Playing the Bosses

Keep Them On

It was yet another day of another week at PMC Group and Eva was just finishing up her lunch when she received a notification that it was time for her 2:00PM with Justin to prepare for an upcoming conference call they'd have with more Japanese executives in a few days.

Sitting in meetings with Justin became a regular routine for Eva and she started spending just as much time with him as she spent with Adrian, if not more. He was looking to expand PMC Group's reach to an Asian market starting with Japan because it was where he had the most connections through his family.

Also, with each meeting, Eva was completing two tasks in one. Her very thorough notes were impressive to Justin, gaining more of his confidence in her, and she was also able to feed the information she gathered to Alexis.

"Hi Eva," Justin greeted when she entered his office. "How are you doing this morning?"

With the two of them spending more time together, Justin grew more comfortable with Eva and they found themselves conversing more casually. For Justin, Eva was easy to talk to and their chats had gradually turned more candid the more they spoke.

As she approached to take her seat, Justin scanned over Eva as he often did since spending more time with her. He admired her sense of style and the way she managed to dress professionally, yet still with an alluring undertone that he wasn't quite sure was due to the outfits or the woman wearing them. Also, Justin didn't understand why, but he often found his eyes drifting down Eva's legs and lingering on her heels; it seemed like she had a different pair every day.

"I'm great," she replied with a small smile as she sat across from him. "And you?"

"I'm fine, just hate this time difference we have with Tokyo. I'm glad they were willing to speak even though it's evening their ti—"

Justin was cut off by his phone ringing with a distinct tone and he immediately rolled his eyes before picking it up.

"Hey, babe," he answered dryly. "I'm in a meeting. Can we talk later?"

Eva figured it was Ashley, though she couldn't hear what she may have been saying on the other side of the phone. All she knew was that Justin looked agitated to even be speaking to her.

"Okay, okay," Justin said quickly, trying to rush Ashley off the phone, but she kept going until his tone turned sharp. "I told you I was in a meeting. I'll call you back later."

A few more seconds went by and after he finally hung up, Eva gave him a curious look.

"What?" he questioned. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Eva had no qualms with asking such a personal question, but she knew she'd have to feign timidness in her approach. "Well, Mr. Matsuda... And I don't mean to pry or be inappropriate..."

"Go on," Justin urged.

"Ashley is your girlfriend, right? I think you told me before that you two have been together for a few years... But it just doesn't seem like you like her that much."

Justin's eyes went wide before he cleared his throat and straightened himself up. "What makes you say that?"

"It's just that whenever I see you interact with her, you seem annoyed and you never get excited about her calling or coming into the office. You just treat her like another chore or work task for the day."

"Interesting observation," he said coldly.

"Like I said, I didn't mean to pry—"

"No, it's okay," Justin assured. "With Ashely and I, it's just that... It's that we..." He huffed to move past his hesitation. "Eva, we're speaking plainly right now, right? I mean, you asked me a question and I want to answer you thoroughly, right?"