Project X

by Watkins, TM

  After receiving affection from Dorian in the reception area of the thirtieth floor, I had returned to the mail room with half an hour to go before my lunch with him. There was a soft rap on the window, the buzzer was broken already. I'd say it was from overuse but it wasn't the case. I ventured out of the bathroom where I had been giving myself the visual check over, Jack was at the window with two coffees. I was going to be swimming with caffeine. With a flick of my head I gestured for him to go around to the door.

  “Early lunch?” I grinned as he walked in.

  “Yeah, I actually have to work through my lunch hour so I thought I'd sink back a pick me up before I had to start.”

  I followed him into the lunch room, squeezing into the tiny space. I couldn't figure why they would pack such a large table in such a small room but they had.

  “So what do I owe the pleasure of your company and the coffee for?”

  Jack shrugged with a sip of his coffee.

  “This place is hard to find someone that is even close to being on the same level. I guess when you find someone that you get along with you make sure that you develop the friendship.”

  I grinned at him.

  “Are we on the same level?”

  “Pretty close.”

  The coffee was pretty hot; I took a tentative sip.

  “Did you hear the receptionist on level thirty got a promotion?”

  “Really?” Jack's eyes widened. “Getting a promotion that's higher than being the receptionist for the boss must be pretty hard considering that it's one of the top jobs.”

  I frowned with a grin, Jack was crazy.

  “More than one of the scientists or upper management, are you nuts?”

  “Kasey, his receptionist would be privy to almost everything that goes on in this place. The scientists, all they know is their formulas and research. Middle management, it's about everything related to money and keeping this place going. But the woman that handles his mail, his calls, his paperwork. She is by his side constantly, she knows all of the ins and outs, every little meeting, secret business deals…. I can assure you it is one of the top jobs.”

  “I guess.” I shrugged. “So how's the girlfriend nonsense going?”

  “I was thinking of spying on her. Do you think that there might be really tiny cameras? Like something I could put in her room?”

  I choked on my coffee, spluttering and thumping on my chest.

  “Maybe.” I croaked and then cleared my throat. “I wouldn't know; I've never had to spy on a loved one before.”

  He nodded ruefully and finished his coffee.

  “Do you think I'm overreacting?”

  I shrugged.

  “Personally, I have no experience in this. But what does your gut feeling tell you?”

  “That something is wrong.”

  I took another sip, this time my body behaved itself and I was actually able to swallow it without trying to cover Jack and the table in coffee and spit.

  “You know; she might just be having a few bad days. Maybe life at work is getting her down, maybe something is wrong with a family member. Why don't you talk to her and ask her if anything is wrong? Maybe she might just tell you.”

  Jack's eyes met mine as the door clicked, my heart sunk knowing who it was. There were only a few choices for those who had access to this room. Bobby via the garage door, Dorian because he was the boss and had access for every room in the building and of course the security guards, for obvious reasons. So my options were limited but based on the time, I knew who it was without seeing. His presence was always a little dominating but seeing Jack sitting at the table with me, it became darker. Instantly Jack was on his feet, wiping his hands on his pants like they were sweaty.

  “Mister Gallagher…” Jack's eyes darted to me and then back to Dorian. “I was uh just leaving.”

  Dorian stepped aside without a word said, waiting for Jack to pass.

  “Thanks for the sympathetic ear.” Jack murmured.

  “Any time, thanks for the coffee.”

  Like I needed it. Number seven you were hot and delicious. I picked up the empty cups and tossed them into the bin, turning back to see Dorian had silently moved closer. His poker face was in full swing, watching me without even a flicker of emotion.

  “He's having girlfriend issues, leave him alone.”

  His lip twitched slightly, the Arctic glare continued. I rolled my eyes and pushed past him, taking my pass with me.

  “I have to get my bag considering I'm not allowed to bring it in here with me. Give me five minutes.”

  Dorian hadn't said a word but I could see he was doing everything he could to subdue the raging emotions. It was likely to be anger, jealousy, possibly even a little hurt. That was a little disconcerting, already my heart was feeling pained for his future. The future where I would walk away from him and likely crush him completely.

  I was at the locker retrieving my bag when I saw the welcome to hell pack that I had forgotten. I was supposed to fill it out and hand it back to Madelyn but with a fake identity that was going to be hard. With a weary huff I stuffed the envelope into my bag and set out for the lobby. Lunch with frosty the snowman was going to be fun.

  Chapter 20: Liquid lunch

  I have never been to an upscale restaurant. Considering that I was one of five children who were boisterous and ate like they were raised with the pigs who ate out of a trough, it was understandable. Couple that with the fact that my father spent most of my childhood years either working, away on a business trip or making gooey faces at Tilley's mother. The restaurant that Dorian and I had walked to was beyond fancy. The linen was pristine white, not a single spot or mark to be found. Silverware that was polished and glinting in the light, glassware that was clear and void of any marks from overuse. The wait staff were dressed impeccably, long black pants with a black shirt. The only color was the red embroidery on their shirt which was the restaurant name, Sonja's.

  It was only a few steps from the office building so walking in the mild weather was easy. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that it was a little romantic, if I actually wanted it to be like that. My heart was leaping with its own euphoric yes, that we definitely wanted romantic. We yearned to be looked at with a heated need, to know that we were wanted by someone that was pretty damned fine. But my head, the realistic one that ruled over everything chastised my heart and crushed its pitiful dream of having someone that might actually care for me. It reminded my heart that as soon as I got what the client wanted, I was out of this place. Affection or indifference, I had to walk away from Dorian and my heart was already grieving. I was able to hide my growing emotions as I perused the menu, my head lowered and never meeting his gaze. I could feel the burn of his attention, his gaze pinned to me as I tried to avoid him. But that was like trying to avoid the fall of night or the dawn of the day, it was never going to happen. His menu fell to the table with a light thud, a slow huff slipped out.

  “Kasey?”

  I looked up at him, casually looking around the room. There were a few people already seated, more were being directed to their tables. My gaze returned to him, the wish for the waiter to badger us with our order had proved fruitless. So much for prompt and annoying service.

  “What's going on in that mind of yours?”

  “Just deciding what I want.” I shrugged.

  I don't think he bought it. Casually I looked up at him, catching his pensive gaze. His deep green eyes bored into me, waiting for me to crack. As if some unsaid pray had been mercifully answered, the waiter appeared from behind me and greeted us again.

  “Garden salad thanks.” I murmured as I handed the menu back.

  Dorian narrowed his eyes at me.

  “You could do better than that, surely? Pick something with a bit of meat.”

  I shrugged one shoulder and looked at the cutlery on the table, adjusting them into a neat row.

  “For the second course she would like a fillet Mignon, in fact I'll have the salad a
nd the Mignon as well, thanks.”

  “Certainly sir.”

  The waiter scuttled off and we returned to the weird silence. My mind was distracted with thoughts of Amy and Jack, the information I had to get and the eventual theft. It wasn't as if I was trying to deliberately select the salad for any weight reasons, I had picked the cheapest thing on the menu. Now Dorian had managed to triple the cost of the meal. Well, I could afford it but it meant that the rent for next week would be a little light. I inwardly sighed, I suppose the barista could forget to ask for money when giving me the leftover food at the end of the day. Then I wouldn't need to go grocery shopping. It wasn't as if I didn't have money. I had it, in fact I had saved up a fair amount of money through simple living. But it was tied up in a secret hideout and term deposits. I had set it up to live off the interest earned and if I behaved myself I would be fine. But fine dining wasn't behaving myself.

  “Now that lunch has been decided how about you tell me what's really going on?”

  “I can't afford the second course Dorian, maybe you should have asked before presuming things.”

  “Well for starters, if you had actually said that to begin with, I would have known. Secondly, I wouldn't bring you to a restaurant like this and expect you to pay with the knowledge that your roommate has been doing illegal things to cover your share of the rent and thirdly, maybe you shouldn't assume that I wouldn't pay. Honestly Kasey, I thought you would have remembered last night, did I not pay then?”

  “I was drunk, so no I don't remember.”

  A different waiter appeared with a bottle of white wine, pouring a little bit into Dorian's glass.

  “Two thousand and eight, sir. A fine match for the salad.”

  “Yes that's fine thanks.”

  My eyes widened as the waiter took Dorian's glass and then mine, pouring the white wine. Was he really paying two grand for a stinking glass of wine? I watched with receding horror as the waiter left, taking the bottle with him, I didn't dare think how much the whole thing cost.

  “Did you really pay two grand for a glass of wine?” I hissed.

  Dorian chuckled and shook his head, taking a sip of it.

  “He was referring to the year. It's a two thousand and eight Chardonnay. Did you really think I'd pay two grand for a glass of wine?”

  “Nothing would surprise me. I've seen the cars you drive.”

  “Technically, I don't drive the Audi, Derek does.”

  A female waiter stopped by placing a pitcher of water between us and then scurried away. Dorian poured two glasses, casually glancing around the room.

  “Tomorrow night is the launch of a new product; I hope you’re not busy.”

  Hmm, tomorrow night, Friday night. There was something I was planning on doing. Oh yes, breaking into your office and stealing your world. I suppose I could delay that a little longer considering that I don't even have the schematics on the security system yet. Damn Walter and his laziness.

  “No, not busy.” I smiled sweetly. “Though I don't have anything other than the black dress and that's probably not appropriate for a work function.”

  Dorian grinned. It was likely that he thought it was appropriate because he didn't care what others thought.

  “Well we will have to see what we can do about that.”

  Chapter 21: MIA Amy

  Lunch had been pleasant, once we got past the awkward money thing. I wasn't overly impressed at him paying for everything but said nothing, hoping that he believed his wooing of me was working. So yeah, it was working. I couldn't wait for the day to be over, just to see him again and I was now worried. So worried that I was pacing the hall between the door and the main section of the mail room, fretting over Dorian and his soon to be hurt emotions. It also didn't help that I was anxious because of the seven coffees and two wines. The rattle of the garage door made me jump with fright, luckily I managed to compose myself to greet Bobby. It slowly rattled its way up, the dirtied hard boots showed first then the even dirtier jeans.

  “Urgent one my lovely.”

  Bobby grinned or at least I thought he did. The beard moved upwards, what was below it I didn't know. This guy looked like he could be on the back of a Harley cruising down the interstate, flipping the bird to the authorities and generally enjoying his freedom. I bet he's a big softy, has dozens of grand kids and children, maybe plays Santa at Christmas, maybe he might volunteer at a soup kitchen.

  It was one of my rules for this life, don't pre judge a person before knowing them. Frank was one of those people that did just that and he learned quickly. His lesson came from a sweet old granny walking down the street. I had been watching from afar, learning how mug a person without them knowing. Frank was good at it, he could be in your pockets and you wouldn't know it. Problem was, granny saw him dip his fingers into the pockets of a target and she let fly. A broken rib, black eye, bruising around the stomach and chest later and Frank had learned his lesson. Don't pre judge others, be mindful of others and watch out for grannies and their walking sticks. I didn't escape either, laughing at his misfortune earned me a lecture from my father.

  I smiled at the thought of Frank's beating, he was so sure of himself, so much like our father. My smile was received by Bobby, interpreting it as a wordless and quiet amusement.

  “Thanks, later.”

  He nodded rather gruffly, thought I knew there would have been a smirk underneath the wiry whiskers. Slowly the door rattled its way down, leaving me with a small parcel. My grin grew wider, it was for Dorian and it was marked for him to sign for it.

  The doors of the elevator opened, revealing that Amy wasn't here. Had she been sent on her forced leave already? I made my way to Dorian's office, the door was ajar again. I could hear the sound of a woman talking, pleading almost. Quietly I slipped closer to the door, hoping that he wasn't aware that I was here. The elevator was quiet, rising to the floor without an overbearing ding of an announcement.

  “Dorian please, don't do this.”

  It wasn't Amy, even in the few words she had spoken to me I knew it wasn't her.

  “I don't want this and neither do you. Please don't force this on me.”

  I looked through the crack, he wasn't sitting at his desk and there wasn't anyone in the visitor’s chairs that sat opposite the desk.

  “I'm begging you to stop this, please.”

  “Enough Eva!” He growled. “You know that this is important, I will not have you causing another mess that I have to clean up.”

  His tone was cold, one that sent a chill down my spine. It was cruel and forceful, unlike the Dorian from lunch but it did remind me of the day of the interview in the lobby. Creepy man strikes again. I could hear Eva let out a feint sob, whatever they were arguing about must be big.

  “You didn't even visit me for lunch today Dorian, I get so lonely. Can I not have some company?”

  “And what did you do to your last attendant Eva?”

  Another sob, this one was a little louder.

  “Must you bring that up?”

  “Yes I must!” He snapped. “Do you know how much effort security had to go to, to clean up that nightmare? How much risk do you insist on putting on yourself and everyone around you before you realize the danger? I warned you that you were going too far, I warned you that project x was dangerous.”

  Oh, hello! Finally, a crack in the wall. Do tell Dorian, tell me more about project x. But then I thought about what he said. What did you do to your last attendant, what did she do? Yell at them, attack them, harass them? Dorian sighed loudly.

  “Amy will see to your needs now; do you think that you can behave yourself or shall I notify her husband now?”

  My eyes widened and I think that my heart just stopped beating and dropped into the pit of my stomach.

  “Don't be a bastard.” She hissed angrily.

  “I'm losing a perfectly good assistant so that she can sit around your apartment all day twiddling her thumbs, keeping you company because you can't be truste
d around the population of this planet. I think I have every right to be a bastard. If she ends up suing me then I'll feed you to the press, do you understand me Eva?”

  There was silence for a few seconds before Dorian yelled her name.

  “Fine!” She snarled. “You know what I need, make sure you keep it flowing. And I want to go tomorrow night.”

  “No.” He said simply.

  “It's my company too Dorian, don't you forget that.”

  “It stopped being your company the day you commissioned that poison to be made, the day you injected it into your body without testing it first. You did this to yourself and now you are punishing everyone around you for your greediness.”

  I could feel my head swirling with all of this information, my stomach was still ill from the thought that Eva might be a murderer. What did happen to her last attendant?

  “Please Dorian, just this one night. Let me be free for a few hours and I promise I will behave. You can have your security around me, I won't protest.”

  “Fine but if you put even one hair out of line Eva I will send you to hell myself, do I make myself clear?”

  There was silence again, I assume that she must have nodded.

  “Good, now please return to your apartment.”

  My eyes widened and I quietly and hurriedly stepped back to the elevators, pressing the call button frantically. I could hear their footsteps, my heart thumping so loudly that I could hear it and the tiny clicking of the stupid button that wasn't doing its job fast enough. The doors slid open and I breathed a sigh of relief, neither of them appeared at the door and thankfully there was no one in the elevator. Again the elevator was too quiet, this time I could have done with an announcement of my arrival.

  “Hello?” I called out.

  There was a ruffle of movement, a slip of a shadow past the crack and seconds later the door swung open. Dorian smiled at me and walked out but there was no Eva.