A Curve Ball Called Love

Chapter 5

Douglas had been with countless women before. High profile women. The trophy wife kind of women as well as the soccer moms and the professional suits in high heels. He’d had them all. Caucasians, Latin-Americans, Asians, African-Americans… but none of those women compared to Tiffany. He didn’t know if it was just the fact that she was such an authority figure or that from the very beginning, he hadn’t thought that he and Tiffany would have ever shared anything like what they did at his house. But he wanted more. He was like a kid who’d had a taste of the best cookie and just couldn’t wait to get his hands back into the cookie jar. However, that didn’t look like it would happen any time soon. Tiffany had been avoiding him as much as she possibly could. It was like she couldn’t handle being in the same room as he was for more than two seconds and it was understandable too. But he just couldn’t get his mind off her. He would try to compartmentalize but it didn’t seem to be working. As he came to realize, compartmentalizing was harder than he thought possible.

Every single morning he walked into the office he would try to stay away from Tiffany but it wasn’t exactly easy. Since their passionate encounter at his bar counter, he had a nose for her scent, which meant he knew exactly when she walked into the office. He didn’t really understand it. It was like a gentle rosy scent somehow masked with strawberry. He’d guessed that the scent had something to do with her shampoo or body wash. Whatever it was, it drove him crazy. It was like a reminder that he couldn’t have her. A scent to tease his senses. The more he tried to ignore what he felt deep inside, the more he felt drawn to her.

It had been six long days of staying away. Six long days of ignoring his feelings. Or at least trying to. Douglas had for a long time felt that he’d made a mistake but at the back of his mind, he knew that he’d made the right business decision. However, he didn’t have a heart for business lately. All he thought about was Tiffany, especially when he saw her every single day. On that particular Thursday morning, he couldn’t hold in what he felt any longer. He’d made up his mind to confront the situation. It was about time he told her what he felt. Considering the torture he’d been going through, one thing was for sure: The feelings he had for Tiffany weren’t just pure lust. There was something deep down in his heart too and he hoped that the distance she’d maintained was because she felt the same way.

After all, she did initiate it, he encouraged himself. Or at least, we were in the same place that evening.

It was a little after nine in the morning when he saw Tiffany walking into the bull pen. Her assistant was following closely, noting something on his notepad. She stopped at one of the desks and said something to the woman sitting there. She smiled at a colleague passing by and then went on dictating to her assistant. For some reason, everything seemed to be going in slow motion. Douglas couldn’t help but stare at her and he had good reason to do so. Tiffany was in a black pair of pants that outlined her every curve. She’d coupled them with a loose-fitting black and white long-sleeved print top and a pair of black red bottom stilettos. Her hair was held back from her face in a French braid that fell loosely on her left shoulder. It took a while before he found the courage to get up and follow her to her office. He knew exactly what he was supposed to say. He’d been rehearsing the speech in his head since he’d watched her walking out of his house after their kiss. It was all he could do not to walk up to her every single day and just claim her.

“Whoa…sir…” Ian started when he saw Douglas walking towards Tiffany’s office.

“I need to talk to her. Right now.”

“She’s kind of preparing for a meeting…” Ian started before Douglas stared daggers at him.

“You let me through or kiss your job goodbye, young man. You pick.”

The tone in Douglas’ voice surprised even him. He only intended to put a little fear of God in Ian but deep inside, he knew that he meant every word.

Douglas was looking deep into Ian’s eyes as he stepped aside, letting him through. He took a deep breath and walked up to Tiffany’s door and walked right in without a knock.

“What the hell…” Tiffany muttered as she looked up at him.

“We need to talk,” Douglas said and she shook her head at Ian who just shrugged in despair.

“You can’t just walk in here like this. I’ve got a lot of sh*t to get done… this,” she picked up a giant binder. “This needs my approval in the next hour before the new issue can go to print.”

“I’m sorry to barge in here the way I did but it was the only way I was going to get to talk to you. Clearly,” Douglas explained as she looked across the table at him.

“Douglas, I have a lot of work to get through,” she said again as he sat down.

He looked at her for a long second before he started talking again.

“I don’t know what to do anymore, Tiffany. I’ve been patient with you but you have to give me something here.”

She shook her head.

“Actually, I don’t.”

“But I’ve done everything I can think of to get you to talk to me, Tiffany. I’ve given you your space. I’ve called you. I’ve texted you. Hell, I’ve even emailed you, but you seem bent on leaving me out on the sidelines.”

“I have to because this is a place of business, Douglas. Things have to remain professional between us.”

Douglas shook his head.

“We wouldn’t be the first people to work together while exploring whatever is going on between us.”

“Douglas, this isn’t the time nor the place.”