As of Yet Untitled
Chapter Eight
By: Karisma
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Alt, Romance
www.geocities.com/karismafanfic
Karisma456@hotmail.com
December 2000
Standard Disclaimers Apply

I was up and ready a bit before seven, and quite anxious/nervous. I was
going to work,with Darien, as a secretary. I reminded myself constantly that
it was only temporary, that I would soon be equal to Darien’s caliber, but
it didn’t change the fact that now at the present moment, I was a few short
minutes away from being a personal assistant to a man who had forced me to
eat dog food years back.
Deciding Darien seemed to be an extremely punctual man, I figured I had
a few minutes before I should be out on my porch waiting for him. I ran to
the bathroom, an awkward feat in my navy pumps, and quickly smoothed over
the white blouse under my smart navy blazer and matching skirt. My hair was
pulled away from my face by two silver clips and I eyed it critically before
narrowing my eyes at my reflection and repeating three times I was not so
cautious about my appearance because of Darien Sandborn. Then, pushing all
thoughts of narcissism out of my mind, I brusquely walked out the front
door, grabbing my brief case on the way.
I barely had to wait a second outside, Darien pulled into our driveway
within seconds and I took a deep breath before walking out to open the
passenger door and slid in.
"Morning," I greeted cheerfully.
He gave me a nod and I rolled my eyes at his lack of verboseness. He
turned his upper body slightly to check the street behind him and his eyes
rested on me for a long moment. After raking his eyes over my body and
making sure every hair on my head felt quite aware of his presence and
attention, he finally pulled out of my driveway and made his way to FS
Enterprises.
When I entered the top floor of the tall building, my first impression
was one of admiration at the way Darien and my father had managed to run
this business. It was neat and by the looks of the employees in their
cubicles, it was incredibly efficient. I walked with Darien straight ahead
to was I assumed was his office. I smiled at the people who stared at me
curiously and was relieved when they did the same. Darien stepped into his
office right behind me and I could feel him watching my reaction intently.
It was impressive to say the least. After viewing his apartment, I should
have been used to his good taste, but the refined touches in his office
surprised me yet again.
A large desk of dark wood stood on one side of the large room while a
bookshelves of the same wood were lined up against the wall, packed with
books of which subject I had no clue. Pictures and paintings that seemed to
have no personal connection lined the back white walls. The wall facing the
working people was completely glass though the shades were pulled down at
the moment. I turned to face her employer for the next week and smiled
nervously.
"What do you want me to do?"
"I suppose the best thing for you to do right now is get acquainted
with our clients, so browse through files and answer phones. There’s a
meeting at about one that you are most welcome to sit in on." He sat down
and commenced sorting through large piles of work, which I took as a hint to
leave him be. Stepping quietly out, I ran my fingers lightly over my new
desk and relished the feeling of being at work.
After a moment, I figured out where the clients files’ were. I pulled
out a few of them and pored over them, soon immersed. When the phone rang an
hour later, I jumped at the sudden intrusion. After locating the headphones
and pushing the right buttons, I had managed to get myself situated.
"FS Enterprises, Darien Sandborn’s desk. How may I help you?" The
response came automatically and I was miffed to hear and indignant blowing
out of someone’s breath and then the clear cut of the dial tone. I waiting
for a moment, puzzled before 'hanging up' myself and resuming the task of
informing myself until one o’clock rolled around.
Time flew by and before I knew it, Darien stuck his head out of his
door for the first time that day( I could swear the man did not eat) and I
followed him to another, larger room for the meeting. Needless to say, I was
quite nervous as I smoothed out my outfit and raced through all the
impressions the clients and workers would have of me.
Introductions were made and soon we were sitting down discussing all
the possibilities for a new client. It was a brain storm session as the
clients were seeing how we could work to help them before the decided to
give us their business.
The two CEOs of TecCorp wanted to advertise their new microchip that
would fit into any camera and remove red eye automatically, along with
giving one the option to add messages and labels at the bottom of the
picture. The main target audience was usually adults, but FS was unsure how
to broach any ideas for commercials.
I finally decided to speak up, "You could try a different audience."
Heads turned to look at me, the young girl who had remained silent the
entire meeting.
"Pardon?" One of the owners, a kindly looking man with gray hair and a
welcoming laugh, asked politely.
"Well, your main concern has been with adults because they mainly buy
such things to take pictures of their children, but what about teenagers or
college students? They love taking pictures of friends and trips, why not
target them?" I finished, all traces of nervousness gone. It was a good
idea, I knew it was.
The owners were silent for a moment as if pondering the novelty of the
idea. I didn’t dare look at Darien, fearing one look at the man would send
my entire power image crumbling.
"Young lady, I do believe you have something. Think of an ad and get
back to us within the week and you have yourselves a deal," the kind man,
Mr. Siel, answered with a large grin. Relief and joy swept through my tight
body as I relaxed in my chair.
I finally snuck a peak at Darien, but he was busy shaking hands with
the CEOs, a polite, but reserved smile on his handsome face.
The room finally cleared out a few people congratulated me on their way
out. I was touched and flattered and a bit proud as I smiled and faced
Darien when we were finally alone. Tension and anticipation washed over me
once again as I waited for his response. And as much as it killed me, I knew
I wanted his approval. There was no explaining it, it was just a need to see
Darien Sandborn smile, give me a pat on the back, and tell me once and for
all, I was good at what I did.
"Do you have any ideas on the ad?" His face remained still and my heart
plummeted.
"You’re giving me the client?" I asked, surprise and excitement
building inside me. He trusted me enough to hand over a potentially bit
client.
He sent me a look. "Unless you don’t think you can handle it?"
"What? No, I mean I can. I will." I blushed at my stuttering and grew
even redder when I realized he was smiling down at me. "I should get back
to work." And before he could respond, I practically ran out of the meeting
room and back to my desk, making sure I was looking for something intently
in the filing cabinet when he came back to his office so I wouldn’t have to
face him.
The end of the day came quickly and only then did I remember where I
was going and with whom. I was dire need of checking out a few apartments,
but my ride to work had been Darien, and he wanted to go back to his
apartment to work on the album, so he said. I was more than perfectly sure
Darien could seduce any number of women and he probably had. All in the
apartment that we had kissed in. That thought was less than pleasant,
especially since it brought me back to thoughts of his wife. Had they shared
passionate embraces on the same stop Darien and I had?
Well, it made no difference because I didn’t care. I wasn’t about to
get in a relationship with Darien or want one. Not only was I not attracted
to him in that way,okay that was a lie. But even though there is attraction,
there was no way we could act on it. Not only was I sure Darien had no want
for a serious relationship (duh), I knew if we had a brief liaison, our
families would never be the same. Unless we didn’t tell them.
I ordered my thoughts to stop there as I grabbed me briefcase and
walked over to the elevators, hoping to be as discreet as possible. My plans
were obviously foiled as I heard someone come up behind me. I turned around
to see Darien peering down at me with a frown marring his face.
"Where do you think you’re going?" The way he said it, with such
disdain, made me feel as if I was a child, being reprimanded for getting
caught with my hand in the cookie jar. I narrowed my eyes and answered him.
"Leaving. I’m finished with the files and I don’t have any more work.
Unless there is something you want me to do?"
His frown didn’t disappear and I found myself wondering how he didn’t
have deep wrinkles and lines on his face already if that was all he did. "I
thought we agreed we would go back to my apartment and work on the album."
"No, you agreed. I disagreed, but that’s all right because you never
listen to me anyway. You never have!" I lost my temper and exploded at him,
expostulating with my hands as I tend to do when I get angry.
He took a step back, shocked slightly. I stopped, a feeling of
satisfaction washing over me.
"You think I never listen to you?" His voice was low and excruciatingly
slow.
"Yes! And what’s more you talk like that all the time!" I resisted the
urge to stamp my foot to show him how impossible he was being. But that
wouldn’t help my case any.
"How do I talk to you?" his tone was puzzled and bewildered. He stepped
into the elevator I hadn’t seen open and I followed him, if only to continue
my confrontation.
"Like I’m five years old and in need of a good scolding," I bit out,
imploring him to understand. All anger was out of my voice, only a need to
make him know where I was coming from.
"You think I treat you like a child and don’t listen to you," he
paraphrased and paused for a moment, thinking.
I felt the need to say something and I blurted out the other thing
that was a somewhat bother with me. "Instead of listening, you just kiss me
all the time." I sucked in my breath and what I had just uttered and looked
away, fascinated with the wall of lighted buttons.
I didn’t see Darien look over at me with that intense gaze of him, nor
did I see his arm move out quickly to pull the emergency button until it was
too late. The elevator jilted to an immediate stop.
"What?" I started.
"Do you think I kiss you like a child, Serena?" His deep voice
beckoned me to turn away from the red button and face him.
"Well, no, but," I stuttered, appalled not only by his boldness, but
the entire situation of it all.
"I do listen to you, Serena," he whispered huskily, bringing his face
to mine, evidently meaning to kiss me yet again.
The moment our lips were about to meet, I pushed him away angrily and
the surprise on his face gave me more pleasure than I thought it would. "You
just don’t think I have anything worth talking about, is that it?"
"Where did you come up with a half-baked idea like that?" Darien’s tone
turned incredulous as he ran a hand through his dark hair in frustration.
My mouth fell open in shock and, as much as I hated to admit it, hurt.
The insult only succeeding in making me even more certain of my point. I
clenched my jaw and slammed the red button again, letting the elevator start
again, and in less then a second, stop. The doors opened and I stomped out
into the dark, underground parking lot with no intention of talking to
Darien again. Let him figure out the blasted album by himself.
"Serena," I heard him call me back, his tone stern and full of
reproach.
I was about to ignore him, but the desire was too strong. I swung
around on the gray cement. "There you go again, scolding me like always. Do
I look five, Darien?"
His eyes roamed over my figure and I grew indignant, pushing the
flattered part of me out of the way. "No, you certainly don’t." He answered
appreciatively.
"Is that all you can think about?" I said scathingly, my voice full of
disgust.
"Yes," he deadpanned and I gave an angry huff and commenced walking
again. "Wait, Serena." He jogged to meet up with me and then walked, his
long stride easily matching my short, quick one. "Look, I don’t want you
thinking I mean to patronize you. I..." Before he could finish I swiftly
reached up and pressed my lips to his in a fierce, albeit brief, kiss. When
I let go, he was visibly breathless.
"There, how do you like being interrupted every time you want to get a
point across?" I asked.
Darien traced his lips, a smile forming on them. "Don’t mind too much,
especially when an interruption is like that. Care to demonstrate again?"
I glared at him and shook my head, turning to walk away. He sighed and
caught my arm, spinning me back to face him.
"I do listen to you, I know it’s hard to believe, but trust me, I do."
He looked at me disbelieving face and sighed again. "And as for treating you
like a child, I’m sorry. I had no intention of doing so, and I promise to
try and stop from this point on." He held up his hand and smirked. "Scout’s
honor."
I sighed in defeat and nodded.
"My car is in the other direction," he pacified my astonished face
with a hand. "How about we look at your apartments and then I’ll treat you
to dinner. After which, we’ll go and work on the album. How does that
sound?"
I cocked my head and smiled slowly. So he had been paying attention to
me yesterday evening. "So you do listen."
"I told you." He led me to his car and we got in peaceably, finally at
good terms, that is, until he decided to pull his next move.

****

Two hours later, we entered Darien’s penthouse, carrying white cartons
of Chinese takeout and laughing about the insane landlady we had met at one
of the apartments.
"I thought I would pee in my pants when she asked you if you were gay,"
I burst out in laughter, imagining the picture of the elderly, old-fashioned
woman in an apron inquiring point-blank about Darien’s sexuality.
"Hey, you’re the one she thought was bisexual," Darien shot back,
placing his three cartons on the coffee table, where all the album stuff
lay, exactly where we had left it when we decided to focus on each other a
bit more. That led my gaze to the couch and I swallowed. Pushing the
thoughts out of my mind, I vowed to enjoy the evening as much as I had the
past two hours. I had seen a much different side of Darien, one that was
warm and welcoming. His defenses were not completely down, but this was the
closest I had seen of the fun-loving guy I had grown up with in my entire
stay back here. We gathered plates and utensils silently, before relaxing on
the couch, facing each other and eating with chopsticks.
I kicked off my heels and tucked my legs under me, feeling quite
comfortable. I picked out a piece of chicken and was about to bring it to my
lips when Darien started talking.
"So are you?"
"Am I what?" I chewed the large piece of meat and looked over at his
serious face.
"Bisexual."
I stopped immediately and stared at him in shock. A grin broke on his
face and he chuckled. My eyes widened and I let out a growl and threw a
package of hot sauce at him. He dodged it easily and continued laughing. I
began to do so as well and we sat together as the laughter died down. As we
ate, we sorted through some more pictures and figured out the order of it
all.
Finally, after the food was gone and we had finished the album, we
opened the fortune cookies.
"Romance and passion await you," Darien read, his voice full of humor
and quiet disdain. " Your turn." He looked over at me from his lethargic
position on the couch. He had moved to the other end, laying his head down
on the armrest. I had changed into a pair of sweatpants and a shirt I had
borrowed from Darien after almost spilling chow mein on my suit. My head was
also laying comfortably on the other armrest, our feet barely touching were
the curve of the L-shaped couch met.
I opened mine and my eyes widened. I was silent for a moment until
Darien’s nudge with his foot galvanized me into action. "Romance and passion
await you," I read clearly, uncertain of his reaction.
"Let me see that," he sat up, as did I, and took the slip from my hand.
"So it says," he affirmed and looked over at me. I shifted in my
cross-legged position and squirmed under his gaze. He continued huskily, "so
shall it be done." I sucked in my breath at the implication of what he had
just said and before I knew it, Darien’s lips were on mine, softly, this
time, and sweet. He tenderly tucked a strand of hair from my face after he
broke the kiss and my breath remained uneven. When he moved in closer for
another kiss, I scooted out of the way and grabbed my clothes from a chair
as well as my shoes.
"I should get going," I said awkwardly. Feeling quite nervous and
fumbling around with my belongings, I finally made my way to the exit of
Darien’s lavish home. I hadn’t heard him behind me, I was too occupied with
my thoughts and how I was going to deal with seeing him everyday in such
close contact without throwing myself at him, or maybe even vice versa.
I reached out to twist the doorknob as I juggled the possessions in my
arms and had barely gotten one foot out of the door before Darien kicked it
shut.
"Stay," he said, his voice low and my heart plummeted and soared all at
the same time. He wanted me to stay with him, that was flattering. He was
married and was more than willing to cheat,not so flattering.
I smiled sadly and shook my head. "Married men shouldn’t have female
companions overnight." I slipped out the door before I could hear his reply.
Half hoping he would come after me and half hoping he would leave me be, I
hailed a cab and rode back home in pensive silence.

****

The next day, I rode myself to work, happy that Darien hadn’t just
dropped by my house and demanded he give me a ride. Jumpy at the prospect of
seeing him again after I had let on that I knew about his marital status, I
smoothed over my clothes and rode the elevator alone, anxious of what the
day would bring. I wasn’t sure if I should ignore what had happened last
night and what I had confronted him with, or if I should urge him to open up
and talk about his disaster relationship with Melissa. I finally decided on
the former, Darien did not seem like the type of man to let the flood gates
open wide and pour out his soul. Quite the opposite, actually.
If he wanted to talk about it, he would take initiative. That was his
style. Until then, I would remain his secretary and make my idea for TecCorp
so perfect, even Darien would have to buckle down and admit I did a darn
good job.
I exited the elevator and made a bee-line for my desk, reminding myself
after this sale, I would not be working for Darien. As I sat down, I was
painfully obvious that Darien was in his office, only a few meters away,
either conducting business or rehashing what I blurted out to him last
night. I gathered my files and sat at my desk, reviewing the papers and
trying to brainstorm some ideas to sell the chip. After a few minutes, I had
cornered down one area I would target and was feeling quite proud of myself
when Darien called me.
"Serena, could you come in here for a moment?" It was not a question
and both of us knew it. I nodded and rose from my chair to follow him.
"Yes?" I asked tentatively, afraid to confront the issue.
"Are you finished with the dishsoap file?"
I nearly dropped from surprise. This was not what I had imagined when I
envisioned the scene. I figured Darien would get directly to how I knew so
much about his marital status. But it did make sense, Darien seemed like
the type to show he did not care by avoiding the issue completely.
"What?" I asked, still dumbfounded.
"The dishsoap client’s file? Are you done with it because I would like
to review it."
"Oh, yeah. Sure." I bobbed my head ridiculously. "I’ll get it for you."
I quickly grabbed the file from the cabinet and rushed back to his office. I
dropped the file on his desk.
"Thank you," he said absently, not even raising his head from the
paperwork in front of him.
"Is that it?" I asked cautiously, knowing I should let it go and count
my blessings. But it angered me, in a way I did not want to admit, that he
had dismissed our discussion, and my reaction, so carelessly.
He lifted a dark brow sardonically. "Is there anything further to
discuss?" He smiled a smile that told mehe knew darn well what there was
left, he was just playing with me.
I stiffened, narrowing my eyes. "No, I suppose not." Turning cleanly on
my heel, I exited his office, determined that last night was the last time I
let myself get anywhere romantically with the womanizer, Darien Sandborn.

****

Days later found me standing in front of a table of men and women, in a
smart pantsuit, pitching my campaign to TecCorp. I was almost done with my
presentation and had managed an excellent job of not looking at Darien
throughout the entire thing, although I could feel Darien’s eyes burning
into me at every motion I made. "...And finally, we will have an elderly,
yet distinguished gentleman in a suit next to a clear stool with nothing on
it. ‘TecCorp Microchi' "it’s the biggest thing, you’ve never seen’. " I
tapped her index finger on the stool next to her which held the almost
invisible chip. I was then silent, watching the reactions playing on the
clients’ faces. I had covered all the bases in the short ad, making sure to
provide information about how easy it was to use, how it would be a valuable
asset to have around the house, and especially how small it was and easy to
insert into any camera.
"Ms. Fields," a voice boomed and I turned to smile at Mr. Siel. "I have
to say my partner had some doubts about this whole ,targeting a fresher
audience, thing, but I think we both know you have proved him wrong."
My face broke into a real grin instead of the polite smile I had been
wearing. "Thank you, sir."
"No, thank you, Ms. Fields. I had a twenty dollar bet riding on you."
He winked at her and smiled his jovial smile.
I continued to grin. I had gotten a client! There was no way I would be
expected to continue as Darien’s secretary now. No, now I would be his
equal. We would sort through problems and clients together. Together. I
suddenly realized that my new position would mean even more close contact
and more hours alone with Darien. The thought should have set alarm bells
off in my head. Instead, it gave me a sudden feeling of excitement.
Shrugging it off, and focusing on the topic at hand, I shook a plethora of
hands and delivered an abundance of smiles along with ‘thank yous’.
"When do you want to leave tonight?" I addressed Darien politely;
referring to the trip we would be making the traditional trip to the country
house, only this time for the long Thanksgiving weekend. Our families were
already down there and insisted we come tonight to greet Andrew and Rita
from their honeymoon. The plan was to stop by apartment and pick up my
already packed bag and then head off to the long ride to the familiar,
memory filled house.
"Five is fine with me," Darien responded simply, settling down at his
desk and shuffling through papers, terminating, once again, whatever
conversation we may have been having.
Annoyed by his rudeness and dismissal, I blew out my breath in a
frustrated sigh and walked out of the room. Not so much as one brief
"congratulations, Serena".
I sat down at the desk, fully aware that this was the last time I would
be sitting there, and sorted out a few messy, loose papers. Not long after,
a tall woman with a sort of cold beauty that one associated with the phrase
'Ice Princess' walked in and demanded to speak to Darien.
"If you could sit down one moment, I’ll see if he is free at the
moment. " I said as sweetly as I could, considering the haughtiness this
woman radiated. The woman was gorgeous, in all senses of the word, with her
flaming auburn hair swept up in an elegant manner and her emerald eyes
matching the tailored suit she wore.
She gave an indignant sniff, which I could swear I had heard before,
and breezed by me into Darien’s office, as if I had not said one word. Oh,
well, she was Darien’s problem now. I got back to pondering where I had
heard the woman’s voice before. After a moment, it hit me. The hang-up call
a few days back! She was the woman. But why had she not asked to speak with
Darien?
I shrugged and gave up on the puzzle, sorting through some papers,
fruitlessly searching for the last page to a report. I sighed when I
realized I probably lost it, along with some others that had no doubt
spilled into a recycle bin of some sort. Getting up, I walked to Darien’s
door to knock lightly. I heard voices arguing, one high, strained tone and
Darien’s hard, even one. It was obvious the woman was losing in the quarrel.
But who was she? When no one responded to my knock, I peeked in and saw them
near the bookcases, the woman expostulating and looking furious and pouty
all at the same time.
I quickly slipped in, neither of them noticed, and sat down at Darien’s
desk, pulling up the correct files easily. Finally, Darien noticed me. He
looked over in my direction with a puzzled look and I gestured for him to
continue, that I would only be one minute. Unfortunately, he strode over to
me, ceasing the conversation with the enraged female, who, needless to say,
did not take my presence lightly.
"Darien," she whimpered in a needy voice. One that blatantly said she
commanded attention, and got it, from all males.
"Melissa, I said we would continue this later." Darien said curtly,
coming up behind me and looking directly over my head to see what I was
working on. I was too busy reeling over the woman’s name, Melissa, to blush
at his proximity. This was Darien’s wife? She was the one Darien had picked
and maybe fallen for? If that was Darien’s taste, what was I doing in the
picture? But, then again, was I even in the picture?
"Better yet, there is nothing to continue, I said all I was going to say
earlier. " He continued and then turned to me again.
"Darien, this isn’t over. We aren’t over." Melissa tried again and shot
her eyes over to me. "Does she have to be here? This is somewhat personal."
He smoothly replied, "Serena is here on a business matter and whether
or not the matter is personal, it is over. " His eyes swept to the door and
it was clear what his intentions for his ex-wife were.
"A secretary is more important than me? I don’t think so, darling."
Melissa delicately snorted and I felt my temper shot up.
"Now waite just a--" I fully intended to stand up and give this
woman, wife, or no wife, a piece of my mind, when Darien’s warm hand on my
shoulder stilted my movements.
"Where are my manners," Darien interrupted, in a voice that seemed to
be made of silk. "Melissa, this is Serena Fields."
I stood up this time, albeit slowly and more graciously. I figured
this woman would figure out who I was soon enough, might as well be pleasant
all the while. I extended my hand only to have it flicked upon by
uninterested hands and obviously dismissed. I saw Darien’s eyes flare up
with tempered anger and then settle down back to passiveness.
"My partner," he finished his introduction icily, and we both watched
Melissa’s eyes widen with shock. "She’s the ‘F’ in FS Enterprises."
I was slightly surprised, and pleased, at the protective tone in his
low voice. I cleared my throat. "I’ll be done here in a minute and then I’ll
let you finish up in here." She turned to Darien, clearly speaking to him
only now. "Just tell me when you’re done, I’ll wait for you outside."
Melissa’s arched eyebrows were raised to her hairline by the time I was
through speaking with Darien and it gave me a warm feeling to know she was
jealous and angry at the fact the Darien and I were obviously leaving
together.
"There’s no need to wait. We’re done." He said tersely. "Let’s go."
I nodded, confused, and turned to flick off the computer, smiling at
the shriek of indignation coming from Melissa.
"Darien, I’m not leaving until you agree to speak with me further."
"You’re welcome to stay here. The night man will be more than happy to
play a round of Rummy with you." He replied with fake warmth.
Melissa opened her mouth and gaped like a fish. I smothered a chuckle
at Darien’s comment and his wife’s expression. "Better yet," she said
smoothly. "How about I go with you two?"
Darien stiffened. "I don’t think that’s a good idea."
"Why? Where are you going?"
"Up to my family’s country house. We’re getting together for
Thanksgiving." His tone made it perfectly clear she wasn’t the least bit
invited.
Yet Melissa pressed. "Oh, then she’s family?" Referring to me as if I
wasn’t in the room, she looked relieved to believe I wasn’t competition, but
a cousin of some sort.
"No, she’s not." Darien didn’t offer any information and once again
Melissa gazed at him with a startled expression.
"Then--?"
"Serena’s family and mine have been coming together for holidays for as
long as we both can remember, isn’t that right, Serena?"
I was grateful to be acknowledged and gave a slight nod which was
reciprocated with a look that could have frozen lava, courtesy dragon lady
herself.
Suddenly, Melissa decided to try a different approach, one that shocked
me and amused Darien. "But, darling," she started, her lips pouting to and
extraordinary size and her voice dripped with honey. "if I don’t see you all
of this long weekend, then when will we?" she seductively trailed her finger
down his tie, taking no heed that there was an embarrassed third party in
the room, me--, "...talk." She said the last word with an arched brow, and her
meaning was beyond clear.
Darien raised his eyebrows at her suggestion and carefully detangled
himself form her, careful to keep his tie straight. "Melissa," he sighed.
"I’ll come back to talk to you briefly tomorrow and that’s it. Here in the
morning. After that, everything is final. Understood?"
Melissa nodded gleefully and shot me a victorious look, as if she had
won. I decided enough was enough. I walked out of the room and gathered my
things at my desk. My mind was still reeling from the fact that Darien, an
attractive and seemingly intelligent man, could be stupid enough to
marry, her. At least he seemed to have enough sense to stay away from her
now.
Almost immediately after I left the office, Melissa strode by, barely
stopping to give one last triumphant look. Soon after, Darien came with his
blazer draped over his arm and his briefcase in the other hand.
"Ready?" He asked, his voice suddenly tired.
I nodded and felt the need to lighten the mood. "Not much of a people
person, is she?"
He smiled warily, "Melissa? Oh, when it’s the ‘right’ people she can
be."
"Guess I don’t bring out the best in her," I mused, not particularly
caring.
He chuckled lightly. "She’s just-."
"Misunderstood?" I supplied wryly.
That won a grin. "I was going to go for ‘different’, but
‘misunderstood’ works for me."
It then hit me that Darien knew I knew he was married, but not to whom.
For all he knew, I may have thought Melissa to be a disgruntled
ex-girlfriend or someone. I decided not to let him know I knew the full
truth.
We stopped by my new apartment and I was relieved to find out that
Darien didn’t make a move to come in with me. The place was certainly nice,
but I was nowhere near done packing or decorating. I quickly ran to get my
suitcase and we were off into the night to the country house.

****

When we arrived, we greeted Rita and Andrew and presented them with the
album, which they loved, before going to bed, exhausted by the long day and
ride.
The next day, I woke up and opened my suitcase, only to find I had left
the work Darien had asked me to bring over the weekend. Slapping my hand to
my head, I ran downstairs to see if I could catch Darien before he left for
the office. He was rinsing a mug of coffee and looked startled to see me. He
raised a brow at my appearance and my labored breathing from the dash I made
downstairs. I pushed my hair back from my face and cleared my throat.
"Good, I caught you. I forgot the work you asked me to bring." I smiled
sheepishly.
He nodded, "I’ll pick it up."
I wished it were as simple as that. "Uh...you see, it’s not exactly ready
and waiting for you to pick up. It is somewhat, scattered at my desk, and," I
trailed off, hoping he would see my point about not being as neat as he.
He furrowed his brow, as if trying to understand what I was getting at.
"Some of the files are at my place and some are at work. I’m not exactly the
neatest person in the world." I blurted out and blushed.
"I see." Was all he said. "Get ready in fifteen minutes."
I grinned and dashed up back to my room.

****

When we reached the office, I was more than happy to get out of the
silent car, though we did banter over music during the trip. Though I wasn’t
looking forward to another confrontation with Melissa, I assumed I could be
in and out quickly. We had already stopped at my place, again, for half of
the documents, and as Darien parked, I anxiously waited for this to be over
so we could head back to the country house.
We rode the elevator up in silence and I was not surprised to see
Melissa waiting impatiently for Darien in his office. Fortunately, she had
not seen me as of yet. I busied myself gathering miscellaneous papers and
compiling them into some order and sense. I vowed to become more organized,
as I grew frustrated with some missing papers, it then struck me I had never
printed out the documents I lost yesterday. I looked at Darien’s closed door
with regret. I could not very well barge in there again, nor did I wish to.
Melissa’s death looks were not particularly inviting in the Red Zone, which
had quickly become Darien’s office.
Without the noise of rustling papers, I suddenly realized how loud the
conversation, or rather, argument was. I could distinctly make out a few
sentences.
"Melissa, I don’t care if you’re not happy with the settlement. You
agreed to it from the beginning."
"But, I didn’t know we wouldn’t work out then. We were so happy, do you
remember, Darien? How happy we were?" Melissa’s voice was simpering and
disgusting.
"Did you marry me for my money then?"
"What! No, I didn’t mean!" She had been caught and the they knew
it, including me.
"It’s settled and I’m tired of this entire business. I won’t go through
it again. I’m not going to give you more money!"
"Forget the money, darling." Melissa’s tone turned low. "I don’t want
it. We had something special, Darien. You have to admit that." I smiled at
the new tactic she had pulled. "Don’t you want some of that back? Because we
can, we were good together, you and I."
All was silent and I was worried that Darien had actually fallen for
it. Then his voice came; so quiet and steely, I almost didn’t hear him. "Get
out, Melissa. And don’t bother coming back."
"This isn’t over, Darien. Not by a long shot." Melissa seethed. "And I
won’t have you cheating on me either. We’re still married, until that ink
has dried, you’re still legally mine."
She was right, unless they were already divorced and Melissa was
bringing up some past issues, hoping to settle for something more.
"Vows such as marriage never stopped you if I remember correctly. "
Suddenly the door to his office flung open and Melissa stomped out,
stopping when she saw me there. One last evil glare and she was gone. I
didn’t care. I knew something else. Judging from the conversation, Melissa
had cheated. How on earth could a woman think of being unfaithful when she
had a man as attractive and virile as Darien?
"Let me guess 'Misunderstood Melissa strikes again?" I smiled softly and
gathered up my things.
Darien’s face remained grim. "Oh, I understand her perfectly well now,
she’s a conniving, greedy." He stopped suddenly, as if remembering who he
was talking to. I also recollecting Darien still didn’t know that I knew.
"Let’s go." He said abruptly. I followed him, wondering when, if ever, he
would tell me the entire sordid deal with Melissa and him.

****

When we reached the rest of our families, we sat down and looked over
the album together, laughing and crying at certain memories. After chatting
about business, personal lives, and everything under the sun, we finally
went to dinner.
The meal was uneventful and afterward, I offered to clear the dishes.
Darien rose to help me and I got an incredible feeling that we had been down
this road before and it had not ended well. Resolving to keep my promise to
myself about not getting into a relationship of any sort with Darien, I
acknowledged his offer of help with a nod and let him follow me into the
kitchen. Lita had taken the weekend off to be with her own family so we
were left to fend for ourselves the entire vacation.
"I’ll rinse and you can put them in the dishwasher." I placed the
plates in the sink with a slight clatter and turned on the water. After a
few moments of quiet working, I heard Darien swear softly. I looked over to
see him holding a towel to his thumb. I immediately turned to him in
concern, before recalling this same event a few years back.
"Nice try, Sandborn," I said tartly, flicking water on him from my
hands.
He came up next to me and rinsed him thumb under the tap, only then did
I see the watery blood go down the drain. Only then did I realize he had cut
himself with a knife. Instinctively, I grabbed his hand and set to work
applying direct pressure. After some time, I lifted the damp towel from the
cut and figured it had stopped bleeding. I blew on it gently and heard
Darien suck in his breath raspily. I looked up in surprise and my eyes
widened when I realized unwittingly, my Florence Nightingale routine had
been sensual. Throwing away his hand as if it was fire, I mumbled something
about alcohol and a bandage.
He smiled at me knowingly and then left the kitchen.
I blew out my breath and sank against the counter, letting my arms
support me. So much for my promise.

****

Later that night, when I was sure the entire house was asleep, I was
restless. Putting my book down, I stood up and opened the door to my room
silently. Slipping out, I wandered the halls for a moment before my eyes
rested on an old room we now used as a storage place. I narrowed my eyes in
thought, since no one was particularly fond of Darien’s marriage, why would
they display them? Instead, they would prefer to hide them away in some
place like a storage room.
Excited, I pulled at the band of my drawstring pants and entered the
room silently. I fumbled for a light switch and blinked when the harsh light
disturbed my eyes. I set to work quickly and quietly, pulling out whatever
may resemble an album. I finally found gold when I cracked open a gold
crested book filled with pictures of Darien and Melissa, both smiling,
though Melissa looked at cold as usual. Darien however had warmth radiating
from his eyes, warmth that I had never had the pleasure of seeing, nor would
have now. A sudden, unreasonable spark of jealousy shot through me and I
pushed it down, knowing that even if I wanted a serious commitment with
Darien, he would never be able to reciprocate those emotions. Not now,
anyway.
I focused on the pictures and noticed something strange. In the
background, there was only a man in white, the priest, and Andrew. In all of
the pictures, there was no trace of either of our families. I frowned in
confusion until it struck me. Darien had eloped! Conservative Darien
Sandborn had thrown caution to the wind and in a passionate flurry, married
the woman he had believed he loved, stopping only to call Andrew over. But
that led up to another question: did our families even know of Darien’s
hasty marriage? Or was a kept secret between Darien, Andrew, and Melissa?
I quickly discarded that thought. Andrew wouldn’t have let it slip out
that Darien was married if he hadn’t thought others knew as well. And no way
would they risk keeping pictures here if it was a guarded clandestinity. I
flipped through the brief pages slowly, poring over each picture, as if to
memorize the setting and the look on every person’s face. Did Melissa have a
vengeful expression, planning to take Darien’s money from the start? Did
Darien have a look of hopeful, naïve optimism? Did Andrew know his brother
was making a grave mistake?
So many questions still left unanswered, even after I had found what I
wanted. Proof. Up until now, I was hoping it was an awful mistake. Even
after hearing the irrevocably damaging conversation between Darien and his
wife, I still held on to some ludicrous notion that it was all a dreadful
joke of some kind. But now, as I looked at the frozen photos of Darien’s
wedding, I knew, with a leaden heart and a lump in my throat, that it was a
done deal. That Darien had taken vows with a woman, a cruel, greedy,
ruthless woman, that now went by the name Melissa Sandborn.
When I thought of that cold, callous female taking Darien’s name, I
shuddered involuntarily. I turned to the last page and was about to begin
looking at the faces, as I had done before, when I heard a low voice rumble
from behind me. The voice was unquestionable knowledgeable of my actions,
yet inquired nonetheless. "And just what do you think you’re doing?"