Bab 13: Strip!
Toni lightly knocked on the door. The voice that called for him to enter was deep and very captivating. It held Amani's interest to the extent she found herself wishing against her will that they were meeting under different circumstances. Her mind flashed back to his picture that she saw inside the file her boss showed her and couldn't help but note to herself that the voice suited the picture perfectly
Before Toni entered his boss's office, he told her to hold on for some seconds as he needed to first inform his boss of her arrival, he would be right back. Amani waited for the seconds, which then turned to minutes. After about five minutes of standing in her four inches heels, her ankles and heels were beginning to ache. Except for the reception area where people were allowed to wait, there was no chair to sit on in front of his office, only potted plants.
How much more do I have to wait? She wondered in annoyance as she rested her back against the wall to take the weight off her aching ankles. Several torturous minutes after when Toni had still not come out, Amani decided she couldn't bear the discomfort anymore and bent to remove her shoes. It was exactly at that moment that Toni finally came out and Amani had never been that relieved to see someone that add no value to her life.
"I'm so sorry Miss Parker for the delay. The boss will see you now!" He announced
'No, you're not sorry! You and your boss deliberately kept me standing for thirty whole minutes in four inches heels!' Amani wanted to scream out in frustration but she kept her cool and continued acting with good manners since she knew she couldn't afford to lose her temper right there. She was still in their debt and losing her temper would mean losing her job.
So she plastered a fake smile on her face and nodded in understanding. "It's okay, I understand." She said as she entered through the door that Toni held open for her.
Except for the large picture window that let in natural light, filling the executive office with pleasant lighting. Every other thing inside the office was dark with some touch of red here and there, which Amani would agree perfectly suited the man dressed in all black, sitting on a wide dark leather sofa
She was in the presence of a different man from the picture she saw inside his file. The man in the picture was good-looking, with carefully styled dark hair that fades on the sides.
This man seated before her like a king with one leg crossed over the other was breathtakingly good-looking. His hair still fades at the sides, just that the top was now longer and it was drawn back into a tight coil at the back of his head. Plus he now has a short, well-trimmed beard that perfectly complimented his new look.
Another difference she noticed was that the man in the picture looked warm and pleasant with the way he was smiling into the camera but this man in front of her gives her the heebie-jeebies. His broad shoulders and lordly poise only made his aura more frightening and intimidating. He looked cold and dangerous. So cold she could feel the chillness all over her body. Being in his presence alone made her extremely nervous.
From the moment she set her eyes on him, something in Amani warned her he meant no good and urged her to run as far away from the man as she could but to where? Where would she run to after she has signed his undertaking?
"Mr. DeVille..." Amani said in greeting and smiled nervously but the man only glared at her. He also didn't return her greetings, nor did he ask her to sit. He just kept glaring at her until she was forced to lower her gaze. He made her feel small, exactly like a timid student that was summoned to the principal's presence for the duration she stood before him, under his scrutiny.
Since she was still standing in her heels, the aches on her ankles and the heel of her legs became so unbearable her legs were almost shaking. When he didn't say anything after about two minutes. Amani couldn't bear it anymore. She sighed deeply and decided to break the silence
"May I at least sit down Mr. DeVille? My legs are killing me in these heels!" She asked in a tiny voice and dared to look in his direction. Her green eyes met his grey ones square on and she immediately averted her eyes from him when she found the look in his eyes unnerving and unsettling
All she got from him after she respectfully requested to sit down was only nerve-racking silence. How could he be so callous, even after she admitted to him that the shoes she wore were not comfortable to stand in, he still ignored her. What kind of a person is this? She wondered
After about fifteen seconds that she asked for his permission to sit, Amani raised her eyes and looked towards him again only to find that his eyes were still fixated on her even when he refused to say a word to her as if she was not worthy of his time.
Amani sighed in exasperation and emphatically repeat her request
"Mr. DeVille, may I sit down please, my feet are hurting me?" Her eyes now bore into his own but the wretched man just continued to stare at her without response. This time she refused to avert her gaze from his. They stare into each other's eyes as if they were having a staring contest. She would not allow him to stare her down this time around
'What is he trying to do? Intimidate me and to what end?' she wondered. Her eyes never looked away from his even for a second as she bent a little to remove her shoes
"Haa... That's better." She said in satisfaction when her ankles and the heels of her legs could finally rest on the floor.
Maybe he was angry and acting crazy because she has not formally apologized for all the trouble she caused him. She should have apologized to him as soon as she entered his office. Amani blamed herself for the blunder she committed
"Look, Mr. DeVille, I'm sorry I caused you grief. I know I should have apologized as soon as I entered. I was wrong, please forgive me." She apologized, hoping her apology would elicit some kind of reaction from him but no, he still stubbornly maintained his silence.
Amani became angry. She has had enough of his condescending attitude toward her. How could he still treat her like she was nothing after she has cajoled and apologized to him? What did he want from her!?
"Mr. DeVille, what exactly do you want from me!? I've signed your undertaking and I have apologized! What do you want!? You made me stand before you and refused to talk! Not like you could ignore me or make me stand before you forever." She spoke with frustration
"Damn it!... The way you keep staring at me without saying anything... I-I don't know what you're expecting from me? Would you rather I strip or kill myself before you're satisfied? I don't..."
"Now that you suggested it, I don't mind if you do. I think I would prefer that actually?" He cut her off mid-sentence.
Amani was glad that he finally spoke. But what was he talking about? What would he prefer? She wasn't sure so she asked him...
"You would prefer what actually?... I didn't get what you said..."
"I don't want you to kill yourself. Of what use is your death to me if you do?... Your other offer has piqued my interest, so strip it has to be!" He said coolly, like asking a woman that you've had no previous dealings with to strip was the new social norm of life.
Amani blanched. She was shocked and furious at the same time. This hateful man! She had some insulting words burning up her throat that would help put him back in his place but she forced herself to clamp down on them. She took a deep breath in and let it out slowly to calm herself down.
'He couldn't have meant that for real? Maybe he's joking with me?' She thought to herself and laughed nervously.
"Offer!?..." She asked and nervously laughed. "Mr. DeVille what I said just now were just mere words... It was a rhetorical question. I never actually meant it and I'm sure you didn't really mean for me to strip and..."
"Then that would teach you to never be rhetorical or sarcastic with me for that matter... I don't have all day!... Strip!" He demanded coldly
'He meant it!' Amani looked at him, appalled. 'This mad man! He actually meant for me to remove my clothes before him but why!? Is he thinking of forcing himself on me as he did on his girlfriend?
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