CHAPTER THREE
Lorelei
Despite trying to set boundaries with Desmond, he still tries to flirt with me, which is something I really can’t understand.
It doesn’t help that we now have several ladies dropping by for random stuff just to catch a glimpse of him.
In our slightly expanded office, we both have a lot of skin contact, which does a lot of damage to my system.
For the last two weeks now, I’ve been thinking too much of Desmond, and while I want to chalk it up to me being lonely, I know it’s because of him.
To taste his full lips that I can’t take my eyes off.
Once, I had seen the outline of his member, and it had happened after some of the girls had dropped by. The man is healthy, no doubt, and I can imagine how well he puts that to use. Apart from his sexual charm, Desmond is quite good with people, though he is a bit complicated.
At first, he barely spoke about himself, but a few times, he had mentioned his family’s situation, and I couldn’t help but feel pity for him.
With a huge family debt and parents who weren’t affectionate, it’s nice to see that he had turned out well.
Hearing that his mother never cooked for him broke my heart, since my mother had always cooked for me every day.
Talking with him made me think about the life I had shared with my parents.
My father, a civil engineer, had moved down here to the US from Canada, and we had settled down here, thinking it was going to be temporary, but life had other plans.
Every child should grow up in a warm, loving family like the one I grew up in, and I feel sorry that Desmond never had the chance to experience something like that.
My parents’ car accident had ended that life for me, but luckily, I had my grandmother, who tried to fill that missing gap for me.
Luckily, Desmond seems to have a grandfather who is active in his life, just like my grandmother, but even then, his conversation about family shows that Desmond clearly has a tough time growing up.
He doesn’t let it show on his face, which I suppose is strong evidence of how well he has done for himself.
“Can you hand me the stapler, Lorelei, darling?” Desmond requests, and I look up from my computer.
“Here you go.” I hand him the stapler, our hands briefly coming in contact.
His touch is electrifying, and every time our skin comes in contact, my entire body quivers. My entire body is way too aware of Desmond, and I am not sure if I can handle hanging around him any longer. Not when I desperately want him.
Sadly, he’ll never think of me that way.
A number of the ladies had invited him out for drinks, and while he has turned them down, I know it’s a matter of time before he finally accepts.
The sound of my phone ringing brings me back to the present, and I glance at it.
A text from my grandmother pops up. Almost immediately, my heart skips a beat.
I don’t mean to bother you, Bear, but my chest feels heavy, and I can’t find my drugs. Do you know where they are?
“I need to step out,” my voice shakes as I stand.
“Is something wrong?” Desmond asks, his voice filled with concern.
“Yeah. Everything’s fine. Can you tell Alice to take over for me?”
I rush out from the dispatch room, heading towards the entrance, my mind racing.
Due to my grandmother’s health condition, she needs constant care, and whenever I am at work, the neighborhood nurse checks on her, but she is currently out of town visiting family, which means my grandmother is at home. Alone.
“Taxi.” I wave, trying to stop one.
“I’ve ordered a ride. Where exactly are we going?” Desmond appears beside me.
Before I can tell him there is no need, a car suddenly pulls up and Desmond holds my hand, dragging me towards it. This isn’t the first time we’d be having skin contact, and every time, I find it electrifying. This man is like a drug, and I am slowly getting addicted.
The driver asks for directions, and I give my house address as I stare at my phone, expecting a reply from my grandmother.
Found it! Sorry to bother you.
I let out a sigh of relief, but I still wanted to check up on her.
With my grandma’s safety confirmed, I take a look at Desmond, who seems to be busy on his phone.
I realize how pristine the seat of the car is, and I realize this isn’t your usual ordered ride.
We soon arrive in front of my house, and as I get out, Desmond pays the driver electronically while I take a look at the car.
I’m not familiar with car models that much, but I don’t think this is the usual type of car people use for Uber, besides the driver seems more like a professional driver, making me wonder if Damian had used some exclusive ride.
“Where exactly are we going?” Desmond questions as he looks around.
“My place. I need to check on my grandmother.”
Desmond asks if everything is alright, and I assure him it is. Then it dawns on me that I am taking Desmond over to my place.
“You don’t have to come, you know,” I try to give him an excuse to leave.
I have lost count of the number of times I have stared at this man, and each time, he’s nothing but captivating.
“Please. I have come this far; might as well go the complete journey.”
Still, bringing him into my place is something else, and while Desmond talks about how he is excited to meet my grandmother, the only thing I can think of is how all I needed to get Desmond over to my place was my grandmother.
Forgive me, Grandma.
“You shouldn’t have come home, Lorelei,” my grandmother mutters as I rush to her side. She is sitting on her favorite sofa, her pills beside her. “I didn’t mean to bother you.”
“No, you didn’t. I just wanted to check up on you,” I assure her.
“And you brought a friend. Is that who I think it is? You finally brought him to see me,” my grandmother chirps, a smile flickering on her lips as she looks at Desmond, who spurs into action almost immediately.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am. Lorelei has told me a lot about you, and I see where she gets her beauty from.”
There he goes again. He’s going to have her eating cake from his hand soon.
“Oh, you’re a charmer. Why did you then wait so long to come see me? Did she tell you that I’ll scare you away like her previous boyfriend?”
I can feel my cheeks start to burn as I realize that she thinks Desmond is my current boyfriend.
Great! I totally forgot about my fictional boyfriend.
“I have always wanted to visit, but my baby thought it might be too early,” Desmond says, casting an accusing glance at me. “I’m sorry I came this late, but I’m sure I can make it up to you.”
I really should have insisted that Desmond stay in the car, and the next few minutes, I watch as Desmond wins my grandmother over, telling her how he enjoys spending time with me and how I am nothing like any woman he has ever met before. I take a deep breath, realizing that I need to calm myself.
It doesn’t help that the man who has been the subject of my fantasy for the past few nights is in my living room, talking with my grandmother and pretending to be my boyfriend.
My previous relationship had ended eighteen months ago, and I had decided to remain single, which means I haven’t gotten any action for a while now.
Coming up with the fictional boyfriend had been my way of getting my grandmother off my back, but now, I have made things complicated with Desmond.
Maybe something can spring out of this.
I shake my head, realizing that won’t happen. Once we leave, I’d apologize to Desmond, who would probably laugh over it and act like it was nothing. Yeah, that’s the best for both of us, besides, I can’t afford a romantic relationship when my future is looking bleak.
Especially now that my visa is about to end.
To the best of my ability, I try not to think about it, but with my work visa ending in a few months, and the possibility of my company letting me go, scares me.
What would happen to my grandma? Going back to Canada isn’t scary, but with how long it takes to get an appointment and get things sorted out, I’m not sure Grandma would be able to hang on.
We only have each other to rely on, and there is no way I’m going to abandon her.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d like it, but I had gifts ready,” Desmond says as the doorbell rings and he makes his way over.
I stare at him in surprise as he opens the door, accepts what seems to be a package, and closes it. A bouquet of what seems to be carnations is in his hands, and he walks over to my grandmother and hands them to her.
“For you, Grandma Lillian,” Desmond announces.
“I knew you were a gentleman,” Grandma says, her face lighting up as she accepts them.
“I’ll put this in a vase.” I take the flowers from her, worrying about her lungs as I rush away.
What is Desmond doing?
This is just too much. I know he is trying to help, but this will give me the wrong idea.
I’m content with just daydreaming about you, Desmond.
Thinking about his blue-gray eyes staring deeply into mine and his arms wrapping around my waist as he lifts me against the wall is something I dream about.
His lips crush mine as he slides into me while I’m caught in the throes of passion.
That is more than enough for me, and I don’t need all this.
Let’s get him out of here.
Since we still have to return to work, I say goodbye to my grandmother, who asks Desmond to drop by later, and he promises to.
“You don’t have to do that, you know,” I whisper to him as we get into the elevator.
“What?” Desmond asks, leaning close to me.
“Don’t have to come back,” I repeat, the words jolting out of my throat.
He scoffs and tells me there is no way he is going to disappoint Grandma Lillian, and I feel guilty.
Maybe he’ll forget by the end of the day, especially since we have a lot of work to do back at the office.
Once we return, Desmond attends a meeting with the rest of the staff from Sinclair Holdings, and I don’t see him for the rest of the day until closing time.
“Are you getting anything for her?” Desmond asks as he suddenly appears beside me.
I had seen him coming, and I wished he would just ignore me.
“Yeah, just some groceries,” I answer slowly, not sure how to tell him he doesn’t need to do this.
“Great, I also need to do some shopping,” Desmond declares as I slowly stop, watching his large back.
He turns to me, his eyebrows arching in that sexy way, and asks if everything is alright.
No, it isn’t! You’re giving me hope, and I can’t have that!
I assure him everything is fine and follow him to the grocery store, where I find out that Desmond is quite a terrible shopper. Luckily for him, I’m quite good at this, and I help him get a few things to last him for the next few weeks.
“This might sound corny, but I’m really grateful for everything you did today, Desmond,” I tell him sincerely. “It’s been a long time since anyone has been this nice to me.”
He pauses, licking the popsicle he had insisted I buy for him. “You’re my Lorelei, of course, I’ll do anything for you. Besides, I enjoy seeing your grandmother dote on me.”
I laugh at his statement, yet I know he is quite serious, which confuses me even more. “When I say this, I say this for your own good, Desmond, but I’m not the right woman for you.”
“And how did you come to that conclusion?” I sigh, realizing that I might need to spell things out for him. I ask him if he thinks that people just randomly drop into the dispatch room for fun, and he simply shrugs.
“The ladies have been dropping in because of you. Heck, I can count on one hand the number of times they’ve spoken or paid any attention to me. You are the reason they come around.”
He looks at me, his eyebrows drawing together in a thoughtful frown. “What exactly does that have to do with me wanting to be with you?”
Gosh! He can be frustrating sometimes.
Taking a deep breath, I tell him that I am not ready for a relationship at the moment, besides, he deserves better than me.
“Well, I’ll just wait till you come around and decide to be my wife then.” He drops, ignoring everything I just explained.
“So, we’re skipping the girlfriend-boyfriend stage?”
He smirks as he gently kisses me on the cheek, an act that makes me stop right in the middle of the road. “Grandma Lillian already thinks we’re past that. You know, she mentioned to me earlier that I shouldn’t keep her waiting too long. It seems she wants to see our kids.”
My cheek burns where he had kissed me. I imagine it all, picture a future of us together. In my bed, in the office, our bodies against each other, pleasing and exploring each other. However, that is just a dream, and I need to be grounded in reality.
“We’re never going to be more than colleagues, Desmond.”
We might not even be colleagues in a few months, and even though it would break my heart to never see you again, there’s nothing I can do about it.
It’s just how things are.