My Calm Ch. 03

Mrs. James was on the stage by then. Teachers sat on the chairs that aligned on the stage. Strict gazes and grouchy faces were plentiful. The principal spoke a few words and then everyone stood up and sang the anthem. I stood there like an idiot. A few minutes down, I had 7 more hours to go.

I kept to myself most of the day. I tried to memorise all the names of the teachers I had lessons with. Most of the kids tried to be friendly, I wanted to run. Social situations weren't my thing. The last bell rang and I bolted for the door, a girl waved at me but I forgot her name already.

Alfonzo waited for me inside the black polished SUV. We drove home in complete silence and it didn't bother me. I watched the buildings pass by slowly as we cruised through traffic. When we stopped in front of the building, he finally said something. "I'll be back in an hour."

"Shouldn't you be on me the entire time? You're slacking on the first day, Alfie that's bad." I joked. He did not laugh.

"Boss' orders."

He drove off and I headed up with the elevator. Oh my, I noticed something horrible. My hair was a mess. I had very long curly hair but my baby hair never really grew, so then they decided to stand straight up into the air, despite all the pressing I did. All the coconut oil in the world wasn't ever enough to tame it. I looked like that the whole day. Queue my dramatic sigh.

The penthouse was empty. Thank god. It was the first time I was alone. It felt weird but great. I took off my shoes and stared in the mirror for a bit. My clothes were hideous but I had to live with it for the next year. Hurriedly, I stripped down to my shorts and tank top and tossed the uniform in the clothes hamper.

As I walked to my large floor-to-ceiling window, I wondered if anyone could see me? I was very high up but there was a building across the street. I only saw figures of people moving but I could never make out any faces. It was a weird feeling, knowing that someone might be watching me whenever I slept or changed clothes.

While in the middle of my pondering, the telephone rang. I ran toward the kitchen and unhooked the sleek silver phone.

"Nala?"

Hearing that voice made my heart jump into my throat. It was him.

"Yurik?" I asked, making sure my voice remained calm.

"I need you to..."

"Does Nadinne know you're calling me?" I rambled in a panic. "I do not think this is appropriate. I need to hang up the phone. I do not think..."

"Listen to me, NOW!" he barked. That made me quieten down, for sure. "I want you to do a few things for me."

"You didn't have to yell at me." My voice was small, meek. Were my feelings actually hurt?

Yurik sighed heavily into the speaker. "I apologise." His tone was gentler and sweet. "We will have important guests over tonight, by seven. I sent for a chef, Pascal, he'll arrive at five. Buzz him in."

Was it bad that I fell into that spell he always put me under whenever he spoke to me? I thought so. His voice was so deep and his words were so precise and calculated. His tonne was firm and demanding. "Are you listening?" he asked me. Honestly, I didn't care about what he spoke about, only that he was speaking to me. It was rare to have more than a few words thrown my way, now I had full sentences, orders.

I imagined him before me, looking down at me with those green eyes that made me quiver. Seeing hunger behind his gaze was something of the past. I craved it.

"Nala?"

Just hearing him say my name was such a turn on. My skin felt hot. The room felt humid. "Yeah?" was all I could've said.

"Take the elevator to the 'C' floor and select a wine for tonight, white preferably. Do not take any wine or whisky from the glass cases. They're collectors items."

"Yes sir." That came out in a very sultry way that I prayed he didn't notice. I couldn't control my thumping heart and laboured breathing. What was he doing to me?

"I do not appreciate that. You don't have to be so proper with me. We live together and see each other everyday." He explained. "I imagined that being friends was an option for us?"

"Friends?"

"Yes." Yurik went on and on but I couldn't focus. My hands roamed over my breasts and stomach and it felt amazing. "Do you understand? You seem distracted. Anyway, this isn't something to discuss over the phone. We must talk."

There were far better things. "Okay." I spoke into the phone with such apprehension but he was totally normal. I lost my effect on him. What did he say? We had to talk face-to-face. It was that important. I didn't hear what it was about. Oh well.

The dial tone sung on the other side and I just stood there. I felt my own body sing. The tiny hairs on my arms stood on end. It was like my body radiated electricity. My hand brushed over the hair and my skin sang louder. My fingertips traced over my lips that were full and puffy from my constant biting. I wanted him to bite my lips.

I pressed my hands against my sides in protest. My thoughts and what I wanted to do were wrong. It was betrayal of the worst kind. I didn't want to hurt anyone. The memories of him hurting me came back. He hurt me because he didn't know how to deal with his desire for me. He was good at it now.

I walked toward my room with determination. I was a good girl and good girls didn't touch themselves while thinking of a married man. However, something caught my eye and made me stop. It was a picture of Yurik and Yunnes in matching suites.

Yurik looked so handsome in his suit with a little bow tie around his neck. My determination completely dissolved.

My hands travelled up my thighs and I touched myself. I slowly rubbed myself with one hand and held onto his picture with the other. My mind wandered.

I imagined his hands on me. The guilt shrivelled up and was replaced with lust. His hands were so strong. Just a grip would leave bruises on my hips and thighs. I marvelled at them. Knowing that he couldn't control himself with me gave me a sense of power.

Sweat droplets formed on my back. I was burning up. My legs felt weak and I felt my own wetness seeping through my underwear and tights. Leaning against the wall gave me a sense of stability. My thighs actually began to quiver.

Blood pumped into my swollen lips. I refused to release my lower lip from between my clenched teeth. Just a little noise from my throat posed a threat. Alfie could've been just outside the door. The penthouse was so big that I imagined my voice echoing through it and being heard by the other people in the building.

Breathing was one thing I couldn't control. It became harsh and laboured. It was too loud. The way that my fingers manipulated my body felt so good. I knew if Alfie walked in at that moment, I wouldn't care.

With all the shit that I went through, I deserved this. I deserved to feel this good. Every muscle in my body tightened and remained coiled like a snake ready to strike. My rubbing became fierce and urgent. I had to come. I needed to come.

Lips kissed along my neck and teeth grazed the sensitive skin. I yearned for his touch. His scent surrounded me and I inhaled, greedily. If I had him in front of me, my body would've exploded in seconds.

My eyes opened reluctantly to the picture in my hand. He looked at me. Those bright green eyes burned holes into my soul whenever he glanced my way. My weakness. His power radiated from the picture. Was it his posture or just his aura?

I needed him. It was obvious. I hoped it was only obvious to me and not to the people around me. I just had to steal one touch from him. Just one.

That feeling. It accumulated inside me but I felt empty. I ignored it. My brows furrowed in frustration. My face contorted as if I were in pain. I came slowly and softly. It was heavenly in a way that amazed me.

My muscles relaxed and I sighed with content. However, one thought didn't escape me. He made me come the hardest. It disgusted me that he knew my body better than I did.

For a few seconds I thought the ringing was in my head but it was actually the telephone. With weak limbs, I walked to the phone. I leaned on top of the counter and pressed the device to my ear. "Nala."

My heart went into overdrive and I almost lost myself again. "Did you do what I told you to do?"

"Do...do what?" I asked. The trembling of my vocal cords didn't go unnoticed.

"I asked you to choose a wine from my cellar. Did you do what I asked you to do?"

"Yeah." I lied. "White. You like white wine." The guilt didn't affect me as much as his voice.

"I hate white wine." Yurik said. "I like red wine, but I love whiskey."

"I hate wine."

"You haven't tasted fine wine, Nala." His voice was low and thick. "I'll take you down there one day and introduce you to it. However, we need to tune your taste buds before then."

Immediately my mind ran free. Imagining his taste buds against my clit was enough to soak my panties even more. "Yeah."

"Goodbye Nala."

He hung up and I listened to that dial tone for a few seconds longer. I felt lost. I couldn't control myself anymore. The dinner. How would I look him in the eyes? He will see it all over my face.

Those thoughts played on a loop in my head all the way down to floor 'C'. It was like an old red brick basement. There were no windows and a light hung in the middle of the room. An array of bottles aligned the walls. Each had their own little hole to lay in. The walls were high and each shelf reached until the ceiling. There were actual ladders. In the middle of the room stood a glass case, filled with velvet. I was too afraid to touch it so I just leaned in and took a peak. About seven bottles laid on that case, surrounded by velvet. I couldn't pronounce the names. One had a pretty buck on it with long horns

"The Dalmore." I said aloud. "Fancy."

I scanned the racks. I grabbed the first white wine I found and stepped into the elevator again. The place creeped me out. I felt real serial killer dungeon vibes down there.

I showered and wore a cute green dress. While combed out my hair, I heard the phone again. This time, it was the concierge. "I have Mr. Pascal Kryger at the door, ma'am."

Another Kryger? "Let him up, Paul." I said and then strolled to the elevator to wait for the chef.

Honestly, I found it irritating that Yurik only hired family members. Where there really no other people to hire out here? I shrugged off the feeling when the elevator doors slid open.

The chef, in his late fifties strolled in with a wide smile. I grabbed the brown paper bags filled with ingredients from his full arms. "You must be Nala, the magazines do not do you any justice." He said, with the same thick accent as the other relatives. Still irritated.

"You saw pictures of me?" I asked him. I appreciated the small talk. Yurik never spoke to me, up until recently. I found that very weird. Yunnes never put down the chance to insult me. Alfonzo was nice but too quiet. This family irritated me. Why was I so irritated with everyone?

"The wedding was all over the news back home in Poland. It was hard not to see your face there." Pascal said as he sorted the vegetables on the counter. I didn't fully understand what that meant but I didn't have the energy to confront anyone. I knew I was he only person of colour in those pictures, unless you counted the people with fake tans.

"Can I help with something here?" I asked him. I really didn't mean it. It was the polite thing to do.

He started to order me around and I just obeyed. Being left with nothing to do was the worst thing that could've happened. My mind would roam. That was bad. I realised that I could take the opportunity to ask about Yurik and his dark family past. "Are you Yurik's personal chef?"

"No." He said. I continued to cut the carrots. "I come in whenever he needs me. I love working for the family. Yurik works too much. He is just like his father."

"Kryger Shipping is a very large business?"

"The largest shipping company in Europe." He said with so much pride.

"I heard the wedding was strategic. Do you think so too?"

"Oh Sweetheart, everything his father does is strategic, Yurik is the same." He liked to gossip. I could tell. "Should I arrange all the puzzles for you?"

"My family has access to almost all the ports in the county. Yurik's company has a lot of ships... oh my..." it was like an explosion or something went off in my brain. It all made sense. What Yunnes told me at the wedding was totally true. I wondered if Yurik loved my sister or if it was just part of the strategy for her to fall in love with him. My parents obviously knew about it. All this made me ill.

"Do you think that Yurik and my sister are in love?" I'd have to pry until I crossed some imaginary line of confidentiality.

"Who really knows?" Pascal sighed. "That boy was practically forced into a suit before he hit puberty. Work is all he knows. If he loves her, that's great. If he doesn't, then he deserves an Oscar."

"I think you should come over more often." I smiled. "The stories are just as good as the smell in the kitchen."

"Wait until you taste it." Pascal brought the spoon to my lips with a little white sauce on it. I blew on it and tasted the creamy goodness. I hummed with satisfaction. "I told you. You're not like your sister."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Honey, in a family like this, it's a rare thing. You're not so uptight like the rest of them. You should not let the Kryger family get to you. They are..."

"What are we?" Yurik's stern voice interrupted the wonderful conversation. He walked in, with Nadinne in tow.

"They are so serious." Pascal finished off with a sweet smile. He was like the uncle that I never had, with a young and playful twist. He joked around and I knew that Yurik couldn't correct him because of the age difference. Respect your elders.

"I thought we shared the same last name, Uncle?" Yurik said. I couldn't tell if he was trying to mimic Pascal's playfulness. I never saw Yurik being genuinely playful.

"Uncle Pascal, how have you been?" Nadinne gave him a side hug. Uncle Pascal didn't reply, he only focused on stirring whatever that was in front of him. "Are you ready?" Nadinne directed her attention toward me.

I starred down at my pretty green dress. I wore a cardigan because of the scar on my arm. The stitches were out already but it itched, so it was healing. "I looked fine for whatever you have planned." I said with a hint of disdain behind my words.

"Button that up." She said while pointing at the black wrap. "We need to set a good example. We need to impress Mr. Yung. He's on the board of directors of your school."

"Don't I go to a convent?"

"It's a private school. It took a lot of donations to get you into that school, Nala. Just behave." She meant 'donations'.

Uncle Pascal shook his head and chuckled. "She looks fine."

"What do you think?" I asked Yurik, who was quiet the entire time. He scanned me once. I saw his jaw clench, or I thought I had. "Cover up." It was all he said and then he disappeared into his office.

I huffed in defeat. I thought I looked presentable. I buttoned up the cardigan and continued helping Uncle Pascal. Yurik was his usual weird self. I ignored it.

After we finished, Nadinne changed and I saw Uncle Pascal out. He was so sweet. "Call me whenever you want to. I'll be over in a snap. I might be aging but I can outrun all of you." He laughed.

"You'll have to cook me something." I joked.

"I'll whip up a five course meal and I'll only charge you a hug."

I hugged him as tight as I could. It felt amazing to have someone around me that was kind. It felt weird that I only met him today but I already missed him as soon as those elevator doors slid shut. He was my friend. He was on my side.

Just when I turned to check on my phone, the concierge called. Our guests were downstairs. I confirmed and yelled for the 'family' to come out.

The doors slid open and a slightly older Asian man stood there. He wore a black suit with a blue undershirt. His black hair had hints of grey in it. His facial features were stern and upset. He looked down at me and assessed. "Is this the right floor?" he asked.

"Nala!" A girl came from behind him and hugged me. She looked familiar but apparently she knew me very well. "Yes. We are here Father." She said. When she smiled, I recognised her dimples. We were in the same class.

She had jet black hair that came down just below her ears. She had a bangs too, which complemented her huge dark brown eyes. Overall, she was very pretty.

I invited them in and, just then, Nadinne and Yurik emerged from hiding. They were dressed up. This dinner thing was probably very important. The girl sat next to me. The men sat at each end of the table. Nadinne sat opposite me.

I got up and served the people. I didn't mind. Actually, I felt very out of place. The girl kept staring at me and I felt bad that I didn't know her name. I would've felt like an asshole if I asked for it.

I sat in silence. The grownup talk didn't interest me at all. I just added whenever they asked me anything like how I liked the school and such.

"Nala, why don't you show Anne the view from your room?" Anne, there it was.

We excused ourselves and I took her to my room. When we entered, she walked to the full length window. It was dark already, so the lights were very pretty. "Does his mean we're friends now?" She asked me in the sweetest voice.

"I guess so." I stood next to her. I felt weird about it. I don't know why. "You're my second friend out here."

"Who's the first?"

"My new uncle." I said honestly.

"My father ordered me to be friends with you." Anne said, more like confessed. "I wasn't planning on it but when I saw you at school, you seemed so friendly. The people say that you have problems."

"People?" I asked her. Her honesty came off quite harshly. I knew she didn't mean it.

"The kids, the teachers. Father told the teachers to pay extra attention to you."

"I hate that people need to walk on eggshells around me." I said. I grabbed her pinkie with mine. "If we're going to be friends, you can't walk on eggshells around me. Promise?"

"Promise." She tugged on my pinkie and the promise became real.

After the grownup talk, Anne's father called her and they left. Anne texted me as soon as she got home. I had two friends and I felt on top of the world. I didn't feel crazy once. It was a good day.

I decided to top off the night with ice cream. Strolling down the hall, I thought about Anne. She was so sweet and honest. I needed honesty in my life. I hoped she would make a good friend.

"Nala!" His voice came through his office doors just as I passed them. I sighed heavily. "Yeah?" I called back.

"Come in, we need to talk." He said. Just what I needed. I was actually happy for like three seconds and now I had to be in his face. "Close the door."

I closed the double doors behind me and reluctantly walked inside the lion's den. Yurik wasn't a lion. He was like some kind of panther. He had the eyes to match. Yurik moved like a panther. Grace and strength, power and stealth.

The office mimicked the rest of the penthouse. All the furniture remained simple but elegant so that all the attention remained on the spectacular view from the floor-to-ceiling window. He looked very intimidating siting behind the black wooden desk in his dinner suit. He looked sexy as hell too.

"Sit down."

The tension in his face was evident. I became worried. He was nice to me a few minutes ago, or was it an act for the Yung's?

"Listen, I've been really well behaved considering that I've been off my medication for a few days now." I tried to clarify the situation, pleaded my case for a lighter sentence. "I didn't do anything wrong today, I swear."

Yurik just sat there with his elbows on the table and his fingers intertwined in a fist. He inhaled deeply and turned his computer screen without saying anything. It showed an image of the hallway leading up to the elevator. I didn't know what I was supposed to look at. "I think your screen saver is really great and all. I love your floors but I don't think it's that amazing."