Dark Layers Volume 1: Volume 1 Page 5

  "Hello?"

  "Miss Gooden?"

  "Yes, is that you Mr. Darks?"

  "Yes, who else would it be? Do you not check your caller ID?"

  Crap, he's mad.

  "Sorry, Sir. What can," he cuts me off dead.

  "There are numerous errors in these letters. Re-write them properly, what do you think I am running here, a bloody GCSE exam?"

  Well his upbeat persona didn't last long - the Bastard of Law is back in the building! Slowly I sink into my seat, rolling my eyes in frustration. I'm not sure I want to be around him anymore, he's the most confusing person I have ever met! And he has officially pissed me off with his clipped arrogance.

  "I am not a secretary, if you wanted a secretary to write your letters, then maybe you should have hired one qualified for the job!" I snap and slam the phone down. A bad move probably but I don't care, I am sick of these bossy Bastards at Darks Lawyers.

  "Are you okay Anile?" Hester asks.

  "Yes, I am now that I have found my balls." I joke.

  She eyes me shocked, mouth wide open, but I don't acknowledge her expression, I walk ahead of her to enter the lift.

  "That was rather brave of you Anile." She jokes.

  "I know, it was probably a little rude to, but his clipped manner really annoys me, Hester."

  "I know what you mean, he is like it with most people." She says as we exit the lift.

  We arrive in the cafeteria, order our food and sit on the hard plastic chairs. They are so uncomfortable, I already have a numb arse. While eating my lunch - a bacon sandwich on white that literally melts in my mouth with its smoked flavouring, hmmm - I instantly sense an alluring presence and stop chewing my food. Hester and I both clock it's Mr. Darks. The entire cafeteria notices him and everyone is banished to silence - their eyes seem to burn into him. We remain quiet also as we watch him glide through, unaffected by the lustful stairs as he orders his lunch. He always looks so good, wearing his suits as appose to them wearing him; I love the colours he wears - gray's to blues - the warm pallets match his skin tone so perfectly and compliment him further, although that is virtually impossible! I *sigh* as I rest my arms on the cold table top, day dreaming about how he must be at home in his comfort zone. I don’t mind admiring him from a distance, I am mentally obsessed with his appearance, he is one beautiful man and at least this way I have control over my mind and my bodies emotions.

  Hester begrudgingly interrupts my line of thoughts, I can hear restraint in her voice.

  “How are you finding your first day Anile?”

  “So far, I'm enjoying myself. I was a little nervous this morning but you have a very calming effect on me.” I confess.

  “Well, that is good. I like to make people feel comfortable.” She replies giving me a warm smile.

  “You are the only one so far; I have to admit, Mr. Darks makes me feel, uneasy. I’m not sure if I like being around him. One minute he's so lovely, and the next, well, I'm sure you get the picture.” I say, but as I look up at her because she hasn't answered me, she just stares past me. I mirror her action and I’m shocked to find Mr. Darks standing behind me. Double crap! He heard me!

  “Ms. Prynne, if you will?” He addresses her also using his hand, motioning for her to leave us. She gets up without so much as one word. She smiles at me with pity as she collects her tray of food. My heart sinks into my tummy as Mr. Darks takes a seat right next to me. Why does he have to do that? He's always within one foot proximity, it's as though he knows the effect he has on people, so he insures he creates his airless bubble so he can infect you with his presence.

  “So I make you feel uneasy?” He whispers, using my awful choice of words.

  He stares passively at me - with an expression of promptness, leaning closer with every second that passes; elbows on the table, slouching to his comfort. I really must learn to keep my flipping mouth shut! His beautiful yet dominating voice lingers in my mind as he awaits my answer - but he will be waiting a while as I grit my teeth, hoping that if I stay quiet long enough, he will give up and leave me alone. Our silence grows with time, but the atmosphere never becomes awkward. I watch his sultry half smile grow with my desire for him.

  Suddenly, he completely catches me off guard. Out of nowhere, he grabs my left fingers without even looking at them. He holds them together as he stops me from fiddling with my apple - I wasn't even aware I was doing so. I peer up at him with lazy eyes but he isn't watching me, he's watching my red glossy apple gently slide off the table. It smashes against the floor. It appears to happen in slow motion. He continues to hold my fingers in place for longer than necessary. The air between us once again thickens with... I don't know what, but I cannot take the sudden humidity. I try to quickly get to my feet - abandoning my food and him, but he swiftly grabs my jacket arm with a firm grip.

  “Sit back down Anile.” He orders, elongating every word.

  I submit like the chicken shit that I am, slowly sinking into my seat. I just stare at him with an open mouth, worried yet pissed off, wondering why he has to man handle me - it really is not requisite.

  “Well? I do not make a habit of asking the same question twice Anile.” He asks, waiting for my reply.

  I should really return his gesture and make him sweat for once!

  “A little.” I whisper nervous, "but you know that already, don't you?" Yes, I miserably caved, but anyone would if they were sat here with his judgy eyes upon them.

  His grip on my arm is still tight, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction in letting him know he's making me feel uneasy - so I just stare, awaiting his answer. The longer I stare, the more head drunk I feel - it's as though his eyes are intoxicating my brain as I sink deeper and deeper into his blue lagoon.

  “You are very innocent looking Anile. How old are you?”

  Oh my, where did that come from?

  “Did I not list my age on my Curriculum Vitae?”

  He gives me a, ‘if you did I would have noticed’, look with one raised eyebrow.

  “I'm twenty two, Sir."

  He smiles, but it's a strange expression - he now looks drunk as his eyes slowly glaze over; what's wrong with him?

  "I am going to release you now, stay put."

  "Okay," I say slowly, wondering why he's so vocal about what he's doing.

  “Good girl.” He praises then whispers, “the third and youngest sister,” as he shakes his head.

  “The what?” I ask bewildered.

  “Hmmm, Fitchers' Bird.” He says in a heady voice.

  Holy fuck! I want some of what he's had! His expression is potent and screams an sense of exhilaration. I'm sure my expression is nothing sort of stupefied as my thoughts run wild - what does he mean?

  He slowly releases my arm and runs his long index finger down my left cheek. He watches me intently. His finger burns, his eyes are electric - I have to look at his hand to be sure it isn't on fire.

  “Et vos eritis mihi in tertia.” He mutters under his breath.

  What does that mean? Is that Spanish?

  He gets up and aims to leave, but not before he hits me with one more gesture. He gently takes my hand, opening all my fingers individually with his gentle touch. He places a larger red apple in my palm - I didn't even see that he had one!

  "Millions saw the apple fall, but only one asked why." He whispers as he turns to leave.

  I watch him walk away, mouth agape. Holy shit! What the hell just happened? My brain is in desperate need of resuscitation!

  Hester slowly comes back to our table looking worried.

  “You should stay away from him Anile.” She warns.

  Can I answer her? Do I remember how to speak?

  "Anile." She says trying to get my attention because I stare past her.

  "Sorry, what?"

  "You should stay away from him."

  “Why? Not that I was interested in having anything with such a cryptic man!”

  I'm so confused - why I used the word confused befor
e to describe how I felt about him is beyond me because now, it's as though my mind is the deepest depths of the ocean. I will never know what is at the bottom but my curiosity forces me to keep looking. I try to breathe and collect myself but failing seems to be my prerogative today, so I allow myself to succumb to the inevitable as I sink further into the cold hard chair.

  “He is in very high power - not just in this law firm, but also in politics.”

  “What does that have to do with me staying away from him?”

  “He is dangerous. He has an agenda for everything. His last two wives have both divorced him - well, the second is in the process as we speak - I will admit though, I have never seen him so taken with a woman.” She finishes rubbing her head.

  LAST TWO WIVES! WHAT THE FUCK!

  "But you said not to be scared of him."

  "I meant as your boss." She says soft.

  “Can I ask you something?” I say lowering my head so no one can see or hear what I'm about to say.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “He said ‘the third and youngest sister’ then muttered ‘Fitchers Bird’. What on earth does that mean?”

  “Do not worry about that, he is just having fun with you Anile. Just, if you can, stay away from him. You seem innocent and nice, I’d hate for you to become another woman completely obsessed with him, to ultimately end up with nothing.”

  You are too late on the obsessive part lady!

  I smile at her and swallow hard.

  “Shall we go back to work?” I ask trying to change the conversation.

  She nods, just once.

  "I will meet you back at the reception. I have a few errands I need to take care of."

  I throw the rest of my lunch in the trash - keeping hold of the red apple - and scurry back up to the reception, almost in a daze.

  The rest of the day speeds up and runs smooth; thankfully there is no sign of Mr. Cryptic. Five o’clock draws closer and I hate that the tiredness has come for me. I'm absolutely burnt out and ready for my bed. It is my first day of work I suppose but still, I hope I'm not this tired all week. It must be the mental drain due to Mr. Darks and his abstruse ways.

  "You can leave early if you like Anile. Well done today, you have really shocked me.” Hester says.

  I'm so grateful for her words, especially hearing her say, 'home'. My brain has awakened and has its walking shoes on.

  “Oh?” I ask trying to get some information about my performance today.

  “You are very intelligent, easy to get along with and I am definitely happy to be working alongside you.”

  “Thank you so much Hester, that's a really kind thing to say. I will leave early if you are sure?”

  “I am, see you tomorrow, Love.” She replies.

  I gather my things, filling my ugly briefcase with letters that I want to check before Mr. Darks has a chance to examine them.

  The phone rings. Hester answers it but strangely starts to stare impassively at me while speaking to someone. Within no time at all, she hangs up.

  “Anile, Mr. Darks would like to see you in his office.”

  Fuck!

  “What, why?”

  “I do not know but he was insistent. I did tell him you were leaving but he told me to stop you and send you up to him immediately.”

  “Can you tell him you were too late in catching me? Please.” I beg. I'm not comfortable going into his office alone! Thankfully she takes pity on my angelic expression that I'm using to my advantage.

  “Okay, go now. I’ll call him and tell him I was too late in catching you.”

  I breathe a huge *sigh* of relief, grab my briefcase and hurry to the lift, shamefully leaving the last few letters.

  Chapter Four

  THE LIFT TAKES longer than usual. It feels like time has frozen and I'm stuck in the before - before the big bang. I constantly pace, back and forth, back and forth, anxious to get the hell out of here. Finally the lift pings open, but I stand frozen in place as Mr. Darks eyes burn into me. Shit! I need to get away from him, NOW! I turn on my heel and head for the stairs, desperate to get some distance from him, but his hands are on my waist in a nanosecond, gently forcing me to stop in my tracks.

  “Please Anile, I want to talk to you.” He begs in an alarmingly calm voice that I haven’t recognized from him before.

  I don't really have a choice - and I'm not completely sure I want one! - he may perceive that he's asking me but I know he's really ‘telling’ me in unspoken words. He gently takes my briefcase from my hand. I try to hold tight, but not tight enough - he's taking no prisoners. He smiles at me, looking exotic with his blistering eyes. He slowly untwines my fingers from the handle, paying extra attention to my digitus medicinalis as his thumb generously slides from my knuckle to the tip of my finger. I release it, knowing I'm about to pass out due to Darks flu! He ushers me to go first, mentally stinging my back with his fiery touch. I turn to look at him, so I can take mental inventory of him holding my briefcase. I shake my head annoyed that even my ugly briefcase cannot beat his appearance down! I walk on jelly legs without saying so much as one word - my brain needs time to recover, it's still suffering from lunch! We enter the lift, standing so formally side by side. The doors close with absolution and the atmosphere thickens between us; I can’t breathe and I can’t think. Get a fucking grip Anile! I try to breathe in my nose and out of my mouth, hoping it will calm me down somewhat, but he stops my breathing altogether with his dominant voice.

  “Them breathing techniques only work if you can master them Anile.”

  I peer up at him from beneath my eye lashes, hoping they will hide me. I catch a secret expression on his face with his half smile. I wonder what he's thinking? Actually, no, I don't - my innocent mind cannot handle his unruly imagination!

  “What do you want to see me about Mr. Darks?” I ask trying to maintain some control over the situation, but I instantly wish I kept my mouth shut. I see his eyes, sexually squinting as he watches me. I suddenly have a dangerous feeling he's going to hit me with some indecent proposal. Out of nowhere, he points to his eyes, then to the camera in the corner of the lift, informing me that all eyes are on us. I take a huge gulp as I notice my anxiety levels flying through the roof! Fucking hell, does he have cameras in all the lifts? Embarrassment suddenly flares my heated face as I remember smelling my arm in the lift when I had my interview, oh no!

  The lift finally opens on the top floor and I take a desperate huge breath, welcoming the release as the claustrophobia leaves my system. He takes my arm, leading me out. I involuntarily follow behind him, trying to keep up with his huge steps. Does he always have to man handle me? I'm not sure I like it.

  “Cancel my meetings.” He snaps at his PA who I recognize as the Asian girl who was rude to me earlier. I don't even have a chance to flash her an annoyed expression because I'm desperately trying to keep up with his long strides. I'm becoming breathless again. Where the hell is his office? There are so many doors in this damn building, you can never tell an important room from a general one!

  Suddenly we come to an immediate halt and I almost walk into the back of him - he notices as he flashes me a mocking grin. Bastard! I seriously need to work on my dominatrix presence if I am ever to have a chance in standing strong against him! He finally releases my arm and I unknowingly rub the area he was touching, sensing dominance and sexual frustration from him - although I cannot be sure with my lack of knowledge. He takes a set of gold keys from his pocket, slipping them through his long fingers as he searches for his office key. The first thing I notice is his car key; a Ferrari, how predictable.

  I look around trying to distract myself as I wait for him to open the door. Suddenly I notice his reception area is nothing like the rest of the building. It has an opulent feel to it, dressed with perfectly crafted coving, and the floor is commanded by glossy black and white tiles - Masonic springs to mind! All the offices - apart from this one - have floor to ceiling windows with matching transparent doors
. I quickly forget the Italian decoration as I'm struck with an everlasting impression. I eye painting after painting of the Olympian Gods. Zeus and his sons, all in perfect order with beautiful ornate frames helping them stand powerful and strong. I wonder where the Goddesses are? There's not one on display.

  I'm distracted by the loud clicking of his door. I immediately try to stop over thinking him, I will never work him out, even if my life depended on it. When he unlocks and opens his huge white office door, I'm intrigued to see his office is exactly the same as his hall, including the floor. I step in off of my own accord because I notice something. Here are the missing Greek Goddess paintings, but strangely, they are not in order like the Greek gods which I find bizarre. As I take deep note of the Goddesses faces, I notice they all look the same with Smokey small eyes and blonde wavy hair. This really confuses me. I walk in further, I see his window, stretching from the ceiling to the floor with dark red curtains trying their best to overpower the beautiful view of London.

  His voice suddenly brings me back from my over analytical imagination and I realize I almost forgot he was here.

  “Please have a seat Anile.” He asks.

  I walk towards the seat opposite his dangerously clear desk.

  “Sit on the sofa." He says.

  He smiles at me, urging my position with his hand. His eyes are bright as the sun penetrates the window. The fiery beam illuminates his irises, Phosphorus - almost blinding me with his star beauty.

  "Would you like something to drink?”

  “I would love a glass of wine if you have any, please.” I say hoping it will relax me.

  He nods his head to acknowledge my request and disappears into another room behind me. I'm appreciative for a few minutes alone. I let a load off, sitting on the edge of his sofa - ironic really, considering this is where he keeps me all the time. He emerges with the wines in hand. He effortlessly glides towards me, never spilling the wines as he takes a seat next to me. I try to shift away from him to create some distance, but he stops me after slamming the wines down. He again grabs my arm, forcing me to stay put. I peer up at him, annoyed. He smiles with a dark expression as he notices my pique response. I'm going to have to address how physical he is, it makes me feel uncomfortable.