Snake Charmer's Curse

Chapter 9: Surprise

Faith felt numb as dread and anger clashed within her being; she could feel the tears threatening to free themselves from her tear ducts. She took a shaky breath and beseeched, "Please Blake, that is not the truth. I d-don't know why, but Sarah has been treating me quite harshly and not like a fellow colleague."

"Do you have proof to back up your claims?" Blake asked as he glared sternly at her with his blue eyes.

"Yes! You can look at my calendar, Blake. Sarah has been overbooking me with work that exceeds the hours a single day can accommodate. I take pride in my work Blake, I-" Faith choked on her words as some tears escaped. She was overexerted and now emotionally caught in a mental storm she could not escape, but she knew she had to try to remain level-headed. She hates looking weak.

"Faye," Blake murmured gently, "I told you to come see me whenever you have an issue." His expression softened and he moved closer to her. "I am not a monster; I don't bite," he stated spiritedly.

"I know," she sniffled, trying very hard to keep her composure. "But I also understand being the owner of such a large company has its own stresses, and you don't need to be bugged with petty fights among your staff."

"Such a considerate woman you are, my petal, but I have a role to uphold as a leader as well. To maintain the harmony in my company so that things run smoothly...and," he paused as he carefully brushed her tears away from her face, then continued tenderly, "Make sure my employees are happy." Faith could only nod at him as she tried very hard to stop crying.

Blake cupped her face, as he observed her now closely. "You look exhausted, Faye. Go home, leave whatever it is Sarah booked you on, and rest. I will talk to her," he reassured her sympathetically.

"Thank you so much, Blake," Faith almost whispered as gratitude clashed with her fragile emotional state. What added to her turmoil was she did not like the idea of him touching her so much, but she could not risk upsetting him if she voiced her discomfort. Well not now at least.

He smiled warmly at her, "Only a pleasure, petal; now go and don't be a stranger. Next week, first thing, I want you at my office. Understood?"

"Yes, Mr Craven."

"Atta girl, now get out of here," he grinned as he affectionately tucked a strand of hair behind Faith's ear.

"Thank you, Blake. Have a good weekend," the flustered woman said, and speedily rushed out of there.

"You to my petal," he sang whilst watching Faith's shrinking figure.

Faith left with haste without even looking back. Once she was on the road, a wave of relief washed over her, but lingering traces of uneasiness crept into her heart as the events of earlier replayed in her mind. She was grateful that Blake was willing to listen to her side of the story. Although he was very nice to her, something somehow felt off, and she didn't like how he touched her.

What is it with this place? Today, two men touched my face! Is there no respect for personal space? And Brent was also so pushy today! Did he really think I wouldn't notice how he was using the mural as an excuse to get my number...? I need to let hubsy know about him. Faith shivered at the memory, then focused on her husband.

Her heart radiated warmth as she thought about seeing Jason. How sweet and supportive he was when she told him she would be late. I hope things at work get better so that I can spend more time with hubsy, Faith thought to herself as she focused on the road before her.

The restaurant was fifteen minutes away from her work, but luck was on her side as she had just missed the rush hour traffic. As she parked close to the entrance, standing by the door, she saw Jason. He had a massive grin on his handsome face as he stared at his wife with the utmost love. "Hi, baby," he mouthed as he waved at her excitedly.

Faith wasted no time and rushed to be with her husband. "Hey hubsy, why didn't you take a seat so long? Did you wait long?" Faith asked somewhat out of breath.

"Not at all, love. In fact, I didn't expect you to get here so quickly after you called me again. I hope you did not get a speeding ticket," he teased as he playfully tapped her nose.

"You know me, I will do anything for surprises," Faith jested, sticking her tongue out like a naughty child. Jason only laughed as he snaked his arm around his wife's waist and guided her inside. They were immediately greeted by a waiter, who showed the couple to their table.

As they walked, Faith continued looking about her surroundings, very much intrigued. It was a place she had wanted to come to for a while now, but they never had the time to do so.

As they reached their table, Faith held her hand by her mouth in surprise when she saw the beautiful flowers and candles. She looked around to make sure she wasn't mistaking the table's decor for the restaurant's theme, but no, their table was set differently compared to the others.

"This is just the beginning," Jason husked proudly, then kissed Faith's cheek.

"You're just the sweetest!" Faith exclaimed excitedly. This was the third time in their six years together that Jason had done something romantic like this. He was not the romantic type, but he had his moments.

As she was sitting down, Faith immediately asked, "So tell me! What is the surprise? Why so sweet out of the blue?!"

Jason laughed, "Ah, my darling wife, tsk tsk! Is the surprise more important than me? You did not even ask how I was," he laughed, then affectionately kissed her forehead before making his way to his chair.

"My dearest husband, as much as I love you, I see and ask you that every day, but surprises with you are super rare, so of course, I will be shameless," Faith bantered back with a melodious giggle.

"I am utterly gutted," Jason pouted and held his heart. "Just for that, you have to guess, and if correct, I might let you know if you were right," he chuckled with a spiteful smirk.

"You were planning this from the beginning! You always do this to me, especially when it's something big!" Faith squealed excitedly. "Did Gareth allow you to take leave so that we can go on holiday over Easter?"

"Nope, next guess is after we made our orders," Jason beamed triumphantly as he handed her the menu.

Faith glared at her husband. She was really racking her brain over this "surprise" and desperately wanted to know what it was. She opened the menu and glanced over it a few times then closed it quickly with her eyes wide open.