LLC05 : A DARING SURGE.

She tripped. Yes, she did. Julia Raymond. The most elegant woman on earth and the CEO of ‘The Raymond Group’ tripped while entering the conference room. She had such an aura and power that nobody even dared to giggle. Except Jonathan Grey.

“You okay woman?” he grinned.
She gave him a terrible look.

“Good morning everyone”
Her confidence was visible on her face. She was beauty with brains.

Jonathan Grey, the CEO of ‘The Big House Enterprises’ had a well groomed personality and was one of the most handsome men Julia had ever seen.

“Did I say anything wrong?” Jonathan whispered in his assistant’s ears.

“Sir, she is Miss. Julia. Your new business partner! I have heard that she takes no-nonsense!”

Both of them owned a chain of hotels and now, the two companies had decided to join their empires to earn more profit. Julia’s work was known for its elegance and Jonathan’s for perfection.

“I see.”
He gave her an evil smile as she approached nearer.

When the presentation was over, Julia addressed eveyone.
“I hope it was good and…..” Something horrfic happened, Jonathan cut her midway!

“No, I think it could have been better. If we combine the two financial…..”

“How dare you Mister? Nobody speaks when I am speaking. Do you get that?”
Julia was furious.

Jonathan didn’t want to insult her in front of everyone. He was good at heart but now he added Julia to his ‘Naughty list’. Which meant that she wasn’t going to get away for how she had behaved with him.

‘I will see you later Miss. control freak!’ He spoke to himself.
After the presentation was over, everybody else was dismissed and only the two of them with their secretaries remained.

“Ma’am, meet Mr. Grey, and from now on both of you are partners.” Cherry, Julia’s secretary said.

“HE? How disgraceful!”
It was the second time she had insulted him.

“Excuse me Miss. I avoided it the first time doesn’t mean that I am going to listen to any of this crap of yours. So either you talk like normal people or keep your trap shut!” Jonathan exploded.

“This is enough. I can’t take this anymore. Come Cherry, I am not going to deal with him personally, but since we are business partners what ever YOU have to say, send it to me in written and I will see to it. But, do not show me your face.” and she fumed out of the room.

“GO! GO! Even I don’t want to look at you crazy woman!” He shouted!

She turned back and showed him the middle finger.
“Fuc* off, you b*st*rd!” she didn’t realise that everyone else was staring!

Their office rooms faced opposite to each other. So whenever there was anything important to discuss they would write it on a piece of paper, make an aeroplane out of it and direct it to the other side. A few times it landed on someone else’s desk and other times, it never landed!
One of the staff members suggested to shift them in adjacent rooms so it could become easier. It worked well. Now they fought even more. Through emails, messages, letters and everything else possible.

One day he had some urgent work from her but she was neither picking up his calls nor returning his email. Cherry was also not around, so he himself went to her room.

“What is wrong with you Juliaaaa!” But then he noticed that she wasn’t there. He was about to go when he saw something kept on the desk. “A letter! ‘To John.’ ”
He mistook it for ‘Jonathan’. He thought that she might have started addressing him as ‘John’. Afterall she wrote such letters to him only. So he simply unfolded it and started reading.

————-
To,
Ex boyfriend and best friend John.

How are you? I wouldn’t take much of your time. As always, I just wanted to share my feelings with you, and I feel much better after writing it down on a piece of paper, rather than typing! and you are the only one who uderstands me.

I feel very lonely these days. It is becoming very difficult for me to spend time alone. You told me to wait for the man of my dreams. But it seems as if I will keep waiting forever. Maybe I don’t deserve one. Everyone thinks that I am rude and cruel. But only you know why I am like this. I don’t know what to do John…. I don’t know. It is so weird. I have started to lose hope. I think that I will have to spend my entire life like this. Being hated by everyone. But I can’t change. I don’t know why! Even if I try to, I just fail.

I am scared. Really scared. Is God punishing me for something? First I lost my parents in the accident and then I lost you. When you being such an amazing and understanding person didn’t love me then how could I expect someone else to love me. I am tired of this feeling of insecurement. Sometimes I feel caged. Like I have no life! But I know you will tell me to keep faith. I’ll try again John. I will try.

Anyway, you are the best thing that ever happened to me. I wish you came back to me. But I know that isn’t possible. So take care! Email me when you recieve it ;)

Love
– feeling much better, Julia
————-

Jonathan felt odd. He had never seen this side of Julia. The innocent and helpless Julia. This letter changed her perception in his mind. He had never imagined that Julia could ever be so week in the inside. She was always so strong. She had created a barrier around her which none could enter. But now after he had read that letter. He understood her inside out. He kept the letter back on her desk and left as if he never came in.

It was the month of December, a few more days were left for christmas. The office had been beautifully decorated in red and green. The carol singers flooded the entire city. It was an atmosphere of love and laughter. Everyone was excited, Except, the two CEOs. They were busy fighting as usual. It had become their hobby. If either of them had nothing to do, they would write ‘hate’ letters to each other.

———
To Julia
Stop shouting. I am doing IMPORTANT work. UNLIKE you.
-Grey
———

To Gray,
I am not shouting mister. GET YOUR EARS TESTED. You hear more than necessary.
-Julia

———

To Julia
Do NOT ‘GRAY’ me. and get your spellings corrected first.
-Furious ‘GREY’

———

To ‘Gray’
I DO NOT care whether it is GREY or GRAY. You mind your own business.
-Even more furious, Julia

———
And there was no end to such letters.

Although they had much differences they had two things in common, hardworking nature and complete devotion to work, but denied to accept it.

There was an inauguration ceremony at ‘The Heritage Land’, the new hotel that was constructed recently by their company and it was an important ocassion.

“Tell him that he is not going, I will go alone” Julia told Cherry.

“Tell her that SHE isn’t, I will go!” he told Cherry to tell Julia.

“Its necessary for both of you to go. There is no other option. and can you please talk to each other yourselves? I have urgent work to do.” Cherry told both of them!

——–
Gray,
You stay here and handle office work. I will attend the party.
-Julia
——–
Julia,
You want to go on a vacation and have fun and I sit here like a nerd all weekend? No way. I dont accept it. I could come with you anyway. :D
-Gr’E’y
——–

Gr’a’y,
You are flirting.
-Julia

——–

Julia,
Is being polite so rare to you that you take that as flirting? I wouldn’t flirt with you even if you were the last woman on this earth! X)
-Grey (dare you write ‘Gray’ next time)

——–

Mr. JONATHAN,
Don’t you dare, dare me.

Julia

——–

Ultimately both of them had to agree to go together. Cherry was right, they had no other option.

It was the last thing they wanted.

They couldn’t fly to Kennington in their private jet. All the pilots had taken an off. It was the christmas week. Although Jonathan knew how to fly the jet but Julia strictly refused to trust him.

“What if he crashes it? I am not taking such a big risk!” It was impossible to convince her. So they agreed to board an aeroplane.

“You are late Miss. Raymond!” Jonathan teased her.
“I am not late. You are early!” she didn’t accept to be let down in any case. And specially, defeat from Jonathan was highly unacceptable.

Both made faces at each other. Cats and dogs fought much better than them, they were worse.

They had seats reserved in the business class, ofcourse.

The plane was about to take off. Julia seemed a little pale to him. She clenched his wrist tightly, her nails piercing through him.

“You look scared” Jonathan sounded obvious.
She didn’t reply.
“So, Raymond is even scared of something!” He laughed.
“Aww…. Little Juliaaaa. you are scared of flying?” He chuckled.
It was enough, he was annoying her and she couldn’t tolerate that anymore,
“Just Shut up. Okay?” She spoke with all the minimal strength she could gather. She was indeed scared of take offs. It was going to be a long journey.

“Sir, ma’am, would you like some cold drinks?” It was the flight attendant.
“Yes give her, she needs something to cool down!” Jonathan pointed towards Julia.

“Yes, I’ll take two. One for myself and one to splash on his face!” She stamped her foot.

The air hostess just left the two of them alone to fight.

“What is your problem?” He asked her.

She didn’t reply, instead she yawned on his face and turned to the other side and dozed off.

“Wake up sleepy head. Othwerwise we will be late!”
They were in the hotel room. He had booked one room for the two of them. They just needed to change there and he didn’t want to waste money by booking two.

“How much time is left?” she babbled in sleep.

“Exactly 2 hours and thirty seven minutes. It will take us around half an hour to reach. So that leaves us with…” He was about to complete his sentence when Julia rushed to the bathroom to get ready.

“You also change fast! We don’t have much time left!” She shouted from the bathroom.

“YOU are saying that? I am already ready!”

“What! Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?”

“I tried my best Miss Raymond but you are one hell of a sleepy woman!”

She had realised that Jonathan must have carried her till the room and so she didn’t want to discuss that and feel embarassed.

It had been more than twenty minutes that she had been inside the bathroom.
“Are you sleeping in there?” He was angry.

“NO. Actually I am trying to close the zipper of my dress!” She said.

“You are doing that from the past twenty minutes! Open the door”

She didn’t reply. So he banged on it.

“I said OPEN!”

She still didn’t respond.

“Julia, either you come out or I will have to come in”

Julia didn’t want to fuss about it, so she opened it.

She was wearing the most beautiful evening gown.
Jonathan had never seen her in pink, he had always seen her in the black and white formal attire. She looked like an innocent angel, who had decended from the heavens, she looked gorgeous.

His mouth opened, but no words issued forth as she pinned him with a look from her coal-black eyes. He was awed by her mysterious beauty.
She gracefully turned around. He had never imagined her like that, infact it was like a dream. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He thought they were misleading him. The woman standing in front of him couldn’t possibly be the Julia he had known. Always bossy and uptight.

“The zip.”She said politely. He had never heard her talk like that, especially to him.

“It’s stuck I guess, can you please do it for me?” She spoke again, even more sweetly.

Jonathan was spell bound. He couldn’t even lift a finger.

“Please!” She begged him.

He reached for her back. It was phenomenal. His touch gave her a tingling sensation. Instead of pulling the zip up, he pushed it down, towards the hem of the dress.

“What are you doing Jonathan? We are getting late.” She spoke timidly.

“What am I doing?” he repeated after her.
‘Ohh no! What the hell was he doing!’ he was so dumbstruck that he didn’t realise what he was doing.

“Get your hands off me.” She spoke in a serious tone

“Huhh?” He had just woken up from his dreamy world.

“I SAID, GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME. NOW!” She shouted at the top of her voice. It was so loud that it could have shattered a glass into pieces, but fortunately there wasn’t any around them.

“What the hell do you think you were doing? You disgusting fellow!” She screemed again.
He tried to explain and justify his actions and probably would have said ‘sorry’ for what he had done, but she wouldn’t give him a chance to speak.

Instead, she pushed him with all her might, using both her hands.
“HOW DARE YOU? Who do you think you are? You are a peverted man and you thought you could take advantage of me?” She wouldn’t stop and pushed him again.

“Listen to me. It is not what you are thinking. I..” He tried to defend but she wouldn’t listen!
“I KNOW exactly what you were thinking! You dirty minded looser! I have very well dealt with jerks like YOU. And you are the biggest idiot I have ever met”

His eyes blazed with fire. He was trying to help her but she, How DARE she. He held her hands as she approached to push him for the third time.

“JUST SHUT UP! you piece of sh*t!” he shrieked. It was louder than her’s. It made her tremble, her eyes widened in shock, she didn’t expect that and before she could settle, he grabbed her by the arms, pulling her much closer to himself, his fingers digging in her painfully. He then pulled up the zipper so forcefully that it almost broke. Next, he took her up in his arms, flunged the door open with his foot and carried her down the hallway.

She was fighting for release but her strength had no match to his. She was caged. She couldn’t do anything except kicking her legs in the air. But that didn’t help even an inch.

“Leave me! I SAID LEAVE ME!” she shouted in his ears, she was terrified. They were midway on the stairs.

“Stay shut. You say another word and I’ll throw you from here!” He said quietly, so that only she could hear.

“How dare you talk to me like that GRAY!”

“Don’t dare me RAYMOND!” and within seconds she was there lying on the floor. He had dropped her there and walked off as if she was a toy.

Thankfully they had reached the ground floor otherwise, she would have come down rolling on the stairs. But it didn’t end here. He stopped. Then turned around and came up to her. Her ankle was probably twisted. But he didn’t know that.
He pullled her up, held her hand tightly and dragged her out of the hotel and towards the car.

“GET OUT!”He ordered the driver.
The driver did what he was told, he didn’t have the guts to question him.

Jonathan drove like a mad man. His foot didn’t leave the accelarator even for one second.
“Where are we going?” She dared to open her mouth. Her ankle hurt badly, but she didn’t let him know that.

He didn’t reply, he was so furious that he probably hadn’t heard what she said.

“Where the hell are WE GOING?” she spoke loudly this time.
The car came to a screeching halt in the middle of no where. SHE DID THE MISTAKE AGAIN, of annoying him.

He got out of the car. They were on a stranded street. There was nobody around. It was just the ‘perfect’ situation.

“GET OUT!” he shouted. She did and closed the door with a loud ‘thud’, It made him even more disgusted.

He then pinned her to the door, with both his arms around her. She was locked. He bent a little to match with her height and came terribly close. All this long she couldn’t think. Her mind was blocked. She had never seen Jonathan like that before. He did use to get mad at her all the time, but this was beyond her imagination.

“ENOUGH. IS. ENOUGH. MISS JULIA RAYMOND. ” He said slowly in a low and deep voice. It was frightening.
“You CAN’T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT. I am NOT your servant!”

She just stood there staring at him. She had never been treated like that before. Not even close to it.

“You are going to pay for it. Get ready!” His lips twisted in an evil smirk. It was dangerous.

They were silent. A few seconds seemed like a thousand hours to her.
The colour drained from her cheeks.

“Tell me…Tell me what will you do?” She yelled at him. Her body ached.

They were surrounded with black clouds. It was going to rain any moment. Tears overflowed from her eyes, she wanted to control them but couldn’t.His phone rang. It was from the ‘Heritage Land’ hotel.

Julia grabbed his cell phone.
“Yes, Yes, we are on our way. Won’t take much longer!” It was the best way she could avoid more toruble from Jonathan. Now they had to go. She pushed his hands away, straigtened her dress, and wiped her tears. She didn’t let him succeed in hurting her more.

It was a grand hotel. There were numerous other guests. But Julia and Jonathan were of prime importance. And what could be worse? They were late. Very late.
They appologised to the necessary people and joined the party. Both of them had found their longterm friends there. They were supposed to be happy and enjoying but weren’t . She was sitting at the table besides his.

They were discussing old memories. It was wonderful. She started to forget what had happened earlier.

“Hey Julia what is that? On your arms?” One of her friends asked while pointing towards the bruise. It was deep red and easily noticable.
He had done that to her. She felt frustrated.

“Nothing… I just fell from the stairs and hurt myself just before coming here..!” She made an excuse.
“Ohh that is why you humped while walking!” Another friend added.
“Yaah… my ankle twisted. Badly. And it’s hurting so much. But its okay. There is nothing I can do about it. Probably it was my mistake.”

Jonathan had heard all what she had said. He felt sorry for what he had done. The marks on her arms were very dark and she was in pain just because of him. He went to the reception desk and asked for the first aid box.

The party ended and they were on their way back to the airport.

Neither of the two spoke. It had started to rain. They were driving past the sea shore.

Jonathan couldn’t stay quiet for long, he took out the first aid box from the dash board and handed it to her. She simply took it and started to tie the crape bandage around her ankle.

“I read your letter. The one you wrote to John. I mean, I didn’t to want read your personal letters but I thought it was for me. Anyway now it doesn’t matter. I think I should tell you now. You are the most beautiful and the most successful woman on earth. You live your life on your terms and not let anybody else rule you. I truly respect you for that. You have all the courage and all the power. And you deserve true love. And you deserve all the happiness in the world.” He spoke without any pause. She was listening, but didn’t react. He continued.
” I had never thought that I could ever fall for such a crazy woman like you. But I did. I am in love with you. and I am sorry, for how I behaved. Your ankle….. and the bruises on your arms… I am terribly sorry.”

She lifted a brow.

“Stop the car.” He did as she said, without any questions.

He wasn’t sure of what she was thinking. Not that the two of them shared nothing, but she hadn’t thought about it. She was always so busy in winning a fight with him that she never got the time to realise what they really had between them.

“I always wished that I had someone to share my life with, someone to support me in the rough days.” She moved towards the sea shore there was a sad smile on her face. And both of them were drenched within seconds.
Jonathan thought that she meant that ‘someone’ to be him.

“Miss Raymond, we have much to discuss.” He said in his serious, deep voice. There eyes locked.

“I.. actually…. umm” She stammered, for a moment she was scared again. thinking what had happened earlier. He was coming closer, much closer. Her heartbeat had risen, faster than it ever had. She could hear it.

“Are you blushing Miss Raymond?” he spoke again with a much darker expression. And then he suddenly grabbed her by the back and pulled her towards himself. She was captivated. She could smell him. A sexual tension had developed between the two, she could feel it!

“No.. I .. I..” she blabbered. She was spell bound.

“Shhhhh!” He put his fingers on her lips.

“You surprise me all the time, Miss Raymond, you surprise me.” He smirked, and what next? There lips were locked. It was sweet and slow….. passionate and deep.

It was the first time that he had done it!
It was a kiss unlike any other.
With a woman unlike any other.

She didn’t have enough strength to digest all that. Too many emotions to take in, in a single momemt. Her ankle didn’t hurt any more and the bruises had disappeared, she couldn’t feel them. She had completely forgotten John. The world around her started to faint and she collapsed in his arms.

They stayed like that for a few moments when she opened her eyes.

“You will run away from me. You wouldn’t love me..! she said with the most enchanting voice. It was for the first time that she was actually scared of him.

“No. I won’t. If I had to, then I would have already left you. But you see. I am here. with you. and I will stay with you forever. even if you hit me like you did in the room!” He chuckled and tried to reassure her.

The memories came flooding by. She now realised that she had reacted very badly. She didn’t give him a chance to explain.

“Can you now explain what you were trying to do?”
She knew that there wasn’t any explanation. She was right.

“Do you really?” she asked politely while looking him into his eyes.

“I sure do.” he replied softly, and they were locked again. It was the perfect scenario when the two most perfect people became one.

IT WAS JUST THE BEGINNING……..!

__END__