Serenity

I was upset when Daniel first explained the real purpose of his gift, but now sitting outside the boardroom, feeling the cool stone against my neck gave me a sense of security. I listened to the soft tapping of the secretary's keyboard as she ignored my presence, continuing her work. I'd been waiting for almost an hour when the oak double doors parted. "Miss Matthews, we're ready for you now," a young clerk said as he ushered me inside.

The conference table was large enough to hold up to twenty seats, but today it only had five on one side, and my lone chair on the opposite side. Talk about intimidation tactics. "Water?" the same young man asked.

"No, thank you, I already have some," I replied, producing my water bottle. A look passed over his face, but he quickly schooled it. Susan and Matt had warned me about possible chemicals in the water to make me tell things I didn't want known. Goodness knows I was aware of date rape drugs, but I never thought I'd have to worry about things like that at work.

Mr. Dahl cleared his throat, drawing my focus to him. "Now, Miss Matthews, we'd like to get some insight into your dealings with Iten Industries."

"Of course, Mr. Dahl, what insights might I offer?" I asked innocently. I had no idea what they would ask, but after my last short meeting, I knew it wouldn't be in Daniel's best interests, nor mine.

"Well, we were curious about the interactions between humans and vampires. Do you feel pressured or coerced in any manner to be fed from or to feed from them?"

I'm sure my eyes were bulging at his question as my head shook no. "I, um, well they ask on the questionnaire if you want to donate blood, but it is a choice. I've never heard of anyone drinking vampire blood there."

"Do you donate?" Mr. Caffrey asked, his eyes narrowing.

"No. I declined to participate in my initial questionnaire. I've never had anyone ask since that first day.

"Hmm. " He looked down at his notes and asked, "Are you aware of vampires using compulsion to secure business deals?"

"What?" I asked, unsure I'd heard him correctly.

"Compulsion, Miss Matthews. Vampires can sometimes convince people to say and do what they wish. Have you ever witnessed this in a business transaction?" Mr. Caffrey gruffed.

"No, sir. I'm not even in the business meetings beyond bringing in the occasional file to Mr. Ito or Mr. Willet."

"So you haven't been in a meeting, perhaps taking notes or preparing coffee for the partners, and overheard anything?" Mr. Dahl pushed.

"Sirs, I think you've been given the wrong impression of my position at the firm. While I work on the floor with the partners, I am directly supervised by their administrative assistants, Mr. Evan Bragg and Mr. Riley Tark. I do not attend business meetings. Matter of fact, I'm not aware of any human associates that are involved in those meetings." I tried to keep my hands from shaking as I took a drink from my water. I kept expecting Daniel to burst through the doors at how fast my heart was beating. I was extremely uncomfortable with their insinuations, but my answers were honest. Daniel and I had decided in light of our relationship that it was best for me to stay out of meetings until I reached a decision on my role in his life moving forward.

I watched as the men exchanged glances and took notes. One man kept looking to the far end of the boardroom where another door was located, but no one entered. I felt the hair on the back of my neck standing on end each time he looked in that direction. What were these men hiding? What were they after?

"Do you feel safe at Iten, Miss Matthews?" one of the associates asked.

"Yes, Mr...?"

"Drake," the man replied, a sinister smile lighting up his face. His voice made my skin crawl.

I nodded. "Yes, Mr. Drake, I do feel safe at Iten. My experience has been good. Is there a reason I wouldn't feel safe?"

He folded his hands on the table before him, his eyes boring into me. "Well, the board is familiar with your past tragedy. We simply wouldn't want you in an environment that makes you uncomfortable or where you question your safety."

"That matter is none of your business, Mr. Drake," I snapped. "Now, are there any other questions you have for me, gentlemen? If not, I have a job to get back to." I began to stand when Mr. Drake spoke again.

"Sit down, Serenity." His voice was soft, but it felt like a sledgehammer in my mind and I fell back into the chair. My eyes felt heavy and the room began to spin. I knew he was talking to me, but I couldn't make out the words.

Matt

"I don't have a good feeling about this. She's been up there for almost three hours."

"Have you tried texting her?" Garen asked.

"Yeah, like three times and she isn't responding. Hell, it doesn't even show that she's read the messages. What do I do?"

I could hear something break as Garen growled, "Fuck. Okay, go inside and ask to speak with her. Give them some bullshit about a meeting I need her to prep for."

"Got it. I'll keep you posted." I hung up and headed for the front desk, resisting the urge to bust through it. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Serenity Matthews. She was here to see the partners."

"And you are?" a snarky blond receptionist asked me. Guess there's one of these bitches in every office.

"Matt Walker from Iten Industries. Ms. Matthews has a meeting to prep for and Mr. Willet was wondering what the delay was." I snapped. She scooted back from me and connected a line to her headset.

"A man is asking for Ms. Matthews. He says he's from Iten and here on behalf of Mr. Willet," she hurriedly whispered into the microphone. I could hear the fear in her voice as she tried to keep the conversation private. "Yes, um, okay," she muttered then hung up. "Um, Mr. Walker, she will be here momentarily. They are just wrapping up their meeting. You can have a seat if you like."

About ten minutes later, Serenity came walking down the hall with a mousy-looking man escorting her. My fists clenched as I saw his hand on her arm. Despite looking in my direction, she didn't seem to see me at first. I took a step toward them, "Ms. Matthews?" I cleared my throat and her eyes seemed to focus. Something was wrong here.

"We'll be in contact to schedule your next meeting, Miss Matthews," the man said then released her arm. Something shifted as her eyes brightened and she smiled at me.

"Hello, Matt. Is everything alright?" she asked. I gave her a confused look then explained what I'd told the receptionist. I was certain now that someone or something was listening to our every word. "Oh, my goodness, I didn't realize how much time had passed. I guess we really should get going," she mumbled and followed me to the car.

I opened the back door and she thanked me as she slid inside. It wasn't until we were several miles away that I asked anything. "Ren, is everything okay?"

She blinked slowly, her hands fidgeting in her lap, "Um, yeah, I guess."

"Anything eventful happen?"

A frown creased her brow as she started to talk, then stopped suddenly. A frustrated sigh shook her body as she whispered, "I can't remember."

Author's Notes:  Hmmm...who is this Mr. Drake?   By the way, any feedback would be appreciated.  I started this story over a year ago then walked away with horrible writer's block.  Honestly, since finishing Outrunning Her Past, I've been struggling to write anything that I don't immediately delete.  Then out of the blue, I had some ideas flare about how to shift and improve this story.   Let me know if it's pulling you in or not, please!