Abel is the antisocial, introverted son of a billionaire. Despite his dreamy looks and manly features, Abel, in his late 20s, has never been in a relationship, except you're counting 2d anime chicks. Having recently just moved back to town, Abel is made to run his family's company while his dad and elder brother are away. On his first day of work, the reclusive Abel has a run in with the gorgeous and strong willed Layla via a mishap in a coffee shop. He finds her attractive but carry's on as if unfazed by her beauty. He runs into her again at the office where she just happens to work. With a series of events and chance happenings constantly putting the two in each others paths, how long can Abel hold out against the wild assailing charms of the most unique female he ever encountered. With her seductive gaze, her slender waist, and enticing scent, how long before he can no longer identify as Asexual.

Langdon trotted down the stairs for the thousandth time that morning. His distinct footsteps audible through the walls as he landed heel first, digging into the ground, creating a sound that seemed to reverberate Abel’s soul. Abel pulled the blanket over him once more as he stretched his legs to their full length underneath. Langdon’s constant pacing the halls that morning in preparation for his journey, meant that Abel had been conscious for the last hour and a half, those loud footfalls made sure his mind stayed sharp and alert, although he kept tossing around trying to go back to sleep. “Dum dum dum”, there they were again. Abel opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling in utter defeat. He brushed over the blanket and sat up just in time to see his door swing open. “Morning princess” greeted a fully dressed Langdon with a smug look on his face. “Ohayo to you too” replied Abel, unenergetically, as he began to recline once more, slipping back underneath the blanket and pulling it above his head – more so to make a statement. “Dad’s already out back, we’re leaving in a moment” “And you came for goodbye kisses?” retorted Abel “Ewe, don’t forget to go in today, we’re going to be gone a while so…” It was the same speech, he’d heard it last week when they decided they were both going, he’d heard it last night, and he was hearing it again. “…basically just keep your eyes on him, dad’s cool with him but I don’t like him” “What?” Asked Abel sticking his head out the blanket, finally zoning back in. “Uncle Alex, he likes to do his own thing, just make sure he doesn’t overstep” explained Langdon as he exited the room. Abel sprang out of bed, tossing aside the blanket as he did so. “Hey wait a minute, nobody said anything about having to manage anybody” “No one’s asking you to run the company Abel” Langdon chuckled as he trotted down the stairs once more, Abel only a few inches on his tail. “Just attend the board meetings, watch what they do, hear what they say. You are a board member, I’m literally only asking you to do your job. “But…” began Abel but was cut off by one of the house staff as she pushed an entrée across the room, cutting between him and Langdon who just kept working towards the front door. “Morning Mrs. Jenkins” greeted Abel without caring for a reply. “So what are you saying exactly?” He began again, catching up to Langdon at the door as he stooped to pick retrieve suitcase. “Look, there’s really no need to be so frantic, just do you. If you feel something is off then call me or dad” “Is something gonna go off?” pressed Abel. He disliked even the thought of an awkward situation, and having to tell his father’s elder brother, or any of the elderly members of the board what not to do definitely registered to him as one. Langdon rolled his eyes as he swung the door open and stepped out. Abel followed. He felt the tiny droplets of rain on his bare skin and flinched a little, wrapping his arms around him, he could feel the goosebumps begin to form. “Morning” he greeted yet again that morning, on seeing his father already seated in the back, the car facing towards the gate. “I was beginning to think you didn’t care to see me go” Joked Mr. Fauster Abel grinned. It was an awkward grin. This was awkward for him. He always felt weird making Smalltalk with his dad. Langdon got in from the other side and slammed the door just as the driver kicked the engine to life. “Remember; board meeting by 10, I already let Jarvis know you’re coming in” “Who’s Jarvis?” Asked Abel as the car began its journey towards the large gate He watched from the same spot as it slowed down at the gate, turned left, and then accelerated out of view. Abel sneezed and immediately turned towards the house, taking the hint to find warmth. “Would you like breakfast to be brought to your room sir?” asked Mrs. Jenkins just as Abel closed the door behind him. “No thanks, I’m leaving soon. I’ll just grab a coffee on my way. I shouldn’t be long so I’ll eat something when I get back”. He looked at the large clock in the living room as he headed towards the stairs. “Jeez!” He took the stairs two at a time and basically jogged to his room. He looked at the clock in there. 09:20, same as the one downstairs. “Well, there goes my bath time”. He went to his wardrobe and hurriedly went through a couple options. He emerged from the room with a T-shirt and a pair of jeans on. Trying to wriggle into his jacket as he practically leaped down the stairs. As he got into his black Mercedes, Abel revved the engine and pressed a couple buttons on the dashboard to crank up the heat. Rubbing his palms against each other as he sat back in his seat, he exhaled through his mouth and into his clasped hands. He thought about going back to get his coffee but couldn’t find the nerve to go back into the cold. “Screw it, I’ll just get it on the way”. The car moaned lightly as it began to back out the driveway. What had begun as a drizzle finally gave way to a full-on downpour, drowning the sound of the engine as it headed towards the gate. The car came to a halt just outside a bakery store. Abel braced himself. He whipped open the car door and sprang out in one fluid motion, slamming it shut behind him as he continued frantically. Once out of the rain, he wiggled his head a little in an attempt to shake off some of the water in his hair, and then headed towards the entrance. Through the see-through doors, he could see a lady walking distractedly towards the door, coffee in one hand, purse in the other, and a couple files tucked under her pits, her head facing backwards as she still engaged in conversation with the woman behind the counter. Abel pushed in the door and held it open as he stepped aside to let her pass. However, his chivalrous act was negated when the lady slowed to a stop just in front of the door, still with her head turned, chatting away. Getting impatient, Abel glanced at his watch on his free hand, his right arm still stopping the door from swinging shut. 09:58. “Women” he thought, how could someone be this inconsiderate, his frustration kindled by his urgency. He should say something, but he couldn’t get his mouth to open. Talking to girls had always proved tasking to Abel. He scrutinized every word, every phrase in his mind before utterance. At some point he had begun to avoid them altogether, life felt much simpler that way. However, he couldn’t just choose to ignore a select greater percentage of the human race, hence his lack of a social life. Growing agitated, Abel contemplated just walking in, but she stood just directly in front of the door so that she was almost totally blocking the entrance. With each passing second, the little space between her and the entrance seemed to enlarge. Hearing the loud “tick” from his ‘Tag heuer’ signaling the hour, Abel acted. He proceeded to squeeze through just as the woman turned around abruptly, causing her to bump into him. Looking downwards with his elbows raised slightly above his waist, Abel clenched his fists tightly as he felt the scalding hot liquid run down his pants. His face – nonvisible to those around – contorted in pain for a moment, and when he raised his head, it was once again void of expression. “Oh my God I’m so sorry, I’m so so so so sorry” Abel patted down his jacket as the woman begun to fawn over him apologetically. “I’m so so sorry” she begun again, whipping out a hanky from her purse which she then set on the floor. “Here, let me”, she said, and begun to dab at the damp areas on his jacket. And then his thigh area And then his crotch “Ok! Thanks” Abel blurted out as he instinctively took the piece of cloth from her; putting an end to what had otherwise become an intimate affair. “I’m so sorry” she begun yet again “It was an accident, I just…” “It’s fine” Abel interrupted, walking away towards the counter. He could feel the eyes finally begin to peel off his back. Thank God, he hated drawing unnecessary attention. On getting to the counter, he placed his order and then asked to be directed to the bathroom. Abel, let the door swing shut behind him as he walked towards the mirror, taking off his jacket to closer examine the damage. Only just realizing he had held on to the perverted hanky, Abel stood still for several seconds, gazing at the piece of cloth in his hand. “Oh well” he turned on the tap at the sink and soaked a fraction of the cloth. He then took it and dabbed at his jacket, and then his jeans. Unsatisfied but retired, he put his jacket back on, ran his hands through his hair while staring at the mirror, and then proceeded out of the restroom. On getting to the counter, he received his order – which had been waiting for a while. Abel took a sip – his eyebrows furrowed. He took off the lid to confirm what he thought. It was black, he had asked for some cream, but no he’d got black. No cream, no sugar, just black and bland. He looked up to see the service woman staring at him. He smiled awkwardly, she grinned back at him. “Thanks” he said politely; he paid for the coffee and turned around to make for the door. As he walked briskly towards the exit – formerly the entrance, he noticed he was no longer the center of attraction. This was calming. Then he spotted her again, through the door. She was running in from the rain. He didn’t bother looking at his watch, he knew just how late he was, he wasn’t going to have a repeat of what transpired earlier. Abel picked up his pace. On getting to the door, he raised his hand to grab the handle, but slipped a little on the little puddle that had formed from the last encounter – which had been left unattended – and missed his mark, causing him to lean in. Just then, the woman – not slowing down on the porch – burst through the entrance, swinging the door with a considerable degree of force, hitting Abel square in the face. She most certainly did not miss her mark. “This chick!” Abel screamed within, gripping his forehead with his right hand as he staggered backwards. There was no hiding the contortions on his face this time as he winced uncontrollably. “Christ! I’m so so so sorry. I didn’t see you there” She begun, he could’ve sworn she was doing this on purpose. Feeling the eyes creep up his spine once more, Abel continued towards the exit, still holding on to his forehead, his coffee secure in his other hand, ignoring the woman still mumbling apologies. He stepped out on the porch, away from prying eyes; she followed. “I’m so sorry,” she continued. “I honestly didn’t see you there, I was hurrying from the rain and I…I swear I’m not doing this on purpose.” “It’s fine” replied Abel, barely audible and all but lost amidst the roar of the heavy downpour. Finally taking his hand off his face, he revealed a little bump on his forehead, just above his left eye. “Jeez!” she exclaimed staring at it. “Oh my God” “What?” inquired Abel, genuinely concerned. He pulled out his phone from his jeans and took a look at his face through the camera. “s**t!” “It’s not that bad, I mean no one would really notice….except they look at your face…” she stopped talking once she noticed him staring at her without blinking. He took out the hanky and held it up to his head. “Here, let me” she offered, taking the piece of cloth from him. He didn’t resist. She took the coffee from his hand. He didn’t fight her. Tipping the cup, she dowsed the cloth in the hot liquid and squeezed gently. Setting down the cup, she walked towards him and pressed the hot cloth against the swollen area. He winced. “Sorry”, she said again. Taking his mind off his forehead for a second, Abel began to pay attention to the current scene. He looked her square in the face as she focused on his forehead. She was pretty. He caught a whiff of her perfume and inhaled deeply but subtly. She smelled nice, really nice. Standing this close, their height difference was much more obvious. He let his eyes stray down to her neck, it was skinny, not bony, he could map out her collarbone, around which hung a slender piece of jewelry. His eyes strayed further. She wore a coat but it was unbuttoned. The light blue, collared shirt she wore beneath was quite damp and hugged her bosom tightly, sticking to her chest so that it was see-through. “Stripes huh” he thought. She pulled back, bent over to retrieve the cup of coffee, and repeated the same procedure. She put the cloth to his head again. Was it his imagination or was she even closer than the first time. He let his eyes stray down the familiar route again, face, neck, ches… Wait a minute! His eyes went back to her neck. He inhaled deeply – not so subtly this time – and looked down again. It wasn’t just his imagination, she was closer, what was just PG13 a few minutes before had gone full on R. Unconsciously, he stepped back a little, causing her to follow, she reached out her left hand and placed it behind his head to keep it steady. “Does it hurt bad? So sorry” By now Abel could feel a different swelling in his pants. He let his eyes stray down once more for another glimpse. Forget the stripes, they housed two polka dots – if polka dots where roughly the size of two moderately blown balloons, his eyes lingered for a while on her chest, mapping out the swells. Then they darted back to her face; no more, he decided. With nothing else to do, he began to scrutinize her facial features, thick eyebrows, slim nose, not too pointy. Her lips, they weren’t exactly full, but not so thin either; they outlined a mouth so small that Abel could barely imagine swallowing anything. Their eyes crossed and his darted away, she gave a half smile. She had caught him staring. “You don’t talk much” Abel couldn’t tell if she was posing a question or merely making an observation, so again, he kept silent. He attempted to view the damage again with his phone but she caught his hand and took it from him, not yet she said, slipping it into her purse. Abel was stunned; her audacity amazed him, yet he did nothing but stare at her bewildered, as she returned to massaging his forehead. “The rain huh” she offered, making another attempt at small talk. “Real party crasher, those guys at work are just gonna have to understand. How ‘bout you ‘Mr. Grumpy’, got anywhere you’re supposed to be?” Just then it came to him. He did. He did in fact have somewhere to be. “Thanks” he said, politely shoving her hand aside. Without a second thought, he turned away from her and ran out into the rain, making for his car. He slammed the door shut behind him and immediately kicked the engine to life, he took a quick glance at his wrist. 10:30. “Perfect”. He considered turning back for one final glimpse of the woman, but he decided against it and zoomed off. “Hey!” the lady continued to shout as the black Mercedes drove off. Like a true robot, the dude had up and left, as if in response to some signal from his programmers. She had never met him before and didn’t even know his name, what was she now to do with the phone sitting in her purse?

The black Mercedes slowly came to a halt in the underground garage. The engine revved one last time before dying out. Abel emerged from the car grateful that he didn’t have to get beaten by the rain. He looked once more at his watch and quickly made his way to the elevator, his pace increasing with each stride so that he was practically jogging when he reached it. During the short elevator ride, his mind wandered to the clumsy woman back at the coffee house who now had his phone. For a brief moment, he allowed himself to ruminate about her demeanor, personality, and even her physical features in his mind. “Cute”, he whispered, along with a simultaneous gust of breath. He wouldn’t mind seeing her again. Wasn’t looking forward to it or anything ‘simpish’, just wouldn’t find the idea… unpleasant. As soon as the elevator doors came apart, his thoughts immediately switched themes. It was game time. He strode across the long hall of busy employees. Half the people were on the phones while the other half shuffled and scuffled with stacks of papers. To his relief, albeit surprising, no one paid him heed. He kept walking till he reached the other end of the huge hall and then hesitated for a second. He considered asking for directions to the boardroom but decided he wasn’t going to be the object of release for some overworked number crusher’s frustration. He pressed onward attentively, half expecting someone to stop him as he left the public area and turned into a much less populated hallway. After a little wandering, Abel found himself on the balcony one floor above, overlooking the huge hallway he’d just walked across. There was a room with all-glass paneling and the words ‘Board Room’ carved into a silver-coated aluminum plate just above the glass door. Quite ironically, he grew even more anxious on finding his destination. He walked past a half-distracted lady on the phone while he consciously tried to regulate his breathing pattern. As he walked down the balcony he could see the other participants already situated at the oval table with only one empty seat, his. Just as he grabbed the metallic handle and began to push in, he noticed he now had the full attention of the ‘distracted’ lady he’d just walked by. She kept signaling him away from the door as she rushed towards him with a concerned look torn between worry and disapproval. Abel just stood there in the doorway staring in confusion at the lady who was no doubt about to give him an ear full. Just then a voice came from within the boardroom, “Just let the young man in would ya, I mean he owns the goddamn building for Christ's sake” The lady’s gait suddenly lost all luster, she gestured for Abel to go on in half apologetically and half steeped in confusion as she backed away. Abel continued into the room. All eyes were on him now and the first thing he noticed was that he was the only one whose jacket was made of leather and didn’t have three buttons. He took a few long strides to the only vacant seat at one end of the oval table and sank into it with little grace. He apologized to the room for coming late but gave no excuse for his tardiness. Waking up, getting through the rain, finding the office, none of those occurrences seemed unique to him, so he found them unfeasible. However, there was that whole thing at the coffee place, but that felt more like an anecdote you tell at a party to friends, not the impatient elderly faces sizing him up since he walked into the room. “Don’t worry about it son, we already took the liberty to get started without you so no need to apologize”, Abel’s uncle flashed a smile at him, he gave an uneasy half-smile in return. “Everyone, this is Abel, my brother’s second kid and the young prince of our little empire. He’ll be standing in for his father in this meeting, or what’s left of it. Abel, this is Hank Foreman, our CFO – I just call him the money guy, this is Charles Dharnon – he makes things happen, and this awesome boy-wonder is my understudy Richard Rodrick – but we call him Rick after that genius cartoon scientist with a portal gun. Stick around long enough and you’ll see why.” Rick was the youngest guy sitting at the table other than Abel himself. But unlike Abel, he didn’t seem jittery as he continuously swiveled in his chair, either he felt he’d done enough to earn his place or he was just some pompous jerk. His over-gelled hair and permanent half-smirk suggested the latter. “The rest of them are just men and women with varying degrees of entitlement. You may consider them NPCs, I know I do”, continued Abel’s uncle with a slight chuckle. He seemed unfazed by the looks of contempt the NPCs threw his way. “Layla! The lady Abel passed on the phone suddenly came in half-running. “Where’s Layla”, asked Abel’s uncle. It wasn’t quite clear whether the expression on his face was surprise or disappointment. “She’s just getting some…” “You know what, never mind. Could you be a dear and pour our esteemed guest and me a cup of coffee while Rick goes over the previously discussed items on the agenda for our ‘mutual’ benefit”. Abel felt a tad relieved, the meeting was running on its own and he didn’t have to do anything but sit there and look involved like the rest of the well-dressed NPCs. Oh shoot, he’d zoned out, Rick had just moved to the third slide in his presentation. Well, ‘re-presentation’, Abel tuned in. ***** A taxi pulled up outside the office building and a young lady darted out of it all the while cursing as she headed straight into the building. She attempted to pat down the damp areas on her skirt but it was more a gesture than an actual effort. The lady walked hurriedly passed a group of security men, flashing her brilliant smile was all she could do in return for their enthusiastic greetings. She tried to compose herself on getting into the elevator and let out a deep breath as soon as the doors closed. She would have found solace in the rare chance to ride the elevator solo were it not proof of just how late she was. And of all days when the young boss was coming in. No one knew anything about him, but if he was the son of his father she knew tardiness was not the ideal first impression. She blamed half her circumstance on the relentless downpour, and the other half on the clumsy coffee house guy. How could someone that good-looking be that clumsy? What, was it his first time on his feet? He did smell nice though, she thought, and she found the way he winced and looked away each time she drew close just the right amount of cute. When she noticed she was close to her floor, her countenance changed completely. Only then did she realize she had been smiling the entire time reminiscing about the coffee house encounter. She straightened her blazer, ran her fingers through her hair, and patted down her skirt for the final time. As soon as the elevator “dinged”, the young woman burst out into the large bustling hall room. “For f***s sake Layla! Yelled Tabitha as she hounded across the hall. Layla proceeded to meet her halfway. “Oh my god Tabs, you wouldn’t believe what…” “Where have you been? They’ve been calling for you upstairs.” “Well, not much I can do about that now, is there?” “You’re lucky I covered for you.” “What would I do without you”, Layla snickered as she waltzed by, totally unapologetic. ***** Abel stretched his neck as far as it could go and half raised himself from the seat so that he was all but sitting in it. And then he sank right back into it, much lower than before. Were his eyes playing tricks on him? Surely their encounter wasn’t that epic for his mind to go haywire! He stood to go pour himself another cup of coffee but his uncle predicted his move and signaled him to stay put as he called out for Layla once more. Layla waltzed into the room with an air of authority. Her radiance, made no less prominent by the florescent lights as she seemed to glide on her heels. Her beauty commanded everyone’s attention, she knew it, they knew it, and she knew they knew it. She saw Abel’s uncle hold his cup and she instinctively walked towards the espresso machine. Layla offered no explanation as to her whereabouts and the air of confidence about her assured no one would demand one. It was part of her charm. Grabbing the coffee pot, she started at one end of the table and made her way around it. Only then did she notice the non-suit-wearing, non-corporate asshole sinking in his chair trying hard not to meet her gaze. “You”, she whispered on getting to him. Abel gestured to pass on the coffee, call it PTSD or paranoia, it just felt like the safer option. Layla withdrew to the espresso machine. Abel noticed her dallying a bit while he struggled to follow Rick’s “brief” recap. He saw her approach yet again in his peripheral vision. She walked up to him and leaned in as she filled his cup against his earlier wishes, but as she did so, a white piece of paper fell on his lap. Abel caught another sniff of that familiar scent, it was nice. It was all Abel could do to stop himself from following her back to the espresso machine and out the door with his gaze, all the time bewildered by her seemingly limitless ability to effortlessly and thoroughly unnerve him. His attention fell back to the folded piece of paper on his lap. He began to unfold it, although with much less eagerness than he actually felt. “Meet me in the underground parking lot in 20” Abel glanced at his watch and took in a deep breath before looking back at Rick. He could feel the anxiety within him and consciously tried to palliate the excitement building in his tummy. What on earth did she want to meet him for, and why in the privacy of the underground parking lot?