Dark Touch

Henry's Punishment

"I'm Frank Brooks, by the way," he said, holding his hand out as I shook it.

"Angel Caldwell... and I know. I was infatuated with your research on The Cave of Altamira. I had so many questions, but now that you're here I just... I'm at a loss for words," I admitted, taking a sip of the wine, hoping to calm my nerves a bit.

"No worries. I'm glad you're a fan though. So you are Henry's prodigy?" He asked as I shook my head.

"No, I'm just the apprentice," I corrected as he let out a laugh.

"Not from what I heard... Or read from your research on the Western Mongolian artifact," he spoke, making me raise my eyebrows, knowing he read my research.

"So, you already knew my cross-referencing?" I questioned as he nodded his head.

"Of course. Discovery is my livelihood as you know. And with your keen eye, I can tell you have a discoverer's heart," he said, making me blush at his words.

"Well maybe one day! I'm still in the research phase, but I have many places in mind,"  I said, thinking of my giant map on the wall. We began chatting about the many places he saw and I got to ask him many different questions. Our conversation flowed easily. I even thought he was flirting with me at one moment, but a shook the thought, a wealthy and adventurous guy like this probably having tons of girls at his beck and call.

After a while, Frank had asked me for a dance, and after trying to tell him I had two left feet he managed to get me there somehow. As we flowed to the music, I felt his hand tighten around me, making me nervous. "You know, you are the most beautiful girl here," he suddenly said, catching me off guard.

"I... uhh.. Thank you," I said, trying to avoid his eye contact. As handsome as Frank was, I felt like it wasn't a good idea to get too close. I wouldn't want to ruin the chance at a donation.

"If you ever get bored being stuck behind a microscope, I would love to show you the world of first hand discovery," he said, now making me look up.

"Is that a job offer?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.

"More like... sharing a journey," he said as I now started to get confused on what he meant. "We could discover lots of things," he said as I instantly got the feeling of double meaning behind his words.

"May I cut in," A voice suddenly spoke, as I turned to see Henry standing there, looking very stern and not very happy.

"Ahhh, Henry. Good to see you again," he said as Henry cleared his throat.

"Yes, you as well. I see you've become acquainted with my apprentice," Henry said, his eyes flicking towards me as I stepped away from Frank, feeling wrong somehow.

"Yes well I had to dive into her mind myself and I must say... You are very lucky...," Frank responded, giving a charming yet somewhat mischievous smile towards Henry. "I was just telling her how she would have a great hand in discovery," he said, seeming to want to stir up some sort of trouble.

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time you injected yourself," Henry said, catching me off guard at his comment.

"And I can assure you... it won't be the last," he said before turning to me. "Have a lovely night, Angel. And don't forget about my offer," he spoke before exiting. Henry then turned to me and held out his hand. After a moment I took it and he pulled me in, placing his hand on my waist gently.

Once we began moving to the music, Henry pulled me a bit closer. "You avoided my advice," Henry grumbled low in my ear, giving me slight chills.

"It just happened. He... he seemed nice," I spoke, hearing him scoff from under me.