21

Noah was gravely mistaken. Sure, he expected there would be some awkwardness between him and his executive assistant. But what he didn't anticipate was his desire for her—instead of diminishing, it had only intensified.

So, having sex with her for two nights wasn’t enough, huh?

Noah thought everything would be easier once he fulfilled his fantasies with her. After all, they had slept together multiple times. That should have been enough. But he was dead wrong—it was never enough.

He went to Raffy’s office even though he could’ve just called. He did it just to get away from Ingrid. He couldn’t stand sitting in a room next to her. It was funny, but it felt like he couldn’t breathe properly.

“You look… agitated,” Raffy noted mid-conversation.

Jesus tap-dancing Christ. Does it really show?

“Do I?”

“Is something wrong, Noelani?”

“Nothing. Anyway, like I said, you’ll be the one to meet with Maverick’s new endorsers next week,” Noah said, steering the conversation back.

“Ugh! What’s new? You always dump those kinds of things on me.”

“You were out having fun for so long. I’m just making up for it.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Raffy rolled her eyes. “And hey, you need a vacation yourself. The last time you and Auntie went to Indonesia was last year. Why are you always stuck here in RTA? Our titles and responsibilities have all changed. You're the CEO now, Noah, the big boss. You don’t even need to come in anymore. You could just order us around.”

Noah sighed. “You know that’s not how I do things.”

“You’re just scared you’ll fail, like what Uncle Mark said,” Raffy accused as she fiddled with a fountain pen.

“Who isn’t afraid of failing?”

“I’m not,” Raffy shrugged like it was nothing. “Look, the company is doing fine, Noah. We’re making more money now. You need to relax. You’re too uptight. Learn to loosen up a bit. Get that stick out of your ass, old man!”

Noah stood up. “I’m leaving before lunchtime. You handle things here for now.”

“Good. Go get laid,” his cousin said while shaking his head as he walked toward the door.

Get laid? If Raffy only knew what he and his executive assistant had done over the weekend. And if she only knew the dilemma Noah was facing now.

Noah was on his way back to his office when he saw Ingrid coming out of the pantry holding a cup of coffee on a saucer.

She greeted him with a small smile. “I had a quick snack, Sir, so I thought I’d get you some coffee too.”

He took the cup from Ingrid’s hands even before she could properly hand it over. Maybe because of how tense he was, he lost his grip, and a few drops of coffee splashed onto his chest.

“Oh, my gosh!” she exclaimed, quickly wiping his chest with her palms. “I’m sorry, Sir.”

“It’s all right, I’m okay,” he said, unbothered by the heat of the coffee since he was wearing a dark blue slim-fit suit.

When Ingrid still didn’t stop wiping his chest, he caught her hand. She looked at him, mouth slightly open. Their eyes met, and he barely held himself back from kissing her right there in the hallway.

Her scent, her breath, the fire in her eyes… they were like dangerous potions making him lose his sanity.

“Woman, what are you doing to me?” Noah whispered, still holding her hand. He wanted to tell her so much in that moment—how she haunted him, how he was bewitched, how he was having sleepless nights. How he could still feel the softness of her skin, how his body burned when he remembered the sensation of being inside her. Her tightness, how her walls clung to him, how she moaned and screamed his name…

Ingrid’s lips moved, but no sound came out. That only made her look even more alluring. He was in big trouble. Being even five—no, ten—meters near her was lethal. He needed distance.

That’s when Noah remembered where they were. He let go of her hand. Good thing it didn’t happen inside his office—he might not have been able to stop himself. He would’ve fucked her savagely on his office table, and she would’ve gone home with ruined stockings and ripped panties.

“Thanks for the coffee, Miss Delgado,” he managed to say, trying to recover his lost sanity.

He walked ahead of Ingrid, subtly wiping the sweat forming on his forehead with his palm. If only he had looked back, he would’ve seen her fanning herself with one hand.

---

“Sir,” Ingrid called out to Noah as he exited his office.

“Yes?” Noah asked, his expression formal.

She wanted to slap herself—she missed his smiles. That weekend was over, and she needed to remind herself of that. Yeah, that amazing, hot weekend she couldn’t stop thinking about.

“Should I cancel your doctor’s appointment today? The nurse from Dr. Oliver’s office called again, asking if you’re still going.”

Noah sighed. “Can you give me just a second to think about it?” he said, sounding frustrated as he avoided eye contact.

Avoiding eye contact—that’s what they’d both been doing since they returned to work after the weekend. She thought they were managing to work properly, but she still felt the tension and awkwardness between them. And was it just her? Sometimes, she felt like Noah was stealing glances at her. Well, she was doing the same.

“Okay,” Ingrid mumbled as she watched him walk away.

How long would this awkwardness and tension last between them? The coffee incident yesterday was clear proof that they still had that smoldering effect on each other. Well, maybe it was normal since it just happened over the weekend. But would that ever go away?

A few minutes later, she saw Noah walking back to his office, this time with his cousin Raffy.

“Jesus Christ, Noelani! Are you still scared of needles?” she heard Raffy say.

“So this is why you’ve been agitated since yesterday?”

“You know how I hate needles!” Noah replied, waving his hand in the air.

The two stopped in front of Ingrid’s desk. Noah glanced at her briefly and smiled awkwardly.

“Well, sorry, I can’t go with you. I have an early lunch meeting with Director Gian today, and I should be going now,” Raffy said.

“Then go,” Noah shooed him off. “I never said you had to come with me.”

“You didn’t. But I already told you, Dr. Oliver called me himself. He’s been bugging me to go with you.”

“Well, you can tell your cousin I’m still thinking about it. He just wants to poke me with a needle. The bastard gets a kick out of seeing me scared.”

“He said Don’t postpone it again.” Raffy gestured dramatically. “What’s with you, Alfonso men, and your phobias anyway? I just found out your brother’s afraid of spiders. Geez!”

Noah held his head. “Raffy, leave me alone.”

“Hey, Ingrid!” Raffy called her. Noah looked up at the ceiling in exasperation. “Please go with my cowardly cousin to the doctor. He needs his yearly flu shot, and usually Mariz accompanies him.”

“You don’t have to, Ingrid,” Noah said before she could answer.

“I insist,” Raffy said firmly. “I’m her boss too, and I’m ordering her,” he added with an eye roll before leaving.

“I’ll go with you, Sir,” Ingrid said with a smile after Raffy walked away.

“Fine,” he gave in. “I’ll be ready in a while,” he said before entering his office.

---

Inside the car, Ingrid didn’t know whether to laugh or feel sorry for her boss—he was clearly terrified of injections. His grip on the steering wheel was tight, and panic was written all over his face. She was amazed, and her heart melted at the same time. She wanted to hug him.

Ingrid sighed, not knowing what to say to calm him down, even a little.

“I’m sorry,” Noah said, sounding embarrassed. “I didn’t want you to be dragged into this.”

“It’s okay, Sir. You don’t have to be embarrassed. Everyone’s afraid of something.”

“Are you scared of anything to the point it gives you anxiety attacks?”

Ingrid thought for a moment. “W-well, I’m scared of roller coasters, I think. Just seeing them in pictures, I already know I couldn’t handle riding one.”

“Roller coasters... Yeah, I’m not really fond of them either, but nothing compares to this stupid fear I have of needles. It’s humiliating.”

“Raffy’s cousin owns the clinic?”

“His maternal cousin. Most of Raffy’s relatives on his mom’s side are in the medical field.”

Ingrid was glad to notice that her boss seemed to be relaxing—maybe talking helped.

“What does Mariz do when she comes with you to the doctor?” she asked when they stopped due to traffic.

“She sits beside me. There were times she wanted to hold my hands, but I refused. Probably out of shame, I acted all tough,” Noah said with a wry smile.

“I’ll hold your hands,” she said with a smile. “You won’t be embarrassed with me, right, Sir?”

That’s when he smiled. “All right. I’ll let you hold my hands.”

---

"You can laugh now," Noah said in embarrassment as they walked out of the clinic.

And the woman did laugh. He was just thankful that her laughter didn’t sound mocking. She was laughing with fascination.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I didn’t know your phobia was that bad. You and Dr. Oliver almost got into a fistfight earlier. You two were something else."

"That bastard was provoking me. He even waved the needle in front of me. I think he’s a sadist," Noah muttered with a pout.

He dreaded this time of year. But he had to endure the shot if he didn’t want to catch the flu during the rainy season—and end up needing even more injections.

God, it was humiliating! He was a big man, but he almost trembled in fear earlier. His manliness took a serious hit. Good thing Ingrid was there, holding his hands like she promised. He actually felt calmer—and was even delighted when she hugged him after the injection. The doctor even assumed she was his girlfriend.

He offered to treat Ingrid to lunch and told her she could go home afterward. He was glad when she agreed. He took her to a Chinese restaurant.

"You said you liked Chinese food," Noah said with a smile once they were seated.

Ingrid’s beautiful eyes lit up. "Y-you remembered?"

"You just said it last Sunday. I’m not that old to forget that quickly."

Noah saw her cheeks flush. Now, he wanted to punch himself for bringing up last weekend and reminding both of them of what happened. Two days had passed. Two days that felt like hell because every minute, he found himself thinking about the passionate moments they shared. And seeing her every day didn’t help. It was like being trapped in hell.

"How are you, Ingrid?" he asked seriously when she didn’t speak.

"I'm doing good," she replied with a shy smile.

"We’re not at work right now. We can talk like we did last weekend."

"Y-you think that’s a good idea?" she asked softly, stirring her iced matcha tea with a straw as the waiter placed it in front of her.

Noah sighed, disappointed. "That’s right. You don’t want to get used to it. That’s what you said before I left."

"D-don’t get me wrong, Sir. It’s just that... I’m not sure how it works for men. But in situations like this, it’s usually women who can’t move on easily. Well, I can’t speak for all women, but for me, sex is more than just a physical connection."

Noah stared at her, and she continued.

"I-I mean, not to be clingy or anything, but I agreed to sleep with you because I trust you. You listen to me, you believe in me. That means a lot to me, Sir. I don’t think I could’ve done that with just any guy out there. So, if it’s okay with you, please just let me move on. Let’s go back to being the boss and assistant."

"You’re very honest," Noah said, amused. "And because of that honesty, you can’t hide the sadness in your voice from me."

Ingrid covered her face with one hand. She looked so damn adorable. Right then and there, he wanted to grab her and cover her face with kisses. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this way about a woman before. One moment, he wanted to be tender—hold her, talk to her about anything. And then there were moments he just wanted to fuck her senseless.

"But Sir," he heard her mumble, "you’re annoying too… you're making this harder for me."

Noah chuckled and gently took her hand away from her face.

"I'm sorry," he told her gently. "We’re both struggling."

Ingrid looked at him, surprised by what he said. She was clearly touched, and he was glad she didn’t pull her hand away.

Noah gave a faint smile. "It’s hard to go back to the way things were after what happened between us," he admitted. "And honestly, I can’t stop thinking about it."

"I-I think about it a lot too," she admitted.

"Okay, I lied." Noah paused and looked into her beautiful eyes—the same eyes he adored watching during sex when she climaxed. "I don’t just think about it, Ingrid. I want to do it again. Everything we did."

She wasn’t surprised by what he said. She had expected it. They both wanted the same thing.

"B-but we can’t, right?" she said sadly. "What we did can’t even be called a one-night stand because it happened for two nights. That might already violate your RTA rules."

That’s when he let go of her hand. "Yeah. Damn rules," he muttered, sipping his cold water.

"Have those rules been around even before your cousins inherited RTA?"

"When Uncle Mark was still in charge, no. But there was a scandal back then involving him and a male model managed by RTA. Uncle had a relationship with that model, and the guy used him to gain fame. He was used and manipulated, and when Uncle finally broke things off, the guy threatened to create a media scandal."

Ingrid’s brow furrowed. "Oh, wow. That wasn’t in the news."

"Do you know Trevor Olivar?"

"The famous commercial model from before?"

"Yes. When Uncle was ending things with him, Trevor threatened to tell the media that he was harassed and molested—none of which was true. Luckily, Uncle had something on him. He knew Trevor’s dark secrets, like his drug addiction and secret child. So Trevor backed off."

"What happened to Trevor? He suddenly disappeared from the spotlight."

"When I took over, I talked to all our clients and asked them not to hire him anymore. That asshole didn’t deserve his fame. That’s when I made the new rules."

"What happens if someone breaks the relationship rule?"

"The talent or employee could be fired, or we owners could be removed from our positions and possibly lose our ownership."

Ingrid’s eyes widened. "That’s so harsh."

"We had to be strict. Women are drawn to Cade, and it’s risky."

"True," she nodded. "RTA isn’t like a typical company. You’re vulnerable to people who want to use sexual favors. A single bad rumor could destroy you in the media. And nowadays, news spreads fast because of social media."

"Exactly. Now you know why."

Ingrid gave a mischievous grin. "Good thing you didn’t think to ban even just one-night stands."

Noah laughed. "Honestly, I didn’t consider that when we were writing the rules. I was only thinking about situations involving sexual favors. I also assumed we’d never get involved in something like that. Or maybe Cade rushed the meeting that time on purpose so I wouldn’t think about it."

She laughed too. "Ah, sneaky Cade. But you’re sneakier, Sir. Who would’ve thought you did something naughty with your employee last weekend—and for two whole days?"

"Yeah, yeah." His face burned as he scratched his nape. "My cousins might get me spiritually cleansed if they ever find out."

He and Ingrid talked happily while eating. They didn’t even notice the time—it turned out they had been there for almost three hours. He really liked talking to her, he realized.

Yeah. Talking and, well, fucking her.

You’re doomed, Noelani.