Merrick

It's Monday morning, and I make my way inside the Addington tower. Today we have the meeting for the new product formulation and I am already freaking out. Not because of the conference we are going to have, but because of the fact that Zelina would be present there too. I think about our encounter yesterday - how she showed up at the hospital and later went on to give me a ride back home after being the prime suspect for my travel inconvenience. I feel like I have done the biggest mistake of my life by agreeing to negotiate with her company because the extent she is willing to go to get what she wants is really scaring the shit out of me and I know exactly what she wants.

People greet me on my way as I walk past them. I take the elevator to reach my floor. After stepping out on my level, I begin to walk towards my cabin, but I stop midway when I hear some commotion at the end of the hallway. I frown and turn around to see. When I reach the place from where the noise is coming, I find a crowd jumbled up surrounding someone.

Everyone stops murmuring as soon as they see me, and I notice who they are encircling. It's Aiden - Anthony's son. He is a nice young man with sharp features, much taller than Anthony, but anyone could easily make out his resemblance to his father. Aiden works as an assistant to Anthony. Back when Anthony asked me to let Aiden have a position under him here, I didn't think twice. I did it in a breath because I always respected Anthony. I knew I owed him a lot, so appointing his son in my office in return was nothing compared to what he has done for this company.

However, Aiden never looked thrilled about it. As far as I know, it seemed like he didn't want to work here or more like work for me. I never figured out the reason. Not that I cared because I had much bigger issues to worry about. As I look at him now, I can see the same coldness in his eyes that I saw when he first came to my office with his father. His eyes are hazy and it looks like he is drunk. He takes a step forward and I smell alcohol on him. What the fuck? Why is he drunk? That's so unethical in the office. No company would fucking appreciate their employees drinking during working hours. This has never happened here. How did he even get in unnoticed?

"What is going on?" I ask and everyone looks down as if they were scared to let me know what was happening.

"Oh, so the boss is here," Aiden speaks and I look at him. He pushes against the crowd and walks towards me.

Swinging a little on his way, he comes and stands in front of me. "Is it okay for you to accuse someone of misconducting when they have never done it?"

I frown and look at him. "Aiden, you are drunk?"

"Is this how your company works, Mr. Addington...huh?" Aiden speaks and I see other employees continue their whispers in the back.

"What do you mean?" I ask him.

"Excuse me, sir. I'll explain." Jeff, the accounting manager, steps in front. "There had been a small misunderstanding in the funds' calculation last week. So I asked Aiden to get his files to go through the re-evaluation process and later it was found that everything was fine." He completes his sentence, looking a bit embarrassed.

"No, you just omitted the part where you blamed me for fraudulence." He narrows his eyes at Jeff and then turns to look around him. "Is that what you all think about me? That I am a cheat? My father worked his ass off for this company. Don't you have a bit of respect for him?"

"Don't forget, I did apologize to you later. You don't have to make a big deal out of this now." Jeff snaps and I can see him getting irritated now.

"Aiden?" I call and he looks back at me.

I sigh and nod at Jeff, telling him that let me handle this and turn to Aiden. "I am sorry about how Jeff dealt it, but this isn't the right way to bring this up to my notice, either. It would have been way better if you came to my office."

I look into his eyes and see no signs of regret. "Don't you realize being drunk in the office premises is a big offense? You can get penalized for it." I say and then turn to look at Jeff. "And Jeff, that's so impolite of you. I don't appreciate that at all. You should have made confirmations before acting on it."

"I am extremely sorry, Mr. Addington. I assure you it won't happen again." Jeff says with sincerity in his voice.

"Merrick, stop acting like the generous boss you are. I know this is all fake." Aiden chuckles dryly, giving me a dirty look. "You can fool my dear father but not me..."

I frown, unable to decipher what that means. Aiden takes a deep breath and for a minute I see a flash of hurt over his face. "You are the reason why my father despises me. You are nothing but a piece of..." Before he can complete his sentence, Anthony interrupts, reaching for his arm. "What the hell, Aiden?"

Dean joins us and steps on his other side and then looks back. "What are you all looking at? You don't get paid to witness office dramas here. Get back on your works immediately."

"I am sorry, Merrick." Anthony looks genuinely embarrassed as he speaks, looking at me. "I'll take him out of the building." He pulls him towards the elevator.

"Dad, when will you stop kissing that moron's ass." I hear Aiden saying to Anthony.

"Shut up and come with me." Anthony drags him into the elevator and I just stare at it in disbelief.

Dean stands next to me and sighs. "I doubt how even is that stupid Anthony's son?"

I keep looking straight for some time. "Just make sure he has been escorted out safely," I say to Dean afterward and he nods in agreement before walking in the direction of the elevator.

Shaking my head, I walk into my cabin. I have no idea what happened just now, but that was definitely not a pleasant start to my morning. I knew Aiden didn't like me, but I didn't realize he hated me this much. Nonetheless, the regular meetings that I have every day seemed to keep me engaged and make me forget about the entire Aiden ordeal. When it's half-past two, I get the reminder for the presentation as I close my laptop. On the way, I adjust my tie and walk to the main meeting room.

I know Zelina would be here anytime, and suddenly, I feel my heart thumping loudly. What the hell is wrong with me? I take a deep breath before I enter the meeting hall. Anthony, Dean, and other executives stand up as I make my way in. I smile and nod at them. Anthony doesn't meet my gaze, and it tells me that he is still ashamed about what his son did in the morning. I shrug it away because, for some reason, that's the last thing I am bothered about right now.

I don't know why I am nervous. Of course, this meeting is important for our company, but somehow, I am more concerned about having Zelina's presence here. I take a seat and tap my fingers on the table impatiently and that's when Zelina enters the room. She has her blonde hair up in a high pony and she is wearing a round-neck blue dress. It reaches her knees, and she has a jacket over it. I seem unable to take my eyes off her as she talks with Anthony and some other executives. She then scans through the room and when she turns to me, our eyes lock, making my breath hitch.

Her eyes don't leave mine as she walks towards me, and when she gets in front of me, I stand up. She smiles and takes my hand in hers for a shake. I try to ignore the strange feeling in the pit of my stomach at the contact of her skin. She then gives me a sweet smile before she walks past me. I frown when I notice her taking a seat next to me. Wait! She was expected to sit on the other side of the table, not beside me.

We get a few glances from the people around us, and I try to fake a normal smile to everyone just to extinguish the suspicions that we might get from Zelina's strange behavior. When I look at her, she smirks, and I can already sense something weird in her demeanor. No...this looks dangerous. Before I can let out a word, the research head starts speaking and we all straighten up. Soon the lights are switched off, and the presentation begins.

It's about the new product that we are going to launch this year if it gets my approval. I focus my attention completely on Cameron as he goes through the promising attributes of the latest series and tells how it is distinct from our previous products. We are just halfway through the presentation when I feel something down my leg. I brush that feeling away, thinking that it's just my crazy imagination. But then it happens again and I freeze. What the hell could possibly slither over my leg in a meeting room filled with a bunch of people. If I am not wrong, we have very punctual cleaning staff in the office.

I turn my head and find everyone attentively looking at the screen. Great! Taking it as a chance, I lower my head and slowly peek under the table. My eyes widen in horror when I see a perfectly pedicured toe brushing against my thigh now. God! I snap my head to the side in a second and see Zelina grinning proudly. I swallow hard, looking at her in shock, but she doesn't seem even the slightest bothered by her highly inappropriate action. I quickly turn my gaze around, dreading if anyone caught her doing this, but to my relief, I see them all engrossed in watching the explanation going in front of them.

I gulp and try to think of a way to save myself out of this situation. I feel her do it again and I internally groan. Jesus! This woman is going to kill me. Taking a deep breath, I try to shift my leg to the other side. But Zelina pulls her chair closer to me again, throwing her leg over mine this time. Damn! What the fuck is wrong with her? I narrow my eyes and try to signal to her that what the hell is she doing? But the smile on her face explains that I am the one to be blamed for inviting this trouble for myself.

Zelina

I try to stifle a laugh, watching Merrick get all flustered. The room is quite dark, but the light coming from the screen is enough to illuminate his face. I move closer to him and place my leg over his, enjoying the expression he is giving me right now. I know nobody is going to notice me because they are more interested in the presentation going in front of them. That's the reason why I knew I can have some fun with my boy Merrick. It's really entertaining to know how calm he is trying to look despite everything going on with him under the table.

During the entire time, he tries to be subtle and occasionally makes attempts to pull his leg away, but being the bad bitch here, I won't let him do it. Finally, when the room brightens up again, I pull back my leg and free Merrick from his misery.

Cameron, who was delivering the presentation, turns to Merrick as he ends the speech. "What do you say about it, Mr. Addington?"

I see Merrick's shoulder tense as he stutters, trying to remember what he said. "Yeah...that...that was fantastic." He then looks at me and cocks an eyebrow. "Don't you think, Miss Miller?" From his tone, I can make out he is trying to get his payback from me for putting him in that delicate position.

Oh, Merrick, you have no idea what wonders I can do.

I nod at him and start speaking, looking at Cameron, and I don't miss the shock that crosses over Merrick's face when I appreciate the minute details of the presentation and also highlight some of the points, which were really game-changing. After the discussion is over, Merrick goes and talks with Cameron and his teammates. Meanwhile, I try to mingle with other people. He walks around trying to avoid any interaction with me, which kind of pisses me off. And at last, when he ignores me and steps out of the room without a word to me, I leave my place and follow him immediately.

He doesn't realize that I am following him until I get inside his cabin and lock the door. He turns to look at me and sighs in frustration. At least there isn't a shocked look on his face. That means he was expecting me to get here. I am on the right track then.

"What the...Can you just leave me alone for a second?" He says, throwing his hands up in the air dramatically.

"Why? So you can masturbate?" I cross my arms and look into his eyes, giving him a sly smirk. "Might remind you that you don't have to suffer alone. I am always ready to do a favor."

His eyes grow big as he looks around, fearing that someone might hear us. "Zelina! Please spare my office off of your obscenity." He then shakes his head and says. "You don't feel even a bit of remorse for what you did."

"Don't you act like you didn't enjoy it?" I scoff.

His jaw flexes in irritation and I take in how perfect his features are. His blue eyes turn darker as he looks at me. "Are you serious, Zelina?" He sighs in frustration and runs his hand through his dark hair, evoking a weird urge in me to do the same to him. "That was an important presentation. And for god's sake, what if anyone saw us?"

"So you accept that you were indulged in it as much as I was," I ask him, taking a step forward.

"Zelina, you don't understand it, do you? My point is that if something were to go wrong, it will cost both our companies." He says, carrying a serious expression this time. I don't intend to rile him up every time I meet him, but I can't help it. He looks so fucking sexy when he is angry.

"You don't trust your team?"

"Of course, I do."

"So what's the problem. You should know that they will come up with a good idea for your brand, Merrick." I shrug and say honestly.

"I know, and I am not worried about it. I am angry because you fucking distracted me the whole time? Do you have any idea what the fuck you were doing in there? I can't believe..."

I cut him midway and speak. "Oh, come on, Merrick, we were already at the end and you didn't particularly seem to protest, either."

He frowns. "What was I supposed to do? Stand up and scream in the middle of the meeting, publicizing that you were trying to misbehave with me?"

"I was bored. You can't blame me for having some fun. I did let you go through the entire presentation though."

Merrick stares at my face in disbelief for a moment and then shakes his head. "Is there any point arguing with you, Miss Miller?"

"No." I laugh, despite knowing that it was a rhetorical question and that's when we hear a knock on the door. Merrick sighs and walks past me to open it with a scowl on his face, and then I see his friend Dean walking in. He looks back and forth between me and Merrick and then smirks, looking at him. Merrick rolls his eyes and I smile, sensing his exact thoughts. I bet he is on my side.

"Hope I didn't interrupt anything?" Dean asks amusedly.

"Not at all. You know you are always welcome." Merrick says giving me a side glance and I roll my eyes.

I walk towards Merrick, and he watches me carefully. I can see the fear in his eyes as I lean closer and he holds his breath. "Bye, Mr. Addington." I then whisper the next line, looking straight into his eyes. "You are not getting rid of me anytime soon." From the corner of my eyes, I see Dean looking at us with an amused expression. With one last wink at Merrick, I leave his room.

I park my car in the driveway after a tiring long day. The only highlight of the day was the meeting that we had at the Addington tower. I think about it and a wide grin appears on my face. Merrick looks so cute when he blushes. I wonder how he can be so big and muscular and still act like a little boy getting teased. He is such a sweet gentleman. Wait! This is so unlikely of you, Zelina. You never admire men, you just admire their dicks, remember?

I shake my head, dismissing that thought, and walk into the house. Suddenly, I freeze when I see someone standing next to my aquarium in the living area. I swallow hard, knowing exactly who it is. I can never forget him, not even his toned back profile. As if sensing what's in my mind, he turns and my gaze meets the same dark eyes of Ashton Grey.