I Hate You, Mr. Black

“Is that a problem?”

Mentally cursing, I turned and saw him standing before me with his arms folded at his chest, making his muscles visible as I formed my lips in a thin line.

“The last time I checked, these grounds belong to me so who is here to stop me?”

“You are distracting me, Mr. Black,” I mumbled but he heard it and knitted his brows together, acting oblivious.

“How so?”

“I am here to work, nothing else.”

“We will see about it. I would like to keep a close eye on you until I am satisfied with your work,”

I swear, this man never failed to hit my sensitive nerves, always testing my patience and limits.

“Sure,”

Scoffing, I walked away, pouring my hardest efforts into being as flawless as possible so His Majesty could be satisfied.

After the shoot, I saw Mr. Black with Gracia from afar, explaining work to her and just to irk him, I decided to walk to him, forcing a poisonous smile.

“Refuse her- Oh, Marianne?”

Folding my arms at my chest, I asked teasingly, “Are you satisfied today, Sir?”

Vanishing the discontent etched earlier on his handsome face, he smiled in the same way.

“For now, yes, absolutely,”

I opened my mouth to retort but he flicked my forehead and walked away, “But, let’s see for how long I will be,”

My mouth gaped as he left and I hit the nearby column as my team watched me rant angrily.

“Damn him. What does he think of himself? Doubting me? Marianne Morris? Tsk,”

“Uh… Marianne?”

“Not now, Jackie.”

I pointed my finger, holding my head high nonetheless to display I won’t lose easily or accept defeat. His petty attempts couldn’t weaken me.

“Damn him, he is an asshole. Does he think he is some kind of a King or what?”

The second I turned, I bumped into his strong body right before me, purloining my breaths straight from my throat.

“Oh?”

But, it wasn’t intimidating like in the vanity. There, he was shooting daggers at me as if one sight of me was… intolerable for him.

Here, his tall, brooding form hovered over me once again as he leaned forward and extended his left hand out.

The unpredictable closeness led my shoulders to be tense. A tremble emerged from my core and roamed freely.

He noticed my reaction. And smirked mischievously. That bastard.

Lifting his seductive emerald gaze he locked it with mine, hovering over my timid form, stiffening my whole being at the proximity,

“I don’t need to think, Miss Morris,”

Using his deep tone, he tilted his head to incline it with my ear, forming goosebumps all over.

My beats picked pace, getting embarrassed as he shamelessly closed the distance, almost brushing his body with mine and enunciated darkly.

“I am a King,”

Before I could comprehend or react, he simply grabbed his phone from the nearby table and walked away.

Liberating the breaths which stuck at the closeness, I got flustered and hugged myself immediately when he disappeared from my sight.

How could he do this so openly!?

I felt so abashed, unable to lift my gaze, fearing what others might say.

But, to my surprise, none of them cared. Not even one bit.

“Ah, him and his habits. Don’t mind him, he is just teasing you,”

“That’s… That’s wrong,” I breathed out, leaning against the column, regaining my scattering senses.

“Must be your inexperience. It was nothing. Let’s go,” Byron said purposely, clapping twice to drag me to reality.

“Okay,”

A few weeks passed, and things were going smoothly. And oh, the protocol they gave to the models of the Obsidians was like no other.

It was divine.

Subsequently, after a show, I returned to NYC and plopped on the bed after freshening up, only to receive a call from Byron.

“What does he want, Byron?” I groaned, pressing my head harder on the pillow.

“You know I have just returned from SF because of the show. It’s already too hard to live in New York. Ugh, I wish I could go back to California,”

He chuckled, “You can, after the shoot will be done, Marianne. Bear it for a while. Once the shoot will be done, they will move to the next step,”

“So what does he want from me now?”

“I don’t know myself. He ordered us to meet him at his cabin tomorrow at 10am sharp.”

“... I wonder what is his ordeal now,”

“Why do you hate him so much, Marianne?” He asked, intrigued.

“Why wouldn’t I? He is a playboy, who used his money and authority to get women. An asshole. Uncaring. Insensible. I hate people like him. He doesn’t know what feelings are, what it is like to love, to form a connection.”

It seemed like his one question blazed me as I started the series of things I resented about him without stopping, hissing constantly.

“Heck, he can’t even last that marriage of his. Ended in just a few months. He doesn’t deserve love, good thing Red left him-”

“Okay, okay, I get it. You don’t have to start a whole list,”

Byron was surprised when I rambled on and on about him. And I wouldn't have stopped if he hadn’t interrupted.

“So don’t ask again.”

“Fine. I will see you at his office tomorrow,”

“Okay,”

Disregarding all unwanted thoughts, I decided to fall into a peaceful slumber.

The next morning, I was relaxed until I remembered I had a meeting with him.

“Good Morning, Ma’am. Your juice will be ready soon,” Amie smiled.

“Thanks,”

Amie was my personal chef, I kept her with me wherever I went so she could prepare my meals according to my diet.

After my drink and some yoga, I left to see what he wanted now after ruining my holiday.

“Pleased to find you here, else I thought Your Highness won’t bother herself with a peasant like me,”

He released a suppressed, mocking, chuckle, testing me the second we entered his majestic office.

I frowned, “Was that taunt necessary, Mr. Black?”

“Of course, so that you keep your place in your mind and try not to fly high here, in my agency,”

He hummed, rising from his seat, his commanding form reaching me, enhancing my distress, failing to comprehend what lies beyond those unreadable emeralds.

With his hands in his pockets, looking handsome as always in his three-piece suit. Leaning forward to give me a challenging stare while whispering seductively.

“Trust me, I am proficient in cutting wings, Miss Morris,”

Doing the same gesture, I decided to reply in the same tone.

“Try to reach me first, Mr. Black,”

And we both were cut off by our assistants.

“Sir,”

“Marianne,”

Pulling back, I cleared my throat, “So, why have you called me here, Mr. Black? What can I do for you?”

I observed him thoroughly and brought a wicked grin, mocking him openly, “Apart from physically pleasing you, of course,”

He arched an eyebrow, equally playful as mine and led me forward by pulling the strap of my bag, taking me by surprise.

“If you want to or suggesting indirectly,” He chuckled darkly, scanning me from bottom, stopping at my eyes, “Then I wouldn’t mind,”

“No,” I faked a smile, poking his chest to pull him back.

“Yeah, they are here too. I don’t like being watched while fu-”

“Mr. Black, Please, I was joking,”

“Maybe don’t make stupid jokes like these again,”

He knew I said it to piss him off but it backfired on me. He could do anything just to defeat me. All my efforts were ending in pain.

“Okay, okay, sorry,” I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose, “What is it, Mr. Black?”

Straightening his back, forming his unshakable composure with a strange seriousness coming to his features, he demanded.

“Accompany me to a dinner as my partner next month, Marianne,”