DEREK

"Act cool. Act cool, she will be here any minute," I murmur under my breath as I pace the floor of the office, nearing wearing out the thick wall-to-wall carpet.

I sneak a quick peek at the time on my Franck Muller Aeternitas Mega 4 strapped to my wrist. Almost ten minutes have passed now. Seems like a lifetime.

In my desperation, I almost convince myself that maybe I should just go down to the sales and design department. If I have learned anything about Yankho in the few years that I have known her, is her knack for self-preservation.

She could already be on her way home now. No, I can't let that happen.

I reach for my jacket to head down. As I head to the door, the elevator dings. At this time, my heart is in my mouth.

I anxiously wait for the doors to open. Through the floor-to-ceiling one-sided see-through tinted glass wall, I see her step out of the elevator. She looks at the empty secretary's desk then at my office. I step back and head to my table. I place my jacket over the chair as she knocks. Her taps are soft yet determined.

'Come in,' I answer. She opens the door and walks in, she stands at the door without stepping further in.

'Sir Derek. You called for me?' she asks, her voice is cold and distant, making me frown.

This is going to be more difficult than I imagined.

Stepping around the desk, I smile, hoping that, that will put her at ease.

'Yankho, you came. Come in. Sit.'

'I'm okay here,' she replies, fidgeting with the strap of her bag.

Who can blame her? Running into the whole gang must have upset her equilibrium. And to top it all it wasn't a pleasant run-in. Worse off I did nothing to defend her as the gang carelessly, ran their mouths. Well, it has always been like this, I was always indifferent to what happened to her.

This was different. That was before; when I didn't have any feelings for her.

When my family company Concept Corp first acquired Mukaba furniture, I had no idea that she was an employee here until our first staff meeting. She surprised me when she acted like she didn't know me. At first, I thought it was an act but as the days and weeks went by during the transition stage, I rarely saw her around. It turns out she was determined to put as much distance between us.

To say I was highly impressed would be an understatement. I had thought that just like many of my former classmates, she would want to curry favor with me.

I don't know when, but her determination to ignore my existence piqued my interest. That is how I ended up taking over the CEO position of Mukaba furniture, some unknown company while my mother temporarily took over running Concept Corp.

I must say, the past few months have been interesting.

I know if she had known that the gang was going to be here, she would have probably locked herself up in the closet or something.

'I'm sorry about what happened earlier." Thrusting my hands into my trouser pockets, I apologize. I have no idea what to do with them. But it seems the safest move cause as I keep looking at her fidget with the strap of her bag, I have the urge to go to her and hold them still if only to assure her that all is well.

But I know better than to do that. If I want to win her trust, I have to earn it little by little.

She looks at me like I have lost my marbles. Okay, maybe I have.

'Sorry?' she queries. But before I can reply there is a knock behind her. I look past her as she too turns. A young man in his late teens wearing the uniform from the pizza shop across the building stands there holding a box of pizza and boxed cups of coffee.

'Excuse me, delivery for Derek Mwangala,' he says looking at the order list.

'That's me. Come in. Just place it on the table,' I say. I took a gamble and made an order just before I called her. The young man's face lights up as he looks at her and I am not liking that one bit. 

'Hi Yankho," he greets her.

'Gerald, hi.'

He goes over to the table and places the order down. I watch him look up at her. Checking her out. Is he dumb or trying to act dumb? Can't he read the situation?

Reaching in my pocket, I pull my wallet to pay. Just my luck, I have no loose change. Gerald hands me the card machine. I slot in the card and make the payments plus what I think is the appropriate tip. As he waits for the receipt; I'm already at the door opening it for him. The sooner he is out of here, the better. But no, he is determined to flirt. 

I swear this kid is a step away from losing his teeth.

' What happened, we rarely see you nowadays at the spot,' he says to her,' We miss you," he says.

Really? I think to myself. It's more like you miss her. He has some serious teenage crush on her. I clear my throat before she can answer with a fake smile to the boy.

' I will go ahead. Hope to see you soon,' he tells her and leaves. I gladly close the door behind him and turn to Yankho who has her back to me. 

She is wearing a knee-length blue dress that shapes her curvy body perfectly with a fitting black jacket and a pair of really high heels.  How does she even manage to walk in them? They must be almost seven inches.

Her Afro hair is pulled into a tight bun. I have to force myself from staring at her long and shapely leg. I know her physical attributes all too well. With the time I have spent discreetly stalking her, it was inevitable. 

' I hope you like pizza. It's a vegan mix. But if you would like something else we could always call Gerald back,' I say walking to the table, pulling back the chair, and gesturing for her to take a seat.

She remains glued to her spot. Her eyes fixated on me, with disbelief. Uncertainty clouds her beautiful facial features. 

And what I just said to her, it's all a lie. I didn't like the way the young man was looking at her, I was seconds from breaking his bones. So there is no way I would be calling him back.

' I...I  should go,' she says heading towards the door. With lightning speed, I desperately dash to her side, before she reaches the door. I snake out my arm and snag her wrist, causing her to lose her balance and fall against my chest. Her soft and squishy chest crashed against mine.

She lets out a little yelp.

This I like. I can hear the faint sound of her heartbeat.

Her big brown eyes stare at me unblinking while my eyes are fixated on her pouty lips. As I wonder how soft and inviting they are, I  want to brush my thumbs pad against them. 

But my deepest desire is to taste them. 

We stare at each other for what seems like forever. Her in shock and me, well with not so innocent thoughts. I slowly help her to steady her footing. She instantly takes a step away from me. An immediate sense of loss washes over me.

Not what I want exactly. 'Yankho, I'm not going to bite you.'

She chuckles pulling her jacket closer to her,' Yeah, am sure that is what the wolf said to Red Riding Hood.'

I raise an eyebrow to her, my lips twitching into a smile as she shyly turns her head away. 

' Are you likening me to a wolf?' I ask thrusting my hands into my trouser pockets as I prowl over to her slowly. 

'I didn't say that,' she says quietly stepping back having realized how ambiguous her words sounded.

' I like that. Me wolf, you Red Riding Hood,' I say musing over the idea, my voice dropping to a husky whisper. She has no idea how close to the truth she is with her statement. Unfortunately for her, there is nowhere to go as her back hits against the wall.

She looks up at me with both fear and curiosity as I place one hand on the wall above her head. I am mere inches from her face.

'So,' I begin my voice heavy with desire. I swallow hard,' If you were the famous Red Riding Hood, which bodies part would you reckon I would devour first?' I trace her face with my looks. I can see her chest heave and the fear give away to something I know is a reflection of what's in my eyes as I undress her with my eyes and make sure she knows where exactly my thoughts are going. I watch her moisten her lips and bit the corner of her lips. 

Her eyes looking everywhere but at me.