Wake Up...

Mila

I woke up at my usual time to get ready for office but laid there wondering if I should get up. I was a little bit apprehensive about going back to the office and face my boss, and after yesterday there was that nagging feeling that something was about to happen. I had escaped my family and until now I had cocooned myself in a belief where everything was perfect, but yesterday I came face to face with another face of the same coin. Russian mob. If they get to know who I was… Then my family would be last of my problem. God knows what will happen to me. My mind wandered to different scenarios of me being tortured in the hands of Russian mob and especially that vile man I had faced back in the café and how he had treated that poor girl.

Not wanting to dwell on those maudlin thoughts I finally left the bed and descended the stairs. As soon as my foot touched the cold hardwood floor, Jaha’s voice had me jerking back as he came to stand beside me and asked, “What happened yesterday?”

“Jaha… you scared me.” I said, but my face fell when I saw the look on his. “What happened?”

“You tell me.”

I answered his question, telling him everything about yesterday’s incident as he had become a kind of a guardian to me in these last few days I have been living here. And not to mention he was really kind, he reminded me of Meredith. After I was finished, for a moment he remained silent and I started to turn around thinking he just wanted to be in the know but he stopped me as he said, “Lexa told me you are leaving that job.”

“No. I decided not to.” I replied. “I had already spent more than a week, I think I can do it for three more.”

“If you want I can look for some other jobs for you. I can ask my friends.” He said his brows troubled.

“Oh no, Jaha. You have already done so much for me.” I took his weathered hand in mine. “You don't have to trouble yourself. It's just a matter of a few more weeks then I’ll be ten thousands richer.” I said the last part on a lighter note.

“Will you ever tell me from whom you're running?” He questioned suddenly. My brows went up high on my forehead. He said, “I know you are. These eyes have seen enough, so don't lie to me.”

“Okay.” I licked my lips. “I won't lie. But I can't tell you either.” He nodded. “May be, someday.” I added.

He gave me a smile, caressed a hand down my head. “I am here if you want to talk to anyone. I’ll listen.”

I nodded my eyes pricking with tears. And on a whim, I leaned forward and hugged the old man. He laughed. “There, there, kiddo…”

I reached the office late and as I punched in the code for the elevator, my fingers shook with the thought of facing him. One, I was late and he'd definitely give me a hateful glare or sent me another lengthy email to reproach me about it. Two, the words he had so casually used yesterday as a threat still echoed in my mind. Three, the anticipation. I couldn't help it. My body was attracted to him, to his lethal beauty. And the power and potent fierceness, that his thousands dollars suit couldn’t hide. All of it seemed to tug at some base part of me.

When the elevator stopped and I stepped out of it, I quickly made my way to my desk. It took me ten minutes to gather all the things that needed his attention, but I frowned as I looked at the glass doors because he hadn’t demanded a coffee since I came. Nor did he summoned me inside so he could lecture me on punctuality. And it wasn’t the fact that he didn't know I was here because I knew it for a fact that there was a camera out here somewhere as I had seen him watching the feed just two days ago, so he definitely knew I had arrived.

Taking the printouts the production department had emailed me and the letter he had made me write to a small scale distillery, I made my way to the closed glass doors. I breathed deeply and knocked once. Twice. Thrice. Pursing my lips, my patience thinning I pushed down at the knob and the door swung inward. 

The first thing I registered was the strong smell of vodka. And as I stepped further inside, my eyes going to his chair behind his desk I realised he wasn't there. Brows furrowed I wondered where he was but I didn't even finish that thought when a loud gasp left my mouth as I saw him half sprawled on the large couch that dominated the wall near the windows. But what had my pulse skyrocketing was the blood on his shirt, especially his arm. 

“Oh my god...” My hands dropped everything I was holding as my legs automatically took me to him. Heart thudding, I dropped to his side. “Mr. Byrne…” I said. “Sir, Mr Byrne, wake up…” My hands hovered above him. I didn't know what to do. I wrinkled my nose as I smelled all the alcohol on him. Looking around, I saw various small bottles scattered around the sofa and big ones on the counter, near the coffee machine, some of them still had amber liquid in them.

How much did he drink? 

Shaking my head I focused back on him. “Hey…. Wake up….” Deciding that I’d have to do it the hard way, I patted his cheek. “Jonathan…” I wanted to look from where he had bled and how much he was hurt, but I didn’t want to do that while he was sleeping or may be unconscious. Gritting my teeth, I slapped a little harder. “Jonathan!” 

He growled. And I stiffened. But a few seconds passed and nothing else happened.

“Sir…?” I ventured.

No response.

“Ughh…” I groaned. Narrowing my eyes, I stood up and turned around. I walked to the counter which had all shapes of bottles but none of them was of water. Shrugging I grabbed a bottle that was still filled a quarter and came back to him. Standing over him, I tipped the bottle over him.

One moment I was standing over him, watching as the golden liquid bathed his face and slide through his golden locks and another second he staggered up on his feet like a mountain lion waking up from deep sleep and glared down at me. And while I looked up at him in amazement, he grabbed me by the throat and pushed me back until my lower back collided with his desk and my back arched. 

My stomach bottomed out and I couldn't do anything except look into his eyes and feel how precarious a position I was in.

“What the fûck do you think you were doing?” He gritted out, his fingers flexing around my throat.

“I…” I coughed, my fingers going to his hand. “Can’t… sp-speak…” His hold loosened. I gulped. Licked my dry lips. “I was trying to wake you up.” His eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. The grey almost disappearing. “The blood… I thought you were seriously hurt and unconscious.”

At that his gaze dropped to his arm and then slowly those long, unrelenting fingers slid away from my throat. He stepped back. Running his fingers through his now wet locks as he looked around the office. Then he looked at his hand that came away wet and said, “You.” His jaw worked and I considered making a run for it. But those grey eyes pinned me on the spot as he glared at me. “You dumped a fifty thousand dollars worth of scotch on me.” 

I swàllowed, an apology on the tip of my tongue but the words that came out was anything but that. “Well, I didn’t think you’d mind, you already reek of it. What’s a little more?” I said on a shrug and my eyes widened as I heard myself.

His head jerked up, brows coming down on those dark eyes. “Come again.”

“I was— whoa….” I lunged forward as he swayed, but as much as I tried he was too heavy for me to keep him upright and in order to grab me for support, he only managed to take me down with him.

I heard his faint curse as his back connected with the sofa and my elbow dug into his waist. “Shit.” I muttered as I tried to get up. “Ow…” The involuntary sound left my lips as a lock of my hair got stuck on a button of his shirt.

I looked up to find his grey eyes looking at me. They were half closed but even through my half askew glasses, I could see how they were focused on me. With one hand braced by his waist, I tried to untangle my hair only to suck in a breath when those long fingers wrapped around my wrist, stopping my movement. I didn't look away from where he touched me, all I could do was feel the heat and warm tingles from that touch and so I didn't see his other hand coming to my face until his deft fingers plucked my glasses off my nose. 

I blinked, no longer needing to squint and lifted my eyes to his. I shouldn’t have. Because I realised now he was able to see what I had been hiding all this time. I heard the clink as he dropped my glasses— Lexa’s glasses, on the floor. And then his hand was at the back of my head and I felt him carefully, without any painful tug, as he unravelled my tight bun.

“What are you doing?” I questioned, my hand going back to my head, stopping his hand and my hair from completely going loose all around me. 

He didn't answer, instead his fingers grabbed my hand and pulled it away from the back of my head, allowing my dark tresses to come unbound around us. His grey eyes followed every movement of my hair and his fingers then freed my stuck hair from his button. I quickly scrambled off him and took several steps away from him. Very aware of my long hair, waving down my back and framing my face. Bending down I picked up the glasses and placed them back on the bridge of my nose. 

Taking a deep breath, I turned to face him and saw that he was now sitting upright, his back resting against the sofa. “Do you need anything, my help?” I asked, making sure to keep my voice low and gestured to his arm.

He looked down at his arm and shrugged lazily. “I guess.” He rumbled, those grey eyes coming back to me, unnerving in the way he stared at me as if peeling away layers to find the core hidden beneath.

I nodded. And made my way to the wooden door, just a few feet away from the countertop, knowing it was a bathroom. At first I was confused and equally baffled to take in the sheer size of his office and the sofa, the kitchen counter and the bathroom. But now, as I stepped inside the bathroom, I was sure it was not just his office but he slept here too. My eyebrows went up on my forehead as I took in the size of the bathroom, it was bigger than my attic room which I had thought was big enough. There wasn’t just a shower stall, but a bathtub too. Damn. Shaking my head,  I quickly went to the vanity and pulled open the drawers one after another, finding what I was looking for in the second last one.

But as I turned away to go back out there, I stopped and looked at my reflection. Sighing, I put the first aid kit back on the counter and wrapped my hair in a bun as tight as I could without the help of a hairband which was still in his possession. My hair done, I dabbed the smudged powder on my face with my fingers to level it out. Satisfied and ready to go out, I also took a few tissues with the first aid kit.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, my shoulders relaxed because he was once again slumped sideways. Eyes closed and head tilted backwards. For a moment, I was tempted to make my way out of his office, but then a still human part of me shook his head at me and pushed me forward in his direction. “Mr Byrne?” 

No response. Here we go again.

But this time I didn't try to wake him up. Instead I decided to do as he had asked. I was going to help him and if he wasn’t awake for it then it wasn't my problem.

To Be Continued...