Love across the pages Read online

  Love across the pages

  SMASHWORDS EDITION

  Copyright L.A Speedwing 2012

  Read more randomness and other stories on my blog

  laspeeding.blogspot.com

  About this book

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  About the author

  I live in Dublin, Ireland where I enjoy daily the rain and wind. In fact, nothing makes me happier than when the heavens break beneath me on a daily basis.

  On a separate note, I’d love to hear from you, readers. So do not hesitate to review this book or email your opinions at laspeedwing @ yahoo (dot) ie.

  "Miss Benton, you were late again this morning!"

  The monster was back. Standing in the middle of her office, her boss, Mr Payton had stormed in just as she was getting ready to bring the file to his office.

  "Sorry Mr Payton, it's Mac...I told you about him..."

  “Miss Benton, is this file ready or not?” he interrupted icily.

  She flicked through the last report she had typed for him and gathered them in a file. If he knew how many times she thought about him while typing reports, minute meetings, correspondence and newsletters for him, it would put to shame the most productive dreamer.

  A word for a thought. Since she typed fifty words a minute, on a daily basis that would make her think of him…well…way too many times!

  “Mrs Benton, I think those pages are well stacked together now!”

  “Sorry, I’m a little distracted lately…I suppose it’s because…”

  "I'm not paying you to hear your love life, am I? ..." he barked furious.

  She gazed at him shocked. Today the monster was at its worst. In fact in the last few weeks, he’d been irritable as hell. Looking straight into the blue eyes, she wondered how someone could have such clear blue eyes and a temper as dark as he did.

  "Mr Payton, I'd like ..." she began.

  "Yes, what would you like? I, for a start would like this file..."

  Slightly annoyed, she took a deep breath and handed the heavy file to him.

  His long elegant fingers clasped around it. Without a smile, without even a thank you, he glared at her.

  "And one piece of advice, leave your personal life where it belongs, outside this office!"

  How dare he!

  His love life was all the fourth floor could speak about and he dared to give her lectures?

  She suddenly pulled the file back.

  Now it was his turn to be shocked.

  “What…”

  "Mr Payton…” she cut him, “I'd like to make something very clear. My love life is my own. And if you were as discreet as I am, I with the rest of the staff wouldn't have to put up with half of the gossip which concerns you!"

  Mr Payton smiled. When a minute ago he looked furious, her boss seemed now delighted with her reply.

  "Ah jealousy at last! it took you some time!” he said gleefully.

  "What? You think I'm jealous of those rumours? Of a tyrant who has nothing to do all day than harass people around him!"

  "Not people, Miss Benton, just you!"

  "You're deliberately harassing me?" she asked her eyes wide.

  For the first time, Mr Payton seemed ill at ease. He ran a hand through his black jet hair and let out a loud breath.

  "Anything to bring your attention back onto me..." he said deliberately slow.

  She watched with fascination the slow movement of his hand and finally caught herself.

  "Selfish...you're a manipulative selfish individual and I've just enough of you...! I quit!" She flattened out the file on her desk.

  He gave her a startled look.

  For a second she felt liberated and victorious. Her eyes flashed as she defied him to do anything about it. Yet the feeling didn't last as a slow smile began to form on his full lips.

  "Yet my hands are still empty! The file, Ms Benton!"

  "You!! You'll have to get it yourself!"

  He crossed his arms full of arrogance.

  "If you want a nice reference letter I suggest you hand me this file right now!

  Blackmail? He was going to blackmail her if he didn't do as she was told?

  To hell with him!

  She flung her coat on her shoulders and walked around her desk.

  He was watching her every move. His lips thinned.

  "So? Do you really want to take the risk of never finding another job? Because I will make it happen!"

  She jerked her head up to look at him. Towering over him, he never looked more menacing.

  She stared at him, then at the file, then at her desk. It was a beautiful mahogany desk which she had used for three years. Three years she had suffered his mood swings until she had noticed her heart suffered along with every of his mood swings.

  "I'll take that risk!"

  He caught her wrist.

  "What must I do to keep you from leaving?"

  The pressure of his fingers on her created a wave of heat. In seconds, the heat invaded her every limb until her heart pulsed so madly in her chest she was afraid he would hear it.

  "Take your hand off me!" she spat.

  Was it not enough she was at his mercy emotionally, she now had to be at his physical mercy?

  Sensing he had gone too far, he released her.

  Tensed, she reached for the file and handed to him unceremoniously.

  "Will there be anything else Mr Payton?" she said between her teeth.

  "For Heaven's sake, Virginia, how did we come to this? You drive me insane!"

  "I drive you insane?"

  "Yes, you! I only circulated those false rumours so you would be jealous but all I succeeded was to make you leave me!"

  "You circulated...jealous?" she said interrupting herself.

  "Yes, this Mac of yours, I'm sick of hearing about him..." He sighed heavily. "He doesn't know how lucky he is..."

  "Mr Payton, you don't get it..."

  "No, please call me Harry. How many times do I have to tell you! Or do I have to brand my name on your lips!"

  As he said it, a wild glint danced in his eyes. Suddenly he threw the file behind her, leaned over her and took her lips.

  Tensed, she tried to push him away. Urgent and demanding at first, his kiss became soft, gentle. Virginia's body began to melt and as she responded to him, he wrapped both his hands around her neck and his kiss grew more passionate.

  Finally he moaned and withdrew from her.

  Surprised she looked up to him out of breath.

  "How can you respond to me this way when you have someone else in your life?"

  "How can I work for you when you never listen?"

  "Wha-hat do you mean?"

  "I told you about it, a month ago but you didn't listen! Mac is my neighboor's dog! I have to walk him every day because my neighboor has been hospitalised!"

  "I...I...you...are not with...I was jealous of a dog??"

  "Indeed!"

  His blue eyes no longer grilled her but dared to hope.

  "And you like me?"

  "I love you," she said very simply.

  "You? You do?" He shook his head slightly. "I made myself sick over a dog? And everyone thinks I am a womanizer now because of a dog? I must be the most foolish man on earth ..." He leaned over her and kissed her. "... and the luckiest!!"

  This time she didn't withdraw.

  "How are you t
o call me now, Virginia?" he said lifting her chin.

  "Harry?" she suggested hesitantly.

  “Yes, My dear Ms Benton. I’m sorry I threw your reports away. Let me get that for you. But it’s so much better to have you than your typing notes! I think if I saw another hand-written notification from your hands I would go crazy!”

  “You…thought of me?”

  “All the time and even when I didn’t, your elegant handwriting notes always reminded me how close and yet how far you were from me. I kept asking you to rewrite reports so I could spend time with you.”

  And all that time she had thought of him demanding and tyrannical when he was just trying to find excuses to be with her.

  “So should I write you my notice or should I type it?” she asked teasing.

  “Neither! I demand that you stayed at my service. How about you use your beautiful fingers to google the nicest restaurant in town? I think I have an extraordinary meeting to attend right now.”

  “It isn’t in your calendar!” she said looking automatically in her notes.

  “Of course, it isn’t! Our first date is not in my agenda yet. Has it just turned up in yours?”

  She laughed.

  “I believe it has,” she said updating quickly both their calendars.

  He stood behind her chair while she worked away. He started kissing her neck.

  “So everything is in order then?”

  She muffled a groan.

  “Now it is!” she said turning to him at last and kissing him in return.

  The end.

 

 

  L.A Speedwing, Love across the pages

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