Chapter 1: His Ideal Woman
Flynn checked his watch, noticing that Clover was once again running late. Despite her brilliance, punctuality seemed to be an area she needed to improve on. Frustrated, he couldn't help but call out her name.
"Clover!" he exclaimed.
Jia, sitting across from him in his office, calmly reminded him not to yell at her. She looked impeccably composed, as she always did.
They had been friends since junior high, and she always looked flawless. She had the appearance of a blonde cover girl model, but it was her kindness and intelligence that had initially attracted him. However, when she fell for his college roommate, Thomas, Flynn's infatuation with Jia came to an end. Even back then, he knew it wasn't worth jeopardizing the only two friendships he had over an unrequited crush.
"I know she's not my dog, but she's running late," he said, hoping she would become his subordinate, but he had more important plans for her. "Clover, come in here now!"
"She's getting your lunch," Jia replied, giving him a disgusted look. "Stop yelling. She'll be here when she's finished."
"Did he yell? I thought that was his normal tone," Clover chimed in as she breezed into his office.
Flynn swore that whenever Clover was in the room, the energy crackled. She was a whirlwind of movement, both physically and verbally. The first time he met her, he was captivated by the stream of words that effortlessly flowed from her lips.
They were both rambling and humorous. Over the months of knowing her, he became even more fascinated, always anticipating what peculiar or inappropriate thing would escape her soft pink lips.
Clover placed a wrapped deli sub, a bag of chips, and a can of cola in front of Jia. "That's the only tone he ever uses with me."
Maybe if you were punctual, I wouldn't have to. Most people, except for Jia and Thomas, treated him with respect because of his wealth, but Clover was different. She didn't seem to care about his money or power. It both annoyed and intrigued him.
"Come on." Her eyes twinkled with amusement. "You yell at me when I'm in my office and not late. I'm working." She rummaged through the deli bag.
"I don't yell." He reached out his hand. He was starving. "Yelling implies hysteria, and I'm never hysterical."
"You can say that again. More like gloomy." She handed him a wrapped sub and placed a bottle of water and a bag of apple slices on his desk.
"He was even gloomy in college." Jia chuckled.
"I wasn't. I was serious and hardworking. We wouldn't have this business if it weren't for me."
"Thomas and I worked hard too." Jia opened her bag of chips. "But we also knew how to have fun." Her gaze met his and then flickered towards Clover, who was sitting across the table with her lunch in front of her.
He shot Jia a glare and shook his head. She had noticed his interest in Clover and had suggested countless times that he should ask her out.
What Jia didn't understand, and what he couldn't tell her, was that he had no intention of dating Clover. He had another arrangement in mind that would benefit them both. He just needed to find the right moment to make her the offer.
It might require some persuasion at first, but he was confident he could convince her. He always found a way to get what he wanted.
Clover unzipped her bag of chips. "Speaking of having a good time, I'm going on a—"
"Where are my chips? And why do I have water? I want a soda."
"Because you need to start eating healthier." Clover took a big bite of a chip. "You're not a young man anymore. You have to watch your cholesterol and blood pressure."
"I'm not old." That was so offensive. "I'm in great shape." He worked out every day and noticed young women checking him out all the time.
"You mentioned that your blood pressure was high. Chips are packed with salt and that's not good for high blood pressure."
"My blood pressure is high because you drive me insane."
"Me?" She pointed at herself. "What did I do?"
"Do you really want me to start? It's a long list." He unwrapped his sandwich. "What's this? It's not what I ordered." It was filled with vegetables.
"It is what you ordered. Roast beef."
He stared at the sandwich and slowly opened it, not wanting to see what vegetables she had them add.
"It's not going to attack you," Clover remarked.
"I'm well aware of that."
"Why are you opening it as if it's about to pounce on you?" She attempted but couldn't hold back the laughter in her voice.
Usually, he adored her sense of humor. She had a knack for finding amusement in everything, except when she was teasing him. "Why did you subject me to this?" He gazed at her. "I treat you well, don't I?"
"They're just vegetables, not deadly toxins." She scoffed at him.
"I despise tomatoes."
“There aren't any tomatoes on there, even though I can't understand how anyone can hate tomatoes.” She sighed, taking one from her sandwich and taking a bite. "They're so delicious and healthy."
The look of pure satisfaction on her face made him feel excited. He wanted her to look at him like that after he pleasured her, or even better when she had him in her mouth. Damn. She had him craving to be a damn tomato.
"But it's okay if you don't like them. Everyone has their own preferences," she said, waving her sandwich at him. "I had them add extra green peppers. You like those."
He almost groaned as she pulled another tomato from her sandwich and licked the mayonnaise off it. Jia snorted.
He tore his eyes away from Clover and gave Jia a quick "shut up" glance. "I do enjoy green peppers, but why is there so much lettuce? I didn't order a salad."
"You should have," Clover muttered with a mouthful of her sandwich.
"I might as well have. I can barely see the meat. This isn't double meat. I prefer double meat."
"Meat isn't good for you, especially deli meat. It's packed with nitrates, fat, and sodium."
"There's no cheese," he remarked, absentmindedly poking at the vegetables on his plate.
Clover turned to Jia, a disapproving look on her face. "Does he have no knowledge about health?" she asked.
"He's a man. They think they can eat whatever they want and ignore good advice," Jia replied, clearly frustrated. She glanced at Clover before continuing, "About a lot of things."
"I know about health, and I don't have high cholesterol. Why would you assume that?" he said, feeling mentally drained from talking to Clover.
"You mentioned having a heart attack," Clover said, taking a big bite of her sandwich, pretending innocence.
"I never..." he started, feeling the urge to strangle her. "I said that because you drive me crazy, not because of my cholesterol. Give me those chips," he said, snatching the bag from her.
"Hey, those are mine," she protested.
"You should've gotten me chips instead of these," he retorted, tossing the apples at her.
"I'm not the one complaining about my blood pressure and heart," she snapped, throwing the apples back at him and hitting his chest. "Give me back my chips."
"No," he leaned forward, dumping them in the middle of the table. "But I'll share."
"They're my chips," she huffed, taking one. "You have the apples."
"I'll share those too," he said, opening the bag and placing them next to the chips. "And I'll forgive you for the terrible sandwich." He took a bite and closed it.
"I'm not apologizing," she declared, giving him a defiant stare. "Instead, you should be grateful. Vegetables are actually beneficial for your health."
"Well, squashing impertinence is also quite satisfying," he responded, his expression turning serious. "But we can discuss that later. Right now, I want to know how the facial recognition enhancement is progressing with my software." He emphasized the word "my" to purposely irritate her.
Flynn enjoyed witnessing Clover struggle to hold back from arguing with him, knowing that one day, she might explode like a boiling tea kettle.
Clover had dedicated countless hours to writing this code. It was more her creation than his, although he possessed ownership. He intended to exploit her possessiveness to achieve his desires.
She was young, in excellent shape, incredibly intelligent, and for some inexplicable reason, he desired her like he hadn't desired anyone since his teenage years. After weighing all the pros and cons, he concluded that she was the ideal woman to bear his child.
