Chapter 20

Leila POV

I sat watching them longer then I knew I cared for.

But I was still watching.

She was plain, understated and seemingly... Unnervingly nice and upbeat.

Was that a thing?

To be that positive about everything?

Surely it was an act.

It would be exhausinging to pretend to be that happy and I bothered all the time just to please a man.

It wasn't normal to be that nice and happy.

She laughed as he told her another one of his dry jokes, voice laced with confidence and sincerely.

"You're staring Leila"

I turned and looked at Monica, who looked uncomfortable and nervous.

"Staring at what?"

She cleared her throat and gestured to the office door that was open across from us.

"Her Name Stella, she's who we usually order lunch through, she owns the company" Monica said gesturing to the food in front of us "They've been really friendly lately, I wasn't sure if you both were..."

"What?"

"Well, that day I walked into the studio and Marshall was all over you"

"Oh that, it wasn't what it looked like, we were just talking"

"I don't think I get that close to people when I talk" Monica said raising her eyebrow "I kinda expected you both to hit it off, I mean the electricity when you're both in the room is pretty crazy... I guess I was wrong"

"Very wrong"

Except when he all but fucked me at my house a few weeks ago when he dropped me home, but then opened his big mouth.

But then nothing.

And now I sit and watch him flirt with a woman who wore plain blue jeans and a t-shirt that could have easily doubled as a potato sack.

"He doesn't date for long Leila, He'll be back"

"What makes you think it bothers me?"

She shrugged "It's just a vibe I'm picking up"

"The only thing I'm currently bothered about is work, getting dicked by Marshall Mathers is the last thing I could think about, don't worry about me doll"

She furrowed her eyebrows and went to say something, but was interrupted by that velvety voice.

"I'm gonna head out for an hour for lunch, can you take any important calls?" Marshall said, standing in the doorway, calm expression, Stella standing back patiently behind him.

"Sure Marshall, have a good lunch"

He nodded and dropped his gaze to me, his icy blue eyes somehow giving be a chill "Leila, good to see you"

I nodded in his direction and then he left without another word.

Not even entertaining me with his usual backhanded compliment.

This situation had me confused, to say the least.

He had chased me for weeks, obsessed.

And now all I get pleasantries.

"What is it you don't like about him?" Monica asked, my gaze settling back on her as I moved my food around the plastic container.

"It's personal" I shrug, not interested in getting into the history of why I disliked Marshall Mathers.

I was not int he mood to be talking about him at all.

"How about we have like a girls weekend this weekend?"

I thought for a moment, I could do with some pampering and cocktails after the awful week I have had.

And the fact that Marshall's obnoxious face kept filling my head.

The audacity to jump from woman to woman.

He hadn't changed.

"You're on, set it up"

------

Marshall POV

I watched as Stella threw her head back and laughed at one of my jokes, it was refreshing as most people don't know how to take my sarcasm.

"You said you wanted a meatball sub right?"

I nodded "That would be correct"

"Coming right up, I'll be right back" Stella said giving a smile and walking out of her office.

After I got kicked out of Leilas that night I took a moment to think on my drive home.

It left me a mess.

The thing about being around Leila was that I didn't know why I act like I do, but I liked it.

It's dark, hypnotic and consuming.

And the other thing is that I feel like I've known her my whole life.

But that's the problem.

The fact that I like the anger she ignites in my soul and that's fucked up.

It wasn't until that night, thinking to myself later, that I had been with someone like that before.

The only other woman in my life that ever had that kinda control over me was Kim.

And look how amazing that ended.

I had no choice but to step back, as much as I had loved every venom-filled moment I'd had with Leila so far.

Her kiss was like black magic.

I had been dazed for weeks.

Then I walked into the lunchroom one day to see Monica talking to an attractive brunette wan, with a smile that lit up the room.

And that's how I met Stella.

We had been chatting regularly and I had finally decided to ask her for lunch.

She was different.

She has this simple elegance about her, even dressed in jeans and a Tshirt, with a bubbly personality and a great sense of humour.

And what caught my attention was her genuine kindness to everyone around her.

Including me.

She treated me like I was a person, not a celebrity.

She has no malice towards me for my music.

And from what I can tell about her already is that she didn't have a vindictive or petty bone in her body.

It was refreshing.

The more I got to know her the more I decided I wanted to pursue her.

This is probably a bad idea because I knew I was still into Leila, but there was only so much time I could spend on chasing a woman before realizing she wasn't going to let me in.

She hated me and she wasn't going to ever let me know why.

I was being punished for something I knew nothing about.

I deserve to be happy.

And the fact that I let someone manipulate me this long blew my mind.

"Here you go Marshall" Stella grinned sliding a plate in front of me "Enjoy!"

She then sat down across from me and started to eat.

"So I was thinkin', are you busy this weekend?"

She shook her head "No, I'm free this Saturday"

"Wanna do somethin'?"

"I'd love too" She said giving me a wide smile "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"It can be if you want it to be" I chuckled.

"Id like that very much" She said giving me a shy smile "Any idea of what you have planned?"

"Then it's a date" I smirked, unsure of the unfamiliar words I had just uttered "Nothing yet, can you leave it with me and I'll get back to you?"

"Absolutely"She said taking a sip of her ice tea "just give me a blast 2 hours notice"

I smiled at her, not etching I do with a lot of people I knew but she made me feel calm and peaceful.

Something that wasn't a normal thing I had in my life.

I finished lunch with Stella and headed back to the effigy, greeting Monica who walked into my office as I had just sat back down.

"Hey you're back, there were no calls, but how was your lunch with Stella?" She said smiling placing some documents down in front of me.

"I asked her out on a date"

She looked at me confused "Like a real date?"

"Yep, first one in years, can you believe it?"

"With Stella?"

"Yeah, I surprised myself too, don't worry" I nodded and chuckled.

Well shit, look at me officially dating again.