The CEO Is Obsessed With Me

The silence was deafening. What should I say? How best can I explain the marks on my skin? A few days have passed since the gala, but the marks remained as a testimony of what transpired that fateful night.

My neck was still red from the tightness of the choker, and the CEO’s bite marks lingered around it, trailing down to my shoulders like a spreading rash.

I was grateful for the fact he couldn’t see the marks from the whiplashes that wrapped around my body like stripes in a zebra.

Caspian brows furrowed in deep thought, he looked like he was putting two and two together, I could tell from the way doubt and disbelief clouded his gaze.

I spoke to save him the trouble of thinking further. “I can’t be with you Caspian.” There I said it.

I push back from him, keeping a foot’s distance between us as I shift my gaze to my vintage boots. “My bucket list……you don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

Caspian head hung low, and I heaved out a long sigh. It was good to get that off my chest, but the pang of remorse and guilt still lingered as I raised my gaze to meet his conflicted expression.

“You found someone else?” He asked after a moment, his disbelief evident in his tone. I couldn’t blame him, even though I have yet to come to terms with the situation myself. It happened so fast. It just happened, like I was caught in a storm, a storm that was conjured by a man with heterochromatic eyes and a gaze never ceased to take me by surprise.

Okay, I had gone off track again.

“Who is it?” Caspian’s voice snaps me back to reality, he looked hesitant, almost like he was curious but didn’t want to know at the same time. “If you don’t mind me asking.” He adds in a short breath, and I ponder over his request.

There was no way I could tell him about it. I wasn’t even sure if my relationship- No that sounds too forward- Situationship? Yeah, that’s more like it. I wasn’t sure if my situation with the CEO was meant to remain a secret or not. Another reason was it was just too absurd to reveal, and I didn’t want any weird rumors circulating the office, I had barely gotten out of the whole bucket list scandal, and people would find any excuse to bring me down. I had just gotten an award recognizing my talents, and I’m sure not everyone was happy about it.

I knew Caspian wouldn’t openly discuss the matter with anyone else…maybe Kendall and that man was a blabbermouth. Even the walls have ears, and I couldn’t risk taking that chance.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you who it is.” I finally say. A flash of hurt crosses over Caspian’s features and my guilt claws at my heart a little tighter. I wanted to reach out to him, to reassure him in a way, but my hands lay stiff at my sides, clashing against my will.

Caspian swallows hard as he nods, his hands moving to smooth the non-existent crease on his shirt. He regained his composure, looking off to the side. “I see.”

Silence returned, but the tense atmosphere was replaced with awkwardness. It made my skin crawl. Things had never gotten awkward between us before, even after we kissed. That kiss, I barely remember it. The CEO kissed me right after, settling and making a place in my memory.

“I’m sorry.” I apologized because I didn’t know what else to say. Caspian was a good man, and a great friend, so I didn’t want this setback to affect the friendship we’ve built over the years. But it seemed like that would be me asking for too much, I rejected him after getting his hopes up. Maybe if we couldn’t stay friends we could at least keep a cordial relationship as co-workers.

“We’re still friends Caspian.” And there goes my mouth blurting things out without my brain’s consent. I internally cringed for blurting out something so foolish but it had already been said, might as well go all out. “We can still be friends right?” I went on to ask, and Caspian regarded me in silence.

I shifted uncomfortably under his intense gaze, regretting my choice of words. Should have just kept my mouth shut, nothing good ever comes from it. It was my thoughtless speaking that put me in this mess in the first place. When I first met the CEO I had purposely provoked him, and hell how was I supposed to know he’d shove his shaft in my stupid mouth as a result? Although…I didn’t exactly hate it.

I shook my head, mentally scolding myself for letting my thoughts trail off again.

But it all began with that single moment, and now I was woven into a web of something that was far beyond my comprehension.

“Friends?” Caspian scoffed, and my heart stung. It was fair, I had led him on and rejected him, so it was only fair if he resented me. But Caspian wasn’t like that…. or I hoped it wasn’t. Either way, I braced for it.

“Do you think I’ll give up on you so easily Aurelia?”

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“Huh?” My brows shot to the top of my forehead. That wasn’t what I was expecting, what does he mean by that?

Caspian smiled big, showing off perfect rows of white teeth. He tucked his hands in his pockets, rocking gingerly on his heels as his grin shifted to a devious smirk, his eyes glistening with new light.

“I don’t know who beat me to it, but know this Aurelia Ravenwood,” Caspian takes a step forward, and my breath hitches in my throat as he leans in. I stared into his ocean-blue eyes, unable to move as his face was merely inches away from mine. I thought he was going to press his lips against mine, but instead, he dropped a featherlight kiss on my forehead.

“You won’t get rid of me like that, I will continue to confess to you till you acknowledge my feelings. There are no rules to how many people can complete the list right?”

Caspian’s declaration leaves me utterly speechless. Even as he stepped back and left the room, gracing me with one last glance and a wink before leaving the room. I just stood there, replaying his words in my head as I stared at his retreating back.

He was right. There were no rules in the list, meaning it can also be completed by more than one person. Can that work? Or was it entirely up to me?

****

During lunch break, I stayed in the office to go through the list. What Caspian said left a lasting impression on me, and I couldn’t help but consider his proposition. More than one person huh? It was true that the list didn’t specifically state it had to be completed by only one candidate, maybe that’s why there were options for two more.

The list got me thinking. My life had taken an unexpected turn after receiving it, or was it just a case of pure coincidence? How possible was it that Caspian only confessed his feelings for me after the list was exposed? The CEO, who I added on a whim, suddenly became attracted to me for some reason after he came across the list as well.

Hell the more I thought about it, the more freaky it seemed. I had a crazy thought, a very weird one. What if putting someone’s name on the list makes them want me? It was stupid. This was real life and not a fairytale, and a simple sex bucket list shouldn’t be enough to arouse such.

“I’ve gone crazy.” I slumped against my seat, a sign escaping my lips as I looked up at the ceiling. The list was just a list, something I got from a survey, if not the actor I added as the second candidate would show up on my doorstep right? But he wasn’t even aware of my existence. Yeah, there was nothing special about it. Just pure coincidence. An out of a world kind of coincidence.

My phone buzzed on my desk, and my gaze darted to the screen as it lit up. I had just received a message.

“What the?” It was a text from a number I did not recognize, a number that had been saved as MASTER on my phone.

MASTER; Tell me what you’re wearing underneath your clothes.

I stared at the screen for a while, my brows furrowed and my lips parted in awe. I read the text over and over, questioning if I wasn’t daydreaming or something. Was this some kind of a sick joke? Who is this? How did they get my number? And why was the number saved on my phone?

I snapped out my gaze with a rapid blink, my fingers moving against the keypad in haste as I typed in a befitting reply to whoever it was that thought it funny to violate me so boldly.

AURELIA; Get lost you creep. I’m blocking you.

It was as simple as that, there was no need to exchange words with such a person. I blocked the number and set my phone aside. Someone must have a lot of free time on their hands, and they thought it best to harass random people. Pathetic.

But what I couldn’t get was why the number saved was to my phone, did it get hacked perhaps? That was the only logical explanation.

My phone buzzed again, and I stiffened in my seat as I saw it was another text from the same number. I thought I’d blocked it.

What was going on?

MASTER; Foolish girl, you’ll regret doing that. Show me a glimpse of your underwear and I’ll forgive you.

The fuck? I was bombarded with a rush of emotions, and I didn’t know which of them was stronger. Anger, Frustration, Repulsion, Confusion. I felt it all at once, and this time I did not bother to reply, I just deleted the message and blocked the number again.

But then, the phone lit up once more, indicating another message. I took a deep breath, frustration pulling at my nerves as I opened the message.

I paled, my eyes rounding. My fingers froze against the phone screen, and my anger drained as if I was doused with a bucket of ice-cold water.

MASTER; I can see you, darling. You let your ginger curls loose, letting them frame your delicate face. You’re wearing a long-sleeved turtle neck top tucked into an ankle-length skirt, and let me add that you look stunning. Block me again, and I’ll make you pay dearly for your rudeness.

Cold sweat trickled down my temple. My hand trembled slightly, and I almost dropped my phone as I unconsciously held my breath, raising my head to look around. My wary gaze bounced around the studio, searching, but I saw no one. It was only me. I was alone. I went as far as to check the halls from the entrance of the studio, but it was empty, even the neighboring studios. Everyone had gone to the cafeteria for lunch.

Now I was scared to my bones.

Another text came. And I swear my heart stopped beating.

MASTER; I change my mind. Send me a video of you touching yourself right there in the office. You have ten minutes.