by London Casey
Selene rang a buzzer and waited. A monotone voice said, “Yes?”
“I’m here for a job interview. Ms. Nin sent me.”
Selene had no idea who Ms. Nin was, or if this person even existed. She was told this was the secret code of the service: a way of letting the people inside know she wasn’t a cop.
The door unlocked and Selene entered. The lobby was cold and dark. Selene walked towards an empty desk, she assumed the secretary would be back soon.
She stopped dead in her tracks. A painting hung on the wall of a red geometric figure twisting and turning in on itself, surrounded by a black circle. It was the same symbol Ethan had tattooed on his back.
Selene moved closer to examine the picture. She felt as if there was something she wasn’t seeing. It was like looking at a stereogram. A two dimensional image with repeated patterns, that if you stared at just the right way, a three dimensional image would present itself.
Selene squinted and focused hard on the painting, but there was nothing. She was sure if she could just concentrate hard enough it would come to her but…
“May I help you?”
A woman standing in an open doorway stared at her sternly.
“Yes, I’m here for a job interview.”
The woman examined Selene. Satisfied with what she saw, she said, “This way.”
Selene followed the woman down a long hall into a plain office. She sat across from the woman as she looked something up on her computer.
“Now,” she began, “Alice, was it?”
Selene nodded.
“Alice,” the woman said again. She emphasized the name in a way that made it obvious to Selene she understood it was a fake name. “I hear you’re interested in working here.”
“Yes,” Selene had rehearsed this part before coming, “I’m recently divorced. My husband got everything and I…” She paused for dramatic effect and looked away as if she might cry.
The woman did not seem interested in Selene’s story or tears. “Yes, well that is unfortunate,” she said quickly trying to change the subject. “Now you are aware of what your responsibilities would be here at the company, should you get the job.”
“Yes and I could sure use the money.”
“Yes, well our primary concern is the satisfaction of our customers.”
“I’ve heard that you…” Selene searched for the right word, “service some very important people.”
“We cater to an elite clientele of wealthy gentlemen. Which reminds me, travel may be required. You have a passport, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Good, now,” the woman was interrupted by a phone ringing in the lobby. She sighed and said to herself, “Where is that girl?” turning to Selene she continued, “We’ve had a turnover in staff. We’re restructuring the company.”
‘Restructuring the company,’ Selene thought nearly laughing out loud. She’d read in the newspaper that there had been a raid at a party. Several Belle Amie girls had been arrested.
Selene guessed that whoever ran Belle Amie was quietly calling in favors from their client list. Rumor had it, the list included the names of some powerful men: politicians, judges, CEOs. Selene feared Ethan’s name was not only on the client list, but that he may be involved in running the prostitution ring.
The phone continued chirping and the woman stood. “If you’ll excuse me.”
Selene listened as she left the room, walked down the hall and picked up the phone.
She jumped up and began rifling through the desk drawers finding nothing of interest. Getting on the computer, she began opening files, hoping to come across something tying Belle Amie to Ethan.
One file caught her attention: it was full of spreadsheets listing payments to several companies titled: Chalet One, Cane Hotel, and Alone Tech. Selene had never heard of any of these businesses.
The spreadsheet showed profits in the last month for each company in the millions. Why did the names look suspicious to her? The sound of footsteps down the hall made Selene jump. She closed the files she was looking at and ran back to her seat.
When the woman entered she eyed Selene carefully. The woman was no fool. If she knew Selene had been rifling through Belle Amie’s finances she didn’t know what they would do to her.
The woman looked around the room: everything was in order. She sat down across from Selene and smiled. “Shall we continue?”
The interview went smoothly in spite of Selene’s nervousness. The woman seemed to have warmed up to her a bit at the end, Selene believed.
She was given her first assignment: a mansion in the hills. It involved a party and a gathering of wealthy men. Selene wasn’t sure what the job entailed. It didn’t matter to her; she had no intention of keeping the appointment.
Selene parted ways with Belle Amie, for what she hoped, was forever.
After a quick Google search of the companies mentioned on the spreadsheet yielded no results, Selene decided to act on a hunch. She picked up the phone and dialed Ethan’s office. Ms. Miller answered on the first ring.
“Mr. Cole’s office, state your business.”
Selene wanted to laugh at the stern old woman’s blunt way of answering the phone, but quickly decided it was a bad idea to invoke her wrath.
“Yes, Ms. Miller, this is Selene…”
“Mr. Cole is in unavailable at the moment.”
“Well actually, I was hoping to talk to you.”
There was a pause and then a reluctant, “Yes?”
“Mr. Cole – Ethan, wants to meet me at the Cane Hotel. I wanted to show up early and surprise him with – well, best not to go into the dirty details of our arrangement. Anyway, it seems I’ve misplaced the address. Could you tell me where it’s located?”
Her question was met with silence. “Miss Selene, what are you playing at?” Ms. Miller’s voice was ice cold.
Selene strained to keep her voice friendly. “I just want the address, Ms. Miller.”
“We both know there is no Cane Hotel. Does Mr. Cole know you’re snooping into his personal affairs? What am I saying? Of course he doesn’t. Why don’t I pull him out of that meeting and we’ll-”
Selene hung up the phone. She had confirmation: Ethan was involved with Cane Hotel. If you could believe Ms. Miller, and Selene did, this hotel didn’t exist.
Selene stared at a blank pad in front of her. She picked up a pen and wrote Cane Hotel, then Alone Tech and Chalet One. She stared at the paper, willing an answer to present itself.
The letters began to shift, reforming in her mind: lane cote, noel hat c… suddenly the phone rang. Selene felt as if she’d been on the verge of something, but she didn’t know what. Frustrated, she picked up the phone.
“Yes?”
“Selene.” It was Ethan. Selene’s arms broke out in goose bumps. The first time they met she had a similar reaction, except now it was from fear. “I’m just returning your call. Is everything alright?”
“I thought you were in a meeting?”
“I was, it’s over.”
“That was fast, I just hung up with Ms. Miller.”
Ethan ignored her suspicious tone. “Look, why don’t you come over to the house? I have a surprise.”
“Uh, I’m busy.”
“I’ll come to you. It can’t wait.”
Selene could feel her heart pounding in her chest. “I don’t think-”
“I’ll see you in ten minutes.”
The phone went dead. Ten minutes, she thought. She wondered if she should leave. No, I’ll confront him, she resolved.
She put the phone down and began to rise when the pad of paper caught her attention: The Cane Hotel, Alone Tech, Chalet One. The answer flashed through her mind. It had been right in front of her all along: Ethan Cole. The companies were anagrams for Ethan’s name.
What was he doing, she wondered. Curiosity conquered her fear; Selene paced the room eager for his arrival.
When she opened the door on Ethan’s smiling face, she cou
ldn’t help smiling back. Selene was instantly anger with herself. At best, he was a liar and manipulator, at worst… she wasn’t sure, but what she imagined scared her.
In spite of this, she couldn’t suppress her attraction to him. There was a tenderness to his expression Selene found endearing. Jekyll and Hyde, flashed through her mind and the smile vanished from her face.
“What’s wrong?” Ethan asked.
Selene shook her head dismissively. “Nothing.” She forced a ‘happy to see you,’ expression on her face and said, “Come in.”
Ethan beamed at her. How can he be so happy she wondered. She knew Ms. Miller would tell him she was asking about his dummy corporations. If he knew, and he must, he didn’t seem concerned. Unless he was playing his own game.
Ethan walked inside and set a brown bag down on the dining room table. Selene eyed it suspiciously. She decided to wait for him to speak. Instead of explaining, he grabbed her around the waist, pulled her close and kissed her.
He moved so quickly it startled her. Her whole body stiffened in his arms. Ethan looked concerned.
“What?” he asked. “Is something wrong?”
Selene was struck by how genuinely worried he looked. Is this the real Ethan, she wondered.
She didn’t respond to his question. Instead, she pressed her body against his and kissed him coquettishly. She nibbled on his bottom lip, then kissed his neck.
“You’re very strange today,” Ethan said with an awkward laugh.
“You have no idea.”
Selene bit his ear. Grabbing his tie she pulled him to the table. She sat on the edge and wrapped her legs around him.
She acted impulsively. Selene had noticed how after sex Ethan acted subdued and vulnerable to suggestion. She believed sleeping with him would calm him, leaving him open to her questions. She needed honest answers about his involvement with Belle Amie, and if she was being totally honest with herself: she wanted to fuck him.
When she was alone with her thoughts Ethan seemed like a villain, a shadowy figure whose goals and agenda remained elusive and vaguely sinister. But standing here in front of her, he was charming and handsome.
The danger she associated with his life felt alluring. There was a part of her that felt shame over her desire for him. He was like a drug.
The image of Ethan’s wife lurking around a dark attic shot through Selene’s mind. She wondered if his wife had felt the same way when she met Ethan. What if her fate was Selene’s as well?
Selene tried not to let her pessimistic imagination ruin the moment. She laid down on the table, pulling Ethan on top of her.
He reached between them and unbuttoned her pants. She laid still; she liked it when he undressed her. He pulled her pants off her body, then flipped them over his shoulder like a matador.
Selene wanted to laugh, but she couldn’t relax. Fresh waves of tension crept through her body. She felt as if she were going mad. One minute he was all she wanted, the next she was scared of him.
Ethan lingered over her. Selene knew he could sense her hesitation.
“Aren’t you going to finish undressing me?” she asked. She wanted to keep Ethan focused. She also wanted to distract herself from her doubts.
“Do you like it when I undress you?” His voice was low and slightly hoarse.
All at once Selene remembered why she wanted to fuck him. A small shiver ran up her spine. She nodded weakly.
Ethan wrapped his fingers around her underwear and slowly pulled them down. Selene tried to stay still, but she squirmed uncontrollably. Ethan drew the moment out, leaving her underwear around her knees as he caressed the inside of her thighs.
A moan escaped from her lips; she covered her mouth as if she were shy. Ethan laughed at the demure gesture.
Selene responded by lifting up her legs and kicking her underwear off. Ethan caught them and brought them to his face. He breathed in deeply, then threw them to the floor.
Selene spread her legs wide as Ethan climbed on top of her.
The table wobbled and for a moment she thought it would collapse. Ethan paused, waiting for it to stop shaking. When it looked like it would support their weight he continued undressing her.
He nestled in between Selene’s legs, his hard cock half an inch from penetrating her vagina. He was careful to keep it away from her flesh; he enjoyed teasing her.
He placed his hands up Selene’s shirt and massaged her breasts. His hands were unusually rough, it struck Selene as odd. He didn’t seem like the outdoorsy type. She wondered what he had been doing.
Ethan pushed her shirt up, over her head and buried his face between her breasts. His whiskers tickled her skin as his soft lips kissed and sucked on her nipples.
She tried to clear her mind and concentrate on the sensation.
Why were his hands so rough? This is getting ridiculous, she thought. She was sure there was a reasonable explanation.
Since learning of his involvement with Belle Amie, Selene felt suspicious of Ethan’s every move. The pleasure of his touch, the sweet desire building up inside her, it ebbed and flowed with her doubts.
Selene ran her fingers through Ethan’s hair. Her hand disappeared in the thick dark tendrils. Without thinking, she grasped on to it and pushed his head down, forcing him between her legs. Ethan followed without resistance. Good, she thought. She hoped that when she questioned him later he was just as passive.
Ethan wasted no time. He kissed and sucked on her vagina more enthusiastically than he had on her breasts. His tongue moved in and out of her.
Selene held her grip on his hair. As her hips worked against him, she pushed his head against her vagina, encouraging him to eat her out faster.
She felt herself climax. When she came, she released her grip and laid placidly on the table. The orgasm was deep and satisfying and best of all it wiped the incessant fears from her mind.
Ethan crawled on top of her and whispered in her ear: “I could eat you for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
Before Selene could respond, Ethan was inside her. He seesawed in and out of her.
“You’re so wet,” he moaned.
He lifted himself up, arching his back for deeper penetration. He drove his cock into her as far as he could, then repeated the motion.
The table shook, sending a vase crashing to the floor. Selene ignored it; she was captivated by his face. One moment it twisted with concentration and pleasure. The next he looked intense, completely focused on not just fucking her, but pleasing her. Was this Jekyll or Hyde, she wondered. Perhaps neither, she hoped, maybe it was just Ethan.
He strained to last longer, but succumbing to primal urge he came. When he collapsed next to her, the table wavered again. She was sure it would fall this time, but it stabilized and the two were left to stare in to each other’s eyes.
“Who are you?” Selene asked.
Frustrated, Ethan ran his hands over his face and through his hair. “You’ve been talking to Ms. Miller.” It wasn’t a question, he knew. “You were asking about my companies?” His voice was even, measured; Selene felt as if he was working to control his temper. So much for sex making him docile, she thought.
“I had hoped,” he continued, “you would drop this. That’s my advice to you: leave it alone.”
“I just need-” Selene began.
“Just, drop it.”
Selene shrunk away from him. She felt like a child being chastised.
“Hey,” he said sweetly, “look at me.” He lifted her chin so that she was forced to make eye contact with him. His hands caressed her face; she flinched at how rough they were.
“I told you I would never put you or my child in danger. My business… some of the men I work with, if you knew the details… it would be putting you in harm’s way.”
“Is that what happened to your wife? Was she put in, ‘harm’s way?’”
Ethan’s eyes went cold. “Don’t talk about my wife.” His tone left no room for discussion.
He jumped
off the table and began to dress. The tension in the room was suffocating, Selene breathed hard.
The brown bag he’d placed on the table earlier had fallen to the floor. He picked it up and tossed it to Selene. She caught it and held it in her lap, afraid to open it.
“What is it?” she asked.
Ethan sighed. He looked away from her and focused on buttoning his shirt. “I had hoped today would be a joyous occasion.”
Selene was puzzled. She had no idea what he was talking about.
Carefully, she opened the bag. Inside was a small long box. She pulled it out cautiously. It was a pregnancy test. Her heart sank. How could she have forgotten? There was a good chance she was pregnant.
Without saying anything she rose and went in to the bathroom. She returned with the test and handed it to Ethan: it was still blank, the results hadn’t come in yet.
“Do you want to end this?” he asked. “Tell me now. You can walk away, take the money, I don’t care. I just need to know if you still want me.”
The way he phrased it: “if you still want me,” caught her attention. This was about more than a baby now and they both knew it.
She stared at the test in his hand. A vague symbol had appeared, but she couldn’t make it out. Positive or negative, she thought.
“I want this to work,” Ethan said, “but you have to trust me.”
She nodded her head weakly. “I still want you.” Her voice was pathetic and she hated herself for it. She wished she had the courage to own her feelings or walk away, but she was stuck in limbo.
Ethan pulled her close and hugged her. He held her tight. Selene felt so at ease in arms, but what about when he was gone and she was left with her thoughts.
He pulled away from her. He held out the pregnancy test, his hand covered the results. He took a deep breath and said, “Okay, here we go.” He removed his hand, revealing the answer: positive.
Chapter Four
“Positive,” Selene whispered.
Ethan wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the ground in his excitement. Selene was in shock. Even though they had been trying for a baby, a part of her didn’t actually believe she would become pregnant. Now, the little pink positive sign on the pregnancy test stared back at her.