The Rooftop

Ye An's name meant 'Darkness'. Apart from being Cree's right-hand man and personal assistant cum secretary, he had another identity: proprietor of a homestyle cafe and owner of a small private detective business. While Cree outshone Ye An, Ye An's dark and distinguished looks made him desirable by women.

To cover up for the secret one-night stand between Cree and his Xiaoruo, he had been entrusted to find her and return her the wallet. In the end, he had found her at the onset of being attacked by some unknown men. He had saved her and sent her to the hospital.

Cree had also asked him to investigate her background, of which he performed diligently. The results rocked him, and he knew Cree would not be happy about finding out the results. Nevertheless, it had been months and Cree had not chased him for an update on the investigation results, which could be a good thing.

Today, he received a new task, which was to pick up Qiao Ruo and send her to and fro work.

She was quiet in the car, and not a word transpired between them, which made him consider how Cree had described her as inquisitive, playful and unafraid to voice her opinion. He had also called her the type who would often jump to conclusions, but one of her strong points was how she would not take instructions from anyone. She was a person of her own opinion and she hated people telling her what to do. He guessed correctly that this was the exact reason Cree had made her his girlfriend during their second meeting: to resist his overcontrolling mother.

Li Yao was a tough opponent, and the fact she had lost her son at a very young age had wrecked her and made her a very sensitive woman. She was determined to source a perfect wife for Cree, which in her mind was the best daughter-in-law. However, she had failed to realize that this was the twenty-first century, and Cree was no longer the wild teenager she had adopted then. It was impossible to continue controlling him.

Ye An halted at the parking lot of the building, and before he could assist Qiao Ruo with the door, she had already opened the door of the vehicle by herself and left. He realized how independent he was, and shook his head in pleasure. Madam Li would have a worthy challengor.

Qiao Ruo was helping herself to a cup of latte when Cree walked in, devoid his disguise. She admired how decent he appeared to be in just a simple white shirt and grey work pants. His hair was neatly combed and waxed, and he was wearing his Ye Qi-glasses. As there were people surrounding them, they put up an act and introduced each other.

"I'm Qiao Ruo, reporter for the gossip column. You can call me Ruo Lan or RL," she offered him her outstretched hand warmly. He introduced himself in response to her, taking her arm briefly.

"I apologize that I wasn't feeling well yesterday. Have you had a proper tour of the premises?"

'Ye Qi' stared at her as if she was a stranger. She was used to his pretensive icy demeanour as Cree in the past, and acting as if she was a stranger today was no difference. Patiently she awaited his reply. He smiled without the least of an expression on his face, and said, "Well, they have, but it won't hurt for you to do it again. Perhaps there are some secret corners or hidden areas the others missed out. Anyway, you won't be remaining here long, will you? So, it's best that you personally give me a tour." Despite not being Cree, Ye Qi was the strict and firm, serious Head of Design, a white-collared employee who had successfully climbed the career ladder to become who he was now. What he demanded was what he received; when he said 'one' it meant one, there was no argument from any other party that it would be 'two'.

"Yes, this week is my last," she said. "When do you want to do the tour, then?"

"Now," he said, and she just smiled, finishing what remained of her coffee.

"Are you not busy, Mr Ye?"

"I don't see that you are busy if you have the time to drink a coffee here."

She remembered that he had ridiculed her for overindulging on coffee in the past. She quickly agreed to take his mind off things, lest he brought up the fact that having too much coffee was damaging to the body and would affect her work performance.

They had just entered the elevator when he increased their proximity.

"Mr Ye, CCTVs are over our heads," she stated defensively.

"Xiaoruo, I'll handle it later." He leaned over and kissed her on the lips, then retreated as the doors of the elevators opened. They headed out of the elevator and he swiftly sent a text message to Ye An.

"I guess you have not been to the rooftop bar. The other rooms in the office, you have been to as Cree."

The 'rooftop' had an empty room, and it was only opened to accommodate events. Occasionally, the groups would hold bonding events, but she often opted out of such events. She nervously opened the door to allow Cree to follow her into the room, but he took one look at the ceiling and commented, "No CCTVs?"

She shook her head. "Since it's one of our private social event rooms, they didn't bother having a budget for it."

"Very nice." He closed the door and locked it, startling Qiao Ruo. "So... there will be only two of us in here? Is that the only key?"

She nodded. "Cree, I still have handover work to do."

"I'm the boss here," he whispered sensually, and pulled her close to him. He had just began tasting her lips slowly, when she suddenly said, "Won't people come looking for us here when we've gone missing?"

"I've already got Ye An to handle it, Xiaoruo. But now I am the boss, and you have to listen to my orders." He let out a sinister laugh, and Qiao Ruo was flabbergasted. Then he added, "Do you remember what I told you before, and what you shouldn't wear to work?"

She fidgeted with her hair nervously. "I haven't washed my clothes..."

He teased, "I'm just going to have to punish you."

She gasped. "Cree, but we're in office quarters."

He repeated that he was the boss, and his tongue penetrated her mouth slowly, allowing her to realize how desirous he was. She relented, and he shoved her playfully against a makeshift brick wall. His touches were arousing, and it instantaneously slipped her mind that they were at work. With one hand supporting her waist, he ran his free hand down the outside of her blouse, before coming to rest on her exposed thigh. Her already short skirt was already hiking itself up her thighs due to the tightness of the skirt which apparently did not fit her.

She stifled a moan, and he tormented her a bit longer with his fervid kisses. Her body was yearning for more, but he just chuckled and released her. He knew he had triggered her need, but not giving her what she desired was a hefty punishment for her.

"Oops," he feigned ignorance. "I have just forgotten the time. I now have a few meetings to get back to."

She smacked him on his bottom, and he retaliated with a few playful smacks on hers.

"Hey, that was not fair!" she protested.

"You started it first," he said, and secured her arms above her head with one hand, pinning her against the wall. His wild kisses were setting her on fire, and she underwent an utmost adversity in restraining herself.

"Cree, I admit defeat!" she moaned. "I'll make sure to wash all my clothes, okay?"

She panted as he let go of her hands, and she found herself free again.

"It's for your own good, Xiaoruo. I don't want you turning others on. What if you went to the new office, and you wore this short skirt?"

"I'm sorry, Cree." She hung her head.

"You are always running into unnecessary trouble," he told her. "You know that I can be called elsewhere for work sometimes. What if I wasn't around, and something happened to you? Xiaoruo, you know I'm concerned about you. Now that I'm your boyfriend, how can I ever let anything happen to you?"

She apologized, but he cut her off firmly. "No apology needed. I just needed you to learn. Xiaoruo, I can't let you out of my sight if you continue to risk yourself."

Her eyes looked somewhat teary as she threw her arms around Cree and hugged him emotionally. "Cree, thank you."

She was lucky to have him, she thought. In a way, he was a bit controlling, but he truly cared about her. He then said, "Come for lunch with me. There's a difficult client that I need your help with."

It had to be the Old Woman Venus, as the office nicknamed her. This client, Venus Chiang, was a manager of a beverage production company that advertised their products through their magazine issues. She had been known to cause a lot of hardships to her co-workers, and everyone feared her like the plague. Was Cree incapable of handling her, that he required her to accompany him to lunch with the client?

"You look highly upon me, Cree," she commented. "I have heard Madam Venus is a very difficult client. I hope I can be of help."

"Don't worry," he said, and patted her hands. "I'll be with you. Just leave it up to me. And, I have another question, dear."

Her eyes widened. "What is it?"

"Please extend your stay here for a week or two more, if you can. I need your help to understand this company more."

"I'll try," she said. Though his request could be easily arranged, what was concerning to her was how he would be maintaining the office with her absence, and her insecurity of him working with other women, whether they were clients, partners, or even her co-workers, after she had left.

Cree planted a 'thank you' kiss on her head, and then took her hand as they exited the room, releasing it as they headed outside.