Frankie's point of view:
"I refuse to believe this!" Jenny exclaims, her wide eyes scanning across my newly signed contract. Whilst my stomach somersaulted, I carefully place my belongings that once decorated my desk so neatly into a cardboard box to be moved to my new upstairs office. "And you tried to say you and Mr Hayes were just friends."
At her scoff and smirk, I roll my eyes cautiously placing the small succulent plant beside the photo frame of my mother. "We are just friends. This was merely a new job opportunity when he found out my degree - nothing more, nothing less."
"Oh yeah?" She grins. "And why would he be moving you up to his floor? Don't tell me - a new office opportunity?"
I poke my tongue out although my insides tingle. Jason and David both persuaded me during a meeting yesterday morning to move from the pokey little reception desk at the main entrance, to a spacious office on the twenty first floor. I always thought that Jason's and David's offices where the only rooms up there, but apparently there was two others. One which would be my new office, the other still unoccupied.
"I can hardly design anything sitting here, can I?"
She hums with a giggle. "Whatever you say. Just don't forget little old me when you're running with the posh suits, okay? And please, don't even think about ever replacing me with Jillian."
"Not in a million years." I promise. "I don't think I've ever even spoke two words to her. She gives me the cold shoulders everytime she sees me, I'm not sure why." Closing up the box, I huff a sigh and smile sadly at Jenny's pouted lip. She holds her arms wide and squishes me into a bone-crushing hug. "Jenny, I'm literally seven floors up!"
"I don't care." She cries jokingly. Lifting the cardboard box, she follows me to the elevator and I nudge the button with my hip. "Say hello to Mr Moody for me."
She blows a comically kiss before the elevator doors close. I sigh, the haunting classical music tormenting me as the numbers rise higher and higher until the ding sends my heart battering through my ribcage. My heels click against the marbled floors until I reach Jillian, hidden behind her desk with glasses pushed up the bridge of her nose. She stops her typing.
I clear my throat. "I-I'm moving into my new office today. Is Jason or David about?"
Her sudden movement made me stumble a step backwards. She doesn't remove her frosty gaze as she moves to the front of her desk, and I clench the box tighter. "They're in a meeting. I've been told to show you where you need to go."
I was afraid to walk to close, but I hurry to keep up with her fast strides. She directs me to Jason's side of the hallway and stands outside a door I have past before. I halt just a quickly as she does, and gulp loudly as she faces me with her glasses falling to the tip of her nose. Why she made my stomach knot, I wasn't sure but the feeling was something I didn't like. Instead of saying anything like I expected, she stalks back in the direction we had just came from and takes her disturbing aura with her.
I breathe out a nervous breath and fiddle with the handle, stumbling forward onto the cushioned carpet. My new office. White and very bare walls with matching carpet, a beautiful oak desk and even a separate station for sketches that overlooked a breathtaking view of the city. I could even see the bridge that crossed to my hometown.
"Do you like it?"
I flinch, yelping and clenching the box desperately. Leaning against the door frame, Jason chuckles. His tie was loosened and the top button was undone. "Really, Jason? Do you want to kill me off before I even start?"
He pushes himself away from the door frame as I set the box down on top of my desk. "You didn't answer my question, Miss Fields."
The formal use of my surname made my knees weak and I quickly turn to the view to disguise the heat rushing to my cheeks. I stared at the bridge. The bridge I crossed many of times, the bridge that separates me and my family, the bridge where my old life stopped and my new one begun.
"It's perfect."
He didn't reply, he just let me drink in the moment as my body was overcome with elation. I roll my shoulders with eyes closed, a happy smile pulling at the corner of my lips as I turn to face him. He was watching me, slightly sunk down in the opposite chair. His deep, dark eyes were almost black with a unfamiliar emotion and his thumb was pulling down on his lower lip.
Oh heavens above.
I clear my throat, trying to suppress the rising heat that was prickling every pore across my body. I needed to occupy myself and quick.
"Was there something you wanted?" I ask, my voice small and shy as I begin to unload my belongings. He coughs, perking up quickly.
"I just wanted to see if you liked your office. Obviously you can make it your own in any way possible." He tells me. "Here - a little welcoming gift. It's only something small and quiet stupid, actually. Uh - crap."
The bashfulness in his tone as he toys with a thin rectangular box brought a fuzzy feeling to my chest. With rosy red cheeks, he hands me the gift with a shrug of his shoulders. I mutter a barely audible thank you to him as I shake of the lid. Resting upon black silk padding was a sleek black, ballpoint pen and with silver engravement in cursive writing was the words Francesca Fields - Interior Designer.
"It's stupid, I don't know what I was thinking." He blurts quickly. "I'm sorry, I should've just stuck with flowers but David said he was going to get you some and I thought that I would get you something different but maybe I should've -"
"Thank you." I tell him, catching him off guard and mouth gaped. I run my finger over the engravement, smiling. "Really, thank you so much. It's beautiful."
"It's stupid."
"It's thoughtful." I correct him. He lifts the corner of his lips from the disappointed frown at my smile. "Honestly thank you, Jason. I love it."
He shifts his weight from foot to foot, burying his hands within his pockets which caused his shoulders to rise innocently. I set the opened box down in front of my photo frame, my finger gliding over my mother's face. "She would be proud of you, you know."
His words tug on my heart and it causes my tear ducts to pinch. I shake my head, pushing back the tears that gathered along my waterline and reach for my tattered old notepad.
"Are you all set for your trip?"
He shrugs. "As ready as I'll ever get I suppose. All these trips are the same - sit in a conference room, be on the edge of a metal breakdown due to sheer boredom, come back to either my own hotel or one similar and do it all over again the day after."
"It must be nice though, seeing the world. Seeing your hard work being built in different counties."
He watches me with a intent gaze as I fix my stationary as he speaks again. "It's lonely. David brings Georgia. I don't think you've met her yet but she's David's girlfriend of almost three years. After our meetings, they go off to explore while I become a hermit back at the hotel - I don't tag along. Georgia isn't coming to Hong Kong. She's a studying veterinarian so she's on call this weekend, I think this is the first time David's went alone in over a year."
"Did you, uh, not take Natasha?" I cautiously ask, looking from beneath my lashes. He was still staring, his eyes never missing any movements. "Sorry - that was so intrusive."
"I did." He says. "Then she started to complain that I was spending enough time with her. That I should cut my meetings short, or I should just miss them altogether. I couldn't, obviously so the only thing that would keep her happy was if I gave her my credit card and let her shop while I worked."
My jaw slacked. "Please tell me you're kidding."
"I wish." He chuckles. Still staring. "One trip, I think it was to Toronto for a opening, I forgot to give her my card before leaving early that morning while she was still asleep. I returned to the hotel late to find a note telling me she got the jet to take her back to the states because I neglected her. That was the end of the trips."
I was frowning without realising, my stomach knotting tightly. Every passing day, everything new I learnt about Jason's relationship with Natasha, it made that little bubble of hatred get bigger and bigger within the pits of my tummy. It was only time before that bubble popped.
"Well, hey." I speak up, cutting the forming atmosphere before it became to intense. "At least you have David to yourself in Hong Kong. You'll have him to keep you company."
He laughs lowly, more so to himself than me. "Oh that reminds me. I wanted to speak to you about your first job."
I grin giddily. "My first job?"
He laughs and nods. "Of course, did you think I just hired you to make you happy? Sit down."
"Wow." I mumble, lowering myself into the high-back office chair. "This is weird. It should be you sitting on this side."
"How tables have turned, Miss Fields." He smirks. "Getting back to business - I have a job for you already lined up. Something simple to ease you in before we get into the tricky stuff."
I lean my chin on my hands. "Continue."
"My office."
I slam my hands down in front of me, narrowing my brows in state of confusion. "Your office? You want me to redesign your office?"
"I know it's nothing extravagant - for now, but I don't want to put the pressure on you of designing our hotels or restaurants just yet. It's a big task and you said yourself, you haven't been in this industry in a while so you just need to adapt yourself into your new role. Then, when David and I return from Hong Kong and if we get the go-ahead, you can start planning on that. Starting with recruiting a team."
I raise my head from staring down into the emptying box. "Really?"
As he laughs and my beaming smile shows my excitement, he reaches for the strand of hair that slipped from my top knot and pushes it absentmindedly behind my pierced ear. I didn't believe you could get goosebumps on your face, but as soon as the rough skin of his calloused knuckles skim my cheeks, I felt them. I felt them everywhere, from head to toes. I was on fire.
But like I was acid on his skin, he pulls back quicker than I would've liked. He dips his head and I was thankful because I could hide my disappointment and, hurt?
He buttons his collar, fixing his tie as he stands up. He clears his throat, hastily moving towards the door with still no attempt made to look at me. "I have some paperwork to catch up on. I'll email you about your latest task for my office. If you need me, you know where I am."
And with that, he was gone leaving just his lingering scent of musky cologne.
My receptionist desk downstairs didn't hold much, and once my box was empty I still was unhappy at the big, bare room. I needed colour, I needed these walls to stop being cold. I flick open the browser, biting my lower lip as I start to scavenge the internet sites for paintings until a beep came through.
Jason Hayes: Miss Fields, Upon going to Hong Kong in three days, I'm leaving my office renovations in your capable hands. You have nothing else scheduled, apart from this so please, take your time and show me what you're made off. You have two days to complete your task and my only request is: You have fun. Kind regards, Mr J. Hayes.
Have fun? Oh Jason.
Another beep rings out.
Jason Hayes: Ps, I would much rather have you to keep me company in Hong Kong.
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THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS HAVE ME SO EXCITED! LIKE, EXCITED EXCITED!!
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