{Cason}

 

I feel like she’s hating me right this moment. But, what can I do. I can’t help myself. I enjoy annoying her more than I ever imagined. With Keira, it feels like playing a game. And who am I kidding, at some point, I really am ticked off at her for screwing over my business without giving a damn about it, but still…there’s just this air about her that makes me regret not fucking her when I had the chance.

“Why the long face?” I ask, as my driver gets the door to my car opened and I wait for her to hop inside.

“I’m literally thinking of how I should start my resigning letter.” She says without looking me in the eye.

“What makes you think that’s an option?” I smirk and am waiting for her smart ass to scowl crazily at me.

“What do you mean, that’s not an option? It’s the all over the map right of every employee ever.” She tells me while I get inside.

“Unless you’re under a contract that tells you the different.”

“There’s no such loophole on my contract. I went over it twice. You’re really confident to think people are going to trust your manipulative ass like that, aren’t you?”

“You just forgot to mention that I’m really rich and can just as easily ruin your career or any future hope at getting hired again.” I know that I went too far with that, but I’m kinda starting to feel like she’s mine. And I don’t think that she likes that.

“No, you did not say that!” she looks at me, disgusted.

“Oh, yes, you heard me right. You’re under my terms, under my company’s influence, under my control. I think you should start by now coming to grips with it.”

“I would never come to grips with the terms settled by a man like you.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” I smile at her, while she just rolls her eyes and looks past the car window. Her mind is running away into the beautiful streets of downtown Seattle, and she just wishes she were there, outside, away from me.

She just doesn’t know this yet, but here with me, is the only place that she’s ever going to want to ever be. But I’m being patient and let her realize this on her own.

When we make it to my office, my P.A. steps in front of me, telling that I’ve got two investors waiting out on me and one of my exes kept sending threatening messages over the line. If I remembered who she was, I probably would understand the reason behind her anger.

Anyway, we proceed into my office as I make myself comfortable on my chair and Keira keeps staying there like a ghost.

“Have a seat,” I offer, gently. She must think I’m a monster or something, as which point, I am, but that, on all the right places.

Keira hesitates for a moment, like she’s pondering about the offer, and after that she makes up her mind and sits across the table and looks at me expectantly. She’s eager to know whatever tantrum I’d throw her way, whatever sort of mood I’d be on.

“So how was it?” I smirk and I know I’m totally blowing her mind right now.

“Hmm?” she looks at me with startled eyes. See? Mind-blown.

“The dream. Was I giving you a nice treat?”

“What do you mean?” she’s totally unprepared for this. I bet she’s trying to sort out on her head the fact that I know about it in the first place and then she can come up with a response.

“When you said you were dreaming of me—what was this dream about?” Somehow her confusion excites me. I love it how she acts as if she doesn’t understand.

“What made you come to such conclusion?”

“Because I heard you. What I don’t understand is what this dream implied, more specifically, how I was behaving myself. Would you care shedding some light on that one?”

“Um, like a jerk…” she says audaciously.

“You see, dreams have a way of coming at us in the weirdest of ways. Some say they just put an abstract reflection to what we really crave into the real world.”

“What I crave in the real world is being able to free myself from a man like you and never having to do anything with you…ever again.”

“For some reason I don’t believe you.” Her audacity is just a façade. She wants to hide the fact that she’s craving me. And I don’t know why, but I’m convinced to make her confess. She’s already writhing on her words. Even though she’s a hard one to crack, I think that somehow today she’s going to be able to do the thing all by herself. The fact that I know about the dream just took her off guards and that’s why she’s just stuttering aimlessly.

“Believe whatever you want. Your matter of belief is none of my concern.”

I get up of my chair and make a few steps near her. “I think it’s exactly your concern when this beliefs are in relation to you.”

“You know this is very unprofessional. I thought we had a meeting to attend. What I didn’t know was what the meeting was going to be about. So if my supposed dream is the matter of object, then I might just skip on it delightfully.”

I sit on the edge of the table in front of her. “Come on, I’m not asking for too much. And I think that you awe me.”

“Owe you how?”

“I was part of your dream, which makes me a collaborator in whatever vice you were dreaming of.”

“Just remind me, you are breaking how many rules of the office ethical code?”

“The real question is, how many rules of this code was I breaking in your dream?”

“Okay, I’m out.” She gets up on her feet and looks pretty miffed. Waddling toward the door, Keira thinks she’s had enough of me and she’s disposing of this situation once and for all. One thing she doesn’t know, this is only the beginning.

I mean, come on, she made things way easier for me. I didn’t order her to spend the night dreaming of me doing dirty things to her. Well, even her subconscious agrees with me. And soon she will too.

I maunder faster to the door and press my hand against the glass, blocking her way. Her jaw touches my arm, and once she realizes she’s trapped, Keira turns her head around to face me.

“Really? You’re gonna keep me from leaving the building? I thought you knew better.” She rolls her eyes and thinks she’s mocking me.

“I do…know better.” I convince her.

“Really? ‘Cause right now it doesn’t look like it.”

“I’m going to make you wanting to never leave. Until I get bored and order you to leave.” She rolls her eyes and scoffs. She thinks she got it all under control. But boy is she wrong. “Now tell me, what was I doing in your dream?”

“Or what? You’re gonna sue me?” I’m thinking of fucking her smart mouth right now and then asking how that stone-cold façade is coming up for her. I bet her mouth is good for other things other than talking.

“How about, I’d stay here cramming the doorway until you spill it out.” She looks at me like I’m crazy or something and starts questioning whether a nutty-job like me would really do that. But I’m down for it. Seriously. After all, this is entertaining.

“You were just being your annoying self that you usually are. What did you expect?” she lies.

“And what were your feelings regarding my annoying self?”

“Ugh, like always. I was bothered and wanted to get rid of you.”

“Were you though?” I tilt my head, smiling. “The fact I was chasing after you even in your dreams points the opposite. You like my presence Ms. Akerson. You just can’t admit to yourself that such a guarded girl like you would find attractive a jerk like me.”

Her face looks confused, hesitant. She’s just processing what I’m throwing her way, dealing with my blocking her way and finding everything that I’m saying to her surprisingly true. And that’s what drives her crazy the most.

“Really?” After a little moment of contemplating, she decides she wouldn’t fall for this shit. She’d just keep playing her part. “Because as far as I’m concerned, I don’t recall any of this things partaking on my dream.”

“How would you like a reminder?” I tell her and tilt my head forward, as she’s really blurred out, trying to decipher what I just meant by that. But she’ll find out…as of right now. Her breath tastes like mint and morning coffee before our lips tangle. They are soft and feel like cherry. I’m guessing, her chopstick flavor. My tongue is soon exploring her mouth and what I find weird during this moment is the fact that she’s not drawing back. At least, I thought she’d keep up with her façade for a few other minutes.

But, nope. Looks like Ms. Akerson has already taken her guards off and fallen, well, to my jerk-ness. I look in her eyes for a moment and find out that she’s totally disorientated as if she’s scuffling in a new, terrifying territory.

But what terrifies her the most is the fact that she likes it.

I look into her eyes that from this near a perspective seem just so intriguing and insecure. They’re florescent and green. She’s so pretty. And I’m barely containing myself from making advances. But I’m waiting for her reaction.

But, predictably, she’s petrified.

Maybe her realizing she needs to string along with me just startles her as much me kissing her. But the time would come she realized that. Or rather, the time would come that Keira admitted this to herself. She’s known she’s liked me since the morning she woke up on my bed totally befuddled and disoriented. As much as she tried to keep herself from disposing of these feelings, she’s all defenseless and vulnerable now. Ready to throw in at the deep end.

And she’s just scared of what this end might represent.

“So, how’s that for a reminder?” I raise an eyebrow and look smugly at her. The fact that she’s disoriented doesn’t mean I get to be too.

“You’re just so…” she’s fumbling to find the right word. I bet she’s cursing her mind for being too distracted to actually focus on her façade. I raise the one eyebrow higher and wait expectantly. “Unprofessional.” She says, not sure whether this was the furthest she could go with insulting me. And really, I don’t mind. To me her insults seem just like flatters.

“And if by unprofessional you mean that you find me irresistible, I’m like, well, I’ll take it.”

“Ughh,” she groans and tries to render into an atmosphere that suggests nothing happened. “Now, if my presence is not needed here, um, professionally, then I’d like to excuse myself.”

If she expects me to let it off and comprehend the fact she has more on her plate than she can handle, then she doesn’t know me well.

“Well, according to your job timeline, we’re gonna be needed here for as long as you’ll come to admit to yourself that I’m winning favors on you. Then, you’re free to go.”

“According to what timeline? I don’t remember such thing on my job description.”

“Oh, Ms. Akerson. You keep forgetting that I’m the boss. I make your job description…however it pleases me. So please, go ahead and do your job. Otherwise, there are going to be consequences.”

“Oh, yeah? Like, what? Firing me? Please, do so. I’d be more than pleased to leave this crazy place once and for all.”

“And what—” I smirk jerkily. “—then wondering for the rest of your life how it’d have been like?”

“Um, what do you mean?” she’s trying to pretend she doesn’t follow. A total failure.

“Oh, you know exactly what I mean. Now, please proceed and let me in on the mess that is your feelings.”

“If that’s what you’re up for, then I think you’re about to take an exhausting trip next to this door blocking my way out.”

“Oh, you know that wouldn’t stop me, don’t you? I’m all down for it.” I look at her audaciously, trying to prove that I’m all the nutty jerk that she thinks I am, and more.

“Man, what is your problem? What do you want?” It seems like my determination has kind of been swirling around her orbit and pestering her a little. Up to the point where she might even comply with my request. Which, of course, is all why I’ve been putting this fuss up for.

“I think I’ve been pretty straightforward with my issues, Keira. All I’m asking is for you to come to terms with your own cravings. What is it that you crave Keira? Tell me…and you’re free to go.”

“What do you mean, Cason? I mean, Mr. Cardenas.” So we’re on first name basis now. Cool.

“Just, damn it, say the fucking word Keira. Admit that you like me.”

Her eyes wander from mine to my arm and then at my open fingers that are blocking the door. She realizes she’s trapped into this. At which point she would even lie if she has to just so she could bring herself out of here.

“Ok, I mean, you’re kinda hot.” She rolls her eyes.

“Kinda?” I raise one eyebrow and smile. She’s finally letting her guards down. I’m starting to enjoy it.

“Okay, major hot. So now, as we agreed, let me go.”

“Well, I still haven’t got what I need by your part?”

“That thing being?”

“Your dream? Were you dreaming of me fucking you?”

“Um,” she’s so discomposed. Keira looks around confused and blushed. “I mean, you already know. Now, shall I go? Or should I take it you’re not all the successful businessman that you hold yourself for?”

“Nah, Ms. Akerson. I do respect my business deals. Rigorously. You’re free to go for now.” I get my hand off of the door and look at her. She’s staring at me for a few seconds like she’s pondering about something and then she leaves the room in a jiffy.