AIDEN
"Are we going to pretend like that didn't happen?" Jonas asked from across my desk.
He had his feet propped up on my glass table, scrolling on his phone. Knowing him, he was probably looking for his next distraction AKA date for the week. I was used to his probing, but I was still stunned that I ran into Nicole here.
From the moment she disappeared from my hotel room, she was all I could think about. It didn't help that I was shaky because I still hadn't gotten any sleep in nearly 36 hours. I tried after Nicole disappeared and even took some meds, but I woke up after 30 minutes. That was 30 minutes I never wanted to experience again.
I quickly pulled up the interview videos sent to me by the board.
If today was her first day, then she was the one I chose from the programming interview. When I saw her today, I immediately recognized her as the woman I had chosen. Her interview was good enough to make me watch it over and over. It also surprised me that I was the only one who decided on her as the perfect candidate.
Why didn't I recognise her at the bar?
In an industry that causes people to spend hours on a computer, we found out that our workforce was very competent but terrible at communication. Nicole was different. Of all the candidates, she was the most talented and articulate. She was the kind of programmer we could take to client meetings and would be able to explain complex tech to a layman.
I was very impressed.
Now that I knew who she was, I'd hoped that my mind would calm down, but every time I closed my eyes, I'm back in my hotel room with Nicole straddling me. It was the first time I've experienced that much intimating for a woman. Why did my body want to hold her close?
Even though I badly needed sleep, so I didn't end up as the new headline tomorrow, I wasn't sure why I felt that way. I didn't know why my senses shifted so quickly when Nicole was around.
It wasn't about the kiss or about what would have happened between us last night. Nicole made me feel something new I'd never felt before. My body wanted to explore it. It was something more than any form of attraction I've had for a woman. I couldn't place a finger on it and it was strange.
I wasn't the type to dwell on women since dating wasn't hard for me, but when I started Zen, keeping a girlfriend was very demanding, so I stuck to having sleep partners on a contract.
My last sleeping partner was with me for six months and I only learned her last name on the night she turned in her resignation. What was so different about Nicole, and why did I find myself wanting more?
"Are you really going to ignore me?" Jonas teased, dropping his phone.
I looked up from my desk to see his smirk. He was enjoying this and I could understand why. It had been years since I approached a woman and it wasn't for work. However, I had too much to do, and I had to find a way to get at least five hours of sleep.
"Wipe that smile from your face," I replied.
"Bro, she called you by your first name and I saw the way she looked at you," he got up and walked towards my chair.
"Something clearly happened between you two and you never mentioned her,"
"Oh please, I don't tell you everything Jonas,"
"Yes, you do. I'm your best friend,"
"You never let me forget,"
"Because I'm irreplaceable," he laughs and sits on the table next to me.
I went back to watching her interview on mute while trying to ignore Jonas, who was studying my face.
"You look like shit by the way. Still haven't found Brenda's replacement yet?" he said very casually.
Brenda was my last sleep partner, and she quit two weeks ago. Our contract stated I had to be informed two weeks prior, which she did. However, I couldn't find the time to get a proper replacement.
The anger I had buried inside me found it awakening. I didn't get any sleep last night because Nicole walked out on me. More than anything, I wanted to know why. Did I do anything wrong? Did she feel uncomfortable with me?
"Why not ask Nicole?" Jonas suggested, pointing to her face on my monitor.
I glared at him.
"How do you think I met her?"
Jonas instantly facepalmed.
"Aiden, don't tell me you walked up to her randomly and asked her to sleep with you,"
"It worked with Brenda,"
"Brenda was a lesbian dude, it meant nothing to her, and she was getting paid,"
"How is this any different?"
"Aiden, if you took one close look at her, you'd know she deserves something more,"
"What are you talking about?"
Jonas groaned in frustration.
"I think your lack of sleep is messing with your comprehension skills,"
"Just explain it to me,"
He sighs and turns my head back to the screen, showing Nicole.
"How many times have you watched this video since last week?" he asked.
I didn't realise Jonas was keeping count, even though he spent most of his time lazing around in my office. I also didn't know why I watched it so many times. At first, I was impressed. It has been a while since I saw a lady talk about coding or playing games the way she did. At least, not since Jessi.
I couldn't find a good excuse, so I just said anything that could Jonas off my tail.
"She was someone I plan on giving thousands of dollars to, so I had to watch it over and over," I replied.
"You didn't have to watch it after she was hired though. Admit it, you like her and that is part of the reason you're drawn to her," he shot back.
Why was attacking me this much?!
I barely knew this girl. How could he just conclude that I liked her? I just wanted to get some fucking sleep.
"What does that have to do with my sleeping problem?" I asked, annoyed.
"Oh my fucking god! Aiden, must I connect the freaking dots?! You like her and she's here at your company. That's an opportunity bro,"
"You know why I stopped dating. Besides, she doesn't like me. She ran away yesterday,"
"You're such an idiot. I don't think you realise how much chemistry you two have. It took me three seconds to feel it. You're the most eligible bachelor in New York right now and she's a programmer and one of the best ones. It's fun when two nerds fall in love. Take it from me,"
Jonas walked back to his seat and sank into it. I could feel the change in his mood. He gets that way when he talks about anything that reminds him of his love life. I didn't understand why he was still hung up on the guy. They broke up three years ago.
His phone beeped and his eyes lit up as he checked it.
"Looks like I'll be having company tonight," he smiles.
"New date?"
"Something like that. I have to go. I need to start work now if I want to leave early."
Jonas got up and left my office. I went back to watching Nicole's interview and tried putting the sound on when my assistant walked in.
"Lizzy, what's next on my schedule?" I asked before she got to my table.
"I'm actually here to brief you about your meeting with the design team from Japan. It's in fifteen minutes,"
My eyes widened.
"That was today? Shit!"
We were looking for designers for the new game Zen was planning on pushing into the market. Jonas suggested working with a new team to get higher quality. Jonas would be in the meeting too from his office.
"Sir, do you need anything? You look tired," Lizzy noted.
"I'll be alright. I'm having trouble sleeping,"
"Nightmares?"
"Only kids have nightmares, Lizzy. Get on with it," I say harshly.
Lizzy's body stiffened. I didn't mean to talk to her that way, but the things I saw when I fell asleep alone were a touchy subject for me. I suffered alone for years before I found out that sleeping with someone helped me.
I figured it out when I slept with my first girlfriend and after we broke up; I went back to the hell I escaped from. Jonas refused to experiment with me to find out if it had to be a girl and his excuse was that he was sure I wasn't gay.
After three failed relationships, I stuck to sleeping partners until last night. I was lost in my mind and in the guilt of the last few hours. Lizzy continued the brief, and I understood that we would be meeting with a representative of the design company because he was American.
"Can you get me a glass of water, Lizzy? I need to stay awake for this,"
Lizzy nodded and left to get me the water. I reached for the small drawer at my desk and put my finger on the lock. My hand pulled out the familiar pill bottle I hadn't used in almost a year.
The first thing I did was to check the expiring date, which turned out to be later this year. I haven't needed these meds in so long but it cannot be helped. Until I had time to find a sleep partner, I had to stay awake.
Lizzy came back with the glass and watched me take the medication. She had a worried expression on her face, but there was nothing she could do. I avoided asking women from work to be my sleep partner to avoid complications which meant I had to give up on Nicole and find someone else.
"Jonas' assistant just sent the meeting link sir, I'll be sending you in soon," Lizzy informed me.
She controlled the lighting of my office to dark mode and the floor-to-ceiling window turned dark. The lights in my office also came on so that the camera would show me properly.
Lizzy handed me EarPods for the conversation and got behind me. She then used her tablet as a remote to bring down a protective screen in front of me.
Less than 60 seconds later, Jonas' face piped up on the screen. We chose this company because we loved their designs. Even Jonas, who has really high standards, was impressed. The screen notified us of three people joining the meeting.
"Hello gentlemen, I'm Oliver Griffin, an illustrator from Mr. Yagami's team," a familiar voice says.
I looked up from the tab Lizzy dropped in front of me to see the owner of the voice. My eyes immediately went to Jonas, who was frozen in his seat.
"Oliver?" I asked.
"Oh my god, Aiden Stark! No way!" He exclaimed.
"I can't believe it's you. It's been three years,"
"I know right?" Oliver replied. "When I heard the requests came from Zen, I told Mr Yagami all about my time with you guys, but I didn't know you'd be at this meeting. You know, being the CEO and all,"
"I think it's great if you're working with us on this since you designed 45% of Battle for stars characters and if you did some of the designs in the portfolio I saw then you've definitely grown," I said.
Oliver nodded, and I waited for Jonas to say something, but he pretended like he wasn't there.
We talked about a lot of the formalities with his team including the contracts and work tenure. At the end of the meeting, Mr. Yagami agreed to come with Oliver to New York to discuss the details and sign contracts. Jonas was the first to leave the meeting, and I expected him to storm my office any second.
I mentally calculated how long it would take him to get here, considering his office was just across the halls from mine.
Five, four, three, two, action.
"Did you know about this?!" Jonas yells and he strikes his way in.
Lizzy picked up her tab and left the office immediately.
I understood why he was upset, but I really didn't know Oliver was working for Yagami Fujiro. He was a brilliant designer that I wanted to work with.
"I really didn't know. If anything, I thought you did since you reached out to them," I replied.
"We can't work with them. Cancel the flight arrangements," Jonas says.
His eyes were red, and I could immediately tell he was fighting back tears.
"Jonas, you know we can't," I say softly.
I didn't want to upset him, but we had already made the arrangements. Oliver was the perfect fit for the job but unfortunately, Oliver was the man Jonas wanted to forget most of the world.
"How can I work with him, Aiden? It's Oliver, it's actually him."
He sank into the chair opposite mine, defeated. I stood up and went to his side. If only I could comfort him or terminate the contract. The board has already decided on these months ago.
"I'm sorry Jonas,"
Jonas shot up from the chair and pushed me aside. He walked angrily toward the door to my office.
"Jonas!" I called after him, but he wouldn't look back.
I tried to call him again to try working something out since he was a vital part of the team, but I felt a sharp pain shoot through my skull. I kneeled over, leaning on the chair for support. My body was rejecting the meds.
We were at the meeting for over an hour, and I had another meeting in less than thirty minutes. It was a deal for a very important member of the elites. Jonas had used his connections to get us the billion-dollar contract and we couldn't lose it.
How was I going to survive the strings of meetings without sleep?
"Mr. Stark, where should I make your reservation for lunch?" Lizzy asked as she walked in.
"Oh my goodness!" She exclaimed when she saw me. "Mr. Stark, are you ok?"
I pushed my body up and strode out of my office, ignoring a very worried Lizzy. This was all too much for me to handle. Jonas was upset, which meant I was on my own for who knows how long. It was my cross to bear, but I would only survive when I had a little sleep. I loved my company, but I had no intention of dying.
The elevator was empty when I got to it, which I was thankful for, but I knew I was bound to run into more employees as I went down.
There was only one person that could help me right now, so I headed straight for the programming department. She wasn't here, so she was probably having lunch.
As soon as I entered the canteen, spotting Nicole wasn't difficult. She was sitting next to Jessi, just like I expected. Jessi had wanted a woman on the team for a long time, and I had unknowingly granted her wish. She must be so happy.
"Aiden, you look like you're about to drop dead. Sit down and eat something, for Christ's sake," Jessi said.
I ignored her and turned to Nicole. She looked terrified and looked around to see people watching us. Is that why she ran away from me?
Remembering what Jonas said earlier about treating her better, I decided to be more polite this time.
"Can we talk?" I asked her.
"We have nothing to talk about," she replied quickly.
"Yes, we do." I moved closer. "You left yesterday. Why did you do that?"
"You know him?" Jessi asked.
Like me, Nicole ignores her questions.
"Mr. Stark," she called and felt a stab in my chest.
I had already gotten used to her calling me Aiden. Unfortunately, I was her boss now, so she had to address me this way. I listened to her give an excuse, wanting to keep things professional. I leaned down to get as close to her as possible, feeling the tiredness in my bones.
"Will you sleep with me tonight?" I whispered.
Her eyes shot wide open, and she began to cough. I quickly reached for a glass of water and gave it to her. She accepted it and took a few sips. She was still coughing and took off her glasses to wipe some tears from her eyes.
I got worried she would choke again, so I rushed to her side and pulled her up.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"You need to calm down for a bit and we can't talk here. Let's go,"
Nicole tried to protest, but I took her hand and dragged her into the elevator and to my office.
Lizzy was surprised to see me walk past her with a girl. I had never brought a woman to my office if it wasn't for work purposes, and I surely didn't have to hold their hands while they protested.
As soon as we got inside my office, Nicole pulled her hand away and slapped me with her other hand.
"Who the hell do you think you are?!" she yelled.
- # # # -
Song recommendation: Here with me - Marshmello, CHVRCHES.