Page 141
Story: In Love After Office Hours
"Good morning, Mr. Evans."
"Ms. Jones, isn't it?" His voice was deeper than she had expected to be. "Sorry for being late."
"Not at all, sir."
He took a seat, but the girl remained standing. Well-trained of her, but he doubted it had anything to do with Collins' tutelage.
"Please take a seat, Ms. Jones."
"Thank you, Mr. Evans."
He watched her do as asked and was amused at the way she resembled a headmistress, with her back barely touching the back of the chair and her hands resting delicately on her lap.
"Gareth, please."
"Of course, sir." Her voice was steady, but he didn't miss the way her eyes flickered.
"You're not comfortable with it, sir?"
"It's only because of the things I'm used to with Mr. Collins."
A perfect alibi meant to soothe any ruffled feathers, but he also noted the way she had managed to avoid calling Gareth by his name.
"May I be frank with you, Ms. Jones?" At her nod, he asked bluntly, "As you do not strike me as either the scheming or manipulative type, would you mind telling me what made you accept the temporary transfer to my office?"
Fifteen minutes later, and Pippi was able to breathe a sigh of relief the moment she came out of Gareth Evans' office and headed back to Mr. Collins. Her phone rang then, and she answered it without looking to see who it was. "Hello?"
"Do I have any reason to fire my vice president, Ms. Jones?"
Pippi nearly dropped her iPhone in shock. "A—-ah my God!"
"Remarkably quick-witted of you, Ms. Jones, but I'm afraid it doesn't answer my question."
"This is such a surprise." Pippi knew she was babbling for no reason, but she couldn't help it. She just felt so guilty and embarrassed at taking a personal call, never mind if he was also the CEO of the company that employed her.
"Yes or no, Ms. Jones."
"No, of course not!" Her unusually shrill gasp had the other employees in the hallway glancing at her oddly, and Pippi felt like skulking away in shame.
"Then why do you look so guilty?"
"What—-" It hit her then, and as soon as she turned her gaze upwards, her eyes unerringly spotted the CCTV camera mounted on the ceiling. Cupping a hand over her mouth to keep anyone from accidentally hearing her, she demanded in an incredulous whisper,"Are you spying on me?"
"I'm guarding what belongs to me, that's all." The words, uttered in a low, edgy tone, completely threw her off. On one hand, he was being unreasonably suspicious. But on the other hand - didn't this mean he was being jealous...over her?
"A—-" She stopped in time, but she was feeling doubly frustrated by her failure to keep the fact that she was on a first-name basis with Acheron Simonides a secret. And to think she was the one worried about Acheron slipping up!
"I read your file with HR."
"What?"This time, Acheron's words had her halting in her tracks, which consequently caused the person behind her to crash into Pippi's back. Face flaming, Pippi stammered an apology and, no longer confident of her ability to function normally, hastened towards the nearest fire exit.
As soon as the heavy doors closed behind her, the words she had been holding back burst out of her in a beseeching rush. "Can we please talk after work?"
"We're just talking."
"But I'm at work."
"And I'm your boyfriend as well as your boss—-"
"Ms. Jones, isn't it?" His voice was deeper than she had expected to be. "Sorry for being late."
"Not at all, sir."
He took a seat, but the girl remained standing. Well-trained of her, but he doubted it had anything to do with Collins' tutelage.
"Please take a seat, Ms. Jones."
"Thank you, Mr. Evans."
He watched her do as asked and was amused at the way she resembled a headmistress, with her back barely touching the back of the chair and her hands resting delicately on her lap.
"Gareth, please."
"Of course, sir." Her voice was steady, but he didn't miss the way her eyes flickered.
"You're not comfortable with it, sir?"
"It's only because of the things I'm used to with Mr. Collins."
A perfect alibi meant to soothe any ruffled feathers, but he also noted the way she had managed to avoid calling Gareth by his name.
"May I be frank with you, Ms. Jones?" At her nod, he asked bluntly, "As you do not strike me as either the scheming or manipulative type, would you mind telling me what made you accept the temporary transfer to my office?"
Fifteen minutes later, and Pippi was able to breathe a sigh of relief the moment she came out of Gareth Evans' office and headed back to Mr. Collins. Her phone rang then, and she answered it without looking to see who it was. "Hello?"
"Do I have any reason to fire my vice president, Ms. Jones?"
Pippi nearly dropped her iPhone in shock. "A—-ah my God!"
"Remarkably quick-witted of you, Ms. Jones, but I'm afraid it doesn't answer my question."
"This is such a surprise." Pippi knew she was babbling for no reason, but she couldn't help it. She just felt so guilty and embarrassed at taking a personal call, never mind if he was also the CEO of the company that employed her.
"Yes or no, Ms. Jones."
"No, of course not!" Her unusually shrill gasp had the other employees in the hallway glancing at her oddly, and Pippi felt like skulking away in shame.
"Then why do you look so guilty?"
"What—-" It hit her then, and as soon as she turned her gaze upwards, her eyes unerringly spotted the CCTV camera mounted on the ceiling. Cupping a hand over her mouth to keep anyone from accidentally hearing her, she demanded in an incredulous whisper,"Are you spying on me?"
"I'm guarding what belongs to me, that's all." The words, uttered in a low, edgy tone, completely threw her off. On one hand, he was being unreasonably suspicious. But on the other hand - didn't this mean he was being jealous...over her?
"A—-" She stopped in time, but she was feeling doubly frustrated by her failure to keep the fact that she was on a first-name basis with Acheron Simonides a secret. And to think she was the one worried about Acheron slipping up!
"I read your file with HR."
"What?"This time, Acheron's words had her halting in her tracks, which consequently caused the person behind her to crash into Pippi's back. Face flaming, Pippi stammered an apology and, no longer confident of her ability to function normally, hastened towards the nearest fire exit.
As soon as the heavy doors closed behind her, the words she had been holding back burst out of her in a beseeching rush. "Can we please talk after work?"
"We're just talking."
"But I'm at work."
"And I'm your boyfriend as well as your boss—-"
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187
- Page 188
- Page 189
- Page 190
- Page 191