Chapter 5

Andrew’s eyes moved down toward my hand, then stopped at my bosom on the way back up to my face. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he gulped, and he removed his hand from under mine quickly.

“You’re welcome.” He said hurriedly. “Now, tell me, what have you been up to all these years?”

“Um, I graduated from uni with a double major in Business and Journalism, so now I work for The Sterling Journal as a Junior Editor,” I replied.

“Really? The Sterling Journal is a page-turner. If I’m not mistaken, I may have an interview scheduled with them next week.” He responded casually.

Charissa shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“Do you really, Dad?” She asked.

“Why? Is it that shocking? You know I am the CEO and Chairman of a fairly large company. I would think that would be a good reason to get an interview for a business review.” He joked.

“I didn’t mean it like that, Dad”, she laughed awkwardly.

Andrew reached his hand over to his daughter’s head and gently stroked her hair with a small chuckle.

“I know, but you always seem so unaware that I am important to anyone other than yourself, dear. Outside of this house, I’m actually quite famous.”

“I’m pretty sure Charissa is aware of how much influence you have”, I retorted with a sarcastic smile “She seems very confident in her status whenever I see her outside.”

“Have you been seeing each other a lot lately?” Andrew asked, “I wasn’t aware.”

“Oh yes, I saw Charissa just yesterday”, I replied.

Charissa choked on whatever she was eating and erupted in a fit of coughing.

“You did?”

“Yeah, I sort of ran into her and her new boyfriend”

Charissa started coughing aggressively at this point, so Andrew arose from his chair and started patting her back.

“Are you okay, dear?” he asked as he lifted a glass of water to her hand.

Charissa took the glass, raised it to her mouth and sipped the water. As her head tilted upward, I could see a small streak of tears below her eyes.

“I’m okay, Dad”, she said as she wiped the tears away.

“You have a new boyfriend?” her dad asked as he sat down again.

“Um, yeah, but it’s not very serious, Dad.”

“Didn’t you say that you loved him, though?” I teased.

Charissa’s head swung away from her dad and stopped when it landed in my direction. As she glared at me, I could see the rage dancing in her caramel eyes. It brought me immense happiness.

I smirked and placed one hand on my chest and the other on the table as if reaching over to her.

“I’m sorry, Chary, I didn’t know I was supposed to keep it a secret.” I apologised.

“Maybe we can have dinner sometime so I can get to meet him too”, said Andrew.

Charissa forced a smile and turned back to her dad.

“Yeah, maybe”, she told him. “I think I’m done eating, so I’ll clear the table.”

She arose from her chair and started gathering her plate and other utensils.

“Why don’t you help me carry these to the sink, Amy?” she asked while moving away from the table.

“Oh, sure”, I responded, and followed behind her carrying the rest of the dishes.

As we arrived in the kitchen, Charissa placed her dishes into the sink and turned to face me, annoyance written all over her face.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” She whispered aggressively.

“I’m helping you with the dishes”, I responded, “What does it look like I’m doing?”

“You can’t tell my dad about Tyler, Amy”

“Why not?” I asked, “You don’t want him to know that you’re a cheap slut that goes around fucking other peoples’ fiances?”

“That’s not-”

“I am not going to be the one to tell him, sweetheart”, I cut her off. “At least, not yet.”

I dropped the dishes in the sink, turned, and walked back to the dining hall. I could hear her shoes clacking hurriedly as she followed behind me.

As I neared the table, Andrew stood up from his chair.

“Thank you for dinner, Andrew. It was very nice catching up, but I’m afraid I have to leave now.” I said as I stopped before him.

“Okay, I’ll walk you out”, he said, gesturing toward the door. “It was good to have you. It’s been a while since we’ve had any guests, so you made the place very lively.”

“Well, I’m glad you think so”, I said, looking up at him as we approached the door. His intense hazel eyes met mine, and for a fleeting second, I thought I could see desire in them.

He opened his arms and leaned forward for a hug, and I saw this as an opportunity to increase his attraction to me.

I took a step toward him and returned his embrace, leaning my breasts directly onto his hard abdomen and pressing every inch of my small body against him. I wrapped my arms snugly around his waist, and rested my head on his large chest, holding the hug for a few seconds longer than I should.

At that moment, I swore I heard a soft grunt escape his lips, and only then did I step away from him and walk out the door that Mr. Stafford held open.