Rules of Harte (Harte Series #1) (9 page)

             
‘Where did you get this?’

‘What’s wrong?’ Nathan asked
, sounding surprised.

‘Where did you get it?’ Eva was angry. Her jaw locked as she spoke and she struggled not to scream.

‘It…it was on my desk this morning. Eva I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I thought everyone got one.’

‘I didn’t.’ Eva growled.

‘It’s no big deal, I probably won’t even go…I….’

‘I just don’t understand,
’ Eva said almost crying with temper and confusion.

Nathan shook his head. ‘It’s stupid. Don’t mind this.’

Nathan took the page and ripped it roughly into uneven piece. ‘There, fuck that stupid ball.’

             
‘You shouldn’t have done that,’ Eva said shaking her head. ‘You’re sweet but you could get in a lot of trouble.’

‘I don’t’ care. Management can’t do that kind of shit. Pick and choose who can and can’t go. It’s fucked up. I swear, Eva. I thought everyone got one. I wouldn’t have said anything if I’d known you weren’t invited. I’m so sorry. ‘

‘I am invited. He said I had to go. No need to RSVP, for me, I think. At least I think that’s what he meant. Jesus. I don’t know. I don’t know what the fuck is going on.’

Nathan grabbed an ink stained tissue from his desk and handed it to Eva.

‘Sorry. My pen exploded.’

Eva looked up at him through tear stained eyes. But even Nathan’s goofy charm couldn’t make her smile right now. The only person who could explain what the hell was going on was
Mr Doe. She had to go see him. Unannounced and uninvited -
shit
.

             
‘Nathan I’m sorry. I have to go.’

Eva left her desk and stormed towards the li
ft.

Blood pumped through Eva’s veins like fire. She stomped her feet, exaggerating each step like a giant staking its prey. The lift bell softly sounded and Eva was on the top floor. It was very different to last time. Last time she reached this dizzy height above the city she was shy and timed and unsure of what lay ahead. This time she was certain and angry, and she planned the journey down to the last detail.

             
Eva stormed towards Shelly’s desk unprepared to offer an explanation. Shelly wasn’t there. Eva was relieved. It was less complicated this way. At least she hoped it was. Maybe Shelly would have stopped her, or have tried to talk some sense into her before she continued. Deep down, Eva knew she was about to make a stupid mistake but she had come too far now, she couldn’t turn back. She wouldn’t.

             
She thought about knocking on the door but that would give him an advantage. He didn’t deserve that. She paused for a moment, inhaled deeply, held her breath for a little longer than was comfortable and charged at the door like a bull seeing red. She caught the handles on each of the double doors and pulled back. The large metal frame creaked as if to announce its distaste at her touch. The doors were heavy and Eva’s shoulders strained and threatened to pop from their sockets. But she managed to pull them open in unison to expose a wide, open mouth into the room. The room was dark, but not pitch black like last time. A huge window lined the back wall and the sun above the city battled with the venetian blind to bring light to the office.

             
A soft whimper sounded from the back of the room, followed by the squeak of a chair rocking back and forth. Eva froze. Her presence was unnoticed, she realised. Suddenly her being there felt horribly inappropriate. But she didn’t know how to announce herself.

             
‘Good girl,’ Mr Doe said between rushed, panting breaths. He was gasping for air.

‘You like it, don’t you?’
Came a soft sweet reply. ‘Harder, baby, yeah, that’s it.’

Eva closed her eyes and covered her ears. She felt like she was watching a pirate copy of a dodgy porno. What was she thinking? She never should have come up here.
Mr Doe would fire her now for sure. She wanted to turn and run but her shoes felt like cavity blocks, weighing her feet firm against the ground. She couldn’t move.

‘M
m,’ the sweet voice whispered. ‘I’m right there. I’m gonna come.’

             
Oh shit, no.
Eva couldn’t think fast enough. A stack of papers towered on a small desk to her left. She lunged forward and knocked them to the ground. Sheets of paper rained like pieces of giant confetti. A hush instantly fell over the room. Eva was afraid to breathe. Her heart raced so fast, she feared it would be heard. She ducked down and began to back slowly out the door, crashing her hip off the hinge as she passed. She winced and tried not to shriek in pain.

             
Back in the safety of the hall, Eva nursed her aching side. Her whole body throbbed. A combination of terror and physical pain attacked her. Everyone on her floor had seen her dramatic march toward the lift. If Mr Doe enquired about the identity of his peeping-tom, there was a whole department full of people that would be only too happy to rat Eva out. There was nowhere to hide. She would have to stay and explain. Maybe if she could speak to Shelly first, she would understand. Eva was furious with herself. This is why she never took initiative. It always ended in a mess. This mess being one of her greater mistakes. She would either get fired or arrested. Either way, she knew today wasn’t going to end well.

             
‘That looked like it hurt.’ Shelly appeared behind Eva suddenly, pointing to her side.

Eva looked up with tears in her eyes. ‘You saw me?’

Shelly nodded and giggled. ‘Subtle isn’t really your middle name, is it?’

‘I’m so sorry. I didn’t see anything, I promise. I just, well, I knew you were busy…’

‘Well, yeah, I suppose busy is one word for it.’ Shelly winked. ‘Eva it’s okay. You weren’t to know. Usually John locks the door. I don’t know why he didn’t today.’

‘Do you do it every day?’ The question left Eva’s mouth before she had time to think.

Shelly pulled a face.

‘Sorry, it’s none of my business. I should go now. Sorry.’ Eva stared at the ground, mortified. She couldn’t bring herself to look Shelly in the eyes.

‘Not every day. But we do it a lot. I like sex as much as he does, if the truth be told.’

Eva blushed. Shelly was so at ease. Eva couldn’t even say the word sex without breaking into a cold sweat.

‘Wow.’ Eva wished she had something better to say but she knew she did well to even manage one word under the circumstance.

‘He’s good, you know.
Really bloody good. I’ve already come twice today and he’s promised me one more before I go home.’

‘Jesus, really?’ Is that not bad for you?’

Shelly laughed but Eva was serious. She was sure she read somewhere that over exertion like that wasn’t good for your heart.

‘I fucking love it, Eva.’

              The nervous twitch in Eva’s neck was now becoming an uncomfortable thumping in her vein. She was worried that her head might explode. She looked at Shelly’s rosy cheeks and the smile that was cemented to her face like a Botox side effect. Eva wondered what good sex would feel like. She didn’t have much experience to judge from. Her first boyfriend had offered to ‘pop her cherry’, as he put it, back when they were freshmen. Eva hadn’t realised it was a contract open to terms and conditions. Those conditions included; roughly pushing inside her for ten minutes in his parent’s basement until he came all over her, leaving a sticky mess on her favourite dress. The following night, he offered her class mate the same experience.

             
‘It’s okay, Eva. Go back in.’ Shelly tilted her head towards the door she left slightly ajar behind her.

‘No, please. I can’t. I don’t know what to say.’

‘I don’t think he wants to talk.’ Shelly winked again. Eva wished she would stop doing that. It implied that Eva understood the hidden meaning behind her sentence. Eva didn’t, or at least she wanted to pretend she didn’t.

‘He didn’t finish, so just be prepared.’

‘Prepared for what?’

‘He can be a bit rough when he’s frustrated. Just be confident. Tell him to slow down if you’re not comfortable. He’s rough but he’s not an asshole. He will listen.’

              Eva gulped. A huge lump of air forced its way down her throat, threatening to choke her. Shelly nodded her approval as Eva’s head bobbed up and down - taking in every word. If Mr Doe tried any funny business, she would throw the words ‘sexual misconduct’ out there and hope it scared him off.

             
Eva stopped just before the door and looked back at Shelly.

‘Good luck,’ Shelly said
, flicking the back of her hand back and forth, ushering Eva inside.

             
Eva needed more than luck. She needed a personality transplant. She didn’t belong in the world of casual sex and gate-crashing him mid-quickie made the whole situation ten times worse. She crossed her hands and placed them on her chest. She took one last deep breath, held it for a moment and released hard. It made her dizzy. Still shaking, she thrust herself forward like a bullet from a gun, taking huge steps. She didn’t stop until she was standing in the middle of the room. The door slammed shut with a loud thud. She jumped dramatically before scolding herself for not seeing it coming.

             
‘Don’t you ever fucking knock?’ Mr Doe asked.

Eva was about to apologise but she remembered their conversation from the day before. He was already frustrated. She didn’t want to make things worse.

‘Shelly told me to come in.’

‘Did Shelly also tell you to spy on me?’

Eva’s shaking became worse. She was horribly aware of her hands as they clutched the sides of her skirt, swishing it back and forth gently. She wanted to explain. But her bottom lip was quivering uncontrollably; she knew her speech would come out like she was riding a bike down a bumpy road. Be confident, she warned herself. Confident people don’t mumble.

‘The door was open.’

‘Fiery, aren’t you?’

Shit, Eva thought. Maybe she was over confident. She heard people say there was a fine line between confident and cocky; she had no bloody clue where that line was.

              ‘Have a seat.’

Eva knew it was an order
, not a suggestion. She moved to the side and sat into the only chair she could see; a soft leather recliner.

‘Did you like what you saw?’

Eva wanted to shoot down his inappropriate question and storm out. He was challenging her, she knew, she just didn’t know why. There were lots of other girls in the office who would love to accept his advance. They were pretty and more popular than Eva. She couldn’t see why he had any interest in her. She wondered if she should tell him she wasn’t a virgin. It was the only explanation Eva could think of; he wanted to break her in. It was probably like some sort of conquest for him. Maybe he kept score, or got Shelly to do it for him on some big fancy spread sheet he designed himself. Eva instantly felt bad. She liked Shelly. She didn’t like to think of her that way.

             
‘I didn’t see anything.’

‘You’re lying, Ms Andrews. I don’t like liars.’

‘And I don’t like perverts,’ Eva snapped back.

‘Listen to yourself, throwing names around like you know shit. You haven’t a clue what you’re talking about. I’m a grown man. I can fuck who I like, when I like. Got that?’

Eva knew she had really pissed him off. He had a point, but he didn’t have to shove sex in her face like it was some kind of trophy.

‘Well
, you can’t have me.’

Mr Doe laughed. A dry, loud, snorty laugh. ‘Who the hell said anything about having you?’

Eva paused. He was twisting things. ‘The girls talk,’ she explained.

‘I’m sure they do.’

That was it? He was just going to agree. It was that simple? Eva was so confused.

‘They said when you get called upstairs, you know…’ Eva waited to see if he would correct her. If he would tell her they were all hideous rumours and really he was a good guy who was happily married or some other equally pathetic excuse.

             
‘You know what, exactly?’ He finally asked, after what felt like an eternity.

‘…you know. It’s only for one thing.’

‘And what’s that one thing, Ms Andrews?’

Eva blushed
, so hard, she worried she would light up the room with the glow of her face.

‘Sex, I guess.’

‘You guess?’

‘No. I know. You call girls from the office up here so you can have sex with them. You think because you’re rich and successful you can sleep with whoever you want.’

‘No,’ Mr Doe corrected her sternly. ‘I don’t think I can fuck whoever I want. I know I can.’

Eva was appalled. She was about to reiterate her point that she was unattainable but Mr Doe didn’t offer her the opportunity.

‘I can
have
every girl I want. It doesn’t mean I want every girl…I don’t want you.’

Eva’s shaking changed. She wasn’t shy and intimidated
, now, she was furious and humiliated.

             
She turned on the spot and began to walk away trying to hide her sobbing.

‘Don’t tell me you’re upset
,’ Mr Doe said. ‘You didn’t want to be here. You made it very clear that my lifestyle disgusted you. But now that I don’t want to include you in that life, you’re not happy. It would seem there is no pleasing you, Ms Andrews. Now, since we have established what you haven’t barged into my office for, would you like to tell me what you
are
here for?’

             
Maybe Eva wanted him to please her. Maybe she wanted him to make her come twice like he did with Shelly. Maybe she wanted him to catch her, hoist up her dress and fuck her right there on his office couch. Maybe she didn’t know what the hell she wanted.

             
‘You invited me to the Ball. You said I have to go. I thought everyone had to go, but they don’t. It’s just me.’

‘Ms Andrews
, I can assure you, it is not just you.’

Eva shook her head. She could hear how stupid her argument sounded. She meant it was only her who had no choice. Everyone else
could choose whether or not they would go. Like Nathan. But she was denied that decision. It wasn’t fair. But she couldn’t say that. It made her sound like a spoiled five year old.

             
She fished out the crumpled piece of paper from her cardigan pocket and used the light from her phone to read the print at the bottom.

‘There,’ she said, running her fingers across the words. ‘RSVP.’

‘Yes. And I’m accepting your RSVP personally. It’s a curiosity I don’t offer all my staff. Is there a problem here?’

‘No…it’s just…’

‘It’s just, you thought I invited you to the ball, I must want to fuck your brains out.’

‘Well…er…’ Eva was mortified. ‘Well yeah.’

‘There are over three hundred people invited to the ball. I can assure you, I do not want to fuck them all. It would be quite exhausting.’

Eva laughed. Not a nervous giggle or a bid to break the silence. It was a proper laugh. She finally relaxed. Maybe with three hundred other people there, she could simply blend in somewhere at the back.

              ‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed…’

‘What did I tell you about apologising? You’re not weak, Ms Andrews, we’ve established that. You’re possibly the first women ever to challenge me. It was actually rather hot, maybe I do want to fuck you after all.’

Eva laughed again, slightly concerned that he wasn’t joking.

‘Take the parcel from Shelly. I think you’ll like it.’

Eva nodded and stood up. She was leaving the room with much more respect for Mr Doe than she when she entered.

             
‘Oh, and one more thing,’ he called after her. ‘Do you have shoes?’

Eva looked at her feet. It was an odd question. Of course she had shoes.

‘Buy a pair of god damn high heels, will you?’

‘O
kay.’

Eva carried the large, rectangular box too high. It blocked her view and she almost fell out of the lift. Shelly had offered to help but Eva knew she would ask questions about what went on in the office and she really didn’t want to explain. They’d parted ways exchanging mutual nods and smiles, and Eva was relieved to return to the familiarity of her office floor.

             
She wobbled towards her desk. Heads turned as she passed and she knew they had their suspicions about what she was doing upstairs. And returning, carrying a giant box filled with who-the-hell-knows-what. Tongues would wag. Eva walked extra slowly. It was a complete contradiction to her usual head down and hurry by approach. In that moment, with a gift from Mr Doe resting in her tiring arms, she wanted the whole office to notice her. And one person’s attention meant more than the rest of the office added together.

             
She wasn’t disappointed. Mia’s expression was priceless. It almost made up for the year of shit she’d dealt Eva’s way.

             
Eva placed the box on her desk and waited. She was beyond curious about its content but Eva knew Mia would appear any moment and she didn’t want to risk being mid rummage when she did. Eva waited. She waited and waited. Mia didn’t come. Finally, unable to hold herself back any longer, she tugged at the slightly tangled gold ribbon that wrapped around the box like a beautiful frame. The box stared back at her, two separate halves now waiting to be prised apart. Eva stretched her neck and tilted her head, glancing around the office. No one was looking. She blinked and took a deep breath to re-focus. One, two, three…she counted silently…open. Her hands shook as she lifted the lid and placed it neatly on the floor beside the legs of her chair. Soft, crinkled cream paper rested inside. She slowly removed layer upon layer until they revealed a delicate white mask. Eva wriggled her fingers before reaching in and picking it up. Its finely polished surface gave the impression of fine, bone -china but it was lighter than that. It was beautifully simple with two holes for eyes, and a small raised mould to allow room for a nose underneath. It was small, yet big enough to cover the whole upper half of Eva’s face. She placed it gently on her desk, conscious not to bump or scrape its elegant surface and searched through the remaining paper for a note. She didn’t find one. She didn’t understand. What was she supposed to do with it?

             
As predicted, Mia finally arrived at Eva’s desk. ‘So how are you going to decorate it? she asked.

‘Decorate it?’

‘Yeah, you know, add a little sparkle or something.

‘I think I’ll just leave it the way it is. It’s pretty and simple.’

‘It’s blank.’ Mia pointed to the corner of the mask peeking out from where Eva had hurriedly tried to hide it under an open folder. ‘Blank tells us nothing.’