PULSE [H.S]

099

"Beware of what you become in pursuit of what you want." — Jim Rohn

I take a breath, calming myself and finding the sense of confidence I'm going to need to get through this. I hop out of the car, closing the door behind me.

My heels click on the concrete sidewalk as I make my way over to where the man is standing. He hears me coming, and his head turns to look at me. I keep my head up, not letting any insecure thoughts dampen my attitude.

"I'm Kizalyn," I say to the man as I reach him. He's a lot taller when I'm standing right in front of him. I say, "I'm here on behalf of Elias."

The man nods, and opens the door behind him. I follow him inside, my stomach twisting with nerves. The door opens up into a little coat room where the man scans my body with a sensor, making sure I don't have any weapons on me.

When he finds that I'm clear, he opens another door, and I follow him down a dark hallway. The floors are made of a dark black slate, and the walls are painted a dark gray. It feels like a tomb.

We stop in front of a room, and he opens the door to it. He motions for me to go inside and says, "He's waiting for you."

I enter the room slowly, taking in my surroundings. It's an office, similar to Elias's office. The room has a warmer feeling to it than the hallway did. The walls in here are a soft brown, with the room having dark brown furniture.

There's a long desk, with two chairs in front of it and one behind it that's turned away from me. In front of the desk also lie a couch and two more chairs, positioned around a coffee table.

The chair spins around slowly, revealing a very lean man sitting on it. Marcello doesn't look like I would've expected him to. I was picturing a creepy middle-aged man with a rounded belly and a balding head. A predator, even. The man in front of me looks young, probably around the same age as me, maybe a year or two older.

My shock must be apparent on my face, because a look of amusement flickers across his features. He says, "Not what you were expecting, love?"

I snap out of it, willing myself to embrace this role that I'm supposed to be playing right now. I need to be confident, flirty, and prepared for anything that he might throw my way.

"Not at all," I say lightly, smiling. "It's a pleasant surprise."

He nods, eyeing me up. The way his eyes look over my entire body makes me want to either punch him or puke all over him. I take the opportunity to take him in, too. He has white-blonde hair that's loosely styled on his head, paired with dark blue eyes and olive skin. His eyebrows are darker, so his hair isn't naturally this color.

He has a strange look to him. It's not a good or a bad strange; he's just different from the type of people you would normally cross paths with on the street. His appearance almost gives me an uneasy feeling, like there's something unnatural about him.

"Please, sit," he says as he stands, revealing that he is very tall. He walks around the desk and motions to one of the couches or chairs in front of him. I take a seat on the couch, and he sits down next to me. He's not that close, but he's closer than I would like him to be. "Kizalyn, right?"

"You can call me Kiz," I say. "It's nice to meet you."

He pours us both a drink, not bothering to ask me if I want one. I wait for him to take a sip before taking a sip of my own. You can never be too careful when a strange man hands you a mysterious drink.

"You're very beautiful, Kiz," he says as he stares at me, his eyes briefly wandering lower than they should.

I smirk. "Is that why you picked me to be here tonight?"