by Krista Lakes
“Yeah. I’m sorry. But, hey, you got flowers!”
“Not from you,” I replied, sticking my tongue out at her.
“Well, at least one Paradisian likes you. And I’m sure the trade negotiation team would too if they knew you.”
I smiled and went behind my desk. “You better let me get to work. I suddenly have a lot to do. So much for the ‘easy’ job, right?”
“I would hate for you to be bored,” Jaqui teased. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“Oh, will you let Gus know that Henry is bringing me lunch?” I asked, remembering the note.
“He really does want to apologize.” Jaqui grinned. “I’ll tell Gus not to throw him out.”
“Thanks.”
Jaqui gave me a small wave before leaving me to the boxes. I sighed as I looked around, knowing that there were going to be more.
That and my stepmother was going to want to know all of it.
Two hours later and I’d managed to get through at least a couple of boxes. I’d managed to convince myself that they weren’t of any use to my stepmother. I had her list of wants memorized, but I hadn’t seen anything come up with the information she was looking for yet.
I knew it was only a matter of time, though.
I didn’t know what I was going to do.
I still hadn’t figured out a way out of our deal. I’d thought about going to Jaqui several times, but I knew how that would end up. If I were fired or let go, my stepmother would release the information on my father. If I were transferred, she would just have me transferred back.
Audrey had me in a bind. If I did anything to compromise her, she would ruin my father and my reputation.
I scanned in another document and bit my lip. This one was on her list. It had to do with the mineral availability in the country. My stomach twisted. I finished the document and set it on the table next to my phone. All I had to do was take a picture of it. That was it. One photo and my father’s legacy was safe.
I picked up my phone.
“Aria?” Jaqui knocked on my door. I nearly screamed.
“Jaqui!” I felt physically ill. Two seconds difference and she would have seen me taking a photo of the document. I needed to be more careful.
“You okay?” Jaqui asked, looking concerned.
“You just startled me is all.” I set my phone down on the desk, pointedly not looking at the document. “What’s up?”
“You have a visitor.” Jaqui’s mouth pinched. “And not the good kind.”
Oh God. The FBI already knew. I hadn’t done anything yet, but somehow they knew.
“Who?” I managed to keep my voice from shaking too badly.
“Your stepmom.” Jaqui grimaced. “I can’t let her up here. Given that she would do just about anything to get at this, I can’t trust her in your office. You’ll have to go down to her.”
“Right. Right.” I nodded. “I’ll do that.”
“Are you sure you’re okay? You look really pale.”
“I’m fine. I probably just need some coffee or something.” I stood up from my desk. “I’ll go see what she wants.”
“I can’t believe she came here,” Jaqui said, crossing her arms. “Seriously, don’t let her anywhere near your office. I don’t trust her an inch.”
“Believe me, I won’t.” Guilt gnawed at my stomach. Jaqui trusted me. She trusted me not to give these documents over to Audrey.
And I was about to betray that trust. It was a good thing I hadn’t eaten much breakfast because I felt like throwing it all up.
I hurried down the stairs to find Gus glaring daggers at Audrey. He stood at his desk, looking intimidating and downright fierce. The temperature was at least ten degrees cooler.
Audrey for her part stood like a model in the center of the room. She was poised like a photographer might snap her high-art photo at any moment. Today she wore a dark green pantsuit that accentuated her thin hips and long lines. It was a lovely outfit, even if it was on an unattractive person.
“Audrey.” I stopped short of her. “What are you doing here?”
“What? I can’t stop by and see my favorite step-daughter at her beloved work?” She smiled, her lips red and flawless.
“What do you want?” I asked, crossing my arms and keeping my distance.
“I haven’t heard from you, dear.” Her voice was warm but her gaze cold as she took a step toward me. “I’ve been worried about you.”
“I’m fine,” I replied. “Just haven’t had anything interesting to tell you.”
“Are you on break, dear?” she asked, suddenly changing the subject. “I’m afraid I have some family business to discuss with you. Perhaps we can go to your office?”
There was no way in hell I was letting her near my office. And from the look on Gus’s face, she wouldn’t even make it past the first step if she tried.
“My office is a bit cramped. Perhaps it can wait until later? I can come by your house after work.”
Audrey shook her head and sighed. “I’m afraid not. It has to do with your sister and time is important.”
I remembered that part of our bargain had been that I would also assist Anastasia in doing my old job. Since I hadn’t heard anything, I’d rather hoped that Audrey had just forgotten. Or maybe Anastasia would actually be good at working. It looked like I was wrong.
“There is a little coffee shop just down the street,” I said. “Gus, will you let Jaqui know that I’m stepping out for a moment. I’ll be back in fifteen.”
He nodded. “As long as she doesn’t come back,” he growled so my stepmother couldn't hear.
“That’s the plan,” I muttered under my breath. “Can I borrow your umbrella? Mine’s upstairs.”
Gus nodded and pulled it out from under his desk. I had a feeling that he would have lent me his uniform if it meant getting Audrey out of his building faster.
I took the umbrella and went to the door. I held the heavy wooden door open for Audrey and she waltzed out, all smiles. The rain poured down and she took my umbrella as her own.
I sighed and stepped out into the rain. I would just deal with being wet since apparently Audrey didn’t bring her own damn umbrella.
Other than Henry’s flowers, this day was rather sucking. How was it that he kept being the bright spot in my world without even trying?
Chapter 10
Audrey walked in a stately manner to the coffee shop with my umbrella while I ran ahead. I knew she wouldn’t share with me, and I didn’t really want to be that close to her anyway. She took her sweet time, knowing that every moment she kept me out of the office was a moment that I could get in trouble for.
She really was a sweet woman.
I waited for her in the shop feeling like a hunted animal. I wished I had something on her. Something that I could use to free myself. An idea came to me. One that I should have thought of from the beginning, especially considering I worked in politics.
She was still halfway down the sidewalk as I downloaded a recording app. It would record all sounds once I turned it on, but would look like a calculator app if anyone checked my phone. I knew that DC law allowed single-party consent for recording, so I could legally record without her permission.
It wasn’t much, but it at least felt like I was fighting back. I hit start on the app and held my phone in my hand.
Finally, she walked into the coffee shop and handed me the umbrella like I was her servant.
“What do you want?” I asked, shivering slightly. My shirt and hair were all wet and it was cold.
“Coffee,” Audrey replied. She moved to stand at the end of the coffee line. There were at least six people in front of her. I wanted to push them all out of the way. This was going to take forever.
I joined her in the line. “Can we discuss this while you wait for your coffee?”
“No.” She smiled and turned back to waiting in the line. She clasped her hands demurely in front of her as she waited politely with all the time in the
world.
I, on the other hand, was about ready to scream. I was already behind on my work. Work that she wanted. I took a deep breath, willing myself to stay calm. This was what she wanted. She wanted me angry and upset because it would be easier to manipulate me if I wasn’t thinking clearly.
But knowing that I should calm down was easier than doing so.
I counted in my head by sevens as we waited in line. It kept my brain occupied on something other than my stepmother. I had a harder time after 77, which was good because the line barely seemed to move. I kept glancing at my watch and seeing the minutes pass by.
Finally, Audrey had her extra large, non-fat, three pumps sugar-free vanilla soy latte with extra foam.
“Oh dear,” Audrey said, putting her hand to her forehead. “I’ve forgotten my purse in the car. Aria, will you be a dear?”
I took a deep breath and handed the barista my credit card. I just wanted this meeting to be over.
“Now can you tell me what you want?” I asked, as we found a small unoccupied booth. The rain was still coming down in sheets outside, muffling the sounds of our conversation. If I were with anyone else it would have felt peaceful. With Audrey, it felt like gloomy hell.
“Of course, dear. Time is of the essence,” Audrey said with a smile, like it was my idea to wait in line for coffee.
She took a deep sip of her coffee. I waited.
“So, Anastasia has some research due,” Audrey began. “I told her she should at least attempt to get it started, but she’s young and impulsive. And of course we both knew that you’d do a better job of it anyway.”
She’s older than me by two years, I thought to myself.
“Anyway, the senator wants it by tomorrow evening,” Audrey continued. She pulled out her phone and tapped a couple of things. “There. I’ve emailed you the specifics.”
I carefully opened my emails and found hers. My eyes widened as I read what Anastasia had put off until the last minute.
“This is over a week’s worth of work that you want me to pull off in twenty-four hours,” I told her. “There’s no way I can get this done. If you had come to me when she first got it, maybe...”
“You will find a way to get it done,” Audrey informed me, taking a sip of her latte. “Or you know the consequences.”
I stared at her dumbfounded.
“Also, I am rather perturbed at your lack of progress in other areas,” she said before I could come up with a protest. She gave me a stern look. “I hope that you aren’t holding back on me.”
I thought of the document still laying on my desk.
“I just finished the backlog,” I told her. “So far, it’s just been introductions and going over the previous administrations policies. There’s been nothing that you asked for.”
“I find that hard to believe,” Audrey replied. “I’m going to need something to know that you are keeping your end of the bargain.”
I cast about desperately for something I could give her. Something that would buy me some time.
“They had an emergency session last night,” I blurted out. “I’m going to receive more boxes of documents this afternoon with the work done most recently. It sounds important.”
Audrey’s eyes lit up. “Now that’s more like it,” she cooed. “Tell me more.”
“I don’t have much more than that,” I admitted. “I’m not exactly important to the process. I just know that they had a huge emergency session last night and they want the files scanned as soon as possible.”
It was more than I should have told her. Jaqui hadn’t said that the information was confidential, but I knew that wouldn’t hold up in a court of law. Still, it was better than actually giving her files. It was something. Something that got me off the hook for at least another day.
Audrey sat thoughtfully with her coffee. With the rainy window behind her she looked like a painting, everything perfect and posed. She would have made a perfect politician’s wife. She was beautiful and knew how to work an angle.
“Keep me updated,” Audrey said after a moment. “And I am expecting results. I hope you understand the gravity of the situation.”
I ran my fingers through my wet hair. “Believe me, I do.”
“Good.” She stood up. “We’re done then.”
She scooted out of the booth and dropped her mostly full coffee into the trash. I stared at it and shook my head. It was yet another way to annoy me.
She typed something on her phone and waited a moment, looking out the window. If she asked for the umbrella, there was no way I was giving it back to her. After a minute, a car pulled up next to the coffee shop and a man hopped out of a car with an umbrella to escort her out to his still running vehicle.
I waited for the car to drive off before turning off the recorder. My head throbbed. There was so much work to be done. Not only did I have to scan all the new documents, but I had to come up with the research for Anastasia.
I checked to make sure the app had recorded our conversation. It had. I then checked the email she had sent me. I hadn’t said anything to Audrey, but it was the research I had been working on before they fired me so I wasn’t as far behind as I had made out to be. I still had a ridiculous amount of work ahead of me, but I was just glad I had a starting point.
I put my phone away and stared out at the rain. It hadn’t let up since we left my office. If anything, it was raining harder now than it had all morning.
I sighed and headed back to the office.
At least I didn’t have to walk back to the office with her. And I had an umbrella this time.
Chapter 11
“I’m not going to make it to lunch today,” Henry said over the phone.
A little of the light inside of me died. It was the one thing that I was looking forward to today. Between the rain, my stepmother, and now the extra workload, lunch with my boyfriend was supposed to be the high point of my day.
If he even was my boyfriend. I wasn’t quite sure what we were yet.
“I understand,” I told him, trying to keep my voice bright. “It’s okay. I’m totally swamped today anyway.”
“No. I promised you lunch and you’ll get lunch,” he replied. I could hear people talking in the background behind him. “It’s just that I won’t be there.”
I frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”
“I’m having some food delivered,” he explained. “It should be there soon. I wish I could be there in person, but things are a little crazy here right now.”
“Tell me about it,” I replied, putting another document on the scanner. I had a file up on my computer that I tried to save to my research folder for Anastasia while the computer processed the image. I was multi-tasking hard core.
“Aria, I am really sorry about last night,” he said. I loved the way his accent wrapped around my name like a caress. “I wish I could have stayed.”
“I get it,” I said, trying to be nonchalant. I wanted to be cool and not needy. I wanted him to think I was a strong, independent woman even if inside I wanted him with me all the time. “Work and duty. I understand.”
He sighed. “Can I see you again? Soon?”
My heart sped up at the thought of seeing him and then I looked around my office. The boxes Jaqui had told me about had arrived. Only, where I thought it might be one or two boxes more, it was a whole room full of boxes. I had paperwork spilling out into the hallway.
“I would like that. It’s just... I’m really behind on my work. I’m not going to be able to leave tonight. Or tomorrow. Actually, I’m thinking about changing my address to my work and just sleeping under my desk.”
He chuckled. “That’s a shame. I rather liked your apartment. Particularly that couch.”
I thought of his kisses and bare chest. The way he had felt underneath me on that couch. I heated right between my legs.
“But I want to see you,” I told him. I could almost taste his kisses if I thought about it.
“I want to see you t
oo,” he said. He paused for a moment. “Let me see what I can come up with.”
“Okay,” I replied. I hoped that maybe we could get dinner in a couple of days. Maybe end up back at my place. Or his place. I wasn’t picky. We didn’t even really need a place. I just wanted to see him. I found that I missed him.
We said goodbye, both of us reluctant to hang up the phone. He was the one good part of my day. I sighed and looked at my flowers. They certainly brought warmth and color to my drab little office. Just like Henry did to my world.
I kept powering through the documents. It was mindless work, simply putting paper in the scanners until it ran out and then refilling it. I had to keep track of which document I was on to save it to the correct file, but other than that, a trained monkey could do this job.
It was a good thing too because I had a lot of work to do for Anastasia. This was the work that enjoyed and it made me miss my old job. I missed digging around and looking things up. I missed being a part of the process. I had loved my job as a senator’s aide because I felt like I was making a difference. Granted, it was small and not very much, but I knew that if I kept at it, I would learn the ropes. Once I had that, I could really start to change things.
It was how I was going to make the world a better place.
I avoided actually reading the documents that I scanned. If I didn’t read them, then I didn’t know what was on them. If I didn’t know what was on them, I couldn’t tell my stepmother about them. I would have no guilt in telling her that none of my documents today pertained to her interests.
It was a round-about lie, but since it was lying for a good reason, I didn’t feel too guilty about it. I knew that since she had come to me I had at least a week before she would pester me again. She couldn’t be seen coming to my work place very often. I was free of her clutches for another week.
Not that it was going to do me much good. I still needed a plan on how I was not going to give her anything and still keep my father’s reputation intact. Just thinking about it felt impossible, so I decided to focus on my research and scanning the documents as quickly as possible. One task at a time.