The Minister’s Obsession

Chapter 6

Marissa

Karen went to the podium and picked up a file that had been resting on it. She looked at Marissa, who, on the other hand, could tell that a question was coming.

Marissa was in no way prepared for this. If this was the action that Adam was going to take, then...

"Do you happen to know Mr Minister in any personal capacity?" Karen asked.

The question landed without warning. And despite the obvious circumstances, Marissa was still caught off guard.

"No," she responded. She was certain. She wanted it to sound certain. But she could see a look of doubt forming on Karen's face.

She studied her for a moment longer than necessary, then spoke at last. "Well, it seems you may have done something to grab his attention."

Her stomach clenched even tighter, but she tried to appear unmoved. "I don't believe so."

"Mr Minister requested you specifically," Karen said matter-of-factly. But Marissa didn't know what more to say to that without implicating herself further. And before she could form a word, Karen continued. "Take this to his office," she said, handing Marissa the file. "He'll fill you in on the rest."

"Right now?" Marissa asked, already knowing the answer.

Karen tapped her watch as a gesture, as if to say, "Yes, time is of the essence." Then she stepped aside, already reaching for her phone. The conversation was over.

Marissa left the conference room and headed for the elevators. People hardly ever went to the executive floor, so she rode the elevator alone.

This definitely wasn't what she had expected, but she wasn't entirely sure if this was better or worse. Karen had said Adam would fill her in on the details, meaning there was more. She was about to find out what.

In her head, she rehearsed what she would say when she saw him. But no version was good enough. And before she could come up with something fitting, the elevator stopped and opened onto a quiet hallway.

The executive floor was nothing like the rest of the building. There were no clusters of desks or people. No chatter. Everywhere was serene.

It was the highest floor of the building, but the lighting was purely artificial. The floor was covered in a lush, velvety-looking carpet that absorbed the sound of her footsteps.

Every door was properly marked and labelled. Marissa followed the signage until she reached the end, where a single office stood apart from the others.

In front of it, just outside the door, was a workstation. The woman behind it looked up as Marissa approached. She had dark hair that was pulled back into a tight ponytail and an oddly blank expression.

Her name tag read Evelyn.

"Ms Hall?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Go ahead," the woman said, already turning back to her screen. "Mr Minister will see you now."

Marissa took a deep breath to steady herself. Then she knocked, pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The office was large. Almost every wall space was covered with floor-to-ceiling windows. The room itself was sparsely decorated, save for the large Victorian-looking chandelier that hung at the centre of the ceiling. It didn't have a personal touch to it. But Marissa didn't picture him as that kind of guy.

Adam Minister was not sitting at his desk.

From her view, he stood near the window in the far right corner of the office with one hand in his pocket. He was staring out at something through the half-open blinds.

Marissa could see his entire side profile. Late afternoon sun filtered through, highlighting his features in the most alluring way.

It caught his jaw, his cheekbone, lashes...

Marissa swallowed and looked away.

His silence felt deliberate. He knew she had entered, but he didn't speak or acknowledge her. So she took it upon herself to act. She took a few steps forward, stopping just short of his desk.

Adam reached up and pulled the blinds closed, plunging the room into a much dimmer, purely artificial light. Then he turned to face her.

"Ms Hall," he said.

There it was again, that shadow of a smile hanging on his lips...

He gestured towards the chair across from his desk, urging her to sit. "Please."

She sat. He remained standing for a moment longer. Marissa wasn't looking at him, but she could feel him watching her. He moved to his side of the desk. The way he circled her made Marissa feel like prey.

He reached into a drawer and placed a small black flash drive on the desk between them.

"This contains raw data," he continued as he finally sat down. "I want a full audit and analysis of the entire data set..."

This was not what she had thought it would be. But Marissa listened carefully as he explained in not too much detail what she would find in it. Her mind was already working, organising the scope of the work.

"...it's a straightforward assignment," he finished.

"What's the timeline?" she asked.

He looked slightly amused at that. "You have one week," he said.

She nodded. "Understood."

A brief moment of silence settled in, and she waited.

She waited for him to say something else. To acknowledge their earlier encounter. To reference it indirectly. To do anything that might explain why he had picked her specifically for this assignment. She had decided not to bring up the events of the sidewalk unless he did first.

But he didn't.

Instead, he spoke. "On this project, you report directly to me." He paused, leaning back in his chair, then asked finally, "Can you handle that?"

The question felt like a trap. She couldn't say no because that would signal weakness and incompetence, and she couldn't say yes either because she wasn't even entirely sure of what she was saying yes to.

"Your performance history suggests that you're capable of handling this. Am I to follow that assumption?" He pressed further. He wanted an answer.

"Yes."

For a moment, neither of them looked away.

She wondered if she should bring up the sidewalk, but before she could decide, Adam spoke again. "That will be all," he said.

And she nodded. "Of course."

They stood in unison. Marissa took the flash drive, wasting no time heading for the door while Adam stopped just short of his desk. She had taken only a few steps when his voice cut through her thoughts.

"You have something for me."

She paused. Then she understood. The file, she was still holding on to it. She could feel the heat creep up her neck as she turned back to give it to him.

"Of course, my apologies," she said. Adam extended his hand, and Marissa handed him the file. For a brief moment, their fingers brushed, and a jolt of electricity ran through her.

The touch was light and incidental. At least it was supposed to be. But Marissa felt something. She withdrew her hand immediately.

Adam didn't react. If he felt or noticed anything at all, he didn't show it. He took the binder and set it aside.

Once again, Marissa turned to leave. She resorted to thinking about the project, busying her mind with the task at hand.

She walked past Evelyn's desk, down the corridor and back to the elevators.

The assignment was difficult. But she could do it.

Whatever else this was, she would handle it. She could handle anything. The elevator began its descent, and she did not think about the brief moment when her hand had touched his.

Not at all.