Inside Out

2

He heard that but he was sure it was a figment of his imagination or his thoughts again. The touch on his shoulder nearly cost him his life, it would have been a case of being shocked to death. He couldn’t be going into another episode, it had never happened like that. He was scared to turn but the softest voice did unexplainable things.

‘’Hello. You look lost’’ she said.

It had to be a female. No male could pull off such allure in his voice. But the question was, what female would be there at that time?

He turned back slowly, still unsure of what his eyes would meet. Then he turned and was faced with the most inviting set of green eyes he had ever seen. He could get lost in those. And they were set on such flawless skin, with no sign of blemish. He found himself wanting to lick every nook and cranny of her skin. She softly tucked in a stray strand of blonde curly hair and he desperately wanted to caress every inch of her golden head. And that body, if he had that in a dinner gown and his mother invited him for any of her endless functions, he wouldn’t refuse. He could wrap his hands comfortably around her waist which were set on the most exciting hips he had seen in a while. She obviously hadn't dressed to kill. The loose shirt and jeans on her body told that story. But her future would call out to any man. He couldn’t help but wonder how one could be so stunning. He was still staring, her seductive lips were moving again.

‘’Are you alright?’’

‘’Your eyes are so intoxicating.’’ he heard himself saying, without the slightest hint of flirting. Who knew that was even possible. He wasn’t in the right frame of mind to comprehend anything she was saying. He must have made her uncomfortable as her cheeks reddened but somehow, she got even more beautiful.

‘’I’m sorry’’ he said. Smiling genuinely for the first time in a long time, he said ‘’Did I embarrass you?’’

That angelic voice again. ‘’I blush easily. Thank you for the compliment.’’

There was a silence for about a minute, where they just maintained eye contact. She broke it first. ‘’I asked if you were lost.’’

And to that, he remembered he was supposed to be in his room. Springing to action with a walk ahead of her, he said ‘’No, I am not’’.

He was making a big fool of himself but he didn’t care. It appeared this lady did not know him and he intended to keep it that way. ‘’Maybe you are’’ and that was by way of goodbye. He walked briskly away from her, to avoid any more dialogue.

Stella was left looking at the back of the man she had just embarrassed herself in front of. He seemed in a hurry. As to what she was doing there herself, there was no answer. She had no business being there.

Who was that man? She was still new to this whole Harrison business. No way was she going to let her cat out of its bag. She had to be more careful, any more of these and her position might be compromised. There had been an assurance that this entrance was rarely in use.

The man had long gone. There was something about him, something she couldn’t quite place. With all the dirt on his body that early, it looked like he worked in the garden or some outdoorsy business. But there was a good measure of charm in that mix, something almost regal. The personalities met and clashed in ways she was not comfortable with.

Not waiting around for any more surprises, she made her way into the main house. A part of her wished he would turn back. With the excitement of the past couple of minutes, she had forgotten to ask his name. That was a part of her job anyway.

At the foot of the staircase, she paused to check herself, most especially for zero signs of her encounter. There was no inward damage. Or so she thought. The more she tried, the faster it became a ‘say it till you believe it’ situation.

There were three flights of stairs connected to the main house. She was on the second set, halfway to the top. With a hand on the railing, she gently climbed, tread by tread. Several thoughts saturated her mind, and with great shame, she had to admit that Mr Whatever-His-Name-Is ranked top.

Stella Reels, the only child of her parents, hadn’t been treated fairly in a lot of things as long as her 25 years was concerned. And the biggest of them all was life itself. Losing her parents at the age of 7 didn’t leave much room for pampering. No way she was going to mess up this golden opportunity.

Reaching the top, she took a deep breath as she opened the door to the kitchen. As soon as she entered, her superior attacked. Of course, they had missed her and could not get enough, she rolled her eyes as she thought. Why was she complaining, it wasn't a promised walk in the park.

‘’Where have you been, for goodness sake?’’ Ms Ann, the chief maid hollered.

To that, Stella smiled. The woman couldn’t obviously get enough out as she screamed on. She could easily think of a sarcastic retort in response, sarcasm was the one reason she hadn’t run mad. There wasn't yet an answer but Ms Ann seemed perfectly content with glaring at her.

‘’Went out for some air’’ That was the single dumbest thing anyone could ever say to their boss. But say that with a smile and you were golden, she inspired herself as she smiled like a child on Santa’s lap.

It worked. She was turning away to sit. She was just about to let out a sigh of relief when she realized that Ann wasn’t done. She was a big woman in her fifties and probably was a catch in her days. But now, she was all dress, apron, and headpiece. Apparently, scolding on her feet was too much for her.

‘’We run a very tight ship, Stella. You are barely a week on the job and you already seem in a hurry to lose your job’’ She paused for effect, like she was expecting some response.

On cue, Stella made to speak then realizing what she was going to say had no hint of remorse, she delayed a second to rehearse again and ended with a pale ‘’I’m sorry, Anne. I’ll do better.’’

She had a risky idea. She still didn’t know who the man was. If anybody would know, it was Anne. She was already pissed with her, a little more couldn’t hurt.

‘’I met a man earlier today. He was a bit rough looking but he didn’t appear lost. Matter of fact, I daresay he knew the house to a reasonable extent. And he seemed well-spoken. Does anyone come to mind?’’

Anne looked like she had seen a ghost.

Undeterred, she continued ‘’I know that is not a lot of information…’’

‘’Let this be the last time we speak of this’’ Stopping her, she stormed off.