18 A Personal Errand Boy.

Do you know what is the hardest part of going to the cinema? To watch the movie.

Especially when your own fantasies unfold in your head, in no way inferior to what is happening on the screen.

Especially when someone is sitting next to you who is doing everything possible so that these fantasies do not stop.

Emily tried in vain to focus on the picture flickering in the dark that was telling the story about great first love. There was a noise in her ears, everything floated and swayed in front of her eyes as if a cinema had fallen into an earthquake zone.

Justin Evans (damn him!) turned out to be a very active spectator, commenting on scenes from the film at every opportunity.

And all would be fine if Emily understood what he was saying!

As soon as the man leaned over to her ear and whispered another comment, her brain turned off the speech recognition zone and focused on the sensations of the body.

The man's hot breath that tickled her ear and cheek sometimes sank lower to her neck. The scent of perfume, so pleasant and inviting, made the girl unconsciously reach for its source.

Emily did not notice such a fetish behind herself, but with this man, she desperately wanted to burrow into his chest or neck and inhale, inhale his scent until the world around her disappeared.

"Crazy," she moaned during some tearful scene, unable to endure her own mind any longer, which finally went off the rails.

"Really? And it seems to me that she is an adequate character," came a voice from the side.

The girl turned her head and stumbled upon a playful look a few centimeters away.

"Or are you not talking about the movie, Miss Hayes?" the corners of Justin's lips curved seductively. Emily swallowed.

A lyrical melody spilled over the hall. The girl looked sideways at the screen.

Oh no! Not that! Someone stop them!

On the huge screen, the two lovers merged in a hot and passionate kiss, with a hint of an interesting 18+ continuation in the next couple of scenes.

Emily looked at her boss. Evans' eyes darkened.

The man turned a little and reached towards her.

That's all! What happened to her classmates back in high school will happen to her now!

Emily closed her eyes and held her breath. The pounding heart in her chest echoed in her ears.

The man's breath touched her face, and... disappeared.

"Well, we're out of popcorn. Next time grab a bigger portion, Miss Hayes," Justin chuckled.

The girl opened her eyes. She looked at the right empty armrest. She turned her head and looked at Evans. The man was holding her popcorn cup in his hands and finishing the rest.

At that moment, it seemed to her that even in the dark, everyone could see how her face became the color of a boiled lobster.

Shame on you, Miss Hayes! You get an F for a bad behavior. Leave the classroom immediately.

You thought he was going to kiss you? Ha! Break off!

This is all this stupid romantic comedy, which her boss was impatient to see, it's this damn movie to blame! Couldn't he invite you to some action movie or thriller? Against the background of constant explosions and screams of the next victim of a maniac, strange thoughts will not creep into your head.

That's all Hayes, you completely gave yourself away, the girl mentally cursed herself. Only the last fool would not have guessed from her reaction what she expected at that moment. Justin Evans was no fool.

And judging by his radiant face, he received incomparable pleasure from her inner torment.

Well, or from the movie. Who will understand this man?

The time remaining until the end of the session passed without incident. The boss pretended to be completely immersed in the plot and did not remind of his presence by constantly breathing in the girl's ear.

They left the hall and Emily narrowed her eyes, wincing at the bright lighting in the lobby.

"Bless you!" Evans laughed as the girl sneezed, "Are you allergic to anything?"

Yeah, I'm allergic to you. Goodbye brain and hello hormones! That's what this allergy is called.

"No, everything is okay. Thanks for the movie, Mr. Evans," she replied politely, trying not to look the man in the eye.

It's one thing to go to the movies with someone you know and with whom you came here from the very beginning. And it's another matter like this as if this someone was just sitting with you in the next chair and now is standing next to you.

Hey boy, how do you like the movie? Would you like to discuss the details? A normal person would have made a "cuckoo" sign hearing such a proposal, but the concept of normality did not apply to Justin Evans.

"Since you have treated me with your popcorn, I simply have to buy you dinner, Miss Hayes. How about going to some cozy restaurant?"

Oh, it keeps getting more serious. Cinema, restaurant. What then? A candle dinner? Now it sounded like a romantic date.

Evans' shirt, which Emily could not see in the theater hall, turned out to be a light blue shade and matched perfectly with her light and airy dress. A kind of paired outfit for going out.

Damn, why did she want to find a big mirror now and check how they look together? The girl was sure that they looked great.

A slight tremor filled her body. After the embarrassment in the cinema with a failed kiss (and was he even going to kiss her, that's the question!), being in a cozy restaurant with quiet music and this man opposite, it would be too much of a test for her heart mired in confusion.

"And at the same time, I'll tell you how I set it all up." Evans' last argument tipped the balance towards the man.

"Agree," Emily sighed and immediately added, "Just no restaurants. I suggest we have a bite to eat here at the food court."

"You don't look like a fast-food lover, Miss Hayes," Evans said. In his face, he clearly counted on a more intimate atmosphere, and not a crowd of teenagers and screaming children with their mothers screaming at them as table neighbors.

"And you don't sound like a snob, Mr. Evans, who is embarrassed by places like this," Emily retorted. For some reason, it seemed to her that if she agreed to a restaurant, her day would not end where she planned to end it in the morning.

"Oh, common, I'm just worried about the feelings of other people. I'm afraid those around us may be embarrassed by the presence of such a beautiful lady among them. You are so charming today that I need a lot of strength to restrain myself and not stare at you with my mouth open."

Under the blow of his disarming smile, Emily lowered her gaze.

Well. Isn't that what you wanted when you dressed up for a meeting like that? She could deceive herself as much as she liked and assure that she had put on a dress for herself. But the words of admiration from the boss, sounded with such ease and sincerity, confirmed the opposite.

She wanted his attention. She wanted his admiring look. She wanted to be beautiful and confident. Like those dozens of women that one hundred percent surrounded this bright man who does not know what shame and embarrassment are.

Next to him, she wanted to be herself.

It didn't matter if there was more than a veiled flirtation between them. Was it just a game for Justin Evans?

Emily was grateful to him that she again felt the smell of freedom from her own shell, into which she had once driven herself.

Even if that fleeting sense of freedom could cost her a broken heart.

"Thank you for the compliment," she smiled back and walked around the man to the food court area, where the most popular eateries in the city were located.

Either the boss's words had such an effect on her, or the film was really good. But Emily's mood was so high that if you jump up, you get off the floor, as if on wings.

She felt a man's gaze on her back and a little regretted that the dress was not tight. If Evans played with her, then she wanted to play with him back.

Tug this big, impudent cat by the mustache and watch his reaction.

"I'll have 2 banana and chocolate spread pancakes, one orange juice and 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream. Everything can be ordered over there in that department," she pointed with a finger at one of the pavilions with a bright sign, where there was already a long line of waiting people.

Emily sat down on the soft leather sofa, waiting for her order to be delivered.

Justin looked around, "They have no waiters?"

"Mr. Evans, is this your first time in a place like this? There is self-service here," the girl smiled maliciously.

The boss plopped down next to her and grinned back, "I see you are serious about making me your personal errand boy? Apparently, delivering coffee for you to the office was a bit too much from my side." He took his phone out of his pocket and dialed someone a message.

"Me? Would you please! I was not even thinking," Emily replied, and in her head she imagined this man with a wide tray on his hand and the duty phrase 'Your order, Miss. Would you like anything else?'

"Would you like anything else, Miss Hayes?" Justin's hand rested imposingly on the back of the couch behind the girl. "Maybe a pizza or fries?"

"Thanks, that's enough." Emily wanted to sit away but already rested against the wall.

The man continued to remain in place and was in no hurry to fulfill the request. The phone in his hand blinked, announcing an incoming message. Justin read the notice and put the phone back in his pocket.

"What are you going to eat? There is a lot to choose from," she asked.

"I don't eat while I am working."

Working? Is going to the movies with her a job? Does he walk like that with all the employees? So to say, to raise the corporate spirit?

"I'll deliver your order first, Miss Hayes, then I'll eat," Evans turned his head toward the pancakes and ice cream pavilion. "And here, it seems, it is."

Emily looked over the man's shoulder. A young guy with a tray in his hands hurried across the hall with tables and visitors.

"Hello. Your order: 3 pancakes with banana and chocolate spread, 1 pancake with chicken, 2 glasses of orange juice, and 5 scoops of vanilla ice cream," the guy with the 'senior manager' badge on his chest rattled, "If you want anything else, wave your hand and I'll come over. Bon appetite," he smiled and walked away.

Emily looked shockingly from the full food tray to her boss.

What? How?

People at the neighboring tables stared in their direction in bewilderment.

Justin nobly rose from his seat, placed Emily's portion and his own on the table, and then sat down opposite the girl with an equally important look.

"Bon appetit, Miss Hayes. I hope you don't forget about a good tip for me later," he winked and eagerly took a bite of his chicken pancake.