- When They Had An Eventful Saturday -

Nina

Yellow rays pierce through my bedroom windows straight into my eyes, making me cringe and turn around to sleep on my stomach; burying my face into the pillow.

Knowing that Prince will probably wake up me soon by licking my cheeks - since he takes his job as my alarm clock too seriously; I open my eyes and yawn, rubbing my eyes.

Getting up, I squint my eyes trying to see the numbers on my alarm clock.

6:03.

Huh.

I look around my otherwise empty room, and ponder - am I forgetting something?

I shrug it off and walk out of my room sleepily, only to stop dead in my tracks as my eyes falls on the couch.

I quickly slap my hand over my mouth to stop myself from laughing out loud.

I take in Lucien's sleeping form with one of his legs dangling off the couch as he snores slightly, cuddling my pet against his bare chest and rubbing his fur; earning a soft groan from Prince as he snuggles closer to Lucien.

Lucien softly giggles - giggles! - in his sleep and grunts, "Mmh... I love your fur!"

I bite my lip as I see Lucien frowning to himself and mumbling, "Fur?"

Immediately, his eyes shoots open as he registers my canine on top of him, making him shriek out loud, "Aaahhh," as he falls off the couch in an attempt to get away from his 'cuddle buddy'.

Prince makes a 'Grr' sound and opens his eyes as well, yawning sleepily.

Lucien stands up and places his hands on his hips, "What the fuck do you think you're doing, buddy!? Are you tryin' to take advantage of me!?"

He crosses his hands over his chest; as if covering himself and gasps dramatically, "I feel violated!"

Sighing softly, he bends down so he comes face to face with my dog.

Looking serious as hell, he starts, "First off; I don't swing that way, if you know what I mean. No offence, but I prefer women. I mean, you would know that if you ever saw me looking at Nicolina."

His expression turns dreamy as he sighs, "Nicolinaa..."

Oh my...

Shaking his head, he looks back at Prince, "Second of all; even if I were to swing that way, I think a relationship between a dog and a man would be very complicated."

Placing his hand over his heart, he continues, "That's why, it is with a heavy heart that I say that this 'thing' between us, can only last for one night."

Prince looks intently at Lucien and slightly tilts his head as if trying to study him, with an expression which implied, 'What the fuck are you talkin' bout, bruh?'

Knowing it was time to make my appearance, I clear my throat dramatically.

Lucien and Prince snap their heads towards me.

Blinking innocently, I mumble, "Am I interrupting something? Maybe a lovers spat?" I say, looking at Lucien mischievously as I say the last words.

Lucien chokes on his breath and mutters, "How long were you standing there?"

Walking towards him, I ruffle his hair, "Long enough, sexy. Long enough."

I hear him groan in embarrassment as I chuckle, walking towards the kitchen for the much needed caffeine intake.

Preparing two cups of coffee for me and Lucien, I pass off the mug to him as he sits on the stool on the counter, while I stay back in the kitchen, so that I could look straight at him.

"Did you sleep well?" I bat my eyelashes innocently as I sip on my coffee, with my elbows on the counter.

He narrows his eyes and states, "Your couch is more uncomfortable than sleeping on a bed of thorns."

I place my hand over my heart and mumble, dramatically, "Ouch!"

I wink at him and take an apple from the fruit basket near me and take a bite.

I look back up to see staring at me intently with his intense green eyes.

I blink, "Want one?"

Just as I reach my hand sideways to take another apple, he takes the apple from my hand; the one I had taken a bite from and takes another bite.

"Hey! That was mine!" I frown grumpily.

"Mmh. Sweet." He mumbles around the apple and winks at me, placing the apple back in my hand.

I huff, taking another bite from the same apple as he chuckles.

As soon as I bite it, he yells out, "Mine!"

I make a non-committed sound as I imagine him talking about the apple, but when he leaps up and places a kiss on my forehead I realize; he was calling me his.

The sexy green eyed man say what!?

"Wow! You sure didn't sound like a possessive caveman at all!" I mumble sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

I wonder where his thought came from.

Eh!

He narrows his eyes, looking straight into my eyes, "You're mine!" He repeats.

I gulp audibly and look into his eyes to see it reflecting intense possessiveness and adoration.

I feel my cheeks flush as he continues staring at me.

"Whatever, doofus!" I mumble, keeping it light and turning around placing the mug on the sink while breathing hard.

Damn him.

"I have to leave, sweetheart. There's an early meeting." He says, putting his arms around my waist from behind and placing his chin on my shoulder watching me wash the mug.

How did he get here so fast?

Mmh... Perks of being tall.

Nuzzling my neck with his nose, he whispers, "Thanks for the coffee, cara."

I almost drop the mug from my hands as I lean back against him and tilt my head giving him better access.

"Hmph." I mumble in response.

I feel him smirk against my neck as he continues; "Try not to miss me too much, 'kay?"

I roll my eyes and lean my hand back and playfully slap his head.

He just shoots me a boyish grin and smacks me a loud kiss on my cheek and yells out, "Laters, bella!"

And he's gone.

Cue the sigh.

I shake my head, smiling to myself as I head to complete my morning chores.

***

Pulling on a simple light grey T-shirt which had black cap sleeves and a round neck over my head, I quickly pair it with dark jeans and tuck the T-shirt inside my pants.

Pairing it with a black belt and matching watch over my wrist, I quickly pull my hair up in a high ponytail and brush my bangs to cover my forehead.

I quickly cover my feet with my favourite black boots and look in the mirror and apply minimal make-up.

Thank God it's Saturday.

CoopCorp had introduced the policy of having 'Casual Saturdays' which allowed the employees to dress casually and not formally on Saturdays.

I shake off my thoughts and quickly head to work.

***

Stepping out of the elevator, I quickly make my way towards the employees lounge to make myself a cup of coffee.

Even though I already had a coffee, the caffeine from the coffee maker in the office was too overwhelming to pass up.

Opening the door, I notice a figure leaning against the coffee maker making me yell out, "Oh! Hell no!"

Lucien grins slyly, sipping his coffee.

"Ho... Wh... How?" I mumble, dumbfounded.

Ever since I started working here, I noticed that Lucien and I wear same coloured clothes; Every. Freakin'. Day.

Every day!

"How do you know I was gonna be wearing grey and black?" I ask, checking him out; taking in his simple dark grey full sleeved button down shirt which he had rolled up to his elbows, with top two buttons open and dark jeans.

"Call it... intuition, mio amore." Lucien grins, smiling slyly.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, I grumble, "You know what!? I don't care. I just want to drink some delicious coffee and hopefully pray no one else would notice these weird matching coincidences that occur every day."

Placing his hand over his heart, he winces playfully, "You hurt me bad, bella."

I roll my eyes and walk towards the coffee maker only to have him stop me by holding a cup of coffee in front of me.

I glance at him suspiciously.

He just grins and recites, "Extra milk, extra sugar."

I take the cup from his hand and narrow my eyes, "How'd you know this is how I take my coffee?"

He shrugs, taking a sip, "I observe."

"More like stalk." I mumble, rolling my eyes.

He gasps dramatically, "I do not stalk!"

I raise my eyebrow with an expression which clearly implied, 'Who're you kidding?'

He huffs shyly, and mumbles, "Maybe a little."

I chuckle and sip on my coffee.

"You do know if this is too much for you; you just have to say the word and I'll back off." He says sincerely.

"Eh! I don't mind you living next to me that much." I wave my hands dismissively. Giving him a sultry look, I continue, "Although I do know someone who's very happy knowing that you're my new neighbour."

He stares at my sultry face and his eyes darkens immediately, "And who's that 'someone'?"

I bite my lip seductively and step closer to him, with our toes almost touching each other as I lean up, standing on my tiptoes.

Placing a kiss on his chin, I turn towards his jaw line; placing butterfly kisses on his slightly stubbled skin, keeping in mind the cup of coffee in my left hand while my right hand trails from his chest towards his mighty eight pack, finally resting on his hip.

As soon as I feel his breathing become ragged, I smirk to myself and hover my lips over his ear and whisper, "My dog."

I back away quickly to see his turned on expression turning into confusion then as his face turns red in embarrassment as he recalls the whole cuddling thing with Prince.

I burst out laughing; when I see his cheeks puff as he pouts playfully.

"It's not funny!" He whines.

I giggle softly, making his eyes soften as he stares at me, lovingly.

"Hey Nin-oh. Hey, Mr. Cooper." Rylee Parker, our executive strategic co-ordinator walks into the lounge breaking our moment.

I turn around and instantly my lip curves, smiling warmly at him.

He was one of the friendly faces that I've grown used to seeing every day. His thick brown untameable hair covers his forehead, as his chocolate brown eyes smile back at me.

He was a little self conscious; probably due to the little belly he carried; but I loved it due to the fact that his weight also brought out his cheeks.

I mean, this guy is a frickin' teddy bear!

"Hey Lee." I say at the same time Lucien murmurs a curt, "Mr. Parker."

The door burst open as Rochelle, Lucien's personal assistant walks in.

"Morning, Mr. Cooper." She gives him a curt nod and turns towards me, "Hey Nina," then turns towards Rylee, "Morning, bonehead."

Rochelle and Rylee had somewhat of a love-hate relationship. Sometimes they act as inseparable as Siamese twins but other times they hated each other guts more than The Doctor and the Daleks from the British television series Doctor Who.

Meh! Who am I to judge?

Couples and their daily drama!

"Morning Ellie." I mumble trying to distract Rochelle and Rylee from their current stare-off.

Lucien clears his throat and gives Rochelle his usual curt, "Miss Espinoza."

I look back at Rochelle and sigh. She looked like a perfect Hawaiian princess. From her tan skin; being half Dominican to her dark grey eyes which stood out against her dark hair, making her look like one of the Axe angels.

I turn towards Rylee as I see him trying to think of a new comeback to Rochelle's 'bonehead' comment.

I shake my head and pull out a chair from the table and take a seat, while Rochelle and Rylee do the same, beside me as we drink our coffee.

"So..." Rochelle starts, looking up at Lucien, "I heard that you had a date yesterday."

I inhale sharply.

What the hell?

Lucien grins, standing behind me, "Yes I did."

"Ooh," Rylee comments, suddenly interested. "Where did you take her?"

"To the beach." He answers.

Is he trying to get me fired?

Wait! He is my boss.

And it wasn't a 'date' dammit!

"I bet the girl was gorgeous, wasn't she?" Rochelle murmurs.

"Woman." Lucien corrects, "She is the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen. You know... the kinda person who just takes your breath away."

I feel my cheeks flush as I notice Lucien's gaze on me.

"So... you guys serious?" Rylee asks, studying Lucien.

Lucien makes a thinking face and replies, "I sure hope so, considering the fact that I'm planning on how to impregnate her with my future babies in my mind right now."

I choke on my coffee, resulting in catching everyone's attraction.

"Wrong pipe." I mutter, trying to look anywhere but Lucien's smirking amused face.

Rylee glances between me and Lucien suspiciously, making me hold my breath, my heartbeat accelerating.

Finally Lucien clears his throat and murmurs, "I have a call to make. See you around."

All three of us glance at Lucien's retreating form and I immediately exhale in relief.

"So..." Rylee starts, "Who wants to hear some jokes I came up with last night?"

I glance at Rochelle and share a look and we both immediately groan out in pain.

It was Rylee's dream to become a stand-up comedian one day. I mean, sure... why not? Everyone can dream, right?

And it wasn't like we didn't enjoy his jokes.

It was more like every time we hear his jokes, instead of laughing out loud we'd rather wanna punch him in his guts.

"Sure." I mumble, trying to sound excited but failing miserably.

Thankfully he didn't pick up on it.

I look at Rochelle who had crossed her fingers; as if praying that Rylee's jokes wouldn't make our brains stab itself.

"So... what's pink and fluffy!?" He asks, looking back and forth between me and Rochelle.

Noticing our confused expression, he yells out, "PINK FLUFF!"

"Wow! That was... um," I trail off not knowing what to say.

Fortunately - or maybe unfortunately; he wasn't done yet, "What's blue and fluffy!?"

"PINK FLUFF IN DISGUISE!" He yells, probably bursting our eardrum.

I wince and mumble, "That was... terrific!"

Rochelle coughs trying to control her laughter seeing my 'please kill me now' expression, "Terrific indeed."

"Ooh, I have another one. What do you call a fake noodle?" He says, glancing at us.

I grimace and shrug.

He sighs and yells, "An im-pasta!"

"Huh?" Rochelle blurts out, reading my thought.

Rylee rolls his eyes and explains, "You know, like imposter... but because it is a noodle; it's impasta. You know, noodle, pasta..." He trails off.

"Ahh..." I sigh and nod.

Rochelle looks at me with a serious expression and says in a deadly tone, "Are you gonna kill him or should I do the honours?"

I giggle softly.

Rylee huffs and stands up, turning towards Rochelle, he yells out, "Vete a la mierda!"

That sounded Spanish.

Mmh. Is Rylee tryin' to learn Rochelle's native tongue?

He walks out of the room and slams the door shut.

Rochelle bursts out laughing while I just look at her confused and ask, "What did he say?"

She chuckles, "He said 'Fuck off'... in Spanish."

Ooh...

Our laughter dies down as I look at Rochelle who seems like she wanna say something.

"So, do you know what I just noticed?" Rochelle says, casually.

I blink, "What?"

She looks around the room as if searching if anyone's hearing us, then turns to me and whispers, "I think Mr. Cooper is acting too weird lately."

I swallow hard.

Does she know about us?

"Weird? How weird?" I whisper back.

She leans in closer as if telling a big secret and whispers, "He's smiling!"

"Huh?"

She sips her coffee and turns to me, "He's smiling, Nina... Mr. Cooper always scowls. Never smiles. Never. Not in last five years that I've been working here."

"So... that's good, right?" I mumble, shrugging.

She shakes her head, "You don't get it!" She leans closer again and whispers, "I think he's doing drugs."

I sputter on my coffee, "What!? What makes you say that?"

She sighs, throwing her hands in the air, "That's the only thing that makes sense. That's why he's so happy all the time."

I sigh, "Don't be ridiculous, Elle."

She blinks and frowns.

"Occam's razor, honey." I mutter, "the simplest solution is often the correct one."

I look at her and speak slowly, "The simplest solution, Elle... Mr. Cooper's smiling, because he is happy. The end."

She leans back against her chair and murmurs a hushed, "That makes sense."

"I know." I state smugly.

I wonder where she gets all these ideas from.

I giggle at her dumbfounded expression and wave back at her as I walk back into my office.

Parking my butt on my chair, I scowl up at Lucien through the glass door as he grins back at me.

I huff and open the file on my desk and start working.

Halfway through the day I sigh; feeling homesick.

Not homesick per se.

But I guess being surrounded by new people; I just want to talk to someone old and familiar again.

Letting out a depressed sigh, I pull out my phone and type.

Me: You're the reason why a unicorn sobs. *pooh pooh*

I set my phone down and get back to work.

Not ten seconds later, I get a reply.

Nate: And... you're the reason why frogs fart! What the fuck, you bee-otch!? I choked on my own breath as I read your text. The fuck!? What's wrong?

My lips curve into a smile as I feel my brother's familiar words enter my brain.

I miss him.

If he calls you 'bee-otch', 'whore', 'fucker'... that means he loves you.

Eh! He's weird that way...

Me: What can I say... I miss you, my sweet big bro *sniff sniff*

I could almost feel him melting and softening under my words as I immediately get a reply.

Nate: I miss you too, my not-so-sweet baby sister.

Me: Hey!

Nate: You know it's true...

I sigh.

He knows me better than anyone.

Me: I'm just gonna ignore that, you doofus.

Nate: Doofus? Tsk, tsk... you know you can do better than that!

I sigh.

Me: Luke said the same thing. Damn you humans with Y chromosome!

I place my phone back on the desk and smile softly.

Just talking to him makes me feel better.

I miss him.

Suddenly my phone beeps again.

Nate: Who the fuck is this Luke!? Do I need to kill him?

I wince.

My bad.

Stupid stupid Nina.

Me: Hakuna your tatas, bruh. He's just my boss and a friend; a really good friend

Nate: Did you just use 'semi colon' in a text!? Damn you're such a nerd!

I groan and grumble while typing.

Me: Take that back, you brother of me! Otherwise the next time we meet, I'm gonna knee you in your Johnson. Grrrrr!

I smile at my reply and send it.

Nate: Ouch! That hurt. Fine! I take it back. You happy, your Majesty!?

I chuckle at the sarcasm dripped text.

Me: Yup. I love you.

Nate: Love you too, brat. And we're still not done with this Luke guy. Who the fuck is he to you!?

I groan and slap my hand over my head.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Why the hell did I had to mention him to the most over-protective brother in the whole damn universe?

Me: Oh! Would you look at that? I think I hear my clients calling me. Gahh! I feel so bad. I really wanted to tell you everything about Luke. Poor me! I'm so busy. Well, then... Peace out, bruh!

I grin at my cell.

Best way to deal with an over-protective brother is to avoid an over-protective brother.

Amen!

Nate: Pfft, who're you kidding!? Like I'm ever gonna leave you alone until you tell me everything. Tomorrow's Sunday, my dear little sister. I think you need a visit from the N-Man! See you tomorrow, sistah!

I groan and drop my head against my desk.

Me: Don't worry, NayNay. I will come over for lunch tomorrow, 'kay? And if I find you and Amy making out on the couch again and if I'm gonna have to explain to your daughters why their mommy and daddy are having a tongue fight, I'm gonna bury you alive. Copy that, N-Man!?

I could almost see him bursting into laughter remembering the past incidence with his daughters.

Nate: Aye aye captain. And Nina, sweetie... bring this Luke guy with you tomorrow. No buts. He is coming, got it?

I groan and bang my head against the desk.

Me: Got it. Buh-bye, my brother.

Nate: Au revoir, ma sœur.

I sigh and lean my head back against the chair.

Now... how do I convince Lucien to have lunch with my brother?

Le sigh.

I look at my watch to see it's almost lunch time.

I stretch my body back against my chair and stand up. Lucien, here I come.

Most of the employees would have already left, being it was Saturday; we only had to work half the normal time.

I quickly walk out of my office and stare at Lucien's door menacingly.

I take a deep breath and turn the knob and enter his office and lock the door behind me.

"Hey, sweetheart." Lucien murmurs, standing behind him.

Seriously!? How can he move so quickly?

Not giving him any chance to speak another word, I take my handbag in my hands and start hitting him with it.

"What the hell were you thinking?" I shriek out loud.

"Ow. Jeez that hurts!"

Not stopping my attack, I say in a deep voice, trying to mimic him, "Ooh I had a date yesterday. Ooh she was very gorgeous - which I am," I flick my hair back, making him chuckle, "Ooh I'm trying to impregnate her. Ooh I am the stupidest arse in the whole damn world."

He catches my handbag in my hands, and grumbles, "Hey! That's mean."

Giving him a deadly glare, I snatch my handbag bag and start hitting him again, "What the frickity frick were you talking about, you jerko!?

I open my mouth to yell more profanities at him when he places his hand over the back of my head and pulls me forward, crashing my head into his chest, hugging me tightly.

"Mhht tha ehl aa huu muuing?" I mumble into his chest.

He tugs on my hair, making me look up as he murmurs confused, "Huh?"

I roll my eyes and repeat, "What the hell are you doing?"

He shrugs, "You wouldn't shut up. So I silenced you with my chest." He puffs out his chest, while giving me a boyish grin.

I give him my best deadly glare, "Do that once more and see what happens."

He gives me a seductive look and purrs, "Ooh baby, you look so sexy when you get so mad."

I feel my cheeks flush as I place my hands over my hips and grumble, "Let us see how sexy I look when I'm kicking your arse."

He gives me a grin and replies, "Feisty, huh? I love feisty."

I let out a frustrated groan making him chuckle.

Can this guy take anything seriously?

As soon as I shake my head, clearing my thoughts, I see him sitting back on his desk, while he bends down and... Wait, what the hell!?

"What the hell are you doing!?" I yell at him.

He throws his shoes around the office somewhere and starts unbuttoning his shirt, giving me a cheeky grin, "What the hell do you think? I'm stripping!"

I roll my eyes, "Thank you, Captain Obvious." Glaring at him, I continue, "I know you're stripping, I can see you. What I wanted to ask is why the hell are you stripping?"

He throws his shirt on the desk and looks up while fumbling with his belt, making a thinking face, "I dunno. I got bored. So I thought, 'Hey, why not strip?'." He shrugs as if his explanation made perfect sense and goes back to unzipping his jeans.

Finally he places his jeans on his desk, leaving him in his dark grey Calvin Klein boxers and matching socks.

Putting his hands on his hips, he looks down at his feet and mumbles, "Do you think my socks matches my underwear?"

I feel him looking back up at me, "Nina?"

I block away all the sound as I let out a sigh, letting my eyes trail down from his face to his chest, lingering at the tattoo over his heart.

I mean, can this guy get any sexier!?

I slowly bite my lower lip as I feel my gaze trail down towards his abs, trying to memorize every contour, every ridge of his muscles, as they further make a V shape, trailing into his underwear. I swear he looks like he stepped out of GQ magazine photo shoot.

"You done, sweetheart?" His husky voice snaps me out of my daydream.

"Come again?" I mumble, blinking twice; trying to control my flush as I know he caught me staring at him.

He just shakes his head smiling, and mumbles, "Nothing."

Shaking off all the other thoughts, I look up at him and ask, "You still haven't answered my question, sexy. What if someone knew that you're interested in me? What if they figure out that we were together yesterday when I was supposed to be working? What if-"

He cuts me off again by smashing my face into his chest and hugging me hard.

I punch his chest and yell, "Would you stop doing that!?"

He gives me a cheeky smile, but quickly sobers up and stares down at me with a serious expression.

Placing one hand around my waist, other over my cheek, softly caressing my cheek, lifting my face up, he whispers softly, "Like I said before; I don't give a fuck what anyone else thinks."

"Because I don't care about them. All I care about is you. About us. You and me. No one else. Trust me when I say this that you're all I see, you're all I think about. That's why until it concerns you; I don't give a fuck what anyone thinks." He whispers as his eyes soften.

I let out a shaky breath and whisper, "I'm all you see?"

He chuckles and places his forehead against mine, "As cheesy as it sounds, yeah. You, Nicolina Snowee Stark have ruined me for pretty much everyone else. Every time I look at another girl, all I think about is, 'Eh! She's nothing compared to my sweetness.' Now stop fishing for compliments, you know you're beautiful." He narrows his eyes at me, his eyes filled with humour.

I let out a chuckle and mumble, "You know... this moment could have been so romantic if you weren't in your boxers and socks." I giggle softly as he pouts playfully.

He frowns and looks down at himself, "But I look good, don't I?"

I smile softly and gaze up at him warmly and whisper, "Oh honey, you always look good."

He stops scanning himself and whips his head at me, his eyes softening at the term of endearment.

Letting out a shaky breath, I lean forward and hug him tightly, taking him by surprise as I bury my flushed face into his neck.

I feel him overcome his initial surprise as he wraps his arms around my waist, lifting me up, making me clutch onto him tighter.

He kisses the side of my hair and sniffs it, "Mmh... green apples," he purrs.

I smile against his neck and place my hand on his shoulder, pulling away from him as he lowers me back onto my feet.

I smile shyly at him and straighten my shirt, tucking a strand of my hair behind my hair, self consciously.

"Ahem." Someone clears their throat making me and Lucien snap our head towards the direction of the sound.

I blink confused as I notice a couple in their fifties standing at the door with a key in their hands.

The woman stands there with her jaw dropped while the man stares back and forth between us.

I open my mouth to say hello or something when Lucien beats me to it by murmuring:

"Ma! Dad! What are you doing here?"

***