AT SEVEN-THIRTY, or the moment just past, Sre's need to not come off as a whore jumping at the opportunity to seduce a zillionaire had her settling for the nude coloured bandage gown hugging her features. The clothing stretched taut across her hips and breasts, outlining her curves perfectly.
The frontal part of the dress graced with a criss cross bodice possessed a sizeable diamond-shaped cut that showed a great deal of her underboobs and part of her upper abdomen, the skirt portion of the garment laying over her flesh like a second skin.
She'd kept her accessories to a minimum, opting for large hoop earrings on her ears and a gold bracelet on her wrist. Raven black hair was piled atop her head into a neat bun, exposing a slim neck to the atmosphere. She'd made sure to lay her edges so her baby hairs stayed plastered to her scalp in smooth swirls.
The back of the gown was delicately plain, adorned with a slim zipper that
A THICK BLANKET of silence engulfed them both and Xaver knew something was wrong. He hadn't seen anything odd from his research but the melancholic tone with which she'd voiced the last few words sparked an unsatisfactory feeling in his gut. It was the kind of feeling you get when you're missing an interlocking piece of a jigsaw puzzle.Much sooner than later, the lady who had first shown them to their seats walked up to them. As Head waiter (waitress in this case), formally referred to as the Maitre de Hotel, she was to receive complaints from guests and answer them. Behind her, the chef de rang, demi chef de rang, commis de rangs (commonly known as waiters or busboys), the debarasseur and the Sommelier (wine butler/wine waiter) followed.Chef de rangs and demi chef de rangs don't actually cook. In point of fact, they're station waiters that ensure efficient and speedy service. Working as a team with the Station head waiter who can also b
FIVE O'CLOCK IN the morning and Sreya's car headlights pierced through the darkness as the sweat on her skin seeped through her gym clothes, drenching her car seat. Her heartbeat raced and her hands shook a little but she pretended not to notice. It was always easier to pretend to not notice.Mind racing, her foot pressed down harder on the accelerator as the air whipping in through the car window dried up the sweat on her body, leaving her feeling sticky. Moments later, she pulled up into a graveled driveway, slamming her door closed as she raced into the well spaced duplex.The house was quiet and a bit dim, making it look empty. But Sreya knew exactly where to find who she was looking for as she took the stairs two at a time to the master bedroom upstairs. Sweat was beginning to breakout on her forehead again and Sre rolled her eyes as she pushed the door open.Bed covered in tissue paper, pink robe latched tight on bod
Thorns sinking into marked flesh like venomous teeth, the man pushed his crown deeper as red fluid leaked through the fresh marks, trickling down the side of a hairless chin.He was naked again. Like he was. Like he'd always been. Like he'd always be. The small book of scriptures, lay in front of him, as always. The worn out edges of the old Bible touching his bare knees. The stained pages showing powerful spiritual words which were going faint from age. Fishers of men....Turning his head to the large table sitting in the center of the room, he watched his new victim. She was crying. Like the others had done. Like Sreya had done. She was paralyzed. Weak. Scared. Like others had been. Like Sreya had been. He had to cleanse her of her sins. Make her whole in God again.Straightening from his kneeling position, he walked towards her. Hilda,
XAVER WAS DISTRACTED as hell.Absentmindedly trudging through the five conference meetings that were scheduled from 7:00am till midday, Kirkgarde was now sitting in his office, staring at the paperwork in front of him so hard he was burning cyan holes into them.Presently, Lucy - his faithful ride or die secretary - looked like she wanted to smack the distracted look off his face."Earth to Xaver", she snapped as she waved a palm across his face. Irritated at his lack of focus.Letting out an apologetic sigh, Xaver leaned back on his chair, "I should get you fired for speaking to me like that".Rolling amber coloured eyes upward, she kept a straight face, "What? You had plans to fire me so you bought me Jimmy Choos on my birthday as peace offering? Dick move".A deep chuckle rumbling off his chest, Xaver tipped his head back as his cyan eyes locked on the chandelier hangin
SREYA WAS AFRAID to touch it.It was a fucking postcard but she was afraid to touch it. Her hands shook profusely and she felt like she'd been bashed on the side of her head with a club as intense pain stretched from the center of her brain to the back before seeping deeper through the corners.The shock she'd felt at receiving the card was lit anew and multiplied tenfold each day at the coming of dawn and twentyfold at dusk for she'd first seen the thick paper with scribbled shabby writing three days before. The frantic beat of her heart could be seen through the unsteady rushed pace of the pulse on her neck, just beside her collar bone. It was getting desperately difficult to breathe and the chill she felt had nothing to do with the weather.He'd found her.Sreya closed her eyes and fought the tears as fear wrapped round her entire physique, threatening to pull her under.It'd taken her
A FOUNTAIN OF flowers.A mountainous fountain of flowers. Pharaonic. Massive. Enormous. Sreya couldn't put the colossal stone-like figure in front of her into words. She just knew it was gigantesque. And beautiful.Someone had to remind her to never put anything past Xaver Kirkgarde. The man never kept things minimum. Max. was his default and it was going to take her a while to get used to it. "A while" could mean seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years or fucking forever. But right now, she was in awe and she couldn't even hide it.The fountain had four steps. Each step was round, large circles with internal cavities. Wide hollows. Connected longitudinally with a vertical stand one can refer to as a shaft, the sizes differed greatly with the first step being the largest and the last step at the top being the smallest. Each wide circle had beautiful small train-like flowers draped over their round edges, almost as if they were pouring int
YEARS OF PRACTICE and her hands still shook.Brain Tumor. Craniotomy. Skull base surgery.Making a small skin incision on the bald scalp of a fourty-five year old George Furham, Dronian lifted skin, subcutaneous layers and muscle off bone and peeled it back. A week before, Furham had undergone several tests including electrocardiogram and chest X-ray. Consent forms were signed, paperwork completed and his medical history (allergies, previous surgeries, anesthesia reactions) was investigated.Earlier, Sreya had gone forward with the common administration of general anaesthesia. Once asleep, his head was placed in a 3-pin skull fixation device, which was ceremoniously attached to the table and held his head in position for the procedure. Also, a lumbar drain aiding the removal of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was inserted in the patient's lower back. This allowed the patients brain to relax during the entire procedure.5 Aminolevulinic Acid, 5-ALA, was th
FACIAL EXPRESSION GIVING absolutely nothing away, Xaver spoke, cyan eyes blazing with unbearable heat it scorched her, "Fine. You want to know what I want? I want to tug your hair loose from its ponytail and bury my fingers in your curls as I teach you how to submit to me with your tongue. I want to bring you chocolate as brown as your eyes in bed and feed you strawberries with my mouth. I want to have random sex in dusty storerooms while the cleaner does laundry in the next room. I want to watch you writhe and buck beneath me before you come"Sweet Jesus. Sreya was drenched. She'd sat very still when he'd begun talking and now she didn't dare move. Her core throbbed as painfully vivid pictures painted by his words flipped through her brain like a picture album. Needing to ease herself a little, Sre pressed her legs together lightly, clenching her thighs as sharp pleasure stabbed her lower belly. The action had her drawing a sharp breath, her breathing qui