Back to Strangers

Chapter 22

Leah

This is not going as planned. I've tried a few things to make Christian aware that I am holding all the cards and that I am making the damn rules, but just as he had promised, he's breaking all of them. I told him that I will not be staying at the cabin for the duration of the project, I will be going home. He accepted that – barely – but demanded one of his people drive me to and from the cabin. That is actually exhausting, because now I have to spend more time in a car to get there and back. I won't admit that to Christian though. 

I also told him that we will be keeping this strictly professional, but the other day when he carried me to the room and sucked on my tits I was so frustrated. Not only because he broke one of the most important rules I had laid out, but also because he left me needy for his touch that I had to get myself off. My pussy was so wet for him that it made me a grumpy bitch for the entirety of the day. I thought wearing skimpy clothes to show him what he can look at, but not touch and tempt him a little, would be a win for me. That plan backfired - clearly - and only left my body needy, yearning for his touch.

Anyway, today is a new day which means a new angle. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve, but all in good time I will execute them. I told him that he will not be bossing me around and if he even thinks to do that, I'll quit and he'll never see me again. Let's see how much he can refrain himself from being a bossy ass since that is basically his entire personality. "Hi there." I greet one of the guys that are working on the bathroom tiles I'm having put in. The vision for the bathroom is a brownish marble tile with dark wood on the walls with sage green details incorporated throughout the space. Sage green is a color both Christian and I like, hence why I incorporated it in my previous design and now the new design too. "Do you know where Mr. Armani is?" 

The guy simply shakes his head before saying, "He left a few minutes ago." I lift an eyebrow. Normally Christian is here the entire day, watching over me like a hawk. Even though he is always on his phone or laptop, I can feel him lurking, burning holes into my entire body whenever I'm in the same room as him. "Did he say where he was going or when he'll be back? Maybe to one of the other guys?"

"Nope." The guy pops his "p". "But he was in quite a hurry. Rushed out of here like he had ants in his pants." The guy laughs at himself and when he sees my expressionless face, he stops and turns to continue with his job. I wander out of the bathroom and into the living room that is also almost complete. It only needs the finishing touches, but I'm still waiting on some of the photo frames I had custom made. Dialing my phone, I call Christian. I don't wait long, because on the second ring he picks up. "Missing me already?" I hear the smirk in his voice. This man's ego needs a little humbling. "Not even a little bit. I'm simply calling to find out if a delivery came for the cabin while I was away?" I lie. He starts to say something, but a voice appears in the background. Before I could hear what the mysterious voice was saying, the sounds were muffled. I can make out it's the voice of a female. I try to keep this feeling of jealousy down. I can't be jealous. We're nothing. He can do whatever he wants with whomever he wants.

Yeah, right. My inner voice calls me out on my lie. I clear my throat and that has him answering, "No delivery. Why? Are you still waiting on something?" He sounds all too casual while he is literally with another woman. Did he rush out of here to get to her? This time it's Christian that fills the silence, "Leah, is everything alright? Do I need to sort this delivery problem out for you, because if they're late on delivering I'll have that company- "

"No need for that, Christian. Nothing I can't handle on my own." I say, surprised at how convincing I sound. That's until he asks, "Why do you sound so different then?" What? He can hear I sound "different." I take in a deep breath, hoping I can will my voice to not sound "different." "What do you mean? I sound fine. Just like myself, thank you very much."

"No. You don't." He states, matter-of-factly. Like that explains anything. "Yeah, and why is that?" I ask. "Well, for starters, your voice has a slight tremble to it. One that anyone else probably wouldn't have picked up on, but I'm not anyone else." I roll my eyes, even though he can't see me. Stupid trembling voice. "Secondly, you would never call me to hear about deliveries when there are about a dozen people at the cabin that could have told you if there were." Damn this guy for stating facts. I would, on any other day, not have called him for something so minuscule. "Thirdly, your voice sounds hoarse, like you're on the verge of crying. Why is that, Leah?" He asks, his voice dropping an octave. The deep tone of his voice sending a shiver down to my core.

I begin to speak before actually putting any thought to my answers. "First, my voice has a tremble, because I'm overly tired from trying to get this project done as soon as humanly possible. Second, I would call about deliveries, because none of these people knows what's going on around them except for what they are paid to know, and that is their job description. Thirdly, my voice is hoarse, because I'm probably coming down with something due to the first statement of being overly tired and now my health is taking a hit." I allow myself to breathe after my word vomit and then end the conversation with, "Now, please continue whatever I interrupted." I hang up as he was about to say something. I sigh, exhausted from that interaction. I can't even remember why I called him in the first place. What was my plan for when he picked up? All I know is, as soon as he answered with that smugness in his voice, my entire plan went up in flames because look what huge turn that call took.

I plop myself down on the couch and allow myself to close my eyes for a few seconds. Then I flutter them open to stop myself from falling asleep. I've got way too much to do. I close them just for a minute again, enjoying the relief behind my eyes. I didn't lie when I told him I was overly tired form trying to get this project done as soon as possible. Being in his presence everyday is starting to make me look forward to seeing him, instead of dreading it like I did at the beginning of all this. I can not have that. Allowing myself to enjoy his company and playful banter will most definitely be a lapse in judgement on my part. Yet, knowing this, I can't help to feel all giddy when he is around. Like we were still just teenagers in love with life. With each other. Then I remember the female voice over the call and a surge of anger course through me. See, lapse in judgement. Here I thought we were moving forward. Dare I even say, working towards building a friendship again. Well...if we'll only ever be friends again, then who am I to stop him from seeing other women?

With that thought, I drift off into a deep slumber, not caring that I have a lot to do and that there are workers all over the place. My mind goes blank and then everything is dark.

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Hi everyone!

Before we start protesting about the "female voice", let's continue to the next chapters and see what it's all about. 😏

Thanks for reading and please vote. It means a lot to me. 💕

All my love, Charne x