A resounding no
1008 Words
The hallway leading to Jeremy’s office had always felt endless, but today, I wasn’t thinking about that. I was focused on Viviana’s words.
Her threats were clear, but what unsettled me the most was her insistence that the client had specifically asked for me.
When I reached Jeremy’s door, I took a deep breath before knocking.
“Come in,” he said, his deep voice making my heart race faster than I would like to admit.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside. Jeremy was seated behind his desk, his eyes focused on some documents.
But as soon as he looked up and saw me, he set his pen down and leaned forward slightly.
“Here I am, Mr. Hanks,” I said in a tone so cold that even I felt a chill.
I shut the door behind me and took a couple of hesitant steps forward, feeling a bit self-conscious under his intense gaze.
“Did you contact tonight’s client?” he finally asked, though his voice didn’t sound as confident as he intended.
Jeremy frowned and rose from his chair in one fluid motion.
He walked toward me, stopping at a distance that felt uncomfortably close.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice softer now but laced with insistence.
“Nothing’s wrong,” I replied quickly, shaking my head.
He exhaled in frustration, his deep eyes scanning me as if trying to unravel something he couldn’t grasp.
“What are you thinking?” he asked again, his serious tone disarming me.
My heart raced faster. There was something about his proximity, about the intensity in his gaze, that sent my thoughts wandering to places they shouldn’t.
“Nothing important,” I answered, trying to keep my tone light.
But his jaw tightened, and a flash of frustration crossed his eyes.
“That’s impossible,” he muttered to himself, as if annoyed by something beyond me.
I tried to ignore his reaction and went straight to the matter that was bothering me.
“Viviana told me that if I didn’t take a job outside my schedule, I could lose my job.”
His eyebrows rose slightly, and his expression shifted. He stayed silent for a moment, staring at me intently.
“No one’s going to fire you,” he stated firmly, his tone so certain it almost convinced me.
I let out a short, sarcastic laugh. “Of course they will,” I replied, crossing my arms.
“Why would you think that?” he asked, tilting his head with what seemed like genuine curiosity.
“Because I’m not taking that job,” I said, lifting my chin slightly in defiance.
For a moment, silence hung between us again. His eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that rooted me to the spot.
Then he stepped closer, closing the distance between us until only a few inches separated us.
My breathing grew erratic, and my heart pounded so hard I feared he might hear it.
There was something about his closeness, the warmth radiating from him, that made my skin tingle.
“Do you know what I think?” he asked in a low, confident voice.
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. I was too caught up in the intensity of his gaze, the strange magnetism he seemed to exude.
For a moment, he appeared to hesitate. Then he tilted his head slightly, as if weighing a decision.
It was as though part of him wanted to move even closer. I noticed his gaze flicker briefly to my lips, and my mind began racing.
Is he going to kiss me? The thought made me so nervous I couldn’t move.
But he didn’t. Instead, he stayed still, as though fighting some internal battle.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, and when he opened them, there was a flicker in them I couldn’t decipher.
“If it’s an off-hours job, there will be financial compensation,” he said, his voice much more controlled now, though there was something in his tone that still unsettled me.
I shook my head slightly, trying to regain control of my thoughts.
“I already know that. They pay overtime,” I replied, aiming for a practical tone, though my voice still sounded tense.
Before I could say anything else, his phone began to ring. Jeremy pulled it from his pocket and frowned at the screen.
“Yes,” he answered in his usual authoritative tone.
I listened to a few seconds of silence as the person on the other end spoke.
Then his expression hardened. “I’ll be there immediately,” he said, and without another word, he ended the call.
He put his phone away and, without even glancing at me, headed for the door.
“Mr. Hanks?” I asked, trying to make sense of what was happening.
He didn’t respond. He left the office in hurried steps, leaving behind a strange sense of unease and curiosity in the air.
I stood there, in the middle of his office, with a thousand questions swirling in my mind.
What had made him leave so abruptly? And why was I so curious about him?
The silence in the office now felt deafening. I looked toward the closed door, then at the empty desk.
My chest rose and fell rapidly as I tried to process what had just happened.
When I left Jeremy’s office, my thoughts were still spinning over his behavior.
That intensity in his gaze, the way he got so close as if he were about to… no, I couldn’t keep thinking about that.
I shook my head, trying to focus on the work waiting for me, but my mind remained clouded.
That’s when I saw it.
Right on the corner of my desk sat a white card I hadn’t noticed before.
“What’s this?” I muttered, a bit confused.
I picked it up out of curiosity. Turning it over, I found a room number written in neat handwriting, along with the name of a downtown hotel.
- Writer
