Taken (Dark Desires 1)

I knew immediately what was happening. My father was trying to talk to my mother while she was on the phone with me. Something about if I was coming home for the weekend, which he knew I wasn’t. He did this every time I called. Old dog and new tricks applied here.

“Tell Dad I’ll come home next weekend.” I said feeling the change in scenery would do me good.

“Yes. She heard you. Alright. She said she’ll be home next weekend. Okay. Can I finish talking to her please? Oh, that man. Sometimes…”

“Yeah, I’ll come home next weekend. Maybe there will be something new to report.”

“Oh, I hope so, honey. I do.”

After hanging up with my mom I started the water running in the shower. I know all etiquette books and girlfriend protocol dictated I should say nothing but I didn’t think I could do that.

Sooner or later Nat was going to ask why I wasn’t calling or why we hadn’t seen each other in so long and I would just have to spill the beans. Even if that was what he wanted. I had to tell her what he said. But if he had this whole scene orchestrated to play out a certain way, I could sure throw a wrench into that. Just a little planning was all that would take.

MARTY

“You’ve got to start checking your calendar before you leave, Marty. This new system makes it too easy to miss something.” Denise said to me as I stared out the window.

“Yeah.” I replied. “I’ll try and start getting into that habit. Do I have the documents for the merger in Shanghai and the properties in… where are those new properties again?”

“Do you mean to tell me that you’ve forgotten the whereabouts of a forty-five million dollar purchase? It’s in Montreal, Canada. Remember? And yes, I told you I had put them both on your desk this morning.”

“What would I do without you, Denise?”

“Lose forty-five million dollars for starters.”

I laughed out loud.

“It’s because of Natasha, isn’t it?” Denise asked. She never was a person to mince words.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.” I said, smirking.

“Natasha Morgan, the woman who has been making your life easier in the office since she started here a little over five months ago. The woman who has you distracted and focused all at the same time.”

I knew I was blushing.

“So, the secret is out?”

“Hell, Marty, if that’s how you keep a secret remind me to never tell you the pass code to get into my house.”

Denise looked at me over the top rims of her glasses and smiled.

“She’s very likeable, Marty. And she’s a very good secretary considering the distraction she has to face every day.” Denise stepped into my office tucking some random file under her arm and clasping her hands in front of her. “Can I be honest?”

“Aren’t you always. Sometimes to the nth degree.” I said, making her smirk back at me.

“If you are going to continue on the path you’ve started with Natasha, I would take her out somewhere. I’ve taken the liberty of making a reservation for the two of you at Angelo’s. It’s quiet. It’s not over the top. It’s for next Friday. That will give her plenty of time to run for the hills if she’s smart.”

“You’re really putting it all out there tonight, Denise. What is this about?”

Stepping further into the office and leaning on one of the chairs in front of my desk Denise became very serious, more serious that I had ever seen her over any issue at work.

“Last week, Wednesday I think it was, I had forgotten my umbrella. Remember, it was raining something fierce out that day. I came up here and heard you and Natasha talking like you had been now for a couple of months together. I peeked in and saw you.”

I could have made a dozen smart remarks to tease Denise about her softer side but I didn’t. From the way she looked I determined she had something worth listening to say.

“It was like I was looking at my own son when he had his first girlfriend over to the house. He wanted his father and I to leave them alone in the family room downstairs. We did, only once in a while checking to make sure things were still vertical. Which they were.”

“Denise. I’m not a sixteen year old boy.” I said gently.