Double Standards // ziam

Chapter 2

By the time Zayn arrived at Pay-co.'s personnel office it was after five o'clock, and he had come to the conclusion that he couldn't possibly spy for Sophia Sinclair. Just thinking of it on the way had made him want to empty his already empty stomach.

Even though he would like to help Sophia a little, the intrigue and deception that would be involved petrified him, he was never good in these situations. His mother always told him he was a doe eyed young man among wolves, he hated that; he was not that innocent but he was not that much of a cunning persona either. His pride did not let him confess his cowardice to her.

While he filled out the endless forms and applications required by Pay-co, it occurred to him that the best way out of his predicament was to honor his promise to Sophia Sinclair by applying for a job—and then make absolutely certain that he wasn't offered one.

Accordingly, he deliberately failed every single test they gave him and did not mention any word of his college degree. He gave the interviewee the impression that he was just a pretty face no more. But his crowning achievement was the way he answered the last question on his employment application. The instructions said to list in the order of preference three positions he felt he was qualified to fill at Pay-co. Zayn had written "president" for his first choice, "personnel manager" for his second, and "secretary" for his third.

The real personnel manager, Mr. Vernon, graded his tests, and his face registered horror as he did so. He put them aside and picked up his application, and he watched his gaze glide to the bottom of the last page, where he had listed, among his three choices, Mr. Vernon's own job. When he read that his face shaded with red color, his nostrils flared and the vein on his forehead popped out scarily; Zayn had to bite his lower lip in order to stop his chuckle. He stood up abruptly and coldly informed him that he did not meet Pay-co.'s hiring standards for any position. Zayn thought that maybe he took it too far, but nonetheless his goal was achieved.

When Zayn emerged from the building, he discovered that the supposedly hot day of August evening had drastically changer into a prematurely dark and cold windy night. With a convulsive shiver, he pulled his dark blazer closer around his middle, he hated the cold.

Downtown traffic was backed up on Jefferson Avenue, a sea of multicolored cars speeding past him in both directions. While he waited for the light to change, fat raindrops began to splatter on the pavement around him. There was a break in traffic, and Zayn raced across the broad multi-lane boulevard, reaching the opposite curb in a reckless way.

Breathless and damp, he glanced up at the darkened high-rise building under construction in front of him. The parking garage where he had left his car was four blocks away, but if he trespassed across the area surrounding the high-rise, he could save himself at least a block. A fresh breath of wind blowing off in the air chilled his bones and made him make up his mind quickly. Disregarding the No Trespassing sign, he ducked under the ropes surrounding the construction area.

Walking as quickly as the uneven ground would permit, Zayn glanced up at the lights scattered here and there in the otherwise dark building. It was at least one hundred stories high, elevation covered completely in mirrored curtain wall that reflected the twinkling lights of the city. Where lights were on inside the building, the mirror surface became ordinary two-way glass, and Zayn could see boxes piled in the offices, as if the tenants were getting ready to occupy the space.

Close to the building he reckoned he was shielded from the wind, so he carefully stayed within its protection. As he hurried along it occurred to him that he was all alone in the dark in what was known as highly rated crime city. So he quickened his pace.

Heavy footsteps suddenly thudded in the dirt behind him, and he panicked. He was being followed by God knows who. He broke into a awkward run. Just as he flew toward the main entrance, one of the huge glass doors swung open, and two men emerged from the shadowy building.