chapter 43: marius's unease

~marius~

       It takes about a week for ByteTech to get a contract written up and when they do, Terrence brings it over to my office. Instead of looking it over myself, I look it over with my lawyer just in case she catches something I didn't see. Even though I believe ByteTech wouldn't add anything in the contract that would screw me over in the end, it's always the best idea to look it over with a lawyer before signing it.

       Once Sarah and I confirm that it has everything Terrence and I agreed on during our meeting, I sign it. I hand it over to Terrence, who smiles as he takes it. "Perfect." He carefully puts the contract in a folder before tucking the folder into his briefcase. "Actually, there is something I would like to discuss with you."

       "What is it?" I ask.

       "Well, I would like to discuss it with you alone," Terrence says, eyeing both Sarah and Clark who are still in the room.

       "Then I will leave you to it now that my job here is finished," Sarah says. She leaves the office, but Clark doesn't budge.

       Terrence looks at Clark. "Do you mind leaving for a bit?"

       Clark still doesn't budge. Instead, he looks at me for the cue since I'm his boss, not Terrence. Not only that, but there some uncertainty written on his face, just like after my first meeting with Terrence. 

       I am curious as to what's causing Clark to be uncertain, but he didn't tell me last time, so I doubt he'll tell me this time. "It shouldn't take long," I tell Clark. 

       Clark nods and takes it as the cue to leave, so he does, closing my office door behind him.

       "So what would you like to discuss?" I ask Terrence.

       "I was wondering if you would like to go out for drinks sometimes," Terrence asks.

       I don't answer right away, wondering if he means it in a way to just hang out outside of work and get to know each other as friends or if he means it in a way to ask me out on a date. Since I need to know the answer before accepting or declining, I ask, "As in a date?"

       Terrence nods. "Yes, as a date."

       "Sorry, but I'm married."

       "So? That hasn't stopped me before."

       I stare at Terrence, wondering if he's being serious but judging how it looks like he's still waiting for an answer, he truly is being serious. I'm definitely shocked. For one, he's indicating that he has asked out married people before. Would that mean that sometimes, he succeeded and still went out with that married person? I never understand how someone can stop so low and cheat on their spouse.

       "It should stop you," I say. "The answer is still no. I love my husband and I'm not going to do anything to hurt him."

       "Well, what he doesn't know won't hurt him."

       I can't believe this man. Does he seriously think I'm going to suddenly change my mind with his ridiculous points?

       I'm not longer in the mood to continue this conversation, so I say, "You have the signed contract. You can leave now."

       "If you insist," Terrence says. "But I always get what I want in the end."

       "Not with me," I say as Terrence walks towards my office door. "You can try all you want but I'm never, ever going to cheat on my husband."

       Terrence just smiles at me before he opens my office door and walks out. Clark walks back in, closing the door behind him. He takes one look at me before saying, "You look annoyed."

       I sigh. "I am. Terrence asked me out on a date and was very persistent even after I told him that I'm married."

       "Oh."

       I scrunch my eyebrows together. "You don't seem surprised."

       "Well..." Clark says slowly. He hesitates before continuing. "During the meeting you had with him last week, he was kind of looking at you in a... lustful way. I just didn't want to say anything because I figured it's not my business and I could just be imagining things."

       "Ah, so that's why you seemed uncertain after the meeting," I say.

       Clark nods. "Is everything going to be okay with him?"

       "Yeah, it should be," I say. "The two of us were only working together closely to get the contract sorted. Now that our companies are officially collaborating, ByteTech will be working with our project manager. I probably won't have to see Terrence much. And if he, for some reason, decides to continue asking me out and is very unprofessional, I won't be afraid to talk to his boss about it."

       I really hope that Terrence realizes from our conversation that I'm not going to give him what he wants, no matter what, but I can't be too sure. 

       When I'm done work for the day, I leave my office to head home but for some reason, I feel like getting flowers for Fawn. I stop by a flower shop on my way home, picking up a bouquet of blue and green hydrangeas; hydrangeas since it's Fawn's favourite flower, blue for his favourite colour, and green to go with the blue since he also has one blue and one green eye.

       I get home, smelling a pleasant aroma coming from the kitchen, so I figured Fawn is cooking dinner. After all, he's usually in the middle of cooking dinner by the time I get home from work.

       I walk into the kitchen, immediately being greeted by Harlow who hugs my legs. "Poppa!"

       I smile down at her and pat her head as Fawn asks, "What are the flowers for?"

       I hold them out towards him. "They're for you."

       Fawn stares at me suspiciously. "Why?"

       "Am I not allowed to by you flowers?" I ask. "I just wanted to buy them to show you how much I love and appreciate you."

       "Awe, Marius," Fawn says, taking the flowers from my hands before giving me a hug. He kisses me. "Thank you. They're beautiful. Now what's the actual reason you bought me flowers?"

       "Why do you assume there's a reason other than it being just because?" I ask. "You know gift giving is my love language."

       "Yes, and I also now you quite well," Fawn says. "I can tell something's on your mind, so I figured whatever is on your mind is why you got me flowers."

       Communication has always been a huge thing for me and Fawn ever since we got together, so I know that hiding what happened today might only bite me in the ass in the end. "It's not really anything bad," I say. "It's just... You know how I was working with someone from another company to figure out a collaboration?"

       "Yeah."

       "Well, we signed the contract today and after words, the man I was working with asked me out on a date. And after I told him that I'm married, he said that it hasn't stopped him before. So I told him that I love my husband and will never hurt you, but then he said what you don't know won't hurt you. It just got me in a bad mood after."

       "Oh. So you got me flowers because someone asked you out?"

       "I guess. I just felt like getting them for you, but that conversation basically made me want to get them."

       Fawn strokes my cheek before giving me another kiss. "Well, whatever the reason, I really do love the flowers. I love you."

       I smile back at Fawn. For some reason, I thought he would be upset hearing that someone asked me out and was persistent, even though Fawn never gets jealous. He always tells me that it doesn't matter if people ask me out or hit on me. All that matters is my reaction. If I turn them down, which I obviously always do, there's no reason for him to be mad. I guess it should have been the same for this situation. "I love you too."

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just seven more chapters left until the third book! there actually isn't going to be a big time jump between the second and third book like there was for this one. it's only going to be a two month time jump but from what the first storyline for the third book is, it makes sense to start it as the third book instead of adding more chapters here.

oh also! if you've read more of my books, you probably figured that i love writing au's (alternate universes) and i'm really tempted to write a royalty au for fawn and marius. if i do, i'll start it in september and count it as this year's halloween book (since i don't really like how my previous halloween books end up so i figured i could write au's for my halloween books instead)