"New interest?" I arch a brow, smiling knowingly. "No wonder you don’t feel hurt. You had another plan B. Who is she?"

Just then, Laurel arrives at the office. She was surprised to see the both of us. She eyes us in a way that says "you two?" Well, even I can’t believe that I am having a friendly conversation with ’The Raymond Holt’ that seemed unapproachable to me. And I don’t even feel awkward. It is coming out natural than I expected. We are flowing. "What are you two talking about?" She asks in her classy British accent.

"Life. Hurt. All of it." I respond matter of fact-ly.

Raymond agrees with a nod.

"Then carry on, do not stop on my account." She urges.

"I would love to. But someone is a blabbermouth who makes the most non incriminating statements into a criminal offence." He spoke indirectly. He is correct. Laurel cannot help but gossip. It is like second nature and oxygen to her. She can’t do without it. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"I am not a blabbermouth." She argued.

"There it is." He points at her. "She said it herself. I didn’t do anything."

"Screw you!"

"That would be a felony." I laughed at the Raymond’s witty comeback. This guy is hilarious.

"I should have worked out with my husband this morning when he asked me to. I would have been able to pack a punch at you if I had."

"Lucky me then."

Laurel goes to settle in her desk corner. She asks me why I came to work, and I told her that I was tired of home. "Right, have you set your mind on a specific wedding location yet?" She inquires out of the blue.

"N-no. Why?"

"A friend of mine has this really nice private beach. It is ethereal. She rents it out for weddings. It will nice to do yours there." She seriously suggests.

Awkward. "I am not really into—"

"Don’t worry about the fee. I will pay for it as my wedding gift to you."

Maybe I should have lied that I already have a location venue. "I will think about it."

"What about cakes? Have you and him gone for cake tasting yet?" God, why is she asking questions related to the wedding?

"Not really."

She gasps. "Oh my, what have you both been doing. The D-Day is Just around the corner. Wedding preparations are made as soon as possible to avoid rush."

"Hey, Laurel have you heard from Cassandra how she is holding up in her new workplace environment?" I am so grateful to Raymond for cutting off her incessant wedding talk. I throw him a look of gratitude to which he subtly acknowledges. Laurel does not notice this exchange. Or else, she would have called it to notice. "Thank you for reminding me. I had almost forgotten."

"Does Cassandra no longer work here?" I had not noticed that her desk corner was empty until now. Her signature pink plush chair is gone. The baby pink monitor and all of her personal stuff are no longer there.

"Yeah. She resigned the day you took your leave. Right after she sent an application to Crimson Group."

"That is good for her." I extol. I would leave this place too if I were her. She has got the Harvard’s accounting business degree. There is nothing holding her back. Unlike me. Leaving before you get laid off. What a classy move to pull. If only I could do that too.

"Not so good in my opinion. She got fired on her first day which was yesterday." She spills.

"What for?" I ask.

"Isn’t it obvious? Cassandra can barely handle the printer and transfer calls correctly much less work for a man like Crimson’s Group President"

"Wha—Crimson’s Group President?"

"Mm mm. She developed a crush on him that day he came by."

"You did too." I point out.

"No. It was shallow. That doesn’t count. And I am happily married to my darling husband." She smiles showing off the wedding band on her ring finger. Please, let her not start with her lovely marriage talks and get me angry and envious. That is the last thing I need right now. I work my jaw.

"Yep. She is bad at working. But that president of Crimson Group also has a reputation for not being easy to deal with. If the rumors are indeed true, it will be difficult to find someone who could actually deal with him."

He is right. Only someone who is bad and morally twisted could put up with that guy. Poor Cassandra. Of all the guys to have a crush on. The others arrived later on. Work went on smoothly. When lunch break hour came, it felt too early. I texted Annie to check on her. She replies soon after. «Am long dead of starvation. Bye.» Very funny.

«I am sorry. It was so delicious, I did not know when I ate it all. You can always prepare another one to keep yourself busy.»

«I see what you did there.» She texting me back and forth like this means she is a little okay.

«Hey. I feel like calling that guy I slept with. But I kind of feel mortified to do so.»

«Why?»

«What do you mean why? It’s kind of shameful for me.» The audio recording icon that appears shows that she is recording a voice message.

«Listen girl, have you learned nothing from me? Men does not get to be the only ones who can express desire. We should too. Girl has turned on her hyper feminity mood.

«There is nothing shameful in wanting to satisfy one’s desires as a woman. If your pussy is craving it, go right ahead. I have the feeling that he must be thinking about you too.» Awesome pep-talk. No one can beat her hands down at that. She always knows what to say to make me feel better. She probably would not have been so chatty face to face.

«You really think so?»

«I do.»

«I’II call him then. Bye!!!»

I close the chat and pull up the guy’s contact info saved with the acronym; S W T S C—stranger with the satisfying cock. It is ultra-silly, and cringe, I know. But that is what he is. Saving it with stranger is too mundane.

My fingers are hovering hesitantly on the call icon. I anxiously bite and chew on my nails. I want to press call. But I am being held back by something. Just go for it and stop thinking. My inner self chides. Annie is right. He would not have left his number if he didn’t like me. "Are you alright?" That startled me. I sharply and instinctively spun in the direction the voice came from. There was Raymond standing besides the door. He held his hands up, "I didn’t mean to scare you."