Employee of the Month

Carter

Once again, I continued to surprise myself. Not only had I gone out of my way to get Lana back, but I also went ahead and kissed her while I was at it. I could deny my feelings as much as I wanted to, but that kiss confirmed it. I wanted the younger woman.

Now she sat in my courtyard painting whatever she pleased. I had to fight myself to not go and check on her at every possible minute.

Normally, I kept myself away tucked inside my office at every chance I could get. That way, I could make sure I worked proficiently. Now, I think I was starting to get a tan from checking on her so often. Sometimes, I’d stand there and watch her paint. Half of the time, I wasn’t even looking at the painting. She easily captured my gaze.

Today, it was raining. So she sat inside the foyer, listening to some soft music coming from her phone as she painted.

I noticed her more recent paintings had become brighter. The first one I’d ever laid my eyes on looked rather sad. Hoping I wouldn’t see such dark pieces again, I felt relieved to see the colors on the canvas.

The moment she finished a piece of art, I would find an area throughout my home to hang it. I didn’t care if only her work covered my walls before the end of her stay.

A part of me considered sticking them in my art room for only me to see. Even the greedy part of me knew I wouldn’t be able to keep such talent all to myself. Lana would be discovered by others the moment she began to display her work.

I decided to be a stepping stone. I’d allow others to see what her hands created whenever they stopped by my home. If it meant she would smile after, I’d do anything for her.

After slipping up and yelling at her, I decided I’d never raise my voice again. I wouldn’t make her cry or feel any need to run away. So caught up in my feelings for her, I knew I’d do anything to avoid allowing her to slip through my fingers once more.

We were on the clock, and as time continued to tick by, I knew I needed to make the most out of it.

Approaching the foyer for what felt like the fourth time, I caught a glimpse of her painting. Without making a sound, I watched her work. The moment I drew her attention away from the canvas, her spell would be broken.

The longer I watched in silence, the quicker my thoughts turned against me.

Even though I knew I shouldn’t try anything with the younger woman, that wasn’t enough to stop me from wanting her more and more each day.

I’d already forgotten how she tasted. I craved to feel every curve of her body against mine.

Normally, I was a strong-willed man. I didn’t know if I could say the same when it came to my feelings for Lana. Those were growing too quickly.

I needed to stop wanting her. She didn’t deserve the confusion. From what I could tell, she didn’t even feel the same. Why would she?

After our kiss, not one time had it been brought back up. From what I could tell, she acted like it never even happened in the first place.

That should’ve been enough to kill my feelings right away.

I was no better. I didn’t try to push for more either. So frustrating on both parts.

Hearing a sigh, my thoughts paused and I realized Lana wasn’t smiling like normal. Without thinking, I stepped out of my hiding place and approached her.

“What’s wrong?”

She looked at me, jumping in the process. Hand going to her chest, she blew out a sigh as she shot up from the bench she was resting on.

“You can’t do that, Mr. Pratt. You’ve gotta give me a warning.” Her cheeks were stained pink and once more, I couldn’t look away from her if I tried.

“Carter,” I corrected. I’d grown tired of hearing her call me by my last name. I’d much rather hear her call me something more personal. Clearly, I was crossing a line. I couldn’t help myself.

“Carter,” she repeated with a small smile.

Maybe I could cross a few more if it meant her smile would be meant for me.

Her shoulders then slumped after she looked back at her panting. Grabbing her phone, she showed me a photo.

“I was trying to go for something like this, but mine doesn’t look very good.”

Looking at the canvas, I tried to see what she did. Honestly, I was blinded by my feelings so I saw nothing wrong.

“It looks perfect.”

Her hand brushed my arm and it felt like a shock. “You always say that.”

“I always mean it, Lana.” My voice softened and she looked at me surprised. She acted like she hardly ever received compliments.

Her chin lowered and her eyes hit the ground bashfully. Even her cheeks grew darker in color.

Normally, I was able to keep myself in check. As of lately, I hardly held the strength to hold back. When I stepped toward her, my mind couldn’t catch up with my actions. The next thing I knew, I was pulling her toward me and crushing her body against mine.