied back with the help of a bandana."Where are we going?" I asked him nervously."Your favourite restaurant. Delilah's eatery," he said."I don't go there anymore, since I came to know that the owner, Delilah is homophobic and racist," I replied and an awkward silence prevailed inside the car."Oh, I didn't know that. Where do you want to go?" he asked.Somewhere casual, so this won't turn into a date."Let's go to McDonald's," I offered.He laughed out loud at this."I am serious. I am craving a cheeseburger," I added."Wait, you are kidding me. Right? We can go to some nice burger place. What about Emily's?" he asked."Fine." I sighed in defeat.There was no way out o
It was almost 2am. After taking a bath and fueling myself with caffeine, I returned to my home office to continue working. With this new decision I had made, things were going to be really hard for the next few months. The work load was going to triple, but I would happily do it if I could be with Alice at the end of the day."You are still working?" I heard Dad's voice. He was standing near the doorframe, watching me with curious eyes. Mom and Dad came to visit me a few days ago but I couldn't find enough time to spend with them."Yes, Dad. I still have these reports to review," I said."You shouldn't have made the decision of moving the head branch to Philippines right now. Things are going to be really hard for you. You should have given yourself some time to settle in," he said."Don't you think I know that?" I passed him an exhausted smile. "I need to be with her, Dad. It's killing me not being near her.""You love her, don't you?" He chuckled
Another month had passed.Another month of drowning myself in work to avoid facing the fact that I was all alone. Another month of being heartbroken, and mentally and physically stressed. Another month of trying to distract myself by taking different hobbies like Pilates and gardening in my free time.I missed Stav, so much that it was killing me. I remembered two weeks ago, when I finally caved in and ended up calling him. We talked for about an hour and that's when I realized how correct he was. Listening to his voice made it harder to stay away.Sundays were comparatively better. I spent the afternoon in the academy and the rest of the day doing different chores. I had befriended all the other students in my class and it was refreshing because they didn't know me as the tyrant CEO.As far as work was concerned, there was nothing to talk about. I had grown used to having Stav in the office and in his absence, the whole office felt dull and drab. It was
I woke up with a strong arm tightly wrapped around me and a heavy weight on my chest that turned out to be Stav's head. My eyes searched for the clock which showed that it was almost midday, which meant we had slept for twelve hours straight. That was the most I had slept in days and apparently, so had Stav."Hey." I brushed his hair to wake him up. My cheeks were flushed at our position, the way our legs were intertwined and his mouth was resting in the valley of my breast, using me as his own personal cushion."Stav," I whispered, grazing his back with my fingernails.He stretched on top of me and then lifted his head, staring at me with his pearl green eyes."Come with me," he said, giving me a peck and then rolling off me. "I want to wake up like this daily. In fact, take me with you.""What about your company?" I said, playing with the dark lock that had fallen on his forehead."Ugh. Why do you have to remind me?" He groaned, kissing my
Once the elevator door closed behind Stav, we were alone in the small space with nowhere to go. He stepped towards me, his signature scent filling the air. I took a step back, recreating the space between us but he seemed to have ignored my attempt and continued walking forwards until we were standing forehead to forehead."I am sorry," he whispered and his breath tickled the skin around my mouth."Well, so am I." I flashed him a humourless laugh. I was angry, so angry that I wanted to rip his stupid clothes off. What the fuck? No, that's the opposite of what I wanted. For all I cared, he could wear another suit over this one."I didn't want to hurt you," he said."Well, you did a pretty good job at that." I glared at him, crossing my arms in front of my chest before his heat could seep through me and lower my defenses."Let me explain why I didn't call you back. It will make you hate me less." His voice was filled with grief and desperation and a
Ignoring Alice when she wasn't around was hard, but ignoring Alice when she was around me was my own personal hell. The minute I saw her, all the reasons for ignoring her sounded so trivial and all I wanted was to go to her and listen to her voice.For the last two months, I had been anxious. My sleep wake cycle was disturbed, my head ached most of the time, my heart beat faster than it should, my stomach was a mess. I thought it was because of the extra work stress but when my eyes landed on her, a sense of euphoria swirled through me and all the anxieties were settled, all the aches were cured.I wanted her to talk to me, to scold me, to glare at me, but all I got was a cold greeting and it left a bitter taste in my mouth.I couldn't exactly blame her for the cold shoulder she was giving me. After all, after being AWOL for two months, I stole a project from her the day we met again. And Alice wasn't someone who took such things lightly.I tried to expla
When Stav stopped responding to my texts and calls, a series of weird emotions happened. The first day, I was agitated. I thought he was probably busy and made excuses to myself for his lack of response but it did nothing to calm my racing heart. The second day, I was anxious because I thought I did something to earn that reaction. The next day, I was worried for him. I thought something had happened to him but his Facebook profile said he attended an event last night. So apparently, he was alive and kicking. And then the day after that, I was furious.It had been two months since then and it's safe to say, I was still furious at him.Most of the time, I kept myself busy so I wouldn't have to think about him. Because whenever I did, my hands itched to go to him and strangle him for his stupid behaviour. He avoided me like a plague and the worst thing was, I didn't even know why.Right now, I was inside a cab, on my way to a meeting from the hotel. Kaye was sitti