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I knew it was a lie. Raya knew it was a lie. But, I had to keep telling myself that lie and hope that I'd eventually come to believe it. I couldn't let myself fall for Malcolm. Not if we were going to make this work.
“Sure, whatever you say, Casey,” Raya said. “Just be careful, I don't want to see him hurt you. Remember, he needs something from you now, but once he has what he wants –”
“We're not going to be together, Raya. There's no way we'd work out,” I said. “We're just too different. And besides, I plan on getting the hell out of here as soon as I get that money, so in a way, I'm using him too. It's strictly a business arrangement.”
“Keep telling yourself that, chica, and hopefully, it'll actually turn out to be true.”
~ooo000ooo~
I got off the bus and stared up at the building before me. Crane Enterprises. Yep. This was it. This was where I was meeting with Malcolm and his lawyer to go over everything. Standing there on the sidewalk, it occurred to me that this was my last chance to back out of it.
The skyscraper was massive and modern, and I found it hard to believe that one family owned the giant, sleek building made of glass and steel before me. I counted the floors until I couldn't do it anymore. I knew I was just procrastinating, fidgeting, and not going inside. I tried to imagine how many employees they must have in a building so big, and the number was too large for me to fathom.
Most of the lights in the building were off, as it was after normal working hours, but a few windows remained lit. I figured one of them would be our meeting room. I stared down at the piece of paper in my hand that listed the address and the room number, and let out a long, pensive breath.
“It's now or never, Casey,” I muttered to myself.
I pulled open the large glass doors and walked through the lobby until I came to a reception desk. No receptionist was there, however, only a security guard who looked bored.
“Can I help you?” the woman said.
“Yes, I have a meeting with Malcolm Crane,” I said. “He's expecting me.”
The guard looked me up and down, and I didn't think she believed me. I'd tried to dress nice and look professional in the closest thing I had to a business suit – the same pencil skirt I wore yesterday with a white blouse. No jacket, but I had on heels and pantyhose. I thought I looked good, but the security guard didn't seem to approve of my choice in outfits.
“What's your name?” the guard asked.
“Casey Melville,” I said.
I crumpled the paper in my hand, then opened it back up again. Her scrutiny was making me sweat and told me that I was clearly out of place here.
The security guard picked up a phone, never taking her eyes off me. While she talked to someone in a hushed tone, I looked around the main floor of building. It was a sleek and modern interior with plants and a prominent water feature. It had black leather seating, wood trim on the walls, and a bank of elevators were set at the far end of the building. There were photographs on the walls of doctors, scientists, and others smiling brightly, with positive messages underneath them about how Crane Enterprises Cures People.
“He said to send you on up,” the guard said. “He's on the fifteenth floor, in the conference room. Just go up those elevators to –”
I stopped listening to her once she said I was free to go. I didn't like the way she'd obviously weighed and judged me, so I'd find my own way. I walked toward the elevators, the anticipation inside of me growing with each step. I felt like I was walking in a daze and it all felt like a dream. My body felt heavy, like I wasn't in control over it anymore. When the doors opened, I don't even remember walking inside and pressing the button.
I'd obviously done it, since I made it to the fifteenth floor in a matter of moments. The elevator doors slide open with a soft chime, and I stood there hesitating for too long. They closed again, and I had to press the button to open the doors back up in order to walk off the elevator.
The conference room, that's where I needed to go. I looked for some sort of signage that pointed the way to the conference room and didn't see any. There was another receptionist desk to the right, but it was empty. Everyone had seemingly gone home for the evening already. Apparently, I should have listened to the security guard downstairs.
I looked to my left and saw there were hallways that way, as well as some to my right. My head started spinning as I stood there and tried to figure out where I should go.
I heard footsteps coming from somewhere. The echoes of those footfalls were coming closer and it set my pulse racing. Malcolm rounded the corner and smiled.
“There you are,” he said, motioning for me to fol
low him. “We're just in here.”
We walked down the hallway, which ended pretty abruptly against two large, dark doors. Malcolm held the door open for me, and I swallowed hard as I stepped inside. The conference room could easily fit fifty people, but there were just the three of us: Malcolm, me and a man I assumed to be the lawyer.
The other man stood up from the table and reached for my hand.
“Terrance Houston,” he said. “It's nice to meet you.”
“Casey Melville,” I said.
Terrance looked every bit like a lawyer, dressed in a business suit with a burgundy and gold colored tie. In front of him were several piles of paperwork and a folder.
