Lissa didn't even notice what time it was when she woke up. All she remembered was how empty the bed is, how spacious it was. She was also fully clothed. And there was no evidence that something raunchy or memorable happened last night. She checked her underwear, and it's still there.
'Yep, I didn't get lucky last night.' She lazily told herself.
She yawned and stretched her limbs as she climbs out of the big bed. And by checking the time in her wristwatch, she's in for another lecture from her very angry mother. Sunday, 9:17 in the morning.
She scratched her head then scratched her itchy back, sleeping while wearing corporate uniform isn't the most comfortable thing in the world.
For sure, she's going to have another one of those three hour lectures with her mother. It would be fine if she had some sort of sweet sexcapade that could distract her from all those words that she knows it about to come. But to her dismay, she had none.
"Fuck my life..." She sighed as she scrambled to find her shoes, packing her things and arranging her bag as she goes. She left the room in a hurry and looked for Anthony.
Who knew he had that much self control.
Lissa did everything in her power to seduce the man. Everything. The only thing she didn't consider doing is throwing her underwear to the trash and force her way to Anthony's pants. Because first, she didn't bring extra underwear and second, she likes it better when the guy is the one forcing her.
She tried her best, really, she did, but the man still won't budge.
Lissa managed to find him sleeping soundly on the black leather sofa. Looking peaceful and all innocent. His particular handsome features intrigues her.
'You are one odd creature.' She thought. "A gentleman, with sadistic tendencies, huh." She said it out loud as she observes Anthony's sleeping figure. She sat beside him, just above his head, but not near enough.
Slowly and carefully, she threaded her fingers against his hair to remove then from covering his beautiful face.
"You really are a handsome man, just really hard to get." Was her irritated hiss to the man. Slowly she leans in closer and closer, stealing away a kiss from his lips.
A little treat for herself, just before she leaves and face her mother with a Dragon-like temper. Somehow, she hoped the kiss was enough to act as an amulet to prevent herself from getting burnt out from many harsh words to come.
She didn't bother to wake him up as she strides out of his condominium. Not because she didn't want to, but because Anthony looked so serene and at peace while he was sleeping. Like an angel, she thought.
But even though her conquest for the night failed, something in her felt a bit of satisfaction.
A warm light that she never felt before... And it felt odd against her chest.
Just before she crossed the sidewalk, Lissa looked up the big tower and spotted the room with black curtains. She took a last peak and smiled as she memorizes how the condominium looks from the outside.
"Just you wait, Mr. Lee..." She whispered to herself. "...the time will come that you'll beg me to go on all-fours for you."
*****
It was another one of those days at the office. Everyone was calmly and quietly working on their job, typing and checking the documents and paper works that needs a bit of polishing. The beginning of the week is going well... Well, not for everyone.
Lissa's face was dark and grim, almost looking half dead and sleepless. She was staring on the desk, re-reading and retyping as she goes. From afar, she looked like a lost soul, waiting for Death to arrive and assist her to the netherworld.
Well, who look lively in her situation. Her mother did not even stop talking and lecturing her, even as she sleeps, eats, bathes and brushes her teeth. Her ears almost went numb with all that shouting and screaming.
And she thinks, even as her mother sleep's she's still lecturing Lissa.
She was totally out of her wits. Totally drained that she did not even notice Judy was standing in front of her. Her best friend was looking at her with a weird expression on her face. As if she was looking down on a burnt witch.
Judy eventually got tired of waiting on Lissa. She lifted her hand, and slapped her in the back of the head. "Yow!" She called like a back-alley gangster.
"Fuck!" Lissa practically jumped from her chair as she screamed. She looked behind her and gave Judy piercing and deadly stare. "You damn bitch, Judy Anne P. Swallows! Come here, I swear to god!"
"Wow. Way to say my full name out loud, girl. Why don't you try completing it and say my middle name as well."
"Well, you started it." Was Lissa's irritated reply. She grabbed Judy by the hair and tugged it once, earning a groan from her friend. "I thought you were my mother, goddamn. Can't you just call my name normally like a good and sane person?!"
"Do I look like your mother?" Judy retorted with the same tone as her. "And how can I do that, you've been out for so long that you could be an Astronaut. You've been spacing out for hours."
Lissa groaned and shook her head. Her friend was right, she had been spacing out for quite sometime now. She wasn't really feeling herself at the moment. "Well, get on with it. What do you need? Is there anything that I can do for you, Miss Swallows?" She asked mockingly.
"Well, fro starters, Aunt Lolita kept bugging us about your whereabouts. She was calling and texting us all night because you did not tell her where you are. She said your curfew was over and you should've been home already but you're not."
Judy was going on and on that Lissa thinks her friend is the long lost cousin of her mother.
"And then, she even said that we were bad examples, my goodness. So yeah, in the end so that she'd stop, we just told her that you were so drunk that you have to sleep over Nina's place. Well, if we didn't lie, she won't stop calling. It's super annoying. God! Why did you give her our numbers?!"
So she wasn't the only one who was lectured, suddenly she felt sorry. "I didn't know. I'm sorry." She sincerely apologized, a shy smile was on her lips. "So that's why I'm not the only one with the deep dark under their eyes, huh." She teased.
Judy nodded and accepted the apology with an annoyed smiled. "You should be doing more than just apologizing. You should be serving as my laundry girl for a month after what your mother put me through." She teased with a smile. "Also, what really happened, hm? Where did you run off to?"
Lissa breathed in deeply, trying to calm herself. 'Fuck.' She cursed at herself. It almost slipped out, she almost openly admitted that she slept at Anthony's place last night.
Fact is, she didn't just sleep there. They got drunk, shared their most deep dark secrets and... she also stole a kiss from him. She said nothing, and smiled. "Well, you know me..." She winked then clicked her tongue, implying and suggestively teasing her friend, letting Judy's imagination run wild.
Judy crossed her arm against her chest then slowly nodded her head, realizing that her gut was right. "I knew it... you got laid again, didn't you?" She laughed, and was utterly amused. "Slut..."
Lissa simply accepted her friend's guess and shrugged her shoulders, giving her friend a wide and bright smile. "Of course. What else is there to do?"
Judy sighed then she placed her hand softly on Lissa's back, as if giving her a congratulatory remark. "Well, whoever it is, tell me the details later." She giggled then tapped Lissa in the back a few times as she laughs. "And, before I forget..."
Lissa looked at her friend. "What is it?"
"Chrome is asking for your presence."
*****
Lissa walked with hurried steps as she walks along the hallway to go to her supervisor's office. It took her more than an hour and a half to go there. She had a prior meeting with the owner of the company, as they were requesting for new types of advertisement.
She knocked on the door three times and unconsciously fixed her hair.
Few seconds has passed yet no one was answering, so she knocked again. She checked the time on her phone, but it was still within their office hours. 'Maybe he's on break?' she thought.
She bit her lips, and tried to think twice before opening the door to see if it's locked. Thinking that it was just to check it out, she reached for the door knob. Then, as she reaches out, the door opened.
"I'm sorry. I was talking on the phone with someone." Was his sincere apology. He took a step back to give enough space for Lissa to enter the office.
As soon as she stepped inside, Anthony hurried back to his chair.
Lissa eyed him from head to toe, noting how much the grey long-sleeves fit him like a glove. The flex of his arm muscles showed against the thin cloth. "Sorry, I was in a prior meeting with the big boss as well." She apologized then closed the door. "Hazette called for me, asking me to change the fonts in the new Advertising prints."
"It's fine." Anthony shrugged it off then smiled. He was about to say something when something passed his train of thought. He pursed his lips then looked at Lissa. "How was your day? How was your ride home?"
Lissa tilted her head to the side, a bit confused of what is happening. She hummed and then swallowed. "Uhm. Aren't you going to ask me to do something for you?" Was her confuse riddled question. "Nothing to sign or copy or something?"
"Do I need a reason to call for you?"
'Ehmergherd.' Lissa can't help but smile. Not really, no."
Anthony smiled back. "So what's the deal, then?" Running his hands on his hair, he licked his lips and asked again. "How was your ride home? What time did you arrive?"
"Past noon, I think." Was her short reply. "Well, I can that it's lunch time since there was already food, drinks and some dessert on the table. You know, prepared by my mom."
"Oh?" Anthony cooed, and felt a little jealous "What did she prepare for you exactly?"
"Two days worth of lecturing and tons of bible verses."
They laughed in unison, and Anthony noted how Lissa's teeth shows whenever she laughed. They begin with simple small talks, and then it continued on. And it felt like they were two old friends who haven't seen each other in a long time.
They were enjoying each other's company that they did not notice the time. It was past 7PM in the afternoon, almost 8 in the evening.
The two of them walked side by side as they left the building. And as they stride to the parking lot, they continued exchanging stories and whatever mundane thing they can share to each other. They've only stopped talking when they've reached Anthony's car.
"Well, I'm going to go now. I have to catch the last bus. Or else I'm going to have to catch a cab, which is out of my budget." Lissa bid goodbye then smiled. She was about to walk away from the scene, but then Anthony suddenly called for her attention, offering something that she never expected from him.
"Why don't I take you home instead? Come on..." He said, gesturing for Lissa to get in the car. "...hop in."
Suddenly, Lissa stared at a far distance, feeling her body freeze for a moment. It's coming again, the weird feeling of millions of bugs and bees and butterflies filling and leaving trails on her stomach. There's a hint of hot sensation against her chest --- almost taking her breath away. Her heartbeat elevated so fast that she became light headed.
And, she didn't know how to decline the offer. Her mind couldn't come up with cohesive words to say. "Uhm..."
Anthony smiled at her, the kind of smile that she'd never seen before, and it made her feel something ticklish--- almost tingling.
"I won't take no for an answer." Anthony warned playfully, that smile never leaving his lips.
Lissa swallowed hard against her throat, then she played with her fingers. And somehow, when she entered his car, and when he asked her to put on the seat belt... She knew... She felt it in her whole being.
"And, uh... Lissa." He called her name, and suddenly she felt shy. "Remember when you offered me to be your drinking buddy?"
Lissa bit her lips and nodded. "Yes, why?"
Anthony started the ignition then he begins to drive. "I'm accepting your offer."