Open Mouth Insert Foot
1389 Words
The sound of crisp confident steps echoed down the long marble hall. Dorian’s estate was magnificent but Theo wasn’t here to admire the architecture or interior design. He only walked into the enemy brood for one reason; his green eyes seemed to glow with determination from beneath his metal mask.
Dorian’s men were arranged in two menacing lines on either side of the hall from the main entrance to Dorian’s office. Theo and his two henchmen continued walking, unperturbed by the show of force. This was normal in their line of work and to show any weakness now would be a disgrace to their organization. When they finally made it to the only room with open doors, Theo’s eyes glanced lazily around the room, making a mental note of his bearings. It was a habit of his, given his years of experience as the head of Venom’s Western Branch. If things went south, which happened more often than not, he had to find a way to survive until help arrived.
“Welcome!”
Theo turned towards the grinning Dorian and nodded his head curly.
Gesturing to the sofa across from the coffee table, Dorian commanded, “Have a seat and we’ll talk business.”
Theo sat down, leaned back into the leather cushion, and placed one ankle over the other knee in a figure-four lock position.
Dorian snorted gently and waved a hand to his henchmen. Everyone immediately walked out. Theo nodded at his men and they also stepped out leaving only Dorian and Theo in the room.
“Now that there’s only you and me, why don’t you take off that mask, Theo? Isn’t it stifling?”
Theo gripped his mask with one hand and lifted it off his face, placing it on the seat next to him.
Dorian leaned forward pulled out the cork to a decorative decanter and proceeded to pour it into two glasses. “Care for a glass of whiskey?”
Theo leaned forward and took one. Tipping the fiery liquid into his mouth, he swished a mouthful to appreciate the flavor and undertones that tickled his tongue.
“Hm. Excellent flavor. Tastes like the English Sherry Cask.”
Dorian's smile broadened. “I expect nothing less from a son of a prestigious family. You don’t disappoint.”
Theo hummed and looked Dorian straight in the eyes. “So tell me, why is a boss of the underworld kidnapping an ordinary salarywoman?”
Dorian's smile deepened and he leaned back comfortably into his seat. “It seems she’s not so ordinary to have caught the eye of our famous actor Theo Jones. I took her here to get an audience with you.”
Theo huffed. “You could have just contacted my manager for a meeting.”
Dorian scoffed and tilted his head to one side mockingly. “And does your manager know you’re a member of Venom? From the looks of your procession to my estate, you’re not a low-ranking member either. No, I need you here as a member of Venom to talk business.”
Theo just looked at Dorian without saying a word as if goading him to continue.
Dorian’s lip twitched in annoyance. “I’ll get to the point. Help me take over Venom. Once Venom falls to me, all of the mob families in the West will crumble and have no choice but to join my alliance.”
Theo placed a hand over the back of the sofa and took another swig of his drink before answering, “And why should I?”
“I have your girlfriend.”
Theo raised the glass to his lips and smiled derisively at Dorian. “You got the wrong woman. She’s not my girlfriend.”
Dorian scoffed. “Who are you kidding? You can lie to yourself but you can’t fool my eyes.”
“You must have done some research on me. It’s not hard to tell how many times I’ve met her or even talked to her.”
“Oh, I have… and that’s why I know for certain you’ve found your special someone.”
Theo huffed, he couldn’t let Dorian know how much Tania meant to him. Heck, he didn’t even know how he truly felt but now wasn’t the time for soul searching. He decided to be blunt and dismissive.
“What? That pig of a woman? I can have my pick of women around the world; why would I settle for her?”
The door creaked open and Dorian looked up. “Ah, speak of the devil.”
Theo felt the blood drain from his face as he turned slowly to look at the doorway.
***
Connie worked on her report quietly. Every so often she would glance at Jason across the room. His stoic side profile was particularly handsome when he was focused on his work. She typed into her chat with her secretary friends.
Connie: Hey guys! Is Tania still out sick today?
Lora: Yes, we’re dying over here. If you’re not too busy, ask your boss if you can help us out.
Connie: Okay.
Connie got out of her chair and went to the refreshment desk to pour Jason another cup of warm tea. Swapping the empty cup with a full one, she cleared her throat gently. Jason looked up at her.
Connie smiled shyly. “So my secretarial friends down the hall need an extra hand. Do you mind if I go over and help them out today?”
Jason looked a little sullen but nodded anyway. “Okay, but only for the morning. I expect you to be back for lunch.”
Connie leaned down and pecked him on the cheek before slipping away. “I’ll try to finish as quickly as possible.” Turning away before he could notice her blushing face, she hurried out of the room.
Jason touched his face gently. “I must be getting sick,” he grumbled, feeling his face heat up.
***
When Connie pushed the heavy wooden doors open, she found a haggard-looking Lora and Jessica working furiously. Connie hurried over to her old desk and booted up the workstation there.
“Geez! Why doesn’t Darren just hire more people instead of working you guys to death? Besides, what happened to those three?” Connie jerked her head to the empty desks upfront.
Lora sighed. “After that meeting with Brown Inc., those three were given the boot. I would have LOVED to get front-row seats to that show but you know how it is here.” She jerked a finger to the laminated rules behind her wall.
Mind your own business.
Connie chuckled, recalling how she almost broke that first rule within seconds when she first came to this position.
“Well, dish out the work. Jason is only loaning me to you guys until lunch.”
Lora and Jessica groaned in unison.
“What a cheapskate!”
“Ugh! Ask for an extension next time.”
Connie chuckled. “Seriously, tell Darren you guys need more headcount in your department. Working like this is not healthy.”
Lora sighed and spoke cryptically, “If we just hold on for a little longer, it might not be so bad.”
Connie and Jessica both looked at her quizzically but Lora didn’t look like she would elaborate so they just rolled up their sleeves and got back to work.
***
Darren was inundated with work. News of the kidnapping was under wraps from the general public and investigators were in contact letting him know of the current progress. So far, only a few people from the office were questioned about that night. Everyone involved was warned to keep it to themselves or face severe repercussions. Despite all his efforts to aid the case, the police still had no headway on Tania’s whereabouts and it was killing him inside.
I should have walked her to her car.
He chastised himself for the hundredth time. With a heavy sigh, he sat at his desk and tried to finish some time-critical tasks before he got back to helping with Tania’s case.
Suddenly he was hit with an idea.
What an i***t!! I have contacts with Venom! They are far more useful in this line of work.
He pulled out his phone and started to type a message.
- Writer
