LIGHTNOVELONLINE The Office
And so time passed.
I went on the date I promised Christina. Several actually. Our first date was a getaway that Eve had "permitted" us to go on alone, at a beach-house she had in Montauk. We spent the weekend there, getting familiar with each other's bodies and spending a lot of time talking.
I had to admit she was growing on me. It was the last day of the designated month and she had yet to get me to confess. Christina was walking home from her college classes when I had decided to pay her a visit. She had been avoiding and ignoring my texts from the morning, most likely depressed at the seemingly set conclusion of her month.
I was by the door of her last class, having gotten the information from a reluctant Eve. If the crowd of students pouring out of the door were surprised at my appearance, they didn't show it. Some of the girls did turn their heads my way, but they quickly jumped after hearing the sound of the next bell.
Christina was the last one out, shuffling her feet with a dejected expression. "What's with the long face?"
She turned her head at my voice and brightened but suddenly returned to her depression. "What's wrong?" I played dumb.
"Y-you hateful idiot!"
She cried out, trying to run away. I grabbed her by the wrist, tight enough to stop her from leaving but not so tight as to harm her. She thrashed wildly. "Let me go! How else am I supposed to fulfill the promise?"
"What promise?"
"You! The month's over and I said I'd never try to pursue you again, right?"
She started sobbing. I only tilted my head in mock confusion. "That's not how I remember it? You won't pursue me again, but I don't remember saying that I wouldn't pursue you either?"
"Wait, do you mean?"
"I've gotten a little too fond of you to just let you go."
I spun her around and grasped her into a hug. She smelled of the rain. "D-does this mean you love me?"
I laughed, kissing her on the top of the head. "Don't get too ahead of yourself. I'm still not sure if this is more than just an attraction. But that's where the pursuing comes in, right?"
She nodded in my grasp, sobbing again, but this time for another reason.
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More time passed. It was now summer, and preparations for the next fashion show was already beginning. Everyone was running around busily and I decided I'd start moving things forward with the company and my plans.
Both Yvonne and I turned in our resignation letters at the same time. The manager wasn't too happy at letting us go, but she had begrudgingly given us a farewell telling us that we could come here as often as we wanted and eat for free. We both laughed and gave her a hug, before walking together to a cafe.
I asked her how things were going for her. "It's great! I signed a deal with Victoria's and they'll be coming to me for a lot of the designs for their seasonal collections. I'll be really busy but my offer still stands. It's not a binding contract and I could help you out a bit. Yelena's told me you even rented out an office."
We were sitting in the outdoors section, chatting as we watched the people pass by.
"Yeah, I actually finalized it the other day you wanna take a look?"
Yvonne nodded happily. She had lately been getting more risqué with her clothes, choosing to promote her own designs rather than wearing brand clothes. But the publicity worked. Several girls would come up to her randomly, asking her where those clothes came from. This wasn't too common but it happened enough for me to appreciate her thoughtfulness and craftsmanship.
Seeing her beam at the acknowledgment of her handiwork also made me feel happy. So I didn't mind it one bit when she pretended to trip, grabbing onto my hand to "stabilize" herself.
I let her keep holding my hand, seeing from the corner of my eye that her face was beginning to flush red. We held hands all the way to the office, where we both entered the air-conditioned lobby sighing at the stark contrast of the hot summer sun.
It was a huge lobby, glossy marble floors, multiple security guards, a receptionist's table, and a large seating area. I lead her to the elevators, four massive bronze-colored doors on either side of us. I pressed on the button and thumped my foot on the ground as I waited for the telltale ding.
We stepped back as a crowd of people funneled out of the large elevator. They were all office workers likely on their lunch breaks, most of them half-running towards the revolving doors at the entrance.
I held the doors open as Yvonne entered. There weren't as many people wanting to go up as were streaming out and we ended up having the platform to ourselves. Some music came over the speakers in the brightly lit room as I began to hype her up about the office.
I had been here a few times already and knew what was waiting for us. I was pleasantly surprised when I first saw it and I could only hope she would be as well.
The elevator opened with a whoosh and we stepped out onto the floor that was practically mine. The majority of this floor had yet to be rented out and I was planning on eventually renting out the entire space once the company got bigger. But for now, I only had a few rooms to use.
I fumbled the keycard across the slot and it beeped, unlocking the entrance. I opened the door and heard Yvonne gasp as she saw the office. The outside was a little drab, just a gray wall covering the whole space. But once you entered through the doors, it really gave off a professional feel.
The previous users were a customer call center business that had gone broke and they left most of their equipment behind. They probably could have sold or auctioned off most of it for some pocket change, but the owners had apparently been on extremely bad terms with each other and would never agree on the prices to set on the furniture and decorations.
There was a bunch of cubicles and desks set up with monitors and computers. At the side were a few personal offices and a large glass wall serving a great view onto the bustling city below.
I walked over to the coffee machine that had been so graciously donated to me and poured us both a drink. The walk to the office had been a little tiring and it was admittedly handy to have such things on hand.
She joined me at the window as we stared into the bay.
"You've really come far Adam."
She said, in a nostalgic tone. "I still remember the first time I saw you...who would've thought the homeless-looking kid would end up with an office in Manhattan?"
She took a sip from the coffee.
The sunlight was practically beaming off her, her beautiful face looking perfect with just the right amount of melancholy. She walked a little closer to me and leaned her head in against my shoulder.
She was just tall enough to reach it without too much discomfort.
"I'm happy for you Adam. You deserve this break."
She was saying this, but her eyes didn't share the happiness she was supposedly feeling. Nonetheless, I kept staring out the window, slightly looking up at the sky. I felt her head shift as she turned to look at me.
I spoke, watching the contrails of some jet slowly form. "Thanks Yvonne. I can't believe it myself either, there's just a lot of things I have to be thankful for."
We shared the moment together, silently staring and thinking over the past few years. Yvonne coughed into her hand, breaking us apart. "Anyways, I should get going. Got a few deadlines to meet. Text me later?"
I nodded, "Sure."
Yvonne walked away after a quick hug and the sound of her heels clacking away against the floor eventually faded. I wasn't left alone for long though. It had barely been even five minutes when I heard a new set of voices and heels on the floor. I turned around at the sound of the door to the office opening, revealing a group of women, lead by Eve.
She beamed seeing me and rushed at me giving me both a kiss and a hug. With her hands wrapped around my neck, she took a whiff, frowning when she smelled Yvonne's distinct perfume. Her lips puckered, and she glared. "She beat me to it!"
Valentine laughed, putting her arm around Eve's shoulder while giving me a kiss as well. Christina came up from behind them not long after and had her arms kissed while glancing at both Valentine kissing me and the other models who were watching the interaction with both interest and amusement.
I broke from both Eve's hug and Valentine's kiss and walked over and embraced the self-conscious girl. I rubbed her back as she sighed into my chest. I lightly grabbed her by the shoulders and before she could complain, I gave her a smooch.
Laughing at her reaction, I turned to Eve, leaning against one of the cubicles. "How'd you even know about this place?"
"Yelena."
"That woman really has a loose mouth doesn't she?" A vein popped in my forehead thinking of her. I wasn't necessarily hiding my office but I still wanted some time to personalize it before revealing it to Eve and her friends. I tossed her a sour look. "If you let me know ahead of time I would've been better prepared for guests."
"Hmm? Liar, you would've just ran home and made some excuse to not let us in."
She folded her arms with a no-nonsense look as the others were playing with the coffee machine. Before long, everyone was sitting on their own respective chairs. They all looked at each other and suddenly said all together. "Congratulations!"
Everyone was cheering and throwing a bunch of confetti they had procured out of nowhere. I was both confused and slightly miffed thinking of all the cleanup I'd have to do. A bunch of bakery boxes suddenly appeared. Each of the girls had brought a bunch of sweets and baked goods and everyone bustled about to get plates and plastic forks and knives.
They were having a welcoming party for me.
I looked at Eve who seemed immensely proud of herself. I could only assume she was the mastermind behind this. Though it was noticeably missing the Marie sisters, everyone else that we knew was gathered here.
The room was soon full of chatter from the excited girls and I couldn't help but admire how lively the office sounded. If I closed my eyes and ignored the topics of these conversations, it really felt like I was in a busy office. I opened my eyes, to find everyone staring at me, having gone silent.
Someone coughed and whisper-yelled. "Speech!"
I held up the paper cup and cleared my throat. "Though I don't need the welcoming, I still appreciate you all showing your support for me. I'm a lucky man to have such brilliant girls with me aren't I?"
They all smirked.
"Anyways," I got into business mode, "I'm planning on entering the modeling industry myself."
There were some confused whispers at this. I held up my hand. "I'm not gonna be a model," *groans* "but my company will have a branch in managing up and coming models" *more groans* "that's not to say that you aren't welcome to join if you want." *cheers* "But if you do, I want it to be because you have high expectations for the future of your careers and the future of this company. Not because I'm the brother of your friend. If you want to help me out, you can point me to any models you think would have potential and haven't been snatched up by another company yet."
All of them were thinking at my words and began discussing amongst themselves. I left the conversation at that and walked over to the glass wall. It was quickly becoming my favorite spot in the whole office. Eve and Valentine, seeing me walk off, excused themselves and followed me.
I felt two arms intertwine with my own. Eve was the first to speak, her hot breath on my ear. "You aren't satisfied with us so you're already looking for your next targets?"
I shivered at her hands slowly moving on my chest. Valentine blew a breath in my other ear. "I'm not sure how much more I can handle but I'll do my best...but if you're really just bored of me I'll...get angry!"
She said the last with a slight voice crack and I couldn't help but smile. She was getting bolder lately but still had hints of her shyness around me. "Hah? What sane man would ever get bored of either of you? Don't worry I'm not planning on pursuing the women I scout. I just think that the fastest way to build some recognition would be to work with already famous models or quickly turn a new model into a famous model."
They nodded, both of them knowing full well how hard it was to get recognition. They were the elite of the elite but before that, deals and promotions being dry and far between weren't rare.
After resolving the anxieties of Eve and Valentine, we continued the party until the afternoon sun turned into the orange glows of dusk. I made sure each of the girls had a ride home and took my little entourage of Valentine, Eve, and Christina home.
Somehow, Christina was drunk. It turned out the cake she had ordered was made with wine and the little bit used in the cooking had affected her. Thankfully, only she had eaten it, meaning that I only had to carry her. With the low tolerance of both Valentine and Eve, I could only thank the heavens neither of them had touched that cake.
I had Christina's body draped over me, her cute snores shaking her body as I walked home side-by-side with Eve and Valentine. It was dark but the streetlights were bright enough to make the walk perfectly easy.
Eve had a dark look on her face, muttering about how she wanted to be the one getting carried. On my other side, Valentine was thinking thoughtfully. While waiting for a streetlight to turn red, she turned to me. "Hey do you think you'll ever consider buying a new home?"
The thought had crossed my mind but it wasn't on the top of my priorities. "Sometimes, why?"
"Well, I don't know. I just felt like someday that apartment might...not be enough? I don't know, I just get the sense that the family will keep growing..."
Eve's frown turned even more sour hearing that. "Tch, I gave them permission but I didn't say they had to!"
We turned the corner and stopped in front of a crime scene. There was a ton of police tape stretched around and we could smell the iron scent of blood lingering. A crowd of onlookers had formed, being pushed back by the police. There was a variety of emergency response vehicles, the most prominent one being the large ambulance with its back doors opened up. Two paramedics were holding a stretcher and hoisting it into the ambulance as we paused slightly, watching the scene unfold.
"Ugh, that's horrible! I hope no one was killed..." Valentine grabbed my arm as Eve did the same. I only nodded at her words, seeing the familiar figure of a certain policewoman stomping her way to me.
Eve also noticed this as well, her grip around my arm getting tighter. She was practically hissing as the policewoman's face became revealed under the streetlight. Her auburn hair was hanging in a ponytail as she stopped before me, her arms crossed.
"Drugging a woman and having the audacity to take her home in front of your girlfriends? As expected of some thug." She sniffed.
"What do you want Alicia."
She stiffened hearing me say her name so freely. "That's Officer Richardson to you! I'm gonna have to ask you to step around the crime scene and not linger lest I mark you down as a suspect."
"What's going on?"
She sniffed again. "Your deviant tendencies are leaking...it was a robbery gone wrong. Victim was shot and the suspect is still at large."
"This a part of your duties?"
"It's all your fault! I was slapped with a full YEAR of field jobs!" She glared at me hatefully. I only gave her a sympathetic smile. "Well I'll leave you to your job then Officer Richardson."
"Yes officer, please stop harassing my brother..."
We left the scene letting the policewoman grasp the implications of what Eve had just said. "B-b-brother?
A.N.
Dropped
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April Fool's