[This chapter is dedicated to Tiffany_Desselles_5370. Your support for our book is greatly appreciated. Thank you!]
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"Why do you ask if I heard about office sex, Mr. Tiefenbacher?" she asked, smirking at the look of lechery in Noah's eyes.
Noah nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders, took his coat from her hands, and turned around to hang his coat on the back of one of the armchairs. He then walked to his office desk, carried the pile of folders that Antonio put on his desk even before he arrived back at the receiving area where Jess was.
"It would be more comfortable for you to watch me work here, right?" He put down the pile of folders on the coffee table, rolled his sleeve to his elbow, and sat down.
Jess, annoyed that Noah didn't answer her question, curled her lips inward and nodded. She can also play the game Noah was playing. She groped some scrunchie inside her purse that she put down on the coffee table next to her cup of coffee, straightened her back, and pulled her hair up for a messy bun on top of her head.
Tresses of hair fell on the side of her face when she bent down to pick up her cup of coffee. She watched Noah from her peripheral who has an open folder sitting on his crossed knees, watching her every movement.
She grinned inwardly.
"Would you like something to eat?" Antonio barged in with a cup of black coffee for Noah. His presence in the room stopped the staredown between him and Noah.
"Do we still have those pineapple tarts?" Noah was asking Antonio but his eyes were glued to Jess's face.
His minx decided to play his game and he's certainly losing. He wanted to swipe all the folders of documents off the coffee table and pushed Jess on it when he watched the tendrils of her hair escape her messy bun.
He wanted to mess her up!
"Yes, I'll bring some." Antonio replied to Noah but his eyes were on Jess, "Would you like to eat something else? I can ask Miss Garcia to get anything."
"Antonio…"
"Yes, sir?" he reluctantly shifted his gaze to Noah.
"Get out!"
Antonio nodded and turned around.
Jess followed Antonio with her gaze until he stepped out, and the sliding door to Noah's inner office closed behind his back before she turned around to Noah and asked, "Is he still worried about his mishap of ordering a breakup present for me?"
"Hmm," Noah mumbled and returned his eyes to the folder he was holding.
"And, you are too."
"It was one of the only mistakes Antonio has ever made since I hired him as my personal secretary. He took it personally and I did too," he lifted his gaze to meet her eyes, "I would always feel sorry about it."
"I've chosen one of — no two," she corrected herself. "Luke loves his diamond engagement ring so much, he would brag about it to anyone who was willing to listen," she chuckled. "There is no reason for you to feel bad about it."
"I hated the idea of you getting a couple diamond rings with Luke." When he saw her raise her eyebrow, he quickly added, "What I don't like was that you two got engagement rings, I mean — if it was any kind of ring, it's fine but an engagement ring? I wanted to get you an engagement ring, Jess," he said with a painful expression.
"But you did!" she scoffed.
"Not that way," he clicked his tongue.
"What's done is done," she crossed her legs as she picked up her coffee.
She could see Noah getting frustrated with the topic they have. She couldn't blame him for feeling bad. But then, it was his and Antonio's mistake and she has no plan to return the engagement rings, she and Luke shared that Noah paid millions!
Noah didn't say anything more and just focused his attention on his work. He was surprised to find out that he was able to do them while Jess was sitting next to him. He was planning to tease and play with her and forgo the work that was waiting for him, but that didn't happen.
He found the situation relaxing. Jess closed to him, scrolling her phone, eating pineapple tart that she loves so much. He already told Antonio to order those pineapple tarts in bulk with how much Jess loves them.
He didn't tell Jess but he has those pineapple tarts in his car. He threw away his rule of not having food inside his sports car. He put them there after the weekend Jess spent at his apartment and she consumed almost a bag of those mini pineapple tarts.
It wasn't long before Antonio found himself back in his inner office, asking him where the two of them should have lunch. Noah glanced at his watch and was surprised to find that the time was already five minutes past twelve.
"Baby, where do you want to eat lunch?" He put down the folder he was reading.
Jess followed the movement of his hands and saw that there were still a lot of folders left on the table. "Can we have some Chinese food delivered?"
"We can go out if you want." It didn't escape Noah's that Jess checked the documents he has in front of him. He cocked his head to Antonio, gesturing to him to remove the files. "I know a restaurant that you would love."
"I would love to but I have an orientation at two o'clock."
"We still have enough time," he insisted, thinking that it would take weeks before he could sit down and share a meal with Jess.
"Chinese is fine, really. The orientation is at two but I wanted to go to the lab a bit earlier."
"Chinese food it is," he reached his hand to Jess and when she accepted his hand, he pulled her to his arms. "I'm going to miss you so badly," he murmured as he buried his face in her hair.
She leaned her back against Noah's chest. She always finds it amazing how she fits snuggly in Noah's chest. "I'm going to miss you too," she stroked his arms that were circled around her.
"Baby, I know that you don't like sending those messages, but when you are over there, can you please, send more than one message a day?"
Jess's heart melted with Noah's request. She craned her neck to look at his face, "I promise," she smiled and kissed his cheek. "Twelve hours and thirty minutes' time difference won't be a problem. You wake up early. I want you to call me so that you would be the last person I hear before I go to bed."
"And your face would be the first one I see when I wake up," he murmured against her lips before he took her mouth into a kiss full of longing. He kissed her with the thought of missing her in the next weeks and how it's going to be so difficult for him that they are going to be so far from each other.
Jess twisted her body inside Noah's arms, pushed him to lean back to the backrest of the sofa as she changed position. She wanted to kiss him properly. She may be not as vocal as Noah, but she would miss him badly too.
The thought of not being able to sniff his scent, hug him, kiss him and touch him was already making her sad more than what she would like to admit. But it's something that they can't control or maybe can.
Noah can fly to India. He can make it happen but she doesn't want that. She doesn't want to repeat what happened while she was still in uni. When her classmates spread a rumor that she got the internship because of her nonexistent relationship with Noah.
Now that she's truly in a relationship with Noah, the more that she worried about people making up stupid stories of her getting special favor. She doesn't want that and she doesn't want Noah to be dragged around nasty rumors because people tend to hate her guts.
Before, she didn't care because none of it was true. Now, even if it isn't true but due to her relationship with Noah, it would be difficult to deny those malicious stories — if they happened again.
She was panting and gasping for air when she asked Noah, "Do you think I should tell Dr. Sison about...us?" She stopped herself before she said 'relationship'. It sounded heavy in her ears.
"Don't feel pressured to tell anyone at work if you aren't feeling comfortable. The company has no rules against dating coworkers or your boss."
"I was thinking — are you okay with it?" She murmured her question because she wasn't sure how to phrase her question to Noah.
"Baby, when I told you I'm willing to wait, I meant it. You don't have to declare your love for me just because I do — besides," he gave her one of his sexy smirks that he knew can turn her into jelly. "I know that you do."