You Drive Me Crazy

Chapter 9: Project One

“You’re mine, Eva Joan.” He whispered.

It took me a couple of seconds before I completely understood what he said.

His hands were still on my waist with my back pressing to the wall. Slowly I began to push him away until I could see his face clearly.

“Jayden, we can’t,” I started.

“Then why did you let me kiss you?” he asked.

There was a lump in my throat, I did not know what to answer. I wanted to kiss him there’s no denying that, but it would be way too complicated if anything were to happen between us so I had to stop this.

“This is too complicated and you know it. You’re my boss, Mason’s brother, and a partner at my school. Do you have any idea how risky it would be?” I explained hoping to make sense.

He rolled his eyes and went back to his desk and continued his work.

Did he seriously completely ignore me? Just like that?

“Seriously?” I questioned.

 “What?” he looked at me from under his lashes.

“You kiss me, you ask me why I let you, and when I explain to you our situation, you roll your eyes and go back to work as nothing happened?” I asked annoyed with him.

“You said it’s risky, you said you can’t do it, and you also said Mason is my brother so basically you would be hurting him in the process. What do you want me to do? Fight for you?” he answered me carelessly.

I shook my head.

“I can’t believe I let you touch me,” I told him.

“You wanted it as much as I did, and now it’s out of my system.” He was typing on his computer.

“What?!” I was shocked.

“Out of your system? Am I a game for you to play?” I raised my voice.

He looked at me and didn’t answer me. Jayden sat there with no emotion on his face whatsoever and I hated it. I hated that I let him come close to me and do this to me, that I let him make me want him.

“F*ck you, Jayden Wright.” I said with anger and left his office.

I was going down the stairs so fast I could almost trip, I was in the big hall and was going to leave but Jayden grabbed my hand and stopped me from going anywhere.

“What?” I almost shouted at him.

“You might be angry with me but you still have to start your internship, your school and I have a deal.” He said still unphased.

“How can you be so emotionless?” I narrowed my eyes and removed my arm from his grip.

The man put his hands in his pocket and waited for me to answer him about the internship.

“Fine, let's go.” I decided to stay because even though I hated the boss, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I won’t let anything stop me.

********

I followed Jayden to a huge room filled with desks and boards with people working all over the place, it was incredible. The designs projecting from the TV, the paper rolls flying from desk to desk.

But the most surprising part was how everyone froze the moment they saw Jayden standing at the door. Literally, everyone stopped what they were doing, whatever it was, and stood up waiting for their boss to say something.

I looked over at him and all he did was nod before they all went back to work.

“They’re terrified of you,” I said only for him to hear.

“Good, that means they respect me.” He said back.

“I’m not scared of you, and I don’t respect you one bit,” I told him and heard him scoff at my comment.

“We’ll see,” I replied.

“Let’s go.” He said and started walking away and I couldn’t do anything but follow him.

Jayden knocked on the door of the one office on this floor and entered without waiting for the one behind it to let him in.

A man was sitting behind his desk drawing something on a wide paper roll and was so focused he did not realize that someone entered his office.

He also had a broad back with a very serious face, his expressions clearly showed his passion for his work, and looking at the way he was working, I was stunned.

He drew with such ease and like he was confident he won’t make a mistake.

The man stopped for a while to check on something and spotted us from the corner of his eye and when he did, all the seriousness faded away like it was a completely different person.

He traced a smile on his face that seemed very friendly, the total opposite of Mr. Annoying next to me.

“Jayden?” he said the smile still on his face.

“Thomas, this is Eva. Eva, Thomas.” Jayden introduced us to one another and he walked from behind his desk to shake my hand.

“So, you’re Eva,” Thomas said while shaking my hand.

“Yeah, nice to meet you,” I replied.

“I’m gonna be honest with you Eva, when Jayden told me about you, I didn’t expect to see someone like you.” He said and confused me.

“What do you mean?” I tilted my head with a small smile on my face not to sound too mean.

“Don’t get me wrong, but, the first time Jayden talked about you, you had him wrapped around your finger.” He said and I raised my eyebrows looking at Jayden catching him in the middle of an eye roll.

I looked back at Thomas.

“Really?” I wanted him to keep going.

“Yes, this guy is not the type to follow a woman, and the way you stood up to him and called him annoying. Damn, you’re my hero.” He continued.

“Thank you.” I laughed.

“I have to admit, watching you work the way you were I certainly expected someone more emotionless like Jayden, but you, you’re literally his opposite,” I spoke and he laughed.

“Okay, keep the flirting for later this is a working environment.” Jayden sighed next to me stopping our conversation.

“Thomas is the head of the landscaping team; you will start working with him and soon you’ll join my team if you’re up to it. Good luck, long legs.” He said before leaving.

After Jayden left, I turned back to see a questioning expression on Thomas’s face.

“Yes, he calls me long legs to annoy me,” I explained to him and he laughed.

“Excuse me for one moment I’ll be right back. You can go ahead and place your stuff on the chair or the desk if you want.” He said before leaving the room as well I’m guessing to follow Jayden.

-Jayden’s P.O.V-

I was going back to my office to continue with my work but I heard Thomas from behind me.

“Jayden, wait.” He called out and I stopped for him to reach me at the top of the stairs.

“Dude, that’s her? That’s the girl you have a crush on?” he asked me.

I rolled my eyes and continued walking to my office as I wasn’t interested in this conversation but he followed me until we entered my office.

“I don’t have a crush on her, Thomas. I don’t have time or that.” I told him sitting down in my chair.

“Jayden, come on man. I saw how pissed you were when we were talking like I was talking to your property.” He continued.

Whatever he was saying meant nothing to me. Eva clearly doesn’t want anything to do with me and actually, that’s better for me.

My work always comes first and she’s been distracting me for a while.

“Thomas, if you’re not here to discuss work, then leave,” I asked him.

“Dude, you call her long legs, how many of the girls you’ve met have you given a nickname? One, and it was Isabella, you called Isabelle for a while thinking that was her name so we had to convince her it was a nickname so she doesn’t go all drama queen on us.” He explained and he wasn’t wrong, Eva is the only person I don’t formally speak with.

“Brother if you like her, go for her. It’s not always you find a girl you’re comfortable with this fast.” He was giving me advice.

“No thank you.” I’m Jayden Wright, I’m the bad boy of Paris and my work is the only thing I love.

“Okay, so you won’t mind if I make a move on her?” something with what Thomas said started an alarm in my head.

“What?” I said without thinking.

“You don’t want her, and she’s really hot. You wouldn’t mind if I asked her out for a drink sometime, right?” he said, and actually, I do mind.

After I kissed Eva, I said something to her, and I still mean it.

“She’s mine. Don’t even dare to make a move on her.” I pierced him with my eyes and he smiled.

I clenched my jaw after realizing that he said that to uncover me. I stood up and walked to him placing my hands in my pockets.

“Eva is off-limits. Okay?” I questioned him and he nodded with a will to laugh but he suppressed it and left.

I sighed when I was alone in my office and started thinking.

Why am I so distracted by her?

I’ve never, in my life, wanted something and couldn’t get and even if that happened, I would move on and forget about it.

But this time, I want her, even more, each time she rejects me.

I shook my head getting rid of these thoughts and went back to work and heard a knock on my door.

“Come in,” I called out going back to my work.

“Mr. Wright, you received an engagement invitation.” My secretary placed it on my table and waited for me to excuse her.

“Who is it from?” I asked her looking at the letter.

“Ms. Clara.” She said and I flinched at the mention of her name.

“She’s getting married?” I said more than I asked.

“Okay, thanks,” I told my secretary and she left.

I took the card and opened it to read what’s inside.

Mr. Jayden Wright, you are invited to the engagement party of Clara Pearson and Jonathan Smith. The couple would love to see you at the party celebrating their love and union. The event will be held on Saturday at 5:00 P.M in Orcas Island. It would mean a lot if you could be there and with a guest, if you’d like. We hope to see you.

After I finished reading, I threw the letter across the room. Why the heck would Clara want me there? To prove to me she can live without me? To burden me with the idea of me not being able to be in a commitment?

I’ll go to this “party” and I’ll show her who Jayden Wright is.

“Emily? Tell Eva to come to my office at the end of the day.” I called my secretary and told her what to do.

-Eva’s P.O.V-

I was in Thomas’s office still learning a couple of things and when we were done, he assigned me to a table in the common room where most of the architects were working.

I was very focused and enjoying what I was doing. Thomas gave me a specific project they worked on and changed a couple of things in it and asked me to find the flaws in that project he called Project One.

When I was done, I was going to go back to Thomas’s office but Jayden’s secretary stopped me before I could go anywhere.

“Eva, Mr. Wright asked me to tell you to go to his office before you go home.” She told me and waited for my response.

“Okay, thanks, Emily,” I told her with a smile.

I wonder what it is he wanted. I was still mad at him, he literally told me I’m an object to him and he got rid of his attraction to me after the kiss.

All these times we ran into each other he would do and say all these things that made me feel something for him but now, all of that is gone. He shattered it all.

I knocked on Thomas’s door and went in when he allowed me.

“Mr. Davis, I finished my assignment,” I said showing half of my body from behind the door.

He smiled when he saw me and signaled for me to come in after I was done talking. I placed my work on his table above the drawing he was working on since I came here a couple of hours ago.

Mr. Davis took the paper and was scanning it with the same focused face from when I met him. He looks so into his work it would be hard to know his real cheerful friendly character unless you actually speak with him.

“This is very impressive, Eva. Good job.” He said then looked up from the paper and smiled.

I didn’t want to express my happiness right away but I didn’t care. I was proud of myself so I smiled and thanked him.

“Mr. Davis, if you don’t need anything from me, I’d like to excuse myself.” I had to go to Jayden’s office. I wondered what he wanted this whole time but I’m sure he just wants to make sure everything is going okay. It’s Jayden Wright, he does not know what apologies are.

“Yes, we’re done for today. I’m very impressed.” He allowed me to leave and I did.

I thanked him one last time before leaving the room closing the door behind me. I was going to Jayden’s office remembering what happened the last time I was there. At first, it felt good, but when I relived the way he treated me after explaining to him why we can’t do this, all the anger came back.

So, I decided to be very formal with him, I will not call him by his name anymore and won’t discuss anything with him other than work. I also needed to “get him out of my system”.

I knocked on the door and heard him asking me to come in, however from his deep voice, I knew that something was wrong.

“Mr. Wright? You asked to see me?” I said peeking half of my body from the door and he nodded when he saw it was me.

When I walked in, I spotted a letter on the floor. It looked like a wedding invitation letter, I looked at it for a while then back at Jayden and saw him looking at the same thing I was.

I knelt and picked the letter up and placed it on his table. Now I knew that this letter made him uneasy.

“Whatever this invitation is, I’m sure it’s not worth being mad at. You’re Jayden Wright, nothing offends you.” I told him trying to calm him down. Although I choose to speak with him with formality, a part of me pushed me into comforting him in a way or another. I didn’t like seeing him angry.

He smiled and took the invitation placing it in his drawer.

“Eva, I have a request from you.” He started and I gave him my attention.

“There’s an…event I have to attend and I need a date.” He continued and I slightly furrowed my eyebrows knowing where this was going.

“I would like you to be my date.” He declared.