Love’n’Lust

Belle was surprised when Nathan suddenly hugged her. She found it sudden because she wasn’t expecting he would hug her; they weren’t that close. His hug felt tighter than Mrs. Johnson’s.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“I’ve missed seeing you every day here,” he whispered to her before relieving her of his hug.

Belle just smiled even if she wasn’t at all pleased by his hug. What he just did was so weird to her and even Eric noticed it.

“Ehem!” It was a fake cough from Mrs. Johnson to remind Nathan of her advice. She smiled when he looked at her.”I was on my way downstairs, I’m almost late for my meeting with my gynecologist.” She announced to no one in particular.”You could help arrange those prints on my desk before I return,” She spoke to Belle this time who just nodded. She didn’t want to begin sending Belle on errands minutes after she just resumed but she wanted to keep her busy to avoid Nathan.

After that, she left Belle standing with Nathan as she got into the elevator. Nathan was happy she just left, he could talk to Belle now. Belle sensed that he wanted to take a chance and talk to her so she planned to go on to Mrs Johnson’s office before he could do so but he held her arm.

She reflexively cast her eyes on his hands holding her before looking at him. He let go of her when she did that.

“I want to talk to you.” He voiced his very predictable intention.

“Mrs. Johnson asked me to…” Belle had just the right excuse; Mrs Johnson’s errand.

“She won’t be back till after an hour or so, I just need some minutes with you. Please.” Belle opened her mouth to give another excuse but couldn’t think of one fast enough so she just stood there and gave him a chance.

“Okay.”

“I uhm,” Nathan paused. He really didn’t expect that she would let him a chance so he hadn’t prepared all he had to say to her.

He couldn’t explain it but ever since the news of her disappearance got to him, he had been troubled. He didn’t know how worried he was about her safety till she was kidnapped. During this time, he thought about her a lot, a lot to find himself seemingly in love with her.

At first, all he wanted was to play with her and use her for her money but now, he felt like he wanted more than that. Surely, if he had a chance, he planned to still use her to get rich but he found himself putting aside that objective for something more; HER.

He wanted to ask her out but didn’t know how so he found his tongue tied even though she just gave him a chance to talk.

“Can we go to coffee after work? I have something serious to tell you.”

“You can tell me now,” Belle shrugged as she suggested.

“No, we need to sit over this, it’s somewhat important.”

“I…” Belle wanted to say no.

“Please,” she heard him. Looking at him, she saw sincerity for the first time since she met him.

“Alright, but I don’t like coffee.” She smiled.

“We can go to dinner then.” He returned the smile.

“No.” She didn’t want it to be like a date.”It’s just for us to talk, right?”

“Yeah.”

“We could still go to the coffee place.” She smiled a little dryly and started in the direction of Laura’s office.

******

Ben was sitting at the head of the table in a conference room. He was at the meeting he had cancelled yesterday because of Belle. He was watching a member of the company requesting a partnership pitch their idea to him.

While he watched the lady explain the chart on a board standing beside her, his mind went to Belle. He suddenly remembered what she looked like bare naked, a smile cornered his lips.

He tried to shake off the distraction and focus on what the lady was saying but it proved hard a thing to do. Her voice was in his head; her low voice calling his name with every slow thrust he made inside her. He swallowed, running his fingers through his hair to return his attention to the meeting.

After the meeting was over and he was in his office, he took out his phone to call her.

Belle was still arranging the prints when her phone started to ring. She had some papers in both of her because there were surprisingly more plenty than she thought she had to sort out and arrange.

The phone was on her desk while she stood in front of Mrs. Johnson’s so she couldn’t reach it on time before it stopped ringing. She was still unlocking her phone to know who it was calling her when Ben’s second call came in, she picked up at its first ring.

“Why didn’t you pick up the first time?” Came his question. She sighed.

“Because I’m busy and had to drop what I was doing to get to my phone.”

“I want to come get you, right now.” She heard him say. She would think he was just joking but he was rather specific with when he wanted to come pick her up.

“Are you joking?”

“Do I sound like I am?” She knew he wasn’t joking but just asked to be sure.

“Ben, I’m at work!” She exclaimed in a whisper, finding the need to whisper when she called his name.

“Fuck it, I want you right now.” She heard him, he sounded like he meant what he said. “I’ll get you the post of a senior editor, you won’t have to work under her anymore. You could replace her if you want…”

“No,” Belle told him when she realized the ‘her’ he meant was Mrs Johnson. She knew he could do what he just said; give her Laura Johnson’s post as senior editor but she didn’t want that.

“What do you want?” She heard a question he had once asked her before.”Say what you want, I want to come get you. I don’t know what you’ve done to me but you are in my head, I can’t keep focus without having dirty thoughts about you.”