Merrick

It's Thursday evening as I review the presentation I have to deliver at the product launch. Most of the employees have already left, and I nod to Sarah as she takes the leave from me as well. Despite knowing half of the building is empty, my mind doesn't allow me to even move from my seat. It feels like I have so much left to get done before the launch party.

I haven't got to see Zelina after the meeting we had on Monday, but the very next day, I heard the news about the fire in one of her plants. The pictures were terrible and I can't even imagine what I'll feel if something goes wrong in my factory like that. The thought was terrifying and for a second, it also made me want to reach out to Zelina and ask her how she was doing. But I bit down on that urge because I do not want to give any reason for her to think that I am interested in her, even though it would have been merely out of concern.

As I am lost in my thoughts, the door of my office suddenly pushes open, and I see Dean walking in. I shake my head, already assuming he would be going overly dramatic on me now.

"You need to stop this right now." He says, stomping on his foot to get my attention.

"Fuck off, Dean," I say to him without raising my eyes from my laptop. Why can't he just let me work in peace? Isn't he tired of doing this all along?

"What? I am telling you, Merrick. You will not even notice your life slipping out of your hands if you keep working at this pace." He says, taking a seat across from me. "You would probably end up with a hunchback and a stick in your hand when you finally get out of this room."

"Are you sure you are still talking to your boss?" I ask, looking up at him now.

"Come on, Merrick." He snorts, and then his eyes fall on my head. I frown when he suddenly leans forward and scans it. "Wait. Is that a grey hair?" He points out and I look at him with a frown. His eyes widen as he sits back in his chair and stares at my face. "OMG! Yes, it is."

I clench my jaw in irritation as he swirls around in his chair, resting his hands behind his head calmly. "I am not in a mood. Don't fuck with me, Dean." I say.

He stops and turns his head to look at me. "I am serious. You can go and check yourself if you want confirmation."

I stare at him in disbelief. There is a high chance that he might be messing with me, but all the worrying that I have been doing about the company for the past few weeks along with the constant thinking about Monica's betrayal might really get me to turn older way earlier than what I can think. So, with that thought in my head, I leave my chair and walk into the bathroom.

While I check myself in the mirror with a serious expression, I hear Dean outside burst into laughter. I narrow my eyes at him as I walk back into my cabin. He is still laughing as I lean against my desk and glare at him. "Oh my god, you really thought I wasn't messing with you." He says amusedly and then straightens up when he sees I am not in a mood for his shitty jokes. He clears his throat and says in a low voice. "Sorry, I just wanted to get you out of your seat."

I cross my arms and then let out a frustrated sigh. "What would it take for you to get your ass out of my cabin?"

"I'll tell you." I watch Dean in confusion as he grins, looking at me. "Maybe you agreeing to come and grab a drink with me can really help me find my way out of your office."

I shake my head and then walk behind my desk. "You know I am not doing that. Now, get out and let me do my work." I say to him as I sit back and scroll through the slides again.

For a moment there is a silence in the room and I wonder if Dean has left already, but then I hear him mutter. "I would do anything to see you give this attitude to Zelina..."

I snap my eyes back to him and ask in an alarmed tone. "What did you say?"

"Have you ever looked at your face when you are around her? You seem to shit bricks." He leans forward and rests his hands on the table. I watch him as he smirks at me. "Now tell me what's cooking between the two of you?"

I stare at him in disbelief, and before I can say anything, he speaks again. "By the way, she is hot. And I've also heard a lot about her maddening charms from my friends. From what I saw last time, it looks like she is interested in you, Merrick. Maybe you can try your luck as well."

I don't know why, but I instantly get irritated by his comment. "I dare you to say any fucking thing about her, Dean," I warn, looking into his eyes so he can know that I am not fucking around with this.

"What? I am not saying anything wrong, am I?" He frowns. "I mean, I know what happened with Monica has left you with a bitter taste in women, but that doesn't mean you can not have some fun...at least for one time from the zero records you have."

"Enough, Dean." I stand up and clench my jaw in anger. "You can go on with your shit as long as it's about me. But let me make one thing clear to you, Zelina is working with her. She is our business partner and, most importantly, let me remind you, she is a woman. So, I would appreciate you being respectful to her."

He looks a bit taken aback. "Oh wow! You are really serious." He says in a surprised tone.

"Yes, I am," I say. "I would never encourage you to talk shit about women, okay? You do realize I have my company's reputation to take care of here."

He keeps looking at me and then I see his lips quirk a little. "So it's not just about Zelina, then?"

"No," I growl and shake my head.

"Okay, I believe you." He says amusedly. Dean can never behave, that's one thing for sure.

I look at him again and speak again. "Now stop pissing me off and get out of here before I call the guards to kick one of their own employers."

"I hope you are not talking about yourself." He chuckles and I narrow my eyes at him. "Fine, I'll leave..." He stands up as I look at him. He walks up to me and then blurts. "But not without you by my side. For once you can be a good company to me, Merrick." Dean grins sheepishly, making puppy dog eyes and I sigh. God, why is he such an asshole? As if sensing my thoughts, he looks at me. "Please, just one drink. You know how persuasive an asshole I can be."

I shake my head in frustration. Then I look at him and let out a curse under my breath before shutting my laptop close.

                                                                                     ------------

Dean decides to go to the usual bar where he mostly hangs out. I know I don't have the liberty of wasting my time as he does, so I never go out for drinks unless I really need a way to vent out. I always have to remind myself that I have a company to run, so mostly I stick with doing overtime instead of accepting his invites.

It's one of the famous bars here in the city and it's not far away from our office. I am thankful to God that I don't have to hear Dean's shit for long.

"What do you think about Aiden?" Dean asks as I drive after stopping at a signal.

I look at him and shrug. "I don't know. He was the last thing on my mind right now."

"Duh...what I mean is why are you still bearing with his shit? You can't overlook him getting drunk in the office."

"He is Anthony's son." I look at him before turning my gaze back on the road. "By the way, I forgot to tell you he did apologize to me later."

He frowns. "That still doesn't give him the liberty to misbehave to his boss."

I look at him amusedly and raise my eyebrow. "And you are the one saying this?"

"Come on, Merrick, you know what I am talking about." He rolls his eyes and I chuckle.

"Yeah, I know you are nothing like him, my shithead friend." I smile and then look ahead as I think about what Aiden did on Monday. "I know what Aiden did the other day wasn't right at all, but that was just a misunderstanding," I say. "He might be a little immature at the moment, but that doesn't mean he is bad at his work." I suddenly remember what Anthony and my dad always used to say and look at Dean. "I believe everyone deserves a second chance and so does he."

The drive is less than 10 minutes and it makes me realize that hanging out with Dean wasn't as torturing as I assumed. Though it was just a short ride so I cannot say anything. "Here we are," I say, stopping right in front of the bar. I watch a group of people and some couples making their way happily inside it and I turn towards Dean. "Feel free to move your ass out of my car."

He opens the door, but instead of stepping out, he looks back at me. "You are not ditching me like the last time, right?"

"Of course not." I frown. "What do you think I am going to do? I need to park my car."

"You said the exact same words that day and never came back." He says and I try to stifle a laugh, remembering the time when I did that. "Do you have any idea how I spent the entire night on the street after you ditched me for my ride back home?" I look at him and my face falls when I think about the reason I ditched him. That day I got a call from Monica and without a second thought, I left my friend alone here to pick her up. The memory seems faint now as I realize how selfish Monica was from the beginning. She always used me for her convenience and I was too blind to notice that.

I shake that thought away, realizing that it doesn't hold any relevance now. "Sorry to remind you, but it wasn't me who asked you to get fucking drunk and lose your senses," I say in a mocking tone.

"Whatever. I want you in there in 5 minutes. Do you understand?" Dean says as he gets out of the car.

"I am not the one who takes orders here. It's the other way around buddy." I remind him and he rolls his eyes before walking towards the entrance.

I shake my head with a smile. Then I remind myself that I need to get my car parked or else Dean is going to kill me. My car wouldn't have moved a few feet when I notice a familiar face on the side of the bar. It's pretty dark, but I can surely make out that it's Zelina. It would really be difficult for anyone to not recognize a beautiful face like hers. She is sitting on the sidewalk with a guy next to her. I can't hide the frown that appears on my face when I see that guy running his fingers over her leg. I clench my jaw and immediately shut off the ignition before I make my way towards them.

Everyone is going inside the bar or huddled close to it, so I find this place empty. It's around 10 in the night, and I wonder what Zelina is doing here this late. What a lame question, Merrick? Of course, she would have been here to get a drink like the others. I reach the sidewalk and none of them seem to notice me until I stand right next to them.

"Zelina, what are you doing here?" I ask, looking at Zelina, who has her legs sprawled out. She looks up and doesn't recognize me and at that moment I realize that she is really drunk. I can smell alcohol on her standing right from here. Her dress is ridden up a little and I find that guy still resting his hand on her knee.

The guy looks up at me, and without wasting a second, I bark at him angrily. "Who the fuck are you?"

"Excuse me, who are..." He begins to speak, but I cut him off by raising my hand.

"Wait. I don't really care who the hell are you." I narrow my eyes at him. "Just get your fucking hands off of her now."

The guy seems a bit startled as he pulls his hand back. "Wow! Relax, dude. I was just trying to help her." He says, throwing his hands up in defense.

I narrow my eyes at him. "Yeah, I can see how well you were helping her."

I hear Zelina suddenly speak and we both turn towards her. "Oh, Merrick. I missed you so much." She stirs up and looks at me dreamily. "What are you doing? Doesn't matter, anyway." She giggles with her half-laden eyes and I wonder how many drinks did she have? "It's a good thing that you are here now." She bites her lip, and I gaze at her in confusion.

"What? You didn't mention you have a boyfriend." The guy frowns and looks at Zelina. She smiles at him but doesn't say anything. He looks definitely pissed by now as he stands up and dusts his pants. "Jeez, I wasted my time for nothing." He says in an irritated tone, glaring at her.

He then looks at me and shakes his head with a sigh. "Bro, make sure that you don't leave your hot girlfriend drunk and unattended next time." He pats my shoulder and walks away, saying. "It can be risky...for you both."

I stare at his back, wondering how quickly it switched from me lashing out at him to him giving me relationship advice.

"Why did you scare him off?" I hear Zelina's whiny voice and I turn back to her. "He was so nice. We were playing touch me-touch me not." She says, shaking her head like an irritated kid whose candy has been snatched away. Wait. What game is she talking about? Does anything like that even exist? Then I remember that guy having his hand on her and I feel the anger rush through my body. I am so glad I arrived at the right time or else that guy wouldn't have missed a chance taking advantage of a woman in her vulnerable state.

"Sure, he was." I scoff. "Now come on. I'll drop you home." I say, trying to pull her up, but she doesn't stand.

She shakes her head furiously and mumbles. "No, I want to play. Call him back." From her heavy eyes and the way she is talking, I can get that she has really lost it. But why? Doesn't she know how dangerous it can be for a woman to get wasted and lie on a lonely street at night with all the jerks sneaking around?

"Zelina, don't act like a kid," I sigh and reach for the purse that's lying next to her. "Get up. You can play as much as you want when you get home."

"No, I am not going..." She looks up at me and bites her lip. My eyes drop down to her lips and I quickly divert my gaze.

"Zelina." I clear my throat. I look around to see if anyone is watching this little show, but I let out a relieved sigh when I see no one.

"I am not going anywhere..." she says stubbornly. Her gaze lifts up to me and then she says slowly, in a mischievous tone. "Unless you promise to play with me."

She giggles, looking at me, and I let out a sigh in defeat. "Okay, I'll play with you. Now, will you come with me?"

"Yes," She smiles, trying to get up. I quickly reach to hold her when she stumbles and falls. "Opssss." She laughs and I shake my head. I place her purse in her lap and then placing my hands under her knees, I pull her up. She squeals and wraps her arms around my neck as I carry her to my car.

Zelina looks at me, but I keep my eyes straight. I frown when she brings her hand down and pinches my cheek. "You are so cute when you are grumpy." She giggles and buries her face in the crook of my neck and I groan in frustration.

It's more than difficult to deal with her being sober. I can't even imagine what a mess she will be now when she is drunk. I just hope I'll be able to deal with it.

A/N:

Do you think Merrick will be able to deal with a drunk Zelina?