Ross's Pov
The bright light coming from the big screen in front of us, blinded my eyes, and all I could think was:
It should be her.
"Oh" even John seemed shocked "There seems to be a tie of 301 votes for each of our managers, which I did not expect.. I mean, Mr. Lynch here has years of experience in this position and has proved to do it right" he rubbed his jaw with his hand, seemingly perplexed at the numbers glaring back at him.
"Well, clearly, Miss Marano seems to know what she's doing as well" I narrowed my eyes at him "I've been a witness"
I only turned my head to see her for one second, and she'd been already staring at me- a bit surprised, yet portraying a soft look.
A look I'd learned to like.
"I believe your word Mr. Lynch" John nodded, smiling uncomfortably.
"Wouldn't you know better?" I challenged, letting go of her wrist as I turned to him- blocking his view of her "She was your best for six years with no pay raise"
"Ross" her warning voice rang in my ears, as I felt her hand on my shoulder, making me turn around.
She seemed alarmed.
But she shouldn't have been- this was her right after all. I wasn't blind - the old man never really gave her the right to say anything.
And If I was as much better as he thought- I was happy to use his skewed perception to my advantage.
"So lovely of you to speak so highly of competition" John spoke up, making me roll my eyes and causing giggles between employees "GG wouldn't be who it is without her indeed"
"Right, well" Laura cleared her throat "How about going back to the results?"
"Always to the point Miss" he pointed at her "I'm open to hear out suggestions from this good group of employees we have here. We can do a revote, obviously either now or give it more time, or" he turned to look at Laura and I "GG can follow up on the trail of many other successful companies with the structure change of having two equal managers that drive the branch, temporarily, obviously until one either resigns, moves positions, or is found guilty of something costly"
"So that is a possibility" her reply resembled a sigh of relief, making me feel reassured.
"Yes" John nodded "So out of curiosity, let's see which of the options our employees prefer. Raise your hands if you think there should be a revote"
At that, I noticed a couple of people raise their hands, among them Stephanie and Becca, which was expected.
"Fourteen for revote" John nodded after counting the crowd "Now, how about the temporary double managerial structure?"
More people raised their hands, Camille, which I had learned to be Laura's own best friend, raised her hand.
She seemed quite pleased about it.
"Nineteen annnd twenty" he counted "Well then, we have the answer from the group - but do we have the same between the managers?"
Instinctively, I looked down at her, and she was staring right back at me, with those big, round eyes.
Then I saw her head turn away "Yes"
That response confirmed my way of thinking.
I nodded in approval, and she seemed surprised.
"Alright then, there's other paperwork to look into about that. We can figure that out in the office. Meanwhile, thank you for your time. Meeting dismissed" John spoke up, before gesturing to the door.
As people started walking away, John sighted "That was quite unexpected"
Then, he walked off, leaving Laura and I to stand there, watching everyone pass by to the door. Neither of us moved.
Once the last person got out a few minutes later, she turned to me "I didn't expect that either"
I stared at her, more concentrated on her the way she spoke, than what she did say.
Reaching out to touch her face- her cheek felt cold against my hand. Perhaps the weather.
I noticed her eye drop to my hand before looking back at me. I cupped her jawline, swiping my finger under her lip- smearing her red lipstick accidentally.
Her mouth opened, like she wanted to say something.
Only a minute late, a few words came out "Please, I can't-"
"I'm sorry darling" my voice no more than a whisper "I know"
She stood there, waiting, and waiting.
But I couldn't say, do a thing more. My brain felt foggy at the view of her pretty face, but not foggy enough to let me make a mistake. I was sober.
So, I dropped my hand, shaking my head before leaving as well- my brain in buzzing mess, making me wonder if I'd made the mistake anyway, by accepting this position so quickly.
I'd set myself up.
Fuck.
,,,
The next few days were spent running around making more arrangements, and we had to even go as far as delay the business trip to Edinburgh, to keep on working, for reasoning of the big sudden changes the branch was facing, and the upcoming marketing campaign.
Laura and I were left alone one too many times in that damn office, and every single time, it was like we were doing a very slow dance.
Walking on eggshells, careful and aware of each action I took- I was becoming a mad man. Sometimes I felt like she could sense it, sometimes she was completely oblivious to it.
Her every small breath in the silence of that office, as the view of sky from the window kept getting darker, faster than ever before, was driving me insane.
Sometimes it was so tempting- to touch her, feel her, that I had to look away, or even leave the room, in order not to cause that same pointless scene I did, after that conference meeting.
It was weird, and I was certain, I'd confused her, and the fact that neither of us were willing to address anything, but rather act 'professional', was making it so much worse.
Because that's all I had left- professionalism. I wore it like a mask. Just one of the many masks, I was struggling to keep on.
The ice felt thin.
"I feel like, now that we've addressed the issues on the way the company is changing, it would be a great time to take steps to dissolve them" she spoke as she stretched her neck slightly. We'd been bent over this stack of papers on the table, in front of each other, for a while. You could only stay sat for so long, so we'd been moving around the desk a bit.
Her voice sounded quiet, tired, and I couldn't blame her- the one day she didn't have to work her second job, she was staying way extra hours for the first one.
Thank god, she wouldn't need to be worried on that job for a while- Larry was more than willing to give her her days off for the trip when I called in, starting today.
And let's get it straight, it was not out of the kindness in that heart.
I stared at her, imagining my hands on that neck instead. I was certain, those tense muscles needed some relaxing.
"However" she continued, spreading her arm more on the side of the desk "We're missing the component of time. Our full attention should now only be dedicated to this marketing event, and we should encourage-"
That black little dress looked pretty on her. Hugged her figure so well, and the soft matching cardigan seemed to go so nicely. The way she kept putting the strands of curled hair that fell on her face, behind her ear, every time pointing to something she was reading, or the way she bit her lip when she realized a calculation was off.
Those pretty flushed lips, I could imagine anywhere on me. Her whispers, and tired eyes. That tired moan she let out at the realization we had another folder we had yet to open-
Fuck, I was certain I was drunk.
Surely, the alcohol I picked out for us to sip on while we worked after hours, was to blame. There was no way to get though the tasks without it, and there was no HR reps looking over, no eyes or suspicious whispers at this hour- the building was dead quiet.
And to my surprise, she'd agreed, so we'd been sipping on champagne while making arrangements for the day of tomorrow, for a while now.
One am was just rolling around, and my eyes could only concentrate on her. Not one part of me cared about the damned documents any longer.
"I said do we have everything prepared for tomorrow?" her voice sounded a bit agitated, making me blink, before sitting up completely.
I placed my hands in my pockets, still trying to make sense of her words.
"Hm?"
She let out a deep sigh, looking away from me in clear disappointment.
It was sort of funny.
"I think you need a refill" I noticed her empty glass, and reached out for it, before she could argue.
I left her alone in that room for a while, as I tried to freshen up my memory and thoughts, but fuck it, my brain was buzzing.
I poured her her last bit of champagne, accidentally spilling some on the floor, and ignoring it, so I could walk back into that tension thick office.
I opened the door slowly, not making much noise. Her back turned to the table still- there wasn't much of a chance she'd heard me walking in.
I lingered there, and could only admire her for a while.
The first thing my eyes drifted to, was her bare back- that cardigan covering her shoulders before, that made the outfit actually look professional, nowhere in sight. Miles of smooth bare skin.
Those thin loose straps almost tested me.
The small of her back, I could almost imagine wrapping my hands around. She was beautifully sculpted- her legs drawing my attention, even as her dress no shorter than her knees. The messy hair, fuck, fuck..
I had to move, walk over to her, but I could no longer make sense of the reasons as to why I was torturing myself.
It was almost like I couldn't stop looking at her. It was simply a pull I had nothing to do with. I was not to blame.
This woman.. she could kill.
Laura's Pov
Other entity types including registered General Partnerships and Limited Liability Partnerships can submit a request to the California Secretary of State's Sacramento office either in person (drop off) or by mail. Instructions and fees for ordering certificates and copies related to General Partnerships and Limited Liability Partnerships are available on the Business Entities Records - Order Form (PDF).
Other entity types including registered General Partnerships and Limited Liability Partnerships can submit a request to the California Secretary of State's Sacramento office either in person (drop off) or- shit.
Other entity types including registered General-
Fuck this.
I blinked a few times at the paper in front of me- I kept rereading the same sentence and it made less sense the more times I did.
I wasn't sure if it was because I was tired, if it was late or because of that damn alcohol Ross brought me.
Maybe a mix of all three.
A sigh escaped my lips, and in that same second, I almost saw a shadow tower over me. That's how much I could feel his presence.
He stood behind me, and I knew it. I could tell before I even looked.
Quickly, I stood up from that bending position, thinking of how that looked, but, standing straight didn't really help once I realized how damn near he actually was.
His chest to my back- I froze for a second, before turning my head to look at him.
He stared down at me, but I couldn't read him. There was almost no expression to his face.
My eyes drifed down to the glass of champagne, now in his hand, full to the brim.
Slowly, he took a sip from my glass, before reaching out in front of me, and placing the champagne back on the desk.
My eyes followed his hand, before they were on him once again.
And this time, his hands were on me.
I felt his hand at the nape of my neck, pushing my hair to the side, causing a shiver down my back.
I bit my lip to stop myself from saying a thing, as his hands held my naked shoulders, then, moved down my arms slowly.
The sensation had my eyes shut for a second, and when I opened them again- my breath hitched to my throat. It felt like I'd woken up from heavy sleep.
He rested me against him, closer, and this time when I stared at him- his face was inches away from mine.
His eyebrows narrowed, as he looked at me, then down at my lips. It was as clear as glass, what he'd been thinking.
For once, I could tell what he was saying. Not one word needed.
I could feel my hands shake, as I felt him behind me. Felt all of him, and his breath on my face.
"Ross, what are you-"
God, I must've flushed, when I finally heard him speak "Do you remember.. "
Oh god.
"..that day, when I did you that favour, related to your friend? I said I wanted one back" he explained in whisperes, and I almost missed the meaning behind those words, so distracted by his presence.
Why was this happening now? What was going on? Why wasn't I moving away?
"Yes" I found my voice, answering his question.
"I think you're ready to find out what it is" his hand lifted to touch my cheek "Baciami tesoro"
My breathing almost stopped all together, my eyes heavied, as I stared in his eyes, then looked at his lips. That accent.
Kiss me.
He wanted me to kiss him.
I didn't dream that. I heard it. He spoke it. He said it.
And yet I couldn't believe it- perhaps because it was crazy, out of nowhere, or maybe too long awaited. I couldn't tell.
The silly thing is, I wanted nothing more than to fulfill that wish.
Yet I thought about this company, my friend, his dangerous past-times, the amount of women crying out for him, the dangerous-
His nose came close, and he rubbed it against mine slightly, pushing even closer, as his hands wrapped around my waist.
His lips were so close. Right there- just a little and I.. and I..
I spoke up.
"If you kiss me" I whispered, trying to regulate my heavy breathing "It's game over"
"I don't play games" he replied easily, before joining his lips to mine.
I'd never known euphoria, until I closed my eyes and felt his lips push against mine. Instinctively, or maybe accidentally, or perhaps in full purpose, I responded.
My lips opened slightly as were his, as we moved from one way, to another. He held my neck, putting pressure against it, as he kissed me more passionately.
He warmed me up, body, soul, lips, until I felt like fire. Until I was grabbing his wrist tightly, as I moved my head, twisting and turning, wanting more.
More of him.
As if he knew, he pushed his tounge in just a bit, and it made me leave out a cry, as if it was coming from the back of my throat. I didn't realize it was even there.
It didn't last a second, as his tounge started exploring my mouth instead, and I followed right up, retuning the favour. I couldn't say or think a single thing.
All I knew is, his soft lips. All I wanted, were them, and perhaps his tounge everywhere.
Everywhere.
Please.
He grunted, as the small kiss no longer felt like one. It turned into a heated, hungry battle, where I felt like I was starving for him. The satisfaction of kissing him, tasting this champagne on him, after wanting him for so long, let me sink into the guilty pleasure.
His hand went up and down, almost pushing up my dress but not quite. His other hand pressured my throat more, making me groan into his mouth.
I felt him pull and bite my lip, and I was certain he'd left a bigger bruise than the one already there.
It hurt. I didn't care. I wanted more.
Yes.
Yes.
No.
My eyes widened, as I immediately pulled away, and looked at him- breathing heavily, probably looking crazy.
What was I doing? What the fuck was I doing?
My shaky hand reached for the table, as I continued to stare at him- and he looked just as shocked, breathing just as heavy.
That was bad. That was really bad.
I kissed him.
I kissed Ross Lynch.
I kissed my fucking work partner.
I kissed the man practically everyone wanted to kiss, and I wasn't sure what to do.
When I came to the halt.. or.. realization, of what I was doing, I didn't think what I would say after I pulled away.
I simply did, and now that I was here, I didn't know how to justify my actions.
That was all I seemed to be good for tonight. Actions. No thinking.
My mind went blank.
"Laur-"
"What-" I interrupted his words- it seemed they'd activated mine "What..just happened?"
I still couldn't process it.
He stared at me, as I saw him lick his lips- a crease forming between his brows.
He seemed confused on it as well.
"That shouldn't.. no" I spoke up, shaking my head as I went to close my lap top, shoving things into my bag like a maniac, not caring for the wrinkled papers "That's not okay. Ross, that was wrong. That was so wrong"
"So you're leaving?" he finally spoke up in a hush, making me come to a halt.
I felt tears form in my eyes, like I was a kid, being caught for being bad.
I didn't know what to do. Running away, seemed like the answer.
Once he saw my hesitance, he walked over to me, and once again, I was trapped- this time, against the table.
He didn't use his hands to touch me, no, he simply moved closer, and leaned his head to mine.
I shut my eyes for a moment, taking a little breather to enjoy the feeling of his forehead pressing against mine.
God, what was I doing.
Then, he spoke.
"If you don't want me, move away again" he whispered.
My eyes opened, and I stared right into his, noticing the amount of colour, green and blue, wrapped in the brown of his eyes.
He was mesmerising.
"Do you?" he challenged, pushing himself closer "Do you want me as bad as I want you, dear?"
And I could feel how much he wanted me. Oh, he was hard.
My lip hurt, when I bit into it again, looking down at our bodies, pushed against each other.
Quickly, I blinked, looking back up "No"
Even my voice was shaky- I wasn't sure where to concentrate. Anywhere, anywhere but his eyes.
"Bad liar" he whispered against my lips.
My eyes, fluttered closed almost immediately.
And yet he didn't kiss me, he lingered.
"What has gotten into you?" I couldn't help but question, my breath on his breath.
"I can't hold back anymore. I'm going insane" he confessed, and I almost didn't feel it, at how feather light those lips lingered on mine.
I'd felt that. I guess there was really a point, where everything exploded. These walls couldn't hold us back for much longer.
"Your lip is bleeding" he spoke up, a bit louder, and my eyes popped open, to be faced with his gorgeous dimples as he smirked at me.
Embarrassed, I tried to lift my hand in order to wipe it away, but he didn't let me- catching my wrist mid-air.
He took my other hand in his, then locked them behind the small of my back.
I stared at him- now fully trapped. Now I couldn't go anywhere. Not that I wanted to.
Not that I'd admit that last part out loud, anyway.
He leaned in again, and his next gesture surprised me- as I felt his tounge lick the blood away from my bottom lip.
Not kiss. Just lick it away.
I let out a sigh of pleasure, before groaning, and letting myself surrender, as I pushed my lips to his instead.
Perhaps it was what he was waiting for.
He smiled into the kiss, moving his lips against mine once again, still holding my hands captive.
I couldn't even justify it this time around- I couldn't act innocent, because I kissed him.
Those thoughts drifted away, at the feeling of his hands on me again. They went up and down my thighs, hitching my dress with every move.
He groaned annoyingly, and next thing I knew I was on top of that desk, as I heard several different items hit the ground almost immediately. My legs opened to help him get comfortable in front of me, and with that, my dress lifted even more.
One of his hands stayed on my thigh, teasing the fabric, working up and down, as his other hand was wrapped at the back of my neck, guiding me.
He moved against me- and I felt him get harder and bigger.
As his tongue pushed against mine, I couldn't help but let my hands grab his face, making the kiss all that more violent, as i ran my hand through his soft hair, and pulled on it.
Fuck, I'd wanted to do that one for so long. I could my body practically pulsing in agony. I felt wet, uncomfortable in front of him.
As I ran my hands down his body, feeling his abs through his shirt, his kiss lowered down my neck, trailing down, then detaching for a moment, to kiss the already loose strap on my shoulder, causing it to fall down.
He stopped staring at the piece of black fabric that was barely hanging on my chest, then looked at me.
My hands fell from his body, as I stared back- eyes a bit widen. My face and body felt hot, as twenty or more emotions ran through me at once.
That pause he took, seemed to be a mistake, because it gave time for anxiety to kick back in, as I looked down, at the door, and then him in a panic.
He didn't seem to realize it, as he leaned in again, pecking my lips. I stared down at his gorgeous face, as I spoke up in a shaky breath "Shit"
He was about to touch me again, but I pushed him away, getting off the desk as I adjusting my dress and pulling up the straps, staring at half of my things on the floor with a hand to my hot forehead.
I felt like I had a fever.
"Laura" he spoke up, as I started gathering everything up again, putting stacks of papers into folders and shoving my stuff in my bag.
"Laura" his voice now louder, more possessive.
"La-"
"Fuck Ross" I got off the ground, carrying my things as I stared at him "I can hear you"
"Then don't fucking leave" he gritted through his teeth.
My tears welled up in my eyes again, and I wasn't sure what the hell was wrong with me at that point.
It seemed even the simplest of acts were too much to handle with him. I hadn't felt this way in a long time. It triggered a lot of emotion out of me.
"Sorry" my voice no more than a whisper, and I escaped, slamming the door behind me.
I ran into the elevator, and pressed the buttons for the ground floor.
My eyes caught sight of a ghostly figure, pale, yet flushed from head to toe. My lip started bleeding again just slightly, as I wiped off a tear with my hand, smearing my eye make up.
Oh, oh, this was a disaster. I'd practically just ruined everything. Nothing would ever be the same. If anyone ever found out...
Damn you, Ross Lynch.
˚☽｡⋆.
Hiii, hello. Sorry for not updating this love story for a bit - I've been too busy living my own.
Also, notice how I didn't leave you on a cliffhanger? Or use the description of classic "fireworks" to describe the kiss? History is being written.
In the meantime, why don't you tell me how you felt about this chapter? The big kiss happened.. I'm sure you didn't mind that part, but boy, are they riding a rollercoaster from now on.
Buckle in reader.. this is where the story actually begins. May the odds be in your favour.
And hopefully, now that this happened, these two don't suffer too much on their way to Edinburgh (oops).
I got my laptop, by the way! Wrote most of this chapter on it, andddd honestly about difficulty writing levels- I can say that I was truly able to write faster using my phone, but, I have a better view of the texts, mistakes and storyline when I use the laptop. Overall, I'll keep using them interchangeably.
Also it might please you to find out I wrote the last scene drinking, indeed, champagne.
I've been reading some books lately where the critical writer in me has gone crazy. Now I'm not giving anyone unsolicited advice on their writing, (no expert, have you seen my mistakes??) but damn is it tempting. So many stories with actually good writing, that lack storyline, or in which the characters don't act like real humans..
Now of course, there's always a sense of fiction in stories no matter the genre because who the hell is gonna sit there and read your book about how you had like seven classes today, ate a piece of toast for lunch, then scrolled on tiktok for hours, but trust me, that's not what I'm talking about when I mention that.
Been living the typical student life... ummm what else is new? Well, not much for me, but I'd love to hear how everyone else is doing.
I've been kind of on my main character era lately 😂 And, planning on watching The Hating Game since everyone keeps mentioning it as something similar to this book.
Seems a bit rom-comy comparatively, but I'll give it a chance.
Anyway, that's enough rambling for today. If you liked this chapter and you want more, you can always vote, comment, and follow! They help tromendasly.
I've been doing my best to keep writing as I keep up with everything else but these chapters are too long for me to give quick updates in real time. I am honestly doing my best though- doing a bit of everything.
I'll see you sooner than ever!
Love,
-G
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