ONE

Reigna

I am screwed…Sir Carlisle really made sure I’ll be by his side.

“Aww, I’m going to miss you, Rei.” My best friend, Venice Joules, hugged me goodbye after I packed all my necessary things because I am being transferred to the CEO’s office—as Sir Carlisle’s secretary. “We’ll still eat meals together whenever you’re free, alright?” she asked, looking at me so sadly as if I’m leaving her for good.

Smiling, I hugged her back. “I’m just three floors away, Ven. You don’t have to make it sound like I’m d*ing.” I joked, but deep inside, I know well I am about to.

She looked at me with a small pout gracing her pink lips, looking like a child in her messy bun and bayonetta glasses that frames her small face and matches her ginger hair. “Sometimes I wish you are just on the same level as I so you won’t be taken from me because you excel so much.” She whined, making me laugh.

“Good luck, Reigna.” Manager Georgina Harper spoke, looking at us with a stern look on her face. She is in her mid 50s, and she was my mentor when I first started in the public relations department. “I was the one who gave your name, so don’t make me lose face, get it, Reigna?”

I can’t help but get a little emotional. “Miss Harper…” feeling touched, I hugged her. “I will do my best, ma’am. But if I were to get sent back here, don’t kick me out, okay?” I teased, making her chuckle as she patted my back, giving me her silent comfort.

***

In front of me is the double doors leading to the CEO’s office. Bracing myself, I took a deep breath and knocked on the door thrice.

“Come in.”

His voice, ever since that Saturday night, causes my body to tingle in a sensation I can’t comprehend. Today is Monday, and my first day of work is giving me a type of anxiety ten times worse than the one I had when I was applying for the company.

Coming in, I held my box carefully and closed the door by my foot, trying to not make a loud sound. “Good morning, sir.” I greeted, eyes on the floor as I tried to not mind how embarrassing it is to wear a formal attire with pencil skirt instead of slacks or pants.

His green eyes looked as cold as ever. “Place your things on your desk and come over.” His order gives me a déjà vu, but I had no choice but to comply.

I tried my best to not mind how intense his gaze feel on me as I stood in front of him, thankful that his desk is between us. “Yes, sir?” instead of answering, I received his conscious way of checking me out in my secretary attire.

“Come.” He pushed his seat back and patted his lap, causing my cheeks to heat up. “I won’t repeat anything twice.” He said, smirking as he waited for me to move.

“I…I don’t think this is right…” even with that feeble complain, I slowly walked over to sit down, sideways to not ruin my skirt.

He held me by my hips and pulled his chair closer to the desk. “Look at the screen.” Addressing me like that made me blush, but I complied and looked over.

There, he is waiting for his video call to be answered. The recipient? Erwin.

When the call was opened, it revealed a sleepy little boy in his pajamas and bed hair. “Mommy!” he happily greeted after rubbing his eyes and noticing me on his father’s lap. “Why’re you with dada, mommy?”

Let me get the story straight: Sir Carlisle wanted me to have a free access on his house so I could come over every time…we’ll play the game, and to keep Erwin away from our arrangement, he introduced me as his birth mother. Erwin didn’t know who his mother is…and somewhere in my heart, I cannot help but play the role of a mom for this innocent child.

“Hey, sweetie…your dada and I-”

“Daddy.” Sir Carlisle cut off, making me look at him with widened eyes. He simply grinned. “What’s wrong, mommy?” he teased.

Clearing my throat, I faced back Erwin whose face is so near in the camera. “I mean…daddy and I…” I can feel myself drowning in embarrassment! “...are co-workers, sweetie. Were you surprised? We wanted to wake you up with a present!” I tried to play it off.

Erwin’s eyes widened. “Really?! Will you home often, then, mommy?” he asked, obviously happy to have a mother to check up unto.

“I…yes I am. I will try to visit as much as I can-”

“Why won’t you live with us instead?” he asked, cutting me off, which made Sir Carlisle chuckle behind me.

“Yeah, why not, mommy?” Dang it, my boss is having fun in this!

“Well…sweetie…you know mommy was away because—”

“NO! I want you to come home with dada every time!”

Eh? That is absurd! I turned to Sir Carlisle, hoping he will help me to smoothen out the issue before it gets too late. 

“Erwin.” He sternly called, making me internally heave a sigh a of relief. Thank goodness, he is about to- “What did I say about asking things? You should say ‘please’ if you want your request to be heard.”

What?! My eyes widened. Is he encouraging him?! Speechless, I stared at him, but a gasp escaped my lips when I felt him gently squeeze my hip.

“A-ah well…” I turned to the screen, and the sight of Erwin’s teary eyes is making me feel weak.

“Please, mommy? I promise to be good. Please come home, I miss you so much. I want a mommy too…” his small, guilty voice is tearing my heart apart. “I’m sorry for shouting…I didn’t mean to be bad. I promise, mommy, if you come home, I will eat all my vegetables and nanny Lucy won’t have to force me to go to sleep.”

“I…uhm…” Dang it. “…okay.”

***

Why do we have to play seven minutes in heaven?!

“S-sir…please, at least not at work…”

H simply chuckled and continued pressing kisses on my neck, currently choosing to play this game with his phone timer instead of eating the food he ordered me to buy earlier.

“Didn’t you remember the rule?” he whispered; his voice so close to my ear that it made me shiver as I settled on his lap with his hands on my hip and back.

“I-I remember…”

“Say it.” He commanded, nibbling on my skin which made me gasp.

“W-we will play the game…every time one of us…feels lonely…or needed company.” I mumbled; my hands are weakly holding on his shoulders. “The game…is to make sure…I am obeying…and not telling anyone…about what I learned about sir’s life…”

“Good girl.” Pulling away, he looked at me with a smirk. “You’re doing good. Keep it up.” Caressing my face, he pulled me into a kiss, silencing all my other words and just overwhelmed me with his skills of using his tongue to make me focus on the sensations of kissing back instead of all my worries.

He is guiding me in a pace I could easily follow, but at the same time, his roaming hands made it difficult for me to not feel myself getting too deep into this forbidden, forceful act. The rhythm was gentle, but as I found myself dancing along his loneliness, his hand went to my hair, pulling me a little to change the angle and deeper the kiss, giving me yet another surge of emotions.

Seven minutes was suddenly so slow that it is more than enough to make me feel weak.

Not having enough air, I tapped his arm, making him pull away and watch me gasp for air, a proud expression on his face. “Had I known you’re this submissive, I would’ve kept my eyes on you way before long.” He chuckled, his hand slipping in my skirt, while the other is rubbing the skin between my neck and my collar bone.

I don’t know why, but he’s so much different that Axle! Sir Carlisle is firm, commanding, and blunt—he didn’t mind whatever comes out of his mouth, and he doesn’t fail in catching me off guard. Axle, on the other hand, was doting—he tried to give me everything I want, all because I was paying for his law school.

“I-I didn’t know I could be like this either…”

“Oh? What are you doing with your boyfriend, then?” he asked, grinning as his hand moved further up, riding my skirt up, while his other hand moved to tuck my hair at the back of my ear.

“Axle…” saying his name still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. “He…he usually does everything in bed…because I..I uhm..” shyly, I looked away.

“So you’re a pillow princess?” Having him mention it so brazenly made me cheeks heat up.

“You’re a shy one, aren’t you?” he brushed his knuckles on my cheek before placing both his hands on my waist, pulling me closer to him. “I take it that in this arrangement, I have to tell you everything you need to do?” he asked, making me slowly nod.

“Ah, an inexperienced one.” He looked down on my lips and then back at my face. “Every time we’re alone, ‘sir’ is no longer an option for you. You can only call me by my name. And,” he leaned, his breath fanning my ear, “Once you’re used to my name, call me that word you used earlier when talking to Erwin.”

I gasped.

He laughed loudly. “I mean it, princess.”

“O-okay…”

“Come again?”

“…okay, Carlisle.”

He smiled. “Good girl.”

Just like that, seven minutes was over.