Office Affair

Dominic, I need you.

Dominic walked by Clarissa's door on his way to the kitchen and stopped to eavesdrop. Even though he trusted his employees to do a good job without constant monitoring, he couldn't miss the opportunity to decipher the whispers.

"I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong." 

"You're doing nothing wrong, don't worry." 

"I must be, because he's not happy with the way I work. I have made him three versions already, and he's impossible to please." 

"He needs time." 

He pricked up his ears and took a step closer, now that he knew that the conversation was about him. One of them was crying, and he rolled his eyes. Ignoring the irritation, he continued to listen. 

"But..." 

"Look, you'll have to come to terms that Anya is his favorite." 

"Who is she?" 

"She works as a graphic designer here," Clarissa said, her tone downright bored. 

"I've haven't seen her." 

"That's because she's called in sick after barely two weeks since she started working. Anyway, she always gets my projects, but that is to be expected." 

"How so?" 

Yeah, how so, Dominic thought while he clenched his jaw. 

"Because he's in love with her. Maybe not even in love; maybe that's just strong sexual attraction. She probably gave herself to him easily. Besides, she's a redhead, and he kind of loses himself when redheads are in question." 

"Is she really that good?" 

"She's mediocre. I've seen her work on the Grab project, and even though both he and Dominic were almost ecstatic, I could have done it ten times better than her." 

"So I clearly don't stand the chance, but I really want him to be happy with me." 

"He will. Just do what he asks and be at his service whenever he needs you, and very soon we'll both replace her. You'll see." 

Dominic seriously deliberated barging in and teaching them a lesson, but he decided not to, at least for now. Instead he took another refill of his coffee cup and looked at Anya's closed door as he passed it. He missed her. He missed the moments that they spent together in his office, eating lunch and talking in depth about everything. 

On the other hand, the thought of her being home and waiting for him was even more appealing. He knew he needed to find a resolution, because when she told him that she wanted to be more than best friends, his whole body began reacting in a weird way. He was delighted, but he was also terrified at the thought of losing her.

He felt that she stiffened every time he mentioned his apartment. She obviously wasn't used to living in luxury, and if he only suggested to her to move in with him, she would have a complete emotional meltdown. He needed to come up with a way to gradually help her get used to his lifestyle. He just thought about arranging to meet with Mike, when his office phone beeped. 

"Michelle?" 

"Anya is on the line and it seems important. She sounds upset." 

"Put her through." 

A moment later he could hear that she was nearly in tears. 

"Anya, what happened? Are you all right," he tried to hide his nervousness. 

"I got caught by the bus patrol. They're fining me, and I need to pay straight away but I spent all my money on rent. I am broke. Can you please borrow me some until..."