Chemical Poison . Howard Stark

Chapter 14

Evening came by just as quickly as Anneliese's calm display. She was beyond nervous, terrified and even to a degree excited? No, she couldn't be excited. She wasn't in love, she didn't like Howard and she wouldn't return his feelings. No matter how his eyes filled with pride for her, made her knees weak, or his knitted eyes when he was confused or how he parted his lips... seconds after being caught off guard. No, she would't adore him. He was her boss, and simply... only that.

Yet, he wasn't only that. He was Howard Stark, America's brightest and sexiest bachelor according to the The New York Press, and he- No. Anneliese refused to think any further, she was just a perfectly normal employee trying to keep her family safe from the forces in Germany, specifically her uncle, because that is clearly what a perfectly normal employee does.

Going through her paperwork, she made a plan to finish it before she left the office. Editing speeches, signing off paperwork and creating a plan for the Expedition Stark Industrials was funding. It was enough to keep her mind from wondering the what if's.

What if her father wasn't in mortal danger of a radical scientist, would she return Howard's affections?

What if her mother was alive instead of her father? No- that was too taboo to even dream about, having her parents switch from dead and alive, a cruel and unsettling idea.

What if... she just cared for him?

Everything was screaming for her just to play into his hand, form comfort from his strangely smooth hands, tracing his veins from his fingers and up his arm, and secret glances at his lips. Her fingers begged to touch his hair, and how good it would feel to rush her fingers through his ragged hair. Cruel thoughts filled her mind, distracted.

"No," She whispered, snapping her eyes to focus on the latest speech she was editing for Alexander, as he was incapable of doing it himself supposably, "Don't think about that."

But her mind wondered, again. His eyes dark, licking his lips and smile wide as her lips parted. Skin on skin, would he feel too hot or too cold? Hands hungrily touching anything, and everything, as if they were staved beings. Anneliese even dared to imagine his chest, his neck, and just him... bare in front of her.

Slamming down the pen, she loudly whispered, "Stop thinking!"

Obviously she was too busy thinking like a teenage girl who's just discovered that men are attractive; cooties and all... to realise that someone had opened her door and entered. And of all people, it had to be Alexander. In his fine navy suit, his pale purple button up shirt and his blonde hair, gelled back to give off a 'wet look'.

A cheshire grin appeared on his lips, as he leaned against the doorway staring her down. Anneliese dared to glance up to his face, and she knew, just from the way he had bitten his tongue, that she was in deep trouble.

"What did you do to make Stark actually pay attention in the financial meeting?"

Groaning, "I'm busy with work, go annoy someone else Alexander."

Anneliese grabbed a random piece of paperwork as she tried to convince herself that she was busy. Busy with work and not day dreaming of the possibilities- a chuckle instinctively forced her eyes to meet the words on the page. None of the words made sense, no matter how much she squinted her eyes.

Alexander made his way to her, she didn't need to stop failing to read her paperwork to hear the click-click-click on the floor from his leather shoes, or the radiating smirk plastering her walls with his wicked mind. He was dreadfully impossible to ignore; a small sound that never went away.

He was leaning over her shoulder, and Anneliese did not dare to meet his gaze. She could only imagine what he was thinking: Why is she reading the same thing over and over again? Is she illiterate? What was she thinking about before? But none, not one of her thoughts, was truly what Alexander was thinking.