Million Dollar Devil

11.

My green dress sits fitted to my hips, dropping just below my knees. My pink lips still tremble 2'd my fingers still slowly gain feeling from the frigid air outside. The sound of my black heels hitting the hardwood floor echoes through the hall as I walk towards Mr. Hayes' office.

Muffled deep voices sound from behind the door. I gently open it, trying my best not disturb the conversation. Slipping inside and softly tip-toeing towards my office, I quickly glance towards the direction of the voices. Four men are sprawled out across the couches, making themselves awfully comfortable as they engage in a seemingly serious conversation. Mr. Hayes is leaned back, his posture poised and confident, making it clear whose office they are in.

The sound of my heels hitting the floor ruins my attempt at a silent entrance. His eyes move to meet mine, his piercing green stare once again set on me. The conversation continues around him, but his gaze remains locked. He rubs his fingers across stubble on his chin before gently tracing over his lips. I shudder I response, quickly picking up my pace as I move towards my office.

I quietly shut the door behind me as I slip inside. I place my jacket on the coat hanger and settle into my seat. The warmth of the room washes over me as I make myself comfortable. My tired eyes remind of the events of last night, after which I had barely gotten any sleep. Practically every aspect of the night had been one giant embarrassment, from my looks to my broken heater, the piled up dishes, and my leaking roof. Im sure I have sufficiently demonstrated to Mr. Hayes what a disaster of a person he hired, there would be no more proof necessary.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, pulling me out of my thoughts.

Message from Leo Hayes:
You're late.

I glance at the clock, 8:03. Three minutes, really. I roll my eyes before typing a quick response.

Lillian Wright:
I'm sorry, it won't happen again.

I begin sorting through my emails, making note of meeting times for the week. I set a reminder to email all notes to Mr. Hayes ensuring he won't show up at my door again. As usual his schedule is chalk-full of conference calls, dinners, meetings and special events - all of which were up to me to handle logistically. If I'm stressed just having to make this schedule, then I can't imagine having to live it out. When does the man sleep?

My phone buzzes on my desk, I peer over to read the message notification.

Message from Leo Hayes:
Maybe you shouldn't stay out so late.

"Okay, dad," I retort quietly to myself before deciding not to send a response. I slip my phone back into my pocket as my stomach lets out a hungry growl, a growl only a raspberry danish could tame.

I quietly slip out of my office, making my way to the break room to grab a snack. Before I can exit Mr. Hayes office, I feel the eyes of the four men set on me, they take in my appearance as I walk. Casual whispers are exchanged as I snap my head forward and continue out the room quickly.

I internally jump for joy when I see one last raspberry danish sitting in the box, as if it were just for me. I gently wrap it in a napkin before turning on the coffee machine. I explore the different options with childlike excitement before deciding on a vanilla latte, because I'm predictable like that. I place my cup under the spigot and watch as the coffee pours out, a sweet aroma permeating the air around me.

"You need to stay in your office," a deep voice utters behind me, dangerously close to my ear. I jump, the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Gasping, I nearly drop my glorious raspberry danish on the floor. Quickly turning around I come face to face with Mr. Hayes' tall figure. Standing in directly in front me, his lips are pulled in a straight line, his eye brows furrowed. Confusion and annoyance wash over me as I process his words.

"I'm sorry, what?" I ask incredulously. Bossy much. My eyebrows knit in frustration and my lips purse. He lets out a deep exhale in response, his eyes still locked with mine.

"I would like you to stay in your office when I have guests," he speaks slowly and firmly, his eyes narrow and his jaw clenched. As per usual and to my dismay, he's a man of few words. I continue to stare at him incredulously, letting out an exhale of frustration. An explanation would be nice, but of course not, not when it comes to Mr. Hayes.

"Uhm," I huff through pursed lips, "okay, sure." I give in reluctantly. I don't understand the purpose of this new stupid rule but his tone leaves no room for questions.

"Good," his voice is as monotone as usual. He nods, seemingly content with my obedience.

I look down at the raspberry danish in my hand and the cup of coffee currently getting cold on the counter. "But what if I'm hungry," I say inquisitively, raising one eyebrow.

"Someone can bring you food," he answers as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. I stare back at him blankly, he doesn't blink an eye.

"What if I have to pee?" I say in a sharp tone with more sass than I had expected. I surprise myself with the boldness, unsure of where this spark of confidence is coming from. An ever so tiny smirk tugs at the corners of my mouth and I can feel the little glimmer in my eye. Mr. Hayes looks at me with annoyance, clearly not entertained by my childish challenging. I know that at this point I should probably stand down, but I've already come this far so I keep my eyes narrow.

"I'm not playing games, Lillian," our eyes remain locked, neither backing down from the silent stand off taking place. His green eyes are beautifully distracting, completely throwing me off my game. I barely even remember what we were talking about at this point, but the tension grows thick as we remain eye to eye. My heart rate picks up as each second passes.

"Let's go," he suddenly breaks the silence, his tone unyielding as he quickly turns around as I come out of my trance. Grabbing my danish and coffee with a sigh, I reluctantly follow behind him as he holds the door open. As we enter his office he walks between me and the guests, shielding me from their view. I roll my eyes at the dramatics.

As we approach my door, he reaches for the handle but I swiftly reach in front of him, grabbing it first. Swinging the door open for myself, I step into my office without looking back. A low and barely audible chuckle escapes his lips as I sit down, refusing to even so much as glance in his direction. He shakes his head as he turns back to walk towards his desk. I hunker down and mope, not knowing how long I'll have to sit in here until his guests are gone. Rude.