Enora:“Oh my God! Nicky?!”She walked in and I took a deep breath. That was a relief. What was she even doing here? Was it just me or was she getting out of her office a lot more? Seeing her three times in a day had to be some kind of record.She stood there, looking at Anthony and me. Her eyes darted back and forth and her lips slowly stretched into a smile and then a giggle.“Oh, my God. I knew it! I knew that there was some kind of weird tension between the both of you!...”“No! Nicky, it’s not like that…”“Yes, it is! I totally saw it. You two love birds nearly kissed. Oh my God!”My face burned and my scalp prickled while Anthony stood next to me, his head turned away and his hands in his hair as he blushed with embarrassment. This was not how I expected today to end.“So… Are you two an item or are you still living in denial?”“There is nothing to deny, Nicky–”I took a deep breath. I looked so guilty. I had to pull myself together.“–There is nothing to deny because we aren’t
Nathan:The room was drop-dead silent and I sat there in silence relishing it all. The shock on Anthony’s face, the confusion on Enora’s.“Congratulations on your new role. I would have loved to go over your new work contract but I believe that we owe that delay to a certain lady.”I watched her shrink into her chair with embarrassment. Such a scared little kitten. I was slightly upset by this afternoon but it still didn’t take away the fact that she was a cute little thing.“I will have my ‘secretary’ draft the contract and send it over to our legal team for review.”She shivered again and I felt a smile rise inside of me. I would punish her later but after I fix that little attitude of hers first.“Well, since we have gotten all that covered, I guess I will be taking my leave. Miss Lopez?”We both stood up and walked towards the door, leaving Anthony still as speechless as before.I left the room and as I turned around, my kitten was not at my heels. I took a deep breath, suppressin
Enora:I needed a shower. Today was way too crazy. Anthony, Mr. Wright, Nicky, the promotion...The list felt endless. I needed to freshen up and lie down.As I grabbed my towel, my phone rang loudly in my purse.Urghh!!What the hell? Couldn't I catch a break? It was a Friday!I fished for my phone and gasped.Anthony? Why was he calling me? My heart skipped a beat. I had bothered him already. Barging into his office like that... I should have been more considerate. What if it was someone else?"Hey, Anthony. What's up?""Hey. How are you?"His voice was calm and soft. My heart rate went down a bit. He wasn't mad."I'm alright. Just about to take a shower.""Great. So that means you are still making it to Gina's party."The phone nearly slipped from my hand and I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach.I had totally forgotten!"Uhmmm... Yeah. Yeah, I am. I'm just... freshening up."Fuck! How could I forget it so soon? We had lunch just a few hours ago. She told me about it and I
Nathan:“Mr. Wright, dinner is ready.”The cool evening breeze blew against my skin. That cool shower was exactly what I needed.My towel was around my neck and I dried my hair. As I did, I stood in front of the mirror and looked at myself. I had really let myself go. I needed to hit the gym again. Those push-ups every morning weren’t enough.“Is Enora already at the table, Maria?"“No, Sir,” she answered from outside the door.“Well, go and get her from her room and get her to come down for dinner.”“Uhmm… that will be a problem, Sir? You see, she dashed out and said that she was going somewhere. She didn’t tell me exactly.It felt like the world had lurched to a halt. Enora had left? How? When? She didn’t even tell me.I took a deep breath. Where the hell did she go? God, that girl was becoming a handful. Fuck!My fingers ran through my wet hair as I tried to think where the hell she could be.She had better not be at Anthony’s place. Damn! The thought of it made my skin prickle and
Enora:I gulped hard. Why did my stomach pick this time to tie itself up in knots? I was hopeless. I thought I was trying to be normal but I was acting so weird. How many minutes had even passed by and I had still not said anything to him?This was so awkward.“Enora? Are you okay?”My heart skipped another beat. He had said something else and I was still mute. How bad could something like this get?“Uhm.. Yeah, I’m alright. I just… I’m just a little nervous. This is my first party in years. The last one I went to was a bit of a disaster.He grinned and my stomach did another flip. It had to be the alcohol in the drink. Why was he looking so hot all of a sudden?“Uhmm.. the drink? What sort of alcohol is it?”He looked at me with a raised brow and my heart plummeted again. What did I say this time?“It's… not alcohol. It is just a fruit punch. The alcohol is for… well… later,” he said with a wink.My face burned a bright red and my ears felt hot. I was so nervous that my tongue wasn’t
Enora:“In last place we have…”My fingers were crossed. I had never felt this pressure before, except when I was writing my finals.“...Luke and Emily.”A sigh of relief escaped my lips and I could feel my heart beating normally. I don’t know why I was so anxious. It wasn’t like I was drunk and I was an adult with much more experience. If it was something I was uncomfortable with, I could have easily said ‘no’.Anthony and I were after Luke and Emily, placing us third and just a point higher than Emily and Luke. Bridget and Eliot were second and Gina and Nicky won the game.Soon the room was chanting and everyone circled a flustered Emily and an anxious Luke. What was the dare going to be?Gina gave Nicky a nasty smile and immediately, Nicky disappeared inside and emerged a few minutes later with a small box.“Here you go, Emily. Enjoy. And make sure you put in on.”Emily’s eyes widened and she shook her head slowly as she smiled. My heart was racing. What was in the box? Curiosity w
Enora:The party continued and there was wild dancing. The music was loud and fun. Anthony did some sick break dancing and took everyone by surprise. I was so excited that I was hopping on one foot and clapping like an excited little toddler. This was so amazing.Time flew by so fast that I didn’t even know that it was already past midnight until Bridget tapped me on the shoulder and told me that it was time we headed back.I pouted and took a sip of my drink. I was tipsy and the floor seemed to be moving beneath my feet.“Do we have to?” I groaned. I was just starting to enjoy myself and Anthony said he was going to show me his head spiny thing.“Come on Enny. We have to go. We didn’t make provisions to stay over and I have some work I need to get done at home. Eliot is going to drop us off.”My lips turned down at the corners, almost instantly, at the mention of his name. My emotions were on the surface.“Does he really have to take us home? What about an Uber?”“It’s too late for a
EnoraIt was Saturday and I lay in bed and looked up at the ceiling. I was up later than I usually would be.As silent as I was, my mind was working overtime. The events of yesterday still haunted me and whenever they took centre stage in my mind's eye, my heart skipped a beat.I was also supposed to move to my condo today. Emily and Anthony were supposed to help me but now, I was considering changing plans. I wasn't sure I could face Anthony after what almost happened.Urghh!I knew he liked me. He told me clearly and somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew he was going to try to kiss me and even with everything spelled out for me in black and white, I still chickened out.Something just clicked for me in that moment. I had had a great time with him but when he came to kiss me, something felt odd.He felt strange and those butterflies flew away. It was like they were never there to begin with.My phone was stuffed in my bag and on silent mode. He had probably sent me dozens of texts
Enora:The sun was up early and its rays beamed softly on my face. I groaned in slight pain and then smiled. Mr. Wright held on to me tightly, nuzzling into my chest, his fingers digging into the small of my back. I guess if I was in pain because he was holding on too tight, I didn’t mind. After everything that happened yesterday, I felt safe and I loved where I was: in his arms in a warm and safe bed.As I sroked his hair, he groaned and pulled me in tighter. “I’ll keep you safe,” he mumbled and exhaled deeply, his hot breath warm on my chest. I could barely breathe in his tight grasp but I didn’t mind. I was with him and there was no other place that I would rather be. Yesterday still felt like a dream. I wish I was strong enough so that I could look at Anthony one last time before he was dragged away. I couldn’t believe he would do that to me. It was scary. Even among the people I called my friends, who could I truly trust. “Why are you awake?” Mr. Wright said groggily, open
Enora:I didn’t know what came over me. It was a final desperate attempt to save myself. My face was in pain, my body ached, and my pride was shattered. I never expected this from Anthony. Why? I thought he genuinely liked me and thought I had hurt him by letting him down. But it was all a ploy, a little part of a grand scheme, but unfortunately, he had hit a rock. While he was distracted, mocking Mr. Wright, I found an opening. I moved my legs slowly, freeing them from his grasp and finally letting the blood run through my numb muscles. I only had one shot at this. One shot or I would be raped and I would have to live with that regret for the rest of my life. I really thought that Anthony just wanted to talk, just wanted closure for what I had told him earlier. How wrong I was. I was foolish to have stayed alone with him. And now, I had everyone in trouble. I could only imagine what was wrong with George.With the little energy I had, the kick was explosive, right to his groin. A
Nathan:I couldn't stop pacing. Wine glass in hand, thoughts flying, my eyes darting to my phone every few minutes.She hadn't called me. Her part was supposed to start at 7pm, and it was almost 10pm. Yet, nothing from her.The wine I sipped did nothing to calm my frayed nerves. No calls, no texts. What was she doing?I slipped into a chair and sighed, my mind going haywire.Fun? Was she having fun without me? Who else could she be smiling with?My grip on my glass tightened. She told me that those bastards weren't coming. Did she lie to me?No. She couldn't have. My kitten didn't lie, and even if she did, I would know.I exhaled and checked my watch. Time was moving slowly, and it drove me up the wall."Fuck it!"I grabbed my phone and sent a text. I wanted to be sure that she was not with those predators. I hated them. Even hate wasn't sufficient.The reply was instant. And I heaved a sigh of relief. She wasn't with them. I could rest a little better.I walked over to my desk and go
Enora:“What the hell is going on?” I demanded, standing up from the sofa and staring at Anthony with hate and suspicion.He stood up as well and walked towards me, smiling wickedly as he took me in with lust and disdain.“You had to have known that this was coming, Enora,” he said darkly, chuckling dryly and looking to the door as if he expected someone to come in.“You know, there's just something about you in the office that just doesn't seem to sit well with me.”I backed away, trying my best to increase the distance between the both of us. “Stay away from me!” I yelled, but Anthony’s laughter just continued to become more sinister. Where the hell was George? He should have realized that something was amiss by now.“If you're thinking about your buff gardener, just know that he was incapacitated a few minutes ago. He won't be coming to your aid, Enora.”My heart skipped a beat. What was happening? How the hell did I end up this deep in trouble? Who was he? Was he even the real An
Enora:Nicki took centre stage and called for a game of charades. Everyone began to pair up in twos. Luke was still with Emily, Jay was with Gina, Eliot opted out of the game and surprisingly, Anthony paired up with me. I was a little uneasy as he sat next to me. We weren’t on speaking terms but at least he wasn’t mad enough to detest me and avoid me like I was the black plague. “Alright, I believe you all know the rules of this game. The first team to guess gets a point. No cheating and no trying to make your teammate win by using any funny hand signs. G, you’re up.”Gina took the stage and pulled a paper from the hate. She looked at it and made a face. I could only imagine what the hell she picked.Soon she raised her hands above her head and began to bend in the funniest way. The crazy guesses commenced.“Line!”“Straight!”“Balloon guy!” She shook her head and lowered her hand. She imitated someone who was drawing and went back to her first action. “You are an artist! Decaprio
Enora:There was a heavy silence in the room. All eyes were fixed on Eliot, on one knee, holding out a ring. Bridget was dumb dumbfounded. For a few minutes, she was unable to say anything and I couldn’t blame her. This was a shock to all of us. Eliot had just cheated on her and now he was trying to propose to her. “Bridget, please say something.”Bridget said nothing as was still staring at the ring in disbelief, like it was all part of a dream, that her ex-boyfriend of just a day ago was proposing to her.“Bridget, I…”A resounding slap filled the room and everyone’s hands flew to their mouths and gasps rippled inthe room. I was stunned. Bridget was not a fighter and she wasn’t one to lose her head over things but I could understand her reaction to this.“You cheated on me with some girl named, Vanessa, and now you have the audacity to show up to this party uninvited to prose to me?! How stupid are you? How stupid do you think I am?”Her voice was raised and was shakey. I wanted
Enora:It was 6:45 pm. The guests were going to be here any moment from now. I was dressed and so was Bridget. It also turned out that her yelling on the phone was beneficial. The bakery was able to deliver just in time. The macrons were perfect, I didn't want to seem greedy but I had had my eyes on them all day since they arrived. I had even tried to snatch one but eagle-eyed Bridget had caught me just before I could pick one off the tray. She had also made a call to Choi’s and they promised to bring some food. Bridget put it all on her tab and I was so grateful to her. This party wouldn’t have been a success without her. By 7:00 pm sharp, the first guests arrived. There was a knock at the door and I opened it to see Gina standing there all dolled up in a beautiful black dress. It had been a while since I saw her but I could tell that she was in good spirits. I took it that she got the memo from Mr. Wright and that she was innocent. I was happy that she was back to her beautiful
Enora:"Enny, who is at the door?” Bridget called from inside. I was too ashamed to say anything and Anthony came inside behind me. I didn’t need to see his face to know that he was pissed. His smiley and carefree attitude had vanished into thin air and he was icy and distant.“Hey, Tony,” Bridget said with a smile but her smile quickly vanished and she looked at me with shock. Her eyes were everything but there was no way that I could tell her what was going on as well. She was just as involved as she was. “I’ll go and get the ladder from George. You two can decide where to hang the banner.”She left–I really wished she didn’t–I was alone with Anthony. He came to stand in front of me and I forced my head up to look at his heated expression.“What the hell, Enora,” he said roughly, his voice just a few shades away from a yell. I have been trying to reach you for almost three days. You just ghosted me. No calls, texts, voice notes and to make matters worse, you wouldn’t even return a
Chapter 213Enora:There was a knock at my door and my phone dropped from my hand. I looked at the time, it was still very early in the morning. It had to be Bridget. As I opened the door, she stood there in a very unfashionable top and a pair of dark purple sweatpants.Compared to yesterday, she was in a much better mood and she wore a warm smile on her face.“Hey, I hope you're ready because we're going to be very busy today,” she said excitedly and she entered my house.She was clutching a little bag, her hair was tied in a messy ponytail. It was one of those rare sights, seeing Bridget unfashionable and unkempt in the morning. Even when her hair was a messy sight, she was still so pretty.As she entered my living room, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.“Are all these for the party?” She asked, heading over to my centre table.“Yeah, I also bought a few things for myself. Turns out I'm running out of shampoo.”She reached for my hair and ruffled it playfully. “Of course, you