Disclaimer: see previous chapter
Author's Notes: Thanks for the lovely reviews. :D Not to sure what to think about this particular chapter, am currently in a rut with my writing. I'm… having issues…of sorts. Anyway, big thanks to Eloni for her help. Your input is ever invaluable and I honestly don't know how I can ever write now without having you to brainstorm things with. XD
Current Word Count: 3,337.
…
She hadn't thought that he would play so much on her mind that weekend.
Nel had hoped that it had just been nerves from the interview that had caused that strong reaction to her new boss, to the utter masculinity that he exuded. But since Friday, thinking more on the automatic reaction she had had with Grimmjow made Nel think otherwise.
An office romance with the boss was certainly not a good thing, and Nel had hoped that she wouldn't have to spend all too much time in his company today so as to give herself more time to get over this weird attraction she had to him. Breathing more easily, Nel started to relax, thinking she had indeed solved the problem at work. Yet, several hours later, hanging up the phone after a call from Emma had her closing her eyes in mortification again.
Emma had to see her obstetrician first thing on Monday for a check-up, which meant she wouldn't be coming in at all. Which then meant that Nel would be all alone with Grimmjow. She swallowed nervously. Don't think about it, she admonished herself. She'd just have to make sure that she didn't give him any room to shock her as he did on Friday.
Monday found Nel dressed in a tailored black suit that accentuated her curves, her hair bound in a severe bun that gave off the image that she wanted for others to see, a woman dedicated to her work.
Though she wasn't due in the office until 7:30am, Nel arrived earlier than expected so she could go over the programs that Emma had showed her on Friday, wanting to get used to her new job as quickly as possible. She exchanged pleasantries with Courtney at the lobby reception desk, delighting in the friendly manner of the receptionist.
Heading to the executive floors, Nel entered the office and immediately headed to her desk, booting the computer. She looked around the room, noting the coffee maker in the corner, wondering if it was custom for Grimmjow to have a cup of coffee when he first arrived. Biting her lip, she decided to make some just on the off chance he did, and waited patiently at her desk as the smell of coffee brewing filled the room.
Opening Grimmjow's personal diary, she quickly scanned through today's meeting list, noting that he was free save for a seven o'clock dinner meeting scheduled for that evening. She sighed with relief; today looked to be a relatively simple day.
…
The first and most important discovery that Nel made about her boss was that he was wildly unpredictable.
At 9am, when he finally strolled into the office, Nel had murmured a quiet greeting, rising to her feet. He had raised a brow at her, heading straight to the coffee maker and downing a cup of straight black coffee. Nel winced at that, preferring cream and milk herself. He turned back to her then and gave a smirk, returning her greeting, his gaze travelling over her from head to foot. She stood stock still for his perusal before opening in a brisk manner.
"Your calendar is clear for today save for a dinner meeting with a one D. Crawford at 7pm. Is there anything that I can do for you this morning?"
He smirked at that. "Several things come to mind, yeah."
She raised her brow and simply waited. His smirk widened and he turned towards his office. "But that would be better left for another time."
The meaning of his words wasn't lost on Nel, and she moved quickly to sit back down at her desk, her face lowered as colour stained her cheeks. A few choice words and already he had her at a loss for words. Why did he have such a devastating effect on her like that? Shaking her head, she busied herself by fiddling with the different working programs, familiarising herself with everything. By noon, Nel was a lot more confident with her role in the office, and she looked worriedly at the closed door to Grimmjow's inner office. She hadn't heard a single peep from him since this morning, and she wasn't exactly sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Rising from her seat, she was preparing to knock on his door to see if he was in need of anything else, when her phone rang suddenly. Frowning thoughtfully, she lifted the receiver to her ear. "Jeaggerjacques' Office, Neliel Tu Oderschvank speaking."
"Hi Nel, it's Courtney. Just wanted to give a heads up that a Mr. Johnson is down at reception for his 12o'clock meeting with Mr. Jeaggerjacques. Would you like me to send him up?"
Nel's eyes widened, and she opened Grimmjow's personal diary again, seeing no such meeting listed. Asking Courtney to hold for a moment, she rose from her seat and knocked on Grimmjow's door. Hearing his grunt to enter, Nel did so quickly, speaking without preamble. "There's a certain Mr. Johnson down stairs who presumably has a meeting with you now? Since it wasn't listed in your diary, I wasn't sure what to do."
Grimmjow looked up from the papers of statistics he'd been studying, and the sight of him in glasses brought Nel to a stuttering stop. Logically, she had known that he would have to be quite intellectual to hold his current position, but being more preoccupied with the blatant sex appeal he oozed, this new side to him added to the enigma of the man, and Nel couldn't help but want to learn each and every complex layer of his character. He removed his glasses, pulling Nel from her thoughts.
"Oh, yeah, forgot about that. Was supposed to tell you this morning I set something up during the weekend, but I guess something distracted me." He smirked at her and Nel willed herself not to respond, though she could feel the heat rising within her again. Nodding demurely, she murmured her understanding of the situation before returning to the phone. Advising Courtney to send the guest up, she headed to the elevators in the lobby of the executive offices and waited for Mr. Johnson to arrive.
He wasn't long in appearing, and Nel shook hands with him firmly before leading him to Grimmjow's office. She waited with an ear to the closed door of the office, and sprang to her feet half an hour later when they exited his office. Johnson clapped Grimmjow on the back, earning a non-committal grunt from Grimmjow before he exited from the office.
"Can we be expecting any more surprises today?" Nel asked coolly.
Grimmjow turned his gaze on her, and the corner of his mouth kicked up in a smirk. "Are you still mad I didn't tell you about our guest?"
"No, though I prefer to be prepared for all sorts of situations."
Grimmjow grinned all the more, and leaned against the doorjamb. "Heh, you're mad."
Nel reached for patience. "I can assure you that I am not. But if you would like me to run this office in an efficient manner, I will need to know of every detail so that I can plan accordingly."
He raised his brow. "Every detail?" He straightened from the door and moved closer towards her, sending an alarming shiver down Nel's spine. She stood her ground, careful to keep her face expressionless. He stood before her and couldn't help but widen his grin. No doubt about it, Emma had chosen well, his new assistant was not a simpering idiot. He brought up a hard, calloused hand and grasped her chin in a firm grip. "Don't worry about that, I'll keep you apprised of every single detail, Neliel."
He leaned down and covered her mouth with his.
All thought fled from her mind as his hard, firm lips covered hers, his mouth coaxing, his tongue sliding along her closed lips, seeking entrance. Thrown off guard, her lips parted instinctively, and he swept in, his tongue playing lazily with hers, tasting her, arousing her effortlessly. Heat poured through her, her hands coming up to clamp around the wrist of the hand that held her captive, and Nel wasn't sure if she was moving to push him away or pull him closer. He deepened the kiss, his mouth slanting over hers again and again, sending a delicious thrill through her.
When Nel was contemplating what it would be like to taste the rest of his body, cold dread ran through her, and she stiffened against him, her hands coming up to push against his hard chest. Grunting, Grimmjow released her chin, stepping back, and she stood there breathing hard, her face hectic with colour. He raised a brow, "something wrong?"
"Don't," her words came out low and shaky. "I'm not interested in an office fling. I don't want to give anyone any reason to drag my reputation through the dirt. This whole thing here is a really bad idea."
Unsmiling, Grimmjow stared at her. "Even though you're attracted to me?"
Nel closed her eyes. "I-I…can't deny that. But you don't stand to lose everything with a careless affair. And I'm not that kind of woman."
He scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. He wasn't used to being denied the things that he wanted, had in fact strove ruthlessly in his life for the very things that he didn't have. Nothing was unattainable for him. "There doesn't have to be a problem."
Nel shook her head, bewildered. "Spoken like a true executive. Of course there wouldn't be a problem here for you but I can't put myself in this kind of situation." She backed up a step and turned a helpless gaze to Grimmjow's hard one. She whispered her refusal again, as if the original one needed reinforcement. His jaw tightened, the muscles bunching and flexing before he growled and turned, entering into his office and slamming the door behind him.
She took a shaky breath when he left, her legs feeling as limp as noodles, and she grabbed blindly for her purse. She needed to get out of there, needed to take refuge somewhere and regain her composure. She wanted to laugh at her idiocy. Despite all the admonitions she'd given herself during the weekend, she'd let him slip under her guard. That one kiss, devastating in its sensual power had almost brought her to her knees. As she exited the office for lunch, a blatant truth flashed through her mind that had her shivering in alarm again.
If he ever kissed her again, no doubt about it, she wouldn't be able to refuse him a second time.
