Chapter 54 CHAPTER 54
Alina's POV
"Why don't you stop being so memorable, miss Monroe?" The words echoed again.
The third time this afternoon, and 7 times in the last 24 hours.
What did he mean by that? What did he mean ‘stop being memorable?’
Was it part of his tease? His stupid brainless stunts like he’s been doing??
It's been a week since the incident. Since my ...I don't even know what to call it, but the rubbish I did at the pool, and then seeing him again at the house!
It's been a full week since that happened and I must say, i didn't feel the least better than I did before. If anything I felt worse. Kept replaying everything over and over in my head, revisiting the scene, moaning over what I should’ve done and not done!
'Why did I do it?' I keep asking myself.
Like why did I do it, why did I let things get to that point, why did I close my eyes, why did I let his thumb into my mouth and worse...
Why did I freaking enjoy it and can't stop thinking about it almost every night since that day??
I must’ve lost my mind. Completely lost my mind, and sadly, my mind didn’t care one bit. If anything the scene at the pool had been effectively sponsoring all my recent night dreams.
I would be lying if I said I hadn't woken up and touched myself to stupor. Milked the craziness clawing hard at me from within.
Utterly embarrasing.
Cleo would have a field day if I told her any of these or how my sex life has been going so far since her prophecy.
It may as well be now, I couldn't go down to Seraph wing while the workers were all there sweaty and busy. It just worsened my situation all the more, stimulating me in ways I didn't even want to begin talking about.
"So we've finished setting up lighting all around here, here and here?" I asked the engineer, pointing at the final prints of the Seraph wing.
"Yes ma'am," he answered easily, going on to explain how it all felt when everything finally came into place and how I’d love to see it too.
I told you, I didn't go down there while the workers were in there working.
Instead I'd check everything after they were done and ready to go, hence this breakdown from the engineer right now. So I'd at least know what I'm looking at when I get down there. They were done for the day.
"Well, all I can say is good work!" I praised him, smiling. He smiled too. Relaxed. "You've done excellently well, especially to help capture the moment on this aisle. Thank you."
"Oh no, it's all you ma'am.” he gushed, “You did the magic, the corrections, inspections, that's why we were able to get it right."
I laughed.
"Such a flatter. Thank you." I said to him, "So up next are the installations, background set ups, and finally our designers getting into play."
"Absolutely ma'am!"
Hmm.
We were almost done then.
Almost done with the project entirely. After the tools were set up, there was nothing much left to do. Asides inspecting everything, taking last minute checks, practice nights at the wing and then finally launching it!
We were really doing it, almost done.
"I'll just put across every extra provisions to the boss, that way we can speed up the process and get done, okay?"
"Sounds good to me!" The engineer stood up, ready to leave.
"Thank you again Sir Ben!" I called after him, he bowed.
"Thank you again Ma'am!"
And then he was gone. Myself alone in my splendid office, documents everywhere, the air condition buzzing and doing it’s job just right. Without delays, my fingers found my screen and then I put together a full report of everything we’ve done so far, what we were expecting to do, and what we needed currently. After them I sent it to the boss.
The bastard himself.
Roman.
By the time I was officially done, my phone was already blaring with calls from Cleo. Our meet up lunch time.
"I'm coming, I’m coming, I’m coming." I quickly grabbed my stuff, my bag and in no time, I was out. To meet with her.
A couple of minutes, and I arrived at the restaurant. It didn’t take anything to spot her. Left for her dramatic hair-do, the flashy all red outfit she had on head to toe, anyone could tell it was Cleo. It was like she was some fashion God and not a consultant at Boldlines.
Classice Cleo.
"You know, you're getting better and better with this outfit thing," I complimented as I reached her, grinning. But she scoffed dramatically, flipping her hair, ready to shoot out a sassy ass comment for sure.
"Girl, if you got it, you got it. I got it, so I’ll flaunt it!” I laughed, taking my seat. But she continued, “Meanwhile what's the obsession with dark colors, Lina?? Yesterday a dark brown, the day before that dark blue, today a black. What's with you?”
Here we go.
"What's happening with your wardrobe?"
"Nothing's happening, Cleo.” I drawled, “I'm just putting on what my fingers touched first."
"What?"
"Yeah," I shrugged, opening the menu right up. "Some people don't actually spend 2 hours picking an outfit before work, Cleo. I don't."
"Are you freaking kidding me?” She looked at me unimpressed. “This is why you're dressed like a jumbo."
A jumbo?
"I am not a jumbo."
"Why else can't you grab something other than dark colors then?" She stared at me. "Hmm? A white probably? You have white, don’t you?"
White?
I scoffed, "last night I wore a white dress, it didn't end well. I ended up sticking out like a sore thumb at Oxygen, don’t you remember?"
"So once bitten, twice shy?"
"Pretty much, yes." I concluded, smiling as the waitress took my order. By the time I was done, Cleo unimpressed eyes were still on me.
"What," I drawled out, she rolled her eyes.
"Going by your logic, shouldn't you be scared of eating pasta?” She said, throwing me off track for a minute. “Eating pasta in such large portion, I remember you rushing to the restroom over bad sauce from a pasta. Or what about that drink. That cocktail you love, what it's name again?"
I signed, "Sex on the beach,"
“Exactly! That’s the one.” she snapped her fingers, proud. Her eyes on me. Smirking. “You’ve had way too many breakdowns after consuming a few glasses of that cocktail, but I don’t see you quitting. In fact you’ve placed an order for it right now. Am I correct, Alina?”
Damn.
“Am I correct?”
I looked at her. It was turn to be unimpressed now.
“Fine, fine. I get your point.” I said, sighing. “If I can continue giving food and drinks a chance, I should do the same for clothes. For white. I hear you”
“Good,” she remarked, sitting up then. Letting it go. “As long you hear me, it means there’s room for change. I’ll hold on to that.”
“Right,” I muttered, rolling my eyes at her yet again bossy nature. Knowing fully well she was likely to pester me about it tomorrow morning, or even before we leave here.
She meant well regardless.
I was problem.
Anyways our lunch went on without a hinge after that. Cleo immediately chattering all about the happenings at Boldlines, not leaving out Joe’s ‘eagerness’ towards my coming monthly report there at Boldlines.
It was mandatory. Reporting back to the office, after all I still worked there. I just switched locations for a few weeks.
Regardless, I wasn’t in the slightest bit excited about going there.
After lunch with Cleo, we parted ways again. She Boldines, me Oxygen. A sucessful day I’d call it. At least I didn’t manage to get lost in appalling thoughts about men and cocks.
“Miss Alina?” a voice called as soon as I reached my floor, stepping out of the elevator.
“Sir Ben?” I called back, surprised as I walked over. Heading to my office door. “How come you’re here? I thought you left already.”
“Well I did,” he started, agitated. “I did, but we have a problem.”
“Problem? What happened?” I quickly asked, click open my door and ushered him in. The words flowing out of his lips right then.
“The suppliers called, Ma’am. There’s been a mix up with the last batch of orders we made for the tools and they’re insisting for new specifications, or else we wait for another supply.”
“Another supply? But that’s going to take months ranging from the manufacture, delivery and then we sendig new specifications.”
“Exactly ma’am.” he confirmed, sighing. Distressed. “I tried speaking to their manager but he won’t listen to me or take calls. I thought to inform you ma’am. Inform the Boss.”
Hmm.
This wasn’t exactly a very serious matter, but at the same time it had the capacity to become a big deal, big problem for me, and worse, extend the time needed to wrap things up with this project. I wasn’t going to let that happen, no way.
“Sir Ben,” I faced the slightly elderly man, “Thank you for bringing this to my notice, don’t worry about it anymore. I’ll handle it. I’ll speak to the boss directly, it’s no problem.”
“That’s a relief ma’am. No problem.”
“Yeah no problem. You can head home now, you’ve earned it.” I urged him, watching him leave after. Then I went ahead to check the order we sent out for the last batch of equipment and tools needed to set up Seraph.
“They all look normal to me,” I muttered, staring at my screen intently. Making sure to check for anything and everything. “Must be a mix up really. A bad mix up.”
But they had to get our specifications right. They had to get the measurements and branding right, we measured these things. Any issues and they won’t fit.
I needed to speak with the boss.
“I need to go find that bastard.” I muttered, already dreading it. Dreading seeing him again. But still I stood up, grabbed my stuff, necessary documents in case he wanted to strike an attitude. Then I left. Headed to his office. The hallway only he used and occupied.
And although I didn’t want to, I couldn’t stop my mind from replaying all the incidents from that Oxygen night down to the very last minute he walked out on me from the elevator. His words echoing in my head.
And although I’ve asked myself a billion times already, I still asked again.
“What did he mean by ‘stop being so memorable’?”