Chapter 7: The Coffee Visit
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Scarlett walked into her office after dropping Nancy off at her college. "Good morning, Ms. Adair," Rohan, the teenage boy who alternatively works here, wished her. Scarlett let out a smile while nodding. "Good morning, Rohan. How's the exam?" She asked, receiving a curt nod from him with a forced smile. "It was good," he replied ambiguously.
Scarlett was quick to notice the lines of tension that displayed on Rohan's forehead, which made her frown dubiously. "Is everything fine, Rohan?" She asked as the smile on her lips vanished, seeing him with an anxious expression.

"Scarlett!" The eye contact between Rohan and Scarlett broke when Isla broke in with somewhat similar expressions as Rohan. "Finally, you're here." She heaved a sigh of relief, but the anxiety crept into Scarlett's veins, seeing her employees with brooded faces.

"What happened? Why are you both looking so nervous? Did something happen?" Scarlett asked with worried lines displayed on her forehead. Isla and Rohan exchanged a few glances of panic before looking back at her.

"Ma'am!" The three looked at the door where Riya, Rohan's girlfriend, stood with almost identical facial expressions as Rohan and Isla. "Mr. Walker has been waiting for you for so long. He wants to see you," Shivers ran down Scarlett's spine after Riya finished, saying that they had Mr. Walker waiting for her.

"Mr. Noel Walker?" Scarlett tried to ask once again, as she didn't believe what Riya just said. Riya nodded. "Yes," she replied. Scarlett's eyebrow escalated in scepticism. Moreover, why is he even here in the first place?
"Umm, where is he?" Scarlett composed her shaking limbs and then asked back to Isla. "We have settled him in the waiting room since you weren't here," Isla answered back. "Okay." Scarlett nodded before fixing the watch around her wrist and leaving the room.
She gathered herself, calm and collected before her steps led towards the waiting room of their office. Even though she had not seen him physically, his sovereign presence weighed on the entire office. "Mr. Walker?"

Scarlett tried hard to remain calm and composed, yet an uneven breath got stuck in her throat the moment his honey-brown eyes fell on her. He stared at her for a brief moment. His subduing honey-brown eyes, complimented with golden rings that carried the igniting fire, travelled to every part of her body.
Even after being completely covered with clothes, she felt exposed to her soul in front of his fiery eyes, which travelled from head to toe as if she were a solace to his yearnings. If it were anyone else standing in his place, Scarlett would've almost punched him in the nose for eyeing her like that, but Noel had something so bizarre and subduing in his eyes that made her feel tingles instead of disgust.

"Uhm, I'm sorry." Noel cleared his throat as soon as his fiery eyes settled on her curious ones. "I was thinking about something." He tore away his stare from her face and looked at the clock that aesthetically hung on the wall. Her entire office was so aesthetic and comforting. She had chosen pieces so intriguing for the decoration that they wonderfully explained her job as an event planner. Every corner of the office was minimal yet beautiful and well done.

"What brings you to my office, by the way?" Scarlett walked to the side of the couch, opposite of which Noel stood handsomely, tall and broad, muscular and intimidating. His eyes were so fiery that they made Scarlett feel the sparks of warmth. She stood straight on her 5 feet and 6 inches, adding her 3 inches of black leather heels to her complimentary height.

"In need of searching for answers to some questions, my soul brought me here," he smiled. Scarlett's eyebrows creased in bewilderment. "Like?" She asked as the tension rose in her spine.
"Like-" He heaved a sigh before closing the distance between them as the long stride of his black boots made Scarlett's breath hitch. "Like?" She repeated creasing her perfect eyebrows. "Like the way you just left me on the dance floor after our Her heart thudded at his deep, velvety tone as he closed the distance between them lazily.

"Kiss," The words come out as soft as a touch of a feather on the face, and even Noel himself was amused to admit it.
"Mr. Walker-" His last name merely comes out as a feeble whisper. She cursed at herself in her mind for displaying herself so weak in front of someone else. A lump formed in her throat, and she didn't know why. All she knew at the moment was that his proximity was making her go insane.

It was dangerous yet addicting. Necessary to avoid yet desired by her soul.

"It was just a mistake." The words come out more as an integration and less as an affirmation. She found the corners of his lips curving slightly, which made her suddenly feel hot around the back of her neck. "Mistake?" His voice comes out dark and subdued, which would be able to suck life out of anyone's lungs.

"After what happened between us that night," his fingers tenderly stroked the back of her wrist. She felt her heart drumming in her ears at his rough touch on her sensitive skin, which made sure to leave the igniting spark. "How do you lose yourself in my arms?" he continued before lazily dragging his finger to her shoulder. "And how did things end between us?" he whispered. Scarlett tucked her lower lip between her teeth, prohibiting herself from letting out any filthy sound of her mouth at the slightest form of his touch that surely left her with a need and want for more.

What is happening to me?

"I do not think we made any mistake, Ms. Adair. Or did we?" He finished speaking with his index finger, which went to her chin, forcing her to meet eyes with him. "Mr. Walker." She tried to form a proper sentence, but her mind was too focused on his finger that dug into her chin.
Her eyes wandered around the room until they settled on the three people who peeked at them through the transparent glasses. Their eyes widened, and shock plastered all over their faces.

"I think my office isn't a place to discuss our last encounter." She finished with a desperate wince as she felt it dig deeper into her skin. He generated a slight amount of pressure as his eyebrows creased. "I understand." He pulled back her hand before maintaining a safe distance between her and himself.

He cleared his throat as the awkwardness suddenly packed up in the room. "How about you come for a coffee with me? It's only 10:00 AM right now," he suggested, shifting his eyes back to her. "Coffee?" She blinked, and a vague chuckle left his mouth as he nodded. "Yeah! I guess that's what I'm saying, Coffee," he replied, clearing the clouded confusion in her mind.

"Oh Okay!" She let out a heavy breath, forcing a smile on her lips to loosen the uneasiness between them as he stood at the respective distance with his fiery pair of eyes keenly set on her. "Shall we leave then?" He asked, making her brows furrowed in commotion. "Right now?"
"Yeah, right now," he asserted. Her fingers clasped the hem of her blazer tightly before she nodded. "Fine." She nodded, making him smile in satisfaction. "I'll wait for you in my car. Please make it soon," he said, and she nodded before he finally exited the room. The three pairs of curious eyes followed him till he disappeared before shifting them back.

"What was that?" Isla almost screamed, making Scarlett huff before she straightened her posture and left the room. "Isla, Rohan, and Riya, please do not right now. I'm enough tense already. I don't even know what he wants from me." Scarlett shook her head as her stomach churned, thinking about him waiting for her in his car and the fact that she had to go somewhere alone with him.

He won't kill me, right? Or is he that bad?
C'mon, he's Anna's brother. At least for that reason, he wouldn't harm me.

Scarlett shook her head in displeasure before grabbing her phone from her cabin. "Where are you going?" Isla and Rohan inquired with turmoiled expressions, finding her to grab her purse and phone. "For a coffee," she replied shortly. "Please make sure to at least finish the banner designs before I come back. We have a lot of work to finish," she instructed, receiving nods from them before she finally left for the coffee.

Scarlett's heart thudded loudly inside her ribcage as she found him leaning against his car's door with his hands crossed, waiting for her. He looked devilishly handsome. His prominent facial features and flawless image were enough to make every woman go crazy in the world.

Now, I know why women drool over this man.

She thought as her eyes fixed on his tall and lean body. Strong, muscular, brawny, and powerful. Noel Walker is an exact definition of what women desire. His domineering and intimidating aura was enough to bring anyone down to their knees.

"You're here," His velvety voice pulled Scarlett out of her dream zone, throwing her back to reality before she nodded. "Here you go." To her surprise, Noel Walker is also a gentleman. "Get inside." His voice came out more assertive, and Scarlett found herself nodding before getting inside the car.

"Which cafe would you like to go to?" He asked genuinely while settling inside the car and shifting his eyes to her. "Uh!!" Scarlett's eyes flickered in a way that made the corners of his lips curve slightly. Confused, Scarlett was undeniably cute to his amazement, and he was utterly surprised to be intrigued by her charms.
"I think Picasso's would be a good choice. They serve amazing caramel macchiato." She finished replying, earning a slight nod from him while he typed something on his phone that slightly made Scarlett curious, but she wasn't a defiled person to violate someone's privacy.
"Alright!" He uttered before starting the engine as he took on the road that would get them to Picasso's within ten to fifteen minutes.

"All of a sudden, you were in my office and asked me for a coffee. It's so strange, Mr. Walker." She asserted while her fingers fiddled with her bracelet, her eyes settled on his calm composure, who was focused on driving. His fiery eyes settled sharply across the road. His royal blue shirt rolled up to his elbows, giving a delicious view of his veiny hands. Scarlett gulped, seeing him look so perfect, even if he was just simply driving his car. There is something about him that is so intriguing and intimidating that Scarlett finds herself pulled towards him.

'Don't play with fire, Scar. It'll burn you.
'You do not want to get burned, right?'
Ever Again!

A lump occurred in her throat as she imagined all the consequences that would come with Noel being close to her. She immediately fixed it in her brain that maintaining a proper distance from him would be better. She tore her eyes away from his captivating self while taking a sharp breath.

"Hmmm!" Noel nodded slightly at Scarlett's reasonable question while his eyes fixed sharply on the road. He took a left turn, bringing the car into a living street town that looked pretty exquisite.
He had never driven to this place before. Hell, even he didn't know who Picasso was. He didn't have a single idea about that man or the cafe. All he did was search the cafe on his phone before turning his car in that direction. Since Scarlett had already told him where she would like to go, going somewhere else wasn't a gentle move from him. All he did was quickly search the cafe on his phone before turning his car around.

"We're here," he said after stopping the car by the side of the empty road. A smile crept to Scarlett's lips after she climbed down the car. The whole town was filled with lively chatter. Noel's eyes fell on the kids, who happily crossed the road while chit-chatting with each other. Their faces had the brightest smiles. His eyes softened for a slight second before he heard Scarlett's voice: "Picasso's cafe is on this side." Her voice dragged him back to the earth, and he found her staring at him dubiously. "uh yes!" He nodded before walking down the road with her.

"Two caramel macchiatos, please," he ordered while they both shifted to their respective seats. It was a traditional cafe known for its special services. Picasso Cafe was extremely famous in the east town, which was known for its beautiful sunset views, lakes, and friendly residents.
"So-" Noel's eyes shifted back at hers, keenly, while his eyes convinced him he was waiting for her to continue. Scarlett dubiously nibbled her lower lip, which didn't go unnoticed by him. He felt his hand aching for it to be sensually stroked on her beautiful, flawless skin. She looked so virtuous yet so tempting. "I-uh, what made you suddenly appear at my office?" She asked almost abruptly. Her forehead was covered in lines of trepidation and perplexity.

"I heard that you are facing a lawsuit in court." Scarlett's eyes flickered in anguish while Noel kept staring at her, waiting for her to reply. The worries that crossed her face were visible to him, and she gave enough explanation of something going wrong with her. "How did you know?" After all the time she took, she asked what she thought would be a good fit. Noel let out a chortle of disappointment at her choice of question but nonetheless answered.

"I would say that Adair's event has quite a good reputation in the city for my acknowledgement." He let out a scornful smile while Scarlett watched him without giving a single satisfaction with her lack of expression. "A well-known business tycoon wouldn't waste a single second on something like this; I would say that." Noel liked the way Scarlett's expression changed. The lines of worries thinned and were replaced with something more assertive and precise.

"Unless he benefits from it." She finished with a chug of her caramel macchiato.
"Besides your alluring and interesting personality," Passing a smile, he grabbed his mug and said, "You have a very seductive and intriguing mind, Ms. Adair." He finished with a chug and a flirtatious smile. Scarlett's eyes were keenly paired with fiery ones.
"Why are you here?"