Love Of Lust

Chapter Three

Becky's POV

The memory of the dream was still vivid in the back of my mind as I walked through the doors into the office. I kept my head down, hurrying to my desk to settle in before anyone tried to strike up a conversation with me. And God forbid I should run into Riad. Come to think of it, though, I'd never actually witnessed him coming or going.

As far as I knew, he slept here. Okay, no, that wasn't the ideal way to take my mind off of my dream. I forced myself to focus on the work that was on my screen, blocking out any thoughts or feelings that weren't directly related to this booklet design. It didn't have a firm deadline, so I'd been tinkering around with it for weeks. I wondered what would happen to it, after I "quit." As mind-numbing as my work could sometimes be, I still took a tiny bit of creative pride in what I did for the company.

It felt strange to know that I'd be saying goodbye to all of that.

"Becky." I felt a hot flush spread across the back of my neck at the sound of his voice.
Turning around slowly, I forced myself to meet his gaze. He was standing there casually, like it was the most natural thing in the world, his arm resting on the top of the cubicle wall.

"Good morning, sir," I said.

Everyone in neighborhood cubicles had slowly rotated their chairs around to stare at us, and anyone passing through the vicinity had stopped a little distance away, pretending to be interested in a yellowed newspaper cartoon pinned to someone's wall while they listened to our conversation. I knew this was exactly what Riad wanted, but I still couldn't stop myself from blushing.

"I'm glad to see you here so early," he said. "Do you have any plans for lunch today?" I swallowed hard and shook my head.

"Excellent," he said. "I hope you'll join me in my office at eleven-thirty. We'll order in. Whatever you like. I want to discuss some new ideas I have about the project."

"Of course," I said, a little louder than necessary. "I'll see you then."

"Very good." He nodded, smiled, hesitated for a moment, and then walked away.

Everyone's eyes followed him until he disappeared behind his office door, and then they all turned to me. I hunched over my keyboard, pretending I couldn't feel their eyes drilling holes in my back.

I spent the next half hour nudging the same block of text back and forth, and when I finally looked up, everyone had returned to their rightful places. But I knew what they were thinking. Now, I had to spend my whole lunch break sitting across the desk from him. How was I going to avoid blushing and giggling the whole time? Or worse, just staring at him like a deer in the headlights? I hated being reduced to an airheaded schoolgirl by one stupid dream, but it felt so real. The next few hours flew by. Before long, I found myself walking down the thickly carpeted hallway that led to Riad's office. His door was open a crack, and his assistant was standing by his desk with a notepad open.

"Ah, Ms. Mentore," he said, gesturing for me to sit. "I was just about to give Alice my lunch order. I was thinking of takeout from Vivian's - how does that sound?"

"Great, it sounds great," I replied, after I managed to find my voice. Vivian's was one of the most expensive steak houses in town. I'd never dreamed of setting foot in the place. But to Riad, it was probably like going to a sub shop for lunch. No big deal.
This lifestyle was going to take some adjusting-to.

"Alice, I'll have a twelve-ounce Porterhouse with mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. Medium rare. Ms. Mentore, what about you?"

"Oh, I don't really...I don't really know what they have." Riad and Alice were both staring at me expectantly, and I felt like I was being tested somehow.