6. Apologies and gorgeous eyes.
1588 Words
"I don't think I can work under such conditions, sir. It’s crazy enough that I am living with a r****t. But him coming onto me, that's too much."
"Pepper, I know how infuriating that can be. But you need to calm down and think with a cool head. You don't want to jeopardise what we have going on here."
Chloe shook her head in disbelief. He kept saying he understood, that he knew how infuriating it can be. But, he was not the one working his ass off because of this mission!
“I don't even understand why I have to live with them,” she continued, her eyes watching her environment keenly while she pressed her phone to her ear. “Whatever happened to sending a trained ninja-like agent to bug the house? That makes things easier. I wouldn't have to work my ass day and night, waiting for them to mention something related to r**e or young girls."
“Agent Pepper, you have to calm down. Yes, we could have bugged the house, but that would have done no good. That is why we need you to forge a relationship with them. A kind of relationship that would get you into their circle .”
“You basically want my hormones to take over.”
“Excuse me?” Agent Conner asked from the other end.
“If at all there will be a relationship, it’ll definitely be romantic or something like that. So, the beloved hormones you didn't want interfering will get a feature in this at the end of the day."
“Anything to nab them, Chloe. You have to do anything at this junction.” She listened as he cleared his throat. “Just yesterday, like previously reported situations, a new shipment of young girls arrived. They are expanding this thing, Agent. We need to act fast. You need to do all you can to catch them in the act.”
Sighing deeply, Chloe finally found the calm Agent Conner had been telling her to have. “When I joined this agency, I promised to do my best. So, sir, I will.” Her ears picked up a knock on the door. “I have to go, sir. Later.”
“Good luck, Agent.” Dropping the burner phone on the wash hand basin, Chloe walked out of the bathroom and towards the door.
As the knock came again, Chloe opened the door. On sighting who it was, Chloe resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
“Are you not going to let me in?”
Taking a step back to open the door a bit wider, Chloe said with intended bitterness, “Please, come in Lucille.”
“So, I heard about your little situation with Amir.” Lucille looked back and flashed a short smile.
Chloe crossed her arms as she watched the slim woman approach the bed. “What exactly do you want?”
“Oh, come on, no need to sound so bitter. I am here to give you some advice.”
“I don't have time for jokes Lucille.”
“Please call me Lu. Listen, what Amir did yesterday was quite crude. Obviously. But I feel you should have given in anyway. I mean, look at that piece of work. He wants you. You had better wise up and grab the opportunity.”
“Are you done?”
“Even though he is not Nathaniel. Amir is not that bad. I heard that he takes good care of his women.”
“If you know that, why not try your luck with Amir. He should… No, he would love to have you in his bed.”
"You know it’s Nathaniel that’s on my mind. You know, don’t you?"
Chloe rolled her eyes at the stupid smile on Lucille's face. The lady was just so infuriating without trying. Not wanting to get unnecessarily angry and ruin things, Chloe walked to the lady who was seated majestically on the edge of her bed and held her by the elbow.
“Okay, time to get out.”
“You are joking, right?”
She gave Lucille a square look. “Last time I checked, we are not talking buddies. And we’ll never be.”
“Jeez.” She flipped off bleached blonde hair. “You are so bitter. It is no surprise that Amir just wants to f**k you.”
Chloe could feel it. Rage. It had set its foundation with Amir's incident and at that moment, construction was ongoing. As her eyes closed for some seconds to contain it, Chloe could picture herself bashing Lucille's face into the nearest wall .
'Someday Chloe, someday.'
“Please, leave now.”
“What's going on here?” Nathaniel surveyed the scene with narrowed eyes. “Lucille, aren't you meant to be cleaning?”
Looking suddenly sober, she stood up. “I was asking Chloe something.”
“Well, back to your work now.” His authority thrilled Chloe.
Swiftly, Lucille got herself out of the room.
“Hey,” he softly said.
“Hey.” Chloe’s mind travelled to her conversation with Gabriel- the unexpected conversation.
“Are you okay?” Biting away at the sides of her mouth, Chloe nodded. With slow strides, Nathaniel helped himself into her room. “Sit .” She did not even hesitate. Taking his seat next to her, he started, “You must be quite angry at Amir.”
'You have no idea,' she replied in her mind.
“I sincerely apologise on his behalf. He should be here right now apologising, but he is yet to return from wherever he went yesterday. So, take me apologising as though it is Amir doing so. Is he forgiven?”
His hardened face did not even for once fail as he talked, Chloe noticed. And, having him so close revealed new features. Like his light-blue irises that danced with so many untold stories behind them. They were the kind of eyes that one would never forget because they held so many emotions. And his skin, which was quite dark, most probably due to the sun, was free of blemishes. Well, if a small scar close to the nose doesn't count as a blemish, that is
"Yes, he is." Her eyes flickered to the floor. "Sort of."
"Sort of?"
"Well, since the apology isn't coming from him directly, it is right to accept the apology partially."
" You do have a point.” His lips tugged with a short smile. “I will make sure to have him apologise once he is back."
"Good."
“Don't forget to ask if you need anything.”
“You do realise I am a maid, not your girlfriend right?” She asked that question with an unintended amusement but she quickly hoped he wouldn’t get the wrong idea, she didn’t want him thinking she was into him.
“I like to treat the women around me right,” he replied.
“Hmm.” Chloe shifted to face him. “From what I have been hearing, you don't have many women around you. So I guess I am lucky then.”
'Or… I could let those hormones take over,’ Chloe did a U-turn in her thoughts. Maybe acting interested in this man would actually work in her favour.
Of course, she can’t go all in. It would be a terrible thing if she fell in love.
“I definitely don't have many women around me,” he replied. “And, I am fond of keeping the ones that I happen to like around for a long time.”
Chloe happened to have it easy when it came to flirting with men. “That is nice to know.” Her smile happened to be a killer one too (when she wanted it to be).
Giving a deep chuckle, Nathaniel's hands went to his neck and as he ran his fingers through his skin, he said, “Gabriel and I were talking. We’ve decided to properly add you girls to the family.”
“What do you mean?” Even when chuckling, he managed to maintain his sternness. Chloe noted that it added a dose of sarcasm to his persona.
“Since the three of us are going to be working from home in the next two months, we would love it if you ladies uh… are more of our friends than maids. You can have breakfast or dinner with us at the table. We can all have a good time at the pool. You know, stuff like that.”
“Do we also get to have book reading sessions?”
“Uh…hmm… maybe? I think that is kind of Gabriel's thing. So, what do you say? Sounds okay to you? Don't worry, Amir won't be trying anything stupid. I will make sure of it.”
Their decision made her mission a bit easier, Chloe just had to give the most genuine smile. “It sounds good.”
“Alright.” He slapped his knees and got up.” I think Madam Lugi needs your help downstairs. So…”
It seemed he wanted to walk her.
“Um, sure.”
Chloe smiled as she realised things were going in a direction that she liked. All that she needed to do was play her games right .
Looking back at Nathaniel, who threw her a short smile, Chloe could not help but acknowledge that it would be quite a game.
A very interesting game.
- Writer
