Chapter two

Chapter Two

Cassie POV

I get to my apartment, cool right living on my own, wrong, I have bills and I'm on an intern's salary, you can probably guess how much that sucks right?

Anyway, I'm at my place, which by the way isn’t that bad. It’s small yet cosy there’s heat and hot water, neighbours are nice enough and so is the area, I mean what more could I possibly need, there's not many 19-year old’s that can say they still go to college, intern and live on their own, apart from Alexis, but that’s different, she’s rich.

I mean, its crazy right, here I am in my own apartment making some fresh coffee to sit down with, finish this last manuscript and all I can think about is Jericho Dean my boss, Mr Dean, the big man himself and that stupid secret door. Ugh, why? The inner voice of myself decided to pipe up, “yeah and that’s not all you wee thinking about either,” I couldn’t believe myself, but I was right, it wasn’t just about that stupid secret door, and I knew it, it was about Jericho himself which caught me completely off guard. He looked different this time which was unusual of me noticing but there was just something different about him this evening, and I’m not talking about the fact he fell out of a secret door either, he almost looked, dare I say, SEXY. No, nope, nah uh, cassie don’t even think like that, you’ve clearly had a bang on your head or not enough sleep, did you honestly just refer to your tormentor as SEXY. I was right I clearly wasn’t thinking straight if I just referred to Jericho/Mr Dean as SEXY, I needed to get some rest, hopefully tomorrow I’ll wake up and my mind will be clearer with none of this garbage about my boss being SEXY. I lay the manuscript I’ve been holding for the last, God knows how long, down and retreat to my bedroom where I hope to lay on my bed and succumb to sleep peacefully. Clearly, I was mistaken, and my subconscious had other ideas, because before long, I was having what I refer to as a nightmare.

The Dream

I’m in Jericho’s office after hearing the noise, I do a quick scan of the room and nobody is there, I turn to leave, I hear the noise again, this time with a voice, out drops Jericho from a secret room in his office wall. He doesn’t realise I’m there until he stands, and his gaze is upon me, he doesn’t say anything, neither do I, we just stare, it’s like we both have a silent conversation going on. He makes his way over to me with his smouldering eyes boring right into my soul, I’m stuck I don’t know what’s happening, I turn for the office doorknob, but like I said I’m stuck. He’s almost upon me, I’m done for. He towers over me, I feel the heat from his body captivating me like a moth to a flame, he still say’s nothing, I’m lost for words also, he inches closer to my face, I feel his breath, he’s holding me now in an embrace I could only imagine you hold someone you care about deeply; he’s almost touching my lips, I feel him getting closer, closer…

RING, RING, RING, RING.

I wake from my dream and realise my phone is really ringing, “Ow, who is ringing me so early on a Saturday morning?” I check the caller ID, I have to do a double take because I’m still half asleep and my brain hasn’t quite got the memo that, yes, I am up this early.

Its Jericho, Fuck, “why is he ringing me so early on a Saturday morning?” someone has probably told him about my being late yesterday and he wants to fire me over the phone, I’m still holding the phone in my hand, Jericho is still calling, I am definitely wide awake now, I’m still staring at the phone, “answer it dummy” I tell myself “I don’t want to, what if he is firing me over the phone?” I am now battling myself mentally, I can’t keep him waiting any longer than I already have, I answer. “Mr Dean good morning, sir this is a surprise, what can I help you with?” “Miss Knox, firstly let me explain how I hate, no not hate, despise being left on the phone to ring, you should always pick up on the first ring when I call, understand. “Understood Mr,” “Secondly,” I didn’t even get to finish what I was saying before he was already down my throat, ghee, this guy is on form this morning and it’s only 8 am. “Secondly Miss Knox, I need you in my office, pronto.” What! You’ve got to be kidding me it’s supposed to be my weekend off, and now I’m supposed to just go in to work, unless he wants to fire me in person, much more dramatic that way, this way he gets to see the look on my face when he utters those two words “You’re Fired”. “Er Mr Dean, it’s my weekend off. I, kind of had plans today”. I don’t. The only plans I have, to house sit Alexis’s. I can hear the frustration in Jericho’s voice as he replies “Miss Knox I want you in my office within the hour, or else you need not bother showing up again”, that certainly got my attention, I was out of my bed, and running into the bathroom to take a quick shower and brush my teeth by the time the phone call had ended, I didn’t even have time to think about the dream I had.

The dream, don’t you mean nightmare, there it goes again the inner voice, which is me, arguing with myself is clearly the first sign of me going crazy. I look to the mirror and start remembering parts of the dream, Jericho embracing me with such warmth, it made my body just want to melt into him, him closing in on me, close enough for me to feel his breath, sent shivers down my spine, and tingles in places I’d rather he not tingle. I snap out of my daydream and make quick hast on the shower and brushing my teeth, I look in the mirror on the way out of the bathroom and decide that it’ll have to do, I wasn’t planning on going into work today anyway so why should I make the effort, “You know why?” “Shut up!” I tell myself mentally. I throw on my smart casual wear and head for the door, but not before grabbing the manuscript which lies on the sofa where I left it last night, without going through it properly, oh well just another reason for him to be mad at me, right? If he is planning on firing me then it won’t really matter, will it?