And she hates me. I know she does. After everything I've done, she simply can't like me. I changed the entire design six times and then came back to the first one she offered. I meticulously checked every single detail she chose for the hotel and always disagreed. I did everything I could to keep Michelle working with me. I thought maybe someday she'd figure that my feelings for her are not just work-related and realize that she feels something for me, too.
But she's still engaged to that asshole named Michael. He sends her flowers, kissing emojis, and other crap. He’s her 'other M,' since both of their names start with that letter. He's trying too hard, and it's a sign that he's hiding something. Nobody's perfect. Although I don't blame him. Michelle is worth it.
Michelle still doesn't know that I already bought another 'family hotel' simply to give her another job offer, renovating it. I'm sure she'll decline at first, but I'll find a way to convince her. I can't let her go that easily.
"I won't get to the office today; I'm sorry.
I got sick and have to rest.
I'll be at the airport on Friday, as we agreed."
?I stare at the screen of my phone for a couple of moments, deciding what to do. The message from Michelle has calmed me down a little; at least I know she's okay, but thinking that she's sick and probably needs something makes me nervous.
?"Don't worry about that. We can reschedule if you want.
Do you need anything? I can bring medicine or some food."
?I hit 'send' even though I know that she'll probably refuse my offer. I stare at my phone for another ten minutes until I realize that she won't even bother to answer me. Of course, she doesn't need my help. She has an attentive and kind fiancé.
I throw the phone on the table, angry at myself that I’ve become addicted to a woman who doesn't even like me.
I haven't slept with a single woman since I met Michelle. At first, I was just too busy, trying to manage my business and working on a new hotel design with her. But then I realized that I simply didn't want to have sex with other women anymore. Michelle has somehow bewitched me, making me desire only her, but the worst part in all that was that I didn't want to be saved.
I hated thinking that she probably has sex with her fiancé every day, telling him how sick she is of her annoying boss. I’ve gone on dates with other women, trying to stop thinking about her, but it was all in vain; I only fell in love even more.
Chapter Four
Michelle
"You're being quiet," Christopher says after approximately twenty minutes of silence as his driver takes us to the airport. I say nothing in response.
To be honest, I said 'hello' to him today and then turned to face the window and have been staring out it ever since. Usually, we chat any time we can, since I have so many questions to ask him, and he's always busy, so during the time we're alone, I always try to get as much information as I possibly can.
About fifteen minutes ago, Christopher also asked why I was wearing sunglasses on a rainy day. I said I had a migraine. He doesn't need to know that my face is swollen from crying for the last couple of days, and I don't want him to see me like this.
How could I be so stupid? Am I utterly blind that I haven't noticed that my fiancé is gay?
"We've arrived," says Victor, the driver, and shakes me from my thoughts.
Usually, the airport from the center of Manhattan takes no less than forty minutes, but today there were no traffic jams at all. And that means that I will have extra time before the flight, staring at another window simply not to talk to Christopher.
I washed my hair, put on clean clothes, did my makeup, brushed my teeth, and had my morning coffee plus a bottle of water. I did everything I usually do to prepare myself for work. Then why do I feel as if I've been walking through the desert for the last couple of days? I feel tired and dirty. Mostly because I can't believe I let that jerk touch me while he was having an affair with his assistant.
"Mind if I sit here?" Christopher asks when we're already at his private jet.
He has eight more seats here but prefers to take one next to me.
"It's your plane." It’s the only thing I say as I exhale loudly without even looking at him.
"Well, I thought maybe we could use this time to work," he explains and takes a seat anyway, even though it's evident that I don’t want him to.
I say nothing, continuing to stare out the window. I don't have a migraine, but my head hurts, probably because of all the unnecessary information I’m carrying in it. Also, it spins from time to time due to a lack of sleep and food. It's not the right time to work, but what can I do when my boss is such a demanding man?
"Okay, what's going on here?" Cristopher asks after ten more minutes of silence. I knew he wouldn't be able to stay quiet.
I can't believe that we have an almost eight-hour flight to Spokane. How will I survive this?
"As I told you, I have a headache," I say irritatedly through my clenched teeth.