Chapter 18It was impossible to remain in her seat. Hell it was impossible not to fret. Leaving work before time was not a good start for a new employee, not even if she had nothing to do at the moment. Laurel squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, unable to think. If she tried to leave, would he not ask where she was heading to? She would take her chances, she decided. She opened her mouth to speak, but Alex's voice silenced her, "We should head to the hospital now." He told her."Hm? What?"He frowned, "You seem lost. You wanted to go to the hospital with me, right?""Ah, yes." Alex waited to be sure she had run down, then hid a smile behind his wine glass. Whoever had called her to make her giggle so much and look so uneasy now would have to wait. "Then let's go. I think I'm done here for the day."Not wanting to arouse any suspicions, she grabbed her phone and her purse and made for the door. But before she reached it again, someone opened the door and walked in, it was a fancily
Chapter 19Her only luck was that Claire Xander was nothing like her eldest brother, Larry Xander. It was the only reason why Alex had even allowed her say half the things she had said in front of Claire. As he sat there waiting for her to show up to work, Alex thought of all the bad places Hayley would probably be in now if she had made that mistake she made yesterday in front of the wrong places. But he was somewhat glad that she cared about who he screwed. He chuckled at his own stupid thoughts, her revelation to Claire had done more good than the harm she intended. For one thing, he now had Claire visiting the girl at the hospital. It was a relief for him, really. He was going to tell Claire anyway, but she had helped him. And in so doing, she had gotten into Claire's good books. "Good morning..." Hayley started to say the minute she opened the door, but she paused when she saw Alex.Alex looked up from his coffee and flashed her a grin, "I believe the word you are looking for
Chapter 20Hayley hurried towards down the corridor, her pulse racing. She was angry, but not with Alex, she was angry with herself for allowing her emotions to get into her head. Even as she arrived at that conclusion, she pondered on the kind of emotions she was referring to, what could she possibly be thinking of? "Hey." A voice she could not recognize called her from behind.Hayley stopped walking and turned to see who was calling her. "Hi." She greeted with a warm smile when she turned.It was a lady, she could tell by the wrinkles on the side of her eyes that the lady was older than her, but she couldn't help but miss the heavy amount of makeup that this lady wore. Her hair was tied up in a bun while some part of it fell on each side of her face in scanty curls. "You are the new girl, Hayley right?"She nodded and offered her hand for a handshake, "Yes, I'm Hayley. And you are?"Surprisingly, the lady refused to take her hand, she asked instead, "What did you do to let him t
Chapter 21The presentation hall was filled with workers, both the ones she had met before and the ones she had not. The fact that Alex was the only person she recognized there did nothing to pacify her, his wicked smile. If anything was making her legs go weak underneath her.She scanned the faces around her, the majority were serious looking men in suits with mean scowls in their faces. Others were either looking at her with or a frown, there was no encouraging face in that crowd. She could tell Mr Rosewood apart from the rest, he was a gray haired man with round lenses and his face held this unimpressed frown that seemed not to be wavering. He was sitting on a very reserved table where other men dressed as smartly as him sat, topping the head of that table was Alex, and on each side of his hands sat two men and a woman. She assumed they were the team that made up the Board of Directors. When the last piece of the three paintings she had made was hurled in by the two men whom Bet
Chapter 22Hayley woke up in a dark room. The only thing she was certain of in those first slow minutes was that she wasn't in her bed back in her parents home, neither was she in Logan's bed, or even any of her siblings' own for that matter. The luxury of this bed was felt even before she opened her eyes, the scent of the sheets, the texture too was too smooth. She didn't have to be rich to recognize the difference between luxury and average. Neither did she miss the faint, restful scent of a familiar cologne that clung to the pillows in which she'd buried her face. As an uncomfortable thought formed in her head, she stretched out a cautious hand to make sure she was the only one on the bed. To her relief, the large bed was empty except the soft throw pillows that surrounded her and the smooth sheets and cozy blankets. "This large cozy bed all to myself, Sweet Jesus, dreams do come true." She muttered as she rolled over to the center of the bed. As she struggled to piece images to
Chapter 23"Hayley!" Alex called as he ran after her, "Stop running this minute!" "You dare not tell me what to do, sir!" Hayley called amidst ragged panting, "Incase you haven't realized yet, I'm no longer your employee!" Alex stopped running after her when he saw that she had entered a room and the only way she would leave was through the door and he was standing by that door, arms crossed over his chest, his expression leveled curiously on her. "What do you mean you aren't my employee?"She realized too late that she was trapped inside the room and stopped to catch her breath, "I quit." He laughed, "Why?" She shook her head, "Why did you follow me here? What are you doing here?""You mean in my house?" A frown settled between her brows as she took one more look around, "This is not your house?" He nodded with amusement, "So it's yours then?"Realizing her error, she flashed him a quick, cheeky smile that tortured his already active libido, "I forgot for a second that you are
Chapter 24Rather than argue with her or simply leave her alone to eat, he sat in the chair beside her. It was oddly cozy, he realized, to sit with her while she ate and the house seemed to settle quietly around them. She spared him only a glance, then she turned back to her meal and continued attacking it with a vengeance.After watching her eat for a few minutes, he asked quietly, "Since you have realized I'm not going to kill you, perhaps you'd like to go with me to my gallery in the morning?"Umm." She nodded, her mouth full of food, "Your exhibition gallery?""Yes."She stopped chewing for a while, "Allure Art Exhibition Gallery?""Yes. If you are willing, be ready by ten. By then I should be done with the papers at the office. Although I can take you there and leave a car at your disposal if you want to remain for a while."“A car at my disposal." Tickled, she pressed a fist to her mouth as she laughed. "Oh, I could get used to that quick enough. And what would I do with the car
Chapter 25The small moan that had escaped her throat seemed to have tied Alex in knots because he grabbed her and pushed her roughly against the wall, pressing his lips even closer to hers while his hands went back to her hair, brushing through it at a speed that both surprised and pleased Hayley. SShe was feeling a bit light headed, but she welcomed him with appreciative hands when his own hands went back around the cup of her neck the second time and he tried to turn her around so he could access her back to his satisfaction. When she started to unbutton his shirt speedily, he helped her finish the buttons fast so that he could kiss her again. Hayley was wowed at how smooth his skin was when she ran her hands through his chest, but Alex did not want her hands there so soon, he wanted it wrapped around his neck where he felt that it belonged. That way, he could kiss her as much as he wanted."A little too hot, huh?" She whispered as she held his gaze in a seductive smile.He could