Wednesday morning

~*~

As the clock had just turned 7:00 AM, the Barnes-Orzak couple’s alarm clock began to ring once more. However, unlike the previous times, it broadcast its horrible noise for a longer period of time, forcing Michael to beg Natacha to stop it. But seeing that he was getting no response from her after several attempts, he decided to do it himself, noticing at the same time that his fiancée was fast asleep. After what had happened the previous night, this hardly surprised him. The young man was even tempted to let her rest, believing that she needed it and that it would do her good not to go to her job.

On the other hand, Natacha was in the middle of an evaluation period for her promotion. Therefore, if she were to miss a day of work without informing her superiors, it would risk harming her, and he certainly did not want to put a brake on her career.

“Tacha, wake up. You’re gonna be late for work,” he said, shaking her gently.

Of course, it didn’t work the first time, forcing the young man to insist more.

“Five minutes.”

“I’d like to give you five more minutes, but you might ask for another five minutes later and you’ll be late for work. Wake up, Tacha.”

“Hmmm!”

Finally, after a few tries, Barnes finally woke up. However, she was completely exhausted, which wasn’t surprising considering she hadn’t gotten her quota of sleep, but she made it clear to Michael that she didn’t feel like going to work.

“I want to stay home with you,” she continued.

This was a very interesting proposal for Orzak, one that he would probably have accepted two days ago, but he was unfortunately forced to refuse.

“I can’t stay home today. We have a very important person coming to the studio later on and I absolutely have to be there.”

Seeing Natacha’s reaction, it was clear to the young man that this was not the kind of answer she was expecting. However, he had no choice, this day being of great importance to him.

“I’m sorry, babe, but I really can’t stay home.”

“It’s okay, Michael. You don’t have to apologize,” she replied in a weak voice.

“Babe, don’t forget that you’re also in the middle of an evaluation period for your promotion. Are you sure your boss won’t say anything if you just miss a day of work without warning?”

“He’s bound to say something.”

It was true that Herman Invictus had nothing planned for her during the day, at least nothing depraved and obscene, but that did not mean that she could miss a day of work, especially since the board meeting was taking place in a few hours. Her presence was therefore required, which did not please her. Thus, Natacha decided to get out of bed and then headed to their bathroom.

A few moments later, Michael also got out of bed and went to his daily workout routine. Meanwhile, Natacha was shedding hot tears in the shower. It had only been three days since she had discovered the truth, but it felt like an eternity, an eternity that she had been lying to her fiancé while looking him straight in the eye. However, she hoped that it would all stop after the tasting session this coming Saturday. No, she told herself that it would stop after that and that her life would return to normal. She had to believe it, she had no choice. It was that and the love she had for Michael and the others that allowed her to more or less hold out.

But what if things didn’t go back to normal after this so-called tasting session? Sure, there was no way her life would go back to normal, the obscenities she had suffered had left an indelible stain on her being and her soul, but the simple fact of thinking that her ordeal would continue after this meeting was something that scared Natacha enormously. All the lies she had told Michael were already very hard for her, so if she had to do it for more than a week, she feared that it would stain her relationship. Worse still, she was afraid that it would become a habit, that she could lie to him while looking him straight in the eye…, but feeling no remorse afterwards. Barnes didn’t want to become that kind of person, no, she didn’t want to.

As usual, Orzak arrived in the bathroom shortly after Natacha. He then slipped into the shower and took her in his arms. However, he who expected to be pushed away once again because of his sweat was greeted by a startled gasp from the young woman.

“Is everything okay, Tacha?”

“Yes, everything is fine. It’s just that I slightly fell asleep and I didn’t hear you come in,” she replied, turning to him.

Once again, Natacha had lied to the man she loved. But the most disturbing thing for her at that moment was the fact that she had done it without the slightest hesitation, without even thinking about what she was going to say. The words had come out of her mouth so naturally that she now had the impression that one of her fears was going to come true and that she would end up lying like she breathes. For his part, the young man understood what his fiancée was going through. Her night had been so short that it didn’t surprise him that something like this would happen.

“If only we didn’t have obligations, we could have missed work. You really need to rest, Tacha.”

“It’s okay, babe. I’ll get through this day without a hitch. I’ll just have to fuel up on coffee and it’ll be fine,” she answered objectively.

“Are you sure you can hold on?”

“Yep. Also, don’t ever touch me again with your body dripping with sweat,” she retorted, slightly pushing him away with her finger.

“Come on, Tacha. I know you like it when I hug you. Come on, give me a hug.”

“Not when you’re sweating so much,” she said, pushing him away once more.

Barnes who was still under the water grabbed her towel and immediately got out of the shower, saying at the same time that he wasn’t going to have it this morning. She then quickly removed all the water from her body and hair, finished her grooming, and left the bathroom, all under the gaze of Michael who couldn’t help but find the situation amusing.

*

About ten minutes later, while Michael was still in their bathroom, Natacha was cooking their breakfast. The young woman had a completely emotionless face at this moment, acting mechanically with what she was making. And for good reason, Barnes had her mind focused on several things at once. On the one hand, she was rehashing her recent interaction with her man, more precisely the moment when he had surprised her in the shower. At that moment, she had not been able to stop herself from lying to him, but it was the ease with which she had done it that put her in her current state. Barnes was afraid, afraid that lying would become second nature to her. Every time she did it, she not only felt like she was becoming another person, but she also ran the risk of losing the trust of the one person who mattered the most to her.

How would she react if Michael were to suspect her because of yet another lie? Would she tell him the truth or would she sink deeper into the lie? She had no idea. All she knew was that if that were to happen, she would risk losing the man of her life. Therefore, she had to end this trial period and free herself from the hold of her employer, Herman, which made her think about her work day.

Indeed, today was the board meeting and because of that, she wouldn’t have to meet her boss after work hours. So, she would have a completely normal day…or maybe not. Indeed, Invictus had never been the man she thought he was. As such, it was entirely possible that he would go back on his word and force her to engage in lewd activities once again.

While her mind was elsewhere, Natacha was abruptly brought back to reality by a burning smell followed by the sound of a smoke detector. The young woman then realized that what she was cooking had charred, forcing her to throw the food in the trash before moving her pan to the sink and pouring water into it. At the same time, Michael came back into the kitchen, dressed only in boxer shorts and a towel which he was wiping his head with.

“Is everything okay here?!” he asked.

“Michael! Can you stop the noise please?”

The young man then deactivated the smoke detector, which put an end to the horrible sound, before approaching his fiancée. He then noticed the state their stove was in and could not help but joke about it.

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone cook coal for breakfast. I didn’t know it was edible.”

“Haha! Very funny, Michael. Next time, I’ll just shove it down your throat.”

“No need to get all worked up, babe. I was just joking,” he retorted, trying to wrap his arms around her.

Unfortunately for him, the young woman pushed him away once more, claiming she wasn’t in the mood.

“Okay. But tell me, how did you get this result? It’s not like you to mess up so much.”

“My mind was elsewhere, that’s all. I didn’t pay attention to the pan and the eggs burned.”

“I see. It’s okay, I can make us something.”

“No time. I’ll just have my coffee and maybe buy something on my way to work.”

“Are you sure? I can improvise something quickly,” he said as he headed towards their fridge.

“Yes, don’t worry.”

The young woman finished filling her thermos halfway, kissed Michael lightly, telling him at the same time that she loved him, grabbed the rest of her things, and finally headed out. Finding himself alone, Orzak went to their bedroom to get ready for his day of work, a day that promised to be very special.

*

On her way to work, Natacha stopped at a convenience store, the one she had stopped in front of the night before. The young woman walked through the different aisles and finally stopped in front of the one that contained all the alcoholic beverages. Barnes hesitated greatly in front of the choices presented to her. And for good reason, she was not really a fan of this kind of thing. She only drank on very rare occasions, mostly when there was something to celebrate.

However, it was not time to celebrate. Indeed, with everything that was currently happening in her life, the young woman needed a way to cope with the abuse she was suffering. Although she told herself that she was doing this to protect the people she cared about, it did not change the fact that her mental state had taken a hit every time her boss abused her. Natacha therefore needed help and she thought that alcohol could play this role. Barnes finally grabbed a bottle at random and went to the checkout afterwards.

“Good morning,” she said to the young man behind the counter.

“Good morning. ID please,” he replied.

The young woman looked through the contents of her purse and took out her driver’s license, which she then handed to the cashier. While he was checking that she was really old enough to buy this alcoholic beverage, Natacha couldn’t help but look at the bottle she was about to buy and promised herself not to become addicted. She told herself that it was just temporary, that she would stop once she was no longer under the influence of Herman Invictus.

“It’s gonna be 24.99,” the cashier retorted, handing her back her ID.

“One moment.”

Barnes retrieved her document before giving her three 10-dollar bills. She then grabbed her bottle and her change, wished the store clerk a great day, and returned to her vehicle where she opened her thermos and poured in the alcohol she had just purchased. The young woman then tasted the mixture only to display an expression of disgust.

“This is disgusting.”

Natacha found it absolutely disgusting and wanted to immediately pour this horrible liquid on the parking lot of the convenience store. Nevertheless, she told herself that drinking this was necessary if she wanted to last the whole day. So, she took it upon herself and forced herself to take a sip. And after displaying a second expression of disgust, she closed her thermos and the bottle of alcohol, and placed them side by side on the passenger seat. Barnes then started her vehicle and set off for her workplace.

*

At the Black Crown Tower, Natacha had the unpleasant surprise of arriving at the same time as her co-worker. Since both women wanted to park in the same spot, Tess ended up giving her the spot, displaying that smile that Michael’s fiancée hated to see. The latter then wondered why of all the employees that this company had, she had to arrive at the same time as one of the people she liked the least? Once during the week, she could understand, but three days in a row? It was as if life was trying to piss her off on every level.

The young woman finally turned off the engine of her car and grabbed her things. But before that, she hid the bottle of alcohol under the passenger seat, her bag being too small to hold it. Besides, she didn’t want people to see her with it and imagine all sorts of things about her. Having a reputation as an alcoholic was something she didn’t need right now. So, Natacha got out of her vehicle and went to Tess Harlock who was waiting for the elevator to arrive, a cup of coffee in her hand.

“Good morning, Natacha. How are you this morning?” she asked in a friendly tone.

“Good morning, Tess. I’m doing wonderfully. You know, another day of work in this company. Another day of being at the service of Mr. Invictus.”

“You say that as if it were a bad thing.”

“Yet, that’s not what I meant. Mr. Invictus is a good employer and I can’t see myself working for anyone else,” Natacha retorted as the elevator doors opened.

Of course, everything she had just said was completely false. Since she had discovered the true nature of her boss, she had only one desire and that was to get as far away from him as possible. And to do so, there was nothing better than resigning and finding another job. Unfortunately, things were not that simple. The two secretaries both took the elevator and immediately went to their boss’ office who was waiting for them sitting behind his desk.

“Good morning, ladies.”

“Good morning, Mr. Invictus,” they answered at the same time.

“As you probably already know, in less than two hours, the monthly meeting of the board of directors will be held. Therefore, except in cases of extreme emergency, no interruptions will be tolerated. Have I made myself clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. You may leave.”

Without hesitation, Natacha immediately headed for the exit while her colleague put the cup of coffee on their boss’ desk as usual. She took advantage of this brief moment of solitude to take a few sips of her horrible beverage before finally sitting down at her workstation. Her work day then began with a much more serious tone than usual.