Among the Quiet Ruins

Nick's POV

Shit! Sir, aahhh! Aaahh! It's so hot. Aaahh, please go slower. Aahh aahh. It hurts, wait, Sir. Stop!!!

I suddenly slammed on the brakes of my car because of my secretary's scream. My eyes widened as I looked at her. I couldn’t believe she just yelled at me. I shot her a sharp glare.

"Sorry, Sir, but I got burned. The coffee I was holding spilled on my leg, and it’s really hot. Also, you're driving too fast," she explained while wiping her wet skirt.

I didn’t know why my body suddenly heated up, was it because of the way she reacted earlier, as if she was moaning, or because I saw her fair legs?

"Fix yourself! So careless," I said angrily before stepping out of the car to get some air. I loosened my necktie while waiting for my secretary to finish fixing herself. This was the first time I had been affected because of my secretary. I didn’t know why. I hate female secretaries, and I have my reasons. That’s why almost all of my secretaries are men. I don’t trust female secretaries. To me, they are vile.

To release my frustration, I called George.

"Yes, Nick. How are you.?"

I didn’t let him finish.

"Find me another secretary! The one you lent me is useless. Imagine,.. she can't even hold a cup of coffee properly," I shouted.

"Whoa, wait, wait. Relax. What happened? Jessica is my gem. That’s why I lent her to you. She’s professional and very keen on her work. If you weren’t my friend, I wouldn’t have let you borrow her. What exactly happened?" he asked.

"Just find me a new one!!!" I yelled before hanging up. I didn’t wait for his response. I couldn’t understand myself,.. why was I so irritated? This was the first time I couldn’t control my emotions. If only Dominic, my male secretary, hadn’t had an emergency, and if I had another male secretary available, I would never have agreed to have a female secretary. Too much of a hassle.

"Sir, I’m ready now. We can go. I’m really sorry," she said.

"You better be. You’ve already caused too much trouble," I snapped before getting back into the car. My secretary carefully got into the passenger seat.

"Sir!"

"What!!"

She was so startled that she spilled her coffee on her skirt again.

"Aah!"

"Please throw that damn coffee away," I said in irritation. She quickly stepped out of the car and threw the coffee into a nearby trash bin. I watched through the side mirror as she looked flustered and restless. I didn’t miss how she smirked, raised her eyebrows, and seemed to be muttering something bad about me.

"Hah! Unbelievable. She’s the one who's mad? I’m the one who was inconvenienced! And she’s supposed to be the best? She can’t even hold a simple cup of coffee properly," I muttered to myself.

As soon as she got back in, I immediately started the car.

"Wear your seatbelt," I ordered.

"Yes, Sir!"

"Sir, I can drive if you want," she offered.

"No! I don’t want to entrust my life to you. I am not comfortable. Besides, how can you drive in that tiny skirt you’re wearing? Are you trying to seduce me? Hah! Dream on. I won’t fall for that kind of cheap trick," I scoffed.

I saw the shock in her eyes. Even though her glasses were thick, her glare was sharp like she wanted to stab me.

I was also surprised at myself. Why did I say that? Why can’t I control my temper with this girl?

"Sorry, Sir, but it’s not my fault that I couldn’t change. As far as I knew, we weren’t supposed to leave until early morning. I was still at work when you suddenly told me we had to leave right away. I didn’t have time to change because I didn’t want to keep you waiting. FYI, Sir, what I’m wearing is not for you. Sorry to disappoint you. And for the record, I have no intention of becoming part of your collection of women. SOOO CHEAP," she said firmly.

After saying that, she turned toward the window and positioned herself as if she was going to sleep.

Huh! My eyes widened. The nerve of this girl. Wait, I’m the boss. I don’t deserve this. No one has ever spoken to me like this before. I gripped the steering wheel tightly and shot my secretary a sharp glare.

I wanted to say something, but I held myself back. I had to admit, I needed her right now, and our working relationship was already off to a bad start. On the other hand, I had promised George that I would try to work with a female secretary. It wouldn’t be a problem since it was only for three to four days, just for this project. But now, I felt like I had made the wrong decision.

Three days ago, I went to George’s office. It was a surprise visit. I just dropped by after my business meeting. I mentioned that I needed a secretary. When I stepped out of the restroom in his office, I saw Jessica talking to George. I noticed how serious and sincere she was while talking to him very professional, no flirting whatsoever. I was impressed.

So when George said he could lend me Jessica for four days, I agreed. I don’t know what came over me to accept a female secretary.

I know she’s a professional, so why am I losing my temper with her? I asked myself.

And besides, why did I suddenly change our travel schedule? I always follow my schedule, but with Jessica, I changed it. This is not good. This woman is occupying too much space in my mind. This is not good. I have a project to focus on. That’s the only thing I should be thinking about.

I need to compose myself. Inhale, exhale.