Kira gulped. No way she planned to be trapped under Lucius today, especially with the kind of morning she had.
Her eyes tried to focus on her shoes to avoid looking at his face again.
As she thought of a way to escape, a phone buzzed. 'Saved by a call. really?' She thought.
"Are you going to take it?" Lucius asked.
Kira looked up at his pinched expression. "What are you talking about?" Her brows furrowed.
Lucius lifted a brow slowly, like he was savoring her confusion.
"Your phone," he said, voice smooth like his suit. "It's vibrating in your back pocket."
Heat rushed to her face.
Oh. Right.
Kira cleared her throat and clumsily reached for the phone in her back pocket, almost elbowing his chest in the process. His hand shot out on instinct, gripping her waist to steady her.
She held the phone for a while forgetting how to operate it. The call ended but Kira's existence didn't. She focused on the blank phone screen like it could open a portal that she could get sucked into and never show up in this hell for a workplace.
Lucius was more than savouring this moment. Today seemed to be going so well for him at Kira's expense and he didn't seem to care with the growing smirk plastered on his face.
Kira swallowed hard.
No, she thought.
Absolutely not.
She was not going to stand here while he enjoyed this.
Lucius leaned in slightly, his grip still firm at her waist. She could feel each print of his giant like hand that covered the whole of her back.
"You've gone very quiet," he murmured. "That's new."
Her pulse pounded in her ears.
Think. Think. Think.
His face was beginning to get closer. His scent filled her nose even more that she could taste it.
His evil smirk deepened. "Are you nervous, Kira?"
Why would she be nervous she thought.
Her eyes snapped up to his, lowering her phone.
Nervous? she thought.
Did he want nervous?
Her face formed a frown. "Of you? Please."
"There's the Kira I know."
"You don't know me Lucius."
Lucius liked when Kira called him by his first name. He couldn't name the feeling yet but his member always got the memo. "You're right. I don't know you."
"Hmpft."
"But you know what?"
"What?"
"You're my employee."
"Tell me something I don't know." Kira sassed.
This made Lucius's smirk grow smugger. He leaned even closer, "I. Own. You."
Her breath hitched in her throat. She didn't want to be reminded about her bad enough situation, and he had the guts to spit it into her face just for his stupid ego boost.
Her nose flared.
Then something wet flowed down her face to both their surprise. Her heart raced so fast it could come out from her throat. She felt something else could follow, probably her jug of caffeine.
Her sweaty hands let go of the phone.
He stepped away immediately.
She observed the phone on the floor in-between Lucius's legs but her eyes blurred.
He picked it up and handed it over to her.
Snatching the phone away from Lucius, she turned. Her heels started clicking softly against the marble floor as she plodded toward the door.
Lucius watched her go as his smirk melted away.
***
Flashback(four years ago)
Beep
Beep
Beep
"Doctor what are you saying?" A younger Kira inquired. She stood beside her grandfathers bed who had an array of machines connected to him.
"Miss. James I'm afraid Mr. James needs surgery very soon or he wouldn't make it."
"How soon does he need the surgery?" Kira asked trying to stop herself from falling.
"Tomorrow. We've waited long enough."
Kira's knees buckled, falling to the floor. Her hands clapsed her mouth to hold a scream that came out anyway. "Arghhhh." hot tears spilled wetting her jeans that she'd been living in the past three days.
Kira's grandfather had been in out of the hospital for almost a year and he was not getting any better and now with the news of his possible death without surgery.
Mr. James had been Kira's guardian since her mom passed away when she was six and she could not fathom a life where he wasn't in it.
The surgery had been recommended by the doctor few months before but Kira begged for an alternative that was less expensive till she could come up with the surgery amount. The doctor did just that and he was fine for while till two days ago where he collapsed and didn't wake up.
The door closed behind the doctor leaving Kira in her now pool of tears.
***
"Isn't there like a payment plan?"
"No ma'am, the surgery requires bringing in an expert that the hospital currently doesn't have and would require out of pocket payment, which is against our policy."
Kira ran her fingers through her dark locks in frustration. "So how do you guys expect me to come up with that absurd amount before the end of today."
The lady squinted her eyes. "I don't see how that's my concern ma'am."
Kira could not fathom what her ears were hearing but she was right. It did in fact not concern her.
She sighed and stepped away from the window. Another man stepped in immediately.
Her eyes were now heavy from crying since the doctor left Mr. Jame's room.
She didn't exactly know what her next plan would be. She had went over her options the last few months and all were fruitless. Bank loans, working 24/7 by collecting shifts outside her day job, begging her employer whose shitty insurance only covered an insulting amount.
Her options were definitely exhausted. She remembered the repulsive look the bank manager had looking at her crime scene for an application and two digit credit score that sat shamefully in the paper.
She headed towards the exit heading nowhere exactly. Small steps at the pace of a snail, someone bumped into her.
Exhausted she looked up to see who. Her eyes bulged, "Gary?"