I was awaken with the ringing of the doorbell. I think I know who this is already.
When I opened the door, I saw not only Ed but Jeff too. It was now Jeff who had a duffel bag with him. I just shook my head and just let them in without a word. I went inside my room and directly to bed. I was not able to sleep well because I kept thinking of the common link. Which drove me crazy since I cannot find one.
I was just on ordinary woman. No one liked me to befriend me but that did not make them hate me. I did not realized that I fell asleep until I felt someone watching me. When I opened my eyes, I found Ed looking at me tenderly and was gently stroking my hair. Me and him in one bed made me all hot and bothered so I sat up and looked at him sharply.
He stood up and said, "Breakfast is ready. Why don't you freshen up." and then bent down to kiss my lips lightly. "Morning, babe." and went out of the room.
That was a great way to wake up. Being greeted by a handsome and totally hot guy and be told that breakfast is ready. What a great life!
I hurriedly freshen up and went out. Jeff made my way to my room while saying, "I have eaten, I'll take a shower. Both you and Ed should eat."
I sat down, looking bashful since I have not calmed myself down with that peck on my lips. Just a peck and his effect is like this. I wonder how I would feel if we made love. This thought made me blush and he lips twitched in response.
"Let's eat, babe. We still have work." he teased.
"Hmmmp." I can't say anything because I was so embarrassed. We ate in silence and after we were done, I started cleaning up. Jeff was done while we were still eating so Ed was free to use the bathroom after eating.
We still had an hour before we report to work so we were not really in a hurry.
This peaceful routine continued. Ed or sometimes both of them would show up in the morning and would have their breakfast. I offered them the keys to my house but Ed refused, saying that it is still better for me to have a semblance of privacy. That actually made me feel like I am in control of what was happening between us and in my life. Its not that Ed is not making advances of any kind. He does. He would steal kisses and would have me in a puddle like a melted wax with desire. But he still hasn't taken the next step towards our intimacy. I know he is waiting for me.
What I kept asking myself is, will I ever be ready? Will I ever be brave enough to give what Ed clearly wants from me. He has bared his heart to me countless of times, not by words but by actions. And his eyes, tenderness, admiration, and intense desire all rolled into one. Even Jeff praised him for his willingness to let me be myself. Jeff said that Ed is used to getting what he wants in life.
The feeling of being watched was still there but the fear somehow lessened because of Ed and Jeff. They served as my buffer whenever it got too tough. Even things with Ericka was better. She has not caused any trouble at work for me which made me complacent. She also was no longer acerbic towards me.
We were still working as Ashton's secretary since Ms. Jennifer is still on leave while the gentlemen were now on the translator's department which is headed by Ms. Jessica Owens.
I got the feeling that John was quite elated when he learned that they were switching teams. According to both Ed and Jeff, Mr. Harvey miserably failed to live up to John's expectations. But Ed liked Mr. Harvey. They like him because he didn't talk much. Which is something that they both have in common. Jeff was on neutral ground, he had nothing bad to say about Mr. Harvey but neither did he sing praises for him.
I wished I could have worked with the publishing house. I really wanted to see how it works and how it is managed. Mr. Harvey might not be a wealthy source of information in the verbal sense but I bet he is when it comes to demonstration.
I was also looking forward to working in the translator's team. I wanted to see how many languages they are working on. I also wanted to take a look at how the ran things in that department. Who translates and who checks the translated materials. Ohhh, I am missing so many things because of my work as secretary.
I want to talk to Ashton about being transferred to a different department. I think Ericka can managed on her own. Ashton was quite a capable boss. He doesn't need us that much. Ericka handles his schedule while I sort out his mail. If I get to be transferred to a different team, Ericka can handle both.
I kept sighing all day long. Ericka kept casting me surreptitious glances. I think she can feel the tension in me. She just doesn't care that much to be bothered since she did not question me.
With that thought, I mustered the courage and knocked on his door. This is the first time that I willingly stepped into his office. I prefer to stay away from him at all cost. I heard his voice asking me to come in and I took a deep breath and went in. I felt like I was about to go to war.
I am going to war. Whenever I see him, I would always be transported somewhere in between what happened and what is happening. I am sick and tired of being in between these worlds. I want to move forward. And that means, moving away from him even if that only meant moving a few floors down. Had I known that he owned this company, I would never have thought of sending my application, but what can I do. Everything has been set into motion already, so I just have to deal with it.
"What can I do for you, Ms. Smith?" he asked. He started calling me by my last name since that incident in the pantry.