Chapter 4.

                                 CHAPTER FOUR

“Is everything okay over here?” A voice called out from behind the counter.

Mark appeared from the door that was a few feet away from Melissa. He was a tall dark skinned man with a fade. He was a bit bulky and gave off a very intimidating atmosphere. Mark approached the counter and stood close to Melissa. The weird man let go of Melissa’s arm and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Is there a problem sir?” Mark asked as he flashed the most polite smile Melissa had ever seen him muster.

The man opened his mouth to say something, but closed it immediately when his eyes trailed over Mark’s taut muscles. The fear in his eyes were prominent. The man, without hesitation retreated away and dashed out of the store. The tension had finally lifted and Melissa let out a sigh of relief.

“You okay Mel?”

Melissa turned to Mark and have him in reassuring nod.

“I’m fine thanks to you.” Melissa said.

Mark gave her a warm smile. Despite his intimidating aura, Mark was a very warm and nice person. Melissa felt safe whenever they had a shift together.

“I wonder why the manger keeps giving you night shifts.” Mark complained.

Melissa shrugged.

“Who knows? And I can’t really complain, now can I?”

Mark grimaced. Melissa could see the concern in his eyes and it made her feel a little better. She felt a slight sting on her wrist and looked at it. The spot where the man had grabbed her tightly was throbbing with a bright red colour. ‘great, just great’ Melissa thought as she rubbed her wrist.

“Does that hurt?” Mark asked.

“Not that much. It’ll be fine after a few hours.”

Melissa glanced at her phone and gasped. She turned to Mark and he gave her a knowing look.

“Looks like it’s time for the appointment  you said you needed to go to?”

Melissa nodded.

“Yeah, thanks for covering this shift for me Mark, you’re a big help.” Melissa said.

Mark looked at Melissa for a while, his eyes showing that he was mulling over something, but Melissa couldn’t tell what it was.

“It’s fine Mel, I’ll be happy to help next time.”

Melissa walked over to the door that led to the staff room, the door Mark had come out of. She paused and turned to him.

“We can go out for lunch next time, my treat, as a way of saying thank you.”

For a second, Melissa saw a glint of happiness in his eyes. She waved it off not wanting to overthink it. Right now, she had other things to think about.

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The cab ride to the restaurant downtown was quite short. The taxi was already in front of the restaurant and Melissa quickly got out. The lush frontal decor of the restaurant left Melissa in awe. She couldn’t help but stand and stare at it. The glass door was lined with glass walls at each side. Flower pots were positioned at each side of the entrance. Melissa guessed that the flowers were artificial. At the top was a black rectangular board with the word “altier” written on it in a smooth cursive writing. It was beautiful, classy even. The word was lit up, contrasting the darkness of the night.

Melissa suddenly felt intimidated by the fancy frontal decor. She looked at herself, not confident about her dressing. The gown she wore was given to her by Tory, since she didn’t have any fancy clothes she could wear on a date. The dress was a body con gown with a slit sleeve. She wore a black coloured almond Toe stiletto, which complimented her wine coloured gown.

Melissa double checked herself and made her way to the entrance of the fancy restaurant. A waiter clad in a black suit held the door for her and welcomed her with a bright smile. Melissa smiled back and walked in. Once Melissa got a view of the internal decor, she was convinced that the decor at the entrance was just the cherry on top.

The high ceiling was covered with chandeliers that sparkled with a golden light. The whole room was filled with round tables, each draped with a white clothing. Waiters buzzed around the area like flies as they attended to people. Melissa felt lost and helpless. Where was she going to go?

“Excuse me ma’am.”

Melissa flinched and spun around, almost too quickly. She saw a short young woman, who looked like she was fresh out of college smiling at her.

“Do you have a reservation?” She asked.

Melissa blinked at her as she mulled over here question.

“Y-Yes, um I have a reservation with Gabriel Marshall.”

The name seemed to click as the woman’s face brightened up.

“I see, this way please.”

The woman walked away quickly and Melissa followed behind her clumsily as she tried to keep up with her pace. They walked up a set of stairs until they reached a different room entirely. The contrast between the last floor and the floor they were standing in was a lot. This area was more serene and had glass walls, which gave the customers a view of the city at night.

The woman led Melissa towards a table that was already occupied by a man. He seemed busy with his phone as he didn’t look up when they approached the table.

“Mr Marshall, your guest has arrived.”

The man looked up slowly and Melissa could feel her breath catch in her throat. She had seen a photo of him, but seeing him in person was completely different thing. His jet black hair was parted to the side and slicked back in a very professional way. Melissa couldn’t help but admire his well sculptured face, but there was one thing that caught her attention the most. His eyes, his blue eyes that seemed to draw her in the more she looked at him. His gaze was on her, cold and unfeeling, dominating, a gaze strong enough to bring anyone to their knees, begging. It made her shiver. So this was Gabriel Marshall.