Status: This is a new fan fiction I am writing. I hope you enjoy it :)
OverExposed: Making Me Love You
Secret
::Ashley’s P.O.V::
I organized all of the patients' file records into each of their individual folders before putting them away into the filing cabinet beside my desk. I glanced at the clock on my monitor’s screen. It was five after ten which meant it was time for me to go home. My eyes lifted to the closed doors leading to Jared’s office. Today he had been acting rather oddly. In all fairness ever since that night at the concert one week ago he had been behaving rather strangely. Well, more outlandishly than usual. Typically I would see him after he finished with every patient as well as before and after his lunch break, but I had maybe seen him once a day for the past week.
I gathered up my coat and purse before making my way around the desk to approach his office doors. I placed my ear against the wood seeing if I could make out his voice. Not hearing a sound, I lifted my hand and knocked on the wood. When I heard Jared call out signaling for me to enter, I cracked open the door and poked my head inside.
“Mr. Stark?” I called out stepping into his office. He had his head bent over a clutter of papers on his desk; his pen scribbling across one of the pristine white sheets. His hand kept moving furiously back and forth across the paper as he wrote making me wonder if he had even heard me.
I released a tired sigh and hitched the strap of my purse higher up onto my shoulder before approaching his desk.
“What are you working on?” I asked placing my hands on my hips.
“Just some paperwork,” he mumbled, his pen not even once faltering. I couldn’t even get those hazel green eyes to meet mine.
“You know it’s—” I glanced at my wristwatch—“a quarter after ten, right?”
“That’s nice.”
Jared jumped back startled when I slammed my hands down on his desk. Those wide hazel eyes finally lifted to meet mine.
“What is wrong with you? You have been in this weird funk all week and I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but….” I breathed a long exhale through my nose before continuing.
“I actually miss your ridiculous arrogance and narcissistic, childish flirting. So why in the hell are you being so secretive?”
“I’m not being secretive. I’m doing my job,” he answered dropping his gaze back to the stack of papers.
I snatched the pen out of his hand and tossed it across the room not even caring where it landed.
“That was completely unnecessary,” he sighed looking back up at me.
“No, it was completely necessary. You’re avoiding my gaze; you’re avoiding me.”
“That’s ridiculous,” he scoffed. “Now who’s being narcissistic?”
“It’s not conceited if I know it’s true. Seriously, Jared, you haven’t even been checking with me to see when your next appointment is or if you need me to cancel one or anything. You won’t even tell me if there is a certain time I should leave open for specific activities,” I reprimanded angrily.
“I’ve just been busy with work. Is that so hard to believe?”
“Yes. When it’s you? Hell yes. For as long as I have been working for you, you have never let work get to you this much. Plus, you’re not even doing work,” I pointed out snatching up a piece of paper before he could cover it up. My eyes scanned the sheet looking over the writing. From what I could tell it had absolutely nothing to do with his job. It looked more like he was writing a letter. I glanced over the rest of the scattered papers on his desk to see that most of the writing on them had been scribbled or marked out.
“What is all of this?” I asked allowing him to steal the letter back from me.
“It’s nothing. I’m just making a list of things,” he quietly admitted gathering all the papers into a neat stack and shoving them into a drawer of his desk.
“This is what you have been so busy working on for the past week?” I questioned doubtfully.
“Not all week…just for the past couple of days, yes.”
“Jared, what’s going on with you?”
“Nothing. Go home, Ashley,” he ordered standing up from his chair.
“No. Not until you tell me why you are behaving so strangely,” I shot back standing my ground. Jared circled around his desk to stand toe to toe with me. He was a good half a foot taller than me, if not a couple inches more, but that didn’t keep me from staring him straight in the eye showing him I refused to back down.
“It’s none of your concern. Go. Home.”
“Don’t fucking tell me what to do. I’m not on your time anymore. I haven’t been for the past twenty-five minutes. Plus I saw my name written on one of those scrapped pieces of paper so it IS my concern,” I snapped poking him hard in the chest. I had to admit he had a really solid chest. And a startling pair of hazel green eyes that shone with mischief. His entire being oozed masculinity and sex.
Jared leaned down close; his breath washing hot over my face as he brought his face nearer to mine. I deeply inhaled through my nose and slowly released it from between my lips in order to keep my heart at a steady rate of speed.
“You really want to know?” he whispered those dark, hooded hazel orbs switching between gazing at my lips back to my eyes.
Ever since I started working for Jared I had promised myself I would never let myself get caught up in those mesmerizing eyes of his. That I wouldn’t allow myself to get sucked into his ploys. So why did I find it so hard to break away from this spell he was casting over me now?
Before I could open my mouth to answer him, the shrill sound of my cell phone shattered the silence that filled the room. Jared smiled knowingly before backing off so I could dig around in my purse to pull out my phone. For once I was glad for Kennedy’s ridiculous calling hours.
“Kennedy,” I sighed happily into the phone.
“So, Ashley, guess what?” Kennedy’s voice was practically flooded with excitement.
“I despise guessing games. Just tell me.”
“I have a lunch date tomorrow with Phillip,” she giggled into the phone.
“Awesome,” I congratulated her with a smile.
“I know! I’m excited.” I could just see her beaming smile.
“So why are you telling me? You know I couldn’t care less about your love life the majority of the time,” I admitted to her. Although I am very glad for it tonight, I thought in relief to myself.
“Have you told the other crazy part of our fucked up trio?”
“I actually called Hatter first, but she wasn’t answering,” Kennedy sadly answered.
“Well, I’m happy that you finally got a date with the guy who has been creepily stalking after you for the past few months,” I teased.
“He has not been stalking me,” Kennedy huffed.
“Do you have any proof?”
“Well…no…”
“My point exactly. Goodbye, Kennedy.”
I cut off the conversation and dropped my phone back into my purse thankful for the distraction she had caused.
I lifted my gaze to see Jared had slid on his jacket and was palming his keys just as I ended my phone conversation.
“Well, I guess I’ll go home now,” I quietly informed him quickly averting my gaze when he looked over at me.
“I thought you wanted to know why I was writing things about you?” he teased, a cocky grin spreading across his handsome face.
“I changed my mind. I have more important things to tend to,” I defiantly answered making my way towards the door.
“Just one more thing,” I remembered turning back to face him. He cocked a dark brow waiting for me to continue.
“If you’re going to avoid me…be less obvious about it. And if you’re going to write things about me…at least have enough balls to say it to my face instead of openly lying about it.”
With that being said, I exited his office; the angry click of my heels echoing throughout the empty office floor as I made my way to the elevators.
“Ashley!” Jared’s deep voice summoned for me. I kept walking pretending to not hear him as I punched the elevator button to go down.
“I was trying to think of a good way to ask you this without sounding like I was just trying to get into your pants,” Jared admitted with a tired sigh.
Those words caused me to turn back towards him just as the elevator doors opened to take me down to the main floor.
“What are you talking about, Jared? Since when do you give a damn whether you sound like a manwhore or not?” I sighed tired of all his ridiculous games especially after what almost just happened in his office. After a few moments, the elevator doors closed shut.
“Go on a date with me, Ashley. Just one date,” he said stating the question more like a curious demand.
“Jared, you kn—”
“Ashley, just ONE. I know it goes against your little rules of not getting into a relationship with co-workers especially your boss, but…”
“But?” I urged for him to continue as I started growing restless.
“I have no idea. I lost what I was going to say from there,” he confessed looking slightly bewildered.
“Thanks, but no thanks,” I snorted pressing the elevator button once more.
“Ash—”
“No,” I repeated firmly. Jared’s mouth closed; his handsome face darkening with sadness and anger.
Without looking back at him, I stepped onto the elevator moments before they shut once more. My hand reached out to press the main floor button, but something held me back making me hesitate. Before I had the chance to figure out why I was suddenly feeling so indecisive about things, the elevator doors opened startling me. Jared stood there looking slightly frazzled, but his eyes were dark with determination.
My teeth clenched tightly together as my hand reached once more for the main floor button.
“Go aw—” My words were cut off when Jared smashed his lips to mine slamming my body up against the elevator wall. His kiss was full of anger and purpose like he refused to stop kissing me until I gave into him for once.
I pushed as hard as I could on his chest to get him to move away from me, but he rejected my attempts by grabbing my wrists and pinning them to the elevator wall beside my head.
“I won’t stop until you agree to one date,” he breathlessly whispered against my lips as he worked his way along my jawline.
“Jared, NO.”
“We can keep it secret,” he suggested. “That way you don’t have to worry that people will think you’re only dating me to get a raise.”
“I’m NOT dating you,” I ground out trying not to give into the burning urge to kiss him stupid.
“Would you stop being so damn stingy for once and just let loose?” he snapped meeting my rebellious gaze with a pair of blazing hazel orbs.
Our eyes stayed locked on with one another for what felt like hours until I finally felt my resolve crack just a little. I absolutely hated being controlled in any sort of situation or having someone making me feel so weak. With him pinning me so easily to the elevator wall easily rebuffing my struggles to escape only angered me. I despised feeling powerless.
“Fine,” I spat through tightly clenched teeth.
“One date,” I emphasized immediately shoving him off me when he released his tight grip on my hands. He stumbled back with an arrogant, triumphant smile. “And it stays between you and me.”
“That’s fine. It can be our own little secret.”
I rolled my eyes jamming my finger against the elevator button feeling the slight shift of us moving down. I refused to meet his gaze after having let him so easily win. I was a very competitive person and losing was NOT something I found myself comfortably dealing with.
The only question was…how would I keep this a secret from the two idiots I called friends?
I organized all of the patients' file records into each of their individual folders before putting them away into the filing cabinet beside my desk. I glanced at the clock on my monitor’s screen. It was five after ten which meant it was time for me to go home. My eyes lifted to the closed doors leading to Jared’s office. Today he had been acting rather oddly. In all fairness ever since that night at the concert one week ago he had been behaving rather strangely. Well, more outlandishly than usual. Typically I would see him after he finished with every patient as well as before and after his lunch break, but I had maybe seen him once a day for the past week.
I gathered up my coat and purse before making my way around the desk to approach his office doors. I placed my ear against the wood seeing if I could make out his voice. Not hearing a sound, I lifted my hand and knocked on the wood. When I heard Jared call out signaling for me to enter, I cracked open the door and poked my head inside.
“Mr. Stark?” I called out stepping into his office. He had his head bent over a clutter of papers on his desk; his pen scribbling across one of the pristine white sheets. His hand kept moving furiously back and forth across the paper as he wrote making me wonder if he had even heard me.
I released a tired sigh and hitched the strap of my purse higher up onto my shoulder before approaching his desk.
“What are you working on?” I asked placing my hands on my hips.
“Just some paperwork,” he mumbled, his pen not even once faltering. I couldn’t even get those hazel green eyes to meet mine.
“You know it’s—” I glanced at my wristwatch—“a quarter after ten, right?”
“That’s nice.”
Jared jumped back startled when I slammed my hands down on his desk. Those wide hazel eyes finally lifted to meet mine.
“What is wrong with you? You have been in this weird funk all week and I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but….” I breathed a long exhale through my nose before continuing.
“I actually miss your ridiculous arrogance and narcissistic, childish flirting. So why in the hell are you being so secretive?”
“I’m not being secretive. I’m doing my job,” he answered dropping his gaze back to the stack of papers.
I snatched the pen out of his hand and tossed it across the room not even caring where it landed.
“That was completely unnecessary,” he sighed looking back up at me.
“No, it was completely necessary. You’re avoiding my gaze; you’re avoiding me.”
“That’s ridiculous,” he scoffed. “Now who’s being narcissistic?”
“It’s not conceited if I know it’s true. Seriously, Jared, you haven’t even been checking with me to see when your next appointment is or if you need me to cancel one or anything. You won’t even tell me if there is a certain time I should leave open for specific activities,” I reprimanded angrily.
“I’ve just been busy with work. Is that so hard to believe?”
“Yes. When it’s you? Hell yes. For as long as I have been working for you, you have never let work get to you this much. Plus, you’re not even doing work,” I pointed out snatching up a piece of paper before he could cover it up. My eyes scanned the sheet looking over the writing. From what I could tell it had absolutely nothing to do with his job. It looked more like he was writing a letter. I glanced over the rest of the scattered papers on his desk to see that most of the writing on them had been scribbled or marked out.
“What is all of this?” I asked allowing him to steal the letter back from me.
“It’s nothing. I’m just making a list of things,” he quietly admitted gathering all the papers into a neat stack and shoving them into a drawer of his desk.
“This is what you have been so busy working on for the past week?” I questioned doubtfully.
“Not all week…just for the past couple of days, yes.”
“Jared, what’s going on with you?”
“Nothing. Go home, Ashley,” he ordered standing up from his chair.
“No. Not until you tell me why you are behaving so strangely,” I shot back standing my ground. Jared circled around his desk to stand toe to toe with me. He was a good half a foot taller than me, if not a couple inches more, but that didn’t keep me from staring him straight in the eye showing him I refused to back down.
“It’s none of your concern. Go. Home.”
“Don’t fucking tell me what to do. I’m not on your time anymore. I haven’t been for the past twenty-five minutes. Plus I saw my name written on one of those scrapped pieces of paper so it IS my concern,” I snapped poking him hard in the chest. I had to admit he had a really solid chest. And a startling pair of hazel green eyes that shone with mischief. His entire being oozed masculinity and sex.
Jared leaned down close; his breath washing hot over my face as he brought his face nearer to mine. I deeply inhaled through my nose and slowly released it from between my lips in order to keep my heart at a steady rate of speed.
“You really want to know?” he whispered those dark, hooded hazel orbs switching between gazing at my lips back to my eyes.
Ever since I started working for Jared I had promised myself I would never let myself get caught up in those mesmerizing eyes of his. That I wouldn’t allow myself to get sucked into his ploys. So why did I find it so hard to break away from this spell he was casting over me now?
Before I could open my mouth to answer him, the shrill sound of my cell phone shattered the silence that filled the room. Jared smiled knowingly before backing off so I could dig around in my purse to pull out my phone. For once I was glad for Kennedy’s ridiculous calling hours.
“Kennedy,” I sighed happily into the phone.
“So, Ashley, guess what?” Kennedy’s voice was practically flooded with excitement.
“I despise guessing games. Just tell me.”
“I have a lunch date tomorrow with Phillip,” she giggled into the phone.
“Awesome,” I congratulated her with a smile.
“I know! I’m excited.” I could just see her beaming smile.
“So why are you telling me? You know I couldn’t care less about your love life the majority of the time,” I admitted to her. Although I am very glad for it tonight, I thought in relief to myself.
“Have you told the other crazy part of our fucked up trio?”
“I actually called Hatter first, but she wasn’t answering,” Kennedy sadly answered.
“Well, I’m happy that you finally got a date with the guy who has been creepily stalking after you for the past few months,” I teased.
“He has not been stalking me,” Kennedy huffed.
“Do you have any proof?”
“Well…no…”
“My point exactly. Goodbye, Kennedy.”
I cut off the conversation and dropped my phone back into my purse thankful for the distraction she had caused.
I lifted my gaze to see Jared had slid on his jacket and was palming his keys just as I ended my phone conversation.
“Well, I guess I’ll go home now,” I quietly informed him quickly averting my gaze when he looked over at me.
“I thought you wanted to know why I was writing things about you?” he teased, a cocky grin spreading across his handsome face.
“I changed my mind. I have more important things to tend to,” I defiantly answered making my way towards the door.
“Just one more thing,” I remembered turning back to face him. He cocked a dark brow waiting for me to continue.
“If you’re going to avoid me…be less obvious about it. And if you’re going to write things about me…at least have enough balls to say it to my face instead of openly lying about it.”
With that being said, I exited his office; the angry click of my heels echoing throughout the empty office floor as I made my way to the elevators.
“Ashley!” Jared’s deep voice summoned for me. I kept walking pretending to not hear him as I punched the elevator button to go down.
“I was trying to think of a good way to ask you this without sounding like I was just trying to get into your pants,” Jared admitted with a tired sigh.
Those words caused me to turn back towards him just as the elevator doors opened to take me down to the main floor.
“What are you talking about, Jared? Since when do you give a damn whether you sound like a manwhore or not?” I sighed tired of all his ridiculous games especially after what almost just happened in his office. After a few moments, the elevator doors closed shut.
“Go on a date with me, Ashley. Just one date,” he said stating the question more like a curious demand.
“Jared, you kn—”
“Ashley, just ONE. I know it goes against your little rules of not getting into a relationship with co-workers especially your boss, but…”
“But?” I urged for him to continue as I started growing restless.
“I have no idea. I lost what I was going to say from there,” he confessed looking slightly bewildered.
“Thanks, but no thanks,” I snorted pressing the elevator button once more.
“Ash—”
“No,” I repeated firmly. Jared’s mouth closed; his handsome face darkening with sadness and anger.
Without looking back at him, I stepped onto the elevator moments before they shut once more. My hand reached out to press the main floor button, but something held me back making me hesitate. Before I had the chance to figure out why I was suddenly feeling so indecisive about things, the elevator doors opened startling me. Jared stood there looking slightly frazzled, but his eyes were dark with determination.
My teeth clenched tightly together as my hand reached once more for the main floor button.
“Go aw—” My words were cut off when Jared smashed his lips to mine slamming my body up against the elevator wall. His kiss was full of anger and purpose like he refused to stop kissing me until I gave into him for once.
I pushed as hard as I could on his chest to get him to move away from me, but he rejected my attempts by grabbing my wrists and pinning them to the elevator wall beside my head.
“I won’t stop until you agree to one date,” he breathlessly whispered against my lips as he worked his way along my jawline.
“Jared, NO.”
“We can keep it secret,” he suggested. “That way you don’t have to worry that people will think you’re only dating me to get a raise.”
“I’m NOT dating you,” I ground out trying not to give into the burning urge to kiss him stupid.
“Would you stop being so damn stingy for once and just let loose?” he snapped meeting my rebellious gaze with a pair of blazing hazel orbs.
Our eyes stayed locked on with one another for what felt like hours until I finally felt my resolve crack just a little. I absolutely hated being controlled in any sort of situation or having someone making me feel so weak. With him pinning me so easily to the elevator wall easily rebuffing my struggles to escape only angered me. I despised feeling powerless.
“Fine,” I spat through tightly clenched teeth.
“One date,” I emphasized immediately shoving him off me when he released his tight grip on my hands. He stumbled back with an arrogant, triumphant smile. “And it stays between you and me.”
“That’s fine. It can be our own little secret.”
I rolled my eyes jamming my finger against the elevator button feeling the slight shift of us moving down. I refused to meet his gaze after having let him so easily win. I was a very competitive person and losing was NOT something I found myself comfortably dealing with.
The only question was…how would I keep this a secret from the two idiots I called friends?
♠ ♠ ♠
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