- Time skip, a week and a half -
After returning to work following the trip with Lionel, you both kept your distance from each other. This past week was the most important week of the year and he asked you to make sure you were on top form for the duration of it. You did your best, staying on top of emails and keeping the personal conversations to a minimum. He struggled to stay focussed as he noticed you moving further away from him, as much as he appreciated your dedication, he began to miss the way you were outside of work.
"So, any plans for the weekend?" He asked, packing his things and getting ready to leave the office.
"What happened to no personal questions?" You teased, raising an eyebrow at him. Lionel smiled, glad to see that you still had some affection for him.
"The week's over, we're done." He hummed, wandering over to stand opposite you. He looked down his nose at you, reaching his hand out to stroke your arm as he pursed his lips.
"Very well... and yes, I do have some plans actually." You muttered, knowing he wasn't going to approve.
"Oh?" He questioned, already jealous of whoever you were going to be spending time with.
"You don't want to know." You warned, making your way out the door. Lionel followed behind you, furrowing his brows in confusion.
"Why not? Of course I do." He responded bluntly.
"I have a date." You admitted, looking down at the floor.
"Oh." He sighed, masking his disappointment with an encouraging look as his heart sunk. "Have you finally found someone worth your time?" He scoffed, noticing as your expression stayed the same.
"I'm meeting Martin." You stated, looking up at him in an attempt to gage his reaction, unsure of what his response would be.
"I see." he mumbled, "Where is he taking you?" He seethed, gritting his teeth beneath a fake smile.
"We're meeting in a bar... the one from before." You reminded him, jogging his memory.
"I remember." He muttered, "When?"
"Tonight, in a few hours. I know it's not my smartest move... but what have I got to lose at this point?" You asked, throwing your hands up in defeat. Lionel bit his tongue, afraid to give you his honest answer.
"Well, I hope you have a nice time (Y/n). Promise me something?" He pleaded, letting his guard down for a moment.
"What's that, boss?" You said playfully, attempting to lighten the mood.
"Just... be careful and keep your phone on." He begged, worried for you.
"I will." You responded, smiling at him before wandering into the lift and leaving him alone.
Lionel stood, lost in his thoughts and trying to come to terms with the idea of you being interested in another man. You need to stop this, she's not yours. He reminded himself, swallowing his pride before exiting the building and making his way home.
When you got home, you decided to go all out, putting on a tight black dress and matching heels in an attempt to impress the man. You decided to take a taxi and got it to drop you just outside the bar, where you stood and waited for Martin.
Lionel arrived home and downed a shot of whiskey, hoping it would silence his thoughts for a moment. He sat staring at his phone, tapping the corner and trying to figure out what the worst case scenario would be.
"As long as she's happy... and safe." He muttered to himself. Leaning into his sofa and quickly falling asleep.
You decided to send Martin a text after a few minutes, wondering if he was already inside.
I'm here, have you left yet? You wrote, pressing send and deciding to go inside. You sat at the bar and ordered yourself a drink, trying to calm your nerves. You set your phone down at the bar and watched as groups of people danced, wondering whether your date was going to follow suit.
You decided to order another drink, feeling your stomach knot as your phone buzzed.
Another time, I'm busy tonight. Maybe you'll think next time you cancel on me for an old man.
Your heart sunk, feeling instantly enraged as you bit the inside of your cheek, drafting an angry message. As you typed furiously, a photo came through. It was an image of Martin's colleague that you recognised from a photo on his profile. She looked disheveled and was laying in, what looked to be, his bed. You recognised the sheets from all of the photos he'd been sending, showing off his less than impressive cock. You decided to delete your message and ignore his attempts to get a rise out of you, locking your phone and finishing your drink before stepping outside and flagging down a taxi.
You slumped into the seat, giving the driver your address and wiping the tears from your cheeks as they fell. As you arrived back at your apartment, you unlocked the door, glancing down at your phone to see a missed call from Lionel. You tapped the notification, calling him back.
"Hello... everything alright? It's early..." Lionel questioned cautiously, feeling his blood run cold as he listened intently, noticing there was no background noise. "Are you at home?" He asked.
"No... and Yes." You responded, feeling ashamed. "Can you come over?" You muttered, "I need cheering up."
"I'll be there soon." He assured, hanging up the phone and making his way to the limo.
"I fucking knew it." Lionel seethed, cursing himself for not saying anything to you sooner. He sat in wait, attempting to devise a plan that would help you feel better without you thinking that he wanted something from you.
As the driver pulled up, Lionel got out and thanked him, telling him to go home for the night.
"I don't know how long I'll be here, she sounded pretty upset." He explained, giving him permission to leave.
"Understood. Good luck, I hope she's alright." The driver responded, shooting him a reassuring look before Lionel made his way up to your apartment.
He knocked on your door, struggling with the idea of you being alone whilst he made his way over to you.
"Hey." You hummed, opening the door and attempting a smile.
"Come here." He muttered, grabbing your arms and pulling you in for a hug. His warm embrace comforted you as you both stood in the doorway. He stroked your back soothingly as you whined, feeling ashamed.
"He stood me up." You explained, pressing your cheek into his chest as you sniffed back tears.
"Oh darling..." He cooed, running his hand up into your hair and massaging the back of your head. "Did he say anything at all?" He asked. You pulled your phone from your pocket and unlocked it, handing it to him. He continued to hold you as he navigated his way to the messages, pulling an infuriated expression as he saw the text, quickly followed by the photo.
"He's a fucking pig." He spat, gritting his teeth. He opened the image and furrowed his brows. "Who's she?" He asked, moving into your apartment and closing the door, turning you around and nudging you towards your lounge.
"Colleague." You mumbled, taking your phone back and placing it on the table, facedown.
"Right." He mused, rolling his eyes. He held back the speech he had formulated in his head after seeing the messages, unable to help himself from focussing on the 'old man' comment.
"How does he know I'm old?" He scoffed, "And why is he so blatantly jealous? I'm your boss and he barely knows you." he continued, mocking the man.
"Don't ask me... he's probably just intimidated by you." You sighed, leaning back into your sofa as he sat beside you, reaching out and resting his arm on the back frame. He slid his fingers into your hair and held the back of your head.
"You were supposed to tell me I'm not old... but I'll let you off this time." He teased in a soft tone, pulling you to lay on his chest as you chuckled, rolling your eyes at his comment.
"What's there to be intimidated by? I'm not that scary am I?" He questioned satirically, raising his eyebrows.
"No, like I said before, I think you're a big softy." You teased, playing with the buttons on his shirt.
"Well, maybe you're right. But don't tell anyone at the office, I have a reputation to keep up." He smirked, winking at you as he placed his hand on your thigh.
"God, you wore the black dress for him..." He whined, pulling a sour face as he smoothed his palm up your body, stopping at your waist and thumbing the fabric. He looked up into your eyes, shaking his head and smiling at you. "We can't waste it." He muttered, moving you off of his chest and standing up, grabbing your hands and pulling you up to stand against him, front to front.
"What do you mean?" You queried, looking up at him.
"We're going out." He decided, dragging you through your apartment, towards the door.
"Lionel I'm tired I don't want to-"
"It's barely 10pm, I thought I was the old one." He scoffed, slowly enticing you out.
"Fine... where?"
"A bar. No more questions." He scolded, pointing a finger at you and giving you a condescending look. You shook your head and sighed, giving in as he gestured for you to step outside the door. You obliged, locking the door behind you.
