The Polite Affair (3,223)

My feet automatically walked in without my consent. I was safe here. There was nothing to worry about. The annual Purge had come and gone. It wasn't legal to kill me, but… Did that mean he won't? Do people really only kill once a year or has the media been misleading us. Dead bodies and missing persons were reported all the time, but most of it were chalked up to being residual cases during the Purge.

The moment I passed through the threshold, I heard the door lock shut. Shivers ran down my spine. I was about to turn around when I felt his hands on my shoulder, keeping me in place. "I told you I'd see you soon, Cass," he chuckled.

Yes, but I never thought he'd be my boss! If he was anyone - anyone - else, I could've avoided them most of my life, but not him. Was that how he already knew who I was? What kind of game was he playing here?!

He walked forward, pushing me along until my knees hit his mahogany desk. The press of his body against mine made me lean forward until I was flat on top of the smooth surface. He groaned and laughed into my neck. "Don't be so scared, I'm not here to hurt you."

"This is sexual harassment!" I hissed. "I could report you, now!"

"But you won't," he mumbled, doing nothing but laying on top of me. His puffs of breath left tingles against my skin.

I couldn't believe that this was happening, again. "Why are you doing this?"

He ran his hand down to my stomach. "I saw your picture in the company system. I was fascinated, so I came to meet you."

"During the Purge?!" Was he insane? No, of course he was.

"Why not?" He was completely relaxed against me.

I sighed and made myself a little more comfortable. It didn't seem like we were going to go anywhere any time soon. We laid there in that awkward position for minutes. Neither of us said anything, but he seemed content. I allowed his deep, even breathing to lull me into a more relaxed state.

The lack of sleep was making my mind drift. This wasn't so bad. A bit unconventional, but not bad…

Knock. Knock.

"Sir?"

He groaned and tightened his grip on me.

"Sir, you have a meeting in fifteen minutes."

I opened my eyes and saw him staring back at me. "You have a meeting to go to," I mumbled.

"I do."

"So go."

…

Nathan Carmichael.

That was his name.

He was aggressive. He was possessive. And he was dominating. He was everything that he wasn't in public. I couldn't even begin to figure him out and it made me wonder. Was everyone like this? What monsters lie beneath those pretty faces?

I gently placed a cup of tea in front of him. He was negotiating on the phone. When he wasn't trying to cop a feel, his professionalism was impeccable. Sometimes, I couldn't help but stare at him as he worked.

If I were to walk by him on the streets, I would never have thought he'd be as accomplished as he was, but as I see him in his element, it was no surprise. He knew how to use words to manipulate anyone to see his way. It was almost scary how he can convince a man to confess and pay back every cent that was laundered, while still accepting a thirty year sentence. For a fifty year old, it was basically life.

"I can't believe he didn't promote anyone!" Kelly exclaimed after two weeks of agonising wait. "I really thought I'd done enough this year…"

"Yeah, well… I thought I was going to get promoted too!" Candace retorted.

Craig grumbled unhappily under his breath.

"Hey, new girl! Who do you think deserves the promotion more?" Kelly called out to me.

I pretended to riffle through the notes and letters. It really wasn't any of my business, nor did I particularly care about their petty debate. "I haven't been here long enough to give a proper evaluation." That was probably a safe answer because they turned their attention back amongst themselves to continue their argument.

They never outwardly expressed their disdain for each other, but I could see it in their eyes whenever the spat became too heated. Was this truly a better way of life? No one seemed to truly like each other no matter how polite and kind their words were. They lived every day in delusion.

"Cassandra, I want to see you in my office." Nathan was standing in front of his door. All eyes seemed to be on me as I obediently stood up.

Kelly pursed her lips. "It's nice that he wants to help the intern."

"I know, right? He's so kind."

I turned on my heels and walked in with as much dignity as I could muster. He couldn't keep calling on me like this. It was difficult enough working in this atmosphere. I didn't need a bigger target on my back.

As per usual, he locked the door as soon as I stepped in. I faced him with my hands on my hip. "You can't keep bringing me in here. Half of them probably think I'm about to be fired, while the other half probably think I'm giving you blow jobs to further my career."

His face split into his typical grin. "What right do we have to prove them wrong?"

"I'm not giving you a blow job." I glared at him.

He was undeterred as he pulled me against him and meshed our lips together. I closed my eyes and sighed. He was ridiculously good at kissing. If this was inevitable, I might as well enjoy myself.

When he broke away, I grumbled, "I'm still not giving you a blow job." And he didn't push the matter any further. Instead, he pulled me to his chair and sat me on his lap. As he worked, it was as if his mind was at one place and his hands were at another.

I would be relaxing against him one minute and another, he was groping me until I was squirming in his lap. It only caused a cycle of torture when I felt him harden beneath me. Every time I tried to pull away, he'd tighten his grip just a little more. For such a slim man, he was surprisingly strong.

Before I left his office that day, I shot him a glare. "We're not meeting here again."

Instead of replying, he merely gave me a playful wave before I slammed the door in his face.

I could feel the typical stares on me as I left the office. It used to bother me, but I had long since become desensitised to what they thought of me or anything else in general. I did my job well and that was all they had to know. I didn't even bother spitting in their drinks anymore.

When I sat down in my cubicle, I immediately heard Kelly and Candace talking about me. Some crude words were casually thrown in. That didn't matter. Of course it didn't. Why would it? They didn't know anything about me. It didn't matter.

It didn't matter.

I blinked my eyes and quickly threw away the letter that had somehow gotten wet. That wouldn't do.

With a click of a button, I printed another copy out. There. Done. Good.

I allowed the rest of the day to pass by without speaking to anyone and it was an absolute relief when it was time to go home. I couldn't stand another second in that stifling room.

When I walked down the street, I paused in front of John's house. The perfect lawn was now overrun with wild flowers. The grass pointed haphazardly in every direction.

Had the bodies been cleared out already?

I took a step towards the door before quickly backtracking. No, I didn't want to know. I didn't want to see their bodies.

The Purge had done this to them - my boss had done this to them. I was soiling John's family by getting close to him. I had to keep my distance. He was poison. He was everything that I hated… at least during the annual event.

Outside of it, he was different. He behaved like any other men that I've seen. He was a little perverted, but he was also normal. There weren't any obvious signs of murderous tendencies. No, that's right. It wasn't anything unusual for people to kill during the Purge, so why was I thinking about it now?

Did it only start to matter when my life and the people I care about are in danger? Was I any better than the rest of them if I thought this way?

I quickly shook those thoughts away. They made my head hurt.

As the clock struck seven, I felt a familiar sense of panic. It was something that plagued me since that night. I was afraid. What really protected us from being slaughtered in our sleep? Was that one day really enough to quench the blood thirst that some of those monsters had?

My hands shook as I retrieved the blue bottle from the night table. Had I taken them, today? The small, white pills stared back at me with no definitive answer.

I grabbed a glass a water and quickly downed them. A bout of drowsiness immediately hit me.

I dug under the covers and closed my eyes. This was what I should've done during the Purge.

The dreamless sleep was taken away by hands grabbing me. My eyes immediately snapped open and I let out a loud scream before I was quickly silenced. I squirmed around, trying to get away from the intruder. No, this had to be a terrible nightmare. The Purge is over. No one should be doing this. They told us this is why it worked! There would be less crimes if everyone was given one day to let out all their anger!

"Ssh…" The minty breath breezed over to me and my eyes widened.

I ripped his hand away from my mouth and turned to him, a mixture of shock and outrage filled me. "Nathan?! What are you doing here? Do you know what time it is? You can't just break in like this!"

He hummed and nuzzled against my neck as if he hadn't just given me a minor heart attack.

"Nathan!" I scolded him, again.

"You told me that you won't see me in my office anymore, so I thought I'd just take it here." When he trailed his hand between my thighs, I couldn't argue his logic. I let out a low, throaty moan and bucked against him.

"Nathan…"

He pushed me flat on my back and climbed on top of me. His eyes bore into my own. "Again. Say my name, again."

"Nathan…" I repeated, panting as I felt his arousal poke me and ground against the sweet spot between my legs.. "Nathan!"

"That's it…" he sighed, leaning forward until his entire body seemed to consume mine. When he looked back at me, the moonlight gave those orbs a fire that seemed to burn straight through me. He tilted his head and smiled lazily. "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

I glared at him. He knew exactly how much I had enjoyed that. "I hate you." The words lost all meaning when I let out a low moan, arching my back so that I could increase the contact between us.

He slid his hand under the nightie and pulled my panties aside. One long finger glided along my mound. I whimpered when it lingered at the bundle of nerves that threatened to send me over the edge. He allowed me to find release, turning me into a boneless form, but didn't go further than that. His abstinence almost annoyed me, especially after knowing that he had nearly done it the first time we met. Why was he holding back, now?

I sighed, snuggling into his arms. He was the most confusing person I had ever met. Nothing he did made any sense to me. I'd expect him to do one thing and he'd do the completely opposite. I wondered if he did it just to annoy me.

Before I knew it, I was lulled into a dreamless sleep.

From that night on, we never met in his office. All activities stayed at night in my room. There were new rumours flying about that I was replaced by another woman and the Gossip Three had a field day trying to figure out who it was.

There was deep hidden satisfaction knowing that this was a secret he and I shared.

"I bet it's Amelia!" Candace exclaimed, looking around for the brunette who usually kept to herself. "She just got that promotion! Bet you she fucked her way up!"

Kelly groaned. "Darn! That slut! I should've known!"

Craig rolled his eyes.

I filed away the remaining papers and stood up to leave when all three pairs of eyes converged on me. I looked away, hoping that they would ignore me and go on with the ridiculous conversation they were having, but no such luck.

"Hey, new girl! Tell us what happened between you and Mr. Big Shot?"

I momentarily contemplated flaunting my relationship with Nathan, but reeled the words in before they could do any damage. "I don't know what you're talking about," I replied as passively as I could.

"Come on, we know that you weren't just getting coffee for him. You were in there all the time and now you're… not." They all gave me accusing glares.

Annoyance began to make a certain vein above my eye throb. "Why I was in there is no business of yours. It never was and it never will be. This is precisely the reason why the lot of you won't ever be promoted - you spend more time gossiping than actually doing work."

I left them speechless and headed to the elevator. With a sigh, I wondered when they were going to focus their attention on someone else. I had no doubt that I had only threw fuel into the flame. They weren't going to stop until they found what they wanted to see.

The truth was, they weren't completely wrong and that was why it was so hard to deny everything and keep them off my back.

As I was about to leave the elevator, I nearly bumped into him. He grinned at me and quickly closed the door before I could get out. "What are you doing?" I hissed.

He pushed me against the wall and slammed his lips against mine. I tried to push him away as the fear of getting caught seized me. We had agreed not to do it here!

"Stop!" I breathed when we separated for air. "You promised that we weren't going to do this anymore!"

His lips were quirked to the side. "I promised not to do it in my office. I don't believe this looks like my office, does it to you?" He spread his arms out to emphasise his point.

I pursed my lips. "What if someone comes in! The elevator door's going to open and everyone's going t - "

He threw his hand to the side and held the emergency button. Immediately, the alarm came on and I stared at him in horror. "There. Problem solved."

"No! Problem not solved!" I moved to open the elevator door, but he blocked my path. "Nathan, stop! I'm not going to do this here and you're not going to make me!" I was adamant this time. I couldn't keep letting him do this. With the ways things were going, I was no better than… Than… a common whore!

Nathan took a step back, frowning at me. "I do hope you will be more agreeable tomorrow."

"We're opening the door, now. Please, do not panic," came a voice from the intercom.

He held my gaze for a moment more before turning to the speaker. "Don't worry. I've got it now. Must've been a small malfunction. Have someone look at it by tomorrow." He pressed the open button, watching for my next move.

I looked down before hurrying out. I kept my tears in until I was safely in the confines of my home.

Throwing a handful of water at my face, I looked into the bathroom mirror. A wide-eyed girl stared back at me. This was someone who had no idea what she had gotten herself into. This was someone who had foolish decided not to heed the fact that he had participated in the Purge, contributed to her neighbours' death, and tried to rape her in the same night. How could I have just given myself over to him after all that?

"You're so stupid," I berated myself, feeling the tears fall, again. "You're so fuckin' stupid!"

With how long I've been living here, I should've been well aware of the alter egos everyone had. The perfect face, smooth voice, and honeyed words were nothing but lies. He was just like everyone else and I was stupid enough to fall for it.

The bathroom tiles were cold against my cheeks as I laid there, trying to calm myself down. One… Two… Three… Four… Five… Six… Seven…

I allowed my eyes to flutter shut and drift into a fitful sleep.

I dreamt of his Cheshire grin and his taunts that echoed in my head - berating me, chastising me, and seducing me. He was a drug that I had to let go. He wasn't good for me. He frightened me.

When I woke up, I was no longer in the bathroom. I was tucked beneath my covers with a warm body pressed against my back. His breath tickled my ear and I was about to burst into tears again. He just made me so confused.

I turned around to see him peacefully sleeping. It was as if what happened yesterday hadn't happened at all.

I tried to shift away, but his grip tightened and he nuzzled my neck. I wanted so desperately to hate him, but I wasn't sure if I could. He had that softer side to him that always slingshot me back.

As my fingertips brushed his lips, his bright blue eyes fluttered open and a smile slowly stretched across his face.

I couldn't tell him that morning, so we continued our tryst. It was a rather trying relationship. Balancing between business and pleasure was no easy task when many pairs of judgmental eyes were always on us. For the most part, we had a compromise.

Our affair would only occur at night, except for sparse intimate moments when I was sure that we were alone. It was never at his office, anymore. Instead, the elevator and bathrooms became a common place that we'd cave in to our urges.

The feelings of guilt never truly left, but it was greatly suppressed by my endless desire for him. He could be so sweet and passionate, yet cruel and aggressive, but he was never violent.

The truth was, I was sure I'd fallen in love with him.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I'm actually so surprised that people liked the first part of the story! Since it's not a particularly popular genre, I thought it'd just disappear in a thick layer of dust.

Regarding the story, I hope this one is also to your liking. This story is a bit angsty, a bit naughty, a bit of everything else. The third installment will be coming soon, I just haven't figured out how to write the ending, but it's getting there!

Thank you PorcelainPuppetLady and MEGUMIthePENGUIN for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story! Please drop a review if you liked it. It really motivates me to continue writing! I'm thinking of watching the second movie as well and somehow incorporating these two into that plot. Is this something you'd be interested in?