5.Obsession

He didn't know how to forget that smile. He waited for her outside, lit a cigarette to calm his impatience, he didn't like to wait so long but something about her drove him so crazy that he was capable of following her to the end of the world.

Two cigarettes and she still didn't show up. Maybe he was so obsessed with meeting her that he was forgetting himself, his principles and not to weaken for a simple woman. He walks back and forth kicking the small stones he found on his way, the cigarettes were not a good help and made him want to have a drink while he waited. He sees how people leave the place amidst laughter, chatter and some falls from drunkenness, but there was no trace of her. It was as if she had been swallowed by the earth. There was no trace of her, although he was too crazy to see her and touch her.

They tap him on the shoulder which makes him turn around — You should go now. No case, friend — a security tells him.

He throws the lit cigarette to face the security who seemed to be having fun with him —Hey, you! — he shouts angrily, which causes the big guy to stand still and listen to him —You think it's funny what you're seeing? Asshole! — he shouts angrily.

He walks towards him and grabs him by the neck —Listen to me well —he presses him harder leaving him without air and stares at him —You'd better leave and disappear before something ugly happens to you —he tells him releasing him and making him fall backwards.

He says nothing, adjusts his tie and leaves. He laughs, finishes adjusting his clothes and shakes his head several times so as not to continue getting angry like that. Maybe this woman was not for him, maybe it was his imagination and she was not someone he could know. But he still wanted to possess her with all his might.

The next day everything was as usual but his mood was back to the same or maybe worse than before. He kept wearing his grumpy gesture on his face, no one dared to cross his path because when they saw him walking through the company they would duck their heads and only let out a —good morning, sir— He passes through the huge hallway without greeting and raises his hand to call his secretary.

A woman comes running up to him —I'm not there yet, sir — she says embarrassed.

He glares at her —Give me your number —she says opening her door.

She attends — Yes, sir, I've already sent it to you —she says running to her place.

He knocks on the door with everything, he did not like at all what happened when one of his employees did not arrive on time to fulfill his obligations and he had to take a strict measure with the case of his new secretary. 

Within minutes he gets the phone number and doesn't hesitate to call her.

He dials the number quickly — I can't stand this lack of respect for me and my employees who come early —he says angrily over the phone.

She hadn't gotten out of bed yet, she looks at the clock on the side of her bed and opens her eyes wide as she listens to her angry boss on the phone — "Um...yes I understand, sir. It won't happen again, I swear —he says getting up quickly.

He taps his fingers on the desk so as not to get more nervous —Come to my office and give me a good excuse not to fire her — he tells her and cuts the call.

She quickly gets up from her bed and throws her cell phone —Fuck it — she says changing her clothes in a hurry.

It didn't take her more than 15 minutes to finish getting ready to rush off to work. On the way she bought a coffee and hurried until she arrived. The front door was deserted and the whole hallway was deserted, it was obvious that they were doing their work while she was two hours late from her normal schedule. She didn't know what to do, her nerves returned to her body and she couldn't understand how she had fallen asleep. She wanted that job so badly that such a thing would make them able to fire her, She curses inwardly as she reaches the office .

She sighs — Mr...—and interrupts her.

It was him standing at the door of his office waiting for her —And he finally arrives —He says looking at her.

She stands in front of him — I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't mean for it to happen but...— she remains silent when she sees him raise a hand to stop her from speaking.

He gestures her to move forward to sit down while he settles into his seat —I didn't expect more from you. I see you don't value your work— he says, looking at her seriously.

She crosses her arms to look at him more. She was already getting annoyed by his posture —It's not like that. You won't let me explain to you why I had to be late —she says angrily.

He gets up from his seat to face her — The only thing I know is that I don't want someone so irresponsible by my side — he challenges her with his eyes.

She doesn't hold his gaze and ducks her head. She takes a deep breath, trying to think of a good excuse not to get fired. She had fallen asleep because of being late in that disgusting but he should not know anything about that side of her and she thought of everything.

She looks at him and fearful of the hateful look on his face,—I did it because my grandmother is seriously ill in the hospital, that's why I was late— she says looking at him.

He did not understand anything. He keeps looking at her to see if what she was saying was true or not, he doubts so much about people that he never knows when they are really lying to him.

He frowns —Why didn't you tell anyone? — she asks.

Choked by her nerves, she smiles falsely —I don't know anyone here, I didn't know who to talk to— Excuse me," she says apologetically.

She knew that a white lie could save her job. Maybe they are destined to live in a lie and that served as the perfect excuse for the occasion.

He stares at her, squinting his eyes, looking for a look that would weaken her but he saw her so confident that he stood up from his seat to turn his back on her —Go get my agenda, I need to see how late I have meetings — he says raising his hand.

She swallows, ducks her head and smiles because for once in her life something was going right. She doesn't stop until she finds the agenda. She shuffles all over his desk until she finally sees it, grabs it quickly and heads for the office again. He stops when he sees him smoking and looking outside as if looking for an answer to something he didn't know, that silence around him could mean a thousand things and that lost look even more.

She makes him cough and he turns around —Tell me — he says putting out his cigarette.

He starts to turn the pages written in the small agenda — Meeting in — he looks at the watch in his hand —6 minutes with Alice Parker — she says looking up at him.

He adjusts his jacket —I'm on my way, anything else? — he asks.

He keeps looking for more —Yes, sir. Then he has lunch with Alberto Roussen at the restaurant he always goes to, and nothing. —he says, lifting his shoulders.

He grabs his cell phone, walks past her and brakes quickly —I want all my folders in the office where I will have the meeting and I want you next to me, understood? —he tells her seriously.

She closes the agenda and stands firm — understood, sir —she answers him.

She watches him leave and rushes off to find those meeting folders. She thinks so hard that she finally finds them on top of the desk with the date of that day, sticks them to her chest and goes to the office.

She sees him sitting in a place, approaches him and leaves the folders in front of him —I'll get some water and coffee, sir — she says and leaves.

She comes back quickly with a full tray to serve in the meeting, she rests with difficulty everything on the table without measuring the distance between her and her boss. She starts pouring water into each glass, her arm brushes her boss's shoulder while he stares at her as if asking for space but at the same time standing still and letting her do the job.

She notices how little distance there is when she crouches down in front of her own boss while wearing a skirt — I'm sorry, sir. I'm sorry —she repeats regretfully if she caused him any discomfort.

He stares at her trying to find an answer, something about her totally connected him to a world he didn't know and that was attraction. Maybe her beauty, that look, something woke him up until he lost it. He felt that something in her made him submerge in a world of pleasures but he didn't know her too well to get ahead in absurd thoughts.

Someone knocks on the door to interrupt that awkward moment — Like all Matt, always looking to provoke people with high purchasing power and solve the life of misery they lead — she says mockingly.

She did not expect more from someone as refined as those people. She remains silent and without weakening in front of that beautiful woman who crossed the door of that office.

He gets up from his seat — As kind as always Alice — he says sarcastically.

She kisses him on the cheek — That's just the way it is, my dear friend —he says looking her up and down.

When he took courage he started to move his legs to leave that place but some hands on his waist interrupted his way — Stay with me —he whispers in her ear.