2 - A Talk

Panther, her cat, curled himself into a ball-like position on her lap later that night as she laid on her bed, watching TV.

Panther was a little over six months old. He was very affectionate and playful. He always brought her much joy and she usually looked forward to coming home to him. He was her little companion.

Hailey smiled at the TV screen. Her favorite childhood cartoon was on - Spongebob. No matter how mature she was, it was a joy to watch this cartoon. Something about the show fascinated her.

Her phone beeped, drawing her attention to the blinking screen of her Samsung Galaxy S9.

Picking it up, she read the message from her friend, Zach:

Zach: Hey, wyd?

Zach Hale was a friend from work whom she'd have lunch with several times. He was a great guy. He was very fun and absolutely caring and she enjoyed hanging out with him. He was a great person to speak to as he was a good listener and he gave sensible advices. He was the type of guy to open doors for women and pull the chair out for them; He was a gentleman.

Hailey: Watching spongebob with Panther. U?

Zach: You're a grown ass woman. Watch grown up movies like Fifty shades of Grey or Trainwreck. It was recently released on Netflix.

She laughed as she read his reply. She loved watching movies too, but whenever she felt peaceful, she'd watch an episode or two of spongebob. Her favorite movie genre was horror. The Chucky series and The Conjuring were her favourite ones.

Hailey: Lol. I'm fine.

Zach: Let's have lunch tomorrow.

Hailey: Of course! I'll make Ravioli.

Zach: Great! If you had a boyfriend, I'm sure he would fall in love with your ravioli. You make the best ones!

Her smile faltered slightly at the message. Yes, she was content being single, but sometimes it could get a little lonely. There were pros and cons to being single.

She was content being single because she could do whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. There was no one to be jealous whenever she spoke to another guy. There was no one to be over-possesive as if she was his property. Being single meant she wouldn't have to worry about the other person - she wouldn't have to be constantly thinking about them or what they're doing. Being single also meant she was free. No feelings, no emotions, no heartbreak. Just free.

To her, the downside of being single was loneliness. She lived alone and many times she felt a sudden need to be cuddled by another or to wake up in the arms of another. It kept her awake some nights. But, then, she'd just masturbate, forget about it and go to sleep.

Hailey: I guess.

Zach: You're an amazing woman, Hailey. Any man would be lucky to have you.

Her heart fluttered at his sweet message as a warm smile etched across her lips.

Hailey: Thanks, Zach. You're amazing too and any woman would be lucky to have you as well.

Zach: Aww, Goodnight.

Hailey: Night.

----

The next day went rather smoothly. There wasn't much to do at work so she spent majority of her time tidying up her office.

When she was done and satisfied with her now cleaner office, she decided to find out if Mr. Snider needed anything or had any work for her.

Quietly knocking her knuckles on the door, she adjusted her soft pink dress.

"Come," His voice boomed from the other side.

As she walked in, the familiar clatter of her high heels awakened his attention to her. His eyes raked over her attire. The front of her hair was tied in a curly ponytail and the back hung loosely behind her back. She wore a simple dress but the cleavage was quite low, exposing a little of her perky breasts. The dress clung to her small curves, making his eyes wander downwards. Her dress was much shorter today, exposing a bit of her thighs.

"Do you need me?" She questioned, intertwining her hands.

"Huh?" He replied in a daze as his eyes stared at her thighs.

"Is there anything you'd like me to do?"

Upon recognizing her words, he snapped out of his daze and shook his head slightly. God, she was gorgeous. He couldn't ignore that.

"Um, not at the moment. Have a seat." He replied, gesturing to the sofa across his desk.

Her heart jumped a little in surprise and nervousness. She wondered if she had done something wrong. The first and last time he had offered her a seat on the sofa was when he interviewed her for the job a month ago.

She sat at the edge of the sofa, unable to relax. Something had to be wrong.

Romeo forced himself to look her in the eye. Her dress had halted up a little, exposing more of her thighs and he was a sucker for that.

"How are you today, Hailey?" He questioned.

She gulped. "I...I'm great. And, you?"

"Likewise. How are you liking your job?"

Another gulp. "Um, it's great. I...I like it."

The stuttering of her words and the erratic heaving of her chest made him realize she was nervous. He smiled gently at her and cooed,

"Relax, Hailey. You're alright. You did nothing wrong."

She laughed nervously and released a breath of relief, leaning back into the comfortable, black sofa.

"Good. There you go. Is the salary enough?"

"Yeah, it's adequate." She responded.

"Good."

"Yeah."

There was an awkward silence for a while. He simply stared at her with a small, creepy smile tugging at his plush lips.

She tapped her hands anxiously on her thighs as she glanced around the large office.

The walls behind her were made of glass and they had a decent view of the busy city below. There were three file cabinets in the corner away from them. Other than that, the room was large and almost empty.

The tapping of her hands drew his attention towards her legs and he gulped.

Bringing his focus back to her blue-gray eyes, he said,

"Tell me a little about yourself."

Her brows furrowed in confusion. What did he want to know about her and why?

"Uh, what would you like to know, sir?"

He shrugged casually, "Tell me anything."

"Um, okay. As you probably know, I'm twenty-one. My birthday is on March eleventh."

His eyes widened in surprise, "Really? My son was born on that day too. He's fourteen."

A wide smile spread across her lips, "Really? Wow. What a coincidence!"

"Right? Anyway, tell me more."

She began to relax a little. Maybe he just wanted a little company. There wasn't much to do anyway.

"Um, I am the youngest of three siblings and my parents are both dead."

His features gradually softened and he stared at her in concern, "What happened?"

"My mom had cancer and my father had a heart attack." She informed him, trying to keep calm and composed.

"Wow, it must be hard to lose your parents whilst you're still young."

"It is, but I'm coping," She answered, forcing a small smile onto her lips.

"Good."

"Thank you for not saying "my condolences" or "sorry for your loss". It really irritates me when people say that because many times they don't mean it." She said, her smile widening in appreciation.

Romeo nodded in agreement, "Yeah, that's true. Some persons believe it's just a phrase to provide comfort but sometimes it can make you feel more depressed than happy."

"Right?" She laughed, agreeing with him.

His smile deepened as he watched her laugh. He was enjoying their little, innocent conversation, but there was suddenly an urge within him to know more about her.

"Have lunch with me."