AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“So good to see you, Angie.”
“Likewise,” I say back. My heart is racing, and I am starting to second-guess myself.
“Graham is gone, so go on back,” she responds with a wink, eyeing my sexy appearance. I imagine that she thinks I am naked underneath the coat. That is the illusion I am trying to portray.
I balance on my red stiletto heels and walk back to the office. Once inside, I manually lock the door. I slip out of my coat to gain better fluidity of movement and toss my bag on top of the polished desk. I plop down into the leather seat and set my cell phone timer for thirty minutes. That should give me plenty of time to search and get out of there before I get caught. I tug at the top drawer of the desk. Locked. I fish out the lock pick kit and go to work at getting the drawer to open. I have seen this done in the movies and got a kit online more as a hobby. It takes me a couple minutes but I have success. I rummage through some business documents and find nothing out of the norm. I lock the drawer and start on the second one. Inside, I find some mints, some bank statements, and a directory of employees. Nothing alarming.
When I unlock the bottom drawer, I nearly choke on my own saliva. An entire cardboard box is filled with cell phones. Upon examination they are burner phones—cheaply made and all having different phone numbers. I open up the flip phone from the top and search through until I find the message that was sent: “There’s more.” Holy shit. Opening up a second phone, I find the sent message to read, “Looking forward to booking you as a date. Something tells me you will be a wild ride…” The next phone—a lower version iPhone—was used to send a picture. To my phone. It is the same picture that was sent to me for blackmail purposes. I throw the phone back in the box and roll my chair back from the desk as if it is about to catch on fire.
I can feel the blood drain from my face, down into my neck, and settle in a pit, where it starts to boil.
I feel betrayed. Confused. It is like he is living some double life, and I do not know this man at all.
I pull out my mini camera and take photos of each burner phone’s message. Why would Graham blackmail me for money? This makes no sense. Inside his bedroom closet, he had fake IDs and dark clothes that one might use for a robbery. Is he hurting for money? Surely he would know I have none. Nothing is adding up.
Once there is nothing left in the desk to explore, I find the filing cabinet—which is surprisingly unlocked. I pull open the drawers and leaf through the various files. Nothing seems noteworthy—except for one particular file. It is labeled Entice Escort Agency. I pull out the folder and finger through the documents until I find Graham’s signature on the paper that names him owner. What the fuck? Owner? He owns the company? What about Dominic? I skim through every form and every paper until I eventually find Dominic Crawford assigned as a co-signer. A co-owner. And the date of the signature is less than a year ago. What the hell?
I take more photos and hurry to put the documents back in order just the way I found them. Bile rises in my throat, and I struggle to keep air in my lungs. Who is this man? A man with multiple identities. A man who I slept with—multiple times. A man who has warned me away from him from the start. A man I cannot seem to stay away from.
The bottom of the filing cabinet is locked. I grab my pick and go to work at releasing it. I glance at my cell phone. I have five minutes. Five minutes before I need to get my ass out of there. Five minutes to find even more dirt on Graham Hoffman. Or whoever the hell he is.
I twist and dig into the opening of the lock where a key would go. I turn and hear the telltale click and the release. Victory. I pull open the bottom drawer and find orange prescription drug containers. Eight of them. All with different labels. All with different medications inside.
Three minutes.
I snap pictures of each label. I open each bottle and take more pictures. I blink hard at the label that contains the same drugs that were prescribed to me after the accident with James. They are the same drugs that my physical therapist refuses to give to me now. I should be healed. I should not need them. But I do. I am in so much pain that it is hard to know when the crushing feeling will be too much to withstand on any given day.
Two minutes.
I pop open the protective lid and allow the chemical smell of the pills to infiltrate my senses. It is a high for me to just smell them. I feel the power they have over me charge through my body. My hands shake with the need. My mouth salivates with the desire. No. I can’t. I do not need them. Every day I go without is a day I feel stronger.
One minute.
I run to the desk and snatch up my leather bag. I open it and toss the pills loosely into the cavern. I throw the empty bottle back into the bottom drawer and lock it. I slip on my coat and tie it tightly over my trembling body.
I rush out the door, allowing it to close behind me. I walk briskly down the hall only to be greeted by a wide-eyed Hanna.
“Angie, everything okay? You’re leaving? Graham should be here soon. I can call and check?”
I want to throw up. I need air. “Yeah, I got my period. Can you believe it? What are the chances?” It is the first excuse to pop in my head to justify my departure. “Going to need to do a raincheck on this impromptu office surprise.”
“Oh no, that sucks!” Hanna expresses. “I can’t imagine Graham not wanting to see you though. Why not stick around?”
My eyes are glued on the elevator. I need to go. I need to get out of here before Graham catches me. “I’m pretty sure I’ll have blood dripping down my leg if I stay any longer. It came out of nowhere.”
“Oh, ugh, okay, I hate when Aunt Flo visits,” she says in a flutter. “Want me to tell Graham you stopped by?”
“Can you keep it a secret? I’ll be back another day to give him an extra sexy office surprise post period.”
“Okay, sounds good. He is on the fifth floor in the marketing conference room if you decide you want to see him. Otherwise, see you later.”
I throw myself into the elevator and hit the close door button. I rest my back against the posterior wall and try to catch my breath. I slip down to the floor and pull my knees up to my chest. Holy shit. What is going on? Everything I thought I knew about Graham is a lie.
Owner of Entice? Burner phones and pills and blackmail and alternate identification and weird clothing. Why would someone who has always warned me against him want to blackmail me? Why does someone who appears to have unlimited funds want money from me? And all the victims? Is he behind the mess happening around campus?
Anger boils through my veins. I want answers. I want them now. Today.
I rip open my bag and shuffle through its contents in search of the little white discs. One is not going to cut it today. I fish out two and toss them into my mouth. I chew violently on the pills until the nasty bitter taste distracts me from the emotional pain that is slicing through my heart.
