chapter 10

Her heart thumped so hard against her chest, she did not have the time to register the chills that ran down her spine upon hearing the baritone voice.

Like a deer caught in headlights, she turned ever so slowly towards the owner of the voice that held her captive. Her brown orbs connected with the ash black orbs of a man whose height was intimidating her so much, she felt it to her toes.

His hair, a slick messy dirty blond, looked like he had just stepped out of bed. A jaw so cut out, it was almost surreal. She saw how his complexion was not pale like her own, instead it was a tan, almost gold colour; something which she found almost amazing as it gave away his foreign ethnicity.

She realised then that this man was beautiful. She had never encountered a sight so enthralling. 

His pristine shirt was folded at the cuffs, allowing her a glimpse of the trickle of curls that disappeared under the unfolded parts of his sleeves. The top two buttons were undone and she could see the broad expanse of his bronze chest, something which incited her stomach to release a swarm of butterflies.

It was only as her eyes once again settled on his face and saw how his jaw was so set out, that she realised the man was biting down his teeth in anger. She suddenly felt like a huge bucket of water had been poured over her. Instantly, her senses were at their sharpest degree. 

She was suddenly all too aware of the weight of the situation. There she was high up on the expensive looking chair, her uniform bunched up under both of her hips managing to put her thighs on display; clutching the duster for dear life.

Her gaze lowered in shame. In that moment, she hoped for nothing more than the ground to swallow her whole. It seemed she could not muster the courage to speak. Or was it that she had lost the ability to speak as it was. 

"I am not fond of repeating myself," His voice once again made her want to crawl somewhere and hide for the rest of her life. 

What about Natie? She thought to herself, amidst her feelings.

"Uh...please."

Please? That's all she could say? Most importantly, what exactly was she pleading for. She took a deep breath as subtly as she could, all too aware of the scorching gaze the man held on her.

You're not making this any easy, she wanted to shout at the man. But she couldn't be that stupid.

"Sir...umm I just wanted to clean...," she gulped once she saw how his gaze never faltered. "The cabinet. I could not reach so," she trailed off, lowering her eyes to the floor. She hoped that the man would at least understand her vague explanation.

At the long torturous silence that followed, she raised her head timidly only to find him standing directly in front of her. Nothing could have prepared her for this close proximity. She could now see how flawless his skin was, something she inwardly scolded herself for. This was not the time to be getting mesmerised by the man's looks.

He stood tall and proud before her, his intentions unknown to her. Was he going to report her. Heaven knows she could not do without this job. She needed it.

A few seconds passed while they stood like that. She could not say anything to ease away the intensity in the air. It was becoming harder to breath with her so aware of him.

She felt his gaze wash over her. She hated the way he looked at her with disgust. Like she was filth that belonged on the sole of his shoe. She knew that she was just but the hotel's worker. Someone to dust, mop, scrub and clean up after guests but she sure as hell knew she did not have to be judged or be treated bad for it.

A new wave of anger came over her. Like a sudden gust of wind but she reigned it in. He might have been a beautiful man but he was not worth losing her job over. What if you already have?

Having had enough of putting herself in a vulnerable position by remaining perched up on the chair, she started balancing herself on the chair in order to get down; carefully as she could.

Just as she was about to step onto the floor, her left foot slipped and before she knew it, she was falling fast. She braced herself for the fall as her reflexes just weren't fast enough to grab something, anything. 

How much more embarrassment can I take?

She clamped her eyes shut and waited for the thud. And waited, but it never came. 

Wait a minute, the floor could not be warm and soft like this. Not that she had had enough encounters with floors to have firsthand knowledge on the temperature and texture of them. It just wasn't as she had anticipated.

Wait...

Lub- dub. 

The sound was unmistakably more prominent. That sounded very much like a heartbeat and right under her cheek.

Her eyes flew open in alarm and the first thing that she saw was the creaseless shirt and the skin. The skin her face was currently plastered on. She almost fainted when she felt the hard chest under her hands. 

Lifting her face carefully, she faced one very well-defined tan chest and took in the pair of arms that were falling on either side of him. She felt even shorter and smaller than she was. He was indeed a big man. One whose cologne was messing up with her senses.

The bun that once existed on her head was long gone and her auburn hair fell in beautiful waves around her oval face. 

She flushed a deep rosy red and all but jumped back in embarrassment. She looked everywhere else but at him. She bit her lower lip, a habit that came about whenever she was nervous.

"I..I will leave now Sir. I'm sor..I mean I apologise for any inconvenience I have caused you."

She pulled down her uniform and wore her flats, rushing to make it to the door. She was just about to make it through the threshold when he spoke, making her come to an abrupt halt.

"I believe my chair was not there when you came into my office," he spoke so cooly but she did not miss the malice that laced his voice. All this drama over a chair? 

I mean she had not given him much reason to do so. To portray such hatred towards her. Well, unless you consider standing on his chair and falling onto his chest a sensible reason. 

She made a sharp turn back into the room, wheezing past him and going to the chair. If only he knew how difficult it was for her to move that chair. Of course she struggled to do as instructed. She probably looked quite the sight but she was hell bent on doing what he asked and getting out of there.  

She managed to move the chair back to it's original position. She turned and walked, intent on getting herself out through the threshold this time. As she was about to walk past him, he suddenly grabbed her wrist, earning a jump from her. 

"Take your filthy duster while you're at it," he spat out while burning holes on the side of her face. She gulped down the need to cry. She would not give him the satisfaction of thinking that he intimidated her.

She walked back and picked up the duster. She'd never in her life met anyone as ice cold as this man and she prayed that she would never have to encounter him again.

As she finally closed the door to the penthouse with a soft thud, she felt like she could finally breathe.

Why do I repel him?

Her unanswered question hung over her mind, making her all the more confused. With what little pride she had, she trudged back to the changing rooms.

Checking the watch on her wrist, she saw that it was a few minutes past six. Her shift was officially over and if anything, her sore feet were making her aware of how much work she had endured.

It's all worth it she thought, an image of her happy sister popping up in her mind.