Page 95 of Heart of Stone

Through the dark night of the room, I reached for her. My grasp only came up with a fistful of sheets.

Krystina was gone.

CHAPTER 26

It was another glorious Fall day in New York and I relished the feel of the sunshine on my face as I exited the subway terminal. Last nights storm had cleansed New York of the humid and sticky air, leaving a clean freshness in its wake. Shakira was blasting through my ear buds. And yes, my hips weren’t lying as I sashayed into Wally’s for my shift.

It was such a cliché, but I didn’t care. I felt confident. Sexy. And lighter on my feet than I had in years. Nothing could ruin my mood today – not even the stress I felt over quitting my long-time job.

“Hey, Melanie!” I waved to a fellow coworker that was working the register.

“Hi, Krys!” she called back while scanning groceries for a customer. “Mr. Roberts was looking for you a few minutes ago.”

“Do you know where he is now?”

“I think he’s back in his office.”

“Thanks!” I said cheerfully with a beaming smile.

As I was making my way back to Mr. Roberts’ office, I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. I fished it out and read the incoming text. I smiled to myself when I saw it was from Alexander.

Today

7:51 AM, Alexander:My office. 3pm.

Barking orders at me already?

Unconditional obedience or not, that wasn’t any way to start a conversation – especially after the evening that we had shared.

7:54 AM, Me:Good morning to you, too.

7:56 AM, Alexander:You have to fill out some paperwork so I can get you on the payroll.

Pleasure at night. Business by day. Check!

I knew that this arrangement with Alexander was going to be a slippery slope, one that I’d have to navigate carefully. I just didn’t realize how icy it would be.

8:00 AM, Me:Sure.But I work until 5.

8: 02 AM, Alexander:Leave early.

Yes, Master! Geez…he’s so demanding.

But rather than lash out and let his brusque temperament ruin my good mood, I continued to placate him the best that I could.

8:04 AM, Me:I’ll talk to Mr. Roberts about it. I’ll text you if I can’t get out early.

I waited for a response. When I didn’t get one immediately,I pocketed the phone and continued towards Mr. Roberts’ office. Whether this was Alexander’s way of separating our business and personal lives, I couldn’t be sure. But if he thought that he was going to snap orders at me like I was some sort of dimwitted lackey, he had another thing coming to him. Hopefully it wasn’t the latter. Either way, I would deal with him later. I had more important business to get out of the way first.

I approached Mr. Roberts’ open office door and gave it a light knock to signal my arrival.

“Hi, Mr. Roberts.”

“Krys! Glad to see you. I was hoping you’d pop into the office. I have to talk to you about a few things.”

“I needed to speak with you as well,” I told him anxiously.

“You first. What can I do for you today?” he asked. He leaned back in his chair and offered me a warm smile, causing the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes to deepen.

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