I'll let this slide

Chapter ninety-seven

Anna's heart throbbed in her chest immediately after she felt his hard chest on her. She knew that there was no way that he wouldn't hear her loud heartbeat. It was so loud that it disturbed her ears. Xander rubbed her back like she was a child. 

"It's your experience at the hotel. Isn't it?" She heard him ask and all she could do was nod. 

"You'll be alright." 

Anna couldn't understand this man. His action was making her fall harder for him. He was leading her on without having the slightest clue. She felt him pat her back and she chose to just melt in his embrace and relish the moment while it lasted. She decided to shut down the part of her that kept reminding her of the reality. The hug however didn't last for too long because she felt his grip loosen. She was both sad and glad that he ended it. She was sad because she wanted to stay forever in his arms, where she felt completely secure. On the other hand, she was glad because she was scared of falling even deeper for this man. 

"Are you alright, now?" He asked her and she nodded in reply.

"Thank you, Mr Williams," Why did he have to be acting nice to her now? Maybe if he acted like his usual self, her heart would stop racing like she was running a marathon. They exited the hallway and went back to the VVIP section of the restaurant. Xander paid with his credit card and Anna's eyes widened at what she saw. Fifty thousand dollars? On a meal? How come she didn't notice it when the menu list was handed to her? If she'd seen it, she would have tried to talk him out of it. Besides, she wouldn't have eaten the food. Anna was sure that if she took the money to a highly-populated school, she wouldn't be able to use it all up to feed the entire school. 

"Are you alright, Miss Houston?" Xander asked her, as they walked out of the VVIP section of the restaurant. 

Wait! What? Of course, she wasn't alright, she wanted to yell. How would she be alright knowing that she spent twenty-five thousand dollars eating just lunch? Who would be alright after seeing money thrown away like that? 

"..."

"I'm talking to you, Miss Houston." Xander had to say seeing that Anna didn't answer him. 

"That food was a twenty-five-dollar dish?" Anna's somewhat stiff voice was a little above a whisper.

"Why are you always so surprised when money is spent, Miss Houston? You make a big deal out of nothing." 

Now he was insinuating that she was overreacting over this?

"No one dictates how I spend my money to me. I choose to spend it the way I want. Not a single word about this ever again, Miss Houston." Xander's voice was relaxed and calm but Anna knew that he was serious about this. Despite his warning, she wasn't comfortable with it at all, especially because he extended his lavish lifestyle to her. She wasn't used to spending like this. She however didn't say any other word about it. 

"About Stella- when are you sending her back to the company?" Anna asked on the way back to the office, glancing at Xander. She thought he wasn't going to answer her because it took a while for him to respond.

"After I've watched you stay true to your promise for weeks. By the way, the weekend is here already. I do hope you know that you're starting this weekend."

"Weeks?"

"Don't tell me that you think that I'll call her as soon as possible and welcome her back to the company with open arms. Things don't work that way, Miss Houston. Besides, it's part of her punishment."

Anna knew that there was nothing she could say that would make him change his mind about bringing Stella back soon. She would just work hard to ensure that he brought her back to the company soon. 

"You do know that you should be punished, don't you?" Xander suddenly asked out of the blue and Anna shot him another glance.

"You used way over my lunchtime because you spent a thousand years in the restroom. You do know I have a presentation to prepare for before tomorrow, don't you? What were you doing there?"

"I- I'm so sorry. I- I didn't know I did. I lost track of time. I'm sorry, Mr Williams." What kind of punishment was he planning to dole out on her? She searched his eyes if she could find any hint at all, but she couldn't decipher anything from them.

"I will only let this slide because of how vulnerable I saw you some moments back. I'll punish you damn hard if this happens again." She saw a spark of mischief in his eyes and knew that whatever he meant by punishment was an entirely different thing.