Taken (Dark Desires 1)

“Neither was he. This is my son were talking about. The girls starting coming around when he was fourteen. He’s got his father’s black, naturally curly hair and my brains. Anyway, my point is that he took out the girls who made him look like that. The ones who made him smile and laugh. You were talking and laughing with Natasha as if you were old friends.”

This was a weird turn of events for me. To get a blessing from Denise on anything that didn’t have to do with signing my name on the bottom line was near impossible. And yet here she was condoning something I was sure sh

e would have disapproved of.

“Can I ask you a serious question, Denise?” She nodded her head and pursed her eyebrows together. “What do you like about her?”

“That shouldn’t really matter, boss. The truth is that I just do. And I think if you are going to pursue her you should make a bold move.”

“You mean I’m not going to get a lecture on dipping my pen in company ink or mixing business with pleasure or any of the other breeches in office politics?”

“It’s your company.” She said, rolling her eyes. “I’m just trying to help you stay the gentleman I know you are. Keep it above the table. Your mom would agree with me.”

Denise turned and left. Shouting goodnight from her desk outside my office she left me with quite a bit to think about.

Natasha had come to my office last night just a little after five to tell me some joke she heard. It was a terrible joke, I don’t remember the punch-line but she thought it was hilarious. As I had been doing for the past couple of months since I had to work late I invited her to stay, help me with some work and join me for dinner in my office.

Denise was right. Natasha did make me laugh and smile when she was here. But she was also serious about her job. But I think it was her total lack of interest in my finances that made the whole thing so refreshing. Never once did she ask me if I went sailing or where my most exotic vacation was. How many cars do you have, Marty? How much did it cost you?

How were people brought up these days? It seemed as if women with any kind of discretion were few and far between.

“Have you been on the conference room floor?” I had asked her one night, just before we parted ways. I was trying to think of something to keep her in my company just a little longer.

“I was just there for a second when I almost got off the elevator on the wrong floor. But I didn’t look around. No.”

Two floors below this one was what everyone referred to as the conference room floor. Twelve conference rooms of varying sizes filled the entire floor. Each one had a view of the city but of course, the main conference room, the one we hosted dignitaries and shareholders in had the most spectacular view. It was beautiful during the day. But at night it was as if a person was on another planet. The lights in the buildings around floated in the darkness as below red tail lights and front high beams made luminous snakes that wove their way across the ground. Stoplights blinked red, yellow and green and store windows made incandescent designs in rainbows of color. But it was the steady glow of the streetlights that I enjoyed to most because there were so many of them. It reminded me of the Christmas village my mother used to set up every year when I was younger. I would sit for house in front of the tiny town, just thinking and making up stories of the things the Lilliputians were doing. And at night, when all the other lights in the house were off the holiday lights would still be lit and give off the same kind of glow the city did every night.

Sometimes, if I had a particularly vexing problem I’d come and sit here alone. There were many times I came there because I was alone. Since meeting Natasha I never realized how alone I was.

So that evening I brought her to the conference room floor. I had made it up in my mind that if she saw what I saw I would pursue her more diligently. But when we got there she surprised me.

“How beautiful is this?” She said in a hushed voice as if we were kids sneaking off from the group at the school dance to some unused room on another floor. We stood there for a few minutes and I felt her hand slip into mine.

I pulled her toward me and in that secret darkness, in that quiet special place where all the city was laid out in front of us I kissed her. I felt her response as she kissed me back. Things could have progressed that evening I’m sure, had I not stopped it.

I pulled two chairs up to the window and we sat next to each other, still holding hands.

“So, I’m in big trouble now.” She said.

“Why?”

“I’m sure somewhere; someone would say that kissing the boss is not the way to get a head at your job.” Her voice had become a bit sad.

“Natasha, you don’t have anything to worry about. Really, you don’t.”

She looked at me in the darkness and I could see the silhouette of her face.

“I don’t know what I’m doing.” She whispered. “But I think I need to be honest with you about something.”

“You’re married?” I guessed, hoping that was not it.

“No.” She giggled.

“You were once a man?”

“Oh, my gosh no! Did that happen to you? Because no one would bring up such a possibility unless it happened to them.” Now it was me laughing out loud.

“No. And I’m sorry to interrupt. Please. Go on.”