Unsuitable Proposal

Chapter 45: Crazy

Antarang was sitting on his chair, one leg crossed over another, and a book in his hand- though his eyes were on me. I shut the door behind me and walked to his table, meeting his piercing gaze head on. Silence stretched between us. Both of us were sizing each other as if waiting for the other to attack. 

"Mr. Kazmi called," Antarang broke the silence, keeping his book down on the table. "He asked about you, how are you managing here... And he also told me how your lead misses you." His jaw became taut and eyes hardened. "Ranjan seems to favor you in many ways. You must be his favorite junior." I noticed accusation in his tone.

"Well, the man knows my worth since he gives me work that I specialize in, instead of making me run around to fetch lunch and coffee for others," I jibed, crossing my arms. If he was going to give attitude, so was I.

Antarang stood up and circled around the table, raising my pulse. Instinctively, I took a step back as he came in front of me and leaned against the table. "Is that so?" He mused, unashamedly running his gaze all over me. "Then my decision to keep you here longer isn't wrong. I'm sure you're now already getting work you specialize in. Impress me and then maybe you'll become my favorite too."

"I have no interest in impressing you or becoming your favorite. You've already made it clear it's an impossible task for me."

"If it was anyone else who said this to me, they'd be out of this company for the lack of zeal and can-do attitude. You're in luck I'm in no mood to fire you today." 

"I should be grateful then," I said, looking anything but grateful.

Antarang's eyes lit up with amusement. "Bangalore certainly changed you. You've developed quite a mouth. I can't help but think of ways to put it to better use."

My cheeks turned red, catching his innuendo. I cleared my throat. "Why did you call for me?" I asked.

"To inform you that your period here is extended by another month, and to assign you your new tasks," he replied.

'What now? Do you need another month to take your revenge?' I wanted to say, but swallowed my words since things had been quiet this past week.

"Is there some specific reason for doing this?" I questioned instead. I was supposed to return to HotWired next week. I was actually looking forward to it, since it would give me some much-needed space from Antarang and sort out my feelings. But it seemed he had other ideas.

"You're quite a capable and smart woman as told by Mr. Kazmi and reviewed by my employees too, so I'd like to take benefit of that longer. It's a good deal for you too. You'd be compensated with a good hike and invaluable experience." 

"And here I thought I was only good for serving you coffee."  I couldn't stop the words from coming out of my mouth.

"Well, you do that well too. I do miss hot espresso and fresh buns served by you. I wouldn't mind if you want to get me food sometimes," Antarang humored, clearly trying to get the rise out of me.

"No thanks, I'd rather stick to what I do best," I said flatly.

He smirked and leaned closer to me. My pulse quickened. "Then you wouldn't mind sticking here longer," he commented, "after all, driving me crazy is what you do best." There was no bitterness in his tone, it was as though he was stating a fact. 

"Good, you drive me crazy too, it's only fair," I breathed.

The air between us became charged. Suddenly the pull between us became too strong to ignore. His usual calculative look was replaced by something raw and his eyes roamed all over my face before dropping to my lips. My heart was now thundering against my chest.

I didn't realize when we moved closer, but his lips were now at a kissable distance. They had never looked so tempting as of now. All the sane thoughts flew out of my mind and all I could think about was kissing him. Going by the feral look in his brown eyes, he was in the same boat. So our faces inched closer and-

Antarang's phone rang, snapping me out of the daze. I immediately backed away from him, my mind reeling back to sanity. What the hell?!

I looked at Antarang to find him disappointed, and I thought I heard a quiet curse too. However, he quickly schooled his expression, making me doubt if I had imagined it.

He cleared his throat. "That's all. I will mail you new assignments. You can go now," he ordered, picking up his cellphone from the table.

I didn't need to be told twice. I dashed out of there as if the monster was behind me. By the time I reached my desk, I was a hot mess. My mind kept replaying what passed between us a moment ago. I wanted to kiss him so bad. I wanted to do so much more. Ugh! So much to sorting out my feelings for that devil!

"Your red face and heavy breaths definitely don't make me want to ask questions," muttered Dheeraj from beside me, working on his laptop.

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