บททั้งหมดของ Love, Obsession, Torture: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

…I knocked once and twisted the door knob with confidence. This time, with no hesitations.“Good evening, Mr. McCullen. I have your report.” I said, stretching out my arm to hand it over.He looked up, gazing at me with those blue eyes piercing straight through me.Get a grip, Robin. He’s unavailable.“Right. Have a seat.”He returned to his computer.“Give me a minute, will you.”I nodded, my thoughts spiralling with an image of him and Millicent together.I frowned.“Done,” he declared, closing his laptop. He held his nape, rolling his head back and forth.“You can leave it on the desk.”I did, and stood up almost immediately… too quickly to leave, striding across the room to the door.He crossed the room, just in time and caught my arm before I could make it out.“Leaving so soon?” he purred, his voice raspy and sensual.“Yes. I have somewhere I need to be.”“Wait. Don’t leave.”He traced his bottom lip with his tongue, sending tiny shivers of molten heat spreading through my entire

The weekend passed very quickly in a hazy blur. Lana had dragged me downtown to a bar for some much-needed relaxation after a stressful week at her department and the looming reality of my new job. Still, every spare moment, my mind faltered, circling back to Jack. What was it about him I just couldn’t resist?His piercing blue eyes?That impossibly handsome face?The searing warmth of his touch? Or the way he made me quiver when we were in close proximity?I was by and large slipping into a reverie about Jack every fleeting moment. I was losing myself in want, one I hadn’t planned for. This job meant the world to me, I would never want to ruin it with an insatiable desire I had no right to feel.My first day at the confectionery was tranquil. The grandeur of the factory was unlike anything I’d ever seen before, its interior nothing short of breath taking. I worked here now? At McCullen Confectionery? It felt incredible. The Confectionery rose with a quiet confidence; dark glass, clean

The restaurant opened up like a cathedral, it was an embodiment of modern luxury and effortless elegance. The space was defined by the sheer, breath-taking volume of airy grandeur, softened by the plush expanse of cream leather and the dizzying height of the ceiling above. Gosh it was so high. To the left, a towering wall stretched two storeys high, its glass panes turning into vast, obsidian mirrors and suspending from the distant ceiling on impossibly thin wires was a constellation of massive glass spheres hovering over the centre of the room. They burned with molten intensity, their irregular, organic textures catching the light like embers trapped in ice. Hung at staggering heights, they cascaded downward like a waterfall of illuminated glass, breaking the vast emptiness of the atrium. There were long, theatrical shadows stretched across the stone walls as a soft, amber luminance rained down upon the diners below. Walking on the impeccably polished marble floor resembled a dark l

Working with Millicent had been surprisingly pleasant. I had been apprehensive about assisting at first because of my lewd attraction to her boyfriend. Nonetheless, our conversations never revolved around him and for that I was thankful. She had no clue about Jack and me, and I wanted it to remain that way for as long as possible. Besides, I was on a deliberate journey to forgetting him entirely. Her directions and explanations of how things were run in the chemical lab were exceptional. With Claire still away and Millicent sporadically around after I’d adjusted to the lab’s operations, I carried the workload of two people. It left me mostly exhausted—which was a much-needed distraction, one that is helping expunge Jack from my senses.I had been successful in my quest to avoid Jack for three full weeks, no matter what it took, and it seemed to be working. My consolation was, McCullen Heights and the confectionery factory were far apart—not an impossible distance, but distance enough

I swirled in front of the mirror, inspecting my outfit as I waited for Jack’s arrival. Moments after I had put on my shoes, a faint knock came tapping at the front door— followed by muffled chatters. Lana stepped into my room to announce Jack’s presence, complimenting my outfit, then gently adding a generous amount of mascara to my already long lashes. We hugged in a short embrace.“Okay, you’re good to go.” she cooed, satisfied with her work. I stood, straightening the creased portion of my dress from our embrace and smiled at her beautiful face while picking my purse from the bedside table. I walked gingerly to meet Jack in these impossible stilettos, each step offering a sharp clicking sound against the hard marble floor. Jack walked up to meet me as I peered down the hallway.“You look ravishing, lady,” Jack said, his tongue tracing the full length of his lips. He leaned in, his mouth brushing my ear. “I can’t. wait. to. be. inside. you,” he whispered, punctuating each word in my