Tainted Desires | 18+

07 - Teenage Act

It's been hours since I'd talked back at Terrence, and he was unbelievably quiet ever since. He hadn't even glanced my way once, not that I was wishing for him to look at me. Aside from when his secretary, Kimberly, as I'd learnt her name to be, came into the office to drop a folder for him, the room had been too quiet.

Being in the same room with him and still not being able to talk made it more uncomfortable than I'd thought it'd be. I was going to speak to him, one way or the other. We were adults, and there was no reason to act like teenagers who couldn't separate personal life from work.

Before I could finish drafting what I'd say to him, he stood up from his seat and grabbed his jacket off the hanger. Grabbing my phone and the company tablet George gave me yesterday, I immediately stood up in case he wanted me to follow him.

He briefly glanced at me before exiting his office. Following behind him, I couldn't help but notice how powerful his steps were. Although, there was a slight limp in his steps that I'd never seen before.

We got into the elevator and rode down in silence. One would think we were still practising the safety guidelines for COVID with how far apart we were. His hands were stuffed into the pocket of his pants as he stared at nothing in particular. His jaw clenched, and his body tensed.

The doors of the elevator slid open, and we got out of the elevator. Now, his steps had slowed down to match mine, and I was grateful I did not have to walk as fast as I did upstairs. Although I was thankful for his slowing down, I didn't want him to think I wanted to take it for granted. Instead, I increased my steps as fast as I could handle.

The security guard at the entrance opened the door, slightly bowing his head as Terrence made his way out. I quickly thanked the security guard and sent him a soft smile since his boss had made no intent to.

By the time I got to the black car that was parked ahead of me, Terrence was already waiting for me, the door held open by him with his brows furrowed and lips tightened in a line as if annoyed and confused that he was doing that.

I, too, was confused by such behaviour from him. But still, I got inside the car, and the small act from Terrence did not go unnoticed as I got in where he had placed a hand above my head.

He got in after me and shut the door close, instantly pulling his phone out of his pocket. I couldn't help but notice how his long fingers tapped away on the screen, aggressively.

I cleared my throat and looked out the window as soon as the car began to move. "Have you done this before?"

I turned to look at him at his question. "What?"

"Have you done this before?" His left eyebrow rose as he turned his face to me, giving me some of his attention. "Have you done this job before? Personal assistant. "

Finally understanding his question, I shook my head. "Oh, no, this is my first time. I've worked with customer care and also in the finance department. But -"

"I'm not interested," he cut me off from the ramble I was about to go into, turning his attention back to his phone. I nodded my head and sank into the car seat. "In as much as this is your first time, I expect top-notch service from you, I don't tolerate slack employees."

"Yes, sir." I noticed his body tense, but I didn't give meaning to it.

The driver had slowed down the car, and that's when I realised the traffic that was building ahead of us. It seemed like this place had changed a lot with how much traffic was in the area. Nine years ago, the roads were so much free, and the time when you'd see minimal traffic was during Christmas time. Other than that, it was a hassle to even cross the road since cars moved without stopping.