Push by Sadie Rose
Ihad waited all day yesterday for a reply from Roman but it never came. Now I was sitting in my cubicle at work, trying not to think about him. I guessed that he wasn’t too thrilled with getting told no for a second time in the same week. Either way, I had to let it go. That didn’t stop me from wearing the beautiful blouse that he sent. When I had put it on, I thought of him picking it out. I wondered if he walked through the shop himself or sent an assistant. Either way, it was too perfect not to be worn. Enough. I had to stop thinking about him so I dove headfirst into my first work project, a project so mysterious I didn’t even have the full details. When my boss Helen told me that I would be working with Raymond I cringed. I was going to have to face him eventually but I was hoping to avoid him for a few more days.
Before lunch, Raymond walked over to my desk. “I’m sorry about Friday night Olivia. If I gave you the wrong impression, I didn’t mean to but I’m hoping we can be friends.”
He was giving me an easy way out and he did seem like he was a nice guy, “That would be nice. Besides you are the only person I know here at work and we have this new project together.”
He smiled, “Want to hit the cafeteria for lunch? We can even talk about work if you want.”
How could I say no to him when he was trying to be nice to me. Plus I really needed to talk to him about work so it was a no-brainer. “Sure thing! Let’s go. I want to get a good seat. That place fills up fast.” He held out his arm to me to link mine in his, a gesture that I thought was a little awkward but kind at the same time. If we really were going to be friends, I needed to get over what had happened at the club. I linked my arm in his and we headed off to the elevators. We waited for a brief second and then the doors dinged open. We hopped on and rode them down to the cafeteria.
Raymond broke our comfortable silence, “So I gotta ask what did Mr. Devereaux have to say to you Friday night? I didn’t even see him there until he was right up on us.”
The interaction between Roman and I had been too personal and private. I felt like telling Raymond would violate that trust but I didn’t want to lie, “Oh… well, I think he knew I was embarrassed so he was just being nice.” I shrugged my shoulders to feign indifference. I quickly tried to get the conversation back on track, “I’m going to get a sandwich today, want to meet back up in a minute and find us a table?”
Raymond was trying to read my reaction to Friday night but he let it go, “Sure thing. Meet back here in a few minutes.”
I walked over to the counter in the cafeteria that had been made to look like a deli counter and quickly placed my order. Plain ham and cheese on danish bread, nothing fancy but I like what I liked. After a brief wait, the man making my sandwich handed it to me over the counter. It was wrapped in brown paper and I smiled as I looked at it. The cafeteria went all out to make it seem as if you were really at a delicatessen. I turned and started to look for Raymond. The energy in the room changed. I felt a shiver run down my spine and I knew without even looking that Roman had entered the cafeteria. My body has never responded to anyone, the way it does for Roman. That knowledge only scared me further.
I clenched my jaw and tried to ignore it. I tried to focus on finding a table, but it was impossible. I could feel his eyes on me, the weight of his stare. I knew without a doubt he’s watching me. Raymond unknowingly solved my dilemma, coming over and giving a low whistle, saying, “Look who just walked in.”
I followed Raymond’s gaze and sure enough, Roman was standing there talking to what looked like another executive by the way he was dressed and the glance he was also giving us. Roman was staring directly at us. He didn’t look angry but the intensity of his gaze made me feel the heat return to my cheeks. He looked brilliant in a three-piece grey suit. His hair once again having that just put his hand through it look. Raymond linked his arm around mine and guided me to an empty table a few feet away. We sat down and I avoided looking anywhere other than my lunch. I took my time unwrapping the sandwich, hoping to avoid any more embarrassment or attention. When I think this approach might work out in my favor, I get a whiff of his cologne before I can even see him. He’s now standing beside our table and when I look up at him he’s staring into my eyes.
Before I can react, he’s putting a hand on my shoulder as he leans across the table to shake hands with Raymond. For a moment, I’m transfixed by the sight of his hand on me. It makes me think of our brief encounter on Friday. He was standing so close to me I could hear him breathing. I could feel the heat of his body. It took every ounce of strength I have not to blush as he says, “Good afternoon Mr. Thomas. I hope you are finding the cafeteria accommodating.”
Raymond audibly winces from their handshake but practically trips over his tongue to speak. “Of course Mr. Devereaux, it’s excellent.”
Roman looked down at me next, “Hi Olivia.”
“Hello, Mr. Devereaux.” I coughed trying to clear my throat. It felt like I had just eaten a bucket of sand. I reached over and took a sip of my water. Roman’s eyes never left me. I felt more heat enter my cheeks under his intense gaze.
He directed his next question to me, “How is your second week shaping up to be?”
“It’s going well, thanks.”
He smiled and shook his head, letting out a low laugh. His luscious lips on full display. “Good. That’s good to hear.”
I was begging for my heart to slow down so I could lose some color in my cheeks. Raymond was staring at me like I sprouted a second head and I’m sure everyone else in the cafeteria was trying to hear every word he said. That thought alone turned my stomach. I did not want that kind of attention and I didn’t want people to get the wrong idea about how I ended up here in my position. I tried to hide my emotions but since I’m terrible at that it didn’t help too much.
Roman could see the sudden change in my demeanor. I saw the moment it registered with him. His brilliant smile faltered for only a second. He removed his hand from my shoulder but leaned down and whispered in my ear. His mouth was so close, his breath sent a shiver through me; I could feel it in my abdomen, a warm clench of my muscles.
“I see I was too late for our lunch date. Next time.” With those simple words, he stood to his full height, took a step, no two steps back from the table, and gave Raymond a small wave. I was left sitting there feeling the burn of my blush and the weight of all the eyes in the cafeteria focused on me.
Raymond eyed me like the cat who just swallowed a canary. “Spill it, girlfriend. That man. Our boss. He wants you and not in a can-you-get-me-a-cup-of-coffee-before-our-meeting-starts kinda way. Are you guys banging? I bet his cock is huge. Please tell me in detail what he looks like with his clothing off. Don’t leave anything out.”
This was worse than I thought, “Oh my God! Can you keep your voice down?!” Double crap. What am I going to say, had he heard what Roman whispered to me? “I don’t know what you mean.” Play dumb and stall. That’s all I knew to do.
Raymond pursed his lips and tilted his head at me, “I don’t believe a word of that, he practically broke all the bones in my fingers with that handshake. If that wasn’t a stay away from my lady message then next he’ll probably challenge me to a duel. I wonder if we could at least compare swords?”
Now that Raymond’s laughing at his own joke, I think back to my last text with Roman. The text he never responded to. He took my message as me asking to meet him here in the cafeteria. From the way he approached us and his behavior, maybe he decided it was a bad idea. I couldn’t give it too much thought though because I’ve got Raymond sitting across from me making sexual innuendos and lusting after the same man. Wait… am I lusting after Roman? He had been making a star appearance in my dreams for over a week now. And he looked damn good today. I hear a snap of fingers and the wave of Raymond’s hand catches my attention.
“Hello, earth to Olivia. Are you hearing me, babe? I’m just joking with you. Seriously though, I’ll give you a reprieve today. Let’s divvy up that work project since lunch is almost over”
Raymond kept talking but I couldn’t hear a word of it. All I could think about was the feeling of Roman’s breath on my ear. The heat of his body beside me and the look in his eyes when he saw me across the room. I suppressed a sigh and tried to shake some sense into myself as I re-focused on Raymond’s words. I had a sinking feeling I was about to go down a road that I couldn’t turn back from.