Completely in Her Grasp

Cayden returned to the café, his energy seemingly restored after his bout of illness. Jack and Rose too, couldn't help but notice the fresh and new spirit in their boss. 

"Boss, do we have some good news?" Jack inquired, his curiosity piqued by Cayden's demeanor. Rose, equally intrigued, joined in paying attention to Cayden's response. 

With a mischievous grin, Cayden replied, "It's a secret," as he busied himself arranging pastries in the display. 

Rose couldn't resist teasing, "Is it about Ms. Raven from the other day? Is there something going on between you two? She paid a visit a few days ago, looking for you." Her playful expression added to Cayden's despair. 

Cayden cleared his throat, attempting to evade Rose's prying gaze. "Oh, come on now," he chuckled nervously, "You're reading too much into it." 

But Rose persisted, her eyebrows wiggling suggestively. "I must be right, there's definitely something cooking between you two," she remarked with a naughty smile, causing Cayden to blush like a ripe cherry tomato. 

Before Cayden could respond, Jack interjected, his tone serious. "But seriously, Boss, why her? She's a disaster! Did you forget how intimidating she was that day? Women like her are nothing but trouble." 

He certainly was genuinely concerned for Cayden but the latter did not appreciate it one bit, his expressions going sour made it evident. 

"Huh, don't be ridiculous." Rose mocked Jack and turned to Cayden. "Boss, why are you keeping him in here? He is always going on with his misogynistic nonsense," she complained, glaring at Jack, who sighed, shaking his head as he thought that he was just stating the facts. 

"I'll just let Darcy know about your opinion; I'm sure she would like to have a proper conversation with you," Cayden said with a sarcastic smile to Jack, who looked at his boss with worried, scared eyes. He appeared as though he had been suddenly burdened by a mountain. 

Meanwhile, Rose enjoyed the way his face contorted in fear. "B-boss, why would you say that?" Jack whined, clutching Cayden's sleeve and tugging at it. 

"You're just joking, right? You won't say anything about this, right?" he pleaded with imploring eyes, almost begging. Cayden chuckled, shaking his head, while Rose scoffed at his pathetic state, scrunching her nose and glaring at him. 

"I won't, so leave my sleeve and don't speak gibberish like that ever again," Cayden said, giving him a warning look. 

Jack almost bowed ninety degrees in respect and hurriedly went on to do his work, as did Rose, sighing in exasperation at the existence of Jack alone. 

The bell rang, and Cayden, being closest to the door, prepared to greet the customer in the most professional manner. However, his professional smile widened as he saw it was Darcy, and he almost jumped towards the door, getting into her personal space with excitement. 

Darcy chuckled gracefully at his golden retriever energy and held his hand, guiding them both behind the counter and into the pantry and kitchen area. 

"O-M-G, is it what I think it is? Are they going to—" Rose began, looking at the pantry door with suggestive suspicion, but before she could finish her sentence, Jack knocked on her skull with his fingers, a bit harshly, silencing her. 

Rose glared at him as she groaned in pain, clutching her head where it was throbbing. 

"Go back to your work and keep your filthy mind to yourself," Jack teased her, wearing a smug smile. 

"What the fuck! What the fuck is wrong with you, you prick?" Rose wanted to utter more obscene words, but with a good number of customers around, she restrained herself and spoke through her gritted teeth. 

"Tsk, weren't you taught to respect your elders, huh?" Jack playfully glared at Rose, referring to her as a child once again, which only fueled the temperature in Rose's head even more as she wailed with frustration. 

"We are only a year apart. You just wait, I will make sure you get fired," Rose glared at him one last time before returning to her job. Meanwhile, Jack simply chuckled at her cute yet biting reactions, finding them amusing. 

... 

Darcy settled easily on the kitchen counter while Cayden fidgeted around, his face turning progressively redder with each passing second, a fact not lost on Darcy's sharp eyes. 

She squinted at him slightly, and with a lopsided smile, she asked with extreme casualness in her tone, "What are you so nervous about?" 

Cayden flinched at her tone, his eyes darting around as he shook his head vigilantly, as if his life depended on it. "No—nothing," he cursed himself for stuttering and being so obvious. 

"Wait, don't tell me, you're thinking about something dirty right now? You think I brought you here to get some privacy we could enjoy?" Darcy asked with wide eyes staring at Cayden, her left eyebrow raised, making him the darkest shade of red. 

"I—wasn't," Cayden could barely mumble, and Darcy couldn't help but relish the moment. Even if her face didn't show it, she felt pure joy in teasing him, so she took it a step further. 

She got off the counter, her long legs landing smoothly on the marble floor as she walked near Cayden, speaking, "Baby boy, you definitely were thinking about something that is exciting you; your whole face is red like a tomato." Darcy held a straight face, adding to poor Cayden's embarrassment. 

That nickname she gave him was definitely going to be the death of him. 

"I really wasn't," Cayden said a bit more firmly this time, pretending not to be affected by her intimidating gaze, but his breath hitched in his throat now that Darcy was standing just an inch away. 

He could feel her breath on his lips, and his eyes were fixed on her red, full cherry lips as if they were the most fascinating thing he had ever witnessed in his life. 

Darcy smirked, savoring the fact of the effect she had on Cayden. It felt like an achievement to have such leverage and pull over someone like him. 

With both of her hands resting against the wall, she effectively trapped Cayden between herself and the sturdy surface, leaving him a blushing mess. 

He found himself utterly captivated by Darcy, his heart racing in a way he'd never experienced before. The proximity between them sent a flurry of sensations swirling in his stomach, leaving him dizzy with anticipation. 

Their lips hovered tantalizingly close, the tension palpable as they could almost taste each other's breath and hear the rhythm of their hearts syncing in harmony. 

Cayden's pulse skyrocketed, his excitement reaching unprecedented levels. But just as they were on the brink of a kiss, Darcy spun around abruptly, leaving Cayden hanging in a state of expectation. 

Amused by his flustered expression, Darcy couldn't help but chuckle, she could not help herself as she found Cayden's flustered face truly adorable. 

Taking a seat once again on the kitchen counter, she watched Cayden's pout with delight, though his disappointment was evident. 

As Cayden's smile slowly returned, he joined Darcy on the counter, and she wasted no time in explaining herself. "I brought you here because the cafe is open to many people and you never know where would one of those bastard's spies be sitting there. I can't put you in danger every time we meet." 

Her tone was serious, her gaze determined. Cayden nodded in understanding, appreciating Darcy's concern for his safety. Although he was not complaining, there was this subconscious wish to go public with their relationship but as he promised Darcy, he was ready to wait. 

"You look a bit disappointed, hmm?" Darcy couldn't resist teasing him once more, noting his lingering disappointment with a playful glint in her eyes. She just couldn't get enough of that reaction he gave every single time. And this time too, his reaction was there, although milder than before, but still present. 

"Come on, drop it please," he pouted, looking at Darcy with puppy eyes, once again shaking her defenses. 

How could Darcy refuse him when he spoke so softly and asked so innocently? 

"Okay, I won't do it. It's just you are too cute. I couldn't help but enjoy how red your face got every single time," Darcy chuckled, this time widely, unable to mask her expression of joy. 

Cayden went silent for a few seconds, stunned. "You're cute too," he mumbled, but it was loud enough for Darcy to hear as she looked at him in confusion. 

"You're the first one to say that," Darcy said, and this time it was Cayden's turn to be confused. 

"Why? You're really cute. Especially when you smile like that. It's like you've forgotten about your image and learned to loosen up," Cayden said, holding Darcy's left hand and caressing it with his thumb, feeling victorious even for holding her hand. 

"But others always say I look creepy when I smile," Darcy awkwardly chuckled, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden, wondering if Cayden was just trying to make her happy by saying stuff. 

"No, not at all. You look very pretty when you smile," he said firmly, his words carrying genuine sincerity. Darcy got an idea in her head as she smiled widely, showing all her teeth to Cayden, her eyes wide like a psychopath. 

"Like this?" she asked through that exaggerated smile, and Cayden paused for a moment. He was definitely not going to say anything about how fake and creepy that smile was, as if she had an intent to harm someone, but he couldn't bring himself to say that the smile was happy. 

"See, it's indeed creepy," Darcy chuckled again, and Cayden understood that Darcy only smiled or laughed like that with him subconsciously. 

"See, that genuine smile just now. It was very cute and pretty," Cayden said, feeling more confident in his statement. 

Darcy, amused by his fascinating perception of her smile, nodded her head, still smiling at the guy. "Okay, baby boy. Whatever you say," she winked at him, and Cayden could swear that he was completely in her grasp.