My Ex is My New Boss

Part 13

His gaze examined me intently

"I have to return, the ceremony is about to begin. I will be back here immediately afterwards with your bag..don't you dare leave without me knowing about it!"

His authoritative voice only heightened the frustration I felt.

"Who do you think you are ?! You can't give me orders, you're my boss only during work hours!" I practically screamed at him.

He took a deep breath.
His penetrating gaze was magnetized and it's effect on me, made me move uncomfortably.

"Calm down, Daniela, I'm just trying to make you feel better. I'll arrange for Grandpa's chauffeur to take you home, after you change"

I examined his face, in an attempt to find an ulterior motive.

His eyes stared at me questioningly.
"Why don't you take a break from this feisty mood of yours, and do as I suggested?"

My suspicious look put a devilish smile on his face.

"What do you think I'll do to you, fuck you as soon as you get out of the shower?"

The teasing in his eyes made me involuntarily blush, and my anger only increased.

Visions of Andres and me in that spacious shower jumped to my mind.
I remembered it too well..everything he did to me there, with so much expertise..

Then, I immediately shook off those thoughts.

The sharp look in his eyes, told me that he, too, was thinking about the exact same memories.

His amused look became serious and penetrating for a moment and then he took a deep breath.

"I have to go.  They are waiting for me, I'm supposed to deliver the speech tonight"

"Your grandfather is the one who usually gives these speeches..  I did not get to see him tonight, is everything alright?"
I asked without giving too much thought.

"He is not feeling well tonight, his health has deteriorated recently" Andres replied briefly.

"I'm sorry to hear that, I hope he's okay"

I never liked Mr. de Leon, he always kind of scared me, but I was still saddened to hear that he was ill.

"He has heart problems.  He had a significant heart attack a few years ago ... after ... after you left."

His face became sealed.  I knew how important his grandfather was to Andres, he was his only anchor, after his parents' accident.
Although his mother had a younger brother, who also lived at the De Leon estate with his wife and son and daughter, the one who had cared for Andres since his parents' death, was his grandfather.

An involuntary tremor passed through my body. 

I was once again flooded with memories of all the nightly conversations we had had in this house in the past, in which Andres opened up to me and told me that he had blamed himself for his parents' accident.

I was too young then, I tried to support him but did not really know how.

Although I too experienced my mom's death at a young age, my father and later his second wife, Raquel, gave me all the love and support I needed.

"Get in the shower Daniela, you're shaking." His firm voice left no room for argument.

He tilted his head towards me, his gaze contemplative, and then turned and walked out.

I took a deep breath and then took off my wet dress and underwear, and went into the spacious shower.

I stood for a few minutes in the hot water stream, trying to calm myself.

Andres' renewed presence next to me, and being inside this house, flooded me with memories, once again.

'I need to be stronger.  He always knew how to get under my skin, without even having to do much for that"

I came out of the shower with washed hair and a white towel wrapped around my body.

I went into the closet room and opened the closet that had been used by me in the past.
It was empty, except for two dresses.  My dresses.
I took one off the hanger, it was a plain white dress that I used to wear all the time in the summer, paired with flip-flops.

In the underwear drawer I found some of my lace panties, one of them was white. 
Apparently at the speed with which I packed up the last time I was there, I left them behind.  Or maybe they were in the laundry at the time.

It was weird that my panties stayed in that drawer for five years, and were not thrown away.

After I got dressed, I dried my hair with a towel.

The meticulous hair straightening that Paula worked so hard on earlier, was completely ruined and now my curls were back.

I knew there was no point in looking for a hair dryer, Andres has never bothered to use one, and most annoyingly, his hair has always looked perfect.

I could not resist and opened his closet.  There were some of his clothes, one or two suits and some T-shirts and sportswear.  But their quantity was not large. 
So it turned out that he no longer lived there.

'Stop being so interested in what's going on with him!'  I scolded myself.

'The man took advantage of you!  He used you to gain control of his grandfather's company, for God's sake! '