Chapter 8-1
917 Words
Chapter 8
My cheeks flushed. I was only wearing a towel.
He hadn’t even so much as flinched. “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting to take you out to dinner. Have you forgotten?”
What? Dinner? Oh. “Uh, yeah. I forgot.”
“We’re meeting with the top executives at Katoa and Galaxy Mech. I know you’re seeking a better position at Katoa, so maybe if you make a good impression, good things will come of tonight.”
My mind conjured pictures of me finally getting into Research and Development, which is exactly where I wanted to be. This could be my chance.
Then I remembered. “Wait. I need to talk to you about lunch today.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Oh? What about it?”
Was he serious? “All those things you said…”
“Forget about it. I’d had a bad day. I need you to come with me tonight and we can be together. I’ve been stressed lately but all that is about to change and it can be like it was when we met. I’ll order your favourite meal and your favourite drink and help you if you get stuck for something to say to our guests. I’ll put in a good word for you so you’ll have the best chance possible to get your dream job.”
My head was spinning from the turn of events.
He put his hands on my bare arms and looked into my eyes. “Things at work have been so hectic lately. There’s been a lot of interference coming from the planet and we’ve had some setbacks in the latest models with the Mech-suits. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. You’re my girl. Will you forgive me?”
“I…” I was lost for words. I didn’t know what to say. Was I being too hard on him? Had I made a hasty decision? Should I give him the benefit of the doubt?
“I love you, Lennina. You’re my world. You’re the moon and the stars to me. I don’t know what I’d do if you didn’t give me a chance to prove my love for you. It will be good for you to dress up and eat out at a nice restaurant and forget all the stresses of your workday. What do you say?”
My heart melted. Maybe he did care. Maybe we could put all this nonsense behind us and enjoy each other’s company tonight.
“I’ll get ready.” I squeezed past him and hurried to my room to change my clothes.
“Good girl.”
Malvolio followed me, but I stopped him at the door. “I won’t be long.”
I closed the door on him. Was he going to come in and watch me dress? We weren’t at a stage where I was comfortable with that. It had only been four weeks. That may be a bit slow by some people’s standards, but not for me. It was going to take me a while to commit fully after Jace. I had given him my everything and he’d thrown it away.
I raced around and dressed as fast as I could, with Malvolio trying to have a conversation with me through the door. I caught most of what he said. Something about how important these people were and that I needed to be more aware of these social situations.
I wasn’t very good at small talk and all the etiquette required at these dinners, which made me anxious. But Malvolio had told me he would help me with that. I tried to relax.
Malvolio opened the door as I was putting in the earrings he’d given me. Patience wasn’t one of his strong points.
“Oh.” He looked disappointed. “You’re going to wear that?”
I looked down at my black dress with the low-cut neckline with lace around the edges. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Nothing. Nothing. Don’t worry about it. You look fine. They’ll like you. Are you ready?”
“Yep.” I let the “p” pop before remembering that he didn’t like it when I used any form of slang.
There was a slight flinch at the word and I cringed a little.
But I should be able to say whatever I want.
Then I reminded myself that he was trying to help me by teaching me how to communicate well and how to comport myself in situations like the dinner tonight. He really wanted me to get the job I wanted.
His expression smoothed over as he approached me. “You’re wearing my earrings. Good. Money suits you. You know how much I love you, don’t you?”
I nodded as he pulled me in for a hug. His arms encircled me and I felt warm. Some of the tension leached out of me.
“You are like the moon and stars to me. You shine. I am lucky to have you. We go well together. Everyone is so envious of you. There are women that are green with it.”
I pulled away so I could look into his eyes. “Yeah. It makes me wonder why you picked me, when you could have anyone.”
“After all this time, you don’t know? Why do you think I picked you?”
I pretended to think. “Mmm. I got nothin’.”
“Really, Lennina. Why do you insist on speaking like a heathen?”
I smiled. “Maybe I am one, deep down.”
The disgusted look on his face was priceless. He couldn’t take a joke.
He quickly recovered. “Because you’re special to me. You’re precious, like a jewel. We’ll be good together, you’ll see.”
And with that, he pulled away from me and I felt kind of cold where his body had been touching mine. He headed out of the room without another glance and I followed, feeling kind of dazed. He was like a whirlwind.
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