Chapter 11
Johnson invited Natasha to talk over coffee, she declined saying she had work to do...she was trying hard to keep her temper in check because this guy was seriously pissing her off.
"Don't worry, we can talk after you're done with work" he said, his smile annoyingly persistent.
"Johnson I...."
"Alright then, it's decided, I'll see you after work" he interrupted as he stood up and waved goodbye. He didn't even give her a chance to decline.
Natasha sighed as she watched him walk away, they had broken up on bad terms back then so why did he suddenly appear, acting like they were long time friends.
Work went on as usual, Natasha was able to round up on time and she decided to head home to see her mom. She missed her...as she was leaving, one of her coworkers stopped her.
"We have a team dinner to attend this evening by 6pm, make sure to attend"
"Tell the Boss that my cat got hit by a car and I'm taking it to the hospital" she made an obvious lie and hurried away
"Since when did you have a cat" she heard her colleague yelling behind her and Natasha tried hard not to laugh, no way was she attending a team dinner with that pervert boss.
As she walked out of the company's building, a car pulled up in front of her and the window slowly rolled down.
"Hey Natasha, Need a ride?" Johnson asked casually
"No thanks, I can take a taxi" Natasha replied, her tone polite but firm.
"Come on, I thought we agreed to catch up over coffee, I just want to be friends" he said, grinning.
"I never agreed to anything, besides... would your girlfriend be happy to find out you're hanging out with your ex?" Natasha asked, frowning.
"I don't have one," he replied smoothly.
"Well, I have a boyfriend and he wouldn't be happy to find out" she shot back, seeming slightly mad.
"Common, don't lie, I know Chris dumped you" Johnson replied with a mocking grin.
"He didn't dump me, it was actually the other way round...and besides, I never mentioned my boyfriend's name....how do you know I dated Chris, have you been stalking me?" She asked, clenching her fist. This John fucking son was really annoying.
"What, no...I just kinda found out" he said, laughing awkwardly.
"What are you up to Johnson?We broke up a long time ago, why do you suddenly appear, acting like nothing happened?"Natasha asked, she could tell he was up to something, something that definitely wouldn't end well for her.
He sighed, his expression turning serious "Look Nat, I'll be honest...I need your help"
"For what?"
"I'll tell you over coffee, so please...can you come in" Natasha hissed and decided to give him a chance. It was obvious he wouldn't let her be otherwise.
"Make it quick, I have somewhere to go" she said, her tone firm.
Johnson drove them to the nearest Cafe, he ordered drinks for them both but Natasha didn't touch her's. Who knows what he might put in there.
"Speak up...what is it?"she demanded, looking down at her watch.
"I debuted for a role at your company but got rejected, could you help me convince your boss to give me another chance...I flopped the audition today because I wasn't feeling too well" Johnson pleaded
"You seem fine to me" she said as she raised her brow.
"Please Nat, I really need this role"
"Don't call me that, we are not that close... Besides, what makes you think I'll be willing to help you?"
"It's been 7 years since we graduated from highschool and you haven't once attended our school reunion because of a misunderstanding in the past, I'm willing to clear your innocence in the next school reunion"
"Misunderstanding you say? You are the person who caused it in the first place" she shot back
"Look, I'm sorry...I was just a naive teenager who didn't know any better...do you think you could consider? I will clear up the misunderstanding and you help me convince your boss" he said, his tone pleading, but his eyes had a glint of mockery.
Natasha bit her lips in frustration, this bastard knew how much clearing her innocence meant to her and he was using it to his advantage.
"Fine, I'll try, but I can't guarantee you that I'll succeed" she said, clenching her fist which were aching to punch Johnson on the nose.
"As long as you make an effort.. I'll really appreciate" he said with a relieved smile.
Natasha stood up and left, not giving him another chance to say anything.
She was well aware of what she had just gotten herself into....her so called boss was known to exploit women, especially those who had something to gain from him... women who wanted to climb to the top of the entertainment industry, all they had to do was spend a few nights on his bed to get their wishes.
She always avoided team gatherings mainly because of him, she always found excuses to give, and luckily for her, they never forced her to attend.
The man was known for his crazy cravings for women...if you caught his attention...he would find all means to bring you to his bedroom.
As she made her way to her mom's house in the taxi, she began to think hard on how she could convince her boss without seeming suspicious that she was asking for a favor...the team dinner that was scheduled at six pm was the perfect time, but how was she going to overcome this without having her body violated by the old hag.
As she was still deep in thoughts, an idea suddenly crossed her mind.
What if she went with Drogen and introduced him as her boyfriend, her boss might back off, after all, Drogen looked really intimidating.
All she had to do now was to find a way to convince Drogen to go with her and act like her boyfriend.
"Damn, this is going to be harder than I thought" she squeezed between her brows as she let out an exhausted sigh.