Good morning sir’ she greeted as she steps in.
As usual, his back was to her while he stared down the streets.
‘You are late’ Ivan replied coolly.
While he stood there, he fought hard for control, resisting all his desire to pin her down his chest and kiss the daylight out of her.
He had been watching her from high up; he had seen her when she stepped out from the cab; when she had stopped to converse with the other security men. Yes, he couldn’t keep his eyes off her but he reminded himself that he was Ivan Roseau and he always kept everything in check.
‘I…I am sorry’ Jane glanced at her watch.
‘What’s your excuse’ he swirled around and faced her.
All his control fled; the walls of defenses he had built were torn down; she was breathtaking in her ensemble; simply dressed but entrapping.
His eyes took in her slender neck and the bones that defined it; it moved to her perky b—–s that shot out in the cashmere sweater and traveled back upwards.
First, to her clear brown eyes and then to her lips which were mildly colored.
‘I..am sorry’ she stuttered and stared at him.
There was chemistry in the air; a strong scent of desire and wanting to plague her and she wondered if it plagued him too.
‘Sorry’? Ivan walked towards her, one step at a time, he couldn’t hold himself back.
‘Yes…’ heat rose up her cheeks as he neared her. What was he going to do? Was he going to kiss her?
He stopped right before her. They were just an inch apart but he could feel her hot breath on his face; he could smell her feminine fragrance and as he stood before her, he couldn’t miss the desire than danced in her mahogany eyes.
Did she want him too? This was confusing.
She licked her lips nervously, waiting to kiss him.
He moved closer to her and she closed her eyes, it was time for her first kiss.
‘You have lipstick on your face’ he whispered instead and stormed out of his office.
*****
Ryan brought his car to a halt; he had driven up to meet Samantha at the designated venue. He paused and took a deep breath and decided he was not going back.
He took out his phone briefly and stared at the picture of the security guard that had left Sam’s house; there was something definitely fishy about the way he had left her apartment.
He noticed his phone was buzzing, he had just received a message from Sam:
“I can see you, come into the restaurant”.
‘B—h’ he muttered under his breath and slid out of the car towards the Chinese restaurant that was crowded with people.
‘It’s a little noisy in here if you ask me’ He started as he spotted her inside the glassy building.
‘Ideal place for a meeting with someone you don’t trust’ she scoffed.
‘I am on your side, I want Ivan down as much as you do’ Ryan tried to convince her.
‘Really? Why? How do I believe you’re not trying to set me up and then sell me out later’ she beckoned to one of the waiters.
‘Our father’s will…’ he paused briefly and gave his order.
‘What about your father’s will’? Sam was getting interested.
‘He is giving everything to Ivan including the company and it’s so unfair’ Ryan sighed, he was actually speaking for Kira and not himself.
Samantha drummed her fingers on the table impatiently waiting for him to drop the point; she paused as she heard him mention a will.
‘So you want to paint Ivan black before your dad in order for the will to get augmented’? She relaxed against the chair and cast a long glance at him; she was trying to read him; trying to see if he was playing her.
‘Something like that, I’ve put in a lot into the company too’ Ryan said.
‘I see, but why don’t you tell your brother this instead of plotting behind his back’? Sam took another angle, she was playing him.
A slow smile crept on his face, he knew she was testing him; he was no fool and he would play right along.
‘We both know Ivan, he is selfish and controlling, he loves power. I know he is my brother but he wouldn’t listen’ Ryan stated.
Samantha couldn’t agree less, she had dated Ivan for a couple of months before he fired her; she would never forget that humiliating experience.
She had found her answer, she was going ahead with her plan. With Wale to testify against him and his siblings to back her up, she was going to milk Ivan dry.
‘Excuse me, I need to text someone badly’ she fetched her phone and sent a message to Wale.
‘Done’ she grinned and focused on Ryan.
‘So, what’s your plan exactly’? Ryan asked. He needed to know what she had in store for his brother.
‘Someone from the company would stand as a witness, telling the court of how he had seen your brother harassing me severally’ she replied.
‘Oh? Can I meet this person’? Ryan was quite sure it was Wale, why else had he visited her.
‘No. Not so fast. Let’s take it slow’ she offered him her prettiest smile.
‘Okay,’ he shrugged and relaxed against the chair not knowing the next step to take.
Sam was no fool, Ryan seemed too curious for his own good and that was when it hit her that she had been tricked and she had a strong feeling that Ivan knew nothing about this.
*********
“There is lipstick on your face” his voice reechoed in her brain as she stared at the mirror.
Heat crept up from her neck to her cheeks as she had been so sure he was going to kiss her.
‘I was so stupid, now I made a mess of myself’ she stared at her reflection. Her boss’ reaction was startling as there was no lipstick stain on her face.
She wondered if she would have the strength to face him the rest of the day; she was ashamed for expecting a kiss, what was she thinking?
‘I’ll be fine’ she reassured herself, followed by few minutes of a deep breath.
Her eyes strayed to a colorful book that lay in one of the bathroom shanks; someone must have forgotten the book there, she thought to herself.
She moved towards it and picked it up. It was a magazine.
She smiled faintly as she remembered Wale who always told her she could be a Vogue cover girl or an Elle cover girl.
Her smile vanished swiftly as she spotted Ivan’s name with this caption: “Software Billionaire harasses Personal assistant”.
She flipped through the pages till she found the spot where the said personal assistant was being interviewed. She found it hard to believe all what the girl said about Ivan, her boss.
She knew he had a temper but he didn’t look like a perverted person, why hadn’t he made advances towards her? He apologized for yelling at her once and he bought her doughnuts.
To be continued
