Meeting Mr. Mogul(27)

When I got to my seat, giving Maggie a brief greeting, I dumped my purse  by my leg and turned on the computer. I acted as if I was already busy  and in the middle of starting a report at that moment, hoping that  William would ignore me and go about his business. But he wasn't dense.  How I forgot about that trait, I don't know.

"Are you trying to avoid me?" he asked sternly, his tall figure in front  of my desk. He set his hands on my table and leaned his upper body  forward, casting a shadow over me.

I was caught unaware when he asked. I looked up at him and luckily, my  confidence returned pretty quickly. "How did you come to that  conclusion?"

"It's obvious from the way you just walked out of that elevator," he  pointed out sarcastically. "Is this because you're embarrassed that I  overheard your conversation this morning?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but no words came out. The only sound that  could be heard was me trying to choke out some of my jumbled thoughts.  He raised an eyebrow and stared at me challengingly.

"Okay, I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean anything by it," I finally gave in, though my apology sounded stiff and forced.

"Are you trying to apologize?"

"Yes. Isn't it clear as a bell?" I countered in exasperation.

"For someone who's trying to ask forgiveness, you sure are very  sarcastic," he remarked with a grin, his eyes twinkling in amusement.   





 

"Are you making fun of me?" I asked, a little annoyed.

He snickered in reply as he turned towards his office. "I missed you  too, Andy," he said, ending our cheerful morning conversation when he  went inside.

As the door closed with a soft whoosh, I was left gaping at his last  statement. I can't believe he caught me off guard with his parting  words. I missed you, too, Andy. What was I supposed to say to that? If I  replied, I would indirectly be admitting that I actually missed him,  which was kind of true. But nobody knew that except me.

When I put those thoughts in the back of my mind, I turned towards  Maggie who was beaming at me with a teasing glint in her eyes.

"What?"

"You remind me of a lead actress in a rom-com movie. You know, the one  that makes a fool of herself in front of the man she likes," she teased.

Well, that wasn't exactly a good analogy for the situation. I shook my  head at her in exasperation and went back to work, which was sitting on  my desk patiently. This was not the time and place to delude myself of a  possible romantic relationship with my boss' brother. No, I definitely  don't have the time at all.

By the end of my shift, I succeeded in not having any further  conversations with William. I wasn't verbally equipped to face him  today. His sudden return caught me off guard.

After finishing my last report for the day, I quickly made my way down  the lobby and smiled and waved to Danny as I passed by. When I reached  the bus stop, I realized that I was a few minutes early. So I had no  choice but to stand under the tiny shed that didn't have a seat. I  thought this was somewhat weird since the rest of the bus stops have  them. I'm surprised I only noticed it now considering I've been working  here for almost a month. Then again, I never had to wait for the bus  this long, so that must be why I didn't notice this before.

"You heading home?" a familiar voice asked, making me look up in  surprise. I must've failed to see his black car slow down near the bus  stop while I impatiently shifted from one foot to the other (my heels  were making my feet numb).

"What are you doing here?"

"I was just about to head home and saw you," William replied sarcastically. "So, are you getting in or not?"

"No, I'm fine. The bus will be here any minute now," I answered resolutely.

"But I'm here now."

I eyed him indignantly for a second before glancing quickly at his car  and my surroundings to check if there were people nearby. I didn't want  anyone to witness my stupid decision. William must have sensed my  hesitation because he leaned towards the passenger door, opened it for  me, and commanded, "Get in already."

With a sigh of resignation, I hopped in and closed the door. "I'm definitely going to regret this," I mumbled softly to myself.

When I finally buckled up, William hit the gas pedal and drove onto the  busy street. As the minutes ticked by in silence, it was starting to get  suffocating. I turned towards him to start a conversation I might  regret in the end.

"Why are you driving? I thought you have people to do that sort of thing for you."

"Is it a crime that I drive?" he retorted with his eyes firmly on the road.

Bless him, the man actually had some respect for traffic laws. "No, I'm just asking."

It was quiet again for less than a minute before he said, "I like  driving by myself sometimes. I only ask Mark to drive if I'm too tired  to do it."

I just nodded my head in understanding. "So, you like SUVs?"

"You know cars?"

"No, I don't. I can only tell the difference between a car, a truck, a  pick-up truck, and this one-oh, and sports cars, too. They're those  two-seaters, right?" I admitted. I perked up a little thinking about  sports cars.

"Not all two-seaters are sports cars."

"Oh. Yeah well that's all I know, anyways. I would want to see that though," I said wistfully.

"Well, you're in luck. If I'm feeling generous, I might let you see one in the flesh," he offered with a playful grin.

"Yeah, right. Like you own one," I snorted.   





 

"Uhmmm …  I thought you already might've grasped the fact I'm a businessman."

"Oh, right! Mr. Mogul. How could I ever have forgotten that?" I can't believe I forgot who I was talking to.

"Mr. Mogul?"

I covered my mouth once I realized what I had said and turned towards him with wide eyes. "Sorry," I mumbled sheepishly.

"Well, that's a first," he sniggered and turned his attention back on the road.

I can't believe I just said that out loud. Now he knows what I think of  him. Seems like I lose control of my blabbering mouth when he's in the  vicinity. How am I going to make it up after that blunder?

When we reached my apartment, William parked his car right outside the  door and I didn't hesitate to get out of it. I had enough of small talk  with that man for today. I gave him a brief thank you and goodbye before  sprinting inside the building. Before I left, I swear I saw him smile  in amusement.

Finally in the safety of my apartment, I crashed down on the bed. I  didn't bother to change into my pajamas and I skipped dinner entirely. I  curled into a ball and covered myself with the sheets. I don't get why  I'm so embarrassed now. I mean, I insulted and bickered with the man not  so long ago. Well, at least I didn't say that he was arrogant and  imposing or something. I just said he was a mogul, which was quite true.  But I still felt so embarrassed about it.

Me and my stupid mouth.





Eighteen





Ever since Mr. Mogul returned from his trip, my errand of getting coffee  for all of us resumed. The guy at the café, who I slowly got to know,  noticed the sudden increase of my orders. He was cute, which made me  want to get to know him. He had cute dimples and a slight tan, but  nowhere near as dark as mine. His dark brown hair was ruffled in that  sexy "I just got out of bed" kind of way.

"Your boss is back in town?" he asked as I handed him the payment.

"Yeah, Mase. My happiness was short-lived."

He gave out a loud laugh as he handed my change. "If you want to have  some fun after work, I'm out at five," he offered with a flirty wink.

"I don't know. You don't seem like the kind of guy that has fun things in his mind," I bantered.

"You wouldn't know unless you try."

When he flashed me a suggestive grin, I rolled my eyes and moved away  for the next customer. I waved goodbye before standing by the other end  of the counter to wait for my order. I couldn't believe the guy hit on  me within three weeks. It's not like we've made much conversation in  that short amount of time. We had our occasional hellos and a few  pleasantries here and there, but he never hinted that he was interested  before. Well, maybe I'm oblivious to that sort of thing.

When I received my order, I checked each of the drinks to see if they've  gotten everything right, because I had some occasional mix ups from  time to time. Then, I noticed that one of the cup holders had a number  on it with Mase's name. I laughed as I glanced back at him manning the  counter. He was already looking at me and winked when our eyes met. I  shook my head in amusement as I waved another goodbye and headed out the  door.

I was smiling from ear to ear when I reached the office. Maggie looked  up when I approached her, her eyebrows raised as she studied me.

"Why are you smiling like that? Did something happen?"

"Oh, nothing really," I replied nonchalantly as I placed the coffee on her table.

As she held up the cup in front of her, her eyes caught something that  made them light up with glee. "Who is Mase? And, do tell, why is his  number's on my coffee holder?"