And then Lucent's office. A silver plaque on the outside announced it as such: "Lucent A. Storme – Director of Public Relations."
I went to knock, because I thought that's what I should do, but Mrs. Landseer opened the door straightaway. She walked inside and urged me to follow her. I did, sheepish, tiptoeing in.
Lucent sat behind a desk at the opposite side of the room. After our entrapment in the library, he looked so different. Clean-shaven, with a fresh suit. And no longer walking around shirtless, I noted. I didn't know how I felt about that one. Of course I didn't expect him to walk around shirtless during working hours, but almost half of the time I'd known him he hadn't worn a shirt and I kind of liked that.
He furrowed his brow and glanced up from some paperwork. Smiling at Mrs. Landseer, he offered a curt nod as a greeting, and then he saw me. His friendly expression dimmed, darkened, vanished. He stared at me blankly.
"Elise is here to apply for your personal assistant position," Mrs. Landseer said brightly. She sounded far more enthusiastic about this than I felt at the moment.
"I see," Lucent said. "Unfortunately I do not require a personal assistant at this time, as I've told Mr. Landseer multiple times over, but I appreciate the concern."
No, I thought. No. You can't do this to me, Lucent. I'm not going to leave. I thought these things, but no amount of confidence enticed me into saying them aloud.
"Here's her resume," Mrs. Landseer said, approaching Lucent's desk with my resume in hand. Her business heels tapped against the carpet, a commanding beat.
Lucent begrudgingly took my resume and glanced at it. "Is this it, then?"
"I'd like you to consider me for the position," I whispered.
Lucent frowned at me, but he didn't look upset. "What did you say, Miss Tanner?"
"Lucent," I said, louder now, pleading. "Please? I don't even know how to write a resume. I've never done it before. I spent so long writing that, though. I would've emailed you or called you except I couldn't and... please?"
Mrs. Landseer smiled at me, reassuring, then she nodded to Lucent. "I'll leave you two be." With that, she stepped away from Lucent's desk and escorted herself out of his office.
"Come here," he said, motioning to a chair in front of his desk.
Before, in my mind, he had no such chair, but thankfully in reality it existed. I was so nervous now I could barely stand. I scurried forward, nearly tripping, and sat in the chair.
"I have a lot of work to do," he said softly. "I wanted to make this easier for the both of us by ending things as I did. Do you understand that?"
I shook my head. "No, not really."
He sighed and glanced at my resume again. "Miss Tanner, I appreciate the time you put into this. It looks intriguing and useful. I daresay, I'm pleased with your approach towards resume crafting. I can't hire you as my personal assistant, though. Not only do I not require someone to maintain my personal affairs, but I especially can't request you to handle them."
"Why?" I asked.
"I'm not a good person," he said. "I thought I informed you of this in my messages. Did you listen to them?"
I nodded.
"Then you should realize what I've done and I believe a common course of action is to be frightened and perhaps despise me. I can offer you my deepest regrets, but otherwise I have nothing for you."
"No," I said. "I don't hate you."
"You should."
"I don't."
"Please go home, Miss Tanner. I don't want to make this more difficult than it is."
Why was he doing this? I didn't understand and it hurt, but I was here now and I wouldn't. I wasn't going to leave.
"I came for an appointment for an interview," I said, hoping to sound stronger than I felt. "I'd like you to give me an opportunity."
He favored me with a sad smile. "I don't have the time. I apologize."
"I'll wait." My tongue nearly tripped on the words, that's how fast I said them.
"My schedule is very intensive. I have a lot to do."
"I don't mind waiting."
"I doubt I can fit you in today."
If I left, I knew this was it. I had nothing, no other chance, and I refused to accept that.
"That's fine," I said. "I don't mind. I'd prefer to wait."
Lucent watched me. What did he see, I wondered? What was he thinking? Sighing, he brought his hand to his face, covering his eyes and squeezing his forehead.
"I wish you weren't so difficult," he said. "I wish you understood how impossible this is. If you must continue this, you may wait, but I assure you it is highly unlikely I'll find the time today to interview you. You may sit on my couch."
He pointed to the side in one swift, fluid motion, indicating a leather couch against the far wall of his office with a shaded lamp looming over it and a window alongside it.
"Thanks, Lucent," I said.
He grumbled at me.
"Sorry," I stammered. "Thank you, Mr. Storme."
"Better," he said, but he still grumbled.
I wanted to run up and sneak behind his desk and kiss him on the cheek, but I thought maybe that was office sexual harassment or something. If I wanted him to consider hiring me, I couldn't sexually harass him during business hours. I needed to wait until after his work day ended before hopefully doing that.
...
I waited. Lucent worked.
I started my wait patiently, thinking he should give up eventually and accept my resolution. I was determined and I refused to leave and he'd notice that, wouldn't he? Would he like it and appreciate it? That didn't really matter, because I had no other options.
Sitting there quietly, my hands folded in my lap, I waited. I stared down, keeping myself from glancing at him for fear I'd look too eager for attention, but it didn't matter. Lucent never said anything to me.
After maybe an hour or so, I glanced up and saw him toiling away at some paper or other. He had a laptop off to his side and every now and again he'd look over at it, scroll through some things, type a bit, something or other. He wrote some things down on paper, while others he typed onto the computer. Back and forth, this that, scrolling, up, down, click, tap, write, repeat.
I watched him, curious. I didn't know what he was doing, nor what he was working at, but I wanted to know. I considered asking him, but then I thought better of it.
Still, he ignored me.
At one point, he did look over at me, but with no real, discernible intent. I had no idea what he was thinking, nor did I know if he wanted me to do something. If he did, he should say it, though.
He had said it, I thought. He told me to leave. I told him no. Was that a test? If I left, would he accept me? If I stood up right now and told him that I disagreed with him, but I trusted him, and then I walked out of his office, what then?
I couldn't. I didn't want to risk it. Now, even if this was it, I could see him. I could watch him working and see him next to me and we weren't speaking or interacting on any level, but this, for now, was enough. It was at least something compared to the nothing he intended to offer me otherwise.
I waited. Lucent worked.
The sky grew darker and I watched the sun set. The fluorescent lights overhead glimmered, keeping us lit and enlightened inside Landseer Tower. Lucent had told me he worked late into the night because he wanted to watch me and make sure I left the library alright, but he didn't need to do that now. He could make sure I was alright just by looking to the side. He didn't, though. I supposed he didn't really need to, since I didn't intend to go anywhere.
Scooting to the side, I switched on the lamp next to the couch. Not that I needed to, but I wanted to. Lucent glanced over upon hearing the click of the switch, and I smiled at him. He didn't smile back, though. He continued his work.
A few times during the day he left his desk and went to do something or other. Once or twice he left his office and walked somewhere. I didn't leave to go after him, because I was scared that this would somehow ruin everything.
I needed to use the bathroom, but I didn't want to go because I was afraid he'd lock me out. Would he do that? Resort to childish measures to keep me away? I'd sit outside his door, I thought. I'd sit and pout and wait. I didn't leave to use the bathroom, though. I would have liked to get something to drink afterwards, if I had left, but I couldn't leave.
The sun fully set and Lucent continued working and I waited. Then he turned off his laptop, put away his papers, set his desk into order, and stood up.
"I'm leaving," he said.
I stared at him, my mouth dropping. "What?"
"It's after eight in the evening, Miss Tanner. I'm going home to eat dinner, I shall perhaps read for awhile, and then I plan to sleep. I shall return tomorrow to commence working once more. For now, though, I am leaving. My business here is finished."
"My..." I choked on the word, on myself, my confidence and need. "What about my interview?"
"Unfortunately, as I informed you, I haven't the time for it."
"Can't you do it now? Before you leave?"
"No," he said. "I can't."
"Why are you doing this?" I asked.
"Why are you doing this?" he countered. "I informed you that I doubted I had the time to entertain you in this little game of yours, and yet you ignore me and wait for hours on end on my couch in my office doing nothing. What do you think you've accomplished here?"
"Why are you such an a**hole, Lucent? Why can't you just interview me? That's all I wanted."
He narrowed his eyes at me, glaring at me. "Did you just call me an a**hole, Miss Tanner?"
"Yes, I did, and I'll do it again if you keep it up."
"This," he said, waving his hands around, all-encompassing. "This is why. Do you understand now? You can't accept what I need, nor what I want. You act like this is some game, Miss Tanner, and you wait here, thinking that I'll treat you like a poor, homeless kitten and take you in, except I don't want that. I want a slave. I want you to bow to my every whim and ignore every possible concept of pleasuring yourself so that you can perfectly pleasure me. I require submission and you offer me defiance instead?"
"You've never given me a chance!" I shouted. "If I'm acting like a homeless kitten, it's because you treated me like one, Lucent. You saw me in the window and you walked into the pet store and you gave me attention, but then you left. You left me and I'm homeless again and..."
My whole body tensed and I wanted to squeeze him hard in my arms and make him feel how tight and upset I felt so that finally he might understand.
"Just... screw you!" I screamed. "I hate you!"
"Good," he said. A smug, self-satisfied smirk crinkled his annoying lips. "I'm glad we've come to a conclusion to this farce. Let's go. Leave now, please."
"No," I said.
"What?"
"I'm not your submissive or your slave or whatever you want," I said. "I don't have to listen to you and I'm not going to leave."
He glared at me and looked ready to heft me up onto his shoulder and carry me out, or spank me, or any number of things, but he stood his ground and fumed silently. His entire face burned an angry, aggressive red, unlike anything I'd ever seen from him before.