Her Dragon Lover

Her Dragon Lover - Chapter 2

"Hello, Ara!" Emyr greeted her when she was framed by the door jamb.

"Sir." Ara gave a flitting glance around the office.

"How do you do?" He tried to catch her eyes.

"Fine, sir." Ara stared straight at him. Emyr felt a jolt somewhere in his chest.

She had large luminous eyes. They reflected his face very clearly.

But not what was inside her mind. Nor what she was feeling...

'A woman who kept everything inside,' Emyr thought as gazed at her.

"Have a seat," he invited amiably.

"Thank you, sir."

When she was seated, they scrutinized each other for a few seconds. Emyr was momentarily speechless. He saw in her a kind of beauty that was rare.

Ara was not beautiful. She was exquisite. Her innocence pulled at the man in him.

"You passed the Test 1 and 2 with average scores, Miss Gray." He indicated the papers on his desk. "But let us see your observation skills. Close your eyes and tell me the different statues that you saw in my office."

Unlike the four other applicants before Ara, she was calm. The others became agitated and nervous.

Ara closed her eyes and said, "There are statues of different colors of dragons. Blue, cyan, teal green, and gold. The largest one stands at the center and its head points downward. It is dark blue with golden scales at the chest."

Emyr was very impressed. "You are an observant young lady, Miss Gray," he praised her.

She inclined her head unsmilingly. "Thank you, sir."

"You didn't mention my other statues."

"The statues of mini-Buddhas and mini-angels are not yours."

"How can you say that?"

"This is not your office, sir."

Emyr was beginning to respect her intelligence.

"You're right. Let's continue this interesting conversation to my real office." He stood up and preceded her to his opulent office. They rode an elevator to reach it.

It was cavernous. There was the life-size statue of a dragon. The blue dragon. Life-size meant nine meters in height. The statue's head curved downward. His eyes were half-closed and tender, as though he was kissing somebody. The dragon occupied the center.

The office was circular and surrounded with windows, overlooking the city. The dragon was an effective divider between the conference room and the proper office.

The huge desk was semi-circular and had six chairs in front of it but Emyr led the way to the armchairs that huddled around the oblong coffee table. He typed a message in his cellphone for Mrs. Dean, 'ready the contract.'

"What do you want? Juice? Coffee?"

"Nothing, sir."

"Okay, let's get down to business." He enumerated the benefits that she would receive in her new position.

Finally, he got an expression from her face. A shocked expression.

"What will be my new position, sir?"

"I have an old manuscript at home. I want you to encode it and have it printed every day. After I read the pages, you put them inside the vault. Of course, you shall stay at my home until you finished the project."

"What? Wait a minute, sir!" she spluttered an interruption.

"You will have your own suite and your own office," he continued as though she did not speak.

"Sir!"

"Of course, you will receive a big fat paycheck every week," he mentioned the amount of salary casually.

Her eyes widened disbelievingly. "That huge! For encoding a manuscript!"

"Wait until you see the old manuscript." His voice was crisp.

The arrival of Mrs. Dean was heard because of the elevator. The matronly woman walked towards them and gave a folder to him.

"Would you like coffee, sir?"

"Yes. Two coffees for us." Emyr scanned the papers before he closed the folder. "Is this the final copies, Mrs. Dean?"

"Those are draft copies. Just in case you want changes."

"It is okay for me. Miss Gray, try to find mistakes in this contract," he said in an easy manner.

There was a slight tremor in Ara's hand as she accepted the folder. Her face was an open book while she was reading the contract. Her eyes widened anew when she read the amount, which was typed in bold letters.

"N-no mistakes, sir..."

"But? There's a but, Miss Gray," he pointed out softly.

"Surely, I can go home when I finished work hours?"

"No. You cannot."

"But why?"

"Because the secrecy of your work is vital. No one should know that you will be encoding the old manuscript." Emyr's smile was erased from his mouth. His expression became as serious as his tone.

Mrs. Dean served a pot of coffee and two cups in a silver tray.

"Shall I pour, sir?"

Emyr nodded his head. His eyes stared unwaveringly at Ara's face.

She was not afraid of him. She was afraid to lose her independence.

"Your rooms shall have an entrance of its own. You will have a life of your own inside my property," he added for good measure.

Ara was appeased gradually. She sipped her coffee while thinking the changes in her living arrangements.

"When shall I begin?"

"Today?"

"Um, not possible. I'll have to say goodbye to my roommate. And I have to pack my few things."

"Definitely today," Emyr nodded decisively.

"But--"

"I felt a foreboding from your roommate. When you finished your coffee, I shall escort you."

"But, sir--" Ara looked into his eyes. "Okay," she sighed helplessly. She capitulated reluctantly.

When they went to Ara's place, the difference between their status in life was pronounced.

There were three black cars parked in front of the building. They attracted attention from passers-by and from residents who looked out of their windows.

Ara refused to be embarrassed yet her face was pink when she got out of the car.

"You don't have to go with me, sir," she whispered her refusal.

"After you, Miss Gray," he insisted quietly.

She walked up the stairs quickly. She wanted to leave him but he followed her on nimble feet. His bodyguards followed, too. They were as silent as ghosts.

She used her key to open the door of Jo's flat.