Chapter 8 #2
“Are you feeling better?” he asked, with a concerned voice as he sat down beside me.
“Yes, thank you. I already ordered dinner, they shouldn't take long to bring it. Were you able to solve your company issues?” I asked.
“I wasn't talking about company matters, I was talking to an acquaintance to investigate your friend. We'll probably have news tomorrow,” he said, hugging me and pulling me toward him.
“That doesn't make me feel very good, now I feel like I'm the one betraying her.”
He took my chin and made me look at him.
“Dalina, I'm not sure what that girl is after, but I won't rest until I have a clearer picture.
Right now there are many things that don't add up, I need to have a bit more control over this situation because I don't like feeling so confused.
If that girl does anything to harm you, I won't stop until I bring her down.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I insist that I don't think Sol wants to harm me. It's true that she's been slandering me and I still don't have an explanation for that behavior, but I hope to have one soon and I'd love for her to be the one to explain the reasons that led her to act this way.”
“I very much doubt she will. A person who acts like that isn't trustworthy, you should forget about her,” he stated.
I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed.
“You're tired, actually I am too. After dinner we'll go to bed,” he said.
“I love that you're staying, but I don't want to complicate things for you. Today you left the office earlier…”
“Shhh,” he said, putting a finger to my lips.
“I'm staying because I want to sleep by your side.
Since we've been sleeping together, I rest like never before and I enjoy having you next to me so much.
I assure you that sleeping with you in my arms is no sacrifice, on the contrary, it's a true pleasure.”
“For me too,” I confessed.
“Before going to bed I need to do something. Can I borrow your laptop to connect to mine? As soon as I finish, I'll come to bed with you.”
“Of course. If you want, instead of working at the desk you can do it in bed so we can keep each other company. I have a super comfortable bed desk.”
“Perfect. I'll work in bed so we can be together,” he said, giving me a soft kiss on the lips.
Impossible not to love him. With each minute he got more under my skin like a lethal poison.
I was happy to have him with me and wished with all my heart that we would always be like this.
I didn't want to get my hopes up, but with those attitudes and demonstrations of affection, it was impossible.
Henry had shown himself to be sensitive to my needs, protective and very attentive, he was the partner I had always wanted, although deep in my heart, I sensed that I was living an illusion and that I would soon return to reality.
We had dinner quietly and talked a lot, mostly about our siblings.
I mentioned that Bastián and Lolo wanted to meet him, and he also seemed to share that interest and asked me to organize a lunch or dinner with them.
After dinner, I really felt the tiredness in my body, I went to the bathroom and then got into bed.
Henry went to take a shower and, as promised, started working next to me.
Every so often he would ask my opinion about something he was reading and then continue writing, focused on his work.
I noticed that he didn't start with his seduction as he always did when we were in bed, but that made me feel more grateful because it was obvious that he was respecting my moment of sadness.
After more than an hour, he turned off the laptop, took it to the desk, and came back to bed.
“Were you able to make progress?” I asked.
“I was able to review everything I had pending. You were right, that bed desk is very comfortable and you helped me a lot with the writing of those reports.”
“I'm glad I was useful.”
“Time to sleep, beautiful, it's very late and tomorrow we both have to get up early. Come here, I want to sleep holding you,” he requested.
I didn't need him to say more, I stuck to his body like a tick and he smiled with satisfaction.
“You can't imagine how much I like sleeping with you,” he said, giving me a soft kiss on the lips. “Sleep well, darling.”
“Sleep well, champion,” I said, smiling.
Shortly after, by his breathing, I realized he had already fallen asleep.
I imagined he must be exhausted and that made me want to care for him, protect him, give him all my love.
I gave him a kiss on the chest and rested my head on it, knowing I was cared for and loved, because Henry might not love me, but I was clear that he cared for me, because affection wasn't shown with words, it was shown with actions. With actions like his.
I woke up startled and disoriented, not knowing what time or day it was, where I was, or what I was doing there. It was probably because I had slept deeply. I looked around, but there was no trace of Henry. When I looked at my nightstand, I saw there was a note and I picked it up.
?Left at 6:30. Didn’t want to wake you because you were sleeping like an angel.
I’ll call you later?
I looked at the clock, it was seven-thirty in the morning, and I needed to get up.
I would have liked to have him by my side and enjoy his company during breakfast, but I couldn’t expect him to keep arriving late to his office; the day before he had already left much earlier than his usual schedule.
I took a shower, put on a beige pantsuit with a white shirt and stilettos. I pulled my hair up in a high ponytail with a slightly messy touch and applied natural-looking makeup.
When I arrived at the office it was still early, so I poured myself a coffee and got to work.
A little before nine, Cameron peeked through the door to let me know he had arrived.
“Boss, did you fall out of bed?” he asked.
“You talk as if I always arrive late. And let me tell you that I’m considering changing assistants because mine is a first-class gossip.”
He looked at me seriously and decided to come in.
“I’m sorry for telling Bastian that you didn’t look well. I know I’m just your assistant and shouldn’t get involved in these things, but I worry about you,” he said sincerely, and I noticed he was embarrassed.
“To that I can only say, thank you,” I stated, looking at him with a smile.
Cameron looked at me and smiled shyly.
“We haven’t known each other for that long, but both your brothers and you have always been spectacular to me, and I care about all of you, especially you since we have the most contact.
I didn’t like seeing you sad, and I thought your brother should know that you had been crying, because it was obvious you’d been crying quite a bit,” he stated.
“You’re more than my assistant, and I care about you too. Now go because you’ve made me emotional, and if I start crying again and Bastian asks, I’ll tell him you’re the one to blame this time,” I pointed out, smiling.
“Okay, boss, I’m leaving before I end up unemployed,” he joked, turned around and left laughing.
A while later my intercom buzzed, but before I could answer it, my office door opened and Henry burst in like a whirlwind. I was startled and looked at him with surprise.
“We need to talk,” he stated, in a tone louder than normal and with an expression of concern that left me bewildered.
“Miss Dukart, the gentleman wouldn’t wait for your consent,” Cameron informed me, with the formality he always used with visitors.
“Don’t worry, Cameron, thank you,” I said to reassure him, and I got up from my chair to meet Henry.
I observed that Henry looked him up and down and then spoke in a serious and authoritative tone.
“I’m Miss Dukart’s boyfriend, I don’t need to be announced.”
Cameron observed him for a few seconds and then looked at me seeking an explanation.
“Cameron, this is Henry Woollardy, my boyfriend. Henry, this is Cameron Saré, my assistant.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Woollardy,” Cameron greeted, though by his expression he was still quite bewildered. Henry nodded his head. “Miss Dukart, I’ll leave now, let me know if you need anything.”
“Thank you, Cameron.”
When the door closed, Henry looked at me seriously, and I noticed he was quite agitated, which surprised me, but I approached him and without saying anything, I hugged him.
“Were you already missing me, champion?”
“Dalina, I’m not in the mood for jokes. I need to talk to you seriously,” he said, and he pulled away and took a seat in one of the armchairs in my office.
I looked at him strangely, but didn’t say anything and went to sit next to him.
“What’s going on?”
“Your friend,” was his only response.
“Sol?”
“I told you yesterday that I asked for information about her. I now know how she knows me,” he said, and ran his hands through his hair impatiently, messing it up, then sighed.
Upon hearing that, my heart stopped. If they knew each other, there could be a possibility that Henry had slept with Sol. In those seconds my mind was working at full speed, until he spoke again and pulled me out of that torment.
“That woman works at my company, but I assure you I didn’t know until today. You can imagine I don’t know all my employees, and I’m not the one who conducts interviews or approves new hires; the Human Resources Department handles that,” he declared, looking at me seriously.
“What? Sol works with you?” I said, amazed at the information I had just received.
“No; she works at my company, she works for me, but not with me. She’s on another floor, and we probably never crossed paths, or maybe we did, but I don’t remember her.”
We remained silent for a few minutes, looking at each other, but both of us were lost in our thoughts.