Date The CEO.com

Chapter 239: (Sel)Fish for Lunch Please

Ambryan paused for a second.

Standing before himin a long-sleeved black sweater and a pair of white mini shortswas his missing secretary. She wore zero makeup along with her hazel contact lens. Her crimson hair had been pulled back into a messy bun. 

Her thin lips parted open at the sight of him. 

He locked his jaw just to stop himself from touching them.

"Uh," Eve breathed out. She took a step back inside and peeked at the wall clock. "Is it lunch time already? I'm sorry that I'm not ready yet. I should have kept a better track of the time"

"Eating inside is fine by me," Ambryan interrupted. He let himself in and shrugged off his suit jacket, hanging it up on the coat rack. Then, he unhooked his cufflinks and loosened his neck tie. "Are you making pasta? Does it have tomatoes?"

Eve blinked at the empty hallway.

Remembering herself, she shut the door and turned around. Her arms crossed over her chest. "Cherry tomatoes. Last time I checked, you're not allergic but don't worry. I'll only add them on my share of the chicken pasta salad."

"Hm."

Ambryan scanned the kitchen counter. Almost every free space had been used up for bowls, ingredients and the cutting board. The bowl for the cherry tomatoes was small. His eyes gradually squinted as he stared at them.

Eve tilted her head to the side. "Are you changing your mind about tomatoes?"

"Not in the slightest."

He spun on his heel and made his way towards the living room. Nothing much had changed since he last saw it. A few memories surfaced in his mind when he spotted the couch. The sound of a knife hitting a wooden board reached his ears. 

"How's your day going?" He asked, checking the reading materials stored inside the TV stand.

"Good, good." Eve nodded. Now that she was alone in the kitchen, she was able to think better. Ambryan didn't seem too busy at the moment. It was the perfect time for him to contact Eve about the resignation letter. Did he not care at all? 

She sighed, pushing the cucumber slices off the cutting board and into the container of vegetable strips. "Cale told me to relax for the rest of the day and I was thinking if I should check Netflicks for new films. How about yours? Anything new at work?"

'Ha!' Eve cheered to herself. That should get her some news. Riffle had said that Ambryan looked into the fake letters. This was the chance to know if they worked or notand maybe find out why he hadn't contacted Eve yet.

"I had" Ambryan began to say. He picked out a home and leisure magazine. His legs straightened as he flipped through the pages. "A peculiar morning."

"Really?" Eve perked up, trying not to seem too eager. She busied herself with washing the chopping board. There wasn't anything else to slice and it took up space on the counter.

Ambryan spared her a glance. Small hair strands at the base of her head brushed against her slender neck. He closed the magazine. "Yes, not only did my secretary resign but she also left a confession letter about her affection for me."

"She did?" Eve pretended to be surprised. She placed the wooden board on the drying rack, then dried her hands with a paper towel. "Wow. You really are popular. Have you considered going into show business?"

"Hm." 

The apartment became quiet for a while. Eve hardly noticed because of the food. She checked the status of each dish and assessed which ones to prioritized. The fruit plate was inside the fridge. The vegetable fingerlings were also done. The pasta was almost cooked. The chicken had been shredded. 

Only the ham and cheese sandwiches were left to make. Eve second-guessed the idea on the count that they were eating in the apartment instead. It might be too much. Maybe she could pack it for Ambryan to have later in the office?

A puff of breath tickled the back of her neck. 

"GAH!" She jumped and snapped her head over her shoulder. Ambryan met her gaze with an amused smile. "Don't sneak up on me like that! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

His hands nabbing her waist, his expression neither looked apologetic nor guilty. "Is that all you have to say?"

Eve scrunched her eyebrows. "Say about what?"

"About my secretary's feelings for me."

At the mention of that, Eve faced forward and froze for a split second. It was a quick time lapse but with their proximity, it couldn't have gone unnoticed. She racked her brain for what to sayfully aware of the ticking clock. 

"IUh. IWell, is it unusual for her to have them?" She tried to laugh off. But it came out too breathy. "I've heard about your previous dating life. I have also experienced being targeted by one of your exes. It's within my knowledge that women could be really smitten about you. So this isn't surprising at all?"

The conclusion came out a little sloppy. Eve silently scolded herself over it. It was either that or she'd blab until she ended up saying too much. She merely picked the safer option.

Ambryan took a deep breath. She felt his chin dig onto her shoulder. "Are you not jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous?" 

The oblivious tone in her question caused him to grip her waist tighter. "I'm not an expert but Eve and I spend weekdays together. It's usually just the two of us on the top floor of the building. There were plenty of chances to be intimate."

What did he expect exactly? That she'd fake being jealous of her other self? It sounded absurd but it would have been interesting to see her squirm. The lack of an entertaining response prompted him to tease her. 

The next thing Ambryan knew, he left a trail of kisses from the back of her ear and down to the side of her neck. Her head leaned towards the other side, giving him better access. 

The movement came naturally to Eve like her body already knew what to do. A soft whimper resonated from her throat. "Ambee, I'm cooking."

Ambryan flipped off the switches on the stove and spun Eve around. Before she could protest, he hoisted her up on top of the counter. His lips seized hers. Eve felt the back of her head hit the cupboard. She barely had time to breathe when Ambryan leaned in for a passionate kiss. 

Her hands moved on their own accord. They held his face by the cheeks and trapped him in place. She had never been more selfish. The kiss deepened as she hungered for more. Her arms eventually circled around his neck and locked in place.

Ambryan groaned at her actions. He parted her legs open and pulled her waist closer. Everything poured out into the kiss. How scared he was that she was gone when the resignation letter came, the relief that washed over him when she answered the call, the somersault in his chest when he read the letters in the wastebasket and, most importantly,

The fire burning inside of him because she was in his arms.

He had been holding back the entire week. 

"Ambee," Eve gasped when she broke away for air. Her chest visibly rose and fell from rapid breathing. She literally experienced drowning without being underwater. "If we don't stop, the pasta will get soggy and lunch will be ruined. We'll starve."

Ambryan ignored her pleas and bit her earlobe. "Aren't you edible?"

"That's cannibalism."

His face buried itself in the crook of her neck. Tremors crawled up to his shoulders. She couldn't see it but a wide grin spread across his face. Silent laughter shook his upper body. 

He couldn't help himself. 

She was simply too cute.

"What?" Eve demanded with a pout.

"Nothing." Ambryan chuckled and kissed her temple. "I'll be in the living room."

Eve stayed on the counter for a moment, watching him leave to use the bathroom first. Her fingers touched her lips. It happened all too fast that she hadn't processed what happened yet. She couldn't understand where the raw desire for possessive came from. It had flared the moment he kissed her on the lips.

Was it because of Jane? And how she believed that she could take Ambryan away?

She flickered her gaze towards his suit jacket. The current situation slowly sank in. Ambryan was here. In her apartment. Where they'd have lunch together. He lifted her up on the counter and kissed her passionately. Then, he went to the bathroom.

Her other hand balled into fist.

She didn't want to lose any of it. 

Maybe Jane also felt the same but Eve refused to believe that they were on the same level. Ambryan was free to choose whoever he wanted. And right now, he chose Eve. Her heart soared at that fact. 

She'd do whatever it took to protect it while she still had it. 

Hopping off the counter, Eve resumed cooking. 

Ambryan stepped out of the bathroom. He leaned his shoulder against the wall and watched his girlfriend in secret. A soft hum came from her direction. It was a melody he easily recognized. 

.

```

Tip toe, there she glides,

As the hope in her heart slowly dies,

Tip toe, she spread her arms and bend,

Like the promises made that will come to an end.

```

.

The song had a tragic ending if he remembered right.