The Writer's Dilemma

Dinner In A World Of Pain

The clock struck five in the evening. Long shadows were cast in the near-deserted office. Besides the clock striking the top of the hour there was little else to hear inside the office building. Only three people were found milling around on the fifth floor. Audrey was practically running around the office trying to finish some last-minute things and procrastinating as much as possible. She very clearly did not want to leave. Jocelyn and Marius stood around waiting patiently while staring daggers at each other. Another five minutes went by before Audrey announced that she was finished, grabbed her suitcase, and walked to the bank of elevators with Jocelyn and Marius following close behind her. The ride down the elevator and to the restaurant, an upscale BBQ joint in the heart of downtown Quebec, was quiet. They didn’t even begin to talk until the menus were handed out and then, the only thing they discussed is what they wanted to order. After the waiter left Audrey felt her phone buzz. Wyatt was calling her. Excusing herself from the table, she answered the call by the bathrooms.

                “Hey, Audrey! Am I disturbing you?”

                “Not at all.”

                “Have you heard the good news? We’ll be working together!” Wyatt’s voice over the receiver was brimming with excitement that brought a smile to Audrey’s lips.

                “I found out this morning! I was totally shocked that I got in trouble during the meeting for not paying attention!” She chuckled, another thought coming to her. “Wait… you didn’t have anything to do with me being the requested writer, did you?” There was a pause.

                “I just didn’t like hearing that you got an assignment you hated. I was hoping that you would enjoy this one much more. You aren’t mad, are you?” Audrey was struck frozen in shock for the second time that day, a smile sliding onto her features again as she tiptoed in place. She couldn’t believe her luck recently, except for the fact that she had to be in charge of Marius.

                “I’m not mad at all! I’m completely happy,” Audrey spoke into the receivers as she turned around, nearly dropping her phone as Marius came into her field of vision, his arms crossed tightly over his wide chest, his brows creasing in irritation.

                “Is everything ok?” She heard Wyatt ask, his voice turning worrisome and she wondered if he had heard her gasp in fear.

                “I’m fine. I’ll call you back later,” Audrey lowered her phone to a squawk of protests, hanging up shortly after. She tried to step around Marius to return to the main dining room but he mirrored her step, expanding himself to block the entire exit. Audrey backed up a few steps, keeping her eyes on the floor.

                “Not your boyfriend, I hope. Just in case you forgot about rule number three,” Marius’s voice was full of warning. Audrey shook her head.

                “Just a friend.”

                “Good. Perhaps we can get back to our dinner now,” Marius turned, leading the way back to their table. Audrey typed up a quick message to Wyatt, letting him know that she was very happy to be working with him in the future and something work-related had come up. Her mood turned sour again as she walked to her table, sliding into the chair next to Jocelyn. Their table remained awkwardly silent the rest of the way through dinner.

                “My house is only about a five-minute drive from here. Filming will start at nine in the morning. The filming crew will arrive at eight-thirty. That means you should be up and read at eight,” Marius went through the schedule as he drove away from the BBQ joint. They pulled up to a large multi-story apartment complex. They followed Marius up to the second floor, an entire floor dedicated as his condo, using a brief amount of time to show them around, wishing them a good night before retreating to his room. The entire place was styled simply, but lavishly with a few expensive pieces of furniture, hued in a deep blue.

                “He gives me the creeps,” Jocelyn whispered as they entered the guest room. Audrey laughed, nodding in agreement as she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She opened the message.

Wyatt: I look forward to working with you

I hope I didn’t get you in trouble earlier

                Audrey sat on the edge of the bed, smiling as she looked up to find Jocelyn already changed and washing her makeup off in the bathroom. She took a moment to reply to Wyatt. “Who are you messaging?” Jocelyn asked as she plopped down on the bed next to her, drying her face off with a towel.

                “Wyatt,” Jocelyn gave her a confused look. “My fan. We’ve been messaging each other every day since the concert. He seems very nice and…” Audrey turned to Jocelyn, sighing. “He helped set up the Claudel Publishers assignment and helped promote me as the writer for Kerem and Pierre. I had been telling him about this crappy assignment and he wanted to do something for me. We are also meeting this weekend,” Audrey spilled everything that was on her mind.

                “That’s great! It’s good to see you moving on and trying again with a different man,” Kim grabbed her hands, squeezing them gently. Audrey smiled weakly.

                “Isn’t it weird for a guy I barely know to help me so much?” Audrey questioned, unsure if everything that had been going well for her recently was really deserved. She raised her eyebrows at Jocelyn, curious of the answer she would get back.

                “Any man who really likes a woman would do anything for her,” Jocelyn replied, patting her hands.

                “It isn’t that serious! We’ve only met once and he’s just a fan of mine!”

                “Well, that first impression must have been a good one then. Any man that wants to make you happier must have other thoughts than just being your fan,” Jocelyn smiled at her before wiggling up onto the bed, throwing the heavy covers over her. Audrey grabbed her pajamas, thinking about what Jocelyn had said, working her way to the bathroom. She hadn’t had any romantic feelings about anyone since… well for a very long time.

                When she exited the bathroom, Jocelyn was already fast asleep. Audrey sighed to herself, wiping her face off with a towel, not feeling tired at all. She dropped her towel on the bathroom floor, tiptoed to the door of the room, opening it only a c***k at first. The apartment remained silent and completely dark. There were only the silhouettes of the couches and chairs against the night skyline. She crept out of the room to the kitchen, grabbing a glass, filling it with water from a jug in the fridge. As she lifted the glass to her lips, she felt a stir in the air, the hairs on her arm standing straight up.

                “Thirsty?” Marius’s voice broke the silence. Audrey dropped the glass, hardly noticing the sound it made as it clattered to the floor, spilling its contents in a pool around her feet. She tried to make a quick escape but a hand grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to her original position. The grasp on her wrist continued to tighten as Marius’s body merged with her own.

                “You’re hurting me,” Audrey grimaced, wincing at the pain. The grip slackened only a little as she glanced up at Marius. He leaned over her, pressing more and more into her.

                “It’s good to have you back here again,” Marius’s musky, sleepy voice washed over her, causing her to shiver. Instead of it sounding like a good thing, his voice seemed rather cold and overbearing. Audrey fought against him uselessly. He was much stronger and taller than she was. Marius lowered his head, his breath brushing against her neck. “Don’t you agree?” He asked, continuing closer. Audrey was only able to look away from him to expel his advances. “Don’t worry. I won’t do anything to you… yet.” With those words he released her, disappearing as fast as he had snuck up on her. Audrey made her way back to the guest bedroom she was occupying, shaking uncontrollably.