Sapphira awoke with a spring in her step. Good sex could do that to you. Sin had left her the previous evening on the promise that they would have dinner at his place and she would be spending the next few nights. She had readily agreed, but what else would one expect with his hard flesh still pulsing deep inside of her? She was bound to be a captive audience to anything he had cared to suggest.
Quickly showering and dressing, she made her way to the office wanting the work day to fly by so she could enjoy the night. Sapphira waltzed into the office all smiles and sunlight. Kya greeted her warmly, immediately impacted by her sunny mood.
"Good morning. How are you today?"
"Great!" Sapphira answered, unable and unwilling to hide her joy.
"Good," Kya responded, not sure about this sudden about face in temperament, but certainly not about to question it. Best to get on with the work day and hope that it lasted. "There has been a slight change to your morning schedule. An emergency board meeting scheduled for 9:30. I've re-scheduled your 9 o'clock for tomorrow afternoon. The changes are in your calendar," Kya informed while pouring herself a cup of coffee.
Sapphira looked up in surprise. "Any idea what this meeting is about?"
"No. Just to clear your calendar for the meeting and that all managerial staff are to be in attendance. I could call Mr. Rockefeller's PA and find out if you'd like," Kya offered, anxious to preserve Sapphira's good mood.
"No, that won't be necessary. Thank you."
Kya turned to leave but was stopped by the sound of Sapphira's voice. "Kya, lets do lunch today. I'd love to make up for all my grumpy days to you, and I know the perfect place."
"Sure," Kya agreed, happy to fall in with Sapphira's plans.
The next hour progressed swiftly and by the time 9:15 rolled around Sapphira was feeling a little anxious. Her hand had itched with the desire to call Sin directly and ask him straight out, but she wasn't his lover right now, just another employee.
Sapphira took her seat to Sin's left and waited for the meeting to begin, careful to avoid eye contact with him in case some of the hunger she felt should show on her face.
However, as he began speaking it was only polite for her to turn her face towards him, and if her eyes were eating him more than looking at him then that could be forgiven in the circumstances. So intent was she on imagining his hard body naked that she didn't hear any of his words and was caught unawares when everyone began clapping and issuing congratulations.
Turning an ear towards listening from that point on, Sapphira heard his next words with mounting horror.
"Thank you for your warm welcome. Although I am deeply saddened that my father's health had to fail for my appointment to be made, I will honor his legacy and ensure that Rockefeller Enterprises continues to move from strength to strength. Our family will be holding a retirement party in his honor later this month and would welcome all of you to attend. Invitations will go out later this week. I anticipate minimal interruptions to business..." On and on it went, with Sapphira sitting as still as a statue.
So that was that? Ended before it had even really begun. Her glance stayed just to the left of Sin's shoulder and by neither a flicker of an eyelash or a twist of her mouth did she show that she was anything other than mildly interested in major changes to the company.
When the meeting ended Sapphira was the first to head for the door while others surrounded Sin to offer him their personal congratulatory remarks. She felt his eyes burning into her back as she walked away but she was too shaken up to care. Whatever happened, she certainly didn't want to give him the chance to hold her back in the boardroom again. One could only guess where that would lead.
Once back in her office, Sapphira informed Kya that she wasn't feeling well and intended to take the rest of the day off. "I'll try and work from home as much as possible. If any of the staff have an emergency, they are welcome to contact me on my mobile phone." With a regretful smile and a hand raised to her presumably ill feeling head, Sapphira sidled into her office.
She hastily packed her briefcase, making sure she turned her cell phone off before throwing it into her purse. She quickly made her way to the ground floor, looking over her shoulder as she gained the lobby. She could just imagine what she looked like to others, as one who was being pursued by an invisible demon intent on her destruction, but she couldn't be bothered to care. Her only thought was of getting out of the building before Sin could catch her and force her to talk about a situation she just wanted to forget.
Sapphira felt marginally better when she arrived home and sat down on the sofa with a pillow clutched to her chest and a cup of hot tea in her hands. Her gaze fixed blankly on the hot liquid as it sloshed about the cup. She looked at her shaky hands with disgust but that didn't stop the rattling sound. How long she sat there staring first at the tea, then her hands, then the tea, she couldn't be sure, but when she raised the cup to take her first tremulous sip, it was iced tea that greeted her tongue. She poured the cool brew down the sink and went to lie down still clutching the poor crushed pillow.
She fell into a fitful sleep that was disturbed a short time later by knocking on her front door. Sapphira curled tighter into her warm ball and ignored the knocking. She could tell by the increasing aggressiveness of the knocks who was on the other side of the door. She closed her eyes and wished him away, and at some point he must have gone because when she awoke next it was predawn and silent.
She rolled out of bed wishing she could hold back the day. A rueful smile curve her lips as she compared how she had felt the previous morning with her current state. The thought brought all her misery crashing down upon her once again.
Sapphira dragged herself in to work vowing to be productive, and above else strong in the face of overwhelming odds. She rescheduled her lunch date with Kya for later that afternoon and got to work. She hadn't managed to achieve all that much when the phone beside her desk rang out. She knew who it was by the hairs standing to attention on the back of her neck. Be strong she silently encouraged herself before reaching for the phone.
"Hello," she said in her coolest professional voice.