p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Her alarm clock didn't even have to croak out one beep that fateful morning, she was already awake and ready to start the new day. After a good scrub in the shower and a nutritious breakfast of cereal bars, it was time to get herself ready. She donned a white blouse that was tight in certain regions to accentuate her waist among other things; she just had to look her absolute best for him and for herself. Christine desired to look pretty, if that gorgeous claret gown of hers had failed to work last night then she would have to be more adventurous. A short black pencil skirt and a pair of sensible black heels completed her professional look. She curled her hair and pinned half of it up out of her face before applying a coat of foundation to hide acne scars and mascara onto her long but blonde eyelashes. There. It was done. She felt miles more confident already – she would definitely be in need of that confidence today. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Wow Chris, you look hot..." Meg complimented as Christine stepped out of the apartment, she blew a kiss at her friend before making her way to the office – which fortunately was nearby. Baltic winter air slapped her across the cheeks and she pulled her blue woollen coat around herself more, retreating into the shell of its warmth. She was greeted by a receptionist who took her to go see the man in charge. Apparently, Mr Dubois gave all his interns a quick briefing to welcome them to the company. Although Christine knew it was just a publicity stunt for a good reputation./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Come in." she heard the rich baritone voice say when she reached the door of his office./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"She obliged and entered as she was told, his figure imposed upon the room with a large presence. He was stood in front of a painting on the wall, examining it closely./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Miss Daaspan style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"é/span-" he began but was stopped before he could finish, he had made a grave mistake. Erik Dubois had made the fatal error of turning to face his newest employee, his swollen lips parted as he bathed in her utter beauty. The amber in his eyes seemed to glow in the dimly lit subterranean office as he scanned her form whilst Christine's arms tucked around her little frame./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Yes, sir?" she squeaked ever so sweetly./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"He paused and returned back to the safety of staring at the painting, "Welcome to Dubois architecture, my name is Erik Dubois and I am the head boss here. I like to make a point of meeting all of my employees at least once. Please, take a seat." he gestured to the chair across from his at the mahogany desk in the centre of the room. Similar to earlier, she felt obliged to comply./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"I'm so sorry about last night!" she blurted, his head turned sharply to face her. A long sigh left his lips as he took a seat in his overly comfortable leather chair. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"It's okay. I don't want to start on the wrong foot. I apologize for snapping, I did not come to that party of my own volition so I was rather grumpy." he explained, his eyes fixated on his slender fingers as they fidgeted with a life of their own./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"It shocked her a little bit. A large CEO and well-known musician was apologizing to her? She giggled nervously, "That's such a coincidence – I didn't want to be there either. My friends Sorelli and Meg dragged me there. I don't get out much." words were leaving her mouth before she could even control them. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"His guard lowered a little and he too chuckled, "Neither do I. I take back what I said, you're not ugly."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"She was unsure on how to reply to that so a change in subject was in order, "I love your music, it meant a lot to my papa. He was a big fan of yours. I still have all of his copies of your CDs and books." she admitted./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"He raised an eyebrow although she obviously couldn't see through the black porcelain of his ,ask, "Was? Is he not a fan any more after I insulted his daughter?" /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Christine's eyes darted to her own hands in her lap, "He passed away three years ago, sir."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Regret surged through his veins, "Oh my God! I apologize! My condolences to you Miss Daaspan style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"é/span... I'm glad to hear that at least my music brought him some joy."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Yes, he loved your albums. I still remember lining up outside the local music shop at midnight with him to get a copy of one of your CDs on release day." she laughed again only this time it was more genuine than that giggle of nerves and it was safe to say that he enjoyed her laugh thoroughly./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Oh? Really? You flatter me Miss Daaspan style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"é/span but my career in music is long behind me."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"How come you chose to be an architect?" /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"It was always a passion of mine, after a while even I got sick of music." he lied./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"She clasped a hand over her mouth, "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have pried or got this off-topic!"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"He chuckled again, his new employee was rather skittish but he found it oddly adorable, "Not to worry, now let me run you through your responsibilities... But first I must explain this." he tapped the porcelain mask with his index finger, "I was deformed at birth. All those pictures of me are heavily, and I mean heavily, edited using Photoshop. The mask has become a piece of urban legend in this company. But I assure you, it is not a problem."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"A lump formed in her throat, Erik Dubois was becoming more and more of a fraud by the minute but she could not bring herself to criticise his choice. If she could find a way to look perfect to the public she would do it too. They were all human after all. Honestly, she pitied him. She recalled the bullying she had to endure as a child at school but she was certain that it would be at least ten times worse for a child who was deformed. Children were cruel and it didn't get much better in adulthood either. The bullying just became more smart and well-hidden. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Their conversation continued well past its best before date. He was an interesting man and an opportunity to be graced in the presence of such genius was seldom. If he had allowed it, she would have easily talked with him for hours. The sentiment was most definitely returned, Erik was warming up to his intern. She was a breath of fresh air compared to his sorry lot of older employees. An hour later there was a knock on the door accompanied by an insufferable voice, "Mr Dubois!" she crooned./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Ah! It seems we've been talking longer than I first anticipated, Miss Daaspan style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"é/span... This is my secretary, Carlotta. Carlotta you can come in!" he called./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"This was Christine's cue to leave apparently so she stood up when an overbearingly gorgeous woman entered Erik's office. Her tight red dress didn't hide anything and it clung to her curves nicely. The neckline revealed generous cleavage leaving Christine feeling rather put out and overshadowed. Christine was horribly mistaken. It wasn't the dress she wore last night that he had found ugly but her.../span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Erik, Andrspan style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"é/span and Firman are waiting for you..." she cooed as she leaned in to give him a less than chaste kiss. Triumphantly, Carlotta settled on his lap and preceded to make a show of making out with her boss?/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Christine alternated her weight between her two feet as she looked anywhere and everywhere except at the "happy couple"./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Erik broke away, "Carla not here, we have company." he chided./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Carlotta turned her attention to Christine in mock horror, "Oh! I didn't see you there!" she cooed dramatically. It was easy to deduce that Carlotta was not the most gifted actress in the world when her voice was as fake as her breasts./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Well I'll be on my way, Meg and Sorelli will be waiting to teach me the ropes. It was really nice to meet you properly this time." she edged out of the room to avoid Carlotta's possessive gaze./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Erik who was that!?" she demanded./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"That was my new intern."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Why was she here talking to you for over an hour? It's quickly become the gossip of the business... You know how bad that sounds right? Little young intern in office with boss unsupervised with no security cameras. Maybe next time you should be less selfish I don't want you to ruin my reputation. I am your girlfriend. Don't flirt with the interns." she spat before jumping off his lap as if it was the last place she wanted to be./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Carla-"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"You're lucky I'm even dating you." she slammed the door on her way out./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Meanwhile Christine was making coffees for the meeting when Meg appeared out of thin air, "Soooooo... Someone is already the talk of the office on their first day..." she teased./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Christine opened an overhead cabinet to get out mugs and to block out Meg from her peripheral vision, "He apologized for last night and we talked about his music career."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Is that all you were doing in his office Chrissy?" Sorelli chipped in./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Oh my gosh! Yes! We did not do the dirty, get busy or whatever you want to call it!" she exclaimed as she carried the mugs to the meeting room where Erik was sat at the head of the table addressing the heads of finance and the design department. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Firman took care of the books whereas Andrspan style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"é/span was in charge of the building designs. Christine was trembling with nerves from the tense atmosphere but one small yet discrete smile from Erik and she immediately regained some confidence at least. "Thank you, Christine." Erik greeted politely, the other two men nodded their thanks and she left the room./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"The days rolled on and by her second week, she was competent with her role of doing everyone else's dirty business. But she couldn't complain. Although it sounded mundane, she liked following everyone's orders. It was much easier than having to use initiative. Every morning it was her task to bring Mr Dubois his cup of coffee – no milk but three sugars. His office was below ground but she was well acquainted with it by now. The red walls and Persian rug were extremely familiar as she greeted them every day with a smile on her face. For once, things were running smoothly; she kept to herself mainly to avoid trouble./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Christine? A word please." sneered the ever glamorous Carlotta./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Yes?"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"You are aware that I am currently involved with Mr Dubois, yes?"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Of course." she bit back all of the snide comments she had been preparing to retort with, of course she knew. Carlotta had pretty much been kissing his poor face off./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Well make sure you remember that. I wouldn't want to have to report you to human resources, would I?" she strut off leaving Christine more confused than ever. Did Carlotta see her as competition? Well the office primma Donna had nothing to worry about./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Christine was not competition for the heart of Erik Dubois for three reasons: he was her boss, he was dating Carlotta and she was most certainly not good enough for a man of his callibur. A celebrity like him should not be involved with meagre creatures such as herself. She wouldn't even waste her time entertaining such idiotic thoughts like that. Christine would on break her heart if she did./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Wow Chris, you look hot..." Meg complimented as Christine stepped out of the apartment, she blew a kiss at her friend before making her way to the office – which fortunately was nearby. Baltic winter air slapped her across the cheeks and she pulled her blue woollen coat around herself more, retreating into the shell of its warmth. She was greeted by a receptionist who took her to go see the man in charge. Apparently, Mr Dubois gave all his interns a quick briefing to welcome them to the company. Although Christine knew it was just a publicity stunt for a good reputation./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Come in." she heard the rich baritone voice say when she reached the door of his office./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"She obliged and entered as she was told, his figure imposed upon the room with a large presence. He was stood in front of a painting on the wall, examining it closely./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Miss Daaspan style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"é/span-" he began but was stopped before he could finish, he had made a grave mistake. Erik Dubois had made the fatal error of turning to face his newest employee, his swollen lips parted as he bathed in her utter beauty. The amber in his eyes seemed to glow in the dimly lit subterranean office as he scanned her form whilst Christine's arms tucked around her little frame./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Yes, sir?" she squeaked ever so sweetly./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"He paused and returned back to the safety of staring at the painting, "Welcome to Dubois architecture, my name is Erik Dubois and I am the head boss here. I like to make a point of meeting all of my employees at least once. Please, take a seat." he gestured to the chair across from his at the mahogany desk in the centre of the room. Similar to earlier, she felt obliged to comply./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"I'm so sorry about last night!" she blurted, his head turned sharply to face her. A long sigh left his lips as he took a seat in his overly comfortable leather chair. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"It's okay. I don't want to start on the wrong foot. I apologize for snapping, I did not come to that party of my own volition so I was rather grumpy." he explained, his eyes fixated on his slender fingers as they fidgeted with a life of their own./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"It shocked her a little bit. A large CEO and well-known musician was apologizing to her? She giggled nervously, "That's such a coincidence – I didn't want to be there either. My friends Sorelli and Meg dragged me there. I don't get out much." words were leaving her mouth before she could even control them. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"His guard lowered a little and he too chuckled, "Neither do I. I take back what I said, you're not ugly."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"She was unsure on how to reply to that so a change in subject was in order, "I love your music, it meant a lot to my papa. He was a big fan of yours. I still have all of his copies of your CDs and books." she admitted./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"He raised an eyebrow although she obviously couldn't see through the black porcelain of his ,ask, "Was? Is he not a fan any more after I insulted his daughter?" /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Christine's eyes darted to her own hands in her lap, "He passed away three years ago, sir."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Regret surged through his veins, "Oh my God! I apologize! My condolences to you Miss Daaspan style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"é/span... I'm glad to hear that at least my music brought him some joy."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Yes, he loved your albums. I still remember lining up outside the local music shop at midnight with him to get a copy of one of your CDs on release day." she laughed again only this time it was more genuine than that giggle of nerves and it was safe to say that he enjoyed her laugh thoroughly./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Oh? Really? You flatter me Miss Daaspan style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"é/span but my career in music is long behind me."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"How come you chose to be an architect?" /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"It was always a passion of mine, after a while even I got sick of music." he lied./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"She clasped a hand over her mouth, "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have pried or got this off-topic!"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"He chuckled again, his new employee was rather skittish but he found it oddly adorable, "Not to worry, now let me run you through your responsibilities... But first I must explain this." he tapped the porcelain mask with his index finger, "I was deformed at birth. All those pictures of me are heavily, and I mean heavily, edited using Photoshop. The mask has become a piece of urban legend in this company. But I assure you, it is not a problem."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"A lump formed in her throat, Erik Dubois was becoming more and more of a fraud by the minute but she could not bring herself to criticise his choice. If she could find a way to look perfect to the public she would do it too. They were all human after all. Honestly, she pitied him. She recalled the bullying she had to endure as a child at school but she was certain that it would be at least ten times worse for a child who was deformed. Children were cruel and it didn't get much better in adulthood either. The bullying just became more smart and well-hidden. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Their conversation continued well past its best before date. He was an interesting man and an opportunity to be graced in the presence of such genius was seldom. If he had allowed it, she would have easily talked with him for hours. The sentiment was most definitely returned, Erik was warming up to his intern. She was a breath of fresh air compared to his sorry lot of older employees. An hour later there was a knock on the door accompanied by an insufferable voice, "Mr Dubois!" she crooned./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Ah! It seems we've been talking longer than I first anticipated, Miss Daaspan style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"é/span... This is my secretary, Carlotta. Carlotta you can come in!" he called./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"This was Christine's cue to leave apparently so she stood up when an overbearingly gorgeous woman entered Erik's office. Her tight red dress didn't hide anything and it clung to her curves nicely. The neckline revealed generous cleavage leaving Christine feeling rather put out and overshadowed. Christine was horribly mistaken. It wasn't the dress she wore last night that he had found ugly but her.../span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Erik, Andrspan style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"é/span and Firman are waiting for you..." she cooed as she leaned in to give him a less than chaste kiss. Triumphantly, Carlotta settled on his lap and preceded to make a show of making out with her boss?/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Christine alternated her weight between her two feet as she looked anywhere and everywhere except at the "happy couple"./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Erik broke away, "Carla not here, we have company." he chided./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Carlotta turned her attention to Christine in mock horror, "Oh! I didn't see you there!" she cooed dramatically. It was easy to deduce that Carlotta was not the most gifted actress in the world when her voice was as fake as her breasts./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Well I'll be on my way, Meg and Sorelli will be waiting to teach me the ropes. It was really nice to meet you properly this time." she edged out of the room to avoid Carlotta's possessive gaze./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Erik who was that!?" she demanded./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"That was my new intern."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Why was she here talking to you for over an hour? It's quickly become the gossip of the business... You know how bad that sounds right? Little young intern in office with boss unsupervised with no security cameras. Maybe next time you should be less selfish I don't want you to ruin my reputation. I am your girlfriend. Don't flirt with the interns." she spat before jumping off his lap as if it was the last place she wanted to be./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Carla-"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"You're lucky I'm even dating you." she slammed the door on her way out./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Meanwhile Christine was making coffees for the meeting when Meg appeared out of thin air, "Soooooo... Someone is already the talk of the office on their first day..." she teased./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Christine opened an overhead cabinet to get out mugs and to block out Meg from her peripheral vision, "He apologized for last night and we talked about his music career."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Is that all you were doing in his office Chrissy?" Sorelli chipped in./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Oh my gosh! Yes! We did not do the dirty, get busy or whatever you want to call it!" she exclaimed as she carried the mugs to the meeting room where Erik was sat at the head of the table addressing the heads of finance and the design department. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Firman took care of the books whereas Andrspan style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"é/span was in charge of the building designs. Christine was trembling with nerves from the tense atmosphere but one small yet discrete smile from Erik and she immediately regained some confidence at least. "Thank you, Christine." Erik greeted politely, the other two men nodded their thanks and she left the room./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"The days rolled on and by her second week, she was competent with her role of doing everyone else's dirty business. But she couldn't complain. Although it sounded mundane, she liked following everyone's orders. It was much easier than having to use initiative. Every morning it was her task to bring Mr Dubois his cup of coffee – no milk but three sugars. His office was below ground but she was well acquainted with it by now. The red walls and Persian rug were extremely familiar as she greeted them every day with a smile on her face. For once, things were running smoothly; she kept to herself mainly to avoid trouble./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Christine? A word please." sneered the ever glamorous Carlotta./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Yes?"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"You are aware that I am currently involved with Mr Dubois, yes?"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Of course." she bit back all of the snide comments she had been preparing to retort with, of course she knew. Carlotta had pretty much been kissing his poor face off./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Well make sure you remember that. I wouldn't want to have to report you to human resources, would I?" she strut off leaving Christine more confused than ever. Did Carlotta see her as competition? Well the office primma Donna had nothing to worry about./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Christine was not competition for the heart of Erik Dubois for three reasons: he was her boss, he was dating Carlotta and she was most certainly not good enough for a man of his callibur. A celebrity like him should not be involved with meagre creatures such as herself. She wouldn't even waste her time entertaining such idiotic thoughts like that. Christine would on break her heart if she did./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p