Chapter 8 Your Progress

From: Damian

Subject: Your Progress

Hi Beautiful.

Just in case you miss me while you're designing my courtyard for me, I thought it necessary to send this email to check on your progress.

How is the design coming? I have no doubt it's going to be amazing, given your talent.

I do have a few requests though. I'm a fan of simple, elegant designs. Think of lots of greenery and water features. And if you could add a spot for stargazing, that would be fantastic.

I can't wait to invite you to a wine tasting in the new courtyard you designed for me.

By the way, do you ever miss that one night we spent together? Because I sure do...

Regards,

Damian Howard

Without noticing the corners of her lips turning up, Alicia quickly read through Damian's email.

She had to admit his email was perfectly timed, although the flirtatious tone made her heart beat faster. If she hadn't been married, she might have been thrilled to accept Mr. Howard's offer of a drink with him in the first courtyard she'd ever designed.

Alicia sighed, then replied quickly.

From: Alicia

Subject: Re: Your Progress

Good morning, Mr. Howard,

Thanks for recognizing my talent. I'm making good progress on the draft, and I'll make sure to incorporate your requests for simplicity and elegance. And don't worry, I'll make sure to add a spot for stargazing.

And as for that one night... let's just say it's not exactly at the forefront of my mind right now. I have a job to do, after all.

Thanks for your invitation. But I can't accept it.

Best,

Alicia

With Mr. Howard's relatively detailed preferences, Alicia's design process became much smoother than before. By the end of Wednesday, she had almost completed her design draft. She only needed to finish the spot for stargazing by the next morning before handing it over to Mr. Rhett for inspection.

As Alicia was getting ready to leave, she realized that she had left her apartment keys in the office. The moment the automatic door to the office area opened, she found Lilith standing in front of her almost finished draft design. A wave of apprehension washed over Alicia.

"What are you doing, Lilith?" Alicia asked, trying to conceal her unease.

Lilith quickly hid the envy in her eyes and fixed her expression, pretending nothing was amiss. "Just checking out your work. You're pretty fast with your designs. Are you still using the old-fashioned pencil and paper method? Is your computer broken?" Lilith mocked with a smirk.

"No, my computer isn't broken. But I believe that paper and pencil are the perfect tools to showcase my ideal design," Alicia replied as she walked towards her desk.

"Really? I remember you did the design by hand during the internship evaluation. It was Alpha Rhett who helped you scan and create a digital version and post it on the company website. You haven't forgotten that, have you?" Lilith asked, leaning against Alicia's table.

"What do you mean?" Alicia raised an eyebrow and checked her design to make sure Lilith hadn't tampered with it.

"You know how famous Alpha Damian Howard is. When Shinfancy officially signs on with the Moon Halo Pack, not only this studio, but the entire pack will get a boost in status throughout North America."

"But you, an outsider, never think about the impact of your failure on Shinfancy, do you? So you still insist on using that outdated design method, regardless of whether the client accepts a hand-drawn design layout. Or do you want to show that you are special with hand-drawn designs so that Mr. Howard will keep you in mind?" Lilith said as she continued to scrutinize Alicia's designs.

Lilith had always looked down on Alicia for using paper and pencil to draw her designs. And since Mr. Rhett had agreed to let Alicia work on Mr. Howard's project, Lilith's prejudice against her had only intensified.

"Don't worry. I'll make it into an e-file tomorrow. And Lilith, Mr. Rhett doesn't require designers to use software to draw designs. I just prefer to draw what I imagine with a pen. That's all," Alicia explained.

"Don't get too cocky, Alicia. Remember, you're just the new designer here," Lilith sneered, reminding Alicia of her place.

As Vivian's friend, it was understandable that Lilith would be unreasonably cruel to Alicia. Instead of wasting time debating the design method with Lilith, Alicia sighed, gathered her designs, and left.

Normally, she wouldn't take her work home with her, but the way Lilith looked at her designs made Alicia uneasy. Even when she got home, she couldn't shake the feeling that Lilith was up to something. Her anxiety persisted throughout the night until her phone rang.

Alicia hesitated when an unfamiliar number appeared on her phone screen. Was it Lilith, calling to argue with her at midnight? She answered with trepidation, "Hello, this is Alicia."

"Hey, Mrs. Wilton, did you miss me?" The deep, flirtatious voice on the other end of the line was unmistakable.

Alicia peered at the unknown number and asked, "Mr. Howard?"

"Yep, that's my work number. Everything okay? Are you surprised to hear my voice?" Damian's tone was casual.

"Nope Mr. Howard, anything else?" Alicia asked.

"Nothing important. I just finished work and... suddenly wanted to hear your report to me on your work progress,"  Damian demanded.

"It went well," Alicia replied automatically.

"Very good! Did you add the stargazing spot I wanted?" Damian's tone brightened.

"Yes, but I'm still working on the design. And, Mr. Howard, my working hours are between 9 and 5 on weekdays. Please check your watch. It's already 8 pm," Alicia reminded him gently.

"But you're still reporting your progress to me, and you're working overtime for me right now. You're such a dedicated designer," Damian chuckled softly.

His chuckle touched the softest part of Alicia's body - her heart. She couldn't reasonably feel the effects of a mate pull through the phone. But hearing Damian compliment her in a low, sexy voice, she couldn't help but feel drawn to him.

She put Damian on speakerphone and said, "Well, I just don't want to disappoint my first client."

"Ah, you turned on the speaker. So you're home alone? Where's your husband?" Damian asked, deliberately feigning a surprised tone.

"He's working late tonight," Alicia replied after she paused, trying to keep her tone neutral.

"So it's just you and me. That sounds exciting, just like that night when I kissed you," Damian deliberately lowered the volume to a seductive murmur.

Alicia's hand trembled as she drew a crooked line on the paper in front of her. She knew it was wrong to feel this way about her client, especially when she was married.

WRONG! She was wrong!

She shouldn't have shown the desire to hear her mate's voice!

She shouldn't have stayed on the line with him!

Alicia pulled open the drawer and fumbled for the wedding ring she had almost forgotten.

Damian heard a strange noise on the other end of the line and wondered if he had gone too far with his teasing.

"Allie? Are you okay? Hello?" the voice on the other end asked.

Squeezing the shiny diamond ring on her finger, Alicia took a deep breath before replying, "I'm fine. Good night, Mr. Howard."

Without waiting for Damian's response, Alicia ended the call quickly. She knew that she had to accept the reality that Damian was her mate, but it was the wrong time for their relationship to develop.

"Right mate, wrong time. You have to accept this reality, Allie," Alicia muttered to herself, running her fingers through her long, silky hair. She buried her head in her hands, trying to push away her conflicting thoughts and emotions.

After a few seconds of silence, Alicia turned her attention to designing the stargazing spot. Just as she was starting to get into the flow of her work, her phone rang again unexpectedly. It was another unknown number.

"It must be Damian calling from a new number," Alicia thought to herself, wondering why the King of Rogues had so much free time. She thought he had just finished work. Why didn't he take a rest?

Frustrated, Alicia sighed. She knew that she needed to make it clear to Damian that he should stop bothering her outside of work hours.

"Mr. Howard, please! Please don't waste any more time on me! I've already told you that I'm married. Just forget about everything that happened before!" Alicia spoke bluntly and quickly, not giving the other side a chance to respond.

"It's me." It was a man and his voice was raspy.

It was not Mr. Howard!

"Sorry. I didn't recognize your number. You are?" Alicia apologized, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"I'm Tobias Wilton."