“This is quite an extravagant surprise, I must say,” words finally came out of my mouth. Jacque was standing beside me, his eyes cast on the table before us, ensuring everything was set where it was supposed to be. “Thank you, Lucas. Really, you didn't have to.” I added, sharing eye-contacts him. He moved away from Vivian as if she was suffering from a deadly illness, and stood near the rails, his hands in his pockets. “It was no bother,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders calmly. I could not keep my eyes off them, as they stood on the higher floor, together. Vivian left the vicinity and disappeared into the right wing where her room was. I shifted uneasily as we all watched her leave, giving her her moment to grace us with her astonishing beauty. I was envious of her, truth be told. She was a successful lady with a lot to admire – her confidence, her arrogance, her self-awareness, all these were traits I lacked. I admired her clothes, she always seemed to look flashy and on-tren
I had a piece of everything I could devour, and the satisfaction that I felt afterward was one for the books. The juices in every bite and the crunch in every pastry were exactly what I needed in my life. Jacque poured me a glass of vintage wine from France which contained some espresso and chocolate flavor, leaving my tongue craving more of the tannic drink. “Thank you, Lucas. This was amazing!” I told him, looking at him as he sat casually on the seat, barely touching his food. His eyes were cast on me still, which made me feel naked again. “Lucas! Did you hear me?” I asked, concerned. Still, he did not shift his eyes, which were now traveling down my chest. I hit my fork lightly on the fork, which made him snap back to the dining room. “Huh? Sorry! You said something?” He asked, embarrassed that he had been caught red-handed. “Are you okay?” “Yeah, yeah, don't mind me. I'm good.” He cleared his throat, changing positions on his seat. He was sitting across from me, and his
I stayed in my room, thinking about Charlotte. She had enjoyed the surprise I had Jacque prepare for her, which filled me with contentment. As I lay on my bed, I could not help but anxiously wonder where our date tomorrow would be. As much as I had looked forward to having a swim with her, this other option was much better. We had not heard a serious conversation since her arrival, and I felt both scared and hopeful that we would get a chance tomorrow. I made a mental note to ask my assistant to find the best restaurants to take her, as I rarely ever put much thought into dates. When I moved to New York, my heart was still broken by the distance between Charlotte and I. When girls tried to flirt with me on campus, I would bawl them away disinterested. When Mark and I became close, he often tried showing me the tricks of dating, assuming that I was just scared to confront girls. The truth of the matter was that I was not interested in anyone else but my Lotte. As late as I was in pr
I opened the door to see Vivian leaning on my door frame with a bottle of scotch in her hand. She seemed pretty drunk already, and if not for her slight stagger, I would have failed to notice as she perfectly applied make-up did not give any hint of insobriety. She smiled when our eyes met, and I could not help but ponder on whether she had heard my moans before. For how long had she been standing there? “Hi Vivian, how long have you been standing there?” I voiced out my thoughts unconsciously, worried about what she might think of me. “Oh, why darling? Were you having a sex chat?” She laughed, as she staggered into my room, not awaiting a welcome. As much as I admired her, I despised how socially intelligent she was. “No, I just-“ “Don’t fret about it, honey! It’s acceptable.” She fell on my bed, which sprang her up as soon as she landed as if her weight had taken it by surprise. I walked towards her, shutting the door behind me as I heard another door along the hallway open.
I woke up a few minutes before my alarm rang, and popped into the shower, feeling energetic for the day. I played some old nineties, pumping myself with some Nirvana and 2Pac, as I readied myself for the day. My office calendar displayed only two appointments and one meeting with the board, which was a pretty good thing for me as I had fewer people to worry about. I had asked my assistant to reschedule everything else that came past one o’clock in the afternoon, as I planned to close my business day by noon. I picked up my black jeans, while polo t-shirt, and a black leather jacket, and paired them with white Nikes. The casual look was set to make Charlotte more comfortable during our lunch date, as suits had a tendency of bringing unnecessary attention my way. I walked out of the room, singing along to Lionel Richie’s Stuck on You, as I set my Ray-Ban sunglasses on my t-shirt neckline. I passed by Charlotte’s room and heard no movement. There was no light seeping out either. Instin
Someone was shaking me vigorously, bringing me back to the sad reality around me. I reluctantly opened my lids, groaning quietly at the realization that I had to wake up and go on with my life. There was a bright light that filled my room, proving that dawn had come. I reached out for my phone, hoping that all this was a dream and I could go back to sleep. The bright light from my phone hurt my eyes and I was about to click it shut when I saw the time displayed on the screen. Shit! It was forty minutes past six in the morning. The conference usually kicked off at eight o’clock, but my unwanted anxiety convinced me to always arrive minutes earlier to get the best seat for myself. “Shit, shit, shit!” I bolted to the bathroom and took a quick shower, completely ignoring Lucas who sat on my bed, looking quite puzzled. I knew how concerned he was, but I had no time to explain anything to him, not that there was anything I could say. I scrubbed my body furiously as if getting rid of the
The meeting with the board proceeded swiftly, and my eleven o’clock appointment was quick and precise. My moods stayed on high, almost making me dance along the hallways. I sat in my office with my assistant, quickly concluding on the presentation details for the Chinese investors’ final proposal. I had to bag that investment as it would double the company’s profits and expand our reach globally. My assistant had been in this job position for only a year after I fired the previous one for sexual assault. She had learned the job quickly and had become one of the two favorite people in my work life. The other was Mark, who was missing from the earlier meeting, with no apology. I made a mental note to call him after work. “By the way, Luce, what hotel would you recommend for a nice lunch?” “Sir?” she asked me, turning back around to look at me. It was the first time that Luce and I spoke of matters not concerning the company, and I bet she was amused by my question. “I have a friend v
Four years ago I was an intern at Kerrington right after my graduation and was only fortunate to get that job after a recommendation from the vice-chancellor. Everyone in the office seemed amiable, and making friends - which was never my strong suit - was not a scary thing. The first person to approach me was Rita. My first impression of her was a loud, out-spoken lady who puts more effort into her dressing than her actual job. I often found a paper drawing on her desk with a new dress on it. Her art was highly remarkable. She introduced me to everyone else at the office, telling me about the people to keep close to and those to stay away from. We became close instantly, and it was as if our bond was just waiting to be locked all this while. "What dreams do you have in this life?" She asked me one time as we walked to the office parking lot together. Rita was seeing someone at the time, but never mentioned his name as she claimed it was not official yet, and she did not want to j