Chapter 10 Tingly

It was Tuesday afternoon and I needed a break. I had received an email for a new work assignment yesterday morning with a bunch of jumbled information attached. Sorting out the mess had taken far longer than it should have. It wasn't until later that afternoon that I had discovered why. An intern had mistakenly included data from another project.

I had had to syphon out all of the useless incorrect information before anything had begun to make any kind of sense. It had taken me half of today to re-review and remove the skewed data. The numbers in the margins were now finally starting to talk to me.

So here I was halfway through a second day only just getting started on the job I was supposed to have begun yesterday morning.

Talk about a waste of time.

Frustrated, tired, and hungry I pushed away from my desk and headed into the kitchen. Cissero trotted behind me. I absently pet his head as I opened the fridge door. I pulled out the pitcher of fresh citrus ginger tea and poured myself a glass.

I sighed as I sipped. The unproductive day was bothering me. Since meeting Pierce, seeing who he was and how he was, and even worse, his questioning my ability to do my job, I worried about my lack of progress on this project. Granted it wasn't my fault but that didn't matter to me.

I pictured his disapproving cold face and his direct forceful gaze. The familiar electrical sizzle swept up my spine at the mental images I conjured of him.

My reaction to him I had finally concluded, was one part fear, one part agitation, and one-part unknown. I still hadn't been able to put my finger on the other emotion I felt when he looked at me, I just knew it was unlike anything I had experienced before.

Whether it was good or bad was undetermined.

I stared out the kitchen window as I replayed the last few minutes, I was with him on Saturday night.

One moment he had been giving me a hard time about stuttering which had of course only made me stutter more and in the next... well the next that was where it had gotten a little weird. That was where the unknown emotion filtered in and my uncertainty took over.

Pierce was a dynamic individual. He was charismatic, bold, cocky, arrogant, and a whole host of adjectives that I could use to describe an alpha male.

He was similar to my friends but he seemed to be on a whole other playing level. Every single one of those words when in reference to him, intimidated me. I was the complete opposite of him in every way imaginable.

But despite that fear he also made me feel... tingly.

My cheeks burned as the word popped into my mind. The tips of my ears felt hot. It sounded... sexual. As had been the dream I had had of him the night we met.

I rubbed my sweaty palms down the sides of my pants before opening the refrigerator back up and reaching in to pull out various ingredients to make myself a couple of sandwiches.

Along with the tingles, thoughts of Pierce brought with him jitters and butterflies and a jumbo-sized cup full of uncertainty. So much uncertainty.

Like for starters, he was my boss. He had full say over an important aspect of my life. He could take away the job that I loved. The way he treated me at times, I couldn't help but worry if it was something that he was already considering.

Then there was the fact that he had come to my home. Come and not said why. His ignoring of my repeated attempts to find out, bothered me.

On the one hand I knew I should only worry so much because despite the cold mocking person he had been, he had taken care of me. But there was no denying some of his behaviors were questionable. He was such a contradiction. He was a frustratingly enigmatic man.

I liked simple and uncomplicated. Pierce was anything but, and that more than anything made me want to ignore him.

As if I had a choice.

If Pierce wanted to see me, I wouldn't get much say in the matter. His showing up on Saturday proved that. Me being employed by him, was another undeniable factor that would put me in his path if he so chose.

It would help if I just knew why he had come. Maybe then I wouldn't be in the state I was in now. Then again, maybe not. There was still the whole physical reaction thing to him that was messing with my head... and my body.

The ringing of my cell was welcome.

"Hey Archer!" I answered.

"Jackson Ji," he greeted sounding happier than I had ever heard him. "Everything all set for Saturday?"

For a second, I blanked. So, consumed had I been about the mess with my work and not to mention Pierce, that Archer and Percy's wedding on Saturday had completely slipped my mind. That made me feel horrible. I was Archer's best man.

I speedily ran down my mental list and was at least able to assure him that everything he had asked me to do had been done.

"And it's still okay for me to spend the night with you Friday, right?" he checked.

"Of course," I assured him. "Cissero is looking forward to it."

"He's not sleeping with me Jackson," Archer muttered.

"You tell him that," I retorted with a small smile. I didn't know who he was trying to kid. Archer loved Cissero and brought treats stowed away in his pockets to tempt him.

"I have to call the other guys when we hang up. Branson better have picked up his tux!"

"He has," I replied. "It was hanging in his guest bedroom. I saw it Saturday morning."

"Oh, that's right!" he remembered. "Did you guys end up doing anything? I would have loved to gone over and hung out, but this wedding and Perky," he paused and grumbled and I realized Percy must be nearby.

He was afraid of being overheard.

"You didn't miss anything," I said, before he said more on his end and got himself into trouble. "I left pretty soon after waking. Branson had a golf game with his dad so I just came straight home."

"So, for you it was a good weekend. You didn't do anything or go anywhere or see anyone."

"I went to your bachelor party!" I defended myself.

That had been a big excursion out for me.

"I know and it really did mean a lot to Percy and me that you came. Just sorry that son of a bitch showed up there at the end. At least you shouldn't have to deal with him again!"

I grew silent. I had two options. I could just go along with what he said or I could fess up.

I imagined telling him Pierce had come by and we had spent the day together on Saturday, albeit with me being either in the hospital or napping most of the day. That in itself would bring on so much headache I was truly tempted to keep my mouth shut. But it was Archer and we didn't lie to each other nor did we mislead.

"Um...well... about that," I started.

Archer let the silence hang there but when I still didn't finish saying anything he spoke. I could hear the relaxed tone go on yellow alert.

"Jackson," Archer prompted.

He had modified his tone to talking-to-Jackson-voice. Archer had always had a way of communicating with me that didn't stress me out. He didn't baby me; he just knew the right decibel level that allowed me to talk with him without triggering any anxiety.

It was only one of the reasons he was my best friend.

"I saw him Saturday," I rushed out.

"Come again?" Archer requested.

"I saw him again on Saturday. He came to my house."

I knew how this must sound to Archer. I knew I wasn't explaining myself very well. I didn't really know how to make it sound any better.

Pierce had just shown up. He had at moments been as unpleasant on Saturday as he had been on Friday. None of these things would make Archer happy to hear. Just the fact that he had come to my house period, had probably already been enough information to put Archer in a tizzy.

Pierce hadn't made any friends out of mine with his behavior on Friday night. Maybe I should have just kept it to myself after all.

"I'm coming over!" Archer suddenly said and I groaned.

"Archer it's fine," I tried to say but he was talking over me.

I could hear him yelling something to Percy about Pierce and me, and Percy's exclamation. He said something else but I couldn't hear what, but Archer's 'thanks babe' led me to believe it was his consent for him to leave.

"I'll be there in a few," Archer told me, and before I could say anything the phone went dead.

I glanced down to Cissero who looked up at me with his happy smile. I envied him his cluelessness.

I straightened up the kitchen and headed back to my office. I needed to send out a few more emails and let Mr. Jones know that this particular assignment was behind and why, but that I hoped to catch up by tomorrow afternoon.

I clicked send then started saving my work, reorganizing what I would need to work on first tomorrow, sent another email to the intern requesting a bit more information and was about to get up when I received a reply from Mr. Jones.

I opened the email and my stomach plunged. Mr. Jones was informing me that Mr. Lucciano was not pleased by my report and that he wanted to meet with me tomorrow at eleven o'clock in his office.

I swallowed the huge lump that had formed. I reread the email and then again. Each time I read with different inflection, trying to figure out the tone.

I felt my anxiety levels rise. My work had always been exemplary. I had never been reprimanded. I had certainly never been called to the office to explain myself.

I swiped my hand across my face and breathed in and out a few times, trying to relax. My heart was racing and it took several extra attempts to calm the palpitations skipping along in my chest. I felt like I may cry.

There was a pressure behind my eyes but I blinked several times. The last thing I needed was for Archer to show up here with me looking like I was close to tears or worse, actually crying. Considering why I was crying I knew it would only serve to make him angrier.

I chewed at my bottom lip as I imagined tomorrow's meeting. I knew I had done nothing wrong. I had actually been the one to find the error, right it, and get the project back on course, so he could be angry about the project being behind but he couldn't be angry at me.

Telling my head that and getting my body to calm down and realize it were two different things though. I still felt trembly and anxious physically but thankfully my mind had at least settled with some semblance of common sense.

I started to wonder if I was more freaked out about seeing Pierce more than I was about the problematic work.

I couldn't keep hiding from how he affected me. The physical reaction was too strong. Despite my continued obstinance not to put a name to it I knew it was only a matter of time. I couldn't keep pretending no matter how much I would have liked to.

I could try to be an ostrich all I wanted but I knew that would only last so long. I think that was really why I was so upset about tomorrow's meeting. I feared each encounter with Pierce would take me one step closer to things I didn't know if I was ready to fully acknowledge.

And considering I had absolutely no idea what Pierce himself was thinking or feeling, even contemplating such possibilities was terrifying.

The doorbell suddenly chimed. Archer was here. I gulped and followed behind an obliviously happy and barking Cissero.

For the second time today, I found myself jealous of my dog.