Desire and Virtue-Series One

A calm before the storm

'Ping- Ping- Ping,' Chloe rolled over in annoyance, slamming the top of the alarm clock. "Babe, come on! Why you always got a morning rage?" her hubby asked calmly. Chloe picked up her phone and started checking her social media, not paying her husband any mind. He started caressing her face, pushing her hair behind her ears, "Babe, you seem so tense lately, are you okay?" She shrugged at him, and moved her face away from his hands. Duke was accustom to his wife ignoring him when she was in a bad mood, but he wasn't about to leave her this morning. "Hey look at me, I'm supposed to listen to your problems and support you," Duke insisted, then grabbing her phone. "I don't feel like talking; my boss is getting on my last nerves and my mother and sister is on my back about applying for assistant manager," Chloe said under her breath. Duke sat up on the bed, "are you kidding? you're perfect for that position, you've been with 'American Eagle (EA)' for several years, not to mention your drive and passion for your job." "Great, now you're on my back too, I just want to be left alone Duke, can't you understand that?" Chloe remarked. Before he could answer, Chloe implied, "I know you're going to ask me, why you're now hearing about this, but I honestly only found out two days ago, and I wasn't sure what the opening meant for me." Duke rolled over to her side of the bed and hugged her gently, "I know you're stressed out, and I don't want to pressure you, so you should really do what you think is best." Chloe glared at him and then looked at the sunrise through their huge glass door and said, "and that's exactly what I'm going to do." In a sudden burst of excitement, Chloe jumped from the bed, "Wow, I just remembered, it's my boss's birthday today, and I have some stuff to get before work." Duke grinned a bit and said, "Well I guess you better get going then."

Chloe walked in to work, her usual time; her heels knocking on the floor, her hair swaying with her hips, her smile and greetings to her colleagues- polished. "Aey Chloe, Nigel been in there with this guy for a minute, you might want to check him out," hinted Lex, with his head leaning towards their boss' office. Chloe grinned, "you know very well, you can't call him Nigel in his face." Lex chuckled and immediately went back to his desk.
As Chloe got closer to her boss's office, she saw a tall figure, standing at the furthest end of his office. "Good morning boss, is everything checked out for your big day?" asked Chloe in excitement. "Of course, but I'll like you to meet my long-time friend and business partner, Dexter Coverley," Nigel responded. As their arms reach outward, Chloe and Dexter's hands awkwardly clashed, before they shook hands professionally. Chloe looked down, appearing a bit nervous and said, "Pleasure to meet you, Mr Coverley." Dexter nodded in return, his smile as vibrant as the sunlight shimmering through the blinders. "Well, as you know, we're recruiting individuals for assistant manager, and Dexter is one of the members of the team, to ensure the right person gets the job," gestured Nigel as he pat Dexter on his shoulders. "Yes, and I'm sure, you guys would choose the best!" Chloe said as she looked sharply at her boss.

Sitting at her desk, she caught herself constantly glaring at Dexter through her boss' glass window. She couldn't help but notice his broad shoulders, on his tall and muscular frame. He cast a shadow that was as large as the room, and his clothes neatly rested on his body. Chloe's eyes, got caught on Lex's, when he passed by her desk, "Girl are you okay?"
"Oh my gosh, Lex, leave me alone, don't you have work to do," Chloe said as her hands gestured for him to go away. A few minutes passed by, and Dexter was on his way out of the office. Chloe immediately positioned herself, upright on her chair, pretending to fix her eyes on her computer. As he passed, her legs shook awkwardly under her desk, and her heart raced. This was a strange and new feeling for Chloe. Working in the industry for years around so many attractive men, she had no idea why this was different.
'Ping,' her phone went off, it was a text from her husband. It read, "Babe you ran out so fast this morning, I hope everything is going great at work, with your boss' birthday and everything else. Have a great day, I love you." Smiling as she read the message, she quickly came out of the trance Dexter had somehow managed to lay on her. As she clicked the reply button, her colleagues gestured to her that it was time to head to the meeting room, to celebrate Nigel's big day. She powered off her phone, and shifted all her files aside, in a haste to get everything together. "Happy birthday to you!" the entire office sang. Nigel's face filled with delight and happiness. "Thanks a lot guys, this means a lot to me. Even though we do the same thing every year," Nigel grinned, "I would always appreciate this." Everyone then clustered together, with their wine glasses in hand to take a snap for his Instagram. At that job it's all about keeping up with events and appearances. It was Chloe's job to ensure the scenery was perfect for the pictures; and perfection was exactly what she produced. Chloe and Nigel didn't always see eye to eye, but their relationship was certainly what any boss and assistant would strive for. "You did it once again girl, every year you bring at least one new idea to my birthday celebration, I appreciate you," Nigel exclaimed, giving Chloe a high-five.