Learning How to Bend

NaNo Day 9 - Maybe I'll write more today?

"I don't know," he said.

"Let me be perfectly clear." My tone turned gentle. "I know what it's like to be manipulated and used. I know what it is to not meet someone's expectations for you. I expect nothing of you, and I am not going to use you. I've made a name for myself in this company. I don't need to use you. Part of me would rather be home right now, but I'm here. I'd rather work every day at home in a pair of sweatpants, but I don't. I come to the office because you ask me to do so. I don't need you. You don't need me."

That finger twitched again.

"I'm willing to take that risk with you," I said hesitantly. "I sense something in you. Call it what you will. Intuition, maybe. But...if you're willing to take a chance with me, I'd do it with you."

"Okay," he said.

"Is that all you're going to say?" I thought about moving my hand but left it where it was.

"I might want to see where this goes." His finger twitched again, moving just a little closer to mine to capture it between two of his.

"Okay, then." I smiled at him suspecting he probably was not returning the expression. "Just recognize, though, that I'm going to want to get to know you. Not your business, not what you've heard on the news. But you. I'm going to ask questions. Probably a lot of questions because I need to with you. You don't offer information very easily."

"And you do?" His voice was not accusatory, only questioning. Thaddeus had a point, though.

"No." I sighed. "which is why you can ask me questions, too. All I ask is you respect when I don't want to answer, and I'll do the same for you. I haven't done this in over a year...and the last time, things did not go well."

"Acknowledged," he said.

"You have a way with words, you know that?" I smiled and moved my hand away.

"Sarcasm doesn't—"

"First things first, you have to try not to frown at me when I say something that's supposed to be funny."

"I wasn't frowning."

"Maybe not physically, but I heard the judgment in your voice. You have to learn to smile. Really smile. Try it. What's one of your best memories as a child? One that makes you look back with a warmth in your heart?"

"Receiving letters from my best friend while he was away at boarding school," he said simply.

"Channel that feeling and smile. Really and truly smile. It's far more attractive."

"So you don't find me attractive?" There was a hint of amusement in that question, and I thought I could assume there was maybe a turning-up of his lips in the tiniest of smiles.

"Frankly, I find you to be more stubborn than a donkey."

"Did you just call me an ass?" He asked.

"No, I called you a donkey."

"Which is a softer way to call me an ass."

"You can interpret it however you like." I smiled.

He pushed his chair backward and stood. A couple footsteps, and he was by my side, with his hand I assumed outstretched toward me.

"Are we going somewhere?" I asked, clicking to see my suspicions confirmed.

"You made me think of something. I need to get something done at the office."

"Only you would end a date by not taking the girl home and taking her to your work instead." I rolled my eyes, putting my hand in his.

He pulled me up, giving me just enough time to grab my bag from the back of my chair before he escorted me out of the restaurant and to the curb. As soon as we got there, he stiffly removed my hand from the crook of his elbow and tapped a few times on his phone screen. Letting Mike know we were done, I assumed. We remained silent until the vehicle pulled up, at which point he crossed to the other side of the vehicle and got in behind Mike. I followed his example, barely buckling my seatbelt before the car started rolling.

He was true to his word. Mike drove us to the office building, where Thaddeus immediately opened his door to get out, but I grabbed his arm. Shockingly, he stopped moving to wait for whatever I was going to say.

"How long will you be?" I asked.

"Unknown, as of yet." He paused. "Probably an hour."

"Then I'm coming with you," I released his arm and got out of the car before he could protest. "Maybe my help would speed up the process and get you home to sleep."

"What's sleep?"

"Good question; wish I had an answer for you." I smiled half-heartedly. Sleep was a rare commodity for me, as it was for him, except our respective cases of sleeplessness were for entirely different reasons.

We went inside the building together, Thaddeus using a key and his keycard to open one of the back doors. I could tell he was thinking about something, and I did not interrupt his thoughts. We went up his personal elevator to the penthouse office. When the elevator opened, he rapidly clapped twice, which was probably a signal for the lights to come on. He did not wait for me. He crossed the lobby area and went straight to his office, flinging the door open. He would have closed it behind him, but my foot stopped him, as I stuck it in the doorway. I cringed at the stinging numbness in the limb, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

"Let me help you." I enunciated every word.

He moved out of the way so I could enter the large room. I immediately clicked in a few different directions, taking in where everything was, before I sat in one of the chairs across from his desk. Before crossing my hands over my chest, I slipped off my shoes and crossed my ankles.

"What's this about?" I asked as he sat in his minimalist—yet comfortable—leather rolling chair.

"A potential buyout," he said. "I thought of something at dinner, and I wanted to gather my thoughts so I could present them to the board on Monday."

"Hit me up, I'm here to brainstorm."

And so we did. When Thaddeus's phone buzzed, I stepped out of his office to give him some privacy, but I called Katherine's cell as soon as I closed his door behind me. Joe picked up the phone.

"Can one of you go feed Chelise?" I asked. "Maybe take her for a walk, too? I'm still with Thaddeus, and I don't quite know when I'll be getting home."

"Do you mean you're...spending the night with him?"

"Oh, gosh, no!" I blushed at the insinuation. "No, we're at the office. He's going to have his driver take me home afterward."

"How about I just go pick her up and bring her over here?"

"No, not necessary. She'll be fine at home." I needed her there in case I had any nightmares.

"We'll take care of her," Joe said.

"Thanks." I sat down on the leather couch. "I need to go."

"Is he treating you all right?"

"He's Thaddeus Andino. What do you think?" I shook my head. "Yes. He's been fine. I'll catch you and Kat up later."

"Did Kat tell you she's pregnant?" Joe asked, his voice lightening.

"Yes," I laughed. "I went with her to buy the pregnancy tests, and I was with her at her first doctor's appointment."

"And you didn't tell me?!"

"It wasn't my place." A grin spread across my lips.

"I don't like either of you."

"Right," I said. "Bye, Joe."

"Bye, Lil."

We hung up simultaneously, and I stretched to lie down on the couch. I could hear Thaddeus's voice from behind his door; for some reason, the low timbre of his voice was relaxing. Therapeutic, even, as I closed my eyes to let his indistinguishable words roll over me like the soft current of a stream. Taking a deep breath, I relaxed, and before I knew it, my breathing slowed.

The last things I remembered were the door to his office opening. The sound of footprints approaching. Rustling fabric. The feel of something being thrown over the upper half of my body, me instinctively curling into a ball to fit under the covering.

If anything else happened, I did not know, for I drifted off to sleep.