Chapter 12: Office Romance

Alexander glared down at the work before him. It had been steadily growing by the minute, but he couldn't give it the mental space it required. Not while she taunted his mind. Dancing about like a spring dream. Yet he had to keep her as far away as he could.

He twiddled his thumbs while playing with the pen on his desk. His mind continued to wander, seemingly without him. "Ugh!" He yelled in frustration, slamming his fist down on the mahogany wood. He replayed every word that she said. His initial excitement in seeing her had quickly dissipated when she made her intentions known.

Now he felt like a heartsick teenager and the level of irritation it caused him was unbearable. Yet the irritation was directed completely inwards. Each time he thought he had finally understood the depths of feelings and the curiosity that came with them, it would only prove futile because he would find that just as the depth of the sea- the depth of his emotions went far deeper than he had bothered to explore before.

Ring! Ring! His office phone blared. He flinched from the sound and abruptly sat up in his seat. His wandering mind leaped forward, finally focusing on something that wasn't her. His brows furrowed. There was no reason for him to receive a call during the lunch hour. "Yes?' He answered promptly as he accepted the call.

"Hello, sir." Romero's voice spoke calmly from the opposite end of the call. Alexander's posture grew rigid. His guards never called unless something had gone wrong. "Arielle left the building, sir," Romero continued.

"What do you mean she left the building?" Before he could push for any more details, he heard the guard mumble something that was soon followed by an audible click. The call ended abruptly.

It was all blurry for Alexander. He hadn't expected Arielle to leave the premises at any point before the end of her shift, but instead, she completely blindsided him. He rushed from his office, not sparing his secretary a glance. He fought to keep his mind from wandering towards the woman who captured his attention on her first day, she was running about, wreaking havoc on his peace.

Or at least that's what he told himself. He angrily muttered as he pushed his way through the crowded lobby. He would have run out there himself if his guards didn't return in such haste. Once he had reached the first floor, he could see them through the tall pane-glass windows.

He could feel the many curious gazes glued to his back. A high number of his employees were there, lingering about in their curiosity and not working. He sighed in frustration as he thought about their salaries.

What would happen if he lessened them for being so enthralled by something that didn't concern them? It could incentivize them to focus on what was important. He thought toward himself.

He blew out air and battled against the shakiness of his leg.

Within only seconds, she re-entered the building. There were guards on her every side, but they parted as they neared him so that Alexander Marquee could see her perfectly. His breath caught in his throat. He watched her like a masterpiece, one that would be placed for all to see, but guarded carefully to keep from thieves. Her beauty would never cease to amaze him.

She appeared flushed, with a few of her neatly tucked away curls betraying her and flowing near her face. She was studying him, that he knew, but he didn't have the time for pleasantries, not here.

"Mhm," she began clearing her throat. Her large brown eyes held shock within them. He wondered if she didn't notice the curious stares. He raised his hand, halting any further words or sounds from tumbling from her lips which successfully stopped her.

"Follow me to my office." He requested, attempting to keep his professionalism at its peak and he swiftly turned away. Alexander swallowed. He could feel his heart beating erratically in his chest. A woman had never made him feel nervous before, but Arielle stirred something in him, causing it to leap in his throat. The elevator ride had been suffocating for him. He never realized just how small it was. He wondered how much it would cost to install a larger one.

He found that even his hands felt slick with sweat. He had never been the kind of man to have sweaty hands, but here he was- becoming a man he could hardly recognize.

Soon they were back on the top floor. The guards had kindly left them to go to his office privately and nearly another argument ensued. Their conversation, which had begun similarly to their outburst earlier, ended unexpectedly for him. She had said his name but deemed it a mistake. He felt that he had to let her go, even if the idea made him uncomfortable.

Alexander excused Arielle and he hated that he wanted her to return so soon, but he ignored the desire that he couldn't satiate. He could survive with her being further away. It wouldn't hurt him. He tried to convince himself.

As he walked over to his office chair he realized that he had forgotten a file for his next meeting on the tall filing cabinet by the door. Alexander was an athletic man, but even he didn't like taking extra steps that could have been saved by prior thinking, but this time, he was grateful for it.

He wouldn't have heard her at all if he weren't standing so close to her. Just a few feet, maybe even just mere inches apart, yet separated by the door to his office. "Thank you, Alexander." She whispered. He could hear the apparent smile in her voice. It was as if she enjoyed saying it. The smile that stretched onto his face couldn't express the hope that bloomed in his heart.

He didn't know why she kept it to herself, but it was hope that he felt. Complete hope.

Yet that hope had begun to take a downward spiral within 24 hours. He hadn't gotten the chance to see Arielle much afterward, but soon. He thought. He would see her soon. Yet that changed rapidly with a phone call.

The very next morning, Alexander sat at his desk. A large smile spread across his face as he thought back to Arielle thanking him while using his first name. She had said it on the opposite side of his office door, so he knew that she didn't;t intend for him to hear, but he was glad that he did.

Ring! Ring! His office phone rang. "Hello, this is Mr. Marquee," Alexander greeted with a small, yet professional smile.

"Hi, Mr. Marquee. This is Arielle." His intern quietly greeted. Her voice seemed fragile over the phone. He could hear her sniffling and attempting to clear her throat and he found himself noticeably tensing.

"Are you okay? Did something happen?" He asked slowly. His posture changed as he prepared himself to stand if she gave any impression of danger.

"Well, yes and no." Her voice strained as she replied.

"No- no need to speak. I can hear that you're not feeling well." He responded filling in the gaps for her. He could hear her sighing in relief on the other side. "Were," he paused and cleared his throat, and adjusted his tie. "Were you calling to take the day off?"

Arielle was quiet about his question, but within a few seconds, she finally responded. "Yes," she answered through a flurry of coughs, which caused him to feel discomfort on her behalf.

"Okay. Well, that's more than fine. I hope that you begin to feel better soon, Arielle," Alexander replied softly. He held the phone close, realizing that he would likely not hear from her for the rest of the day. He wouldn't have the opportunity to stare into her deep brown eyes nor would he be able to find a moment to speak with her and hear her warm voice reply. Yet it was a feeble attempt to keep the call going much longer than he had done already because her mother could be heard calling her.

"Thank you. I-" she paused. "I should go."

"You don't have to." He mumbled. It was under his breath and there was a chance that she didn't hear him, but a small- a large part of him hoped that she heard him perfectly well.

He could hear her breath catch in her throat before a new set of coughs took over. He felt bad for keeping her on the phone any longer than she had to be, but he also wondered if her temporary pause in breathing was due to what he said. Did she hear him say it?

"I should go." She repeated and Alexander sighed.

"Yes," he replied quickly. "Feel better, Ms. Burnes. I'll see you soon."

An audible click could be heard as the call ended. He felt frustrated. What was he thinking?

He groaned in annoyance at his silly attempt to win her attention or affection. Reluctantly, he turned back to his schedule and the work splayed out before him. And so the day continued on as if nothing were wrong. As if she weren't away.

At least his employees treated it as such. The only one who seemed to recognize how Alexander felt, was Susan. Susan would knock at his door every few hours to check on him. The CEO balanced his work as he usually did, but his mind kept drifting back to her.

The guards were watching her home, but he refused to invade her privacy by having them check on her. So he sat there in his office, with his mind swirling with different images of her smiling or hearing her laughter. He realized he had never been the cause of a boisterous laugh from her and now his mission had become just that.

But the time continued and she still hadn't returned. That first day she called in sick had stretched from one day to two days and onward to three! Three whole days. He felt that he was going mad! He had reached such progress with her. She said his first name! Yet down the tube, it seemed to go. It was a dramatic assumption, but it had taken much effort to reach that point that they had and that was without her admitting to any change of feelings to him.

Alexander twiddled his thumbs as his mind wandered back to Arielle for the umpteenth time. He recognized that he had a problem, yet he did not have the will to fight it. Not then. He would give her space and simply dream of her with his eyes open. That is after she responded to his gift. He had sent her a get-well-soon basket, but Alexander hadn't heard from her since it arrived. It was sent through priority shipping, but still nothing.

There was no way it wouldn't reach her by now! He reasoned with himself. Give her space. A small voice reminded him. He sighed but nodded. It was only right.

Knock! Knock!

He groaned and swiveled in his seat. "Susan, you can come in! I promise that I am alive and I have drunk the horribly healthy tea that you delivered." He replied as he bounced in his chair like an excited child or an anxious adult. Was there truly a difference?

Yes. He sighed once more.

The secretary had been persistent in checking on his well-being, which although he said very little about- he was grateful.

Yet once the door opened, it wasn't Susan and it definitely wasn't the woman tugging at his heart. Instead, it was one that he had been ignoring for days now. He huffed out a sigh of displeasure and straightened himself in his seat.

"What do you want, Claire?" Alexander asked. His tone was flat and the small smile that rested on her face visibly shrunk, before turning into a scowl. She leaned against the door frame and watched him for a moment.

"That's not a kind greeting to give to your significant other." She muttered bitterly.

"It may be because you're not my significant other. Now, why are you here?" He questioned further. His eyes wandered to more interesting things on his desk and he tapped his leg to pass the time.

Claire rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"You could treat me with some respect. I'm only here to do you a favor." She replied with a narrowed gaze. Her lips were set into a firm line as she stalked forward.

"I've only asked why three times now." He replied sarcastically, seeming to not recognize the irritation on her face. He held a blank stare at the stubborn woman.

"The girlfriend's sick, huh?" She asked while examining her claw-length nails. She refused to meet his eyes after her remark, but from her peripheral, she could see him stiffen and eventually sit up in his seat.

"How do you know that?" His eyes were more attentive, no longer finding the bland paperweights of any interest.

"The guards of course! Did you forget that I'm dating one of them?" She replied with a snarky grin.

Mr. Marquee's eyes narrow. "No actually. Especially not when you storm in here claiming that I'm your significant other. Which one?" He demanded.

"As if I'd tell you." She retorted with a bitter laugh.

"I'll fire the whole staff if you don't. The poor man probably doesn't know that your focus is... divided, for lack of a better term." The look of disgust on his face caused Claire to regret her admission. She didn't like it when he looked to be disappointed in her. She pulled herself together, covering the vulnerable stare with a wall. She scowled instead and pursed her lips. He didn't need to see just how much he affected her.

Yet before she could answer and continue their discussion, another knock came to the door. It was much louder and higher up. Before Alexander could call out, a tall man came barging in.

Vincent entered the room, appearing as a carbon copy of Mr. Marquee. Claire glanced over at him with annoyance apparent on her features before she audibly gasped. She was surprised to see another man that looked so similar to her 'ex-boyfriend'.

Alexander stared over at Vincent with an eyebrow raised, but as Vincent opened his mouth to speak, another woman entered the room. Vincent sighed and looked over the newest intruder, but his breath became stuck in his throat as the tall blond woman entered the room. She wore a plain dress that flowed and fell a little past her knees. Her hair was swooped down into a low bun and her eyes were bright and startling. He found himself to be staring at her, yet she didn't notice him.

Alexander cleared his throat as he sat there and witnessed his cousin become trapped in another world. Surprisingly, the trance appeared to be caused by Megan. Interesting. Alexander thought.

"Is something going on here? How did you all get in here? Susan are you even doing your job?" He mumbled the last sentence.

"Mhm." Vincent cleared his throat. In doing this, he caught her attention. The blond woman turned her head to face him. Realizing his presence for the first time and her jaw dropped open slightly. She appeared to be in awe and looked between Vincent and Alexander, as though she were seeing double.

"Who- who are you?" She asked quietly.

Vincent felt his cheeks redden as her attention was now fully on him.

"I'm Vincent, Alexander's cousin. And you are...?"

"Megan. I- Well I just work in the building. Nothing important." She replied sheepishly. He wondered why she would say something so silly. Of course, her job was important, or else Alexander wouldn't bother in hiring her.

"I highly doubt that," Vincent replied with a charming smile.

"Mhm!" Alexander cleared his throat loudly. "May I ask what brings you all to my office?" His patience was wearing thin. He hadn't been doing much in between his meetings, but his mind was happily occupied with Arielle.

Vincent frowned at his cousin's interruption, but he figured that perhaps he was right.

"Ah, yes well- I don't think now would be the best time to speak with so many around. If you are free after work today maybe we can-"

"I can't," Alexander cut him off. "I have something going on today. How's tomorrow?" He quickly offered with a stoic look on his face.

Vincent sighed. "It needs to be soon, but if that's the best that you can do then fine, cousin." He replied.

"Cousin?" Megan asked, mostly to herself, but Vincent caught the ear of her question.

"Yes, the great Alexander Marquee is my cousin." He answered her with a large grin. She felt her cheeks grow hot and she glanced down. A small smile made its way onto her face and although she ducked her head, Vincent could still see it perfectly.

"You shouldn't hide that." He spoke quietly. Alexander watched the two. He felt as though he were forced to witness an exhibit of young love in his own office. Although at first, the interruption made him feel quite disgruntled, now he felt a small smile tug at his lips. Although he wished things worked so smoothly between Arielle and himself, he found this moment both odd and endearing to witness.

Megan slowly lifted her face and a frustrated Claire, threw down her hands and exited the room. All three of them stared at the closing door in shock at her random outburst, but soon Alexander came to a stand.

"Well lovebirds, I must go. I have someone to meet up with." Alexander announced plainly. Megan nodded but Vincent wasn't so quick to follow suit.

"Outside of the office?" Vincent asked with a raised brow. A knowing look in his eyes told Alexander that he didn't have to explain. His cousin already knew where he planned to go. Maybe it was the desperation on his face or the ever-growing stack of papers that had begun to fall off of his desk altogether- he missed her and she was hardly even a friend.

"Yes, exactly that." Alexander responded confidently. He wanted her friendship and hopefully, her love would follow soon after.

A/N:

I apologize for the long wait. It was a busy time with some personal trials mixed with writer's block whenever I would begin writing. Please pray for my family and I! If anyone needs prayers, you're free to let me know! God bless you all!