October and April (Bk 2 Of The Valhireya Series)-rewriting

Seven

Idalia

The door opens again and I see a woman leaving the house. This time, it's a blonde. I pull over as her car leaves and stay in for another minute to gather my composure. I shouldn't be feeling like this. I have no claim over him. This is not the job... But it is eating me inside, knowing that my body only reacts to his touch and yet he doesn't even notice me. I feel rejected. I shouldn't care about these things, but I do and I can't allow myself to mess up.

"Pull yourself together, Ida!" I tell myself in the mirror as I apply my red lipstick.

I get out of the car and walk inside the house. I am immediately greeted by the scent of fresh coffee and go straight to the kitchen to get myself some. My face falls off when I see Cade leaning against the counter with his impeccable shirt still unbuttoned while he drinks his coffee. I forget how to breathe and speak as I stare at his naked skin. It's even more perfect than I imagined. His eyes meet mine and his lips curve into a smirk as he sees me. He doesn't bother to button his shirt. He just moves towards me with the coffee mug in his hand.

"I can send you a picture! It will last longer!" He whispers into my ear as he disappears into the living room. Suddenly, I remember breathing. My hands shake as flashes of him laughing pass in front of my eyes. Great! I've gone from picturing him naked to imagining his laugh! I shake my head in disbelief as I wait for the machine to make me a cappuccino and then walk to his office. I find him with his shirt buttoned up, except for the last 2 ones and no jacket. I can't blame him. It's a very hot day and it's only 9 am.

"Are you done with selecting the suppliers?" He asks me while he looks at his computer.

"Yes! You have an email with my proposal for the bottles, labels, even the crate designs. I took the liberty to contact also some graphic designers and asked them to come up with concepts for the wine logo and label designs." I tell him as I sit down on the chair in front of him and pull out my laptop.

"What was wrong with the label we have?" He asks me and finally looks at me.

"It looked... antique?" I tell him and he scoffs.

"Antique, you say?" He asks frowning a little. He seems amused by my remark. "Antique..." he repeats and looks back at his laptop.

"Did I do anything wrong?" I ask him confused and a little bit worried.

"Nothing at all, miss Lumien." He says and I relax into my chair.

As I walk him through my email and explain each decision making step, I get completely absorbed in work and forget about the burning sensation that has been consuming me for the last 3 weeks. Maybe it is time to take my relationship with Matteus to the next level. My mind wonders off for a second and I forget what I was saying.

"Miss Lumien?" His voice snaps me out of my trance.

"Huh?" I ask him confused.

"When are the new label designs coming in for review?" He asks me with a focused expression on his face.

"Next Friday." I tell him and regain my composure.

"Ok. I want us to review the logos with Jan when you have them all. Would you like to have lunch now?" He asks.

"I'd love to!" I answer out of reflex. What is happening to me today? Why am I so distracted? My mind wanders to his naked chest that I saw this morning and I find my answer. The heat returns and I rub my legs together before actually standing up.

"I ordered some food for us since everyone is away." He says and I just realize I haven't seen anyone today.

"Where is Claire?" I ask him and he gives me a small smile.

"She is at a summer school camp with her class." He tells me and I feel relief knowing where she is. I really love the little girl.

"I'm afraid I will ruin your lipstick!" He says and my mouth runs dry. What?

"I ordered pizza and pasta." He tells me while looking at me like a lion.

"Oh... no problem!" I manage to say and feel myself blush. It's not the way I wanted him to ruin my lipstick but fine.

"Excuse me for a second!" I tell him and go outside. The hot summer air doesn't help cool me down. I can barely breathe. Why can't this be simple? He is my boss! I can't have these thoughts about my boss! Remember your job, Ida!

I push the thoughts in the back of my mind and walk back inside. I find him holding two empty glasses in his hands. He offers me one with that polite smile that I hate.

"So are we going to have lunch in complete silence as we do every day?" I ask him annoyed. I am mad at him, at myself, at the situation. I can't help it.

"I was wondering what happened with that smart mouth of yours!" He says as he places the fork in his mouth, wrapping his lips around the fork and I feel my insides melt with need. What was I saying?

"I..." I try to find my words but they fail me. I can't focus right now. I am beyond frustrated by this man and his presence and how he makes me feel. Tears gather in my eyes and I get up, not wanting to make a scene in front of him. This is not who I am! I run towards the bathroom but he follows me. His fingers wrap around my wrist and then he turns me around.