Carpe Diem (Sumettikul's Universe Two)

{16} I'm Stronger Than You Think

“my man full, he just ate,” – Build Jakapan to James Young
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Chapter Begins Here
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Jack’s eyes flash the darkest blue, and he sneers as he casts a leering look down my body.

Fear chokes me. What is this? What does he want? From somewhere deep inside and despite my dry mouth, I find the resolve and courage to squeeze out some words, my self-defence class keep-them-talking mantra circling my brain like an ethereal sentinel.

“Jack now might not be a good time for this. Your cab is due in ten minutes, and I need to give you all your documents.” My voice is quiet but hoarse, betraying me.

He smiles, and it’s a despotic fuck-you smile that finally touches his eyes. They glint in the harsh fluorescent glow of the strip light above us in the drab windowless room. He takes a step toward me, glaring at me, his eyes never leaving mine. His pupils are dilating as I watch—the black eclipsing the blue. Oh no. My fear escalates.

“You know I had to fight with Elizabeth to give you this job...” His voice trails off as he takes another step toward me, and I step back against the dingy wall cupboards. Keep-him-talking, keep-him talking, keep-him-talking.

“Jack, what exactly is your problem? If you want to air your grievances, then perhaps we should ask HR to get involved. We could do this with Elizabeth in a more formal setting.”

Where is security? Are they in the building yet?

“We don’t need HR to over manage this situation Bui,” He sneers. “When I hired you, I thought you would be a hard worker. I thought you had potential. But now, I don’t know. You’ve become distracted and sloppy. And I wondered...is it your boyfriend who’s leading you astray?” He says boyfriend with chilling contempt.

“I decided to check through your email account to see if I could find any clues. And you know what I found, Bui? What was out of place? The only personal emails in your account were to your hot-shot boyfriend.” He pauses, assessing my reaction. “And I got to thinking...where are the emails from him? There are none. Nada. Nothing. So what’s going on, Build? How come his emails to you aren’t on our system? Are you some company spy, planted in here by Sumettikul’s organization? Is that what this is?”

Holy shit, the emails. Oh no. What have I said?

“Jack, what are you talking about?” I try for bewildered, and I’m pretty convincing. This conversation is not going as I expected, but I don’t trust him in the slightest. Some subliminal pheromone that Jack is exuding has me on high alert. This man is angry, volatile, and totally unpredictable. I try to reason with him.

“You just said that you had to persuade Elizabeth to hire me. So how could I be planted as a spy? Make up your mind, Jack.”

“But Sumettikul fucked the Paris trip, didn’t he?”

Oh shit.

“How did he manage that, Build? What did your rich, Ivy League boyfriend do?”

What little blood remains in my face drains away, and I think I’m going to faint. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jack,” I whisper. “Your cab will be here shortly. Shall I get your things?”

Oh please, let me go. Stop this.

Jack continues, enjoying my discomfort. “And he thinks I’d make a pass at you?” He smirks and his eyes heat. “Well, I want you to think about something while I’m in Paris. I gave you this job, and I expect you to show me some gratitude. In fact, I’m entitled to it. I had to fight to get you. Elizabeth wanted someone better qualified, but I—I saw something in you. So, we need to work out a deal. A deal where you keep me happy. D’you understand what I’m saying, Build?”