Chapter 8: Fresh Dawns

They met at a rooftop bar at the Hensley hotel at night, in the South side of the city. Zara looked renewed, a new life blooming through her, wearing a white dress that was cinched at her waist.

Nat wore a tuxedo and hat. He got up and opened the chair for her to sit.

“Thank you” she sat down, looking up flattered.

“You look flawless my dear” he said in a deeply baritone voice.

“And you don’t look bad”, she teased

Nat smirked.

“Whats up tho. I don’t need to ask how you’re feeling it’s all written in your face”

“I couldn’t be happier. I always wanted to get out of that place. It was hell. I’m glad I'm finally free and I've never gone back, " she said self-assured.

“No you won’t”, Nat re-echoed her vow.

“So are you ordering” ? he asked

“Yes. I’m famished”.

She ordered salmon, eggs and crescents of fresh melon. Nat was amazed by her good taste. He ordered the same.

“Are you gonna get a new job” ?

“Yes. I still have hours at the mall which is barely enough money for my upkeep. I need to find something else”

“Come be with me Zara”. It wasn’t plea, it was a command, the way he said it.

“I’m here with you, Sir,” she said. The ‘Sir’ is a little too emphasized.

“Be at my office. I have a job for you.”

“I have no qualifications for your firm Sir”.

“Who says that” ? Nat quipped.

“You know how to read and write and basic computer literacy yeah” ?

“Yes”, she said.

“Be my PA. Not much required. Just want company at my office”.

“Company” ? She raised suspicious eyebrows.

“Yeah, company”. He sipped the wine, eyes never leaving hers.

His offer was vague. The company wasn’t clear enough. She refused to accept that  it was what she suspected but she had consented to his deal and he had given her a new beginning, a fresh dawn in which she alone determined the margins of her life. He deserved every bit of her.

“I really like you, Zara” he said. I enjoy being around you”. His tone was emotionless however passionate the words sounded.

“The feeling is mutual”. she smiled.

“Let’s get out of here”

They descended the elevator to the entrance of the hotel building. Nat insisted they took a short walk around the park a few kilometers away that overlooked the sprawling river.

Standing by the river edge, “You know—when I lost my dad, it felt like my world had crumbled. It was a big shock to us all. I had to step in for the firm at just 21 after college. I wanted to have fun and live life a bit but then sometimes you never know what life has for you”.

“I’m sorry about that Nat”

“It’s fine. We didn’t really have much of a relationship. He was always with ‘Man up Nat’ all the time and grooming me to be a suitable heir. He made all my choices before I had a chance at them—Yale university, Harvard business school. Never had a chance to make decisions for myself”.

She put her hands over his shoulders and was enveloped by his masculine breath, how firm his arms were. Beneath the layer of toughness, he was still a baby inside.

“My mom was the only one who showed affection. But she was always traveling. My whole life’s been burdened by work”

“That’s why I seek solace in girls and the club. But you, you weren’t just another fling, you were an experience. A portal to an unknown peace”.

Zara smiled, a long, spirited smile. She was a bit teary. They hugged each other.

“I love you, Nat,” she whispered into his ears.

“Not so soon, Zara. You really don’t wanna deal with a person like me”

“We’d go through it together”

He gave a faint smile then he said naughtily

“With your juicy ass pussy”

“Mmm and that dick”. She rolled her eyes to show how much she was infatuated by it. They laughed. He caught her mid-laughter with a kiss that was brief but feral with longing.

“I hope you won’t hurt me” she said

“I hope so too” he said

She punched his chest. “I’d kill you”.

He faked a pain, a groin.

“You're so violent,” he teased.

They stared at the moon from above the waters, primordial with the magnificent radiance of their new found union.

Zara felt so alive. Nat felt his inner child had been resurrected.

But somewhere, deep down, Zara thought it too good to be true.