Chapter 2

CHERYL POV

Oh, Jesus Christ on a motorbike! I spun around immediately, my face scrunched up in exasperation. "Shh!" I shushed Mia, who was standing a few meters away from her desk, a cup of coffee clutched tightly in her perfect French-manicured hands.

I mentally facepalmed myself for the second time this morning. Of course, she was in the cafeteria, I should have walked faster. My wide eyes scanned the entire space, eyeing the cameras mounted at different strategic places wearily. Who knows if those things were listening devices?

Mia clamped her lips shut and then walked over to me. "Why are we whispering?" she mouthed at me, her voice kept at a low conspiratorial tone.

I silently bite back a sigh of frustration, I darted another look at the cameras and exhaled tiredly. How do I explain to Mia that am just coming in without implicating myself?

Ah! Eye language.

I cleared my throat loudly, threw out my chin, and blinked repeatedly at Mia, all the while shaking my head subtly. Mia was just staring at me with perplexity written all over her heavily made-up face, which am sure she had retouched a hundred and one times this morning.

"You've got something in your eye?" she asked with her lips pursed in concern and moved closer to check said eye.

I instantly deflated. Seriously, Mia?

Ok, so, eye language... No.

I immediately switched to body language. I cleared my throat loudly once more and stared pointedly at Mia, a moment later I shifted my focus to the elevator and then the CCTV s before staring off in the direction of my office.

I snapped my eyes back to Mia, with my brows arched in a do-you-understand-now kind of way, but Mia is now full-blown gaping at me like I have magically sprouted a golden set of horns on my forehead.

"You sure you're okay, girl? You don't seem..." her wide eyes ran down my form, with alarm painstakingly clear in them, "You."

This time I really do facepalmed myself, to hell with body and eye language. Mia isn't going to grab my message quickly, and the more I stand here, the bigger the chances of me getting caught by him.

"Should I call for help, perhaps the medical team?" Mia continued to ramble on. "You didn't catch the flu, did you? But you don't look pa–"

My patience instantly snapped. "Mia!" I gritted out from behind clenched teeth, she flinched and promptly withdraws into her shell. Guilt gripped hold of me for snapping at her, but mehn! I'm already having a bad day as it is, and she's not helping the issues.

I massaged my temple with a finger and blew out air openly through my mouth. "Look, Mia, I really appreciate the concern but am fine. I'm really fine, but if I don't get my ass in there-" I jerked my head aggressively towards my office, "I'm gonna get it fired. Do you understand?"

Mia reared back with a look of pure horror written all over her face. "But why would you get dismissed?" she retorted, and then as it slowly dawned on her, her eyes widened even more.

"Devil's blue balls!!!," she exclaimed loudly. "You're late! Why? You're never late!!!"

Yea, thanks for the vote of confidence and all, but if I don't get away from Mia right now, am seriously gonna lose it... And not in a good way.

"Yea... I will explain everything later, but now I've gotta go."

"But..."

I immediately turned and hurried on, my heels clicking on the marble floor softly. I paused for a moment to collect myself because this was it. The "DO" or "GET FIRED" moment.

Ha! Totally invented that one.

I shook my head subtly. Get it together, Cheryl. You ain't getting fired...right?

Now, I'm not so sure.

I shake my head once more before rounding the corner and stepping into the space that was pulsing with an overly masculine energy. Goosebumps prickled my skin.

Jesus Christ! This place should really come with a warning label or something because although I have worked here for over three years, I still haven't gotten used to the energy that comes along with the owner. Trust me, it can be overwhelming occasionally.

I averted my gaze from the east side of the space and trained my eyes on my office door. The plan is pretty simple. Go to my office and regroup before facing him squarely. He can be really nerve-wracking most times.

A few meters away from the study mahogany wood that was my office door, my phone beeped with an incoming email.

OMG.... With my heart thudding heavily in my chest, I slide shaky fingers across the flat screen and opened the email. And it was from him.

"What are you still doing here? It's coffee break already. And the last I checked, coffee breaks are meant to be spent in the cafe."

I glanced up at the cheery voice of one of my colleagues, Ellie Palmer, just in time to see her step into my office with a charming grin plastered on her lips.

"I know," I sighed, and pushed up my glasses higher on my nose. "But I can't leave my desk right now. I have loads of work to attend to."

In a spilt-second, her face fell like a wadded piece of paper. "That's what you said yesterday too," she pointed out suckily, and her eyes narrowed on my face. "You're not avoiding any of us, are you?"

I snorted. "No, of course not! You guys are like family to me, why would I just start ignoring you guys out of the blues?"

Ellie tilted her head and contemplated my answer. "Fair point."

"Exactly."

"But I still think you should come with us. Chef came up with a new recipe and he wants us to do a little taste-test for him, before he officially puts it on the menu."

My stomach chose that moment to rumble and I pressed a palm to it under the table. God! How hard can this get.

Ominously sensing that she could be getting to me, Ellie pushed out her bottom lip in an overly dramatic but cute pout. "Please, pretty, please." she batted her eyelashes. "It's even one of those chocalatey-thingy you love so much."

I gulped. Hard. God! Chocolate is one of my weaknesses. I mean, try paring it with a hot cup of dark roast coffee and you will be hurled to a Haven of pure bliss.

I'm tempted to drop everything to satisfy my sweet tooth and caffeine craving but it's not worth facing the wrath of my boss.

With slumped shoulders, I pointed to the stack of files positioned at one corner of my desk. "Mr. Heron wants all of those updated before he gets back today."

"That's what you said yesterday when I dropped by," Ellie said with a chuckle.

My hand stilled for a moment, slightly suspended over the papers spread across my desk. My sight turns blurry behind my glasses and I gulped down nothing down my sudden parched throat. Oh, God! Please don't remind me of yesterday, I still get goosebumps every now and then.

Ellie who was oblivious to the emotions rioting in my stomach, patted the top of my hand fondly. "I guess am just going to save some of the chocolatey-thingy for you then."

I flashed her a tight, grim smile. "Yeah, you do just that."

She turned on her heels and threw me a pitiful look over her shoulder. "See you around, Cheryl." she slinked out through the door, leaving it slightly open the way I like it.