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James is unusually quiet. Quieter than he normally is. He’s paying attention to the officers and what evidence they do have thus far on Jeff.
The investigator clears his throat and claims the attention of all in the room. “He’ll be very lucky to get arrested and tossed behind bars. There’s no telling what the people he steals for would do to him for selling them bad data.”
The other policeman steps in with his two cents finally, saying, “It is most important that not only Ms. Dodson act like normal, but for all of you not to tip him off accidentally by staring at him or talking about it amongst yourselves.”
“Alright everyone,” the investigator says, “Thanks for coming and enjoy the remainder of your day.”
As James, David and I leave the conference room, I catch sight of Jeff out of the corner of my eye. Standing back in the dark recess of the hall, I see his beady eyes shining against the dim lights. A chill runs down my spine as I turn so as not to give myself away.
The officers leave and it’s a good thing they all had plain clothes on as they walk past Jeff and leave the office by way of the elevator.
As the day goes on, I see Jeff looking at me from differing positions and it creeps me out entirely. I keep getting the heebie jeebies whenever he is around.
Seeing him so much in one afternoon makes me question whether or not he even does his job. He finally makes his way to my desk and I swallow hard. “Miss,” I hear him ask.
I wonder if I can make up some excuse for a quick exit from the office, but it’s too late now. Plus, I remember that I have to be natural.
While I gather the courage to look at him, my stomach churns at the thought. “Yes?” I remain calm as I look into the eyes of the man that is stalking me. My heart begins to race and I can hear drum beats in my ears.
“I was wondering who those people were that came out of the conference room,” Jeff asks.
“A new client is all, now you’ll have to excuse me as I need to get back to work,” I politely say and face my monitor again, typing furiously, hopefully he’ll take the hint.
“Have a nice day and thank you,” Jeff says as he turns to leave.
Once he does, I feel like I can breathe again. Letting out a deep breath, I suck in an even bigger breath to still the pounding of my heart. My stomach stops churning as I start to relax again with him out of my sight.
Who knows when he’ll come back for another peek.
As I live and breathe, I begin to wonder what on earth could be taking so long to obtain the warrant. It seems like they have enough to arrest him, but I guess he’s just a minnow in the pond and they want the shark.
The clients are the bigger fish to fry.
Forty-One
Lily
What the fuck?
I guess this guy is really stupid or ignorant of personal space. Jeff, once again, is standing next to my desk. I thought I heard him sniff the air around me and my heart begins its race in my system as my stomach does flip flops.
God, I absolutely don’t want to talk to him. His very existence is a curse to me and it bothers me so that he can’t just take a simple hint and leave me the fuck alone.
Why can’t he understand that when you treat a woman the way that he has been treating me, that it’s not flattering but scary. Like creepy scary.
But, I have to be nice to him. To him of all people, a man that defies personal boundaries both on the job and off. Steeling my nerves, I calmly look at him. His eyes are pleading with mine for something. “What is it, Jeff?” I ask as politely as I can.
“I-I was wondering if sometime you would go to dinner with me sometime soon?” he stutters as he talks, making him even creepier.
“Jeff, I simply can’t,” I say, trying to find a nice way to get rid of him. I decide the truth is the best answer and that maybe then, he’ll get it through his thick skull. “I’m not interested in you that way. I’m sorry.”
Jeff stares at me for a long moment and then hangs his head, sulking away from my desk. As I watch the wretched man walk to the back of the office and crawl back into wherever he comes from, my nerves begin to settle. I take a long drink of cool water from my filter bottle and set it down.
Hopefully, he won’t come back.
As the end of the day approaches, I ask both James and David if they need anything else. Both say “no”, so I reset my desk for the morning. Then I pack up my bag to leave the office.
Outside, the air is refreshing and a slight breeze blows around a scattering of leaves, creating a rustling sound. It carries on it the smell of hamburgers, no doubt down from the local tavern at the end of the street. Feeling the sun’s rays on my back as I walk to my car warms me all over.
