No, no, no! What are you doing? Ashley thought to herself. She quickly pulled away from Tanaga, her heart pounding loudly. Bump, bump, bump...she felt as though she might have a heart attack.
I need to calm down. She thought to herself, internally willing her heart to slow down. It was an accident. Don’t make this into something that it wasn’t. Ashley was berating herself, reminding herself that he was her boss, and on a different level than she was. She pressed her palm to her chest again.
Tanaga stood there motionless, completely caught off guard by his own reaction to his lips barely brushing hers. It felt as though he had been given a small taste of something delicious and immediately craving more. It left him with an appetite that wouldn’t be satisfied without devouring that delicious something completely.
The sweet taste in his mouth quickly disappeared, and his face went sour as if he’d tasted vinegar the moment Ashley pulled away from him.
He was baffled by Ashley’s reaction to him. Whenever he got near her, she acted like he had a contagious disease. She seemed repulsed by him. She appeared as eager to get away from him as she would be from some slimy creature, like an eel.
I’m handsome, young, rich... Famous actresses have thrown themselves at me. But with her, it’s the complete opposite. Instead, I’m the one throwing myself at her. What’s wrong with me? He contemplated the frustrating situation in his head. He sighed deeply, stood up, and stared at Ashley, wondering what he could possibly do to make himself more appealing to her.
Tanaga rubbed his forehead in frustration. He was troubled. If she reacted like this to an accidental kiss, how were they ever going to be able to make love?
He was desperately trying to think of a way to improve their relationship and bring them closer together.
"Ashley, can I ask you a question?" He softly asked Ashley, who still was still staring at her feet, unwilling to look at him.
She slowly raised her head. "What is it, Sir?"
He could see that she was about to cry. He couldn’t hold his frustration any longer, and it flared. "What is the problem? You act like I’m a monster or something! What’s wrong with you? This has to stop!"
He was yelling because he desperately wanted to make things better, but his words had given the opposite effect. The poor girl burst into tears.
I give up, he thought to himself. He didn’t know what else to do.
Speaking softly, Tanaga did his best to calm her. "What’s wrong here? We won’t make any progress in this relationship if we continue like this. Come here. Sit down, and I’ll get you a glass of water."
Tanaga headed towards the door, but it opened before he reached it. His eager butler, the resident eavesdropper, stood in the doorway, holding a tray of drinks and snacks. Tanaga looked at him with a raised eyebrow, realizing that he had been listening to the whole time.
He handed the tray to Tanaga and excused himself. He closed the door behind him but stayed within listening distance.