Virtuous Love

By the time Lauren successfully climbed the last staircase that leads to her Boss's bedroom, she heaved a sigh of relief.

It was hard enough trying to get her Boss who was drunk to climb the stairs. He was far bigger and muscular than she is but she was happy she was able to drag him all the way up.

"Sir, I think I've tried. You should be able to go to your room from here. I will be on my way to my apartment." Lauren said to her Boss.

She was about disconnecting her hands that was intertwined with his own when he clung onto them as if his life depended on being close to her.

"Don't go, Please!" He whispered, looking into her worried but beautiful eyes. The eyes that he can sit down and look into for the rest of his life.

"B....but Sir, I...I have to go." Lauren pleaded, ignoring the sparks she was feeling and the shivers that were running down her spine as a result of his touch.

'He was her Boss so she is not meant to feel that way about him'

"Pleaseeeeeeee, stayyy" Stanley slurred, begging with pleading eyes.

"Just put me to bed and then you are free to go, " he added.

After being in conflict with herself for a few seconds, Lauren led her drunk Boss to his room.

Even though it was Lauren's first time in Stanley's room, she tried not to stare too much or get carried away. Stan's room was definitely the most beautiful place in the entire mansion.

Lauren made Stanley sit on the edge of the bed and then she helped him remove his shoes.

"Sit, " Stanley commanded, patting the space next to him.

"That's not necessary sir, I'm comfortable standing." She whispered.

"What am I still even doing in your matrimonial room?" She facepalmed. Lauren was about to escape when Stanley reached for her hand and made her sit beside him.

"Why are you in a hurry to leave?" Stanley asked as if it's no big deal for him to have his personal assistant in his bedroom.

Lauren looked at her Boss with wide eyes. Of course, he was drunk so he definitely wasn't aware of what he is saying or doing. She is the sane one who should know better and not be in a married man's room.

She rose to her feet and Stanley did the same, blocking her from escaping.

"Your wife can walk in on us, Sir, please just let me go, I don't want trouble." Lauren pleaded.

Stanley Chatwin, her boss was a kind-hearted and easy-going man. He is rich and undeniably sexy but unfortunately, he is married.

Stanley caressed Lauren's cheek. "You are in charge of all my schedule, you of all people know what's going on in my life. You know Rita is out of the country and won't be back until God knows when, " he whispered.

Lauren swallowed painfully, "Then what do you want from me?" She asked, confused, worried and scared at the same time.

"I like you, Lauren!" He declared.

Even though Stanley was a bit drunk, his statement came out with a very serious tone.

Lauren shook her head negatively. She heard him clearly but she knew he had no idea of what he was saying because he was drunk.

"You're drunk Sir, you should have some rest." She suggested.

Stanley cupped Lauren's face with his hands and made her look into his eyes. "I might be drunk but I'm telling you the truth. I like you very much, Lauren."

"I think of you more than I've ever thought about myself. You care for me as if I were yours, you care for me even more than my so-called wife. I think I'm in love with you Lauren."

An involuntary tear rolled down Lauren's cheek but Stan was fast to wipe them off.

"You don't know what you're saying Mr Chatwin, you won't even remember all that you are saying to me by the time you wake up tomorrow morning."

"Maybe I will remember and maybe I won't but I'm telling you the truth and I want you to believe it."

"You have a wife, Stanley." Lauren whisper yelled.

"I don't love Rita and you know that very much, " he replied sincerely.

"But I don't love you!" Lauren replied with a heavy heart. Probably, her response will talk him out of the idea of him loving her.

"You've been working as my assistant for almost two years now and I know you as much as you know me. You're very bad at telling lies Lauren, I know you love me too."

"No, I don't." Lauren shook her head negatively.

"Yes, you do! I see it in your beautiful eyes every day. I see how jealous you feel anytime Rita is around me. And when she begins to act romantic and shower me with kisses, you get even more jealous."

"That's not true, " Lauren said as another tear rolled down her cheek.

"I also notice how jealous you are of my female partners who throw themselves at me. I guess it's normal because the same applies to me. I get jealous anytime I feel or see my business partners drooling over you. I always feel like killing them. They can testify by the glares and warnings I give them when you're not around or when you're not looking."

"Since the day you appeared at my office for the interview, I felt something for you and what I feel for you have developed as each day passes by. I'm very much attracted to you Lauren and I know you feel the same way about me."

"You're not in love with me. You cannot be in love with me and I'm not in love with you, Mr Chatwin. I care and take care of you because it's my duty as your personal assistant."

Stanley heaved a sigh. "You're saying something else but I can see the truth in your eyes. You love me, Lauren, Just admit it."

"Tell me, what are you afraid of? Is it Rita? I promise I will protect you. She won't lay a finger on you I swear" Stanley promised in his drunken state.

"It doesn't matter what I feel for you, Mr Chatwin."

"Call me Stanley." He interrupted.

Lauren swallowed painfully, "What I feel for you is not important, it doesn't matter whether it is love or hate. So please, quit saying all these things to me." She cried.

"I tried my best Lauren. I tried really hard not to make myself fall in love with you but I failed because I couldn't resist you."

"You're beautiful, you're hardworking, you're smart, you motivate me, you advise me, you bring out the best in me, you take care of me, you make sure I go for my monthly check-up when I don't want to go, you cheer me up when I lose deals worth billions of dollars, you take very good care of me, you like me and I'm sure you love me too."

"Accepting the fact that I love you is one of the hardest things I've ever had to accept to myself. And telling you about it is even harder. Lauren, please fight for me as I've planned to fight for you."

"It....it's not possible Stan, you have a Wife." Lauren shuttered.

"I'll divorce her so we can be together."

"What?" Lauren screamed in horror.

"I'll divorce Rita if it will make you feel better." He explained.

"No, please don't. I don't want to be termed a gold digger." She replied immediately with fear in her eyes.

"I don't care what anyone thinks, " Stan replied in all honesty.

"I do care about what everyone thinks. They are going to talk about me and it's my name that is going to be trampled on."

Stan cupped Lauren's teary face. "I promise to protect you with my life. A chance is all that I ask for. I love you so much, Lauren." He whispered, moving his face closer to hers as his hand caressed her plump lips.

Lauren's heartbeat increased at the realization of what could happen.

'Is Stanley Chatwin about to kiss her?'

'Will he really kiss her?'

She watched as Stanley stared at and caressed her lips with so much adoration in his eyes.

"I will never do anything against your will but please don't stop this. I want to kiss you. I want to feel how your plump lips taste." He whispered huskily.

Lauren wanted to oppose but her body said otherwise. She went still as soon as Stanley connected his mouth with hers.

At first, she didn't respond but that did not make Stan stop kissing her. He begged for entrance and she eventually gave in.

She kissed him back, getting a taste of the alcohol he drowned himself with.

Stanley gently guided her against the wall without breaking the passionate kiss. He explored every inch of Lauren's mouth until they were both out of breath.

While Lauren caught her breadth, Stanley traced kisses by her earlobe and finally sucked on her soft spot when he located it.

Lauren moaned in pleasure, forgetting everything around her.

Stanley traced kisses down Lauren's neck to the top of her chest. She was putting on a button-up dress that exposed a bit of her cleavage.

Lauren has a very sexy body; Curves in the right places and the perfect boobs and bum.

Stanley released the first three buttons of Lauren's dress and then caressed her boobs which earned a moan from Lauren. He adjusted her bra so he could get better access to her erect nipples. Then he took her left nipple in his mouth while he played with the right one.

"Stan....!!!" Lauren moaned as soon as he took her nipple into his wet mouth.

It was as if she was on cloud nine. She threw her head against the wall to enjoy the pleasure Stanley was giving her.

Stan continued to suck, kneed and play with both of her nipples until they were distracted by a phone which rang and that brought Lauren back to her senses.

It was Stanley's phone in his back pocket.

Lauren pushed Stanley away and looked away from him in shame. She began buttoning up her dress in a haste.

Stanley ran his fingers through his hair. He got carried away. He only wanted a kiss but one thing led to another, that was how powerful the attraction between them was. It was never his intention to make it seem as if he wants her only for her body or just for sex.

Before he could apologize to her, She had already stormed out of his bedroom.

Stanley groaned and buried his face deeper into the pillow at the feel of a very big headache. He rarely drinks or gets drunk but whenever he does, he gets the worst hangover ever.

Reluctantly, he stood up from his bed and made his way to his cabinet for some hangover painkillers. He reached for a glass of water on his nightstand and gulped down the pills.

He sat back on his bed to relax and suddenly, memories of yesterday night came rushing back to him.

Stan groaned and buried his face in his hands. Then he reached for his phone on the nightstand and dialled Lauren. He honestly had no idea what he was going to say to her. He just wanted to hear her voice, make sure she's okay and then maybe apologize to her for going too far yesterday.

He waited patiently for Lauren to pick up his call but she didn't which was very unusual of her. She was always at his beck and call, picking up in the first four rings.

Stanley sighed in defeat and dialled her number again. This time, it went straight to voicemail.

He swallowed painfully and then left a message.

"I hope you're okay Lauren. I know today is a national holiday and a break for you but please can you come over? We need to talk. I was drunk yesterday but everything I said is true. I'm sorry for breaking the news to you just like that and I'm sorry for going way too far. Please call me, I'm going crazy."

Stanley let out some air and then dialled his confidant; Anita, his elder sister.

"Hi love, " Anita said from the other side as soon as she picked up.

"Heyy, Annie!" he replied to her greetings.

"You sound worried? What's the problem?"

"Stress from work or you got into another fight with Rita?" She added.

Stanley sighed, his elder sister knew him too well.

"I might have told Lauren how I feel about her."

"Really? How did she take the news?" Anita asked, interested.

"She didn't take it well and I messed up too."

"What went wrong?" She asked.

"I was drunk when I told Lauren how I feel about her and then one thing led to another." He whispered.

"You guys made love?" Anita asked.

"No, we didn't, but we almost did."

"My phone rang in the process and it brought the two of us back to our senses. And before I could apologize to her, she left."

"I don't want her to feel like I want her for my sexual desires. She really means more than that to me. I wish I wasn't tipsy last night."

"I called her this morning, she didn't pick up and then it went to voicemail. I hope she's okay." Stanley ran his fingers through his hair.

"What was her reply when you confessed your feelings to her? Can you remember?" Anita asked.

Stanley nodded positively even though his sister couldn't see him

"She was reluctant to accept that I love her. She denied she feels something for me too. She's reluctant because I'm married and she could be termed a gold digger."

"I have a feeling Rita said something to her, " he added.

Anita heaved a sigh. "You can't blame Lauren for being so insecure. You're her Boss and married too. I guess you're right also. Rita must have threatened her. Lauren's love and kindness towards you is not unknown to anybody who is very observant. That girl adores you."

"So what are you going to do?" Anita asked.

"I don't know, that's why I called you so you'll tell me what to do, " Stan said, frustrated.

Anita chuckled, "I can't tell you what to do Stan, you'll have to follow your heart."

"You only get drunk when you are angry. Who made you angry?" She asked.

"I had two meetings with some partners and investors yesterday which did not end well and after that, I got a call from Rita, we had conversations which angered me even more. She just gets on my nerves every time."

"I needed something to cool my temper, alcohol was all I could think of and before I got totally wasted in the office, Lauren took me home."

"This is a very tough situation Stanley. I honestly don't even know what to say to you. You love Lauren and Rita, on the other hand, is obsessed with you. I see Rita as a very desperate person. It won't be easy to get rid of her."

Stanley sighed. "I know, I thought I was in love with Rita. I was really smitten by her when we first met and then I decided to get married to her"

"Unfortunately, things between Rita and I stopped being rosy a few weeks after our marriage. We argue and fight about the tiniest thing."

"Then Lauren walked into my life and showed me the true meaning of love. Rita must have suspected that I feel something for Lauren but she hasn't confronted me about it and I don't know if she said anything to Lauren but Lauren wouldn't open up to me."

"I told Lauren I was going to divorce Rita and she begged me not to. Please tell me what to do Anita. Life is too short for me to not be happy with the woman that makes me feel loved the most."

Anita exhaled from the other side. "It's really not going to be easy getting a divorce against Rita. She so obsessed with you that I doubt it if she will be willing to set you free. But when she comes back from her trip, talk to her about it. Be polite, speak from your heart and apologize for leading her on. Then based on her reaction or her response, we will now know what to do next."

"What about Lauren? Should I go over to her place instead, since she wouldn't return my calls or voice mail" Stan asked.

"Maybe you should let her be for today. Give her space to think about what happened between you two last night and then tomorrow you can discuss it with her."

"The bulk of the work is on you Stan and it won't be easy for you either. Lauren is very innocent and doesn't want to get herself involved in any trouble. You have to be patient with her and fight for her no matter what if you truly want her."

"Thanks for everything Anita."

"You're welcome baby brother, just be hopeful and don't try to overthink. Whatever will be, will be."

"Thank you. How's Harry and Alexa?" Stan asked about his brother in law and niece.

"They are fine. Harry took Alexa for a stroll. They should be back anytime soon."

"Okay, my regards to them."

"Sure, you should come over to my place for dinner." Anita offered.

"And don't you dare say no!" She threatened. Stan was always using work as an excuse to avoid any form of gathering or visit.

Stanley sighed. "I have some work-related matters to attend to this weekend but I'll try to be at your place for dinner on Sunday."

"Good. Make sure you keep your promise. Alexa will be so happy to see you."

Stanley nodded and smiled.

The Next Day.

Stanley spent the rest of his yesterday working from home. He called Lauren several times but it went to voicemail. He left her a few voicemails but she didn't return any of them.

Just for his peace of mind, to make sure she hasn't done anything to hurt himself, he sent one of his security guards to find out how she was doing. It turned out that Lauren was okay, she was in her apartment all though except when she went grocery shopping in the afternoon.

Stanley woke up at his usual time; he did his morning rituals, dressed up for work, reached for his phones, wallets and briefcase and then made his way downstairs to have his breakfast.

He was approached by his Driver, Isaac, who greeted him and collected his briefcase.

"Where's Lauren?" He asked Issac.

"I have no idea Sir, I haven't seen her this morning, " Issac replied.

This has never happened before. Lauren was always punctual. As Stanley Chatwin's personal assistant, she reports to his mansion every morning and then they go to the office in the same ride with Lauren briefing Stanley about his schedule for the day.

Stanley exhaled.

"Alright, you can go." He said to his driver who nodded and then took his leave.

Stanley reached for his phone in his pocket and dialled Lauren as he made his way over to the dining room for breakfast. And just like the previous day, it went straight to voicemail.

After trying her number twice with no luck, Stan abandoned his phone and then focused on his breakfast. His appetite was gone but he managed to eat a little. He was getting scared as to whatever Lauren was up to.

Stan finished his breakfast and then an idea struck him. Lauren was close friends with Kathrine, the HR of his company. He then decided to call Kathrine to ask of Lauren.

Kathrine picked up the phone after two rings. "Good Morning Mr Chatwin."

"Morning Kathrine, Did you by any chance hear from Lauren?" he asked immediately.

"She didn't say anything to you, Sir?" Kathrine asked confused and surprised. She thought Stanley was aware.

Stanley ran his left fingers through his neatly combed hair.

"Lauren did not show up at my place this morning and neither is she picking up any of my calls or returning any of my messages. I'm really worried, What did she tell you?"

"She didn't say much over the phone. She only told me she would email me her resignation letter which I would help her submit to you. She promised to tell me why she's resigning when we see." Kathrine responded.

"A resignation letter?"

"She must be kidding!"

"Do not bring me any resignation letter, Kathrine. Lauren has no right to resign and neither am I letting her go."

"Thanks for the info, " Stan said and then ended the call.

He made his way out of his mansion, into the car and told his driver, Issac to drive to Lauren's apartment.

On the drive to Lauren's apartment, Stanley had a series of thoughts going through his head. He was mad, scared, angry and confused.

He wished he did not go too far the night he confessed his feelings to Lauren. There was no doubt that it was a combination of what he said and did that made her ignore him and decided she was going to resign.

Stan's greatest fear is losing Lauren because he cannot imagine how his life would be without her in it. Because of the fear of losing her, he kept his feelings to himself for as long as he could.

After a couple of minutes drive, they arrived at Lauren's apartment.

Stanley sighed in relief as soon as he saw her car parked in the driveway. That could only mean she was at home.

He made his way to the entrance of her apartment and pressed the doorbell. He waited for a while but got no answer. He pressed the doorbell again and again.

Then he resulted in knocking on the door. "I know you're in there Lauren and I know you can hear me."

"Please open up, we have a lot to discuss." Stanley's said with a loud, pleading voice.

Lauren did not still open up.

He knocked on her door again. "Please, Lauren." he pleaded.

No answer.

He sighed, "You of all people know me, Lauren, you know what I can do when I'm angry. I swear, I will bring down this door if you don't open up." Stanley threatened, but deep down, he would never do such.

A few seconds later, Lauren opened the door. Stanley did not think twice before pulling her into a bone-crushing hug, caressing her long hair and whispering words of relief at the same time.

After what seemed like forever, Stan pulled away from the hug and then shut the door behind him.

"I was worried about you!"

"You didn't pick up any of my calls, you didn't respond to my voicemails and to top it all you're planning to serve me with a resignation letter."

"You can't do this to me, Lauren, you can't leave me. How do you expect me to live the rest of my life without you in it." Stanley was saying until he was interrupted by Lauren.

"Please don't make things worse, Stan." She pleaded with a teary voice.

Stanley ran his fingers through his hair and then sighed. He closed the gap between himself and Lauren, he took her cold hands in his and looked into her puffy eyes as he spoke.

"I love you, Lauren." He confessed.

Stanley shook his head negatively and politely shunned her when she was about to say something. He knew she was about to lie about her feelings for him or talk about the impossibility of them being together because he is married.

"And I know you love me too." He looked into her eyes.

Lauren bit her bottom lip and looked away.

Stanley raised her chin.

"I've been in love with you for a very long time now and I didn't say anything because I didn't want to scare you away. I'm sorry I let it all out when I was drunk. I should have at least confessed my feelings to you in a more romantic way."

"I may have been drunk but I remember all that I said and did. It wasn't my intention to take advantage of you and I'll never do anything to you against your will."

He caressed her cheeks. "I'm sorry I went too far. I only wanted a kiss but one thing led to another. I promise to be more responsible and not get carried away again."

"I'm sorry, please forgive me." He pleaded.

Lauren bit her lip and nodded positively.

Stanley smiled and kissed her forehead.

"You're not resigning right?" He asked hopefully. Even though her response was going to be yes, he wasn't planning on letting her.

Lauren swallowed painfully, "I have to." She whispered.

Stan exhaled. He ushered her to the couch in the living room where they both sat down.

He has been to Lauren's apartment a couple of times and she has even made dinner for him a few times.

"I want you to tell me the truth, Lauren, Did Rita ever threaten you?" He asked.

She looked away.

Stanley took Lauren's hand in his and she looked at him.

"I thought I was in love with Rita so I got married to her. But I was wrong about loving her and so many other things."

"You walked into my life and showed me what true happiness and true love means. You are amazing Lauren, you care for me more than you even care about yourself and you even worry about my worries."

"My feelings towards you do not have anything to do with Rita. Rita does not love me, she's only with me for her benefit which is my influence."

"I don't want you to feel guilty about anything or about the fact that I will end up divorcing Rita. None of it is your fault. Things between Rita and I have not been going well for a very long time so the separation is bound to happen."

"But I'm also at fault." Lauren interrupted.

Stanley stopped talking and then gave her the opportunity to speak her mind.

"I was attracted to you since I started working for you. I told myself it wasn't right because you're my boss and you're married. I thought it was just a temporary crush, a temporary attraction, but I was wrong."

"Being your personal assistant gave me the opportunity to be closer to you and know the real you and that made me fall more for you."

"You were right. I was always jealous whenever you are together with Mrs Chatwin and when she starts acting romantic with you. The jealousy wasn't intentional but I used to feel a big pain in my heart and subconsciously wish I was Mrs Rita Chatwin."

"I knew my feelings for you is forbidden because you're my Boss and a married man. So I promised myself I was going to work for you for a little while and then I will resign."

Lauren looked into Stanley's eyes. "It was not what happened two nights ago that made me think of resigning. I've been thinking about it for a long time and then I confirmed it when your Wife confronted me a few days before she travelled."

"Rita came to your apartment to confront you?" Stanley asked and Lauren nodded slowly.

"Why didn't you tell me anything? Did she lay a finger on you?" He asked concerned, looking at her body for any mark or wound and at the same time trying to hide his anger.

"She didn't lay a finger on me. She came here to shout at me and warned me to stay away from you."

"She figured out I have feelings for you so she told me to keep my feelings to myself and go to hell. She also called me all sort of nasty names." A tear rolled down Lauren's cheek which Stanley wiped off immediately.

"She shouted at me and threatened to kill me if I ever do anything not related to my job with you or if you break up with her."

"All what she said didn't sound like a threat. She was serious about each and every word that came out of her mouth. It was after she left my place that I confirmed I was going to resign from being your Personal assistant."

"I knew you cared about me as your personal assistant but I had no idea if you like me or had feelings for me."

"At first, when you confessed it to me that night, I thought you didn't know what you were saying because you were drunk."

"I denied having feelings for you because I don't want your wife's wrath. If you divorce her, she will make me her prey."

"I don't blame you for what happened that night. We were both caught up in the moment. You are a good man Stanley and I know you will never take advantage of me."

"If there's anyone to be blamed, then it would be me because I was the sane one that night, I was not drunk so I should have stopped you."

"I didn't tell you about your wife's threat because she was right. I had no right to be loving her husband."

"Rita had no right to come to your apartment to harass you for anything or raise her voice at you. If she's truly innocent about her own deeds, She would have confronted me instead." Stan interrupted.

Lauren shrugged. "I didn't think you felt anything for me so that's why I didn't say anything about her visit."

Stanley heaved a sigh. He closed the gap between Lauren and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry for what Rita said to you. It will never happen again, I promise."

Lauren pulled away from the hug and gave Stanley a worried look.

"I understand your insecurities but I assure you that there's nothing to be worried about. I promise to protect you from Rita and everybody else. You are my priority now and your well being comes first even before mine."

"If I knew the difference between Lust and Love, I would have never gotten married to Rita. She has hurt me in so many ways that I cannot begin to explain without shedding tears."

"It took me a long time to open up to you about my feelings because I wanted to make sure history doesn't repeat itself again. You made me understand what true love means and I blessed the day you walked into my office for an interview."

"I'm ready to fight for you and give up everything just to be with you. All I ask of you is to give me a chance to prove my love for you." He asked hopefully.

Stan did not fail to notice the conflict and worry in Lauren's eyes.

"Ca...can you give me time to think about it?" She whispered.

Stanley nodded. "You can take as much time as you want but that wouldn't stop me from showing or professing my love for you."

"So, we are good now?" He asked hopefully and she nodded positively.

Stanley kissed her hands.

"Will you still be able to come to work or you want the day off?" He asked as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'll come today." She replied immediately.

"Are you sure?" He asked her and she nodded.

"You have a meeting by 11 and another one at noon. I'm not done preparing the handouts for your second meeting and I also have to be there to take notes."

Stan smiled proudly."You're a lifesaver."

Lauren made Stanley a cup of coffee before she made her way to her room to get ready for work and then they both left for the office.