Harry and Arianna - Chapter 4 - Her New Man

Harry and Arianna - Chapter 4 - Her New Man
"You should give me another chance."

"I'm good, Mr. White," Arianna drawled, desperately trying to ignore him as she deleted unread emails from her inbox.  

"I wasn't thinking straight when I said what I said."

"Just so we're clear. Are you referring to when you said I came with too much baggage?" Arianna challenged.

"I'm sorry, Arianna, but I was going through a lot with my ex, and then you were going through your issues with your parents. It was a little too much."

"And what's changed now?"

Pierce blankly stared at Arianna.

"That's what I thought. Please leave my desk. You're distracting me from my work."

"I'm not leaving until you accept my apology."

"Your apology is accepted. Don't forget to join us for Bingo on Friday night. Have a great day, Mr. White."

Arianna's eyes widened when Pierce stormed around her desk and invaded her personal space. Before he could plead his case, a throat cleared in front of them. Her head snapped to the side, and she groaned at the menacing look on Harry's face. She could only imagine how their current position could be...troublesome. Pierce was hovering over her with both hands on the armrest of her office chair, effectively caging her from escaping. Arianna was leaning away as far as possible, clearly not okay with Pierce's advance.  

"H-Harry," Arianna stuttered.  

"Rose...why don't you introduce me to your friend?" he replied with a wide smile. Arianna released a heavy sigh. This wouldn't go well at all. Pierce reluctantly pulled away, finally allowing her room to breathe.  

"Harry...this is Mr. White. Mr. White...this is Harry...my partner," Arianna confessed.

"Partner? What the hell do you mean?" Pierce demanded. 

"Harry and I are...dating?"

Harry shot Arianna an exasperated look. She didn't mean to sound so unsure, but their relationship was complicated. Honestly, it didn't feel like they were dating. They were definitely lacking in the romance department, and Harry felt more like a caregiver than a lover. It was no fault of either of their parts, but the awkwardness persisted because their relationship hadn't formed organically.  

"Dating? Really? Why didn't you say that?"

"I shouldn't have to reveal my relationship status to you in order to get you to leave me alone. The fact that I told you to move along should've been enough. I shouldn't have to give you a reason," Arianna expressed.  

"Wow," Pierce scoffed. "It didn't take long for you to move on, huh?"

Arianna opened her mouth to respond when Harry cut her off.

"Mr. White, let's head downstairs to the bar and have a chat," Harry offered.

Arianna opened her mouth to tell Harry the bar wasn't open yet, but clamped it shut when Harry shot her a stern look.  

"Fine. I could use a stiff drink," Pierce said before heading towards the elevator.

"Lovely," Harry replied with a devilish grin as he followed behind Pierce.  

"Harry," Arianna whisper shouted as she ran behind the men. "Harry! I know you hear me."

The two men boarded the elevator, and Arianna attempted to board with them but was softly pushed out by Harry.  

"Harry! Don't!" 

Harry sent Arianna a playful wink before the doors closed.

"Shit!" Arianna yelped as she ran towards the stairwell.  

"Arianna!" one of the guests shouted, grabbing her attention.  

"Yes, Mrs. Vandiver?"

"Do you have a moment to escort me to the spa while we discuss you potentially planning my daughter's Sweet Sixteen?"

Arianna was conflicted. On the one hand, she knew most likely than not that Pierce's mangled body would be discovered downstairs. But on the other hand, Mr. and Mrs. Vandiver had fat pockets, and they're the kind of folks you don't say no to. Pierce brought it on himself.

"Sure," Arianna agreed, linking her arm with Mrs. Vandiver.  



"Where are you?" Arianna hissed into the phone.

"I'm meeting with your boss in his office. You are free to join me."

"What happened to Mr. White?"

"Please make haste, Rose," Harry said before hanging up the phone.  

Arianna let out a low growl and scurried to Mr. Bruce's office.  

"Rose, thanks for joining us," Harry commented, standing to his feet. He gently kissed her cheek and pulled out a leather cushioned chair for her. Arianna lowered herself to the seat, warily eyeing Harry. He shot her a panty-melting smile. To anyone else, Harry's smile might have been comforting. But it had the opposite effect on Arianna.

"Miss. Carter, it was brought to our attention that your work schedule is not suitable to meet your educational needs. I've had a chance to review your school schedule, and unfortunately, due to the late notice, I will be unable to immediately adjust your work schedule."

Harry stood to his feet and buttoned his suit jacket. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Bruce. Rose, give Mr. Bruce your resignation."

Both Arianna's and Mr. Bruce's eyes bulged out of their heads.  

"Wh-what do you mean, give Mr. Bruce my resignation?" Arianna gasped.

"What did I tell you the other night?" Harry challenged.  

A lump formed in Arianna's throat. She loved her job and didn't want to quit, but she had to admit that Harry was right. Her education came first.  

"Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Bruce, but as of today, I'll be officially submitting my two-week resignation. I look forward to training my replacement."

Arianna whirled around and left the office with Harry hot on her trail. She was grateful her shift had ended and gathered her belongings from her desk.  

"You seem troubled. Hopefully, you're not cross with me. It's for your own good," Harry expressed.

"I'm not cross with you. I'm upset about the situation in general. I shouldn't have been put into a position where I had to choose between the two. I love my job, Harry."

"I know, Rose. Let's pick up a pizza and watch a God-awful movie in the theater. How does that sound?"

"Can I pick the movie?" 

"Of course."

"May I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"What happened between you and Mr. White?"

"We had a friendly chat between gentlemen. I'll go pick up the pizza and meet you at home," Harry remarked, kissing Arianna on the back of her hand this time. He opened her car door and closed it after her.  

Arianna's eyes narrowed and followed Harry to his Mercedes. She would make a pit stop on her way home.