A Rival to Get You

'I can't believe I dreamed of something like that. What the hell?!’
Blaze Davies went to work listlessly the next day. He was often seen yawning.
However, he put his tact back on as he got to the office-- especially when he faced Lillianne Guinn and Theo Greg again.
'And I can't believe it all started just because of my suspicions after hearing her strange voice on the phone last night. What's wrong with me? Why am I becoming more and more like a teenager in love like this?' he complained while secretly eyeing his secretary who was standing quietly a few meters away. She and Theo waited for a word from him after calling them to appear in his room.
"I hope you have prepared everything I need before the meeting. I don't want any problems later," said Blaze, glancing at his secretary. He tried to act normal again.
"I have, sir. I guarantee you don't need to worry about anything because I have taken care of it," the secretary responded quickly.
“I hope so. You will be in trouble if the opposite happens on the field."
Meanwhile, Theo Greg looked confused about all of this. It wasn't surprising since Blaze had failed to tell him last night. What he heard on the phone when he contacted Lillianne Guinn made him lose his mood instantly. He was also worried that his suspicions would be proven.
"So, at ten o'clock we will meet model Helena Grace at her photo shoot location, is that correct, sir?" asked the man.
"Yeah, sorry for not telling you because I was afraid to bother you." He said it half-heartedly. "But, actually you don't need to worry about that because you don't have to come along. You just stay in the office because I have work to assign you here."
Blaze's forehead frowned when he realized that they immediately looked at each other when they heard his words. What's wrong with them? Why are they getting more suspicious?
“Alright, sir. I promise I will do it well." Theo Greg answered a bit slower than his usual self. He didn't seem to like the orders, but his assistant was always ready to carry them out perfectly.
***
"I didn't expect we would be riding in your car, sir. You also drove for me again. It reminds me of our meeting on Gozo Island."
The woman immediately commented when the new car was driven out of the basement parking lot of Pagent Corp headquarters. The man stung a little when he heard that.
"I am always like this from time to time, though. Sometimes being driven and just sitting in the back seat feels boring, especially for a car collector like me," Blaze Davies replied coldly. "And you should stop talking to me about things that have nothing to do with work. Didn't I warn you?" It wasn't long until he complained again.
"Ayy, we are not in the office anymore, sir. We have discussed this before, haven't we?"
Look, look, the woman was acting up again. She deliberately sat cross-legged to show her smooth white legs under the short pinky skirt. Blaze couldn't ignore how they looked quite familiar to him. He remembered holding, stroking, and even kissing them in his dreams.
'Oh, no! Not anymore. Stop thinking about that!' He was nagging at himself.
"As for that, I won't protest if you stare at me like that, sir. I just ask that you stay focused on the road so we don't crash." She teased him shortly with a sweet chuckle.
"No. I didn't stare at you. Stop making things up," he grumbled as he accelerated his luxury car. He groaned even more when she chuckled louder.
'Unprofessional. Stubborn. Presumptuous.'
Oh, how he hated them the most. He couldn't believe that those were what made him fall in love with this woman. He must be crazy.
"But, tell me the reason why you suddenly excluded Theo Greg from this agenda, sir. You want to spend time alone with me, right?" She didn't stop there. She just kept talking about insignificant things.
"No. Not at all." He refused quickly, but his face turned slightly red instead. He was embarrassed because he felt like he had been caught. "I-I am did that for work reasons, you know? You saw that for yourself!" he added.
"But that could just be your excuse."
"Up to you then." he gave up arguing with her.
"Then, I will take it as a 'yes'"
There was silence for a moment after that. Blaze Davies chose not to keep talking about it because he did not want to admit that the woman's guess was right. Meanwhile, Lillianne looked out the window. It was so enjoyable to roam around after so long. Not to mention because she had him with her after so long. There was nothing she wanted more than this.
"But, speaking of that, I warn you again to be careful in the office. That is not a place for dating. No matter what happens between you outside the office, you must not bring it into work," said Blaze Davies after minutes of silence.
Lillianne looked back at him in astonishment. "What do you mean?"
"You know that he likes you, right? It's impossible for a woman like you not to know. You also often tease him like you did to me."
"The him you mean is..."
"Theo Greg, I know you know. Stop pretending to be dense," he grumbled again.
"Oh, so, you even know that? As I thought, you must like to secretly pay attention to me behind that cold attitude of yours. You watch every man who tries to get close to me, do you?"
"For God's sake, that's not what I meant!" Blaze felt frustrated.
"That's cute, but I never flirt with other men, though. I only did it with you alone."
Not those sweet and seductive words again. Blaze noticed how his heart rate rose rapidly because of it. However, he brushed it all off again quickly.
"What nonsense." He snorted. "How could you say that everything that happened? It's just a few nights ago after you insisted on meeting one of our clients at the hotel."
"So, you are indeed jealous," she teased him.
“I am not! Gosh, forget it. Let's pretend I never said it. I don't care. Just make sure it doesn't interfere with your work, because I won't be kind forever."
It was useless to talk to her. That would just waste his time. Besides, that would only show what a loser he was.
***
They arrived a few minutes later. The two of them were immediately led to where Helena Grace was.
The 13th floor of the building was where they were headed. In one of the rooms, there were many people gathered. Various equipment such as cameras, lighting, tripods, and backdrops filled the room. Everything was focused on a beautiful woman who was busy posing under the direction of a photographer.
'Oh, so, she is the most famous model at the moment? Yeah, she is quite stunning, although not more than me of course.' Lillianne studied her from head to toe.
Blaze and Lillianne were told to wait about fifteen minutes until she finished. She then faced them.
"Oh, you really came. I thought you would keep using excuses to avoid me."
Lillianne's forehead frowned when she heard that was the first thing the model said to Blaze. What was that? So, do they already know each other?
She also couldn't ignore the potential brand ambassador's attitude towards him. She recognized this flirty manner of her. The model clearly had feelings for her mate.
***