𝐄𝐃𝐆𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐇 | 𝓙𝓪𝓿𝓲𝓮𝓻 𝓟𝓮𝓷𝓪 |

~ 14 ~

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:

Back in Los Angeles, I found myself reflecting on the whirlwind that had been our last few days in Europe. The trip, surprisingly, had been pleasant. Javier had been unusually kind, making the entire experience more enjoyable than I had anticipated. Mark, Sarah, Javier, and I had spent time exploring the city, sampling local cuisine, and even indulging in some tourist activities. It was a stark contrast to the tension that usually lingered between Javier and me.

But now, standing in Peña's Agency building on a Thursday morning, I felt a mix of emotions. I had come in early, eager to get started on the day's tasks. Before heading to Javier's office, I decided to grab some coffee from the cafeteria. As I approached, I noticed Javier laughing with a group of four women.

I felt an unexpected surge of anger. He was using his signature charm, lightly touching their arms and backs, winking, even biting his lower lip in that way that seemed to drive women wild. I tried to rationalize my feelings—he wasn't anything to me but a colleague, a client. Was he even a friend? Maybe I had misread everything. Maybe he was just being nice because I was his lawyer, and no one wants to have issues with their lawyer.

Frustrated, I decided to skip the coffee and head straight to Javier's office. I waited outside, trying to calm my racing thoughts. After a few minutes, Javier appeared with one of the women from the cafeteria. He had one hand in his pocket and the other holding a cup of coffee. The woman was clearly trying to get his attention, though Javier seemed only mildly interested, offering her a polite smile.

"Would you like to go out later?," she asked, her voice dripping with feigned shyness.

Javier chuckled, caressing her cheek. "I'd love to," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "I'll wait for you in my car after work."

I watched as Javier stood there, his eyes following the woman's figure until she disappeared around the corner. He then turned and entered his office, leaving the door ajar. My anger bubbled up again. Without thinking, I stood and followed him inside.

Javier was sitting at his desk, a lit cigar in hand. He smiled when he saw me, but I didn't return it. "We need to review the statistics of the new clients in Europe," I began, my voice clipped.

Javier frowned. "What's wrong, Madison?"

"Nothing," I replied curtly, flipping through the pages of my report. "As I was saying, the new clients—"

Javier interrupted again. "Madison, something's clearly bothering you."

Ignoring him, I stood up and walked over to the large glass windows, opening them to let in a light breeze. "You shouldn't smoke in closed spaces," I said over my shoulder.

When I turned around, Javier was right in front of me, his arms on either side of the window, cornering me. He didn't say anything, just stared at me as if trying to read my thoughts through my eyes. "You're acting like you did at the start of our trip," he finally said. "When you were mad at me."

"I'm not mad," I insisted. "I'm just doing my job."

I tried to move past him, but he stepped closer, leaving even less space between us, our faces almost touching. "I remember the first day you came to my office," he said softly. "You were behaving like this because of the girl you saw leaving my office. Is it because of the girl I was with just now? I didn't even see you there."

I scoffed, denying it vehemently. "You can fuck whoever you want, Javier. I don't have a say in your life."

Javier smiled knowingly. "Tell me the truth, Madison."

"It's unprofessional to sleep with coworkers," I snapped. "How many girls are on your list?"

Javier gently grabbed my jaw, forcing me to look at him. "Maybe you're mad because you want to be on that list," he murmured.

I pushed him away, returning to the desk, my heart pounding. I heard the door click shut, and then felt Javier's breath on my neck. I froze, my mind racing.

"Madison," he whispered, his lips brushing my ear. "Why are you so upset? You need to tell me."

I turned to face him, anger and confusion swirling inside me. "Why are you playing with me, Javier? One minute you're kind and caring, the next you're flirting with every woman you see."

He sighed, stepping back slightly. "I'm not playing with you, Madison. But I need to understand why this bothers you so much," he said, amd it's true, we are not anything.

I clenched my fists, trying to steady my breathing. "It's...it's just unprofessional. And it's distracting."

He's true though, we are not anything, I'm acting as if I was his girlfriend and I felt really jealous.

Javier looked at me, his expression softening. "Distracting? I don't think it's any distracting, it's my personal life, it has anything to do from our work."

His words let me know what he really thought. I was nothing more than his lawyer. I had no part in his life, and for some reason I wanted to be a part of his life.

"It's not good for your professional image," I tried to explain, but his intense gaze made me nervous.

He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. "Are you saying that as my lawyer?" he asked, and I just nodded. "Are you sure?"

"Peña, I already told you that this relationship should stay profesional, you already fucked me so you can cross me from your list," I said trying to keep serious. "I cane here to talk about work, not sbout how I feel."

He stepped closer again, his hand reaching up to cup my cheek. "Maybe you are so special that you are on my list of 'wanting to repeat'."

I narrowed my eyes unable to believe what he was saying. "Are you kidding me? Another list?"

"Honestly you just inaugurated that list," his hand continued on my cheek, and his gaze dropped to my lips.

My heart was beating uncontrollably, and I didn't know how to feel about his last comment, but I couldn't fall for it. If I fell for it, I was going to hurt myself, just like the first time.

"Fuck you Javi," I turned around to gather my things. "I'll email you all the information this afternoon."

I left his office closing the door behind me and reached for the elevator.

What the hell did he want from me? Is he never going to mature? He was thirty years old as I could see on the documents. Me, as a twenty seven year old, I'm definetely not looking for just a fling.

[To be continued...]