Chapter 22

**CHLOE DUARTE**

I remember the shirt in my hands and quickly return it as I feel our fingers lightly touch it.

“Thank you for lending it to me, it was a very kind gesture!", I thank him and see him smile.

“People don't usually call me nice, you were the first, Chloe!"

“But despite keeping the mask and posture of a cold and serious businessman, I know that you have a kind side, since you have the intention to help people who need it the most."

James remains silent while looking at me, maybe I have exaggerated again by meddling in his personal life, but he doesn't scold me, he just keeps staring at me in a way that only he knows how.

“Well, if that's all you wanted to clarify with me, I need to get back to work.", I stand up and see that he does the same.

“Everything okay for lunch?", I can't control the shudder that radiates through my body when I reach the door and realize that he is just inches away from me.

“Yes!"

“Have a nice morning, Miss Duarte!", I notice his displeasure as he calls me formally again.

I honestly like the way my name sounds on his lips, but it's necessary to maintain professionalism if we want to have a good relationship between employee and boss.

“I wish the same to you, sir...", I say before walking through the door and back to my office.

As I notice the beautiful rose on my desk, I hurry to get a glass of water and put it inside, I finish turning on the computer and wait for the next instructions of the day made by James.

**JAMES COLUCCI**

What I told Chloe before she left was true.

It may be very wrong, but I don't regret anything that happened inside my car in the early hours of yesterday morning.

I have never been involved with any of my employees since I founded this company with sweat and blood, not mixing sex with work was a law of great value and one that I have always tried to follow.

Of course, I have been involved in one”night stands with some clients, but never with female employees of the company.

But what I most feared is happening and it is scaring the hell out of me, I must continue to follow my law and try not to get involved with Chloe Duarte.

It is a mission impossible, I know what I will face to put an end to this unbridled desire, the problem starts when the Brazilian woman doesn't leave my thoughts.

I have had pleasure with thousands of women, but none have left me in this state that Chloe is leaving me in.

It is disturbing, I need to resolve this as soon as possible so that I can move on with my life in peace.

My body screams that the solution to these problems would be a good long night killing all this desire we feel for each other, but I know that if I allow myself to sleep and move on with her, this desire will only grow stronger and stronger until there is no solution at all.

And on the contrary, my slightly crazy mind tells me to try at all costs to get her out of my head by occupying myself with someone else.

But the other problem is that I don't get romantically involved with anyone, this is part of another law that I have also followed forever.

I don't believe in this disturbing thing called love, I came to disbelieve it when I saw several couples fighting and the marriage ending in a divorce.

That's what happened with my parents during my illness, their love was so beautiful to admire, but it all went down the drain when my mother started getting involved with other guys.

Her cheating on my father was painful to watch, but the worst was being rejected by my mother after being diagnosed with a type of cancer at an early age.

I always loved my mother, but the love dissipated when I started to be ignored and mistreated by the woman who was supposed to love and protect me.

She kept saying that I didn't deserve to have a sick child who always got worse and ended up going back to the hospital.

I even came to believe and agree with her, it was killing me from the inside out, and having a mother who doesn't show love when I need it the most only made my situation worse.

I still remember well crying and asking my father to call my mother when I was having one of the horrible consequences of the medicine and chemotherapy.

I couldn't blame my dad for what was happening to her, he loved her too much and didn't mind suffering through the pain of being betrayed if she was still by his side. But he was a good man and he wasn't taking all that either, so they divorced when I was still sick.

Lying and crying silently in the hospital bed while my father slept awkwardly in the armchair next to him, I wondered why love ended when least expected.

The lack that I missed my mother only made my situation worse with my illness, my condition was becoming more and more critical, even I had lost my hopes.

Maybe love exists, and only the lucky ones can enjoy the overwhelming feeling.

But I live in the real world, where no kind of love will save you from death or anything bad.

I live in the real world where I can live without fear of hurting someone or hurting myself, I live in a world where there are no promises...

When my mother divorced and left home with some guy, I still remember the cold night when my father and I spent the whole early morning crying together.

I asked him why he was still suffering if she had hurt him so much, and he answered me that one day I would love someone so much that I would understand his situation, and that I would not stop loving someone special so easily.

I kept waiting my whole life for this person, but she didn't come and I prefer to believe that it will be like this from now on.

No expectations of living a great epic love, I just want a life without pain, I want a life without difficulties where I can be free...

This is what I do when I pick up my cell phone and log into social media, I hate it, but it will be necessary if I want to get Chloe out of my thoughts.

My fingers scroll across the screen to a photo of Anna Krinsk, a friend and influencer who is in New York promoting her makeup brand.

If to get you out of my head I have to occupy myself with other available women, then so be it...

Sighing, I check the time on the computer and see that there are only a few minutes left to meet James and go to the restaurant I have booked in a fancy part of town.

I am building up courage when I hear the ring of the company phone, I am ready to answer Mr. Colucci with his orders, but I am surprised by a female voice laden with an accent.

“Hello, I am trying to get in touch with James, but I am not able to at the moment..."

“Can you tell me your name, please?", I ask, taking a sheet of paper from my notebook ready to take a message.

“Anna Krisnk. He called me a few hours ago, but I couldn't answer because I was in an important meeting, could you put him through?", I notice again the accent in her thin voice and soon catch myself trying to guess which country she came from.

“I am sorry Miss Krinsk, but Mr. Colucci is not in the office at the moment, but I can let you know when he returns..."

I write down the woman's name on the paper trying to find out who it is, I could easily pass the call to James, but he is not in since he told me by e”mail that he would be in town and back soon.

“Ask him to contact me again, tell him I miss him and that I am staying in New York if he wants to see me, I am free tomorrow night..."

I write everything down on paper like a good assistant, but I bite the cap of the pen, irritated with the way her last sentence came out.

But I realize that this is one of her ”sex friends".

"I'll pass the message on to him, Miss Krinks...", I force myself to say, listening to her breathing on the other end of the call.

For a moment I catch myself imagining this Anna, I am sure that she is a busty blonde and filthy rich woman.

A person who would be a perfect match for him...

But what catches my attention is that she said he came to her first this morning, could it be after our conversation?

“Thank you, cutie!", a frown forms on my face as I hear her honeyed thanks.

I hang up the call still thinking about this woman in her connection with James.

Stop it, Chloe!

Your boss's personal life has nothing to do with your...

I stop thinking straight when my eyes are drawn to the two agendas on the desk left by James' former assistant.

I don't listen to my thoughts as I open the first green ribbon diary, scouring every leaf and pretty looking for any Anna.

I find many women with that name, but none with the last name of Krinsk.

It is as I thought and suspected, this woman is not any client or person professionally involved with the company.

I open the red book quickly and search for the same information, in a moment of searching like this I don't even care if Mr. Colucci walks through the door at any moment.

A victorious smile forms on my lips when I finally find the correct name, but I wipe the smile off my face when I notice that the woman's name and contact details are underlined by an eye”catching text mark.

Few names have this detail about them, meaning that they are special to him in some way...

I close the notebook, snort, and open the computer browser, wrong, but what the hell!

I was right to imagine her blonde when thousands of pictures of a famous influencer and owner of a make”up chain fill the screen.

I scroll down the screen paying attention to each picture, the woman is stunning, like she is part of the Kasdashias”Jenner family.

In addition to the attention”grabbing beauty, the woman is a wealthy businesswoman who is currently well known for her brand.

This makes me wonder if this is the type of woman James is attracted to, a person of the same social class and with the same financial occupation.

While I wait for James to return to the company, I take care of some things he has left behind and when I am done, I spend my free time trying to find out more about the woman and investigate the other names underlined in the red agenda.

It feels strange to be doing this, but I can't control myself when I need more information regarding my grumpy boss.

Among the few names marked by a text marker, I search for all these women on the Internet, but not all of them are as publicly known as Anna is.