Marriage With The CEO

“Marry me.”

Two words, one sentence. Straight to the point, without beating around the bush. One thing Vlora Anderson, a smart woman who worked as executive secretary to the CEO of Greatech, appreciated was getting to the point without unnecessary complications.

She despised all things that were full of pretense. She preferred to get straight to the point without the fuss that could give anyone a headache. But this? “Marry me?” Oh, dear. Vlora could only freeze for a moment, staring at him. She wondered briefly if the man before her was sane.

But no, he was perfectly sane, and he could convince Vlora that he was sane enough to utter that sentence.

Blinking once, Vlora's forehead creased slightly as she looked into his shining eyes. The look there seemed to mix temptation and mischief at the same time.

“Forgive me,” Vlora's voice trembled slightly. She even had to take a deep breath before she could continue. “What did you just say?”

“Oh, God.”

The man's deep voice seemed choked. Combined with his eyes rolling briefly before closing dramatically.

“I've said it many times, Vlo. Just call me by my name. No need for 'sir’. Call me by my name.”

Eyes opened. Gaze directed. A name spoken.

“Andreas.”

Vlora tried to keep her composure. She nodded. “Yes, Mr. Andreas Sanders.”

“Andreas. Just Andreas, Vlo,” Andreas corrected for the umpteenth time. A passing thought crossed his mind and a crooked grin appeared. “Is it so hard to say my name?”

Vlora did not answer. Ignoring Andreas, she shut down her computer. In a relatively short time, she had packed her work bag and was getting ready to leave.

“Are you ready to go home?” Andreas asked.

Nonchalantly, Vlora replied, “It's almost two hours past my usual departure time, sir. Office hours ended a while ago.”

“Oh dear,” Andreas sighed in frustration. “Sir, sir, sir. Really. Why do you like to call me 'sir' so much? It's too formal for us, Vlo, and we don't have a formal relationship. You're not my subordinate and I'm not your boss. So why be so formal?”

What Andreas said was true. There was literally no formal relationship between them. They were neither boss nor subordinate. Unfortunately, in Vlora's eyes, they were not close enough to call each other by their first names.

Vlora's hand, reaching for her work bag, suddenly stopped. It seemed that Andreas' words had hit a nerve.

“Although, of course, it is a very charming idea to have a subordinate like you. So how about it? Would you really like to be my subordinate? I can offer you a 'subordinate' position that will please you.”

The implied meaning in Andreas' words was all too real. Vlora pursed her lips tightly and tried to regain her composure.

“I hope you can keep your manners, Sir.”

“Manners?” Andreas scoffed. “I was perfectly polite. Remember? I want you to marry me. Then I'll make you my subordinate. So, what part of that was rude?”

Vlora stared at Andreas without blinking. Her face hardened.

“I think you've tried hard enough to be polite to me,” she said.

Andreas grinned. “Of course. At least I want us to get married first. You know, not many men are brave enough to propose marriage to a woman.”