by Julie Morgan
“I’m not sure I follow your question. How does what work for me?” Looking into her eyes, he sees no fear from her, just maybe slight confusion.
“I’m sorry. What I mean is how will everything that’s happened affect you? Do you remain like this, in your human form, or will you have the ability to come and go as you please?”
He lifts his gaze up to the ceiling, hoping the answers are there, but they’re not. He takes a deep breath, thinking how to answer her. “I’ve been thinking about that. This is new to me so I think we’ll be learning together. I’m not allowed into Heaven or Hell, but it doesn’t mean I can’t talk to angels and demons. I should be able to sense both, but I’ve only been exposed to an angel so far.” Alex thinks back to the conversation he had with Michael.
“You won’t be called down there…” motioning to the floor, “…or up there?” motioning to the ceiling.
“I doubt it but, honestly, I have no idea.” Not ready to discuss the inevitable or how this may affect Lisa’s long term life with him, he says, “How about those sandwiches?”
She nods and goes back to the sandwich items she’s pulled out of the fridge. Walking to her breadbox, she pulls out the loaf of bread and sets it down. She pauses. “Alex…” Her gaze remains on the bread as she speaks. “What happens with us? I’m human and you…” She trails off, then shifts her eyes over to him.
Seeing the confusion and fear in her eyes, he takes a deep breath and drops his gaze to the floor. “I’m not sure I’m ready to talk about that, or that you’re ready to hear it.” Shaking his head, he crosses his arms over his chest. “There’s a lot to consider, and a lot to take in.” Slowly, he lifts his eyes to her.
Pursing her lips, she nods a few times, turning back to the bread. Pulling out four slices, she ties the loaf back off and sets it back in the breadbox. Opening her cabinet, she pulls out two paper plates, setting them on the counter. Placing the bread on the plates, she leans against the counter, her palms pressing down.
Quickly, she turns to face him. “Please, just tell me.” Lisa closes her eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath. Opening them, she steps closer to Alex. “Please, I can handle it. I think I’ve done pretty well so far.” She smiles, resting her hands on his forearms.
Alex studies her, looking into her eyes, hoping to see her thoughts. He uncrosses his arms and places his hands on her arms, moving them up and down her skin. “There’s so much…I have no idea…” He stops, looking away from her.
“Alex.” She reaches up and cups his face, turning his gaze back to her. “I trust you. I love you, no matter what.”
Looking at her, he sees the woman he’s fallen in love with, the woman he fell from Heaven for, the woman he went to Hell to save. She returns his love for who he is, without judgment. A small smile reaches the corners of his lips. “You are an amazing woman, you know that?”
She smiles and shrugs her right shoulder playfully. “Thank-you. You’re amazing, too.”
He nods and drops his gaze to the floor. The space between them feels like miles when it’s just a breaths distance. Sighing, he lifts his eyes back to hers. “I’m immortal, Lisa. I’ll never grow old. I’ll never die, unless my time comes to an end by Him…” Alex points up, “…or by the bastard down below.” He points down. “Over time, you’ll age as any human would. I’m not sure how I’ll go on with life once you’re…once…” Alex stops and closes his eyes. He squeezes them shut in an effort to keep his tears hidden.
Lisa reaches up with both hands and cups his face. She presses her lips to his and holds in the sob threatening to escape. Her lips begin to quiver against his. Immediately, Alex pulls her close to him and holds her tight. He buries his face in her shoulder and she turns her cheek against his chest. Feeling a tear fall on her shoulder, she begins to lose it herself.
“Alex…” she whispers and he pulls back, swiping his face. “It’s okay; it’ll be okay. We have so much time until that happens, until any of that happens.” She offers a smile. “We can discuss this later, okay?”
Alex nods, takes a deep breath, and exhales. “Okay. I had no idea how to tell you this. I just knew that, at some point, I’d need to.” Leaning down, he presses his lips to her forehead.
Her hands move down to his waist and she smiles softly. “Let’s eat something.” Raising her eyes to his, she says, “We can talk more throughout our time together, okay?”
He nods, then chuckles. “When did you become my support?”
She smiles. “When you gave yourself to me. That’s what love is. We support each other. You’re my rock and I’m yours.”
“I love you so much.”
She smiles, slipping her hands into his and pulling him to the counter. “I love you. Now let’s eat and relax a while.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, Lisa prepares herself for work. Pulling on his clothes, Alex meets her in the kitchen. Pouring coffee into a tumbler, she pulls her purse over her shoulder, then turns to him. “What are you doing later this afternoon?”
He wraps his arms around her, then kisses her forehead. “I’m not sure. I haven’t made any plans. Whatever they are, I want you in them.”
“I’m good with that.” She sighs. “I’ll give you a call and let you know what happens at work. I’m not sure what I’ll walk into there. I have a few messages that an ‘all hands on deck’ meeting is taking place, but no other details.”
“I’ll have my phone on me.” Tilting her head, Alex kisses Lisa for a few minutes, her arms wrapped around his waist. She lets out a soft whimper and Alex chuckles before he pulls back. “I love you.”
She smiles. “I love you” Opening her door, the two walk out. Walking down the hallway together, they press the down button for the elevator. Alex wraps an arm around her shoulder and kisses the top of her head. The elevator arrives and the two step on, Alex pressing one, Lisa pressing G.
Lisa turns to face him and runs her hands up his chest, around his neck. He leans down and kisses her. She sweeps her tongue across his lips, and he growls softly in response. She giggles, and the doors open to the first floor. Alex stands between the doors to keep them open. He pulls Lisa to him and kisses her once more. “Good luck and I’ll see you later.”
She smiles when the doors try closing, then reopen. “Thank you. See you later.” After this occurs two more times, the alarm goes off. He groans and steps off the elevator. She smiles and waves to him as the doors close.
Descending to the garage, the elevator opens again and she walks towards her car. Her stomach begins to knot and her nerves go on high alert. “Just go in and be casual. We’ll see what happens next.” Putting the car into drive, she pulls out onto the street and heads into work.
Pulling into her parking spot and getting out, she looks around. She doesn’t see Samuel’s car anywhere. The black Porsche usually shines when the sun’s rays shine inside the garage in the morning, but not today. She takes a deep breath, and her stomach knots again. Closing her eyes, she counts to five and starts walking to the entrance. She reaches for the door, when it suddenly opens from the inside. She yelps and jumps back, then sees Steven, the Director of Marketing.
He jumps when he sees Lisa. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he says. Lisa notices immediately that he looks on edge. There are dark circles under his eyes and they’re bloodshot.
“No, it’s fine.” She walks past Steven and steps inside. Stopping, she looks back at him. “Are you alright?”
“There’s just a lot going on inside. Go on in. You’ll be informed,” he tells her.
“Alright. Well, if you need to, go home and get some rest.” She offers a friendly smile.
“I’ll consider it, boss,” he responds, with what sounds like an attitude.
“Boss? Steven, what’s happened?”
“Just go inside. You’ll figure it out.” With that, he turns his back to her and walks out into the parking garage.
Raising her brows, she mumbles, “Wha
tever,” then shuts the door behind her.
The first thing Lisa notices is the volume that people are talking in. Some are yelling, some are just pissed. Furrowing her brows, she sets out to find Mariah, hoping she can shed some light on the situation. Looking towards her desk, Mariah isn’t there. She hears someone yell, “There she is!” Quickly turning around, the owner of Elite PR & Marketing is making his way towards her. She’s only met the man a few other times; it’s been a least a year since she’s seen him.
He’s tall and thin; his skin is tan and his hair is salt-and-pepper, cut short. Shawn Masterson approaches her and opens the conference room door. “Inside, Ms. Adams. We need to talk.” She swallows and walks inside, Shawn shutting the door behind them. “Take a seat. There’s a lot we need to cover in a short period of time. Seems that the shit has hit the fan over the last few days, and the shit is Samuel.”
Taking a seat, she crosses her legs and forces herself to remain calm. “Okay, may I ask what has happened?”
She watches Shawn’s brows furrow as he takes a seat. Resting his elbow on the table, his hand slides down his face. “I know Samuel shared a lot of information with you. He boasted about how you were going to be his right-hand man, so to speak.” He sighs, looking out the window of the conference room. The storm that hit New York has finally passed, allowing the sun to shine once again. Lisa takes notice of Shawn’s face. He looks as if he’s not slept in a few days, maybe weeks. His gaze returns to her. “It seems Samuel has been embezzling money from me for quite some time. He set up an offshore account and has been slowly sending funds there. As we were closing in on him, he caught wind of what we were doing. He’s bolted and no one can find him, his accounts, anything. His phone is off the map and his residence is empty, like he moved out suddenly.” Shawn looks directly at Lisa. “After some digging and checking around, there’s no evidence tying any of this to you. Lisa, if you knew about any of this, you need to tell me. Now!”
Shock covers Lisa’s face and her mouth drops open. She thinks of everything Alex has told her about Samuel. Blinking, she shakes herself back to reality. “No, I had no idea. I knew he was out with clients a lot but, honestly, I had no idea.” Her eyes wander and she looks through the glass walls, watching the people speculate on what has happened. She looks back to him. “Mr. Masterson, trust me when I tell you that I had no idea.”
Nodding his head, Shawn stands and walks towards the window. Looking outside, he crosses his hands behind his back. “I didn’t think you had anything to do with it.” He looks over his shoulder at Lisa. “At least that’s what the FBI has told me.”
“You had the FBI check me out?” Feeling a little shocked, she sits back in her chair for a moment. “I guess I can say that I’m glad I’m clean, considering I knew nothing of what he was doing.”
Shawn nods and turns his head back to the window, looking outside. “There’s the matter of finding you a new assistant, as well.”
“What?” The shock returns and Lisa sits forward in her chair. “What happened to Mariah?”
“We’re not sure. Like Samuel, she just disappeared.” Shawn sighs and returns to the table. Taking a seat, he leans his elbows on his knees. “Honestly, Lisa, I’ve never had anything like this happen before. Trust me when I say that I’m as shocked as you are. I’m fucking pissed that he embezzled from me but, unless he’s found, it’s my loss.”
Lisa’s gaze remains on him for a few more minutes. She shakes her head. “I had no idea.” She pauses for a moment, then recalls her brief conversation with Steven. She wants to ask what’s happened with him, but feels like its unchartered territory.
“There’s more.” Shawn sits back in his chair and offers a friendly smile. “With everything that’s happened, I need to name someone CEO. That someone is you.”
Lisa’s brows rise, not expecting any of this, especially the promotion. Her eyes remain on him for a few more minutes. Finally, she blinks, her gaze shifting to the wall with the photos of celebrities, a few of them containing her.
“You’re CEO now. You’re damn good at what you do and you bring in the most revenue. The position is yours, if you want it.” Shawn watches her for a moment. “I suggest you take it. It’s a one-time offer that I won’t present again.”
Lisa’s found herself shocked too many times to count in one day. “Wow, Mr. Masterson. I’m extremely flattered, thank-you.” Lisa pauses, wanting time to think this decision over, but knows if she does, she may lose this opportunity. “If I accept this proposal, I’ll need you to be here to mentor me. I don’t feel comfortable blindly taking this on after everything that’s happened.”
He smiles and sits back in his chair, intertwining his fingers in his lap. “I can make arrangements to be here for three months, maybe four.”
Lisa begins to think about Steven again. Calling her “boss” makes sense now. “I’ll accept, Mr. Masterson. Thank-you for this opportunity.” She smiles. “May I request one thing, aside from your time?”
Shawn raises a brow and nods. “Depending on what it is, I’ll consider it. Go ahead.”
Smiling, it’s Lisa’s turn to lean forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “Mr. Masterson, promote Steven. Move him into my vacated position. He deserves this and he’s worked alongside me for the last five years. He also worked alongside Samuel many days and nights. I think he would be a great asset as a partner in your firm.”
“I’ll talk with Human Resources about it. I’ll also personally talk to Steven about it.”
“Please, Mr. Masterson, let him know this was your idea.” Lisa smiles softly.
“Sure, I suppose I can do that. Give him time to come around and get used to you being in charge. If he gives you a hard time, fire him.”
“Oh, Mr. Masterson, I’m positive we’ll settle things just fine.” Lisa stands up, pulling her purse over shoulder.
Shawn also stands and extends his hand. “I’m happy you accepted the position, Lisa. I know you’ll run the company just fine.” He winks then lets her hand go. Opening the door, the people outside quiet down and turn their attention to Shawn. Lisa walks out and stands beside him. She tries to keep herself from looking at anyone directly until things settle down. “As with all things business, things change and people come and go. In my experience, it’s not by stealing and leaving town.” He chuckles and Lisa appreciates him making an attempt to lighten the mood before his announcement. Some employees have made Elite PR & Marketing their career and have many years on Lisa. She knows there will be some unhappy with the decision, some happy, and some not caring in the least.
Shawn continues, “I’m happy to announce your new CEO, Lisa Adams.” Lisa looks over and sees Steven coming back into the room. The red in his face has faded. Their eyes meet and he nods to her; she returns it. “Please join me in giving her a round of applause.”
Shawn begins to clap and, one by one, others join in. Lisa smiles and looks around the room. Some faces are smiling, some look upset. She meets Steven’s gaze and he looks defeated, but she appreciates him putting on a smile.
Hearing a few congratulations on her promotion, Shawn escorts her to what will be her new office. Walking inside what was once Samuel’s office, a familiar scent invades her nose…sulfur. “Mr. Masterson, would it be possible to have the room thoroughly cleaned?” She looks at Shawn. “It seems to have a dirty smell to it.”
He sniffs the air and shrugs. “I don’t smell anything but, sure, we can do that.”
The two discuss the changes, her new salary, and responsibilities throughout the morning. Around 12:30, she pulls her cell phone from her purse and dials Alex’s number. He answers on the first ring. “Lisa? Everything okay?"
“Yeah, it’s more than okay.” She sighs, then goes into details on what happened with Samuel. “Do you know if my assistant, Mariah, was a demon? Or maybe something like a minion to Samuel?"
“I’m not certain. Why?” he asks.
“It seems she’s disappeared. Speculations are
she’s with Samuel, but no one knows for sure.”
“Really? Okay, if Samuel controlled Mariah, then it’s very possible that she’s with him. He would be her Master, leaving her no choice.” He thinks about how he could find out. He can’t go back into Hell, and he doubts any demon would tell him anything. “I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Okay.” Lisa smiles into the phone. “On a lighter note, I do have some positive news.”
“Oh, yeah? Do tell.”
“I was promoted to CEO today.”
“Really?! That’s great, Lisa! Congratulations!”
Hearing a knock on her door, she covers the phone with her palm and says, “It’s open.” Shawn walks through with lunch and takes a seat at the conference table. Turning back to the phone, she says, “I need to go, but I’ll call you when I get home tonight. I love you.”
“I love you.” They hang up and Lisa puts her phone away.
~~~~~~~~~~~
A few weeks into her new position, Lisa begins interviewing possible replacements for Mariah. A young man wearing a gray business suit enters her office. His dark brown hair is cut short, and a faint hint of a beard on his face gives him the appearance of looking older.
He extends his hand to Lisa. “Hello, Ms. Adams. My name is Xander Harris.” He smiles, his teeth white and straight, his eyes a dark hazel.
She shakes his hand. “Have a seat, Xander. Thank-you for coming in today.”
He opens his briefcase and pulls out his resume, handing one to Lisa. She looks it over as he begins talking of his marketing experience and duties at his previous companies. Looking at Xander and setting his resume down, she crosses her fingers on her desk. “Xander, I need someone who will go the extra mile to help me be successful. I’ll be honest with you. My last assistant was amazing. She was on top of things before I knew they were coming.” Lisa thinks about that statement for a moment. She wonders how much Mariah knew about Alex. “I need to know you can do that for me. I need you to be able to be one step ahead of me.”
