I woke up in the morning and thought Oh God! It is Monday!

It was sort of a déjà vu, exactly like the first time I'd had to go to work. But in a way, it was even worse now, because this time I had to deal with... certain things.

My lips tingled, and I clamped my hand over them, trying to rub the traitorous sensation away. Bloody hell! Stuff like this shouldn't happen without my express permission!

As fast as I could, I jumped out of bed and started dressing.

Keep busy, I told myself. Keep very, very busy, then you won't have to think about what you are about to do. About what is going to happen.

In quick succession, I threw on my petticoats, a corset and a dress. It was agonizing, knowing I would have to take all this stuff off again in a minute anyway, when I changed into my male work clothes in the garden shed.

No matter! Just keep busy, and don't think!

With flying fingers, I laced up the front of my dress, took a deep breath – and then made the mistake of looking in the mirror to check my appearance. I caught sight of my half-terrified, half-hopeful, half-angry expression. Can something have three halves, or is that impossible?

Oh, to hell with mathematics!

I could read the questions in my reflection's eyes as clearly as if they were printed on the mirror's surface: What will he say? What will he do?

Don't think, damn you! Keep busy!

Whirling around, I marched to the window, threw it open and climbed down the ladder I had placed there last night before going to bed. I guess I could have gone out through the front door, but today I wasn't in the mood to waste any time. I was heading straight towards what I was both anticipating and dreading more than anything else in the world. Putting it off would make it worse.

Two minutes in the garden shed, and I emerged in my work clothes, out onto the street. Hailing a cab, I swung myself up inside and sank into the upholstery.

'Where to, guv?' the cabby called.

'Empire House!'

'In Leadenhall Street? The place where that posh bugger Ambrose lives?'

'Yes. That's it, exactly.'

The whip cracked, and we shot forward. Only minutes later I climbed out of the cab in Leadenhall Street, the bastion of British commerce, Empire House rising right in front of me. Never had its huge portico, supported by two massive columns of grey stone, seemed less inviting than today.

I raised my chin.

'You don't scare me,' I told the building.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but I thought I heard a faint answering growl.

Ignoring my thumping heart, I marched up the stairs, right towards the maul of the beast. I arrived on the top step and pushed, forcing open the monster's jaws, also known as doors. Cool, emotionless air with a familiar lack of smell drifted out to greet me. I swallowed and stepped in.

The hall inside was just as I remembered it, and yet... different. More intense. Had there been quite so much activity when I had last been here? Hundreds of busy feet were pattering through the cavernous space. People were carrying files, delivering messages, and most of all, sweating their guts out for fear of the great master upstairs.

I noticed everything with an almost supernatural focus. Sweat beaded on hundreds of foreheads. Dust motes danced through the air. Flies copulated on the ceiling, while trying their best to keep away from cobwebs. Atoms bumped against each other everywhere.

I noticed all this, and yet, the details passed me by, like water flowing around a rock in a river. The only thing I could think, was: Oh my God! Oh my God, he's right upstairs!

And all that lay between him and me was the hallway. Oh, and the information desk. And the stairs. And another hallway. And a door. And then... then...

Him!

In person!

Together with me!

All right, I told myself. You are calm, Lilly. Calm and relaxed! You are a strong, sensible woman, and you will not lose your nerve simply because of some man.

Him! Together with me!!!

All right... maybe I was not quite so calm, after all.

Gathering all my courage, I fixed my eyes on the opposite end of the hall and took one step towards the stairs. And then I took another. And another. Damn, why were there so many steps between me and that staircase? And how many had I already taken? I didn't know. I had forgotten to count. I was too busy thinking He kissed me! On the lips! And now I'm going to see him again!

What the bloody hell was going to happen? What was I going to do? And, again, the most important question: what was he going to do? He couldn't possibly...?

Oh my God, yes, he could!

If he wanted to.

But was he going to?

No. No, of course not! I mean, doing something like that, here... that would be totally... No! Of course he wasn't going to do that!

With the slow steps of a doomed woman, I continued through the hall. The dust motes fluttered out of the way for me, and the flies stopped copulating to watch me pass. Even the spiders stopped spinning their nets for a moment. Finally, I reached Sallow-face's desk.

'Good morning,' I said.

He inclined his head about a quarter of an inch.

'Good morning,' he said. His left eyebrow twitched suspiciously.

Blast, blast, blast! Could he see on my face that I'd been snogging his employer? I bet he could read it on my forehead! Rushing past him, I stepped into the separate hallway that led to my destination. I looked up and saw the steps leading up and around the walls, all the way to the top of the building, steps even steeper than the ones outside.

Dong...

The ominous sense of déjà vu overcame me again, even stronger than when I awoke. I turned my head westwards. There, a small window stood half open, just like it had been on my first day at work, letting a bit of light fall into the stark stone hallway. And, through that window, there now also came the sound of a bell. A deep, reverberating sound that chilled my bones.

Time for work. Time to meet my fate.

Dong...

But was this truly déjà vu?

Dong...

Admittedly, as I panted, desperately running up the stairs, some things were the same. Like my thinking Oh my God, Oh my God, I'm going to be too late! for instance.

Dong...

But on the other hand, some things were different.

Dong...

For instance, on my first day I had not been thinking Bloody hell! He kissed me! He actually kissed me!

Dong...

But then... that fact wasn't so very significant, was it? Oh no, of course not! I was a feminist! Why would it matter to me that some chauvinistic son of a bachelor pressed his lips to mine?

Dong...

He did! He really did! Crap, crap, crap!

I almost wished myself back at that moment, back to when life had been so uncomplicated, without kisses and caresses and confusing feelings. But then I thought of the look in Mr Ambrose's dark, sea-coloured eyes just before our lips met...

No! Don't think! Go on! Run!

Dong...

By the time I reached the sixth landing, I was ready to collapse. Go on! I screamed at myself. Just a few steps more, and you're there!

Dong...

Wheezing, I staggered onto the top landing and grabbed the brass doorknob. Turning it, I shoved open the door and stumbled into the long, narrow hallway at the end of which stood the desk of Mr Stone, the upstairs receptionist. I waited just a moment, until I was sure my heart wasn't going to burst from overexertion. Then I straightened, tugged at my clothes to get rid of a few creases, and walked forward as nonchalantly as I could. Maybe, if I just walked past in an innocent, everyday manner, Mr Stone wouldn't notice me. Maybe I would get into my office without–

'Good morning, Mr Linton.'

Wincing, I halted at the sound of the familiar voice. I inclined my head at the young man behind the desk in front of Mr Ambrose's office door. He was quite a friendly young man, actually. It wasn't his fault that, from my viewpoint, today he had the job of Cerberus, guardian of hell.

'Good morning, Mr Stone.' I said.

That seemed to exhaust our conversational possibilities. Longingly, I glanced towards my office door, and inched a step closer. But Mr Stone's next words froze me in place.

'Mr Ambrose would like to see you.'

My fingers clenched into fists, automatically.

'Oh, he would, would he?' I took a step away from Mr Ambrose's office door, and towards my safe haven. 'Perhaps later. Right now I have...'

Mr Stone gave me a look that was not without compassion, but still firm. 'Perhaps I should rephrase. Mr Ambrose demands to see you. Right now.'

All colour drained from my face. Then it rushed back again with a vengeance.

Damn!

'Oh.' Swallowing, I nodded. 'I see.'

Taking a deep breath, I stepped past Mr Stone and towards my employer's office door. The door creaked open as slowly and menacingly as the gateway to Pandemonium – or maybe just like the door of a man who was too stingy to buy oil for the hinges. Inside, it was dark. The curtains were closed, letting in only a thin lance of light that sharply silhouetted the dark figure of the man sitting behind the massive desk.

I gulped.

Broad shoulders, short, elegant and precise black hair, a chiselled face, a posture as stiff as a rod of iron – even if anyone but him would have dared to sit behind that desk, that dark silhouette left me in no doubt whom I was facing. Gathering all my courage, I stepped forward until I was right in front of the dark figure. His face was cast in shadow, so at first I couldn't see what kind of lack of expression was on it at the moment. Only when my eyes got used to the gloom did I see the darkly motionless, beautiful mask which he called 'face'.

He stared at me in silence.

I stared back at him in silence.

We stared at each other in silence.

Then we stared at each other in silence some more.

I cleared my throat.

He remained silent. And stared at me. Silently.

I stared back. And I did it in silence. We stared. At. Each other. In a long, silent silence. Full of silentness.

All right... maybe it's time for someone to say something.

You remember that I mentioned my courage? The one I had been trying to gather? That was all gone now. Faced with the stare of his deep, dark, sea-coloured eyes, I had no courage of my own left. Oh, what the hell! I could always pinch some from someone else!

'Mr Ambrose?' I took a step forward. 'You asked for me, Sir?'

He continued his stare for a moment longer. Would it surprise you to hear that he did it in silence?

Then...

'Yes, I did, Mr Linton.'

More silence.

I wet my lips.

'So... What do you want from me, Sir?'

God, if he says come here and kiss me, I'll–

I cut off the thought before it could really form. But... what if he did say that? What if he demanded it, in that voice of his that brooked no argument? What would I do?

Would I run?

And, more importantly, would I run towards him, or away? My throat suddenly felt very dry.

'What do you want, Mr Ambrose, Sir?'

He leaned forward, until both of his powerful fists rested on the desktop, knuckles down. 'I want...'

'Yes?'

'I want file 38XV180!'

I blinked. 'What?'

He cocked his head, questioningly. 'Are your ears malfunctioning, Mr Linton?' Leaning forward a little more, Mr Ambrose fixed me with one of the superbly cold glares that were his speciality. For some reason, it filled me with a warm and fuzzy feeling. 'Bring me file 38XV180! Now!'

Thank you, God! I shot the words silently towards heaven as relief flooded through me. Thank you so very much! The world is back to normal!

I snapped to attention. 'Yes, Sir!'

For some reason, a wide grin spread over my face.

'Stop wasting your muscle energy on useless facial contortions, Mr Linton!'

My grin got even bigger. 'Of course, Sir! Just as you say, Sir!'

'Now bring me the file!'

'Yes, Sir, Mr Ambrose, Sir!'

'And be quick about it! I don't tolerate tardiness!'

'Yes, Sir! Right away, Sir!'

And I danced from the room, happier than I had ever been in my life.

THE END

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My dear Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen,

That was it! The last chapter of book two of this series, In the Eye of the Storm.  But was it also the end of the series?

Most definitely not! ;-)

You will hopefully be happy to discover that I've already started scribbling a draft for the sequel, called Silence is Golden. It might take a week or two more for everything to be ready so I can begin posting updates on Wattpad, but once that is the case I will swiftly resume my usual schedule of weekly Wednesday updates! :-)

And trust me... I have spiffing things in mind for the third book of this series! :-)

In case you find yourself in need of other reading material to bridge the gap between this book and the next, you could give my new book Black Diaries a try, in which I'm trying to expand my writing by focusing on my the humor & sarcasm which, I've been told, you like quite a bit. Up to this point, the feedback has been really positive, but only some of my fans  have taken the plunge and tried it out so far. I'd be delighted to hear what the rest of you think of it, and I would really appreciate the support for my new story! Thank you! :-)

Yours Truly

Sir Rob