"You are hired to be my engineer, Anoushka."
I, now what?! Is this where he laughs at me and I pretend to laugh back as if it was a joke not losing my confidence that I might somehow find the gaps as if a question will pop up.
Okay, I am waiting for the laugh as I stare not trying to roll my tongue from one inner cheek to the other in nervousness.
Hard enough to not let the heat that is trying to crawl over my face under his dead stare. I blame his eyes. Those pairs of eyes are so beautiful which is a sin that shouldn't be created. Okay, I admit he himself shouldn't be created. The craftsmanship of the Hades in his demonic form. Rigid, lethal, and attention seeking. A small summary- no way touching his feet in comparison.
I suppose even Hades will frown upon me for comparing me to him because Hades is a God. Whereas him, I doubt. My guts saying he is beyond a man's truth and impossible to read or reach. Walking demon and darker than the abyss of hell.
My heart palpitated as those of his eyes lazily scrutinized me, uncomfortable. A good uncomfortable like instant fire blazing on my skin which is ready to combust.
Finally, when my eyes clashed at his pale blue eyes, those of an arctic wolf combined with the neon bluish white aurora being majestic, immense, and tantalising that are glowing under the light. Pulling me. Scratch that, luring me into these snowy capsules to snuggle into the warmth, contradicting and eerily calm. Silent as if everything pauses in the moment, including my breath.
"Anoushka?" I sucked in a deep breath as I closed my eyes. Get together and my lips automatically blurted it out,
"Oh!.. yeah.. Umm... Mr Yusupov, you have got a lovely pair of eyes..." I bit my tongue.
Shit!... Shit!... Shit!...
"Your compliment flattened me, Anoushka. Now that you are my engineer shall we let go of the formalities? Call me Vlad or Vladimir. I insist."
Specks of amusement dwindled in his eyes creating a mist of black clouds while those pale blue ones- turns into sparkling stars and that smirk-
Okay I need to stop with my poetry. I know he is attractive but not him. Not him, he is committed. As a woman of morals I should maintain some semblance.
"But sir-"
"Including that, Anoushka." I gulped. He should be banned. That fucking Russian accent and his deep voice of deliverance is seducing me and sending tremors to my sult of a core. The conclusion- I should be as far away as possible from this demon.
"Still, how could you hire me when you haven't seen my curriculum vitae, or even bothered to ask me some trivial questions in mechanics. Better off, I am still doing my bachelors, not even graduate..."
"Wait a second. Still doing your bachelors?" At last we are coming to the point "Perhaps 19?"
"No. Twenty one."
"Not bad" I choked on my saliva. Not bad? What that fucking means?
"Sir?-" He cut me off.
"Vladimir. Don't make me repeat it, moya koshka."
Are we on nickname terms? Remind me, I shouldn't breathe anywhere near him. Intoxicating. Also, note- don't ever cross him. Unhealthy for me, as his dark rumbling doing imaginary nonsense to my brain. Corrupting it, the literate word.
"Yes... um... Vladimir..." Why am I taking a deep breath and feeling my tongue heavy while calling his name? Just a name and my heart thudding as if I called the unholy down for fun time.
No. It is not.
The atmosphere crackles with tension within the lounge. The spacious one filled with a mini bar at one side and the other corner with a sliding door of dark wood for privacy, now, it has shrinked somehow.
Coffee, cinamon, and a streak of pine tones but underneath something twisted like a dark cloud hidden, a closed pandora box... Still I caught the sins of some vague scents- musk, petrol, and metallic. This was his scent... unique, imposing, and alluring for the prey to fall into this viscous concoction, muddled into this lightless forest as its only way out is to submit. A confinement.
He abruptly stood up and his eyes never broke our staring competition as he buttoned his suit. My throat moved in the motion of a frog croaking as I gaped, mouth closed at his physic.
He was craved, shaped, molten, hammered, and finally brought into a life like destruction having all the elements of greed, pride, lust, envy, wrath, gluttony, and sloth.
He was lean, a right fit for a formula one driver but I don't want to underestimate his lethal power. Figuratively speaking, his entire structure looked almost like the frozen weather of Russia. Harsh, chaotic, and yet beautiful. I could barely hear his footsteps as he moved out of the lounge.
I snapped out of the trance and quickly catch upon his strides,
"Let me be truthful. I may have a bit of knowledge in physics but those are in Quantum mechanics not in fluid mechanics. My background is in AI, a computer science major. Do you-"
"I made my decision. You are my engineer, Anoushka. So better start working for it and don't you dare to disappoint me. You wouldn't like the consequences."
"Then, I need time if you are really going to make me your engineer. Too learn and too implement." I spoke my mind.
"And I don't have fucking time. I need the car to be done before the next race. You have two weeks to make sure it happens, Anoushka."
I was fuming internally. Motherfucking tyrant. Can I beat him? Choke his throat to make him lose that goddamn voice? I gritted my teeth. He is a monster on the tracks and demon outside the tracks. How about I kick his no-no place where the sun doesn't shine?...
"Ouch!" I felt a sharp pain shooting on my forehead as I rubbed it. I glared at the person who caused me this pain.
"Rather than having those cute thoughts, better start working."
"And if I disappoint you?"
"I highly recommend that you don't disappoint me, moya koshka. The consequence I may give you wouldn't be favourable for both of us. If you are really that curious to know..." He pauses looking at me down from his ungodly height and I want to snarl to his face but I don't because those eyes which were previously coated with amusement now I had a dead and blank. Feral in fact. I started to chew my inner lips keeping my glare intact. A humorless chuckle of his was smooth and malicious,
"You really want to know. This would be your first and last woman, don't ever cross me. Aren't you trying to do your masters in a reputed university... I can make sure you never even get into a third tier university which includes back in your safe bundle in India. I can ruin you. Break you and I can be the only solution to those broken pieces to put back together. Don't try me or tempt me."
No games, empathy, sympathy, or even manipulation but his raw, uncut emotions with harshness. I flinched. That wasn't a long speech but a threat left hanging as he walked out without a glance back at me. My entire body stood frozen and my mind heavy with emotions. The air I tried to suck in didn't relieve my lack of oxygen.
Painful. I leaned back on the wall as I felt my heart clenching. Squeezing at those words which repeated like a broken recorder. Tears leaked down from my eyes. Why the fuck I am crying? No way in the name of unholy I am wasting these precious tears on him. Fuck him.
I wiped my tears out. Raised my head like I was a Queen and walked out. If my boss wants a car then I will shove that into his ass.
Asshole.