Thankfully, though Lou had arrived predictably late to their agreed time, her vivacious behavior and funny stories of her weekend rescued Alessa, pulling her from the deep, dark of her mind. After, Alessa was tempted to go to the office and fill her time working, but decided instead to stop off at the used bookstore not far from her place. She grabbed a Jules Verne she hadn't yet read, and spent the rest of the day reading, finishing it that night before she went to bed.
On Monday, Alessa happily opened an ever-expanding task list at six-thirty that morning. Two hours earlier she had woken up with a clear mind that was voracious to be filled with whatever she could find, and so, instead of trying to go back to sleep, she dressed and headed to the office. She was pleased to find her responsibilities were fast-growing as more and more of the senior staff were beginning to rely on her for their research and memos. Two of them had even selected her to be part of their team for their new clients. Though she chastised herself for the thought, she hoped Denny noticed her success. She put it off as wanting to gloat that she had been the best choice despite his initial hostility toward her and her choice of school, but she couldn't quite squelch the accompanying desire to have him stroke her hair and praise her for it.
Once her tasks were organized, Alessa dove in, her mind craving the activity. She was thankful for the increased case load, hoping somehow it would fill her mind with thoughts other than Denny, and perhaps give her an excuse to beg off late night work sessions. However, she soon realized that wasn't the case; throughout the week, she had several meetings with the Mingo team, and at each subsequent meeting, she felt like a python's prey, hypnotized by the sight of his sculpted forearms, or the smell of his crisp and musky cologne as he leaned near, or his fingers raking in his hair, or those eyes unsettling her with ever gaze. Her growing attraction fast became an irritant in her mind.
It was the Wednesday afternoon lull, and Alessa knew if she was going to make it until at least eight-thirty she would need to have a caffeine fuel-up. She was standing before the expensive and slightly complicated espresso machine in the employee lounge when the sound of feet approaching behind her slipped just under her consciousness. And then she smelled the spice that was him.
A warmth seeped into her chest as she felt his presence behind her. And for reasons unknown to her, she was frozen, unable to move, unable to acknowledge him, but allowing him to invade her very personal space. She waited, but for what she could not have named.
His right arm moved from his side and reached around her to the cupboard, his chest hitting her shoulder as he leaned in to retrieve a double-walled, glass mug. After setting it down, his left arm followed suit, reaching past her into the opposite cupboard. This time, more than his chest brushed her, and when she felt her entire back come into contact with his firm front she nearly whimpered and leaned forward, placing her hands on the counter, thinking to escape, seeking support to hold her upright. But her movement didn't create any space between them as he only followed, pressing insistently into her. Grabbing the box of tea his hand had been searching for, he lowered his mouth to her ear, and in her surprise, she half turned to him, causing his lips to graze her skin. She shuddered from the electricity sparking down her spine.
"Your coffee's done," he informed her in a husky voice she could only think was the sexiest thing she had ever heard. And then he moved away from her, standing at the end of the counter to turn on the electric kettle. She stood, her body filled with a fine tremble, her anger, her confusion rising as she watched him open the box and rip open a packet and place the bag in his glass mug. He dispassionately watched the kettle until its button flipped, indicating his water was boiled. He poured the steaming liquid, the tea bag contents bleeding into the clear water with tendrils of gold. Denny picked up the cup and, as he turned to leave, looked her squarely in the eyes. His expression wasn't light and smiling. It was intense and challenging. "Alessa," he murmured with a nod of acknowledgment, and then left.
For the rest of the day Alessa felt brittle, keeping her head down and eyes cast up, watching out for him. But he kept his distance, and in his absence, she convinced herself her reaction had merely been an overreaction. She didn't know what was worse, the possibility that something significant had happened, or that she was merely too sensitive to him.
The following day, the entire team regrouped for another meeting. Alessa's mood was darkening considerably when she forced herself to believe he had meant nothing by his invasion of her space, and she had reacted like a silly, flighty schoolgirl with an over-romanticized crush. But at the meeting, Denny once again asked her to stay late that day to work on more translations and to begin drafting proposals for the Seoul office.
She was inclined to say no, to flat out refuse, but she couldn't. Not really. Not when she knew this case-her very first-was positioning her to begin serious advancement. And so, biting her cheek, attempting to refrain from scowling, she nodded, and then turned and left the conference room. This time she didn't even attempt to force herself to work. Instead, she immediately grabbed her running clothes, changed and hit the pavement hard. She was just emerging from the elevators when she bumped into Denny.
His surprise at her sweaty, red-faced appearance was evident, before he silently slipped past her onto the elevator, his appraising gaze never leaving her. Alessa stood, watching him watch her, and did not try to hide her scowl this time, which only served to make him smile in a dark, smirking fashion.
Damn! In that one look he had stripped everything she had just gained from her run. Quickly changing and getting back to her desk, she attempted to get back to her work, but the smell of his cologne, the feel of his chest pressed against her, those eyes kept resurfacing in her mind, making her dread the coming evening. And then, before she was even truly aware of it, she was up and marching to his office. She knew he wasn't there, but still her eyes darted about, making sure he wasn't about to reappear.
"Hi, Clare," she smiled brightly, feigning ease. "Mr. Ashbury isn't here, is he?" she asked, trying to sound hopeful.
"No, he left about thirty minutes ago," the middle age blonde informed her.
"Will he be back soon, do you think?"
"No, he's at a deposition the rest of the afternoon. Can I help you?"
Alessa tried to look disappointed. "Well, it's only that I knew he wanted me to work on some more of the Mingo translations this evening. I was hoping to get them done A.S.A.P. You couldn't help me out could you?" she looked hopeful again.
Clare gave her a smirk and raised eyebrow. "Hot date?" she tittered and stood up to find the files for her.
Alessa gave a nervous chuckle, her first impulse to deny it, but then thought if it could help... "Ah, something like that. Let's just say I'd like to get it over with as quickly as possible."
After a few minutes of digging, Clare found what Alessa was looking for. "Thank you so much. I owe you," she replied sweetly as she quickly left his office. As she had hoped, she was able to get through the translations quickly enough that by six, she was finishing up the last few pages. There was still no sign of him, and she hoped to have the work completed before he returned. She was willing to sacrifice her evening run to power through, especially as she had already had a run that day. It was nearly six-thirty when she laid the files, the translations, and the key components for the draft proposal on his desk.
As fate would have it, when she punched the down arrow and the elevator doors opened, Denny was emerging. Again he looked surprised to see her and then asked where she was going.
"I hope you don't mind," she said with an edge of smug victory in her voice, "but I went ahead and completed the work for you. It is on your desk."
"But-" he started, surprised.
"I didn't want to keep you from your evening, especially if I could get it out of the way." As she stepped on and turned to him, she now held the triumphant smirk. As the doors were closing, she gave him a two-finger salute, confident and cheeky.
Denny could only smile after, completely aware of her attempt to avoid him and his own sharpening resolve to capture her.
"Clare," he shouted as he walked into his office. She was rearranging files in one of the cabinets. "You gave her the files, Clare," he said almost in a whine, coming round his desk to view them. As promised, there they sat in the middle, a haughty trophy gloating her win.
It took her a moment to understand who he meant. "Oh, well, she needed to get out of here as quickly as possible. I think maybe she has a date," she confided with an almost giggle.
Denny turned to look at her, his eyes squinting and a frown on his lips. But, as he considered it, he didn't think that was the case. Her expression as the elevator closed had nothing to do with another man. "Unlikely," he said at last, laying his brief case down and divesting himself of his light coat.
"Well, I'm finished up and headed out. Need anything else?" she asked as she closed the drawer.
Denny only shook his head, already browsing through the work Alessa had left behind. He stayed around another few hours, but his idle hand could only sketch her likeness as his mind was filled with her face.
The following day, all the smugness that had been present in her demeanor the evening before was quickly fleeting as she opened her tasks list and saw several large research projects marked as urgent by several of the senior staff. Alessa was also assigned to attend two meetings that day. She took a deep breath and began working. Around two-thirty, she got an instant message from d.ashbury.
I need you to work with me this evening on Korean and Japanese commerce law for the proposal.
Alessa's stomach dropped, and while she couldn't say the sensation was wholly bad, it was enough of a warning to tell her spending any amount of time with Denton Ashbury would be a mistake.
And I need a life outside this office. Didn't I demonstrate yesterday that we don't need to meet? I can get the work done if you'll just hand it over.
