Dorian: Part One

by Carlos Dash

  I sigh and gently massage my head with my left hand. “I’m not saying you’re lying. I’m saying you’re completely exaggerating what happened. I didn’t tell you to shut your trap. I said I had things to do on Sunday morning.”

  “And did you? You didn’t look like you were in a rush when you were having sex with me in the shower.”

  I think about lying. It would be so easy. Hardly the first time I’ve danced around the truth. I’m a PR rep. Lying is part of the job description.

  But I can’t. She’s doing it to me again. Now I can’t even tell a lie to her face.

  “No. I made that up.”

  Emily laughs, but it’s one of those scowling laughs that just sounds like someone huffing through their nose. “What a surprise. I knew you were bullshitting around.”

  My instincts kick in and I feel the need to defend my actions. Before I can, Emily elaborates on her explanation. “It was just supposed to be a one night thing with us. So the mere fact that we had sex again in the morning was pushing it. I thought it would be best if I wasn’t around when you were done showering. That way there wouldn’t be any awkwardness. You wouldn’t have to tell me to leave or anything like that. I wanted to go on my own terms, and I did. And besides, I told my mom I was sleeping over with a friend and would be back before breakfast. I had a schedule to keep.”

  Chapter 39

  I’m taken aback by Emily’s sudden burst of honesty. “That makes sense,” I say begrudgingly.

  She isn’t done with her part. “And before we got into the shower, you told me about how my questions were making you uncomfortable. That was all the convincing I needed about getting out of there as quickly as I could.”

  I nod. “Correct. If anyone else had asked me personal questions about my background, I would have told that person to fuck off.”

  “Then why didn’t you say that same thing to me? Why make up some lame garbage about needing to work on Sunday?”

  I feel like throwing my hands up in defeat, but I stay composed. Why won’t she just let it go? Why is she insisting on breaking my balls? “I don’t know. I didn’t want to be so rude to you.”

  “You were rude anyway. At least if you had told me to fuck off you would have been speaking from the heart.”

  She has to be kidding.

  I look right at her without blinking. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Ah, there we go. I knew it. She’s messing with me. An attempt at humor to deflate the balloon of tension floating around the room.

  “Very funny. Can we forget about this now?”

  “Consider it forgotten,” Emily says with a small smile.

  “Wait a minute, there’s something else.”

  Emily shifts her position on the chair so that she’s a little bit closer to me. “Another question for me, you mean?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Alright. Shoot.”

  “What did you do after you left my place?”

  “I went straight back home.”

  “No, I mean how did you leave my neighborhood. You couldn’t have walked from my house to yours. It’s too far.”

  “Oh, that. I called a cab. I have the number for the service on my phone. That’s also how I got to the bar.”

  That explains a lot.

  “Anything else, boss?” Emily asks, mockingly folding her hands in her lap and looking like an upbeat do-gooder.

  So we begin.

  “Actually yes. Around noon I’ll want you to go and get me some coffee. Think you can handle that?”

  “Coffee? Seriously, that’s all you’re going to make me do?”

  “What else did you have in mind?”

  “You told my father that you would keep me busy.”

  I shake my head at her. “You’re saying you want me to give you more work? Wow. They really broke the mold when they made you. Most assistants would be relieved at the lack of effort required for this job.”

  “I like to stay active.”

  “Interesting.”

  “I just don’t want to be sitting on my ass all day. That would defeat the purpose of all this.”

  I lean back in my seat. The turning point of this conversation has relaxed me. Now Emily is the one who’s anxious.

  “What would you suggest I do with you?” I purposely worded the question like that. Emily doesn’t seem to have noticed, though.

  “I don’t know,” she says, looking around the office. “Maybe some filing?”

  “Filing? Clearly you’ve never visited your father at work. This isn’t the nineties. All our important information is stored on computers.”

  “What if something happens to the computers? Like the power fails and there’s a blackout. Wouldn’t that wipe out all the records?”

  Wow. There are so many things wrong with that inquiry that I don’t know where to begin. She has a lot of good qualities, but a strong knowledge of technology isn’t one of them. Hell, that makes me like her even more… if that’s even possible at this point. How often do you meet someone in her age group who isn’t obsessed with emails or social media accounts.

  “Modern computers have surge protectors to stop them from frying when there’s a blackout. Let’s just leave it at that.”

  Emily isn’t pleased by my nonchalant answer. “What about if someone hacks your system? Just to be on the safe side, you should have a hardcopy of everything.”

  I scoff in derision. “That would never happen,” I say with complete confidence.

  “Why not? This is a very successful company. I bet there are lots of crooks who would love to steal information from your computers. Get some dirt on all those politicians you guys represent.”

  She isn’t wrong. “True, but the company has nothing to worry about.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “More than sure.”

  She doesn’t look like she’s fully convinced. “And why are you sure?”

  I speak with pride as I reply to her. “Because we’re an elite firm. Everything of importance in our computers is protected ten times over. We have to have top of the line security. A lot of very influential people depend on us.”

  Chapter 40

  “You really take pride in this, don’t you?”

  The question comes out of nowhere, accompanied by a curious stare being directed my way. Emily is looking at me with newfound interest. Like I’m an animal at a zoo and she has never seen a member of my species before.

  I give her half a shrug as I reply, “Of course. That’s why I’m so good at it. There aren’t a lot of things I’m passionate about, but my job is one of them.”

  “That sounds pretty nice,” Emily says without an ounce of sarcasm or cynicism in her voice. “I wish I had something like that. Something I was passionate about that I also did for a living.”

  I feel a pang of sadness for her. Just because she comes from a wealthy family doesn’t mean her life is perfect. She has problems of her own. Problems that her father’s bank account and influence can’t solve for her. One such problem is that she probably has no idea what she’s doing with her life.

  “Don’t worry about it right now. You’re young. You’ll figure it out.” Emily doesn’t say anything in response, so I look for a way to change the subject. “So no to the filing, I’m afraid. But I’ll think up some other stuff for you to do. Most girls in your position would look for excuses to get out of doing any work. You know that, right?”

  “I’m not most girls,” Emily replies firmly, getting up from her chair and pacing the length of the office to the door. She doesn’t leave, but merely leans against the wooden structure.

  “No, you’re certainly not,” I say, falling deep into my own thoughts.

  That’s why she was talking to me after we had sex. It wasn’t just because she couldn’t fall asleep. That was only fifty percent of the equation. The other fifty percent had to do with her state of mind. She’s confused about her future.

  Why didn’t I see it before? That’s why she came to
a bar after breaking up with her boyfriend rather than seeking the comfort of friends. She wanted a purely physical escape to help her forget about her problems.

  I look at the girl and take in her entire outline once again. I start from her high heels and slowly peel upwards. I reach her neck and pause there. The business suit she’s wearing is highlighting the thing. I never noticed its details before. The perfect length and width. Reminds me of actresses from the days of black and white cinema. People like Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly.

  I should have known this was a mistake. Being around her this much is just going to make me like her even more. Too late to make other arrangements now. Mr. Reed is trusting me with her. I can’t just take her back to him like she’s a defective toy being returned to the store.

  “I’ve been wondering why you suggested to my dad that I should be your assistant.”

  The sound of Emily’s voice breaks me out of my reverie. I look up and stretch my arms a little. “I just thought it would be a good way to mess with you.”

  I can’t tell her that the real reason, the one I’m guarding deep down inside of me, is that I want any excuse to spend more time with her. That would just be taking it too far. I think it would make me look like an obsessive lunatic. One of those guys who waits outside of a girl’s home for her to come out and then follows her around.

  Guys like that are the opposite of me in every way because they become attached to members of the opposite sex.

  No, thank you. I don’t want to turn into one of them.

  “That’s all? You just wanted to annoy me?”

  Shit. She isn’t buying it.

  “That and I thought that we could… you know.”

  Not the best route to go, but it was the only thing that came to mind.

  Chapter 41

  With abrupt suddenness, Emily pushes away from the door and comes towards me.

  I honestly assume she’s about to slap me out of outrage. I prepare myself for that.

  But that isn’t anger in her eyes. It’s something else.

  She comes around to the side of my desk and just stands there for a moment, looking at me with disbelief. “You can’t be serious. You actually think I’m going to sleep with you inside of the building where my father works?”

  “Too much?” I ask innocently.

  “Way too much.”

  “This is a fine time for you to get some morals. No one forced you to come to that bar looking for a one-night stand.” I’m still on alert for a tight smack coming my way, so toeing such dangerous waters is one hell of a risk.

  Emily blushes after hearing my words. She hastily tries to recover. “Don’t be an ass. It would be dangerous enough to have sex where any of my father’s employees could walk in on us or see us. Or even worse than that, my father himself.” She drums her fingers on the surface of my desk as she looks up and thinks about something. “And I find it very offensive that you think I’m some sort of groupie who will just rip her clothes off the moment you snap your fingers.”

  What? Oh, come on. I was joking. Or maybe I wasn’t. My mind is such a mess when I’m around her that it’s hard to tell what’s what.

  “Don’t put words in my mouth. I didn’t say that.”

  “But that’s what you meant, right? You wanted me as your assistant because you were hoping for a blowjob or two under the table.”

  “It’s not really a table. More of a hybrid between a table and a desk,” I say coolly.

  Emily clicks her tongue in annoyance. “You know, I’m starting to regret leaving that bar with you. I think it might have been a huge mistake.”

  That bug me. It really does. It shouldn’t, but it does. Why do I care so much what she thinks of me?

  The conversation needs to get steered around.

  “Okay. You win. We won’t have sex here.”

  The girl scoffs. “We won’t have sex anywhere. That was a one-time thing.”

  “We did it three times.”

  “You know what I mean!” Emily doesn’t quite shout it, but I have to gesture for her to calm down. I don’t want Teresa to hear a word of this. Emily continues on in a raised whisper, her body language animated. “I’m not that kind of girl. I won’t have sex with you whenever you want just because it was so great before. The next time I have sex with a guy it’ll be because we’re dating and I like him. Got it?”

  There’s that feistiness. She won’t do anything unless it’s on her terms. A lot of guys would be turned off by that sort of demeanor, considering it to be too high maintenance for their taste.

  Not me. I’m loving seeing her like that. I’ve banged plenty of airheads who were born without a personality. They weren’t much of a conquest. But this girl, with her fire and attitude, is the sort of person you can feel proud about seducing.

  “That’s fine. I can do that.”

  Emily blinks at me like I just sprouted a second head. “What in the flying hell are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about what you just said. How you won’t sleep with anyone unless you’re dating that person. Let’s do it. Let’s go out on a date together.”

  I never thought those words would come out of my mouth. Me on an actual proper date… the mere idea of it just seems unnatural. Like trying to put a square peg in a round hole. But if it’s necessary to do that in order to get Emily back in the sack, then so be it. Men have made greater sacrifices for the sake of getting laid.

  Chapter 42

  To say that Emily seems suspicious of me would be the understatement of the century. I don’t think she would have been as baffled as she is now even if I told her I wanted to move to Vegas to become a showgirl.

  “You want to go out on a date with me? You?”

  “Why are you saying it as if I’m part cockroach? Why wouldn’t I want to go out on a date with you? You’re a beautiful girl. I think I’m a handsome guy. We’re both single. We’re both obviously attracted to each other. Why the hell not?” Playing on the back of the lie I told her and her family when I had dinner with them, I say, “And I mean a real date. Not the kind of date I had after dinner with your folks. That was just about sex.”

  Emily runs a thin finger along her lower lip. “I just didn’t peg you as the sort of guy who likes to date the women he sleeps with. Remember that little speech you gave me when we first met, about how we would just be having meaningless sex and nothing would come of it?”

  I shrugged, not reading too much into the fact that she remembers the talk we had before we left the bar together. “Things change. People change.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Guys like you don’t change. At least not so quickly.”

  “And yet here I am asking you out. Is that a no?”

  “No. I mean I don’t know. Let me think about it.”

  “Ouch. No guy wants to hear that response when he asks a girl out on a date.”

  Emily ignores me and turns away, not looking at anything in particular. “I guess it would be alright. My father likes you. He would probably say yes.”

  I jump out of my chair as if someone has just dropped ice cubes down my shirt. “Are you crazy? We can’t tell your father. He would throw a fit. I’m an employee of his. And I’m eight years older than you. You’re not even old enough to drink yet.”

  “So? It’s not like I would be dating someone his age. Believe me, that would upset him a lot more.”

  She just doesn’t get it. What she’s suggesting is something right out of my nightmares. Perhaps I won’t get fired, but my reputation will take a permanent hit. I’ll forever be known as the guy who’s banging the boss’s daughter. People will think I’m just a ruthless jerk who’s trying to get ahead.

  But how can I make Emily understand this? She’ll think I’m being selfish if I say I’m concerned about my career. If I can make her see that it would be just as harmful for her, she won’t be in such a hurry to spill the beans to her father.

  “If you tell Jonathan, he won’t let us be together.” Emi
ly rolls her eyes again. I need to keep my foot on the gas pedal. “Think about it. He would never approve of our relationship regardless of how much he likes me. He would probably even forbid us from seeing each other again.”

  “Now you’re the one who’s exaggerating,” Emily says, smiling like she has all the answers.

  “Really? You think so? What if he found out the real story behind how we met? How do you think he would react to that little whopper of information?”

  Yup. That does the trick. It’s as if an anvil fell on her head. Her enthusiasm for alerting her father about our relationship has been severely dampened.

  Good.

  “So you’re saying we should just keep sneaking around?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Tell your family that someone asked you out. Someone who doesn’t work for the firm. Make up some profession for him. Something your father won’t object to. Even make up a name if you have to. Sell it properly and we won’t have any problems.”

  Emily doesn’t exactly look thrilled about this, but she nods her head in acknowledgement.

  I lean back and place my arms behind my head, proud of how I navigated us to this point. Everything is steady… for now. If I play this correctly, I could experience that same level of amazing sex again. There hasn’t been anything else in my life quite like it. The other girls I’ve been with just can’t compare.

  “So have you changed your mind after hearing all that, or is your answer still a yes?”

  My smile melts away any iciness Emily might have had left. In a firm voice, she says, “My answer is still yes. Don’t make me regret it.”

  Chapter 43

  The awkwardness between myself and the girl has faded away. Now we’re both just looking forward to our “date.”

  We decide that since neither of us has any plans for tonight, we can get started right away. That suits me perfectly because now my head is full of thoughts of being inside of Emily again. I don’t think I’ll be able to function properly if I have to wait until the end of the week to experience that. My head might explode… and I don’t just mean the head on top of my shoulders.