Chapter 6 Part 2 - Some Like the Dog Chase

~ Nicolette ~

I used the back gate when I left the school. I didn’t know why, but my gut just told me I had to.

Now I was inside my apartment, soaking in my tub like I had no worries. The echoing sound in my ears had finally ceased.

The word “worry,” however, was an understatement when it came to Mr. Ozric. As I contemplated on what happened this night, it left me with nothing but dread. He was the reason for that, and it was all because he had gone from dashing to possessive in a split second.

Bipolar much? I didn’t know. But I was now firm to avoid him at all costs. Like I said, men like him were nothing but trouble.

It was after half an hour when I finished my bath. With the laptop on my bed and me wearing my shorty shorts and spaghetti strap top, I checked my email first, replying to messages sent by Bernard, and then when everything was done, my fingers paused mid-type.

The screen showed G****e.

My crazy side wanted to search for anything and everything about this enigmatic man named Darien Ozric. I wanted to know how he got his business empire and what the media saidabout him, but my sane side ordered me to stop.

Why would I want to know more about him when I already decided to avoid him?

Seemed like a clash of morals to me.

But my final decision was forgotten when I heard my cellphone ring. It was from an unknown number. I thought it harmless if I picked it up, so I pressed the answer button.

“Hello, Miss Nicolette Holland speaking.”

My mouth immediately turned dry when the caller spoke.

“Nicolette.” Mr. Ozric drawled my name like he was on top of me and I under him with my legs spread wide. Shit.

“Mr. Ozric,” I drawled back, mocking him, sound for sound. I leaned against the headboard, trying to contain that stupid giggle from my traitorous subconscious. I hadn’t expected he’d dare reach me after tonight’s party. I assumed he basically had a long list of women, ready and waiting if he wanted a booty call. Not like I was thinking this was one. “How is it that you know my number?”

“When you’re a multibillionaire, sweet, everything is handed to you on a gold platter. Your number included,” was his confident answer.

Huh! Sounds about right!

“I see.” I bit my lower lip to stop it from freezing. Just what was this man up to? “You have your resources it seems. But I suggest you shouldn’t be obvious, Mr. Ozric. I might think you are my stalker.”

I heard a low chuckle from the other side then. It made me narrow my eyes.

“No, believe me, Nicolette. Stalker is not the right word to call me.”

“Then what is?” I quickly asked. If I was a lewd woman, I’d cut to the chase and start our phone sex that instant. I wasn’t one, but in the back of my mind, I was seriously considering on touching myself with the image of him holding his cellphone. His phone voice was that orgasmic, I tell you.

Shit. Erase! Erase! Erase!

“I’ll answer that if you agree to have a date with me,” he replied.

“Date?” I choked. “What for?” Standing, I dashed for the kitchen to pull out a bottle of water. I genuinely didn’t know, but I had a little clue why he wanted to see me again.

“I want to know you more. Out of all the jobs in the world, I want to find out why you became an archaeologist.”

I controlled myself from scoffing. What a lame excuse.

“Hm, you mean to say you want me to answer your litany of questions back at the museum about that mirror, right?” I clarified. Spilling it out now would be much better than prolonging the moment.

“Well, well, you catch up fast. I like it.”

I gripped on the water bottle a little harder, my temper rising.

“Well, you see here, Mr. Ozric. After that stunt you pulled with my elbow earlier—which, by the way, is very sore now—I decided not to have anything to do with you. You’re trouble. A headache. A pain in the ass!”

Surprisingly, he didn’t respond to my little tirade on the dot. There was a long pause on our line that gave me the chills. I swear I could feel his glare on me. I considered cutting the call in the end, but then, I heard a long exhale.

“To let you know, you are the first woman who had the gall to tell me that,” were his words first. A triumphant grin grew on my lips. “But hm... you released quite an interesting word, Nicolette. Don’t worry, I won’t be shoving my cock on your tight rear if you don’t wish me to—is that what you mean by pain in the ass?”

My cheeks quickly inflamed. My God, he did not just say that!

“Excuse me?!” My dagger-like glare hit the floor. “Mr. Ozric, I’m done with you.”

Then I hit the end button and placed my cellphone on the peninsula table.

Opening the bottle, I gulped the cold water in one go. Some spilled in the corner of my mouth, wetting my top, but I didn’t mind it.

The man was absolutely...god, what was the right word? Ah yes, cocky.

He was so full of himself. Were all rich dicks like that?

Ring.

I moved with a start when I heard my phone sound again. I took a peek at the number and yes, it was Mr. Ozric again.

I hit the end button in reply.

Seconds later, the same thing happened. I gave him the same answer.

Then the fourth followed.

Groaning and at my limit, I switched my phone off.

There.

He wouldn’t bug me anymore.

But you’d think a man would take the hint. The next day, after a restless sleep, the same thing happened the moment I turned my phone on.

Huffing, I buried it under my mattress.

He was one damn persistent man, but luckily for me, I could live without my gadget.

To: [e-mail]

Subject: Cellphone temporarily unavailable

Hi, Bernard. I’m not using my phone for now. If you want to reach me, send a message here or chat me at Snapchat.

By the way, I faxed you the report with my signature. Let me know if you need anything else. Is my trip to Jeju Island already processed? I could really use a vacation.

Reply soon.

Your boss,

Nicolette

I typed in my message as fast as I could. If Bernard was already calling my phone and I didn’t answer, he’d think something was up.

My message would be good information for him.

Five minutes after hitting the send button, he replied with a smiley, his email location stating that he was in our office in Brooklyn. Then my Snapchat chatbox popped up.

Bernard: What’s up, boss? Why are you not using your phone?

I bit my lip when I typed in my reply.

Nikki: Some pesky man kept on calling me. I didn’t want to answer.

Bernard: Hm, your admirer perhaps? Or your ex?

I cringed after reading it.

Nikki: None of the above. Anyway, do you have some good news for me?

Bernard: Yes, I do. Your flight to Jeju Island is scheduled two weeks from now. I got a 50% discount.

Nikki: That’s great news. At least, we bought it cheap. What else?

Bernard: An agent named Mr. Ford Banner wanted you to look at his client’s artifact. See if you know its history.

Nikki: That’s interesting. Did he say what artifact it was?

Bernard: Nope, he didn’t. But he said it is a rare item from a faraway kingdom. It is priceless.

I smiled. This is exactly my cup of tea.

Nikki: Tell him I’d love to take a look at it. Did he say when and where?

Bernard: Yep, tonight, seven o’clock. It is actually in your apartment restaurant, boss. Mr. Banner will be waiting for you at The Suite Restaurant. He’ll take you up to the top floor where his client lives.

Nikki: Wow. Isn’t that convenient?

I typed in, pleased with the arrangement. At least I wouldn’t need to ride a cab going to who-knew-where.

But on the top floor? This was rather unexpected. I heard from the pips downstairs that the top floor was reserved only to the owner of this apartment hotel. Specifically, to the person who just bought this two weeks ago.

If my client lived on the top floor, then that only meant he or she was the owner. My landlady or landlord, so to speak.

“It seems that this client has taste, huh?” I murmured to myself. “Let’s see what this artifact is all about then.”

Come nightfall, I was already dressed in a beige pencil skirt and a white V-neck top. To cover the eye-catching lift of my chest, I used a fitted blazer. With my four-inch heels on, I strode toward the elevator, taking careful consideration that my body wouldn’t touch the mirror.

Yeah, the ancient mirror may have been gone now, but still, I wanted to be cautious. I definitely didn’t want to be transported to another place when I had an important job waiting for me in exactly five minutes.

Happy to say, the female echo didn’t return today. It made me think I was out of the mirror’s curse for good. Thank the gods. Thinking about it, it made me smile as I stepped out of the elevator. Finally, peace.

Mr. Ford Banner, wearing a black trench coat and a fedora hat, exactly as Bernard told me, was already sitting on a bar stool when I entered the ground-floor restaurant. He was drinking a scotch on the rocks with his back to the waiter.

When he saw me approach, he quickly stood and righted his coat.

“Miss Nicolette Holland?” he asked, putting a hand in between us.

I took it and smiled. “Yes, it’s me, Mr. Banner.”

He pulled his suitcase from the counter and then said, “Shall we? My client is waiting upstairs.”

I nodded. “Lead the way then.”

We took the elevator, but this elevator was a private one. It played a different music: Beethoven’s Winter Sonata, and it had some intricate designs on the ceiling. It still had mirrors like the one for the apartment’s common use, though, so I really wasn’t able to relax while we rode it.

The elevator pinged when we reached the nineteenth floor. Mr. Banner stepped out first, then me, staring straight at a well-carpeted vestibule.

“Uhm, aren’t there any folders you need to give me before I see the artifact, Mr. Banner?” I asked while he pressed some security buttons on the left side of the door. “The information perhaps on how your client came to possess this said item?”

He looked at me and shook his head.

“No, my client will tell you everything you need to know, Miss Holland. He is a very secretive person when it comes to his possessions.”

He?

I raised a brow. Ah, so the client is a he.

Then the door opened with a soft click.

“Come in. I will be guiding you to the room where the artifact is placed, and I will leave you from there. My client will be with you in a moment.”

I nodded.

The owner’s suite was as grand as I expected it to be when I stepped inside. The Hedonia Apartment and Suites had always boasted quality and elegance in their rooms and this right here embodied their words. It was straight out from a hotel magazine with glass walls as opposed to mine with wallpaper.

True to his word, Mr. Banner guided me to the said room where the artifact was. He opened the door to the left after we strode in a wide, dark-blue carpeted hallway. Then he swept his hand to the side, gesturing for me to enter.

I did as excitedly faced as I was to see the artifact.

That expression turned sour though the moment I saw the object.

It was my ancient mirror. Hung on a wall that had spotlights on.

My hands went clammy, and my knees started to wobble.

How? Why?

I already donated this to the school museum. Why was this in some collector’s room now?

Then I found the answer the instant I turned toward to the door.

“Miss Holland, good evening.”

Dammit, I should have known.

Mr. Darien Ozric gazed at me like I was prey, showing off a triumphant smile, no doubt happy that I fell right into his trap.