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Having chattered and embraced so-called friend came out of the caf'e.
Vitoria had been in Gregory’s office the whole day. They were closing the project and the man gave the girl no mercy.
By 4 pm she had been almost dead and just stopped getting her mind right to understand what Gregory wanted from her. Fortunately, Gregory, finally, said that he approved the draft and it could be sent to be printed. Victoria sighed with relief.
‘Thank you, Vic, good job. You’ll be rewarded this month.’
‘Thank you.’ The girl answered tiredly, paying off the wires.
Gregory smiled. He looked the girl fought with the wire, trying to unscrew the wire from her laptop.
‘Let me help,’ Gregory rose up and with a subtle movement of the hand unscrewed the wire. ‘You look tired. Have I wearied you?’
‘No…although,’ the girl smiled. ‘You’ve your hands in it.’
‘I’ll wash away my guilt. Bring your laptop at your place and I’ll be waiting for you on the first floor. Take your coat. We’re gonna visit a very good place to have lunch and relax after.’
‘But it’s only 4. I gotta be at work.’
‘No, not today. Since yesterday I’m your line manager. You have no manager but me. Even more, you’ll place in your own office near mine.’
‘Hum…’ Victoria was confused. ‘Why did I get privilege?’
‘Do you think you don’t deserve?’
‘No, I do…’ the girl turned red to her hair. ‘You’re cornering me. Ok, I’ll take my coat.’
‘I’m waiting in the lobby on the first ground.’
Vic took a sigh, gave a quick smile and went, almost ran out of his office as she didn’t want to be asked something new.
She picked up her bag at her work place seeing nobody. Her colleagues envied and were angry with her. They didn’t understand for what services the country manager was so favourable to her. Victoria was reserved trying not to speak about anything with anyone. She didn’t impose her friendship. Especially she didn’t try to be close to Gregory.
While she was coming down, she called on her phone that she had left at home.
‘What’s up? I miss you…’ Victoria stood near the lifts with the smile on her face.
‘Hi, dear. I’m walking.’
‘Where? In the centre as usual?’
‘Yes. Has anything changed with your plans?’
‘No. At 7 as we agreed. Just calling to know how you’re getting on and to say that I wanna see you so much.’
‘In two hours and a half I’ll be waiting for you in the middle of the station.’ Kharon smiled too, squeezing Vasilisa’s hand.
‘Ok, I love you.’ Victoria hanged up the phone and entered the lift.
Gregory was waiting for her on the first ground near the entrance door. Vic glanced at him and took a sigh again. That solid man in the coat, patent-leather shoes, in ironed trousers wasn’t the one whom she wanted to see. But she had no right of choice till 6 pm.
Gregory opened the car door, waited for the girl to get into the car, who didn’t used to cars and sat to drive.
‘You should belt up. We’re not gonna drive far but nevertheless… By 6.30 I have to get back to the office.’
‘No problem’ Victoria started belting up and no problem turned into a problem.
Gregory smiled, having bended to the girl, took the belt and pulled it to him. Victoria clung fast to the chair. Her nose caught the scent of bourgeoisie and shaving cream. The man glanced at the feeling constrained girl and smiled.
‘You’re very nervous,’ he said in a low voice, ‘Relax, I don’t bite.’
Victoria was looking at his green eyes intently studied hers, still hanging over her although the she had been already belted up and the man could have moved away.
‘Your eyes colour is madly beautiful,’ Gregory said in a lower voice, slowly bending down to her lips.
‘I’m so sorry, my phone’s calling!’ Vic waved her hands hardly didn’t punch the man in the face.
The girl pressed the phone to her ear and started speaking with the emptiness. She clearly understood that probably she looked very stupid, but she didn’t want to kiss with her newly-made boss. Besides she didn’t like him and at that exact moment she had an aversion for him. The closer he moved to her, the more tears she had in her eyes. If he had managed to kiss her Vic wouldn’t have been able to hold her tears.
All the short way while they were driving Victoria was speaking with an invisible man not to let Gregory speak with her. Out of the eye corner she followed him, his reaction and prayed for that nobody would call her indeed.
Hardly had the car stopped Victoria said good-bye to her switched off phone and jumped out of the car like a bat out of the hell. She wanted most of all that terrible lunch to be over soon. She wished she had been a demon to control and distort time. In addition, the always followed for its son ghost of the woman started pretty annoying the girl. But she was glad that the spirit didn’t want Gregory to touch Vic.
They were sitting face to face and waiting for the waiter to bring their meals. If Gregory was under fire pseudo moaning that he was hungry as a hunter, Victoria wasn’t hungry at all. She had a lump in the throat.
‘Victoria, I invited you here to have a rest a bit and communicate about something else not about work… and here should be no subordination. Agree?’
The girl nodded and smiled a bit, sadly looking at her companion.
‘You’re not yourself today. What’s wrong with you?’
‘What are you speaking about?’
‘About frustration in your eyes. Why?’
‘I don’t know. It’s Friday, the end of the working week. I’m really tired. Haven’t you been tired at all for this week?’
‘I’ve been living in non-stop rhythm not for one day and even not for the first year. You know, our body is a machine, a computer. It will work as you program it. This week has no difference from previous ones. May I?’
The man sat at the side chair that was closer to Victoria. She was just thinking why Gregory’s “may I” didn’t sound like a question but an imperative affirmation. Trying to make no sign Vic started being nervous again. Gregory took her hand and started intently looking over her fingers.