Setting her peeled orange down, she pulls her phone out of her purse and swipes her finger over her screen. Pulling up the message screen, she keys in Alex’s name. I do love oranges, thank-you. She pauses for a moment. The gesture was very sweet. I think you made a few people jealous. Keep it up and you’ll have a few stalkers here.
Pressing send, Lisa grins down at her phone. Setting it on her desk, she peels off an orange slice and places it in her mouth. The juice explodes on her taste buds as she peels another slice. Her phone buzzes and she looks down to see a reply from Alex. You’re welcome. As for stalkers, having you on my tail is more than enough. See you soon.
Lisa laughs, shaking her head. Putting her phone in her purse, she finishes off the delicious orange. Throwing the peel away, she stands and makes her way past Mariah’s desk. She’s tucking the last slice of grapefruit into her mouth. She mumbles a “So good” and Lisa grins.
Making her way towards the bathroom, she hears Samuel’s voice as he talks with someone in his office. The other voice sounds like Steven. “Then make it happen. I don’t care how you make it happen, just do it!”
“Yes, of course. Consider it done.” Some papers are shuffled around and Steven walks out of Samuel’s office. “Lisa,” he nods, looking quite off. His face is slightly red as he stomps down the hall. Raising her brows, she looks back to see Samuel standing there, watching her. His slate-colored suit with white shirt and blue tie makes him appear cold and harsh. His dark brown eyes look her over as he grins. She returns a small smile and nods to him.
“Enjoy your fruit basket?” He makes his way towards her, hands in his pants pockets.
Lisa starts pushing the bathroom door open. “I did, thank-you.”
She turns and walks inside. Looking back, she sees Samuel watching her. A flash of red touches his eyes as the door closes behind her. It happened so quickly that she wonders if she imagined it. She shakes her head and walks further into the bathroom. Sometimes Samuel’s too much for her to take in. Other times, he’s harmless. Today is not one of those harmless days.
Sighing, she looks in the mirror and approaches one of the sinks. Turning on the water, she pumps soap into her hands. Lathering up, she wonders where Alex will take her in Greek Town, then smiles at the thought of the oranges he sent her. Looking down to rinse her hands, she sees blood coming out of the faucet. Fear rising inside of her, she jerks her hands away and the blood drips down her arms. Lisa screams and she jumps back, hitting one of the bathroom stalls. It slams against the wall and she panics. A hand reaches out and grabs her shoulder. She screams again.
Turning quickly, she sees Jan from the accounting department. Her gray hair is pulled in a bun and her makeup is settled in the wrinkles on her skin. She quickly apologizes. “Lisa, sorry! I heard you scream and thought you fell or something. You okay?” Jan’s brown eyes are wide with concern. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She looks back at the sink. The faucet still running, the water runs clear. Swallowing hard, she looks down at her hands and finds them wet from the water. She shakes her head and takes a deep breath. “It’s…it’s okay, Jan. I thought I saw something, that’s all.” Slowly approaching the sink, she rinses her hands off, then quickly grabs a paper towel. Patting her hands dry, she heads towards the door. “I’m not sleeping well these days.” She looks back to Jan. “I didn’t mean to scream when you touched me.”
“Think nothing of it. I didn’t mean to startle you. I find Benadryl sometimes helps me sleep.” Jan offers her a supportive smile.
“Thank-you. I’ll try that tonight.” Lisa leaves the bathroom and walks back towards her office. Wadding up the used towel, she tosses it into her trashcan and Samuel looks up from Mariah’s desk, watching Lisa. She glances up at him once, then back down.
Closing her office door, she takes a seat behind her desk, looking through the glass wall towards Mariah and Samuel. Turning to her computer, she pulls up her instant messenger. She glances once more at Samuel and a smirk plays on his lips. He says something to Mariah, then turns and walks down to the hall to his own office.
Looking back at her instant messenger, she drafts a note to Mariah. What’s Samuel’s schedule the rest of today? She presses send and waits.
She sees Mariah is typing on the screen, then her reply comes through. His plate is full the rest of the afternoon. Do you need me to schedule something with him for you?
Lisa replies with a simple No, thank-you.
~~~~~~~~~~~