Five

I heaved a sigh, glanced at my wristwatch, feeling quite bothered about how Ryan would scold me. He had sent me on an errand, but I had taken too much time than usual. Well, it wasn't my fault. There was this weird person who had been trying to flirt with me at the bank. I hated being flirted with in public, but, when the person had been wooing me, it had made me hopeful that someone would eventually like me someday. That was good news. 

I bit my lower lip, took a glance at my outfit. I had to ensure I looked good. I had taken a long walk, which could've made me sweaty and tired. Good for me, I hadn't worn high heels. Since I was this tall, I had decided to never wear high shoes. It made me feel like a giant sometimes. 

My phone beeped. Grabbing it from the pocket of my skirt, I grunted on seeing Ryan's text. 

"Why are you taking so much time? You don't wanna lose your job, do you?" He texted. 

I rolled my eyes, sighed again. Glaring a bit, I was about taking a turn to the next hallway, but then, I had to bump into someone. 

"Oh, gosh." I gasped. Slowly, I moved my eyes to the person I had bumped into. Seeing some kind of blonde head nerd, whose hair was obviously dyed, absolutely a cute dude, tall, having brown skin because he was mixed, a smile crept to my lips. 

He blinked. To my surprise, he didn't adjust his box-shaped glasses which had a black frame, like the nerds I had seen. He seemed like a cool nerd. 

"Oh, I-I'm so sorry," he apologized, and took a step backwards. 

"It's not a problem." I laughed weirdly. Until he had spoken, I hadn't realized that I had been staring so much at his forest green eyes. What was with me?

He smiled too. "Great then."

"Yeah."

We were silent for a while. But then, he stretched his hand for a handshake. "Oh, so, I'm Kenneth. Kenneth Michael."

"I'm Serene Alan." I took his hand, grinning at him so much. "I work here. So sorry I bumped into you."

"It's not a problem. I do come here to deliver food. I work at a nearby store," he said. 

"Oh, good. That means I might see you some other time." Gosh, what was I saying? See him?

He nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'd also like to see you again. Anyways, I've gotta get going. Have a nice day."

"Oh, thanks. And you too."

He tugged a box to his chest, walked past me after saying a "bye" with a smile creeping on his lips. I let out a shaky breath, feeling weird that I had seen a very cute nerd. 

Not wanting to feel like an idiot, I twitched off the weird thoughts rambling into my head, then hurried over to my office. Gently, I opened the door, trying to be a little stealthy. The moment I shut the door behind me, I turned to my table. 

"Oh my gosh!" I yelped, completely startled. Why would Ryan be sitting on my table?

He was tossing a small ball in the air. Glimpsing at me, he sniggered. I gulped in fear. Was he really going to sack me?

"Where are you coming from?" He inquired. His deep voice sounded like a threat, and I knew he wasn't going to spare me this time around. 

I stepped close to him. "You sent me on an errand, remember? It's not like I… went somewhere else."

"Guilty conscience." He faced me. As he did so, he had his arms wrapped around his chest. "Come on, tell me. Did you go to your boyfriend's place or something?"

I scoffed. "I would have, only if I had one."

He wiggled a brow at me. "You don't have a boyfriend?"

I shrugged. "Donno. And, that's not something we should be talking about."

"Why?" He stood up, dropped the ball on the table, his hands behind him as he sashayed to me. "I'm your boss, not your enemy. Well, whatever. I care less. So now, you have to tell me why you're late."

I stared blankly at him. I couldn't tell him that someone was flirting with me, right? He could fire me for that. But wait, what would I tell him?

"Um…" I bit my lower lip, acting confused. Furrowing my eyes at him, I scratched the back of my neck. "Well, you see, I kind of fell into a…" I chuckled weirdly. "It seems unreal, but it's true. Um, I accidentally slipped into a Lion's den. I'd thought it was a workshop, not knowing it was a den."

Good Lord, what had I said? How had I been stupid enough to say something that stupid? 

He was silent for a while. I knew this was the end of my work here. Abruptly, he frowned. "Do I seem like I'm joking around? You feel into a den, and you're still alive? Are you sure you aren't suffering from a mental disorder?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Arthur." I pulled my lips into a pout, rubbing my palm against each other as I pleaded. "Alright, I'll tell you what really happened."

"Last chance," he announced. 

I nodded, and sighed. "Okay, to be honest, I was chased by a bulldog. I-I really can't tell how it happened. I was at the coffee shop, then this dog appeared, and began to chase me."

"Are you for real?" He frowned harder. "A dog chased you, but you still look this good? Your hair isn't even messy."

"Oh, Mr. Ar—"

"This is it!" He snapped his fingers in the air, glaring harder. "Your job here is over. Pack your stuff and leave. I'm done with you."

I gaped. He was about walking past me, but I grabbed his arm back. "Don't do this to me, Mr. Arthur! This won't happen again, I promise!"

He snapped my hand off his arm, turned to me. "What's with this craziness? Sputtering those lies, shows that you've got no respect for me."

"That's not it." I shook my head crazily. "You're my boss. I'm bound to respect you. Alright, fine, I promise to do anything to make it up to you. Don't fire me, please."

He was silent for a while. And then, a sinister smile curled on his lips. That smile made my heart skip a beat. I didn't trust this man. 

"Really?" The raspiness in his voice was also scary. 

I nodded hesitantly. 

"Good," he remarked. He cleared his throat, moved close for some very annoying reason. "You see, you're very pretty. You've got a nice body too."

"Th-That's weird," I said. 

"Tonight, I'll be attending a business dinner. Too bad I've got no date for the dinner. So, you'll be my date. Your elegance, together with my charm, would make everyone notice me."

I dropped my jaw. "You can't do that, Mr. Arthur. What if Mr. Shawn sees us together?"

"That'll be your cross to carry." He shrugged. 

I blinked like a maniac. "B-But, why me? What about Sherri? What about the women who come to the office to seduce you? What about the other female workers in this company who're dying to get your attention? What about the women you hang around with? Why me?"

He took another step close. His smirk widened, and he leaned close to my ear. "You're the prettiest of them all. Ms. Alan, do this, or lose your job."

"But—"

"See you by eight in the evening. I'll pick you up at Ville Store, okay?"

"You can't—"

"Have a nice time," he added. With that, he turned to the door, jerked it open, then made his way out of the office. 

Totally puzzled, I just froze in my tracks, my mouth and eyes jerked open. I had to meditate for a while. I couldn't fathom all that had just happened. 

Who did he think he was? The boss of me? Absolutely ridiculous!

***