Hotline Fling

New Arrangements

Daring a big move to get Luke attention was the easiest part. Standing in his lair, Jasmine felt a lot less confident. The difference in her neighbor's lifestyle stroke as soon as she set foot in his apartment. The place was similar to hers but bigger and hardly decorated, just the bare minimum. In different places of the big rooms piles of boxes half unpacked lied untouched. The tenant seemed to be only sleeping at a place millions would kill to live in.The apartment's large windows offered a majestic view on the Empire State Building, the best you could see in this area.
-"What is it you wanted to talk about?"
Freed from his heavy outerwear, Luke wasn't looking any less intimidating. The tiredness on his face gave him a severe appearance contrasting with his soft husky voice. He sat in the sofa inviting Jasmine to do the same, his intense gaze all focused on her.
-"Right. it's about our.. ahem...collaboration."
-"Exact. The reason why you couldn't wait for a poor man to rest.What about it?"
-"I had no other options I looked for you everywhere but nobody really knows where you've been this past... days?..."
-"Tokyo. My flight landed two hours ago and I just got home as you can see." Luke said.
-"Oh.."
-"Water?"
-"No, thanks."
-"Are you sure? You look pale." Luke said, pouring her some water anyways.
-"I just had a rough day. I'm hoping it will get better with your help Mr Black"
-"I'm all ears."
-"Why me? I know you have much more experienced people under you so why do you want me to work on such an important task?"
-"Oh." Luke raised a brow. "you figured it out, I'm impressed."
-"That you were the one behind the sudden change of mind of my hierarchy? How could I not? Two weeks ago I didn't know you and all of a sudden Ed wants me to be a part of a major project. Ed would never just throw opportunities at me."
-"Indeed. I would keep that in mind... chuckles "
Jasmine couldn't help but feeling irritated by his laid back attitude.
-"Mr Black I understand this could be a a good opportunity for me but I only want to be a section manager. That's why I've been working restlessly for for the last 3 years and the position was finally mine. Is it possible to just let me do that? I'm sure other people would kill to be working under you.''
-"Oh, so you thought we'd be offering you that position?''
Jasmine's face lost its colors . Luke was still having his unimpressed looks, only half interested in the conversation.
-"-Excuse me..? But the board said..Who..who else could be more suitable for that..."
-"I don't know, maybe Nancy?"
Jasmine jumped off the sofa. Her heart was beating so fast that she couldn't think of anything logical to say.
-"You! You have no rights to do that!"
-"Until proven otherwise I can still take care of those matters Miss Barnes and I think Nancy is more than capable of holding the position. She is the oldest employee and is rather respected. I don't see why I wouldn't trust her. Unless you know something that I should be aware of?"
Jasmine could barely contain her emotions anymore.  The board never thought of her for the position? Or was it Luke's doing?  Never in her professional life, in her whole life had she felt so defenseless. Had it been a valid candidate perhaps, but Nancy ??  Her results were much better and by far!  What happened to the rumors saying she wasn't working for the company anymore?  Her trembling fingers could not contain the glass of water any longer. The delicate crystal container slipped from her hand and spread on the ground in a burst of noise and pieces.
     - "Don't move!"  He ordered, looking at the threatening and sharpened bits of glass laying all around her.
     - "I have much better results than her!"  Jasmine didn't even seem to have heard the din caused by her clumsiness. - "I .. I may have less experience but I signed  more clients in just three years she nobody ever did!"
     - "We will discuss it later Miss Barnes, would you mind coming this way please?"
Luke's warnings failed to get Jasmine out of her trance: Her pale face and empty eyes reflected a real problem.  Luke reduced the distance between them with a quick step, just in time to hold the young woman who was losing her balance.  His gesture, although abrupt, was totally justified: Jasmine clearly unbalanced  grabbed his shoulders as she felt her legs weaken.  Luke barely had enough time to correct his fall on the couch behind her and couldn't stop his own body to be dragged along.  In the center of the cosy apartment, the improbable scene of their body dangerously close reinforced the heavy silence.  Jasmine completely forgot to breathe, as the masculine and intense scent of Luke intoxicated her senses. Staring at each other in silence, it looked like twenty minutes had passed without either of them being able to move, for fear of breaking the magic.  These strong and vigorous arms had prevented her from collapsing on the sharp blades of what  the crystal glass once was, and these same arms now held her with such tenderness that she was submerged.  In his eyes she even thought she perceived genuine concern for her for a moment.
     - "Jasmine ..." his voice came to her like a whisper.  Hearing him pronounce her name so close that she could feel his breath on her skin, a curious wave of indescribable emotions knotted her throat.
     - "you are hot! Do not tell me that you went working like this!"
Her mind echoed Luke's words without her being able to decipher their meaning.  Despite her efforts to get up it seemed that the ceiling was getting dangerously close to the ground.  Unable to find an answer, she just stammered some inaudible excuses before finally giving in to the immense wave of fatigue that had shaken her aching body.