Metamorphosis

“Nadine please come here” she called me with a strict tone.

I look at my friend puzzled.

“What happened?” I ask.

“Come quickly.”

I set my paperwork down on my desk, and I head towards her office. Besides being my friend, Anastasia is also my colleague in the agroforestry research institute we have been working on for the past four years.

“So what’s the matter?” I ask as soon as I reach her.

“I am dying to know what happened yesterday with him?”

I rolled my eyes at her.

“Seriously now? I thought you needed something important.” I replied.

“It is important. I need a thorough update to endure the pile of work I have to do today. Come on, tell me all the juicy details. Please, hold nothing back...” She was referring to my meeting with the handsome supervisor that was recently hired in our department. I won’t lie, I was really attracted to him, but on the other hand, who wasn’t? He was the talk of the office, all the females of the floor were drooling over him. Tall, blond blue eyes, and last but not least he had a great body.

“Well, he tossed me on the couch, and then we made a few unspeakable things all over the place.”

“Wow really? Tell me more I want to know everything”

Her eagerness made me laugh “Calm down, girl. Nothing happened, he was totally professional.”

“Are you telling me that you two were alone in this office for hours and you were talking only about business? Wake up girl, you have to do something about this, everyone in this department has put an eye on him and I know you like him too.”

I frown “I don’t want to. The guy is a player and arrogant.” I spit rather loudly. Indeed, during the meetings we had the last two weeks he gave me an attitude. He was thinking of himself as better, smarter, or more important than other people.

“Again, you are finding excuses, you chicken.”

“Maybe, I do.” I chuckled at her statement and I shook it up. I know that she was totally right, but the last thing I need is a love scandal with the supervisor of the office. Thus, I really do think he is a player and actually a very charming one. I am not interested in getting myself hurt. At our meeting I had the sense that he was a little bit flirting with me, he was really discreet, but honestly, I can’t be quite sure.

“Enough with the chit-chat you two.” I heard his voice.

Fuck! Did he actually hear us talking about him? Perfect!

“Nadine, can I have a second?” his scowling face turns to me.

“Sure.” I sign.

“As if I could do otherwise,″ I whisper embarrassed and annoyed.

His smirk indicated that he probably heard that too. Damn his extraordinary hearing!

We reached his office and he offers me the chair right across from his own.

“So what’s the problem.” I spit.

“ I need you to change the experiment design and the survey”

“ What? Why? We have all agreed to this?”

“ Our resources aren’t enough.”

This is bullshit. I know damn well that we had more than enough money to support this experiment. Our division had many projects ensuring the funding of all the related activities.

“I have been in this department for four years. Do you really expect me to believe you?” I comment, feeling quite bold.

“Who is the “arrogant” now?”

He caught me by surprise. He has heard us after all.

“Excuse me?”

Maybe I was supposed to apologise, but in my sock, I blush and I look down avoiding any eye contact. He was my supervisor after all. I feel his penetrating gaze on me.

“No, I am not excusing you. But I don’t have time for this, I need to wrap this up. I have more important matters to attend to. You will do as we just discussed.”

“You mean as you have decided by yourself.” Maybe I am pushing my luck here, but he needs to give me one logical argument at least.

“Exactly!” he answers with a smirk on his face.

It takes me a while to find the right words. I need to remain calm if I want to extract an explanation from him.

“Could you please at least explain to me the real reason?”

“I could, but I won’t.” He enjoys putting me down.

“Are we finished?” I feel that I have lost the battle with him and I am too irritated to continue this encounter.

“For now” he replied calmly with a smug look on his face that I just wanted to rip it off.

I walk away and I know he is still looking. For now, it is then, but the war isn’t over yet; “Asshole” I blurted out in a very low voice after I stormed out of his office.

Well, I was exaggerating a bit but I got frustrated over the fact that he wasn’t open to discussing the changes at all. I understand that he was making all the decisions but the least he could do was to consult our opinion.

Two weeks later

After two weeks, the atmosphere in the office was pretty intense. We had a few glorious conflicts, but the situation was affecting my work performance, so after a while, I decided to choose peace over pride. Even then, he was challenging and irritating me to a much greater extent. As if he wanted to test my patience. I wasn’t giving in yet, but if he keeps doing this, my control will evaporate and he will have to deal with my full-fledged rage. Unfortunately, our raging battle has triggered an intense sexual desire within me. I was so attracted to him that my body shivered every time I met him, but I would never jeopardise my career just to get laid by a man, even a gorgeous one. During the last ten years, I had one relationship and several temporary flings but nothing serious enough. It didn’t bother me most of the time, as I have learned to value the time spent alone or with my friends. However, sometimes like today, I really felt the need to be with someone and experience all the benefits of a good relationship. My love life is non-existent for the last seven months, and today I was feeling particularly grumpy. I was so sick and tired of my single status. I wanted attention, male attention, his attention specifically.

As soon as I arrived at the office, I found him sitting behind his desk with one of my colleagues next to him. I tried to ignore him and avoid any tempting thought, but the desire is burning me alive. An internal battle is going on in my head. There is a side of me that wants to completely surrender to him and lose any kind of dignity, while the other side screams at me to get my shit together and ignore him. I close my eyes to block his view, trying to focus on the things I have to do today. Suddenly, his voice threw me out of my trance.

“Are you ok?” he asked.

I open my eyes, trying not to show any sign of nervousness.

“Yes, I am perfect. Why?”.

“Your beautiful eyes were closed for way too long.”

Ok, at least he made a compliment. I raised my eyebrow.

“I didn’t realize you were paying attention.”

“I always pay attention to you.” he said approaching closer. Something is off.

“And why might that be?”I ask

“You are usually so noisy and irritating, that it is so difficult to ignore you.”

And we are back to him being a jerk. This is something I can deal with.

“I believe that I have been pretty quiet since I arrived”

“It happens so rarely that I thought you had fallen asleep or passed out.”

Fuck you, I scream inside.

“Don’t tell me you’re worried?”

“Worried? Please, I have finally found my peace, but I care for the well-being of my employers. I am not as insensitive as you might think.”

I look confidently deep into his eyes.

“Your tone and insults tell another story.”

“ If you don’t like it, please feel free to leave.” he said with a strict tone.

I swallow hard, evaluating my options. I needed some space to think and control my anger. I rush to my feet and get past him, heading towards the exit. I had enough of his rude behavior. I enter the elevator and I press the close-door button, as soon as I realise he is coming towards me. He enters the elevator fast enough and the door closes behind us.