Liar

16

I sunk down into the chair a little more, pulling the laptop up on my stomach slightly. Editing these videos was the most irritating thing. Recording them was easy. Play it slow once, then again and then put it all together. The editing was combining a voice over and that had to line up with the pauses I added it, highlighting keys and talking about hand placement.

I don't even know when I learned piano or the guitar come to think of it. They both kind of just appeared in my knowledge bank one day it seemed. I don't remember picking it up or sitting and hitting keys for hours. It just kind of happened. As a teen I used to enjoy playing for fun, I guess it had kind of stuck with me since. Because even now, I loved playing even if it was for recording. Those days always tended to get away from me. I'd sit in the sitting room for hours, playing out new songs I'd found online, looking them up so I could make a tutorial on them. I'd record 5 or 6 at a time, spend the next day or 2 recording audio and then lunch times for the next week putting it all together.

So here I was, Friday afternoon, the office was almost completely empty today. Apparently they'd made a big sale and Mark gave them the chance to take a half day, obviously most of them took it. I hadn't. I was just around. Mark had some meetings so it was always handy to be here and grab his minutes as Ellen finished them so I could sort them over the week for him.

For once, I wasn't going out tonight. I was giving my body a break from the constant intaking of guys. Perfectly timed really because dad had dropped on me yesterday that he wanted me to come to some gala dinner with him and Emmett at the end of the month. I hadn't built up the courage to ask him for a pay rise yet but going to this gala might give me a good in for it. If I can be seen discussing taking on other jobs with competitors, he might do it without me needing to ask for it. Win win.

"What you working on?" I looked up quickly, hitting pause on the video and audio clip.

"Oh, just one of my courses." He tried to peek over the laptop but I pulled it to. "What's up?"

"Nothing. You're quiet today. You've just been sat here for the past like 2 hours."

"Not much to do for your dad right now. I'll wait until his meetings are over, grab the minutes and work on them but there wasn't much he needed this morning."

"So why didn't you take the afternoon off like everyone else?"

"Did you hear me say I needed the meeting notes?"

"I did. You could have gotten them next week." I stared at him. "You work too hard."

"I work the right amount. Now, anything I can help you with or can I go back to making use of my time?"

He looked around the room, sitting down as close to me as he possibly could. No hoodie today. No denim jacket. A light navy-blue tee-shirt and white pants that made me anxious just looking at them. White is not a colour I could wear casually. I'd ruin them. I'm too clumsy with drinks and food. I was always a little more pent up on Fridays, anticipation for whoever it would be building up early on. My brain hadn't gotten the memo that tonight it wasn't happening and being around Asher was not helping the situation.

I'd spent 2 weeks pushing our night together to the back of my mind. A conscious decision I had to keep making every time he showed up. I couldn't lie. He didn't have to do anything to turn me on. From his smile to just the way he stands, just all of him made me completely, embarrassingly weak.

"I'm trying to work out what's up with you today."

"Nothing's up with me today."

"You're quiet."

"Busy." I turned back to the video, hitting play and continuing to check everything lined up right, moving things when they didn't. He sat quietly whilst I worked, watching closely. I could feel his brain ticking as we both watched my hands moving on the piano keys.

"You play?"

"No this is just made up. CGI." I caught him smirking in my peripheral vision, sending a shiver down my spine as my core clenched. "Is there something I can do for you Asher or are you just here to piss me off again?"

"I don't piss you off Victoria. You know I don't."

"Pissed off is what I'm feeling right now so I'd be tempted to disagree."

"I don't think it's me pissing you off." I rolled my eyes, sitting up straight and half turning to him.

"Okay, I'll bite. If you're not pissing me off what is?"

"I think you're pissed at yourself for not letting yourself have me." I stared at him for a few moments. That stupid cocky smirk on his lips almost making me regret letting him take me home in the first place. Almost. Not entirely. I don't think I'd ever be able to regret it. Not really. But with his tinted green eyes staring back into mine, I swallowed down my lust for him. I was not breaking anymore rules for him.

"You know, if your head gets any bigger you might actually float away. Like a hot air balloon. Just, oop, bye Asher." I waved my hand in the air. "But then again, you'd be out of my sight so might be a good thing. Please keep going." His smirk turned into a smile, churning my stomach until I felt a little sick.

"You telling me not to stop isn't something I thought I'd hear for a few more weeks."

"Oh ha-ha." I rolled my eyes again, turning back straight in my seat.

"If you want to roll your eyes again Tori, at least let me take you to the bathroom babe." I scoffed, acting like that wasn't the one thing I'd been thinking about since I first saw him in those damn white pants at 9am this morning. 5 hours I'd been running over a quickie with him. How easy it would be in this skirt. Leg up on the counter, watching him in the mir- stop. Stop Tori. It's not happening. Not a chance. "I've seen that blush on you before. Glass of champagne in hand and you were whispering in my ear as I told you I could have your dress off."

"I'm actually thinking about the guy I had on Saturday." I turned my head to face him again, flicking my hair a little dramatically. His jaw clenched a little and I decided now was the time to bring this home and make it perfectly clear how little it actually meant. Sure, it was a lie. That didn't matter. Making him take a step back did. "It's bizarre you know, I didn't know I could be that flexible." His smile slowly faded, face turning a tinted shade of red. "At one point I was convinced I was dying. Got to admit, my throat was a bit sore Saturday morning." He stood up, pulling the laptop off my lap and dropping it onto the sofa beside me carefully. "I'm work-"

"Up."

"What? No."

"Get up Tori before I throw you over my fucking shoulder." Shit. Too far. I took it too far.

"I'm not getting up." He scowled, grabbing for my wrist and pulling me to my feet. "Asher-"

"Quiet."