Chapter Share!: Chapters Three & Four, “Whispers of the Flesh”
Three is the magic number…
Right?
I think so. I’m not sure. My favorite number is 7 so that may or may not be the magic number for ME, but it sure can be the magic number for someone else. Okay, that’s enough of that, I’m deviating from what I’m actually doing here.
Welcome, welcome, and welcome back! I have new chapters ready for viewing from my upcoming book Whispers of the Flesh coming late summer ’18. That’s right, coming very soon so that must mean I’m just about done, right?
Almost. Almost, my sweets.
I look forward to when it’s complete and I can go into the editing stage, which will be just as tiresome as the actual writing process. BUT, it will work. I’m so sure of it. Anywho!…
Let’s dive right into these two chapters, and they add up to 7. See? MY magic number just happened to pop right up for me. Okay, random, sorry, but let’s get to it.
In these two chapters, my main character (Makaela) is just told that she’s been chosen to help launch the new location of the company she works for aptly named “Whispers Inc.” (*wink wink*) in merry ol’ London! It wasn’t what she had in mind when she thought of moving onto something new, but it was an offer she couldn’t refuse, especially since no one consulted her on it (thanks a lot, Andrei, the CEO of the company and also the wreckless incubus in question). She has to eventually speak to her family and best friend Sandy about it, but she still isn’t too happy about the news herself.
And while we’re all still young here, I present to you, chapitre trois et quatre:
Chapter Three
I sat in my office in muted shock after the little bombshell of Andrei getting essentially what he wanted. It was just too good to be true but there it was: me, off to London. When D told me I tried to hold on to my positive side as best as I could, but I was sure I let a little disdain seep through. Allowing Andrei to get his way was just not something I cared to do.
I sat in the quiet stillness and watched the office happenings. I watched Ana at her desk, absentmindedly stroking her nail file back and forth over her nails, her full concentration on that and nothing else. I watched as operators used their entire bodies, acting out whatever they were trying to get their customer to imagine. I took in all of the animated beings at work in the office space and thought of leaving them all behind for a new one.
It was almost like my prayers from earlier that year had been answered.
I did want to move on, and by move on I meant to go to an entirely different profession. I didn’t want to stay in the fantasy sector of business. I had no desire for it, although I did do amazing executing it. I longed for fulfillment elsewhere. I wanted to own my own business, get back into technology. Somehow, I ended up not doing what I had set out to do when I went off to college. It left me feeling like I let myself down.
I thought about how I was going to break the news to my family. I hadn’t spoken to my mother in nearly a month, my sister a week. I got even lower on myself for not being as good a daughter or sister as I once was.
I almost picked up my cell phone when I decided against it. Then Ana knocked on my door.
I looked up to let her know I saw her. “What’s up?”
“I was going to go out for lunch, did you need anything before I go?”
I shook my head. “No thank you, enjoy your lunch.”
“I will. Oh, before I go, just wanted to tell you again that I’m glad you’re back,” then she turned and sauntered away.
I looked on after her and it got me to thinking why did I not like her, like Ana? There was nothing mean-spirited about her, she hadn’t done anything to me so terrible that I shouldn’t be nice to her. It was just something about her that made me not entirely trust her. Something in me was telling me to steer clear of letting her any closer to me, and not to allow her to become more than an associate to me. I doubted I would get to the bottom of why I didn’t want her near me, so I left it alone.
Instead, I picked up my phone and decided now was as good as time as any to warn the fam that I was headed for possibly greener pastures. I prayed my mother would be understanding, and that my sister would be nice and not feel hurt. I was close to my little sister so I knew she would feel a way about me having to leave. Fortunately, I wouldn’t be leaving for quite some time as the building was still not ready and wouldn’t be for another three months. It meant I had time to make things right with my mother and my sister. We were all we had at one point when we moved to San Diego, they deserved better than me being distant and cold.
Chapter Four
“So you’re leaving?” Sandy nearly spilled her drink on her chest.
She wasn’t as happy as I thought she would be. It took her by surprise and I didn’t mean it to. I waited until the weekend to spill the beans in front of food and drinks. I thought it was the perfect way to get the news out to her so she wouldn’t be too emotional about it. I was wrong. It made her reaction more severe.
She wiped her chest harshly with her napkin, nearly flaying her smooth, tan skin with it. She swung her freshly auburn dyed hair over her right shoulder to finish wiping what remained of the minor spill. When she was done, her slanted eyes cut me to the bone.
“What the hell kind of news is this? When are you leaving? When will you be back?” She fired her rounds of questions in rapid succession.
I didn’t get why she was so upset. I took a sip of my mimosa, shrugging. “Look, I know as much as you at this point. All I know is that I’m leaving to help with the launching of the office, that’s it. They’re still working on the construction of the building so I have some time before I have to go. Why are you so mad? We’re supposed to be happy for our friends when a major opportunity comes along! I wouldn’t be like this with you.”
Sandy closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She exhaled and inhaled slowly, smoothly, and when she was calm again she opened her eyes and faintly smiled. “I’m sorry. I can’t help it. I thought you’d be leaving like immediately. If you still have time before you have to go, then I’m done being overreactive.”
“Thank you, and apology accepted. No need to worry,” I bit into my BLT sandwich, trying my best not to make the news any bigger than it should’ve been. Then again, it was rather heavy news. I didn’t expect the reaction I got so I walked the fine line of caution.
Sandy giggled. “I’m so sorry I reacted like that, I really am. I just can’t help it though, I can’t believe they’re taking you away from me. Did someone from corporate tell you?”
“Nope,” I drank more of my mimosa. I didn’t want it to go to waste, plus I was feeling like I needed the liquid courage it provided. It was my third glass so I was definitely feeling it. “D told me after our meeting about the expansion. They’re hoping to basically rule the world through sexy sex talk. I guess I’ll be helping them bring this to fruition.”
“I really thought you were trying to get away from all of that though, get back into tech. What’s going on with that?” Sandy finally reached for her bloody Mary, stirring her large celery stick in the large glass of mixture.
“Of course I still want to do that, that hasn’t changed at all. I was so ready to make the change, I just wasn’t expecting this new opportunity either. It literally fell into my lap.” No thanks to Andrei, I thought.
I really felt bad that I couldn’t tell Sandy more of what was really going on with me. It didn’t feel right to keep her out of the loop. She knew so much about me and for all of that, I couldn’t even share the one large secret that was changing my life. She deserved to know what was happening, but I kept it from her. I told myself it was for her own good, to keep her safe. I was partly right. Mostly, it was my own cowardice.
Even with this quick self-reflection, I still couldn’t find it in me to spill that bit of information. I knew it had to wait. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was waiting for—the perfect time, the perfect setting maybe—but I knew it was going to happen. I just needed to wait for it.
Sandy waved my words away. “Look, whatever you decide to do, I’m cool with it. Just please don’t dump this type of news on me at the last minute, dude. I can’t take it, and really consider getting back to what you wanted to do. I know you’re doing great with your job, but you really have to start thinking about what you want, and what you want your future to look like.”
I knew what I wanted, and I knew exactly what I wanted my future to look like. “I know. I’m going to make the changes. It’s all in due time. You’re so damn tough.” I laughed and threw my napkin at her.
She caught the napkin and stuck her tongue out at me. “Somebody has to remind you of who you are. You’ve been so distant, missy. I know we had some good hanging out but you’ve been really intro lately. I don’t want to say it’s like I don’t know you anymore, but it’s almost starting to feel that way and I really don’t like it. This news is just another one of those ways I’m starting to feel like that.”
I hated hearing her voice so sad. I didn’t mean to pull away from her and I didn’t know I had been doing so. I really thought I had shared quite a bit with her, so I couldn’t instantly see it from her side. I just listened to her and tried to reassure her, even if I really wasn’t myself anymore.
“I’m sorry you feel that way and I would never want you to feel like that. You’re like a sister to me,” I gave her my most sincere apologies. I reached out and held her hand over our table. “I promise you if I can tell you more, I will.”
She gripped my hand tighter. “I’m just worried, that’s all. I don’t want anything happening to you. You’re the sister I wish my actual sister was.”
We both laughed because her sister was a mess of a person, so I knew how much of a compliment she was giving me. That, and it was something she had said before in a half-joking manner.
—————————————————————
That night I dreamed and it was so vividly colored. I was chasing a white rabbit through a vast spread of tall trees; high and pregnant with green leaves and brownish-gray trunks that were chipping. Yellow daffodils were sprinkled through the field of luscious grass, but this rabbit was speeding down a beaten dirt path that stretched on and on for what seemed to be forever. I raced after the rabbit, thinking if I just ran full out I’d be able to catch it. It was as if the faster I ran, the faster it was getting away from me but I kept forging ahead.
It zoomed down the path and I could feel my lungs burning yet I kept going. I wasn’t going to let it get away from me. Its fluffy white tail and hind legs were all that I had in my sights. I was dead set on grabbing it up and…doing what? I had no idea why I was so set on getting that rabbit, I just knew that I had to have it.
I ran with my arms nearly outstretched, ready at any moment to snag it but it never came. The fire in my lungs became almost unbearable then something faster than the rabbit—faster than myself—whipped by, taking the rabbit with it. I came to a full stop, dying to catch my breath but also disappointed. I looked around the idyllic landscape but it was nothing more than the green and sunlight peeking through the treetops in the forest. Then slowly the light began to dim. Darkness began to creep up the pathway from where the rabbit and I came, lazily creeping forward and towards me.
I felt in my gut that I didn’t want that darkness to catch up with me, so I began to run. Not as brisk at first, but seeing that the light was beginning to fade, I began to run full out towards the light. But again, the faster I ran, the faster this darkness began to spread behind me.
I had nowhere to go except for this pathway that seemed to go on and on, but I ran for it. I ran until I fell, and fell, and fell. I was falling into a sinking pit where the light was a memory, and the darkness had won. The weightlessness wasn’t frightful, but I wasn’t sure what would happen when I finally reached the bottom. It never came.
I woke up in the middle of the dream soaked in sweat. I could hear the rain beating against the window, the wind howling incessantly. As I sat up I didn’t quite understand why I felt so damn warm, I just knew I was on fire. I hurriedly took off my tank top but relief didn’t come. I threw my covers off of me and immediately pulled my pajama pants off of me. I heard a faint ‘meow’ and looked around for Mr. Chow. He sounded like he was in the living room. I padded through the shadowed bedroom to my door and found Mr. Chow outside of the door.
“What are you doing out here? I thought you were with me, Chow, come here.” I went to pick him up and he dashed away from me. Even in the dark, I could see his outline scamper off behind the love seat. I rubbed my forehead and finally, the sweat had dried. I still felt warmer than I should’ve, especially since it was spring and still raining out of control.
I left Mr. Chow to his own devices as I turned on the light in my living room and finally saw that my front door was ajar. My heart sank to my feet. I felt prickly numbing bumps form over my skin as I saw it was just so open, no light in the hallway. After a moment of a short-lived paralysis, I hurried to it, shutting it so hard that I was sure my neighbors would wake up from my slamming it shut. Or complain to me or the manager in the morning or whenever they saw me, but I didn’t care. Someone had been in my apartment. It scared me but it also angered me. I had felt better being angry than afraid because fear left me feeling out of control, and I certainly didn’t want to feel that way. I preferred being mad so I could think, see through it all. But this time, even my anger was clouded.
I turned on the lights throughout my entire apartment; I wanted every single room lit. I threw open every door, making sure I scanned them all. Mr. Chow stayed out of my way and if he saw me getting close to him, he ran as far from me as he could. It was frustrating me that my own cat was running from me and I knew why, but it didn’t make it any less upsetting.
With everything lit up, I sat on my couch and turned on my TV. I wanted everything on. The clock on my wall read 3:54 AM and I was wide awake. I grabbed my cashmere throw, wrapping it around my very naked body as I laid back on my couch and mindlessly flipped through channels. I finally settled on HBO and a documentary was on.
I laid back on one of my forest green throw pillows, getting nice and comfortable as I felt the adrenaline leak out of me. As I watched the two lovers on the screen who married even though it wasn’t legal at the time, I felt myself slowly start to get back to being sleepy. My body heat felt like it had gone back to normal as I started to feel a little chilly. I cuddled under the softness of the throw cover even more, and suddenly felt a mound of something warm and heavy behind my legs. I looked down and found Mr. Chow had decided to lay near me again. He curled up in the curve where my calves and thighs met as my legs were bent. I watched as he looked right back at me—a soft ‘meow’ parted from his cat mouth before he laid his head down on his paws, closing his eyes as if he finally found his home right there in his favorite spot.
I laid back down as well, joining my cat. I didn’t feel it at first but I realized that my eyelids were feeling ready to close. I didn’t want to go back to sleep, but they felt so heavy, and I just knew it would feel so good to just shut them for a little bit; perhaps take a little nap. That’s all I wanted was a small nap. I deserve it, I thought. Before I could let myself be submerged in sleepy-land, my mind went right back to the white rabbit as I watched it again, running freely in a gorgeous field alive with flowers of bright yellow and white blooming.
I watched it run towards the bright horizon, a hearty sunlight washing over the field in a golden glow. I didn’t chase after it this time. I let it be free.
————————————————————
Back at work, I tried to keep it together. D caught me off guard because he was wearing a very nice suit. I could tell it was tailored to fit him perfectly, and whoever his tailor was they did a fantastic job.
His deep navy suit was perfection; European fit (which meant it looked tight as hell, but it was meant to look snug; well-fit, well-made) and cut with precision. He paired it with a very light blue button-down shirt, a deep burgundy tie, and dark brown oxfords that looked very new. They held a nice sheen and I was incredibly impressed. He even styled his hair a bit, his sides were slicked but some movement was kept in the front. Then I noticed he had some graying at the roots of his sides. His face was youthful (D was nearing his 40’s but still looked as if he could pass for early 30’s, I had to give him credit for that), but his hair was giving him away a little. He was still doing the clean-shaven look, barely any stubble, and his lightly bronzed skin was glowing as if he had just gotten a fresh tan but it was no tan. He was just a deeply olive-skinned man and it was showing. His bright green eyes sparkled with the mischief of a young man as well, and his lips were moisturized and healthy looking; nice and plump, sensual. His “beauty mark” above the left side of his lip was in full display as he smiled at me, the laugh lines deepening which made me take notice of the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes. For all of the lines that came to play on his face, he still could make a girl or two swoon. At the moment, I was one of those girls.
I gave him a smile of my own as I went up to him and playfully slapped his arm. “Look at you! To what do we owe this distinct pleasure today? You’re off to a GQ shoot?”
“Forever the charmer, but I’ll have you know I could’ve done a GQ shoot for real,” he bantered.
I winked. “Oh, I’m so sure of it.” I shook my head and couldn’t hide my grin. “You look good though, where are you off to?”
He pursed his lips, “ Nowhere. Have an interview with a new San Diego magazine called San Diego Business Clips. They’re doing a cover story on our location today and I figured I’d act the part of a dashing businessman. And by your reaction, I’d say I did a hell of a job with this suit today. I got it tailored at the Mens’ Warehouse for a steal!”
“I bet you did, you’re always looking for a thrift, you cheapskate,” I leaned against his arm then remembered it might be inappropriate so I backed up. He didn’t notice, thankfully.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s nothing to laugh at, but there is something really funny that’s going to be taking place that I know you’ll find hilarious,” he stood close to me, leaning into my ear without touching me. It wasn’t intimate, but someone passing by would mistake it for such if they didn’t know any better.
“Hailey is going to be doing her interview in our meeting room as well with San Diego Living. Apparently, she’s going to be doing some interior decorating once she’s done with the adult industry,” D then pulled away and we both had the biggest shit-eating grins on our face.
“I wonder what it’ll be called.”
D shrugged his shoulders, stuffing his hands into his tight ass pockets. “Who’s to say? All I know is she asked to do it here.”
“She’s a little annoying, I don’t know why we can’t find someone else to be the ambassador. Aren’t we about due to switch up or is this an as-long-as-you’re-hot sort of deal with her?” I picked with my hair, bored with talking about the infamous Hailey Storm already. She was working everyone’s nerves, and I knew I was ready to move on from her.
“We signed her for a minimum of six months. It’s only been two months so you better hunker down and buckle up, she’s in here for a few more months,” D laughed and began walking to his office. I didn’t follow.
I began the walk to my own office and saw Ana wasn’t at the desk and her computer was off. I almost felt sad that she wasn’t sitting there to harass me, but I shrugged it off and stepped inside of my office. The light from the sun bouncing off of the windows from the building across from ours temporarily blinded me. I rushed to pull the curtains down enough to have my office still receive some light, but not enough to give me sight issues for the rest of the day.
Before I could sit down, I saw the mailroom clerk make her way to me, holding a package in her hands. “Hey, Ms. Williams, this was sitting in the mailroom for you. It’s been there since Friday, I’m sorry I’m just now giving it to you.”
“You’re fine, Jessie, thank you.” I took the package from her, signing her log that she liked to keep. She was organized and had it down to a science. I was pretty sure she should’ve been the mailroom manager and not the clerk with the way she ran it over there. I thanked her as she left me to look at the package. It was just a regular large bubble mailer, but it had a little weight to it. I hastened to open it, and a stack of papers almost slipped out before I caught them.
I slowly pulled them out, seeing the millions of words and then the letterhead ‘Whispers Inc.’. Good old Andrei had signed the letter as indicated at the bottom. The information for the entire launching was there and ready for me to pick through. My chest felt heavy and I let the papers and the empty bubble mailer sit on my desk.
I wasn’t ready to truly face the music of the upcoming temporary relocating. Not by a long shot, but it looked as if I had no choice in the matter.
