Charity Night (english)

11

Immediately after Lucas left me alone and confused in my office, I got to work and brought the files he asked for to his room. Then I sat down at my computer again and started processing further orders and also sent Zac the most important emails.

It's now just before noon and I'm a bit tense because I can't even begin to figure out what exactly awaits me at the lunch appointment with Lucas. This man can be extremely charming and I think he knows why I'm on a first-name basis with his brother. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no idea what to tell him and what not to tell him.

Luckily, I'm a lot more productive today than yesterday and have already completed the majority of what I need to do before the break. Which means I can get off work early today.

Maybe I should go out for a drink again and am thinking about asking Chloe and Nadine if we should go to a pub just around the corner later. It would certainly be fun to do something with them again and I could probably distract myself a little from my confused feelings.

With that thought, I get up and go into the open-plan office adjacent to mine and look for Chloe to make my proposal to her. I'll call Nadine later or ask Chloe to do it.

"Hey, are you feeling better today?" my colleague greets me friendly and with an encouraging smile. "Yes, thank you and since Mr. Hyde isn't in the house today, hopefully that won't change that quickly. Did you have it today? "Is there something going on at work? We could go out for a beer or something together again?" I reply cheerfully.

"That sounds wonderful, should we ask a few other colleagues?" "Sure! Can you maybe take over? I have a meeting at lunch with the other Mr. Hyde." I ask her, hoping she won't ask me any questions about it.

With a big grin and wiggling eyebrows, Chloe nods at me and motions her head to indicate that the young man in question has already walked up behind us. "I don't like interrupting the ladies while they're chatting and I don't want to disturb their evening plans, but I think we both have a date now, if I'm not mistaken."

A date? A little confused, Chloe looks between me and Lucas and gives me a look that means - I want to know exactly what's going on here.

But what should I answer her? His statement confused me and took me by surprise.

A few minutes later, when we sat down at the table in my favorite café, an oppressive silence fell. I probably just misinterpreted the whole thing anyway and he just meant this saying as a joke.

"Tell me something about yourself..." Lucas interrupts my thoughts and I'm taken aback by him once again. "What should I tell you? I thought we were here to work?" I add a little quieter and look up at him shyly.

His attitude is at least as intimidating and dominant as his brother's, but his eyes radiate such warmth that it can somehow have a calming effect on you.

He thoughtfully lowers his gaze to the tabletop and is silent for a moment. Just as he is about to start talking again, the tall, blonde waiter approaches our table and I watch his tattooed arms curiously. He winks at me and I smile slightly at him.

Right now I'd rather do anything than look at Lucas.

A clearing of the throat brings me back to the table and the young man turns to Lucas, who simply orders for the two of us. "We get two pints of local beer and two chicken sandwiches each." His eyes tell the waiter that he is no longer needed here and he quickly disappears around the corner.

"Do you think it's okay to flirt with the waiter when you're here with me?" he asks me in a rough voice and I wonder what flirting is supposed to mean.

"Um, I didn't know that it's already forbidden to look at someone and besides, it's still up to me WHO I flirt with and WHEN, right?" I say sullenly what's on my mind. " Well, that may be true in principle, but it's pretty rude to do that when we're on a date here, isn't it?" He asks me a counter question. "I didn't know this was supposed to be a date. According to what you said this morning, it's a meeting about an order." I try to point this out to him.

The corners of his mouth twitch with amusement and mischief flashed in his eyes. "Good counterattack, I'll give you that, but if I'm honest, it was just an excuse to buy you something to eat. You most likely wouldn't have said yes if I had asked you out on a date, knowing that I'm basically your boss. Or am I wrong?"

I watch his face carefully, trying to figure out whether he's just kidding me or really serious, but I can't detect any irony.

"No, if I'm honest you're actually very right. "I'm not really interested in dating anyone at the moment, so the fact that you're my boss just makes it easier for me." I reply with brutal honesty, trying to ignore the fact that my body is telling me something completely different it's just these Hyde brothers in themselves that draws me to them?

"Wow, I don't know the last time I was rejected so clearly, but please explain one thing to me... Why do I get the feeling that it's just your head talking and your eyes and your body something reflect completely different? I see how you look at me and I feel the goosebumps that spread on your arm when I do this..." he slowly runs his fingertips over the skin on my forearm and immediately exactly what happens he previously described.

I want to slap the smug, knowing grin off his face, but since I was raised differently by my parents, I stop myself and put my hands in my lap.

"Lucas, I beg you. Stop it! I would really like it if we could leave this on a purely business level." I try to reject him again and to my surprise he nods sadly and concentrates on his beer. "I hope you change your mind, Charlotte !" and then he adds quietly, almost inaudibly. "I really hope so!"