Page 34 of Taken By My Grumpy Pakhan

It was quite refreshing to make friends in the office for a change.

Plugging the flash drive into my laptop, I dug into the long list of files and spreadsheets displayed on the screen.

While their comments on my outfit and encouragement to dress even better went a long way to make me more comfortable, there was a part of me that was still bruised by Kazimir’s absence.

I didn’t exactly have anything elaborate in mind, only to watch his reaction when he saw me and to torture him the way he had tortured me.

But he wasn’t here, and I wasn’t invested enough in Caroline’s love life to listen to her gush about the guy she was seeing for the rest of work hours without my brain finding a way to make me feel pathetic about dressing up for nothing.

I needed an actual distraction, and when she mentioned having a long line of work to attend to, I seized the opportunity. If there was one thing that had the power to drown out the noises in my head, it was work. A whole lot of it.

Long lines of paragraphs became tables, tables became calendars, calendars became spreadsheets, and when I lifted my head to stretch, the view outside had turned black.

“Fuck.” I glanced at my watch and it was ten minutes past seven. I still had about two files to go through and, by my estimate, that should take another hour.

I sent Anna a quick text letting her know I’ll be home as expected; her reply was immediate, insinuating Kazimir was the reason for my delay.

It was embarrassing how much I wanted her to be right even after vowing to never let the man have that much effect on me. I shook off the feeling of self-loathing creeping up on me, I refused to feel sorry for myself.

I dug back into work and as predicted, it took exactly an hour to round up the work and send it to Caroline for approval.

I stretched my cramped muscles, feeling the stiffness in my neck gradually loosen.

A rumbling sound alerted me to how badly I had neglected my stomach during my work marathon. Regardless, a part of me felt fulfilled. It was my first time doing actual work since I started working here and it felt good.

I gathered my stuff and let Anna know I’ll be home soon. My mood was positively lifted. I might not have achieved my initial goal, but it was a productive day and that equaled a good day in my book.

Exiting my office, I balanced my bag in one hand and proceeded to lock it with another when a figure idling in the corner caught me off guard.

“Christ!” I placed a palm over my thudding heart.

“We should stop meeting like this.”

“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t aware you would—”

My apology died on my tongue when I looked at him a second time.

The room was dark, but the lights from the window and the bar behind him were enough illumination.

Kazimir was resting casually on the same seat he had occupied during the meeting, but it wasn’t the sliver of skin peeking out from his shirt or the fact that he was wearing white for a change that stole my words. It was the splashes of crimson staining his shirt and the gun he was casually twirling in one hand.

I stood motionless, scared shitless and wondering why I had to have the worst timing in the world.

I might not know much about him, but I knew enough to understand that if his shirt was blood-stained and there was a gun in his hand, it wasn’t some innocent accident.

Did someone else owe him and refuse to pay?

My stomach churned at the thought. I shouldn’t be here. I know I had desperately wanted to see him earlier, but not like this.

When I looked at him again, the gun had stopped moving in his hand, the playful smirk had vanished, and in its place was heat.

Only then did I remember my forgotten blazer. Kazimir’s eyes raked through every inch of me without discretion.

And me? I realized answered prayers didn’t always equal dreams coming true. I finally had the man’s attention and I would’ve gladly traded my life's savings to be rid of it.

“I should errr… I should get going, have a—”

“Step into the light, Genevieve.”