“I can’t believe this is happening!” Nadia mumbled as she paced along the office her heels clicking on the floor adding up to her annoyance.
What in the world was she going to do?! How was she going to solve this situation?
“I’ve never been this embarrassed in my life…” She added her distress growing as she diligently paced almost wearing a hole into it.
“Calm down! It’s not that much of a big deal!” Said Dean, her freaking boss, as he leaned back in his seat.
Nadia paused for a moment and looked at him. No… She glared at him as he sat back in his seat pretty relaxed for someone who just dropped a bomb on her lap.
His blue eyes were shining with amusement as he looked at her with a mesmerizing gaze, and his tousled black hair softly fell on his forehead adding to his boyish charm. Nadia tried to look away and not notice how his shirt stretched against his arms and how the half-buttoned front seemed to be strained against his broad chest begging to be released. But it was almost impossible. Which was always the case with her boss over the last five years.
Although the man was as beautiful as a Greek god’s statue, he was also as futile as them. Which made him the source of most of Nadia’s headaches over the years. And with headaches, she means his relentless escapades and continuous flirting.
“I don’t know what’s a big deal to you, SIR. But to me, being introduced as my boss’ girlfriend to his parents without my knowledge IS DEFINITELY a big deal.” she said spelling every word with polite eloquence to make sure that she was making her point.
Dean on the other hand, merely laughed as if the memory was entertaining when he thought about it.
“When I think back about how they looked at us. That was definitely hilarious…” he trailed off as he leaned forward looking thoroughly amused.
Well… Nadia wasn’t… and she made sure that her blank expression conveyed that. Dean’s grin turned into an awkward smile as he looked away.
So the man knew shame. Surprising…
“Uhhh… You know… Sorry, it was kind of an emergency. I knew they wouldn’t have believed me otherwise…” He trailed off rubbing the back of his head with an apologetic smile.
Nadia was searching very deep within her soul for inner peace and forgiveness to stop the murderous thoughts that were threatening to take action in her body. She shouldn’t kill her boss. Although she was confident in her ability to get away with murder, she still needed this job.
Killing him would more trouble than it was worth.
“How am I going to face the chairman and Mrs.Wess now?” She sighed.
Dean had the audacity to lean forward and take a sip from his coffee as if this wasn’t his problem. Well, we will see about that…
“It’s going to be okay! Did you see how overjoyed they were when they heard that it was you?” He said, “I expected them to be happy, they always liked you, probably more than they like me, their son. But that reaction was surely a sight to behold,”
Nadia sighed and sat down remembering how Mrs. Wess took her hands in hers and began congratulating them. She was so excited that Nadia didn’t have the heart to tell her that she was wrong. Which made Nadia feel even more guilty.
“You have to fix this situation, sir,” she said as she stood up from her chair.
“Where are you going?” He asked and she glared at him.
This time he had the decency to look away guilty. If only it wasn’t for these five years of working together, If only it wasn’t for the sake of her plan, she would have made sure to give him a taste of her ire, and then resign…
But unfortunately, she didn’t have that luxury. Besides, she could never remain angry with the man for too long. Whenever he smiled, she would have a hard time remembering why she was angry in the first place. Damn his charm and good looks but he knew how to use them far too well to get what he wanted.
“I’m taking today off,” She declared, “You’d better have this situation sorted out by the time I’m back tomorrow,” She added, and he sighed rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
“Look, Nadia. I know you must be upset about how I did this without permission, but you have to admit, it’s not such a bad deal. Neither one of us has anyone serious in their lives right now…”
“You’re kidding, right?” She said in a dark tone and Dean looked up at her wide-eyed,
“Well, do you?” He asked with a confidence that only a playboy/womanizer could muster.
“What is it to you?” She said defensively feeling more than a bit insulted about how confidently he stated that bit of information.
“Well, whoever it is, they must be pretty recent. Nothing compared to our long years together… and you must admit. I must be a better catch than him,” he said with a smile as he stood from his desk making Nadia sigh with exasperation.
She needed to get out of here before his flirting got worse…
“I do have a relationship that I am very committed to, so I would appreciate it if you resolved this misunderstanding before it turns into something unpleasant,” She stated turning toward the door only to be stopped by the sheer shock in Dean’s tone.
“What?! Were you serious right now?” He asked walking around his desk toward her.
He was clearly taken aback. He was looking at her for a few moments processing the information before leaning forward looking serious for the first time since they started this conversation.
“Who’s is he?” He said looking like he was back in the meeting room grilling his subordinates about their work.
Well, she wasn’t going to stick around for that.
“Because it’s none of your business. Now, I will be leav_,” She added opening the door to leave the office when. Dean’s hand reached out closing the door and caging her against it.
“Tell me… Who’s the lucky guy?” Dean mumbled his voice sounding off, as if it was much huskier and more deep than before.
Nadia spun around to glare at him and give him a piece of her mind when she got a look at his face. Her mouth went dry at the close proximity between them and she held her breath as she stared at his intense gaze. His wide frame towered over her as his muscles stretched around his biceps and the collar of his shirt. The sight was almost too much for her and she felt herself waver as she stared up at his lips in a daze.
“Why am I only hearing this now, you’re not telling the truth are you?” Dean pressed as he took one more step toward her surrounding her with the woody scent that was all over him and almost making her pull him by his necktie toward her so that she could be surrounded by his smell.
She almost nodded like a foolish schoolgirl as her breath caught looking at his beautiful blue gaze.
“Because I didn’t tell you,” She said glad that her voice came out normal as she stared up at him, feeling completely surrounded by his larger frame.
Dean’s eyes grew more intense as his irises dilated. She felt his hot breath against her lips and he closed in toward her. She felt herself leaning forward as if pulled by a magnet she had no control over.
All she could think about was this man’s lips, and how much she wanted to kiss them right then.
Nadia looked up at Dean her heart beating so fast in anticipation that she wondered if he was able to read it. His blue gaze so intense as he looked down at her drew her in ever so slowly as she gave away reason just to plunge into this moment. His eyes were so clear and mesmerizing, that they were reflecting the sunlight coming through the window into them. They looked beautiful and a bit familiar. Just like… Nadia felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her head as she looked away from him. What in the world was she doing? Has she gone crazy?! “Uhm… I will be seeing you tomorrow then…” She trailed off as she stepped away from him to open the door. Dean sighed and rubbed the side of his face in something akin to frustration. He must be wondering what came over him for a moment. Nadia didn’t want to look at him as she collected what was left of her composure. “I would like you to cancel my plans for this weekend and any plans after this in the future,” Dean stated i
Nadia’s mind swirled at the sight of the three people she resented the most in the world as they laughed and smiled together after they destroyed everything in her life and threw her on the street. A merging?! An Engagement?! She will see to it so that none of that ever happens. She will see to it so that they burn to ashes along with everything they took away from her. “Mommy! Are you okay?! Does your tummy hurt? Should I rub it for you?” Nadia’s dry heaving stopped, and she sat down on the kitchen floor taking a deep breath when her five years old’s voice reached her ears. The thought of Luke seeing her in this state startled her and she turned around looking at him. He was sitting beside her on the floor his wide and filled with worry. What was she doing making her son worry about her like this? Seriously… “I’m okay, honey. I was just having a hard time digesting the food that’s all,” she told him as she ruffled his hair and he nodded snuggling into her and rubbing her stomach
Dean’s phone rang and he groaned, turning to the other side hiding his head under the covers trying hard to ignore the persistent sound. His door burst open, and he heard footsteps thudding through the floor until they reached his bedside table, then the alarms stopped ringing. Dean sighed and snuggled deeper into his bed wishing for sleep to reclaim him. “Don’t even think about going back to sleep” said his friend in a voice that was clearly not pleased. Dean didn’t respond. Hopefully, Keith would be leaving soon and letting him catch a few more minutes of sleep. Dean’s covers were suddenly pulled away inevitably depriving him of any ounce of sleep he was trying to reclaim. Glaring at Keith, he found him looking back at him with murder in his eyes. “What the hell is wrong with you so early in the morning?” He asked and Keith threw the covers on the bed. “Me?! What’s wrong with YOU! Your alarm had been ringing like a freaking fire alarm! And here I thought I would get some peace
“Miss. Talbot! Can you tell us why you cheated on your fiancé?” “Miss. Talbot! How do you feel now that you’re going to be a single mother?” “What is going to happen to Colt Techs after this? Are you and Mr. Colt going to remain business partners?” The noises from her past filled her head as images of crowds chasing her flashed through her mind. She was running away from them trying to protect her belly when one of them grabbed the sleeve of her shirt ripping it and making her stumble forward. Her father and her cousin were watching her from afar within the safety of their office while Nadia was thrown to the gutter as vultures swarmed around her ripping out at her flesh. Miss Talbot! Miss Talbot! Miss Talbot! “No! No! Enough!” Nadia called out putting both hands against her ears trying to block away the sounds. “Nadia! This way!” Suddenly, Nadia wasn’t back in the past but instead, she was facing the same predicament as reporters threatened to swarm toward her. She felt a ha
“I uh… I might need to go in there alone,” Nadia told Dean who frowned down at her.“I think it’s a little too late to be worried about us being seen together,” he said.“No… uh, I need to talk to Luke’s teacher for a moment, give me a minute,” Nadia insisted as she got out of the car and made her way hastily toward the school where Mrs. Payne was anxiously waiting for her at the door.“What does he want?” She asked her and Mrs. Payne shook her head with worry.“He wouldn’t tell us what he wanted. He asked whether Miss Talbot was here and then corrected himself to your last name. I led him to the office when I called you claiming that you agreed to see him,” She explained, and Nadia nodded with determination as she made her way into the building.“What in the world is going on, Nadia? Why is there a reporter here looking for you,” Mrs. Payne asked as she followed after her worry evident in her voice.Mrs. Payne was one of the few people who knew about her past. So she was evidently wo
Dean took deep breaths trying to reign in his anger. He wanted to punch the daylight out of that Rolland guy, but he couldn’t do that. Not with all the press keeping their eyes on them. Not while he didn’t know the exact story behind this.Nadia is clearly keeping a secret from him. A secret she didn’t want Rolland to reveal to him.He heard Nadia’s phone ping and then the sound of her knees hitting the ground. He turned around to find her looking at her phone with a shocked expression. A mixture of pure disgust and horror, the exact same expression she was making moments earlier when she was being chased by the reporters.“Are you okay?” He asked kneeling down beside her and she looked up at him with a dazed expression as if she was trying to make out what he was saying in her jumbled mind state.“Hey, Nadia, are you with me?” He asked again shaking her shoulder lightly his heart catching as he peered into the empty look in her eyes.She blinked and looked at him for a moment then no
Nadia sat down at Dean’s kitchen counter silently watching him as he read through the article that already made its way to the media and was now infesting most of the news outlets. Her picture was palstered in the front showing her face from before and after her transformation to Nadia Rowell. Not that she did much except for dye her hair back and add the glasses. Sometimes simple modifications made radical changes. “To think that you were a Talbot…” He said with a sigh rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly looking at her. “You don’t have to treat me any different now that you know the truth…” She told him with uncertainty, and he looked up at her with a smile. “You think I would be upset about this little bit of news?” He asked and she shrugged internally relieved by his reaction. Last night, she had hacked into the newspapers’ system looking for Rolland’s article. It took her moments to find it, and minutes to realize that most of Rolland’s threats were bluff bravado. The story
"Dean..." Nadia said with an exasperated sigh as she leaned back from him.She really was taking him seriously there for a moment."Hey! I'm being serious," He said and she shook her head."How can it work out after all the mess that happened? Your best course of action is to announce that you gave me the job to help me out and that everything is a misunderstanding. Otherwise, your reputation is going to suffer and they may even take you for Luke's real father," She said."I don't care about what they say. Besides, I don't mind being called Luke's father," Dean said and Nadia's eyes widened."Dean. You must realize what you're saying right now," Nadia said her tone darkening, "This is not a game!""Listen to me for a moment, will you?" He insisted grabbing her hand to stop her from leaving her place. Sighing, Nadia looked at him and waited."I know for a fact that things are complicated right now. But I think that this is the simplest and surest way to resolve this problem. The media w