the ocean
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Singing to an ocean,
I can hear the ocean's roar
Play for free, I play for me
and play a whole lot more, more!

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A young man stood shirtless in front of the fridge. His pants and shirt were both thrown on the couch in the next room, leaving him only in his boxers. I came to a halt when I saw him. Mr. White's body bumped into mine from behind, and I looked up at him. He seemed as surprised as I was.

"Archer?" The writer's voice was tainted by a hint of fury.

I stepped to the side and out of the spotlight. From then on, I stood back and witnessed the scene without intervening.

"You're cheating on mom, now?" Thankfully, I heard sarcasm in his tone. That man was staring at me like I was a forbidden fruit. He was about my age, maybe a little older. His pitch black hair complemented his tanned skin, and those gray, expressive eyes immediately reminded me of Mr. White. Of course, he had a son.

"What are you doing here?"

"Uuuh-"
"Archer, did you get kicked out again?"
"Actually, I quit this time."

Mr. White sighed and shook his head in disapproval.

"Oh, come on, dad. You know that I don't like staying in the same place for too long." Archer shrugged, not taking his eyes away from me. "Who's that, by the way? Your new sexy secretary?" As he stood between his son and me, I could feel his irritability slowly grow.

"Show some respect. That's my editor."

"Hi." I managed to mutter. When Archer smiled, I noticed how much he resembled his mother even though he was tan and had gray eyes like his dad. 

"Audrey Carter." My big doe eyes shifted to Mr. White's face as I introduced myself. "I should head home. We'll go over the rest of it next week."

I knew he didn't want me to leave. He had that expression on his face, the same one he had last time when he asked me to patiently wait for his return. "Then I'll see you next week, Miss Carter." I nodded, waved to Archer, and rushed out of the room. I wanted to fetch my stuff and go home as soon as possible. The situation was growing increasingly surreal.

Mr. White had left me a text, which I only read after I got home. I tossed my keys into the usual vase and immediately undressed. I was craving a warm bath, even though it was pretty late at night.

MR. WHITE

I didn't want you to leave so soon, but I really had to deal with my son. He's not home often, and when he is, it's usually because he got into trouble.

I smirked at the screen and tapped a few sentences before sending my reply.

AUDREY

I understand, don't worry. We can continue next time. I hope that everything is fine now. It's actually a good thing that someone was there.

I wanted to anxiously wait for his reply, but I decided that I didn't want to be perceived as desperate.I dumped my phone on the bed and walked to the bathroom. I looked in the mirror while I waited for the bathtub to fill with hot water. My naked figure was attractive, but I wasn't quite confident in myself at the time. Freckles and moles covered my white skin, resembling constellations, and I could just imagine how it would feel to have his hands connect them. The phone made a loud 'ding', and I knew it was him right away.

MR. WHITE

Everything is fine now. Why do you say that?

AUDREY

I hoped someone would interrupt us. It's difficult to be around you.

MR. WHITE

I can understand that. I believe that tonight's situation could have easily gotten out of hand.

AUDREY

Your son seems fun, by the way.

I was aware that he would find my comment irritating. We didn't spend much time together, but I did pick up on one thing: Mr. White was a jealous kind of guy.
I brought my phone into the bath with me. The warm water hugged my body, and I sighed with pleasure. When another text came in, I turned back to the screen, and an amused smirk formed on my heart-shaped lips.

MR. WHITE

I already told him that you're off limits.

AUDREY

And why would I be off limits, Mr. White?

MR. WHITE

Don't you tease me, Miss Carter. I can be vengeful.

AUDREY

Don't threaten me with a good time.

I decided not to read the text this time. I laid down and let the hot water embrace me once again, leaving my phone facing down on the edge of the tub. I imagined his features as I closed my eyes. I was becoming obsessed with him. I wanted all of him for myself—his grin, his eyes, his big hands, the way he held the cigar, the way his ice-cold stare stripped me naked, his possessiveness.

I had my first experience touching myself to the thought of a man that night. That was the beginning of the endless torment that would come with seeing him almost every day that week.

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On Monday, it was raining heavily. The clouds made the sky dark, and thick drops soaked the streets. I'd already taken my seat at the conference table, along with the majority of my coworkers. Tina sat next to me and hadn't stopped staring at me since we met at Starbucks earlier that morning.

I was embarrassed, almost ashamed. I wasn't a sexually driven person to begin with, so what I did while imagining Mr. White... I couldn't get it out of my head. Fortunately, Dawson started the meeting on a new novel, and I had no choice but to listen.

"Now that we've covered everything, allow me to introduce you to the author." Dawson had never seemed so enthusiastic about his job before. On the contrary, I was absolutely baffled. Right in front of us stood Archer White. He was looking directly at me with his hungry eyes, and I felt like running away. Tina raised an eyebrow at my reaction.

"This is Archer White. He's following his father's footsteps and wants to publish his first book by the end of the season." Dawson continued, absolutely unaware of the situation.

Did Mr. White know about all of this? He probably did.

"Audrey and Tina will be helping me with the editing process. The rest of you will take over their current clients." Shit. Of course Dawson wanted us; we were the only senior editors at the table.

Archer gave a presentation of the book, and when the meeting ended, he approached everyone to further introduce himself. He approached me last, but he was looking at me throughout the whole meeting.

"It's good to see you again, Carter."

"Archer, right?" I forced a cordial smile.

"You look... different." He smiled back, but there was a tinge of malice in it. I did look different. I was in my nightgown the last time I saw him, and now I was dressed elegantly in a white suit.

"Do I?"

"Don't worry, I'm used to my father bringing beautiful young women into the house." A strong shiver of jealousy shook my body, as I came to the realization that I wasn't the only one.

"We're just working; it's no big deal." I tried to sound as convincing as possible.

"He told me you're off limits."

"I know. He's like that with everything he owns, though."

"Yeah, he is a possessive man." Archer paused as he glanced down at my shirt. His eyes looked like the ocean in winter. "Does that mean that he owns you?"

"No man owns me, Archer."

"Mh. You're intriguing."

I shrugged and switched the topic to his new book. I had absolutely no intention of flirting with Mr. White's son. Dawson was curating the novel, so I left him alone with Archer to work out the details. With a weight on my chest, I waved at them both and left the conference room. I was unable to shake the thought that Mr. White had other women who inspired him in the same way that I did.

It was a bitter realization. 

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