Little Black Book episode 6

*Little Black 📓Book –* Episode Six: Kiss And Tell

So I thought about resigning. A lot. For a greater part of the night with my head on my tear-soaked pillow, it seemed like the only option. However, I am not known to be a coward or a quitter. I grew up with boys and through them, daily, I learned what it meant to face my screw-ups.

Kissing my boss was probably the biggest screw-up in my life, right after losing my v1rginity to an idi0t. I didn’t walk away from that idiot when I felt regret. I braced four more days with him until my brothers beat him to a pulp.

Similarly, I made up my mind not to quit my job. I was going to face my boss and give him the explanation he wanted. It was up to him to fire me or not.

And my feelings… well, they were to remain buried because God knew I could never stop going crazy over that man. That kiss had made things even worse, although it also cleared my delusions about me being The One.

Come Monday, my boss kept me waiting. I was all nerves behind my desk. He didn’t need my service for one second and the poor secretary was loaded with everything. When evening eventually came and most of the day staff were already on their way home, he called me in. I walked into his office and stood by the door. He called me closer but didn’t offer a seat. I maintained a position before his desk.

He held a cup of steaming coffee in one hand while tapping away on his phone with the other. As usual, he was looking spruce. It was the end of a very busy day and still he had it together even while dressed in a t-shirt and pair of denims.

“So did you enjoy the kiss?” he asked and a glass shattered somewhere in my head.

Um… what is wrong with this man? How am I supposed to answer that? I already had a speech rehearsed with clear reasons how my lips stumbled over his. I was going to blame it on my pain medication, on the fact that Lola had messed up on my mind, on the horniness that was plaguing me all these years, on the weather, on the government, even on childhood trauma! I was prepared to tell him whatever but definitely not prepared for this.

“Did you enjoy the kiss, Anna?”

Okay, he just called my name. So there wasn’t any chance he was talking to someone else on the phone. But I had to be sure. I looked up and caught his eyes and I couldn’t look away.

“Yes,” I croaked and cleared my throat. “Yes.” I lowered my head again.

“Ah.” I heard a smile in his voice. “Look at me, Anna.”

I obeyed. He put his coffee cup aside.

“You do know that the hotel has zero tolerance for sexual harassment, right?”

I dropped my jaw.

“Sir?”

He wasn’t smiling.

“That was what it was. You sexually harassed me and I have been traumatized since then.”

Oh, this man, where do you come up with these things?

“I initially wanted an explanation but what explanation would you give other than you lost your mind? And then there was that other issue of you talking about having feelings for me. That was what bothered me a lot. Look, Anna…. you’re beautiful. Very, as a matter of fact. And to be honest, under different circumstances, I’d have satisfied my curiosity by now.”

My cheeks went hot.

“But I don’t see you as that type of woman presently. You’re a good girl but you’re too gushy. You can’t take what I can give. Don’t be deceived by how easily I get women into my bed. There’s a method to my madness and I know the type of women I pick. They are dead inside as I am. We do what we do because we are empty and lonely and lacking of heart. And you’re nothing like that, so if I touch you, I would hurt you.”

I melted at his words.

“And that’s why I am letting you go.”

Wait….What?!!!

“I am sorry, Anna.” He pushed an envelope towards me. “That is your termination letter. This working month ends in two days but you can choose not to come to the office. Please, make sure to pack your desk. And as for the hotel suite, you have a whole month to stay until you sort yourself out.”

My knees shook beneath me. I searched his face. He was joking, right? How could he be so handsome and yet be such a mean, heartless thing?

Tears swamped my eyes.

“Anna, please don’t cry. I know this is unexpected and it’s hard but I’m doing it for your own good. It will be totally unethical to keep working together if you have feelings for me.”

Tears washed over my face. He stood up and handed me some tissue from his desk which I declined taking.

“It was just a kiss!” I cried out, not knowing where I got my guts from. “I didn’t rape you! I didn’t ask for anything! I just kissed you! And you kissed me back!” I hit the tissue off his hand. “You did! Then you go say that I sexually harassed you and fire me?! You’re a hypocrite!”

“I know. And I am sorry, Anna. Yes, I kissed back because it’s very ungentlemanly not to kiss a lady when she kisses you…”

“That’s nonsense! You liked it!”

I think at that point, I had lost my mind. Why was I being punished for falling in love with another human being?

“I’ll get you a better job out there and pay for your house rent and anything else you need.”

“I don’t want anything from you!”

I tried to put up a front but it was useless; I was in tatters. I buried my face in my hands and my body rocked from the pain of his rejection. And just when I thought I couldn’t take anymore, I felt his arms around me. He held me up and patted my back as I cried. He held me for a long time and didn’t let go even when I was sure I had made a mess on his t-shirt. I truly did not want him to let go. His body felt so comforting that I wanted to bury myself there for eternity. The feeling was next to none.

“You’re going to be fine, Anna.”

He eventually lifted my face and looked into my eyes. My tears were gone by now. I just wanted him to hold me some more. It was better than getting my job back or anything else in the world.

He drew away and I knew it was time to leave. I picked my termination letter and walked out of his office with legs weighed down as if with lead. I went to my suite and locked myself in through the night and cried till I was out of tears. By morning, I put my things together. I didn’t bother taking anything from the office. I had my laptop and that was all I needed. I took a cab to my elder brother’s home a broken woman.

It would take my boss just three days to find me. He sent his chauffer to take me to my new home, a one-bedroom and parlor apartment not far from the hotel. My brother didn’t want me to leave but I didn’t think it was wise to be a burden on him and his young family. I settled into my new home in less than a week and in the next week, started attending job interviews which my boss had hooked me up with. This time I was applying for the thing I knew how to do best and that was a systems programmer. Via a text he told me he wanted me to actively pursue my dreams and that he was solidly behind me. I didn’t reply the text; I was still mad at him.

A month went by and I adjusted to my life away from him, although it was hard. Little by little I picked up the pieces of my dismembered heart and moved on. I was yet to get a job, even with all his influence. The competition was high and I was behind on a few years. I needed to update myself with the latest in my field. That alone kept me occupied as I scoured the net for cheap online programs I could run.

Meanwhile, I kept up with current gist about the hotel as the secretary always intimated me on goings-on in the office front. Le Boss was yet to find my replacement. Several girls had come and gone. He was so picky that if they didn’t impress him in two days, he sent them off. The new one had lasted only five days and she was at her wits end. He was ruthless with her.

Such gist made me smile. I fed off the feeling of retribution. My tears were long gone and though I still had this dull ache whenever I thought about him, I felt quite alright. To me, I had built this tough shell within that no one could crack. But I had no idea I was going to be tested soon.

Sooner than I expected…

I got a call early one morning – from him.

Rousing lazily from my pillow I let the phone ring out when I saw it was him, although I was slightly thrilled.

He called again. I answered this time.

“Morning, Anna.”

“Good morning.”

“Sorry for waking you up but I need you.”

I sat up.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you,” I lied. He repeated himself and it sounded good in my ear.

“My new PA, she’s infected our entire database with malicious software she got off the net and she has shut us down completely. I called the guys from tech and they couldn’t do anything. They said it’s a relatively new virus and the antivirus is not out yet. They’ve been working on it all night and nothing good has come out of it. Can you come over and see if you can help out?”

I was grinning wildly, silly me. I couldn’t help myself.

“Sir, I’m busy…” It was my little moment of triumph.

“Please, Anna. I’ll pay you double.”

I pretended to think about for a bit.

“Okay…I’ll be there,” I said blandly.

“Great. I’m expecting you.”

He hung up and I sat still to quell my excitement. But I couldn’t. I was up on my feet, pacing round my small room, thinking of what to wear. Almost an hour went by before I settled for something. It was simple, though ─ a knee-length, fitted skirt with a simple blouse, a pair of flats and my new designer glasses. I checked my reflection in the mirror a million times before I was assured that I was casual-geeky-sexy.

* * * * * *

I arrived at the hotel and found him waiting in the control room of the tech department. The moment I spotted him, I felt my tummy flutter. He was still as handsome as ever and maintained that dominating air, even though I could tell that he was tired.

“Hi, Anna.” He smiled genuinely. “Great to see you.” He got up and gave me a hug.

There were others with us in the room, including the girl who messed up the systems. Unsurprisingly, she was gorgeous but she came off as an airhead at first glance. He hated airheads.

He pulled a chair for me and explained in detail what had happened. The tech guys also gave more information on the problem, and right away I knew what was wrong with the systems. It was going to be tedious process to get everything working again but it was something I was going to enjoy doing. I asked for some space and set about my business.

Long hours passed and evening came without my knowledge. He stopped by to tell me to call it a day and to take me out for dinner.

I didn’t know what to make of his request. It was a first for us.

“Don’t say no. Let this be me apologizing for letting you go. I wish I hadn’t.”

His eyes weren’t lying.

“Sir, I…”

“Don’t call me sir. You know my name, Anna. And you’re no longer my employee.”

I was not? Wow. It sure didn’t feel that way. Well…to me, it wasn’t always about boss and employee; it was about my crush on him. And now that I had the freedom to express myself, like a caged bird, I still wanted him to be my master.

“Come on, let’s get you something to eat.” He took my hand and steered me towards the door. “After you.”

He took me downstairs to the VIP restaurant and we sat down to eat. We talked like old friends. It was awkward at first, I must admit, but we got over that and over me calling him ‘sir’ on default and conversed on everything except why I left.

“I miss you,” he said out of the blue, sipping from his glass of sparkling water.

“Sorry?”

I studied his face. Was this guy making moves on me or was he genuine?

“Seriously, I do. You had my life organized and kept me grounded at all times. You have to admit that we were good together. I’d like you back but that would be selfish. I want to see you grow bigger and better in life. Speaking of bigger…” he swept lustful eyes over my body. I responded by looking away.

“I hope you’re okay with the way things are with you, now?”

I nodded, but it was a lie. I wanted us back.

“Good to know.”

“And you? Any new conquests?” I asked him.

“For where?” he laughed. “I’ve been too busy and quite frankly, you used to take all the stress off my shoulders. You were a great wingman.”

We both laughed. Gosh I missed him.

I stared at my watch. It was quite late.

“I should be heading home.”

“Why don’t you stay in the hotel since you’re not yet done with your work? Your old room is still there.”

I smiled at his attempt of kindheartedness but I knew that the devil was working really hard beneath the surface. The man wanted me. I could see that familiar madness dancing in his eyes.

“My house is not far from here,” I reminded him, refusing his request.

“Then let me take you home?”

I shook my head. “Thanks for the offer but I’ll get a cab.”

He helped me up and held my hand, leading me out of the restaurant. Outside, he hugged and kissed my cheek and I went home.

* * * * * *

I returned early the next morning. I worked all through the day and didn’t see him. I was told he was in Kano. I faced the job at hand and by midnight, I had the systems back up. It took another three hours for me to run diagnostics and to fix other minor issues. By 4am, I retired to my old room in the hotel and slept off like a log.

I woke up to breakfast in bed and familiar cologne in my nostrils. I opened my eyes and saw him standing by my bed.

“You were so tired you didn’t close your door before you collapsed on your bed,” he informed me.

“Oh?” I sat straight, adjusted my dress which was barely covering my butt.

“Thank you, Anna, for the job well done. As I speak, your account is being credited.”

I eyed the tray of breakfast. I was famished.

“So, would you want to go out somewhere? Private beach, maybe, and just relax. The weather outside is great.”

Oh, this man. He was pressing all the right buttons. I loved my men to woo me, to treat me like a lady; and he knew this. He d–n well knew this!

“Thank you but I’ll rather stay home today.”

I got up and headed for the bathroom.

“Is this awkward for you, me asking you out and all?”

The hell not! I was loving it!

I turned around. “No.”

“’Cause if it is, I can stop. It’s just that you’re a woman that deserves to be treated with respect.”

I laughed out loud in my head. How easily he had forgotten that I had the complete curriculum of his wooing moves. I knew what page we were on. It was the Treat Her Like A Lady page. How long before he leaned over for that unexpected kiss?

I thanked him for breakfast, respectfully turned down his invitation and went home. I knew he was enjoying the challenge as I was.

I went through the whole day so consumed with the thought of having him that I forgot that he was once my boss. I knew it was pure lust pulling me to him; sexu@l, nothing more, but I couldn’t help myself.

When darkness came, I got off my bed and shut my laptop, then I spent almost two hours in the bathroom, trimming, shaving, tweezing and cleaning up. I came out crisp like a newborn and yet smelling like a woman desperate for a man.

I was borrowing a leaf from his book, taking the bull by the horns. I would go to him. I would tell him I wanted him. I will open up to him like a flower.

I studied my reflection in the mirror and couldn’t believe it was me about to do the craziest thing in my life. I had changed so much in a short while and he was to blame. Gone was the shy, reserved, uncertain girl that walked into his office a long time ago. I was a woman now who knew what she wanted.

The thought made me shiver. What was awaiting me in his arms? Would I hate myself the morning after or get so hooked I would go back to him for more. Again, I shivered.

* * * * * *

I asked for my old suite at the reception. They said a couple took it that evening. I asked for a similar one. They said they all had been taken. The phone at the desk rang and one of the receptionists answered. I knew he was the one calling. She looked at me and told me Presidential Suite B was available. Her colleague handed me a key and I took the elevator.

There is no backing out now, Anna, my voice told me. You’re going to get what you so ache for; are you ready?

I wasn’t. Not in the least bit, but I was starved for it. I was either going to have it or lose my head.

I arrived at the suite and let myself in. The moment the door shut, the lights went on…

And there he was, leaning on the dresser like he had waited for me all day.

I should have known that he had been in control the whole time. He knew I was coming back. He knew I would ask for my old room and ring him up to let him know I was in the building. And that was why he told them at the front desk to inform me that the room was occupied.

And of course, he had already prepared this particular suite for me – for us.

I looked at him. His eyes were dark with desire. This was the part of him I had never seen before and it scared me shitless.

“You’re sure this is what you want?” he asked.

I smiled but my insides shook. My name was about to go into his little black book.

……………………………………….

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