9. He needs to put a pillow

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Amber's P.O.V.:

Upon reaching my floor, I stepped out of the elevator. As I strolled past the cubicles, I noticed new faces diligently working at their desks on laptops, confirming Lucas's description from yesterday: they were all in their late 30s and mid-40s.

Upon entering the cabin, I saw that Chris was already there, engrossed in his laptop. I knocked gently before entering.

"Good morning, sir!" I greeted, to which I received only a nod in reply.

I rolled my eyes and made my way to the cabinets to retrieve some files that needed review. As I delved into the documents, my mind was anything but focused. The same question kept looping in my head: Why had he suddenly swapped all the male employees for female ones? I hadn't even managed a good night's sleep due to this question's relentless torment. Did he do it because he saw me chatting with Paul?

I recalled how furious he used to get whenever he saw Mark and me conversing.

"Remember, Amber, he said he has no feelings for you? He rejected you three years ago, and yet you're stuck on those same feelings," I chided myself in a low voice. "Move on, already!"

But the question persisted: Why did he make this decision?

I looked up from the files, ready to pose the question, but decided against it. He appeared deeply absorbed in his work and looked, well, extremely...you know.

"Amber, stop overthinking it and just ask him the question to clear your head," my conscience advised.

Should I? Ain't I delving too deeply into this matter? After all, it is his company, and he has every right to choose his employees. I shouldn't bother him with such a question.

"And keep letting doubt and confusion occupy your mind all day?" my conscience countered.

I closed the file, mustered some courage, and slowly approached his desk.

I halted when I reached his desk. "Sir, I...I wanted..." I stuttered.

"Yes?" he inquired without looking up from his laptop.

How does he manage to look perfect every time?

"Oh my horny Amber, please focus!"

"Yes, focus!"

"Umm...Chris...I mean, sir," I struggled to string together a coherent sentence.

He now gazed directly into my eyes, a questioning look in his own.

God...his eyes. They are making me weak.

"Ms. Milburn, do you need something?" he queried, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, sir. I wanted your signature on these documents," I blurted out and, without thinking, I placed a random file in front of him.

Good job, Amber! Wow. Just wow. My conscience mocked.

He opened the file and skimmed through the pages. He then peered at me as if I had suddenly grown two heads.

"Are you sure you want me to sign on this?" He asked me with slightly raised eyebrows.

"Yes, sir!" I blurted out awkwardly.

"So you want me to sign on your diet plan?" he asked, this time with a hint of slight amusement on his face.

"Yes, sir!" I responded without thinking.

Wait...what?

Diet plan?

I snatched the file from his hands and flipped through the pages, only to find my diet plan from yesterday that I had casually jotted down during my free time.

Unbelievable! How careless can you be, Amber?

Dear floor, if you haven't seen any person as weird as me then please swallow me inside of you. I thought looking at the floor.

I turned away from him without even looking at him and quickly made my way back to the couch.

This was officially the most embarrassing moment of my life.

I sat on the couch and buried my head in the files, not daring to lift it. After this excruciatingly awkward incident, I couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes.

Why does awkward situations like this always happen to me? Why God, why?

****

Lunchtime had arrived, prompting me to neatly close all the files and my tablet, setting them aside on the table.

Exiting the cabin, I headed towards the elevator. As I waited for the elevator doors to open, I rummaged through my bag in search of my access card. I stepped into the elevator still searching for the card, only to bump my head into what should have been the elevator wall.

"Ouch! That hurts!" I exclaimed.

Looking up, I realized that instead of an elevator wall, I had collided with Chris's chest.

"Couldn't he consider putting a pillow on his chest? I always hit my head against his rock-hard chest, and it hurts like hell. Damn his chest! He should definitely think about adding some padding," I chuckled to myself hearing my own thoughts.

"Okay, so you want him to put a pillow on his chest to cushion your head in case you bump into him again, but you can't consider keeping your eyes straight while walking. You're quite the genius, Amber!" my conscience mocked.

"Shut up!"

I looked up to find him looking at me with confused yet amused look on his face because apparently I had blurted out few of the words from my inner conversation out a little loudly again. Loud enough for him to hear and give me a judging look.

"Why, God, why? Can this day get any worse?" I looked at him with embarrassment.

"Ms. Milburn..." he began.

"Yes, sir!" I replied almost instantly.

"...if you're done with your little internal conversation, could you please step away from the elevator doors so they can close and we can proceed?" he said, sounding slightly irritated, though I could see a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Yes, sir!" I said, stepping further into the elevator.

"Damn it, Amber! Why did you even enter the elevator instead of exiting and waiting for the next one?" my conscience scolded.

I stood beside him, fingers crossed, trying to forget about our previous elevator encounter. I closed my eyes and silently prayed that the elevator would quickly take us to the cafeteria floor.

I was still praying in my head when suddenly, the elevator came to an abrupt halt, and the lights began flickering.

In a reflex, I clung to the lapels of his suit. He looked down at me, confused. He seemed unbothered by the elevator stopping, but he focused on my hands clutching his designer suit. It must have cost him a fortune, yet I couldn't let go. I suffered from claustrophobia, and panic was starting to set in. The last time we were stuck in the elevator, I didn't experience a panic attack, perhaps because I was too shocked to realize we were stuck. 

Suddenly, the elevator plunged into darkness, and I could see nothing.

"Chris, what happened?" I asked, panicked, clutching his suit tighter.

"Chris, please, do something to open the elevator doors...please, do something," I pleaded, taking deep breaths.

"It's just a technical issue. Don't overreact and let go of my suit," he said sternly.

"Ch-Chris...please...do something to open the door. I...I am claustrophobic...I am...suffocating," I managed to stammer out.

As soon as I finished my sentence, he pulled me towards him, and I crashed into his chest. He wrapped his massive arms around me and began gently stroking my hair.

"Shhh... it's okay! Calm down and take deep breaths. I've informed the elevator maintenance department; they've probably already started working on it. Don't panic," he reassured me in his deep, husky voice as he tried to calm me down. I could smell his masculine scent mixed with his cologne, and the fact that he was hugging me for the first time sent shivers down my spine.

My body was shaking from the panic attack, and breathing was becoming increasingly difficult. However, I tried to follow his instructions.

He tightened his embrace and continued stroking my hair gently.

"You'll be okay... don't panic. Everything's going to be fine," he whispered into my ear.

Gradually, my breathing began to stabilize, and we remained in that position for what felt like an eternity.

Suddenly, the elevator lights came back on, and I heard the familiar 'ding' of the elevator doors opening.

"Sir, are you okay?" I heard a man asking.

Chris released me abruptly, and I felt empty without his comforting presence.

I turned to see a man in his 40s wearing a dark blue uniform, presumably the elevator technician.

"Yes," Chris replied, exiting the elevator without acknowledging me. I realized we were already on the ground floor.

I couldn't risk taking the elevator alone to the 20th floor to reach the cafeteria, so I hurriedly exited the elevator and made my way to the building's entrance.

I saw Chris getting into his waiting car by the entrance gate.

I decided to head to a nearby restaurant to grab my favorite lunch, as I still had 25 minutes in hands for having my lunch.

I walked down the street and entered into the restaurant. I placed my orders and went to sit on one of the tables in front of the large French glass windows. I could see the the road filled with vehicles on the road through the window. And if I am not wrong then maybe the inside of the restaurant was visible from outside as well. 

 The window reminded of my parents and their restaurant. It has the similar French glass windows. I immediately took out my phone from my bag and called them. We could only chat for a minute or so because they were busy with the customers. I hung up the call and started looking out of the window when the waiter came and placed my orders on the table. 

"Here's your order, ma'am. Do you need anything else?" he asked, politely with a smile. 

 "No, thank you!" I said, returning the smile. 

 He then nodded his head and walked to attend the other tables. 

 I started to devour my lunch. I was busy eating my chicken sausages when suddenly a guy came and sat in front of me. I realized he was Lucifer, one of my colleagues from the PR department. We had chatted once or twice on the first day of my job. 

"Hey, Amber. I didn't know you came here to have your lunches." he said, slightly shocked. 

"No, actually I generally have my lunch in the cafeteria but, today I thought of coming here and having the lunch." I said, as I wiped my mouth with the tissue. 

"Oh. It's nice to see you here though. After you were promoted to be Mr. Collins' PA, I thought I wouldn't be able to see you more often." he said as he started eating his lunch. 

 I just smiled at that and continued eating. I was so hungry that I didn't even had the energy to speak much. Firstly, the work had taken half of my energy and the remaining energy was already sucked by the elevator incident.We ate our lunches in silence. 

We paid for our lunches and walked back together to the office building.

****

I walked into Chris' office and proceeded towards the couch to resume my work. As I delved into some files, he spoke up.

"Ms. Milburn, please contact Mustron's Kitchen and arrange for two lunches to be delivered to my office promptly at 1:30 pm starting tomorrow," he instructed.

Mustron's Kitchen was his preferred lunch spot, where he frequently dined.

But why the sudden change to having lunch in his office?

And more importantly, why two lunches? He appeared to be in excellent shape, presumably with well-toned abs. Wouldn't this disrupt his dietary plan?

This reminded me of my little 'diet plan' situation this morning.

God...my diet plan! I tightly shut my eyes to erase the embarrassing incident from this morning.

Does he always eat two lunches? How does he maintain his physique?

"Two lunches?" I queried, perplexed.

"I prefer not to repeat myself, Ms. Milburn," he responded, slightly annoyed.

"I was merely seeking clarification. It's entirely your choice if you wish to have two lunches concurrently," I replied, shrugging.

I retrieved my phone to call the kitchen, but he interjected.

"I won't be eating both lunches. You will be joining me for lunch, starting tomorrow," he stated while focusing on his laptop.

It made me choke on my saliva.

"What? Why would I have lunch with you? I can easily purchase my own lunch from the cafeteria or another restaurant," I responded, puzzled.

"Starting tomorrow, you will have lunch with me. I don't enjoy repeating myself, Ms. Milburn. As your superior, you are under my authority. You will be following my directives for the next three months. I trust that is clear," he asserted with authority.

Three months and then I am so done with you!

****

Chris and I made our way to the meeting hall for the monthly gathering, which included department heads along with Lucas and Adelaide. After I assumed my role as Chris' PA, Lucas had designated Adelaide as his assistant.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Collins," greeted everyone as they rose from their seats. He acknowledged their salutations with a nod.

"Good afternoon, everyone. Please take your seats," he said, settling into his designated chair at the head of the table. I took my place beside him, with Lucas and Adelaide seated together on the opposite side.

"Ms. Milburn, please collect the report files from them," Chris instructed, prompting me to rise and gather the files from each department head.

While Chris reviewed the files, the rest of the attendees waited for him to address the meeting. Lucas and Adelaide seized the opportunity to tease me, communicating through eye gestures and smirks. I shot them a glare in an attempt to halt their antics, but it had little effect.

"Our company appears to have made progress since last month," Chris remarked after perusing the files. He engaged in discussions with a few employees present, focusing on plans for the upcoming month.

"Thank you all for your hard work. Today's meeting is adjourned. You may return to your respective departments," he announced, rising from his seat and straightening his suit. I followed him, as did everyone else in the hall.

As we exited, I trailed behind Chris but was stopped by Lucas and Adelaide.

"Girl, he's quite the looker! I can't help but drool," Adelaide gushed with enthusiasm.

"I'm going to spend my weekend daydreaming about him doing things to me," Lucas chimed in dreamily.

"Guys, calm your hormones already. I need to go," I said, rolling my eyes, before hurrying to match Chris's pace.

Adelaide and Lucas really needed to calm down. How could they ogle over him like a piece of meat? I muttered to myself as I walked. However, I accidentally collided with something—or someone.

Rubbing my head, I looked up to find Chris staring down at me with raised eyebrows.

"Apologies, sir," I stammered, stepping back.

"It seems you love crashing on to my chest, Ms. Milburn. Should I consider placing a pillow there?" he quipped, arching an eyebrow.

This is embarassing!

"No... no, sir. I'm sorry. I'll watch where I'm going next time," I replied, feeling thoroughly embarrassed.

He nodded slowly and continued towards his office, with me trailing behind.

"Ms. Milburn, please forward the email I sent you to all the company employees," he instructed upon settling into his chair.

Another email?

I hurriedly opened my email and, this time, I read it before sending it to all employees.  I don't faith in his mails anymore.

Fortunately, it turned out to be a simple email offering encouragement and expressing gratitude to the employees for their hard work during the month. I promptly forwarded it to the entire staff.

****

"Amber, let's step out and celebrate our successful completion of the first week at work," Adelaide exclaimed as soon as I walked into the apartment.

"I'm really exhausted, Ade. Can we perhaps postpone this plan until tomorrow?" I inquired, sinking onto the couch.

"Absolutely not. We're not delaying this any longer. Go take a nice, long, warm shower and start getting ready. We're in for a great time. Lucas will meet us at the club directly. Now, get moving!" she insisted, yanking me up from the sofa and ushering me into the bathroom.

"I have a bone to pick with you, Ade, for this," I grumbled, my laziness evident as I entered the bathroom.

"Aw, I love you too. Get a move on!" she quipped, handing me my towel.

I rolled my eyes and let out a chuckle.

Well then, let's go have some fun. It's been an exhausting workweek, after all.


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