Credit goes to TaurusBlue for the cover! Thank you :D
Chapter Three-
While Raegan loved the sound of a quiet, peaceful home, she also loved the hustle and bustle of the office. It kept her sane and put her in the mood to work. If she stayed late at the office or worked from home, she had to have music or some kind of noise going on around her or she just wouldn't be able to focus on her work. Being apart of a big family, she had to get used to studying in the midst of chaos.
But the grating sound of Bryson's voice irritated her like no other.
Bryson finally decided that he would contribute to his share of the work, more than likely due to the scrutiny of Mr. Lubbock and the upcoming projects. Raegan was used to doing the work alone and, the perfectionist that she was, she preferred it that way. But even if Raegan had to share her workload with someone, she would never pick Bryson. His work ethic wasn't the problem. Bryson Andrews could accomplish great things when he put his mind to it. But he didn't know when to just close his mouth and work. Especially since everything that he spewed out was aimed to belittle her in any way possible.
Just ignore him and maybe he'll get bored and go away. Raegan thought to herself even though she was just itching to give him a piece of her mind. Bryson was good, but she was positive that she was better.
If Mr. Lubbock set it up so that only one of them would be promoted, Raegan would be way more competitive and less lenient with Bryson's trash talk. But they were both getting promoted, so there was no point in stooping down to her co-worker's level. So if that meant letting him drag her name in the dirt, then so be it. Raegan was done talking with words. Bryson would be speechless when her project wiped the floor with his.
She'd long since finished her shared work with Bryson and if he wasn't so busy talking to her, he would probably be done by now too. Still ignoring him as his voice served as her background noise, she faced her computer and started researching a few things about Mr. and Mrs. Collins, her new clients. It helped Raegan get a feel of what they would like in their house before she even met them. She liked to be prepared for anything they'd dish out for her, and she would also be armed with a few suggestions of her own.
In her research, she discovered that Brenda and Dillan Collins were the polar opposites of each other. While Brenda was an outgoing, well-known socialite who loved to attend parties and charity functions, her husband was more reserved and dabbled in computer science. And by dabbled, she meant that he owned multiple information technology companies. They were both about middle aged and while they didn't have any children, Raegan made a note that they would need a spacious home to host parties and a separate garage to cater to Mr. Collin's collection of cars. While he was reserved compared to his wife, the man seemed to love fast cars. Feeling, more secure about the meeting tonight, she smiled to herself but quickly remembered that she had an audience. And that was enough to ruin her good mood.
"Bryson?" she asked, interrupting whatever complaint he was currently in the middle of. "I'm done with my work and I'm sure you wouldn't mind finishing yours in your own office, would you? I'd like to eat lunch some time soon."
He looked put out for a second at the thought of being dismissed. But only for a second. He quickly recovered and armed himself with a look of arrogance.
"You're right, Raegan. Your company was beginning to bore me. I just didn't want to make you feel bad by leaving you. I'll get going now though." he said and Raegan fought the urge to laugh at him. She was fine with her company boring him. She wasn't exactly aiming to entertain him in the first place.
"Thank you for your kindness." she said with a false smile on her face. He nodded before leaving her office with his chin in the air. Raegan rolled her eyes at his dramatic nature and gathered her things. She walked outside of her office and smiled at Kristina as she waited for her to finish a call that she was in the middle of.
"Okay Mr. Perkins, we'll definitely get back to you on that project. I'll let Miss Breely know right away." Kristina spoke in a polite and professional manner. Even though Raegan knew how crazy her friend was on a personal level, she couldn't deny that the girl is as professional as they come. When Kristina hung up the phone, she turned to Raegan with a question mark written on her face.
"Hey, did you need anything?" she asked and Raegan shook her head.
"No, I was just wondering if we could go out for lunch today. I'm already done with everything and I just want to step out for a bit." she told her friend. "I'll get to whatever Mr. Perkins needs after we eat."
Kristina smiled brightly before bouncing out of her seat, her blonde curls jumping around her face as she did. They rarely ate out for lunch since Raegan was usually holed up in her office trying to meet some deadline. But since Mr. Lubbock had her and Bryson working on their projects now, he gave most of their duties to other architects. It made sense since they were both getting promoted so they would need replacements. Raegan was a bit glad that her workload was a bit lighter now because she would have her hands full later, once she started on the task of making a dream home for her clients.
"Okay, I'm ready! Where do you wanna go?" Kristina asked right before Raegan's phone pinged, notifying her of a text message.
Don't forget. 6pm sharp. I'll pick you at around 5. Be ready.
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"I don't see what the big deal is, Rae. He gave you a ride to a business dinner. So? You were technically his date." Kristina told Raegan as she ate her french fries with a fork in her hand.
"I know! I'm not bothered about last night anymore. But I'm not his date tonight. I'm his employee and we're meeting a client at their home. There's no reason for him to pick me up from my home!" Raegan explained, bothered by Mr. Lubbock's insistence to drive her to the meeting tonight. "You know, as well as I do, that he would never offer a ride to Bryson or any other employee. He's only doing this because I'm a woman and it's kind of unfair. I don't want any special treatment or anything."
"Or maybe he likes you." Kristina's blunt statement made me choke on my drink and I smothered my coughing and sputtering with a cloth napkin, trying my best to not get the strawberry lemonade everywhere as my eyes watered with the struggle.
"He does not!" I declared once I was able to recover. Instead of helping me, Kristina just looked at me with a knowing smirk as she sipped her own drink.
"Are you sure? Because Jason Lubbock is never at a lost for dates, so he could've chosen anyone dine with him last night." she said. "Hell, he could've gone alone since he doesn't necessarily care for his image as much."
"Gee, thanks for the boost of confidence." Raegan said, dryly. "Nice to know I can be replaced with anyone."
"Oh whatever! You're gorgeous and talented at your job. So of course he would want to dine with you! I'm telling you, Rae, I think he likes you!"
"I can't really imagine Jason Lubbock having a crush on anyone. He seems like the type to just... take what he wants." thoughts of Mr. Lubbock taking her clouded her mind and Raegan stopped herself before she got lost in those thoughts. There's no telling whether she would be able to make her way back if she allowed it.
"And I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't object either." a naughty grin formed on Kristina's face and Raegan narrowed her eyes into slits.
"You know I'm not looking for a relationship right now, Kris." Raegan replied. Or ever. she added mentally.
Not after what happened last time.
"Yes, I know. But that was years ago, Rae. You've worked so hard to get to where you are now, you should trust yourself. Give yourself and Mr. Lubbock a chance before you just rule out anything."
"But he's my boss, Kris! If anything were to go wrong, it would be worse this time around. You're right, I should trust myself. But not with him. He's too dangerous." Raegan shuddered at the thought of having a relationship with her boss. While he was definitely attractive, he also had the power to ruin her and everything she has worked for. At least she didn't have as much to lose last time.
Raegan had a terrible track record when it came to relationships. Well, she'd only had the one relationship, but it very nearly ruined her mentally and emotionally. Even academically.
They were high school sweethearts and Raegan was head over heels in love with Mark Ballard. He was smart, handsome, and treated Raegan like a modern day princess. When they were in high school at least. Raegan was filled with a consuming love for the boy and nearly worshipped the ground he walked on. She was a totally different person with him. When they started attending the same college, Raegan was overwhelmed with the dramatic change. Yes, she was a military brat so she was used to moving to new places and having to start over, but this time she in a whole new playing field. For the first time in her life, she felt truly alone, and Mark was the only person that was familiar to her. Only he could make her feel whole. At that point, she clung to him like there was no tomorrow, and she let him consume her every waking moment. She grew addicted to him, and when he began to get tired of it she would take drastic measures to make him stay with her.
It took some shocking news for her to finally sober up from her Mark Ballard high. She was pregnant. When she told him, he didn't believe her. He thought it was another attempt to get him to stay and he couldn't believe that she would stoop so low. Looking back on the situation now, Raegan couldn't believe that she'd let herself get to that. She'd attempted to trap him into their relationship for so long that getting pregnant would've been the ultimate trap but she'd only end up hurting everyone involved.
Except, there was no baby.
She'd lost her child after running away from Mark that day. She was extremely vulnerable and the things he said to her, the way that he looked at her, was enough to drive her over the edge. Once Raegan arose from her stupor, she realized that she was terrible to him in the last year of their relationship. She didn't blame him for wanting to leave, but that time she was scheming. She was telling the truth about her pregnancy but she felt that she deserved everything that Mark threw at her. While he was angry enough to, he didn't hit her. He kept her distance. But every word that came out of his mouth was like a punch aimed at her chest, terribly close to her heart. She lost herself in love and went completely crazy in the name of it. She wasn't the fun loving, confident girl that Mark fell in love with. Instead, she was irrational, neurotic, and downright manipulative.
Not bothering to get her things from the apartment that the couple shared, Raegan ran. Tears streamed down her face and her was in disarray, but she didn't stop. She didn't have nowhere to go but she was running from the girl that she had become. The girl who lost sight of herself and drove her boyfriend to hate. People stared as she ran past them but she didn't care. She had to get away.
Her chest was heaving with the physical exertion of her running and the pressure from her sobs. When it became too much, Raegan stopped in the middle of the sidewalk in front of a dark alley filled with stray animals and a few people that were too drunk to pay attention to her.
Her breathing was labored as she panted to catch it. When she couldn't, her eyes went wide and her hands went to her chest. She couldn't breathe. She was left alone with her blocked airway, choking for air. She couldn't even muster the air to call for help. Before she knew it, her vision went dark.
Raegan woke up in a local hospital and was told that a stranger walked by her and called for help when she didn't respond. After Raegan told the doctor what happened, he said that the emotional distress she'd gone threw resulted in an anxiety attack, which caused her to miscarriage.
After that night, Raegan was broken. She dropped out of school for a year and just went to Japan where her family was stationed at the time. She never saw or spoke to Mark again, too ashamed of how she treated him and too hurt to be reminded that she'd lost her child.
"Raegan, you're not in college anymore. You need to stop beating yourself up about it and make peace with it." Kristina's voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she looked up to see that Kris was looking at her with a sympathetic expression on her face. Kristina was the only one who knew about that night and she only told her when they'd both went out for drinks and Raegan had one too many.
"I've made peace with it already, but I won't allow it to happen again." she said stubbornly.
"And how do you know that it'll happen again? You haven't even tried to put yourself out there. You reject any guy that shows even the mildest interest in you. And I know you're lonely. I can see it in your eyes every time we go to your house or your mind starts to wander. I don't want to see you get hurt either, but you're hurting yourself by avoiding love too."
"And you think that I should try with my boss? Kristina, get real. Like you said, he's never at lost for dates. He has girls throwing themselves at him and he's not impervious to their charms."
"He's not? Jason Lubbock is the pickiest man alive. He never entertains a woman's company unless he gets a background check on her first. The man is cautious about who he lets into his life. There's nothing spontaneous about his one night stands, Rae."
"How do you even know all of this?" Raegan asked, looking at her friend suspiciously.
A light blush formed on her cheeks and she smiled.
"I kind of... slept with his assistant, Lincoln." she admitted and Raegan was instantly confused.
"Mr. Lubbock has an assistant?" she asked and Kristina nodded fervently.
"Mhm. A very hot one! He doesn't really come into the office as much since Jason is rarely here anymore, but last I heard, Lincoln was still working for him." said Kristina.
"I'm not even going to ask why you're keeping tabs on him, Kris. But it doesn't change anything. Even if he required that his sexual partners be free of even minor illnesses like the common cold, it doesn't change the fact that he's my boss and we shouldn't be in a relationship!" Raegan exclaimed, trying to get her friend to understand. Instead, Kristina just looked at her with an incredulous look on her face and smiled.
"And you don't have to be in a relationship! Since you're still trying to work on trusting yourself, I think you should go for something more... casual." her smile turned into a smirk and Raegan's eyes widened at her suggestion.
"Kris! I can't just have casual sex with my boss!" Raegan yelled and froze when the customers in the small cafe turned and looked at her.
"Well I know that now," Kristina muttered, her eyes drifting to something behind Raegan. "and now he does too."
"Hello, Miss Breely." a deep, velvety voice filled her ear and she stiffened at the sound. "Kristina."
With the frozen state Raegan was in, being at the bottom of the ocean in Antarctica would've been like being in the Sahara in the midst of summer.
"Would you ladies mind if I joined you?" he asked and that was enough to thaw Raegan out as she jumped from her seat.
"Actually, we should probably get back to work!" Raegan exclaimed, glaring at Kristina as she opened her mouth to grant Mr. Lubbock permission to join them.
"But we still have like 20 minutes, Rae." Kris said, coyly.
"Great. You can sit for 20 more minutes, can't you Miss Breely?" Mr. Lubbock trapped her with his icy blue eyes as he took a chair from another table and placed it next to her. He raised his eyebrows in question and Kristina donned, yet another, smirk with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Reluctantly, Raegan eased back into her seat and did her best to ignore Mr. Lubbock's knee pressed against hers. She shouldn't be turned on by a knee of all things, but damn, she bet that it was one attractive knee. She couldn't picture anything being unattractive on Mr. Lubbock. His looks were almost surreal.
Raegan remained silent as Mr. Lubbock and Kristina made small talk. They'd tried to engage her into the conversation, but she was embarrassed at her outburst, she could only muster a few words here and there. She wasn't really embarrassed about the outburst, but the fact that the man in question heard. And that the man in question happened to be her boss, made it ten times worse. If she had lighter skin, she would be redder than a ripe tomato.
Why should you be embarrassed? You said that you wouldn't have casual sex with the man. She thought to herself. And while her thought was true, it also could mean more. It could mean that even though she wouldn't have casual sex with him, she wouldn't oppose of something more. The fact that she was even talking about the subject at hand was embarrassing and inappropriate enough.
Get over it. Even if you were interested, you can't let him see that he flusters you in any way.
With that thought, she straightened her spine and squared her shoulders. Mustering all of the confidence she could given the situation.
"Now, what was it I heard about having casual sex with me?" Mr. Lubbock's voice quickly pulled her out of her daze and back to reality.
"You didn't hear anything of the sort, Mr. Lubbock." she told him, bring her drink to her lips. His eyes followed the movement but Raegan pretended not to notice.
"I'm pretty sure I just heard you talking about having casual sex with your boss." he responded.
"No, I said I would not have casual sex with you." she countered.
"Either way, you were talking about having casual sex with me. Even if it's the lack of." he said calmly, a smirk forming on his face. Kristina looked between the two as though they were having a battle. She looked riveted by the interaction.
"Then there's nothing else to talk about, now is there?" Raegan asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
His smirk turned into a full blown, dazzling smile and Raegan swore her heart stopped beating for a second.
"Kristina, can I get you to--" Mr. Lubbock spoke and before he could even finish, Kristina was out of her seat.
"Go away? Absolutely Mr. Lubbock." Kristina spoke rapidly and before Raegan could protest she was already gone and on her way back to office. Mr. Lubbock looked after Kris and then back to Raegan.
"I was actually going to ask her to get more drinks, but that works too." he said and Raegan glared at him. "Miss Breely, if I have anything that I can offer you, all you have to do is ask."
Raegan cocked her head to the side, a question burning in her eyes. "Anything?"
He nodded.
"Okay. Mr. Lubbock, can you please leave?"
"I will. Eventually."
He was enjoying this. Raegan could see it in his eyes. They were burning with mischief, and even a bit of desire if Raegan read him correctly.
"Fine. But I'll leave now." she replied and stood as she gathered her purse. Mr. Lubbock stood with her and she glared at him.
"Have dinner with me." he said, more like demanded.
"No." she said bluntly. "I already did."
"No, have dinner with only me. I'm asking you out on a real date." he told her, his eyes softening as he tried to level with her.
Raegan looked at him suspiciously and scoffed. "You only want to go out with me because you overheard my conversation!"
His eyebrows rose in surprise.
"Well, since you pretty much shouted it, it was kind of hard not to hear. But no, that's not why I'm asking you out. " he explained. "I'm interested in you Miss Breely... Raegan. And I've never been able to say that about a girl but you interest me. Honestly."
His eyes and voice rang with sincerity but Raegan was heavily guarded, and the only prisoner she harbored was herself. No one gets in, no one gets out. Averting her gaze to something, anything, but his eyes, she took a deep breath.
"You're my boss, Mr. Lubbock. It's highly inappropriate. So no, I will not have dinner with you." she told him.
"Fine then. You're fired." he told her and Raegan's jaw dropped to the floor. She thought that he was joking, but he looked completely serious.
Please vote/comment and provide honest feedback! I'd really love to hear the story is going!
Question: What's is your dream career and why?
I eventually want to be an ER doctor in the Navy. I've always wanted to work in the medical field and the ER just seems thrilling, I work well under pressure. Also, I loved JROTC in high school and even though it's different from the actual military, it instills the same sense of pride, citizenship, and camaraderie.
Comment your answers below, I'd love to hear your answers! And don't forget to vote! :D