Her Corporate Takedown: Entangled with a Billionaire

*CHAPTER 122: UNINHIBITED FANTASIES*

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would play a part in planning Michelle's wedding. However, it would be strange to refuse a client for no good reason, especially one as lucrative as that woman. Based on the blurb I read in the email, it sounded as though the displays she wanted would be so extensive that we would all have to go to her wedding in person to set everything up. It still worked out since I was going to her wedding anyway, but I wouldn't be able to go as Leiya anymore. It was a good thing I created the new Jennifer disguise, since going as Melissa would have landed me in a lot of trouble.

With that in mind, I put aside the maxi dresses I had chosen initially and replaced them with shorter dresses. That would make it easier for me to move around, since I would be working instead of going as a guest.

"Then, does Leiya plan to turn down their invitation?" Andrei asked after I muttered my thoughts out loud about having to work instead.

"If that expression means what I think it does, then you are out of your mind."

I assumed the reason for his disappointment was that he expected me to nominate the idea of pulling off a crazy stunt like attending as two people by changing back and forth between Leiya and Jennifer.

"However, there is one way to make it work."

"Oh. At least you thought of a new idea instead of saying it was totally impossible."

"Whatever." I changed out of the dress I currently had on and returned it to Shirley. "I hate to leave now, but it looks like we've got more work on our hands."

"Not a problem. I loved having you here and you are welcome back anytime. I'll send your dresses in the next couple of weeks," she replied.

"Thank you so much! I can't believe I got to meet you in person. This really made my week."

Andrei helped me to carry the bags of clothes that Shirley had given me gratuitously. I left a few more bags of clothes that needed to be adjusted, which Shirley planned to send later with the dresses. After placing everything in the trunk, Andrei drove off while I waved at Shirley, who saw us off at the door.

We were almost at the end of the long stretch of driveway when Andrei turned right instead of driving to the large gate we entered from. I hadn't even noticed this path when we first entered. The path was hidden between thick hedges but it was wide enough for a car to drive through. We drove parallel to the hedges that walled off Shirley's mansion until we got to the end of the path which seemed like it was blocked by another wall of vines.

It was not surprising that the seemingly impassable wall opened when we approached it, allowing us to leave the premises of the greatest fashion designer I would ever meet. Then, we descended the gentle downhill slope as we made our way home. I couldn't remember whether Andrei tried to hold a conversation as we cruised along the highway with the cool breeze making a mess of our hair. All I remembered was that my mind was filled with negatively biased thoughts about how much effort I cared to put into Michelle's job request.

By the time I got home, I settled on the proposition that we could use Michelle's wedding venue as part of a promotional campaign given the extensive set up we would have to do. It would be perfect since she was sure to choose an outrageous setting for her pretentious wedding.

I spent the rest of that week focusing on the business. I spent most of my time providing remote customer support, finding a second full-time assistant and last, but not least, producing the visual display arrangements for Michelle's grandiose wedding with Shelli's help.

Regrettably, I pushed myself to launch the new business project while working my regular nine to five at Bolster and also being forced to undergo Parkour training with Andrei in the evenings. My free time on the weekend also became slowly eroded by work. My schedule was cramped. There was no breathing room for a break other than to sleep a miserable three to four hours each night. My fatigue had peaked once again. The vacation I took four and a half weeks ago felt completely wasted.

I had expected that I would become busier as the business picked up, but I hadn't expected to have so much responsibility at Bolster in such a short time. The Gold team was more hectic than the other teams given the high expectations of the team to produce outstanding results. I had about two meetings every day and had to help with a lot of projects that were underway. There was no question that my stress was at an all-time high. To top it all off, I had to organize my own project proposal for next Monday and I didn't want to do a mediocre job.

After three very long meetings today, I slumped back in my chair as exhausted as a burnt out candle wick. The third meeting was held late in the afternoon but I was asked to attend despite the fact that it was Thursday and I was supposed to leave at 1pm. I feared that if I left the office before finishing my proposal, I would become too preoccupied over the weekend to complete it. Thus, I slaved over the proposal for the rest of the evening and it was nightfall before I knew it.

Apart from company events, I had never been stuck in the office this late. As my mind dwelled on that point, I began to feel as though perhaps I didn’t work as hard as I should have as a new employee. The more my mind dwelled on the topic, I felt more and more as if I didn't deserve the promotions I received in such a short time. I mean, I studied and slaved far harder in medical school when I wasn't even getting paid, but then again, that was also a sad thing to put up with.

I felt myself hit a wall as it got late in the night. At some point, my fingers stopped typing and I eventually stopped working altogether. I could sense that my head was being pulled downward and I had no energy to stop its momentum as it crashed on the table.

If Andrei was here, I could have asked him for ideas or to help me finish this proposal. When did this start happening again? An intense aching in my chest when I realized he was nowhere close to me. The sudden desire to pick up my phone and call him just to hear his voice again. The realization that I wanted him to appear whenever I wanted him by my side. All the signs of missing him. All the signs that I was about to suffer from an intense bout of loneliness.

When did I fall victim to this? I thought it was bad enough already, but his presence continued to grow on me at an alarming rate. Now, it was far too attached to my existence. Removing him would do more damage as it tore me apart in the process.

Andrei?

"Yes."

Can you help me with my proposal?

"Sure."

In return I'll…

"What will I get in return?"

He's here. In my dream. I've sunk so far that I started dreaming about him again. I'm pretty sure the last time I dreamt about him was in middle school. Even though we were officially together, it would still be inappropriate to be seen going into his office so late at night. That would definitely spark unwanted rumors about a late-night office affair and label our relationship as unprofessional. But this was just a dream. Just this once, I could let myself get lost in a harmless fantasy.

The object of said fantasy looked up from his desk when I entered his office without warning. He got up and walked towards me as I staggered towards the desk, breathing heavily.

Andrei.

I called his name repeatedly under my breath, not loud enough for him to hear, but he answered softly each time.

I fell against his chest as we made contact in the middle of the room, but before he could support me, the momentum of my unbalanced self made us stumble backwards until he hit the desk behind him. I felt limp in his arms, but he braced me firmly with his right arm around my shoulders. I looked up at his concerned expression as he questioned the situation. I had no answers to offer him, as my mind couldn't process anything other than the desire to have him in my arms.

I was disappointed by mind's realistic recreation of Andrei's reactions. In an attempt to regain control of this phantasmal existence, I pushed him onto the table but he braced himself by slamming both hands behind him on the table. He looked behind when a few items clattered on the table and some fell on the floor. I only checked the location of his computer just to be sure which was on the other side of the table. Nothing else mattered as long as the computer was fine. I figured I would have lost control of him if the computer got damaged.

While leaning forward, I wrapped my arms around his neck and brushed my nose against his neck all the way up to his cheek. The sharp scent of his 24-hour cologne hit my nose like a brick wall, but I basked in the heavy rosewood scent all the same. When he turned his face around, the tip of my nose slid over the bridge of his and downwards until our lips made contact.

I felt a puff of exhaled air leave his mouth before I kissed him. And I kissed him. Each kiss more deeply and intensely than the last. With all of my feelings for him and all of the feelings I couldn't tell him, I pounded them into this phantasmal version of him. Every cell in my body stung with the poison of desire and I couldn't let go of him.

Now that I had his full attention, I pulled him forward by his shirt as he sat upright on the table. I felt around for the buttons on his shirt, but there was a tie in the way. I quickly pulled one loop of the tie through and flung it behind me on the ground. I impatiently pried the buttons off one by one until my fingers were gratified by the feeling of his bare skin as they treaded up and down his chest and around his back.

Earlier, when he fell on the table, I kicked off my shoes and climbed on the table to reach him. After pulling him forward, we were repositioned where he sat upright on the table and I leaned back to sit directly on his lap. I remained glued to him even more so than before. As time went on, it felt like we were both losing ourselves in each other. My skin tingled all over as his large hands ran themselves under my blouse and I don't think he noticed, but the force with which he pulled back his hand unhooked my bra strap.

His large hands soon settled on my waist. One hand supported my lower back while the other played with the hem of my skirt that had rolled up when I climbed onto the table. While immersed in liplock, his brave fingers began to track along the seam of the sheer black tights I wore. I returned the favor by unbuckling and removing his belt. It wasn't long before we gradually became aware of the annoying sound of a buzzer coming from outside the office. I kissed him harder to keep his attention focused on me. One would think that a fantasy world would listen to the wishes of the one who created it, but this world was quite defiant for some reason.

"Leiya, I hate to say this, but the person pressing that buzzer isn't going to disappear," Andrei said after he broke away from me.

He reached over to the other side of the desk for a remote and put a finger to my lips while telling me to be quiet for a minute.

"Just ignore it," I said while biting on his lower lip and trying to grab the remote from his hand.

"I can't. This is important."

What in the world was going on? This had to be the most disobedient fantasy dream I ever had. In any case, the fact that it had started falling apart was a sign this would soon end. I closed my eyes tightly to try to salvage what was left of it before I woke up, but it didn't work. Andrei held down a button on the remote to answer the buzzer and the man outside asked whether Andrei would be ready for the meeting in thirty minutes, to which he replied affirmatively.

"I guess it's time to wake up from this fantasy," I said after Andrei finished talking to the man and put the remote on the table.

"Dear Leiya," he replied.

"What is it?"

"I regret to inform you at this point in time, but this was never a fantasy world."

"…What are you talking about?" I replied defensively. I didn't want to think about it, but all the signs pointed to the fact that he was right.

"Sorry, but I'm as much of a real person as you are right now."

"Then…all that happened just now…"

"That was all a reality. I thought it was strange that you stumbled in here with a drunk look on your face. You're never usually here this late so I almost mistook you for an imposter."

I became petrified with embarrassment as the events that took place in the last half an hour flashed across my mind and I looked around the room at the damage caused by my unseemly uninhibited actions.

"It pains me to end this affair, but I need to change my shirt and tidy the office before the meeting. But before that, I don't want you to conveniently forget what happened tonight. Allow me to leave you with a souvenir of this memory."

The chiming sound of buttons hitting the table and the floor marked the moment these events were permanently sealed into my memory as I watched the afterimage of his hand that ripped my blouse open with full force.