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Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Alexander's demeanor was serious and cold as I entered the large office- Caroline was right. The entire space was in total disarray with pieces of paper scattered on the floor and catching a glimpse of my boss slightly losing the grip of the tie around his neck, made me bristle immediately and wondered what the hell happened here.

I'm also guessing the reason he called me to flash it here was to clear this mess.

The metallic grey look in his eyes turned icy as he glared my way, his mouth pressed into a thin line.

"You're late Ms. Thorton"

Damn me for thinking he was going to at least care about the way I looked disheveled like Betty's first day in Mode, and maybe offer me a seat. Instead, he swiveled his executive leather chair around to face the floor-to-ceiling glass, away from me.

Rude ass. If he weren't my boss, I would have completely slapped him across the face, opened his mouth, and shove 'polite' down his throat so he can have an attitude change. The mere thought of it made me giggle, in a chagrinned manner.

"Something funny, Ms. Thorton?" His cold voice interrupted my little happy moment.

I simply shook my head and started picking up the pieces of paper that littered the room.

I caught a glimpse of what was written on a paper and figured it must have gone through his disapproval. I wonder how the product development team is handling the chaos.

The entire thing summed up to be an idea pitch for a new product from the team. If only they'd given me a shot as tiny as an interview for the Product Development position and not the Assistant, they wouldn't be in this mess.

After clearing up the mess, I walked to the closet behind him and caught my gaze in the full-length mirror.

Jesus! I look worse than Betty.

My hair was tangled, with stray strands everywhere, my cheeks flushed, and my top, nearly soaked from sweat. I hurriedly used my palm to smoothen the little I could after hanging the clothes from the shopping bags into the closet.

Extra shirts, blazers, slacks, ties, shoes, and casual clothing were neatly placed in their designated spot. Lastly, I placed the watch box inside before shutting the closet doors.

I turned around to find his eyes staring right at me and it made my breath hitch for a second out of anxiety.

"I am done. Is there anything else you want me to do?"

Please say no, I still have a lot of other things to do before the end of work.

"Yes."

Great!

" I need you to prepare the conference room for a meeting I have with the PDD team in the next hour," He said as he glanced at his desk and flipped through the stack of papers.

That was my cue to leave. I hurried to the conference room to do the needful, stack up water bottles, and snacks, and set up the screen and the boss's system.

By the end of the day, I knew I wouldn't have the energy to celebrate Christmas the next day and the resolution made me sad.

"Hey, Diana," A couple of voices said in unison.

Looking up from my computer monitor in my cubicle, I saw my work friends, Celeste- one I'm not so close to- and Caroline -one I'm close to, standing in front of my desk. They are indeed a sight for sore eyes.

"Where the boss at?" Celeste said after a quick scan of Alex's office through the transparent glass.

"He is in a meeting with PDD" I multi-tasked between talking and working.

"We are celebrating Christmas Eve at my place, join us" Caroline offered as she cradled her seven-month-old baby bump.

"Yes, and Steve is joining." Celeste teased with a wink.

"The guy who wrote you his number on a dollar bill at the pub last week?" My eyes nearly fell out of their sockets all because it was hard to comprehend Celeste's behavior. Caroline and I know moving on from every Tom, dick, and Harry like an easy lay, isn't morally right. But oh well, I've only known her for as long as I've worked here.

"hmm hmmm," Celeste nods "I can't help it. He's hot"

Jesus! She literally has a boyfriend.

"You can also bring Gabriel. It'll be a couple's hangout" Caroline smacked.

"I am sorry guys, you know I can't leave until the boss tells me to plus, things are quite chaotic at the moment but, I can rain check till tomorrow and since it's Christmas, it's the perfect reason to celebrate." I shrugged with a smile hoping that was able to compel them.

While they seemed happy about the latter, I could see the disappointment on their faces and it hurts me too. While some people said to my face that I won't last up to a month, others simply acted like I didn't exist. Celeste and Caroline were the only two who went out of their way when they weren't even obliged, to be kind to me. The fact that I didn't have a degree sort of made everyone stay away from me as if I were a plague. It felt like there was some sort of hierarchy and nobody wanted to mingle with the likes of me.

Honestly, I am surprised that I was even hired in the first place.

"Did you hear about Daniel's resignation?"

I had been too busy all day to engage in office gossip plus, I never really have the time for that. Working for my boss means you always have to be on your toes. There is no YOU-TIME.

"He resigned?" I bat my eyelashes. Who the fuck was he again?

"Dear Hiring Officer, please accept this letter as formal notification that I am resigning from my position in the PDD unit. I won't be able to ensure a smooth transition with the new hire because blah blah blah and Alex, you can kiss my black ass!" Caroline recited.

"You have all of that stored up in your memory?" I responded with a laugh "Aren't we all itching to write the same thing?"

"Not me. I don't know about you both but, as for me and my body, we are doing Alex's will." Celest resolved.

"How do you not have the willpower to just strangle him and get away with his murder? On behalf of the staff, we will be entirely grateful for your service, Diana" Caroline said

It was a joke that earned a round of laughter from us three.

"I have no idea. I think about doing that and more every damn day" Laughter bubbled out of me.

"Well, I know what I would do to him if I had the chance" Celeste confessed.

As sinful looking as our boss looks, he's her forbidden apple. Everything about him including his seriousness is appealing and enough to send her to sexville but at the same time, our boss is too hot for her to touch, too complicated to handle, and impossible for someone like her to have.

Celeste is unapologetic and won't deny that she's had the hots for him since the first day she walked into his office but the fact remains that Alexander Stone is only as good as an imagination, nothing more.

Chiseled? Check

Caramel blond hair that somehow manages to look wavy and thick all the damn time? Double-check

Sexy crooked smile? Triple check.

Celeste needs to follow a "How to stop falling in love with someone I can not have" guide.

"And don't even get me started on his body. He has a body made for sin. Not that I've seen him naked but with the way his shirts hug his skin, I can tell for a fact that he spends a dedicated time in the gym. How can that Sophia girl part ways with such a demi-god?" Celeste bit her tongue in confusion.

She continued "She literally had paradise and just decided to walk away from it. Did you see her interview with The Scoop? God, that crass lady has verbal diarrhea. I mean, it's been two years since she divorced him, so why is she still clingy like jelly? She even made a false claim and told the Feds that Mr. Hot Pants has a slush fund that was created through illegal activities such as tax evasion, and diverting funds to offshore accounts."

She continued "I know our boss might seem like he has zero redeeming qualities. Like he's playing a type. A mysterious, self-deprecating "oh I can't help it, I have so much money" bad guy. It's a front that makes him even sexier"

"It's funny how one would think you're single not knowing that you actually have a boyfriend while being busy fantasizing about the boss behind closed doors," I said, switching looks from Celeste to Caroline.

I do not blame Celeste, I blame Chad, her boyfriend for being so gullible.

"Before you judge me, a girl can do no wrong if she's admiring and probably fucking another man if she's not married. As for the boss, it's just admiration and a bit of sexual fantasy and if that is a crime, then half of the ladies working here must be thrown in jail. Don't tell me he's not piqued your interest at least once, dirty Diana" Celeste's eyes are fixed on me.

"The fact that you think so, makes me believe you don't know me that well. Yeah he's all that but I have a boyfriend and he is more than that in my eyes" I said, with a shrug.

"That beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder bullshit. Whether or not I have a boyfriend, I just want to..."

"Wrap your mouth around his cock, yeah we know" Caroline finished the sentence with a tease.

"Girl! I would do more than mouth fuck him" Celeste confessed further

My eyes bulged open with sudden awareness "Jesus! Ease off, he might hear you" I looked around to be sure Alex was not close by.

Remind me why our topic of discussion is always centered around the boss again. Oh yes, I remember, Celeste.

"You said he was in a meeting. Anyway, we will have all the fun today and see you tomorrow then"

I got up to hug them as we said our goodbyes for the day, before watching them walk out. I heaved a conquering sigh of relief after dismissing them, especially Celeste. She's quite a handful.

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