30 Cinema

The next two weeks zoom by with work being busy getting everything started to work on the Morgan contract and making sure Anna was doing alright. She was do to move into the apartment next week, now that all of her paperwork and background check was finished. She tried to give me back some money when she received her monthly salary, but I refused it. Telling her to put it towards her bills at the apartment.

My nights flew by quickly, having dinner with Jackson and enjoying our evenings watching movies, talking, laughing, having great sex. I was blissfully satisfied and people were starting to notice how much more I was smiling. A few people asked me if I had been working out or doing a new diet, because I was looking 'fresher and vibrant'. I would just smile and say thank you but not elaborate further than that. 

I was at the clothing boutique I loved on my lunch time, looking for something to wear to dinner tonight with Jackson.

"Hello, Ms. Xenos. Do we have another date?" Michelle the store manager asks as I walk in to the back of the store where the dressing rooms were.

I laugh, "Michelle, call me Melita, please, but yes I do have another date." I smile excitedly. 

"Oh! I'm so happy for you!" Michelle exclaims, "Do you require assistance?" 

"Not yet, I'm going to try these on and go from there. I'm on my lunch so I do need to hurry." I informed her as she nodded and made sure that I was set up in a changing room. With the cold weather, I decided to go with a long sleeve black sweater with a high neck line and a high waisted, cinnamon brown, pencil skirt that went down to my mid calf. I could wear some black tights and boots and be fine.

I paid for my clothes with Michelle wishing me to have a good time and headed back to work. On my way up on the elevator, Sybil Gray stepped onto the elevator. 

Great.

"Hello Melita. You're looking ..." she scans me up and down, "well. I see you went shopping on your lunch. Do you have a date tonight or something?" Her theatrical act she's giving me right now is annoying.

"Ms. Gray, thank you for the compliment, but I merely went to pick up an order I had placed." I say nonchalantly.

"I saw you enter that Rolls Royce. Who were you joining?" She inquires, her eyes ablaze with curiosity.

"Were you following me, Ms. Gray?" I cross my arms over my chest, really not caring for her trying to get into my personal business.

"Nonsense, I was on my way to my own ride home." She states, her fake, light laughter escaping her with her brows raised but her eyes catching a glint of annoyance.

I sigh, "Ms. Gray, my personal life is private and I choose not to mix it with my professional one. I do not appreciate the constant inquiries and would prefer that we keep things between us focused on work and work alone. Thank you." I don't even care if I'm getting off on the correct floor, when the doors open I step out and allow her to go to go on up without me. I take the stairs the last two floors up, needing the exercise to work through my aggravation. 

I step through the stair doors and am about to round the corner when I hear some of my team members talking about me.

"Ms. Xenos is looking really hot lately. Do you know if she's dating anyone?" 

"No, I don't know. Now if you'll excuse me." Anna's voice sounds annoyed, like she was cornered where she was being asked.

"Oh come on Anna. You two seem really close now. Or wait is she into women now? Is that why you and your man broke up? Cause you've been munching carpets instead of sucking dick?"

I'm immediately infuriated and step around the corner to see Anna and my team member, Craig who's blocked Anna off with one arm in the hall for the bathrooms. Craig hasn't seen me yet, but Anna has, her eyes going wide.

"Craig." I say coolly. "In my office, now."

I don't even wait to see him turn around and make my way to my office. I set my bag down and take a seat at my desk, as a nervous Craig steps into my office.

"Shut the door." I instruct him. "Then have a seat."

He does so and takes a seat and opens his mouth to say something but I hold up my hand to silence him.

"My personal life is none of your business, first of all. Nor is it Anna's, hence why she did not know. Her work has been exemplary lately and I've been discussing that with her. Yours however, has been falling extremely short of the mark that I set to have someone on my team."

I pull up his last few projects and scan them. "Maybe if you focused on your job instead of how people looked or what they were doing in their personal time, you would not be turning in contract renewals with so many errors. This is your one and only warning that will be written. Your conduct today was a form of sexual harassment which I will not tolerate. Now, with that being said, you have two weeks to get your head on straight and stop turning in 'completed' work with more than twenty errors in them. If you can't fix your work or I hear anything about your conduct being anything other than professional, HR will be contacting you. Do we understand each other?" 

Craig looks pissed, like he wants to say something but I narrow my eyes at him, challenging him to try and refute his behavior. 

"Yes, Ms. Xenos. I understand. My apologies." He finally gets out, reluctantly.

"You may get back to work then." I say, turning my attention to my computer and start pulling up my own work that I needed to get started on. Once he leaves I make a note and send it to HR that I warned one of my employee's about sexual harassment and their poor work performance. 

I get a phone call from them to clarify that it was to be written down as a warning only. That he has two weeks to get his work performance up to par or we need to place him in a different department and find someone who is up for the position and its requirements. While I have HR on the phone I ask them to make a note in my file that I have requested two times now, that Sybil Gray not make inquiries into my personal time. 

"Shouldn't you put this down on Ms. Gray's file though?" 

"No, I'm not making a complaint against her. I merely wanted it documented some where that I have requested it from her. I'm oblivious as to why she's suddenly so interested in being so friendly and find it quite intrusive." I inform them. 

"Okay, I have it on your file. Anything else, Ms. Xenos?" 

"No, that would be it. Thank you." I hang up and hear my phone vibrate. I check it and see it's from Jackson.

-I'm looking forward to tonight. I've missed you all day.- 

-If you were working hard, you wouldn't have time to miss me.- I smirk at my response.

A minute later my phone goes off again. -I will always have time for you.-

My heart swells at his words and I find it hard to respond to it. -I look forward to tonight too.-

I put my phone away and get back to work. Once the day is over I hurry up and call an uher to get me home so I can get ready. I climb into the uher and rush inside once we're at my house.

I get ready in under an hour and smile at my overall look. I make my way downstairs and find myself sitting on edge, excited and anxious for Jackson to arrive. When the knock comes at the door, I happily slip my boots on and open the door.

"Good evening beautiful." Jackson smiles warmly at me and takes my hand. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." I say breathlessly, seeing the warmth in his eyes, while I take in how handsome he looks even in a casual look with a sweater and slacks. 

"So where are we going?" I question him as we start moving on the road.

"A movie, then dinner with a view." He smirks as he drives us to our destination.

"I'm not underdressed for the dinner, right?" I hope that I am not.

"You're perfect just the way you are." Jackson lifts my hand up to his mouth for a quick kiss, before returning his focus on the road again. 

We arrive at the cinema and watch a sci-fi movie that we both agreed looked good. We bought some popcorn to share and drinks before finding some seats. We were glad we chose a movie that had already been playing for a little while in theatres because their were plenty of empty seats to choose from. While the movie was playing we fed each other popcorn, until I was distracted and almost stuck the popcorn up Jacksons nose.

Giggling behind my hand he wiped his nose with a handkerchief and rolled his eyes at me with a smile. The next time I was enraptured with the movie though, a piece of popcorn went to my nose as well. I swatted it out of my face and watched as he snickered and I stuck my tongue out at him.

We came out of the cinema, laughing, holding hands and walking close as we headed back to the car. 

"Melita?!" I heard my name being called and reflexively I looked around and saw Michelle waving to me.

I smiled and waved back at her as she gave me a thumbs up and headed to the theatre. I laughed at her response and turned to find Jackson giving me a questioning stare.

"That's just Michelle. I know her from one of my favorite clothing stores." 

"Uh-huh." He says not believing that was all that excited exchange was about.

"She was there when I got this outfit." I add.

He looks me up and down and nods, "Alright. Shall we head to dinner then?" 

"Yes, please. I need some more sustenance." I wink at him as he helps me into the car. 

"Oh I'll be taking care of that, later though." He chuckles as he shuts the door.