A week later, Zara feels like she is working herself into her grave. She needs a reprieve. Thankfully she gets a call from Caleb, a Point Man who happened to be in New York.
"Hello?" Zara asks as she picks up her phone. She has the biggest smile on her face when she listens to Caleb on the other line.
"So you're in town?...Well I'm on a job at the moment...yeah that sounds wonderful...see you at 7, bye Handsome." Zara replies with a giggle.
"Big date tonight love?" Eams asks after overhearing her conversation.
"Just the biggest date ever!" She sarcastically replies, but Eams can detect a real smile from a fake one and her smile was as real as they come. At 5 she packs up early and heads out. Eams leaves only a moment later and tails her. His instincts usually didn't steer him wrong and right now they were screaming at him to follow her for reasons he wasn't comfortable saying. She goes to a club and meets a man who is far too good looking for Eams' taste. He sees the pair of them talk and laugh and catch up as if old friends. He keeps his distance but keeps an eye on her.
"You have tail..." Caleb tells Zara discretely as he takes a sip of his beer.
"Really? Does he look like this?" Zara says as she pulls out her phone and shows Caleb a picture of Eams she had snapped when he wasn't looking.
"Yes. He's a hulk of a man isn't he...?" Caleb says as he looks at the picture closer.
"He certainly has the potential for it. If only he didn't wear such cheap, horrid suits and shirts. If he had a decent, well tailored suit, no woman could resist him. He has this voice that just...nearly turns me into jello. It's so deep and rich and just the right amount of rasp to be beyond sexy AND he's British... Thank god he's appears to be oblivious." Zara elaborates. Caleb looks her over with a knowing eye.
"Someone has crush..." Caleb teases in a sing-song tone.
"Doesn't matter, besides I like to think I play a little hard to get. Besides he works with Cobb and we all know how anyone who has had that pleasure feels about having 'entanglements' in this business. Hell, take my own parents as an example. But, it's a job. A very...long and intense job, even I'm having a hard time with it. It's testing my metal in more ways then one." Zara replies, changing the subject.
"Oh? The great Zara Hunters stumped? Well paint me blue and call me Babe." Caleb teases.
"Isn't that Andrew's job?" Zara teases back.
"Yes, on occasion it is...especially when he's being naughty...or when I am rather..." Caleb says suggestively while wiggling his eyebrows.
"Oh dear god! Stop! Shut up! Ew! My virgin ears." Zara says quickly as she covers her ears and squirms.
"Virgin?! You? Ha! That's rich Zara." Caleb replies with a roar of laughter.
"Look, I'm cool with you and Andrew being together and being the happiest couple on earth, coughing up cotton candy and farting rainbows while riding unicorns, but please, just let me be happy in my ignorance. I don't need those kinds of pictures floating around in my head."
"You should see the videos..." Zara squeals and pretends to have convulsions. Caleb tries to say something else before Zara tries to stop him.
"I said stop, I'm serious." Zara warns as she puts her hand up and places it over his mouth to stop him from speaking despite her laughter. He mumbles something and she pulls her hand away.
"You're boyfriend is getting jealous." Caleb says as he leans over to whisper in her ear, kissing her on the cheek as he pulled away. Zara blushes fiercely and feels the temperature rise.
"You know you shouldn't start something you can't finish. And besides you don't 'swing my way' remember?" Zara reminds him, her blush deepening by the second.
"Oh I don't know, I think for you I could make an exception..." He purred leaning closer to her but still stealing glances at Eams who was just about to loose it.
"But what about sweet, sweet Andrew? Can you imagine the heartbreak in his big brown eyes when he finds out you had a go with a woman? Let alone me?" Zara replied as she leaned toward him in return, a triumphant grin on her lips.
"I don't think one peck on the lips will hurt anything, besides your boyfriend looks like he's about to pummel me, let's make it worth the while." Andrew whispers before leaning forward and kissing Zara chastely but the way they were angled it looked much more passionate to Eams, whose blood was already set to boil.
"Damn you Caleb..." Zara cursed when Caleb pulled away. Caleb laughed again.
"Andrew is one lucky bastard, where is he by the way?" Zara asked as she finished of her drink.
"En route from London. He will be here tomorrow." Caleb answered as he finished off his beer and contemplated on ordering another.
"Cool, I would love to see him again. Hey, I have an idea. Dance with me." Zara says, getting out of her chair and pulling him onto the dance floor.
"Eh, why not...?" Caleb says as he allows her to pull him to the middle of the dance floor. Zara was an incredible dancer and Caleb was equally so. Eams watched with guarded jealousy as the pair moved on the dance floor and seemed to enjoy themselves. A song came on and Zara let out a whoop along with all the other girls on the dance floor. Eams watched as the man she was with groaned and escaped being crushed by the hoard of girls crowding the dance floor. Eams watched in awe as Zara and every other girl seemed to let out their inner vixen.
"Mr. Eams right?" Caleb said as he seemed to appear at Eams' side out of nowhere.
"Beg your pardon?" Eams asks.
"Your name- Mr. Eams. You work with Zara?" Caleb says, hoping that will explain things to him. When Eams hesitates to answer for just a second, Caleb chuckles and shakes his head.
"I'm Caleb, I've worked with Zara too. So are you tailing her to make sure she stays out of trouble or are you that obsessive and protective? Because you are playing the jealous boyfriend too well 'mate'."
"I'm just looking out for her. Besides she seems to be perfectly happy having you at that post." Eams explained, while still trying to keep his eyes trained on Zara who was currently being hit on by a pair of douche bags. Eams narrowed his gaze as he started to stand up to intervene. But Caleb was already at her side, pulling her away. One of the guys said something and Zara slipped away from Caleb and proceeded to beat the living daylights out of the guy faster and harder then Eams had expected. Both Caleb and Eams came and pulled her off the poor bastard and haul her out of there before the cops could show up.
"That's it, two drink limit from now on. Your temper flairs too bad after that." Caleb scolded Zara as they dragged her to her car and put her in the passenger seat.
"He deserved to have his ass handed to him." Zara seethed, her eyes nearly glowing with rage.
"But not by you. For heaven's sake Zara, you're on a job which means keeping a low profile, how is getting into a fight in a very public place doing that? You know better." Caleb replied sternly but his tone was still soft, he was trying to reason with her. Zara folded her arms over her chest and glared at him instead of arguing with him.
"Do you want me or Mr. Eams here to take you home? Because you're not driving, not like this." Caleb asked as he stood up and held her gaze. She grumbled something as she snorted defeat.
"Fine, have it your way. I'll see you tomorrow sweetheart." Caleb said to Zara as he tossed Eams' her car keys.
"Be safe." Caleb called as he walked away from them. Zara wouldn't look at Eams as she directed him to her place. Eams was shocked that her apartment was right next to his, how did he not discover this before? Then the snippets of conversation they had those couple of mornings seem to click into place.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to see me like that." Zara apologized, feeling completely embarrassed by her lapse of self control.
"Well if it counts for anything, the prick had it coming. And you have a brilliant left hook if I may say so." Eams replied with a sly grin. Zara chuckled at that.
"Thanks...How are you going to get home? Should I call a taxi or...?" Zara said as she took off her seat belt but made no move to get out.
"I am home love. I'm there." Eams replied as he pointed to his place.
"Seems you're my neighbor that blasted that awful racket." Eams said with a wink as he got out.
"But what about your car?" Zara asked as she got out and walked toward their apartments.
"We can get it later. Besides tomorrow is our one day off. Let's not worry about it darling." Eams said. Zara simply chuckled again.
"I hate it when Caleb is right..." Zara says as she leans her head back and rolls her head around, cracking her neck in the process.
"Speaking of him...why didn't your boyfriend take you home?" Eams questioned. Zara burst out in laughter and clamps her hand over her mouth to keep it from getting out of hand.
"Caleb isn't my boyfriend. Mostly because he already has one of his own." Zara replied. Eams looked at her baffled before it set in.
"Then what was all the bloody necking at the club?" Eams demanded.
"That wasn't necking, not even close to what I think necking is anyway. Caleb saw you tailing me, he watched you watch me and was simply goading you to see how you would react." Zara explained while stealing a glance his way. She watched for a moment as the wheels started to turn in his head. He hesitated again and that was answer enough for Zara.
"Well, goodnight Eams. I promise not to blare my music at 4 am tomorrow...I'll wait till 5." Zara teased as she got her key out and opened her door to go inside.
"Hold on, aren't you going to invite me in for tea or coffee or something?" Eams asked.
"I never invite someone in when I don't know their first name. Better luck next time iMr./i Eams. Goodnight." Zara said as she opened her door and swiftly closed it behind her. She barely had her shoes off when Eams knocked at her door. She opened it at looked at him expectantly.
"Nickolas, my first name is Nickolas, Nick for short. Satisfied?" He asked, with his arms crossed over his chest.
"What's your blood type?" Zara asked as she leaned on the door frame. Eams' eyebrows knitted together as he stared at her, wondering if she was serious.
"A positive." He answered slowly, surprised he even knew that.
"Awesome, me too. Now, before you take a step over this threshold, you need to know that you will ionly/i be having something to drink and i nothing/i more. Am I understood?" Zara asked, her tone taking on a deadly seriousness.
"Absolutely." Eams answered as Zara stepped back to let him in.
"So, coffee, tea, beer, wine, scotch whiskey...?"Zara offered as she walked to the kitchen to fetch whatever his answer would be. He followed her and grabbed the bottle of scotch-whiskey from the counter and gave a nod of approval. She got two glasses and they went to her little living room, where they drink in relative silence for a while. Zara still wouldn't look at him, she seemed to be lost in her own ocean of thoughts. Nick however took this opportunity to look her over carefully. She looked young despite the worry lines on her face.
"How old are you?" Nick asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. Zara looked up at him and gave him half a smile.
"Technically speaking, twenty-four, even though I may act like I'm six or sixteen, but most days I feel twice my age, that's what this business does to you isn't it? Age becomes nothing but a number, it's all about a state of mind. What about you?"
"Oh I agree love, although like you put it, 'technically speaking' I'm thirty two." He answered, even though he was days away from being thirty three and feeling much older then that.
"If all of the time you've spent in dreams were real life, how old would you be?" Zara asked.
"Oh I have no idea darling, probably twice what I am now." Nick replied as he tried not to think about it too much.
"I would be 87 and a half..." Zara said as she refilled her glass. Nick looked at her incredulously.
"My father insisted I go to college, I didn't think I had the time because I just wanted to get into the business, so he practically kidnapped a few professors and put them into a dream state so they could teach me one on one. I got two masters and a bachelor degree in two months of real time. In dream years I spent just shy of 5 years. It was...intense, like everything else in my life... Can I ask you something profoundly personal?" Zara asks as she leans forward and swishes the scotch in her glass.
"Sure." Nick replies, knowing she most likely needed someone to simply dump all the things she's been carrying around emotionally for...however long she's been carrying it.
"When you were growing up...did you have a happy family life?" Zara asked, trying very hard to choose her words carefully.
"I like to think so...to a degree anyway. My father wasn't around, my mother worked hard but she did what she could, that kind of thing...how was your family life growing up?" Nick asked.
"Anything but normal...you already know my mother. She is a professional head shrink, teacher, mentor, consultant... She is always about the human element. Then you have my father..." Zara began to say before she clenched her jaw and forced her tears back.
"My father loved his job more then he loved his family...he was brilliant and cunning, he was all about numbers and results. He will probably always be remembered for being one of the best in his field. But what no one will care to know, is that he was a horrible father. He may have provided extremely well for his family and taught me how to not only survive in this business but how to be successful and thrive. But he was controlling, paranoid, cold and calculating to an extreme degree. He was tyrannical, ruthless, vicious and abusive in the most damaging of ways. It was like living with a great white shark. He was powerful and deadly and you had no choice but to respect him. He demanded perfection...and I learned at too young an age how to simply survive him, so, to his face I tried to be perfect. I mean, what can I say? Human nature demands that a child will seek some kind of approval from a parent, even if the child knows it's impossible, they will still try...I mean the extreme lengths I went to were ridiculous. I learned several languages so I could converse with the majority of his clients easily, making them comfortable as I served as his translator for a while before striking out on my own. I was smart, witty, charming, helped propel his reputation as being one of the best at what he did. I helped him accumulate his power which in turn helped me accumulate my own. As repayment he would give me anything I asked for, that he approved of anyway. But he could never give me the one thing I needed, three guesses as to what that was..." Zara started to explain as a few tears began to run down her face before she quickly wiped them away while she did her best to put on a brave smile that never met her eyes. It felt good to get this off her chest. But it sucked spilling her guts out to someone whom she would only categorize as an acquaintance, someone who she still didn't know if she could trust.
"How bad was the abuse?" Nick asked, the words leaving his chest and throat constricted. He knew of Wilson Hunters, the man was piece of work to put it lightly and Eams didn't doubt he probably ruled his household with an iron fist.
"He never physically harmed me. Emotionally and mentally he beat me to a pulp all the time. He said it was to 'toughen me up' and 'give me thick skin' which is bullshit. My mother is shrink for god's sake! She knew damn well what he was doing and she didn't stop him, she didn't even try. Probably because he did the same thing to her and she just accepted it. She 'rebelled' against him though by introducing me to the underside and illegitimacy of this business. That's why I have openly invited extractors to come and see if they can break my father's trained security. I just for once want to beat him at his own game, even if the bastard is dead. That's why I'm pouring myself into this job as much as I am. I don't care about the money or 'my share' in this job. I just want it to be a success. That's all I really care about." Zara said as she finished her scotch in one big gulp. Nick simply nodded in understanding.
"Thank you..." Zara said softly, finally looking up at him. The raw emotion in her eyes captivated him.
"For listening to years of pent up emotional angst. You're a fantastic listener." Zara added, trying to lift the heavy mood. Nick simply stood up and brought her to her feet before giving her the biggest hug she ever could remember receiving. She stiffened at first but soon succumbed to the warmth and comfort of the embrace and hugged back, burying her face into his shoulder.
"You need a different cologne..." Zara said into his shoulder. He pulled away slightly to look at her and make sure he heard her correctly.
"Beg your pardon love?"
"You're cologne, it's burning my nose, it's too strong and spicy." She explained as she wrinkled and wiggled her nose to stave off a sneeze. Nick just laughed at her and let her go as he bent over to finish his cup of scotch-whiskey.
"Maybe that's what we should do tomorrow..." Zara offered.
"Don't see why not." Nick replied with a shrug as she walked him to the door.
"Excellent. I'll come over in the morning with breakfast. Goodnight." She said as she opened the door for him to leave.
"Goodnight love." Nick said as he kissed her cheek and walked passed her to leave. Zara blushed furiously.
"Hey don't start that now. It's not cool to start something you can't finish, second we work together and I have a firm 'no screwing workmates' policy while on the job because things can get weird and I don't do weird. Third- we've been drinking and we are slightly inebriated at the moment and I would hate for you to do something you will only regret or brush off as never happening later." Zara says quickly, before her eyes widen at the realization of what she just said since she took a simple peck on the cheek to mean...a lot more then he probably intended. She clamps a hand over her mouth to keep from saying anything else as she watches Nick's expression go from pleasantly surprised to completely pleased.
"The first thing you need to know about me love, is that I am, if anything, a professional. Secondly, don't sell yourself so short. Because anything done in your company would never be regretted, let alone forgotten. And third- I never start anything that I don't intend for both of us to finish. Get some sleep darling, I'll see you in the morning, yeah?" Nick said with a wink as he walked away, leaving Zara standing there with her jaw open like a fish out of water.
"God damn, I'm in trouble." Zara says to herself as she shuts her door and contemplates how she may have just made a complete fool out of herself while the devious side of her brain began to imagine Nick's lips on places other then her cheek. She began to blush even further and decided that she better lock her door and go to bed before she goes over to his place and does something she just might regret. Although she doubts she would really regret it. I mean, guys with voices, looks and bodies like his were usually fantastic in bed and she hadn't gotten laid since before her father passed...oh no, need to snuff those thoughts out of her head right now.