𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙒𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 (18+)

𝟑. 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠.

in the evening
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So don't you let her,
Oh, get under your skin
It's only bad luck and trouble,
Oh, from the day that you begin

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The rest of the evening passed, and I made sure not to stay alone with him again. It was difficult not to approach him, but I only had one rule when it came to dating: never go for taken men. I never broke that one rule. I wasn't a teen anymore, so sexual attraction wasn't going to sway me that easily. That's what I told myself as I waited for my taxi. Tina was mumbling something drunkenly beside me, and my head was so dizzy from the wine that I couldn't pay attention until she mentioned him. 

"Huh?" I suddenly became attentive. 

"I said, it was kind of weird earlier, when you went to smoke with Mr. White. You were gone for so long. Did you already know him?" I just shrugged. Tina didn't insist, but I could feel her watching me with that puzzled expression of hers.

"No, I just needed to get some fresh air, and he happened to be there as well." After all, it wasn't a lie. Tina, on the other hand, was able to see right through me. I cracked a smile. "Don't worry, I'm not going to sleep with a married man." She exhaled a sigh of relief and never brought up the argument again. No one seemed to enjoy talking about that man. Was he some kind of taboo? I tried to figure out why everyone feared him and why, from the first moment, I was so attracted to him. Then the taxi arrived.

The following day went by as usual. There were no surprises, just manuscripts to read and correct. During my lunch break, I left the building and walked a few minutes to the nearest cafe. I enjoyed the atmosphere, which reminded me of Manhattan, where I grew up as a child. These kinds of 1950s-inspired cafes were all around back then.

Dawson Brown, a manager at the publishing firm, noticed me as I sat at the first available table. He was a very friendly man, an extrovert having the time of his life. I gave him a distant smile but decided not to join him. I enjoyed eating lunch alone. Brown, on the other hand, with his light features and youthful demeanor, decided to come over to my table.

"Audrey!" He approached me while waving his hand.

"Hi, Dawson. It's been a while, huh?" elaborate

"Yeah, are you doing better now? I heard about your parents..."

Here we go again, I thought. "I'm great. Want to join me for lunch?"

"I'd love to, but I have a meeting with Mr. White in a bit." His name made my eyes shine with curiosity for a fraction of a second.

"It's okay, we'll have lunch next time."

"You promised me dinner last time, though."

He looked at his watch and appeared to be in a hurry. Thank goodness. I didn't want to promise him any more dates. Dawson wasn't a bad person; I just wasn't interested in anything so frivolous. He was famous for being unable to commit to just one woman, and everyone in the office avoided his flirting.

"We'll talk later." I softly replied with a soft smile on my heart-shaped lips. He nodded and disappeared, leaving me with my thoughts and my lunch.

My phone rang while I was eating dessert. Because it said 'unknown number' on the screen, I had no idea who it was. I swallowed the last bite of chocolate cake while scrolling my fingers across the 'answer' button. "Hello?"

Then there was silence. I repeated my greeting until a voice came to my ear.

"Miss Carter?"

It was a very feminine voice, and I could tell it belonged to someone very young almost immediately. "Speaking."

"My name is Lauren Thomas, Mr. White's secretary."

I gulped at the sound of his name. "Oh, how can I assist you?"

"Mr. White would like to schedule a meeting with you for work-related reasons. When is it going to be convenient for you?" She kept the formality, but her voice was as sweet as the cake I had just finished.

It took some time for me to elaborate on my thoughts. It wasn't like I could refuse a work-related appointment with him. "I'll be available in three hours. Or next Tuesday." Lauren kept me waiting while she went through some papers. I was really disappointed in myself for wanting to see him right away. 'Have some dignity, Audrey.' I thought to myself.

"He'll be seeing you in three hours." It took Lauren two long minutes to say that. My heart was going crazy; I couldn't decide whether I was scared or relieved to see him again. I greeted the secretary after she gave me the address and paid for my lunch.

All I had to do was wait three agonizing hours.

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