Ch. 18
Before Haley could argue, a finger placed on her lips quieted her. The warmth it provided when he traced the curves of her lips sent her into a state of ecstasy. As he stared admirably into her chocolate orbs, she was lost in his crystal blue depths. The sizzling heat hadn't gone unnoticed by either as his hands tilted her chin upwards, providing him with open access to kiss her with desperation, need and tenderness. The experience was overwhelmingly new and exciting. Staying strong, Haley remained motionless, allowing Lucas' mouth to roam hers without partaking in the exploration. Stimulated by the challenge, he intensified his declaration of emotions, knowing she would eventually succumb to the feelings. He was rewarded with a soft purr escaping her lips as she clutched his shirt, bringing their bodies together.
Suddenly, she shoved him away from her, causing him to lose his balance and come crashing to the floor. Haley turned back towards the computer, acting as if nothing happened.
"#%$!" Lucas yelled, his face blood red. "What was that about?"
Silently she reprimanded herself for pushing him so hard. Focused on resisting him, she hadn't realized the amount of strength she exerted.
"I told you I didn't want to kiss you," Haley informed him casually, causing Lucas' anger to rise. He abruptly stood up, his chest rising and falling to a frantic pace.
"Don't shove me that B.S. I felt the connection between us. There's no denying it. The sooner you admit it, the better off we'll both be." He didn't know how much more of this he was able to take.
"I'm sorry if you felt something I didn't feel."
"Then why did you purr like a kitten when I kissed you?" Even in an angry state, his voice sounded husky to her ears.
"It was an act to teach you a lesson for going against my wishes," pursing her lips, she continued to work.
"You're not that good of an actress."
Briefly meeting his saddened eyes, she stated, "Apparently I am if I was able to fool the almighty Lucas Scott." It took all her strength and energy to pull away from him, more strength than she thought she possessed.
"Don't..."
"Don't what? Don't tell you the truth? Don't tell you that for the first time in your life, you're not going to get the girl? Well I'm sorry to break it to you honey but there's always a first time for everything."
Mentally preparing herself for a well-deserved remark, she heard none. Scream, hit me, do anything but stay quiet she wanted to scream. Those emotions she could deal with but the silence was excruciatingly unbearable. An audible click shifted her eyes to where he once stood, now devastatingly empty. Letting go of the breath she didn't know she was holding, she stared at the screen, lost in a trance, one she never wanted to wake up from.
Stepping into the meeting a few minutes before it started, she sunk into the comfortable chair. Lucas shortly followed, avidly talking to a strikingly beautiful woman, holding the same air of confidence he always exuded. Laughing at a comment he made, she lightly touched his arm, causing Lucas to grin widely. When he walked her to her seat, he pushed her seat in as they continued their conversation.
Haley watched the interaction between the lovebirds with distaste. Wondering whether this was a new member of the company, she continued to gawk at them until Mr. Mason walked in."Good morning everyone," Mr. Mason cheerfully greeted.
"Morning," everyone said in almost perfect unison.
"Today we have the pleasure of being graced by the presence of the lovely and talented beauty, Stella Shields." All eyes turned towards her. The men stared longingly at her as the women looked as if they wanted to be her. Looking unfazed by all the attention, she nodded in appreciation of the warm welcoming.
"I hope Lucas has been making you feel at home in our friendly company. If not, say the word and I'll fire him," Mr. Mason joked, making it difficult to tell whether he was serious or not.
Her large, light green eyes twinkled in laughter. "In that case fire him because I could always use him as my driver."
"Mr. Mason, I'm quitting the publishing firm so I can work for Stella."
"Not until you present your slideshow Lucas," he smiled, immensely enjoying the fact that things were going well with the potential client.
"As you wish," Lucas stated as he stood up and walked to the front of the room. The presentation Haley had delivered to Lucas' house was flashing on the screen.
The presentation and the tour of the company went smoothly. By the end of the tour, Lucas and Haley walked Stella out to her car.
"It was wonderful meeting you Lucas and you too Haley," Stella kept her gaze on Lucas and briefly turned towards Haley when she mentioned her name.
"The pleasure is all mine," Lucas shook Stella's hand.
"And to thank you for doing such a spectacular job on the presentation and the tour, I would like to invite both of you to my party next Saturday. It's to celebrate my new book that is coming out next month. So will you both come?" she asked.
"I would love to."
"Haley?"
"I'll check my schedule.""Nonsense, you're coming or you'll have to explain to Mr. Mason why I suddenly decide to change my mind on joining the company," she teased.
Haley wanted wipe the annoying smile she always had on her perfectly symmetrical face. This sweet act was really too much for Haley to endure. "In that case, how can I refuse," Haley commented half-heartedly.
"Wonderful. It's a little black tie affair. I'll send out the invitations straight away."
"Excellent," Lucas didn't even looked Haley's way before answering for the both of them. "We'll see you there."
"We'll see you there," Haley mocked inside her own mind. Stella Shield was one not to be trusted Haley decided.
The next week went by extremely slowly. Haley finally got what she wanted – a boss/employer relationship, but why was she still miserable? She thought she wanted this, in fact she knows she does.
Scrutinizing herself in the full-length mirror, she slowly turned around making sure she looked somewhat decent for this extravagant affair. Not liking the outfit she was wearing, she was about to change into the sixth ensemble but when looked at the clock that flashed 7:40 PM, she realized she didn't have time – only five minutes in fact. She had to make do with what she was wearing. Quickly applying light make-up and spraying herself with perfume, she walked to living room. Locating her purse, she dropped her lipstick inside. As she slipped on her heels, the doorbell rang.
Answering the door, her jaws dropped. Wearing a white tuxedo and a blue tie that brought out the blue in his eyes, Lucas handed her a bouquet of daisies. His hair was jelled in a messy, but stylist manner.
"Thank you," she managed to say.
"You're welcome."
He watched her put the flowers in a vase and returned to the door. Brushing back her hair that was cascaded in loose waves, she asked, "Ready?"
"Of course."
He allowed her to walk in front of him as he took in the exquisiteness of Haley. Wearing an off the shoulder pink dress that was fitted at the waist and flowed outwards and a pair of drop earrings, she walked confidently before turning around. The chocolate color eye shadow and pink blush highlighted her natural beauty. "Where did you park?"
"Over here," he pointed and led the way.
Unlocking the car doors, he got in on his side and started the engine. Haley felt a tinge of disappointment at his lack of opening the door for her, but she couldn't complain. Hopefully at the party, she'd have some sort of distraction to make the long night she foresaw tolerable.