The Game Of Lust

who's she

Regina's POV

Since Mr Cole had offered for us to have a s****l relationship with no strings attached, I spent the week after avoiding him, taking the agonizing stairs instead so we wouldn't get stuck in an elevator together.

I sat in the coffee joint opposite my work place, I was having my lunch alone cause Paula had errands to run and Andy was still working.

It felt odd given the fact that it had been a while since I had lunch alone in a public place.

Being alone made me nervous, I always felt watched by everyone and I'd worry about the gentlemen walking by and hope to my self that they would approach me, but never had that pleasure. I felt ugly alone, insecure and timid.

Normally I sat at the table in the very lonely corner but unfortunately that seat was already taken and I was forced to sit in a different table where everyone except those at the counter could see me having their famous peach pie and a cup of iced tea.

I noticed a couple on the opposite side, they wore matching sweatshirts, the guy went to get her order while she sat there and waited patiently,

he set her tray in front of her and sat down beside her, I was staring so hard I knocked down my cup and the cup made a splat sound as the drink splash all about the tiled floor.

People were staring at me but I was staring at them. Consciously reminding myself to look away hoping they would not notice my jealous stares. But part of me wanted to be in her shoes, part of me wanted to sit there and have a guy serve me and want to hear all about my day.

They shared a plate together, she leaned closer and showed him something on her phone which they both laughed at. I terribly wanted to have what she had, and not I didn't mean the slice of cake in front of them, I meant the romantic relationship.

I watched till they finished their lunch and marched out hand in hand.

I stood up slightly as I placed money on the table along with a tip, I glanced around only to find my boss, Mr Cole standing by the counter with an unfamiliar young lady. She had really bright red hair, and wore a beige coloured over coat.

She hand her hands crossed his arm, I wonder if she could have been the Ruby Foster he tattooed on his shoulder.

They were both laughing, something I'd never seen him do before. I ducked behind my chair as they walked towards me, hand in hand they headed for a seat close to the window, he turned his back to me, and faced her attentively, all the attention I wanted from him, he was giving someone else. I felt anger creep into me as I fought the urge to walk up to them and pull her out of the coffee joint by her pretty hair.

I had not realized how dangerous my obsession for him had grown, I found myself loathing every woman he spoke to, every woman that looked at him, I loathed them all knowing he had made love to me the way he did no woman but me had to exist to him, he'd turned me to a bitter wife and did not even notice what he had done to me, I was doing just fine before he arrived in his well steamed suits and polished shoes, I was fine prancing around the office barefooted cause of a broken heel, I was comfortable in my mint green blouses and tube skirts.

This was what jealousy felt like and it bothered me to want to harm a clueless woman because a man who didn't give a heck if I were there or not. Maybe I was the clueless one for trying to believe that he wanted me more than anything else but in truth he didn't want a relationship with me he only wished to have my body at his disposal.

She smiled cheerfully at his words though I could not hear them I peered without interruption.

The waiter came to my table and picked up the plates.

“you didn't finish your pie” she noticed

“I'm sorry Abby, why don't you pack this up for me,” I said.

“Alright then cause I'd hate to see you lose any more weight over this job” she muttered as she walked away with the plate

I glanced back to Cole and his date but unfortunately her eyes caught mine from the distance, she moved closer to whisper in his ear.

I jumped out of my seat and rushed out, I bumped into Abby,

“Thank you” I said snatching the pack containing my unfinished peach pie from her hands and darted out of the coffee joint embarrassed, hoping he didn't recognize me.

After work, I accompanied Vivian to an art shop were she usually had issues choosing between atlas blue and atlas blue, we'd spend hours arguing over colours. I raved about how embarrassing my day was after seeing Cole with a lady.

“How did she look?” Vivian asked turning away from the shelf of paint brushes.

“ She was tall, really pretty with the blond razor cut!” I yelled, tailing behind vivian .

“ Waaaw … I gotta meet this woman”

She expressed amazement.

“shut up” I replied punching playfully at her shoulder.

“what did you say to him?”

“I didn't say anything.. I was too busy hiding behind my chair .”

“at least he didn't see you .”

“she saw me and then she said something to him … ”

“So? ”

“So I ran out” I completed, she palmed her forehead with her hand and said “I think you should've stayed .”

“What,..no! ”

“That why he'll know that you caught him being sneaky”

“I don't think he was being sneaky at all.. he took her to the coffee joint a few meters away from our work building.. we all go there for lunch!”

“Just a week after you guys had s*x?” she yelled.

“Shh … not so loud you i***t and besides he said he wanted a no strings attached kinda relationship” I murmured as I looked away from her quizzical gaze.

“What no strings attached?,...I hope you told him to back off after that? ”

“I told him I'd think about it,” I was deeply ashamed of myself as she turned to me in shock.

“You're making yourself look cheap!”

“I haven't given him an answer yet”

“But you're thinking about it … I don't care how handsome he is or how good he is in sex.. If a man tries to play with my dignity I'm out. ”She continued,“They always say no strings attached but you're definitely gonna get attached and heart broken cause nobody plays that game without losing Gina .”

“ Ok, ok, fine … I'll say no .” I quickly cut in, she stood facing me, with her piercing eyes scanning me.

“Now help me pick between this and this,” Vivian picked up two cartons, each containing twelve large tubes of oil paint.

“They're both oil paint,” I stated.

“yea but different brands, so which do I pick?”

I paused for a moment, assessing both cartons.

“Take that one” I pointed to the one with the fancier package. She looked down at her hands and said

“You know what, I'll take the other one” she took the boring looking one instead.

“ Why'd you ask in the first place,” I snapped as she hurried away giggling deviously.

The day after, I leaned into my chair, palms sweaty and unsteady, I had a presentation to give in front of Mr Cole and our clients in the conference room. I was in competition with some colleagues in my department.

It was time for me to shine as brightly as I possibly could, I wore a crimson red tulip dress and had my hair curled for the occasion.

Our clients were the very esteemed owners of a reputable Hemming industry that produced toys and children's clothing, this was a big job and everyone was there to impress.

“Earlier, Mrs hemming mentioned the theme of enchantment so I decided this would fit your request,” Dennis

announced clicking the remote in his hand, the large screen flipped into a picture of two adolescent kids, wearing rock band biker jackets and colourful hair with toy guitars in their hands.

“I call this rock Time play time” Dennis said, turning to face the rest of “Here at Wadfort we like to do things differently, we do things better. The idea here is that toys aren't just for babies and little children who says fifteen year olds can't play with toys .”

Miss hemming stretched her tight lips into a fascinated smile, and the sides of her eyes wrinkled,

Dennis clicked the remote and the previous picture flipped into another with the same rock band teens having a concert in a room, with the kids holding toy microphones, a keyboard, band set and their stylish guitars. “The commercial is gonna start with this kid with the buzz cut, he loves rock music but doesn't have an outlet for his passion, ”

The picture changed yet again to the kid he talked about, looking nerdy and timid.

“he sees his baby brother playing with a toy keyboard having the time of his life but he can't join in cause of this image social creates amongst teens that they can do anything but handle their phones and scope around all of social media's bad influence,” Dennis said bitterly as though his presentation had once been a personal experience of his,

After all, he had 4 kids and didn't know what to do with them most of the time. One time he came to work with a marker drawing under his nose like a mustache or the regular ribbons in his hair which we all got used to seeing.

“So on his birthday he goes to the Hemming's toy store .” Dennis continued.

The picture was of a giant space of shelves filled with all manner of toys “Most importantly toys for all ages” he emphasized.

“he comes across a music section and sees just what he longs for, a guitar just like the one his favourite rock star had, He had to get it”.

Dennis paused and stared thoughtfully at the screen with a proud smile on his face,

,“And a Rock star is born .”

He finished with a bow,

Everyone clapped heartily, captivated by his presentation.

“I must say I found you quite compelling,” she smiled

“It is a pleasure” he replied and returned to his seat.

I was next, my blood ran cold, I did not expect my colleagues to have such innovative ideas I immediately felt like a fool. All my practice couldn't have been for nothing.