AMBROSE...

I laid stiffly in bed, staring up at the cracked ceiling, finding it hard to do anything else.

I needed to be out of bed and at the Empire House by seven. It was now eight am. I found it difficult to lift myself off the lumpy bed. But why? What is the reason for all this?

Lilly's the reason

I obviously had the strength.

Lilly

And the ability.

Lilly

So why couldn't I?

LILLY!

My inner voice was right, this was all because of her. It was her fault all of this was happening. She was the one that found it odd that I slept at the Empire House and insisted that I find a house to live in. For some odd reason, I listened...

Are we calling it odd now?

...and decided to buy a house. She hated this house, said it wasn't fitting for a man of my stature. Though it was small, and broken down in some places, it was cheap, and that was all cared for. It was also the closest to the Empire House, which was a plus. After all, Knowledge is power is time is money. Being late wouldn't be an issue if I was sleeping at the Empire House.

This isn't what I meant I said "Lilly is the reason"

If inner voices could shake their heads in disappointment, mine would be doing so right now.

Ok, I had to admit that this had nothing to do with the house. It had everything to do with the decision she was about to make.

That's a good start, keep going.

Her leaving or getting married only meant one thing...

Yes...?

...she would no longer be my secretary.

Are you serious?

Her leaving London would definitely mean I would be out of a secretary. The same would be if she got married. Her husband surely wouldn't want his wife working. Unless she snuck around like she already did, but that would be hard to do with a house to take care of.

She was a good secretary, though I didn't tell her. Yes, she was bothersome, sometimes slow, and nothing said 'I disrespect my employer' more than calling him a chauvinistic pig every chance her ability was questioned. But she did her job well and knew exactly how I wanted things done. And I had gotten quite accustomed to her attitude.

That is an understatement.

She was good at what she did, and I couldn't afford to lose her. Where would I find someone else who understood what I wanted?

'This has nothing to do with her ability and work ethic as your secretary. She's more than that to you. So, let's take a deep breath and try again.'

Who was I trying to fool? There was more going on between Lilly and I that I didn't want to admit, didn't want to acknowledge. It started the day she stepped into my office for the second time that day, ready to fulfill the offer I had given her, dressed as a man. The courage it took for her to return like that was the reason I hired her. And dare I say it was also...attractive.

There we go, keep going.

It all grew with our trips to France, Egypt, South America and all the international lands we step foot on. Honestly, money wasn't the only reason I was looking forward to the Caribbean. There was so much that could be done on hot tropical islands.

Though there was much that was done, a line was never crossed. I could never understand why...or maybe I did.

It was time that I acknowledged what was going on between us.

So I want her to stay, I wanted her to not marry that man. But what do I do now? Was it too late to do anything?

It won't hurt to try.

Should I do it? Should I tell her I want her to stay? Should I tell her I want her to marry someone else? Should I tell her why? Was I even ready to say it to her?

Yes!

I sat up in bed and got myself ready. There was someplace I had to be, something I had to do.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

And there you have it, chapter 2! I couldn't remember if Mr. Ambrose had a house or not, so I made some stuff up. If you like this chapter, don't forget to vote and/or comment! Next chapter should be up soon!