I am the boss - English version

Chapter 7: Because I want and because I can

Chapter 7: Because I want and because I can

After telling me this, his expression changed completely, his face became serious and expressionless, he sat completely upright while he moved away from me.

- Sir, excuse me if I was disrespectful.

I said and bowed my head, be very careful Layla, I think I am forgetting who he is and I am behaving very very confidently.

- There is nothing to apologize for.

And he remained serious without looking at me or saying something to me.

God, what have I done? I have made him angry and by his face, it seems like a lot.

- Sir, your drinks, and your appetizers, Buon Appetito. 

The waiter told us with his sexy accent and got away.

Bennett took the cutlery and with them he took from one of the dishes a portion of whatever he had ordered, that looks and smells delicious by the way, it is a salad, but it has a thousand things in it, and he placed it on my plate.

Wow, I opened my eyes in surprise, I did not expect that as the atmosphere feels very tense.

- Eat please, and this is one of my favorite dishes, I hope you enjoy it. 

He told me while serving in a small bowl a sort of cream of something that also smells great. 

I nodded yes with my head, I took my spoon, put it on the bowl and took a tablespoon of whatever it is, to my mouth.

Wow, it tastes delicious. A ‘mmmm’ escaped from my lips without thinking and I blushed.

- Did you like it? It is my favorite lobster cream all over New York.

- Ah, so that is what this delicious thing is?

Bennett smiled and affirmatively shook his head.

Pheeeeeew, apparently, he is relaxing again. 

He took the cutlery from the salad plate and served himself.  

As we were about to finish our lobster cream, Luca approached with a tray full of dishes that looked beautiful and colorful.

He placed the tray on a small serving table and from there he proceeded to put them on our huge table that now looks full of food.

Picked up our empty used plates and took them away.

- Let's see how this pizza is.

Bennett said as he took the triangular pie knife to serve a slice of pizza to me and another to him.

- Thank you.

I said in a low, calm tone.

- What's up? Don't you like it?

- No, it is not that, everything looks, smells, and tastes delicious Bennett, thank you very much for this, I had never come to such a luxurious restaurant.

He looked at me with his beautiful blue eyes wide open and tilting his head to the right side, he watched me intently, as if studying me.

- How is that possible?

- Why would it be strange? Very few people are millionaires in Manhattan.

- If it is ok with you, would you like to tell me a little about your life?

- If I am honest with you, I am very reserved with my private life.

- I understand.

- Oh, you haven't told me why you called me to your office.

- Ahhhh again with that, mmmm, no reason.

- What? How is it possible that there is no reason? So what did you call me for?

- I just wanted to see you a little bit after you had your induction training and I wanted to know what your opinion was of induction and the company as a new recruit.

- But

I said and I kept quiet, I don't understand what is going on and I don't like it, I don't like not knowing what to do or how to act in a given situation, I like to be in control.

- But what Layla?

- What you say doesn't make any sense.

- Why do you think it doesn't make sense? I just wanted to see you again.

- Why?

- Why not? I am the boss

- I know that, I know you are the boss of everyone there, but why did you want to see me again?

- Because I want to and because I can do it!

I remained silent and unconsciously moved my head in denial.

- Not what Layla?

- Oh

He is staring at me, I felt the intensity of his gaze, that caused a shiver to run through my entire body.

- I don't know, it doesn't make sense.

- I see, miss logic, present here, do not find sense in my actions, do not worry, for me they have it.

- Anyway, if you don't want to tell me the real reason, so be it.

He smiled with a huge smile that just made my anger grow bigger and bigger.

For quite a while I kept quiet while I continued eating the delicious dishes Bennett ordered, except for caviar, ewww.

My spaghetti is delicious, the pizza wow, without exaggerating, is the best pizza I have ever tasted in my entire life, the lobster cooked in butter and I do not know what else this man asked for are heavenly.

- Layla...

I looked up and waited for him to say whatever he was going to tell me.

- I heard you are going to be in the R&D (research and development) lab.

- That is right sir.

- Layla, don't call me sir, we had already talked and agreed on that.

- You spoke, I did not agree Sir.

- Layla, please call me by my name.

- No sir, as long as you are not being honest with me, I cannot trust you and I cannot take those liberties, like calling you by your first name or a nickname.

- What do you want me to tell you?

- Which is the reason why you called me to your office?

- There is no reason, I cannot tell you a reason if there isn't one Layla.

- Again, I say sir, it doesn't make any sense.

- Laaaayla.

- Yes Sir?

- Enough, don't call me sir, what do you want me to tell you, I don't know, I don't know why, but I just wanted to see you again, even when you made me to arrive late for the very first time in my whole life, the initial anger I felt turned into curiosity when you let me see your personality.

- What specific trait does my personality have that made you want to see me?

- I don't know, you are daring, even when you discovered that I owned that whole building, you stayed upright and never lowered your face, or sounded intimidated by me or Richard.

- I see.

- But please call me by my name, I don't order it, I ask you, please.

- Bennett.

- Yes?

- I think it is very inappropriate for you and me to talk to each other with such confidence, I am new to the company, I have always dreamed of being there, working there, being part of the company that is at the cutting edge in technology and research, helping the world, I cannot be in the midst of misunderstandings and gossip, please-

- I promise you Layla, that there will be no misunderstandings, no one would dare to start a rumor about me, I do not tolerate that in my company.

- Rumors or gossip are not something you can control.

- In my company, yes, if someone dares to say anything about me, they know they will be fired immediately.

- Yes, of you, you are the owner, and you can ask for anything, but I am new, I am nobody there, it makes no sense for me to call you by your first name, I mean you are the owner, who I had never seen before in my life.

- Layla, I am an extremely serious and reserved person, I have always marked very clearly that line with each and every one of my employees, in fact the lower ranking employees know that they cannot approach me, but-

- Wooooooow, See? I am the last link in the food chain, and do you ask me to call you Ben or Benny? That is just ludicrous, you know!

- Wait, let me finish, my point is, that it has always been like this, in all my companies I always marked the hierarchy clearly, maybe as I was head of several people at 18 years old, I wanted to ask for respect and create a culture that respects hierarchies regardless of age, but with you, I do not know, I do not care if you are a new employee of my research lab , I want, I need-

He remained silent, he said no more, for the very first time all day today, I saw him bowing his head, from the moment he emerged floating like an angel, out of his car until a second ago, he always showed himself upright, confident, imposing.

Why does he lower his head?

I got closer, I took his hand and I told him

- I think that you need a friend, wait, do not interrupt me, please. If so, you can count on me always, but as long as we are in the company you will be Mr. Jones to me, if you want us to ever see ourselves again outside of the company and be friends, then I would be able to call you Ben, what do you think?

He lifted his face and his beautiful blue eyes shone as if they were wet, a small smile was drawn on his beautiful pink lips and nodded yes with his head.

- I think it is fine, we have a deal.

He reached out to me for a handshake, as a sign of concluding an agreement between two sides of a negotiation.

I took his hand and he gave me a handshake, I saw his watch and I realized what time it is.

- Oh Ben, it is too late, it is almost 4 o'clock, I have to go back to the company, I have not reported to Jim since the induction ended.

- Don't worry, I will take care of it.

He took his mobile phone out of the inner bag of his suit jacket, unlocked it, looked for a number and dialed it.

- Richard, please let R&D know that Miss Miller has the rest of the afternoon off, tomorrow she will be there at eight o'clock in the lab.

Silence to listen to Richard.

- No Richard, you do not need to know. That's right because I say so. Goodbye.

Wow, what has he done? this is a thousand percent suspicious, now what I am going to tell Jim, what am I going to say, I cannot say that I went to lunch with the boss of the universe at a super expensive restaurant and he gave me the afternoon off.

- No Ben! What have you done!?

- What do you mean?

- Now everyone is going to know that I have privileges or something. Am I going to have to tell Jim that I came to eat with you at a super expensive and exclusive restaurant and then suddenly did it occur to you to give me the afternoon off?

- No, what you are going to do is the following, when we are done here, I am going to take you home, you will take a hot bath, you will leave what you are going to wear tomorrow ready and you are going to go to bed to rest and sleep early, I do not want you fainting ever again. You go to sleep early so you can get up early in the morning, so you will have time to have something healthy and nutritious for breakfast and so you will not have to rush to work, did you understand me missy?

- Mm yes, but-

- But nothing, you really gave me a huge scare when you fainted in my office, you could have hit your head and instead of being here right now, we would be in a hospital due to a brain concussion, is it clear enough what you should do the rest of the afternoon?

- Yes Sir.

- Laylaaaa

- If you give me orders like that, how do you expect me to answer you?

- Tell me, yes Benny.

- I already told you I cannot call you that, Ben.

- You are a very stubborn woman.

- It is said by the man who is the stubborn overload!

He, to my total and complete astonishment, let out a laugh, which sounded most sincere, nice, and contagious.

- Don't laugh, what are you laughing at?

- You have a bright and agile mind, you always have an answer to me, very few can or dare doing that.

- I think you needed it, oh mighty and powerful lord of the universe.

- If I am completely honest with you, you came into my life today, like a cool breeze that refreshed all the tense atmosphere in which I have been living the last few months.

- Tense?

- Oh yes, many things, problems, opportunities, decisions, big decisions.

- Can I know?

- I do not know, Can you?

- Only if you tell me.

- Mmmm I will tell you, only if you agree to take a little walk with me.

- When?

- Well, if you do not have plans with your boyfriend later, I would appreciate it today.

- Ha, what I do not have are no plans, but boyfriend.

- I am glad you are single, but then, do you have plans this afternoon?

- Formal plans as such, no, but my best friend and roomie is waiting for me to go celebrate my first day at my dream job.

- I find it so curious that you say it like that, why is it your dream job?

- Oh, are you now going to come out telling me that you are modest?

- hahaha you are terrible, I swear.

- It is the dream company for many, and I am one of the few lucky ones to be there, I will give everything in myself to be there for many many years.

- I see, Do you want to be by my side for many years?

- Yes and no, I meant in the company.

- What about me? You said you would be my friend.

- I will be for many years, if and only if you behave and stop being so arrogant.

- I am not arrogant, it is one thing to have confidence in one's abilities.

- Look, I do not want to offend you, but that 'I am the boss' attitude is pretty arrogant.

- But I am, what do you want me to say, that I am not?

- If you are and everyone around knows it, you don't need to say it, all the time.

- Ok, I understand your point, I will work on that, though-

- Although you don't promise anything?

- How did you know I was going to say that?

- Apparently, I have a very good and developed power of observation.

- Girl, behave.

- Hahaha now I am a girl.

- Almost a baby, How old are you? Twenty… four?

- That's right, just turned.

- You see, you are a girl.

- Oh yes old man, how old are you? Forty… five years?

- Whaaaat? Do I really look so old? I take good care of myself, I thought it was enough, how-

- Lol, you are so adorable and so vain.

He stayed serious, threw his menacing look at me, which I already know quite well and which does not intimidate me at all, he leaned towards me and his face was so close to mine.

- Look at me, do you see any wrinkles?

- No

- That is because I eat well, train or run and sleep well, in addition to taking care of myself and my skin.

- That translates to you being quite a metrosexual man.

- You are one… Metrosexual you say?

- Do not take it the wrong way, it is now very common for men to take care of themselves, use treatments, mani pedi, etc., do not get mad Benny.

Bennett opened his mouth in total amazement, and I let go of a loud laugh that I can no longer contain, how beautiful he looked.

- Hahaha you asked for it, now you are going to tell me that I can't?

- Never! I loved how that sounded with your voice.