Ghost - in the arms of Death

Chapter 14

I spend two hours pacing up and down my apartment. Contemplating whether I should meet with Alex or not. The thing is no matter what I tell myself I can’t deny that I enjoyed spending time with him. In silence. Maybe we can go back to that. Maybe that’s what he wants too. A silent companion.

I liked watching him work out. He is hot. Can’t deny that. It would be a lie and the whole world would know it. I googled him and here is what I found out about him until guilt took over for looking him up:

I know he shows up to different venues every now and then. Charity and whatnot. He always looks sharp and very delicious in his tailored suits. I also know that at each event he has a different girl on his arm.

He is filthy rich. Worked his way to the top on his own. I found nothing about his family. Except that he has an older sister and that she teaches law at Harvard. She, like him, looks stunning. Must be the genes.

I quickly realized that none of these articles on the internet would tell me who he really is. He alone can tell me that. I am going to meet with him and hope that he’ll give me some answers. If not, well then that’s that.

I put no effort into my outfit. Sports bra, Leo’s sweatshirt, and a pair of black jeans. I don’t care if that’s not fancy enough for mister super-rich.

“Leftovers,” I say when I enter the lobby, “and a little something extra,” I say and hand Bob the box filled with his favorite Donuts.

“You need to stop this, love, my wife is getting suspicious,” he chuckles and pats his round belly, “she keeps feeding me healthy stuff and expects me to lose a little weight. But it’s not happening like that.”

“Do you want to lose weight?” I ask, leaning against his desk.

“I’m not getting any younger,” he shrugs, “she says it’s bad for my heart.”

“It can be,” I say carefully, “maybe we should cut back on the donuts, huh? We should honor your wife's wishes.”

“That would probably be wise,” he laughs. “I haven’t seen you in a bit. Everything alright at home?” he asks after a moment.

“Yeah. I just had to deal with some personal stuff,” I sigh, just as the doors to the lobby open and Alex in a grey suit walks in.

His eyes immediately find mine and I must admit I regret not choosing a better outfit. Compared to him I look like a homeless person.

“Good evening, Sir,” Bob greets him.

“Bob,” Alex nods at him. I am almost impressed he remembered his name and by the look, he’s giving me he fully intended to impress me with that. I roll my eyes at him, but a small smile tug on my lips.

“Shall we?” he asks me.

“Sure. Boss,” I add with a smirk.

He nods and gestures for me to go for the elevators. “See you later, Bob!” I wave over my shoulder and he waves back at me.

“What is this thing with you and him?” Alex asks with a frown as we make it to the elevator.

“Why? Are you jealous?”

“I am wondering,” he says, “why are you this nice to him? Your file says you are not a very social person. Been called into HR three times, because of minor complaints from your colleagues. Yet, when I see you interact with Bob it’s like you are a different person.“

„I don’t need to be nice to my colleagues. They gossip all day long and I don’t care about that s**t. Who slept with who and who’s husband is cheating with the nanny. I got called into HR because I told them that I am not interested in their bullshit.“

„Did you say it like that?“ he chuckles.

„Probably,“ I shrug, „to tell you the truth, I don’t know why I got this job, to begin with, and I don’t care what anyone thinks of me. I probably could do better, but I don’t want to. This job pays my bills, but it doesn’t mean anything to me.“

„You realize that technically I am your boss. I pay those bills!“

„Are you going to fire me?“ I challenge him.

„No. I just wonder why you don’t lie.“

„Lies are complicated. At some point, you get tangled up in them and you don’t know what’s what anymore. Why bother with the hassle when you can tell the truth. Besides, I don’t have anything left to lose.“

„We always have something to lose,“ he says, his blue eyes piercing me.

„I don’t.“ Before he can ask what that means the elevator door opens and instead of the usual quiet we are met with the sound of voices and music.

He frowns at the sound, but we still follow it only to find the gym packed with people. And by people I mean women. They are not working out, they are just trying to look as pretty as possible without breaking a sweat to ruin their makeup.

I hear Alex sigh heavily beside me and I can’t help but turn to him with a curious look. „Are they here for you?“ I ask.

Judging by his annoyed expression they are. I turn back and take in the scene. I watch the girls fumbling with their ponytails for a moment before I burst out laughing.

„Shhh… shush it,“ he hissed and puts his hand over my mouth pulling me out of view before someone can spot us.

I can’t stop laughing though. This is so ridiculous. What the heck are they thinking? And how did they even know he would be here?

„This is funny to you?“ he mutters, but I swear I saw a small smile on his lips.

„It’s hilarious,“ I chuckle, „and a little sad.“

„How so?“

„No self-respect,“ I shrug as he guides me back to the elevator.

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair as the elevator doors close again. I guess I am going home then. But he pushes the button that’ll get us to the top floor. I frown, but I keep quiet.

“You are not like that,” he states and my eyes shift to meet his.

“I was wondering when you would notice that,” I challenge.

“Oh, I noticed the moment I saw you beat up the heavy bag!”

“Mhm,” I hum and lower my gaze, “anger issues,” I lie. Though, maybe it’s part of the truth. I have a lot of anger piled up in my chest and at some point, it has to explode.

“Who made you angry?”

“Life,” I say, keeping it vague. He nods thoughtfully as the doors open to the fancy top floor. I feel like the higher you go the more exclusive the interior design becomes.

“Where are we going?” I ask as curiosity gets the better of me.

“You wanted to talk, didn’t you?”

“No. I want answers. You wanted to talk!” I correct him. “I don’t even know why I came.”

“Yet you did,” he says meaningfully. I shrug a little avoiding his stare. It’s a little unsettling, to be honest. My feminine self recognizes that this man is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. And for some unknown reason, he took an interest in me. At least I think that’s what’s going on. I could be wrong. My flirting skills are a little rusty after all.

“After you,” he says with a smug expression on his face as he holds open the doors to a huge office. I assume it’s his.

Besides the typical furniture, you find in an office there’s a seating area with dark blue leather seats. Next to it is a bar with an impressive collection of crystal decanters. The walls to the right are decorated with art, probably expensive, but I wouldn’t know. In between two large paintings, there’s a steel door. And that’s where he is leading me, his hand on the small of my back.

He wipes his hand before a motion-activated screen on the wall and a keypad appears on the screen. He quickly taps in a series of numbers, before the steel doors slide open to another elevator.

I hesitate for a brief moment before I get in. Again my brother's warning rings in my head that I shouldn’t trust men that easily.

“Are you going to tell me what you want from me?” I ask into the silence.

His eyes meet mine, but before he can answer the elevator ride is over and the doors open to what I can only assume is his home.

“You live here?” I asked stunned as I step into an impressive foyer. In the center of it towers a weirdly twisted sculpture. Behind it lies a very open loft. My whole apartment would fit into his living room. Then again, what was I expecting? He’s rich. Of course, his place is massive.

“I do,” he says and gestures for me to follow him. But should I? I didn’t expect to end up in his crib. We were supposed to meet on neutral ground. This is anything but.

“Liah?” He looks at me expectantly, as I linger by the strange sculpture, “are you coming?”