Twelve

   Desmond sat comfortably on a couch in his large living room with a newspaper which he was reading with his glasses. 

The chiming of the door bell made him rise to his feet and went to the door. He looked through the peephole to see the person at his door. It was his new driver. He opened the door wide for her to come in with her huge travel bag and started wondering if she planned on traveling outside the world. 

"Good afternoon, sir Desmond," Faith greeted. 

"Hi," he replied sharply as he made his way back to his seat and continued with his reading. 

Faith left her single travel bag beside her as she took her seat and looked around the house. She had almost used her eyes to pierce holes into the exterior walls because it was beautiful. But the interior designs were outstanding and lovingly loving. 

There was a huge chandelier in the middle of the sitting room and a staircase that turned into two, each going opposite sides, as it went up. He had a very huge plasma TV that could be the size of her if measured. 

"How did you know my house?" Desmond asked. 

"You gave the address to me, sir. Have you forgotten?" Faith replied. 

"Drop the formalities. I am only three years older than you. No formalities, please," he said but did not mean the last word. Not really, because he was not the type of person that begs for something. He took off his glasses and forfeited the paper he was reading. 

Faith nodded." Okay — Desmond."

"Now,to the business. Let me tell you my rules. Rule number one," he started, raising up his right index finger.  "Stick your nose out if my business. Your job is to drive me wherever I want to go," he stated and paused  a little to know if she was getting his point. 

"I am listening. Go on," Faith urged. 

He nodded.  "Rule number two, whenever you finish at your quarter as early as six am, come straight here and call for me everyday except weekends. I will call you if I need you on weekends," he said. 

"My quarter?" she mentioned.  "Will I not be living in this mansion as well?" 

"No, you have a separate residence within the compound," he said and rose to his feet, gesturing to the door to take her to her place. 

They got there and he opened the door to show the well furnished sitting room with every furniture one could think of. Few steps after the living room was the kitchen which had the combination of a dining table with four chairs at each opposite side of the table.  It was clearly and obviously no match with the main building, but it was beyond beautiful on its own. 

"Wow! This is so beautiful," Faith complimented. 

"It is," Desmond added as he watched her admire the room while she walked from one point to another. 

"I love this place. I feel like I can die here," Faith said with her eyes closed as she breathed in the fresh scent of the room. "Where is the bedroom?" 

Desmond carried the bag she had left by the door beside a chair. He then pointed to a room whose door was covered with a colorful curtain. She knew the interior of the bedroom would totally be beyond her imagination,so she slowly walked in and was glad she was not disappointed. 

In joy, she threw herself on the bed and bounced back a few times. She spread her arms wide and caressed the mattress in admiration. 

"Sweet Jesus, how I love you!" She exclaimed slowly, almost sluggishly. 

"Get your ass up and come here. You can make love to the bed later," Desmond scolded and went outside the room.

Faith joined him and sat before him in the living room and he started talking immediately when he saw her. 

"Rule number three, which is the important one, is that you shouldn't have any lustful thoughts towards me because that would be the end of —," he was warning. 

'Who would fall in love with a cold-rude fish like you?' Faith thought and smirked. She looked up and shockingly met her boss' eyes. He was looking at her as if he had heard that from her mouth. His eyes were shooting daggers at her. 

"Not only lustful thoughts," Desmond added with anger boiling within him. "No thoughts at all, understood?" he said in addition. How could she think of him like that? He should stop minding her thoughts.

"I understand even though that is impossible. Sir, how can I not think at all? It's my mind and it's not as if you can hear my conversations with it, anyway," Faith said. 

"Let's assume I can't hear whatever you say in your mind, then —" 

Faith laughed briefly as she cut in slowly, "There is no need to assume. You can't hear it at all. It's impossible. You're human and definitely not God." 

Desmond smiled before saying, "Just be careful if you want to keep your job." He rose to his feet and turned around, ready to leave, but he paused at the door and faced her again while holding the door knob.  "This might help."

She raised a brow. 

"I fired my cook because she told me she was in love with me." 

Faith's mouth opened without her consent after hearing that. 

"You are surprised, right?" Desmond asked. 

Faith shook her head. "No, I am actually shocked. That's strange," Faith revealed. 

"Not to me," her boss replied. 

Faith stood up to level eyes with him, but still could not. He was taller, anyway. "You don't find it strange? Wait, is it that you don't love the lady in return or what?" 

"It seems you have forgotten the first rule,'' Desmond reminded. 

" First rule? I don't remem— Oh! "She snapped her fingers. 

"Yeah. Stick your nose out of my fucking business," Desmond said. 

Faith raised her two hands and took her seat again. "Fine. I back off. I don't want to lose the job  I just started." 

"Good." With that, he went out of the room, slamming the door behind him.