John got in the elevator and rode to the seventh floor. He wondered whether or not he would be in the same room as Frank and if so…well…if so, what? He found his way to the conference room where there were already a few people seated; he nodded at them as he made his way to the front of the room. He looked down to open his briefcase and when his eyes again scanned the room, he saw the man who had kissed Eva in front of the building passing through the doorway.
John had to do his best to keep from staring; Frank certainly wasn't what he had expected to see. There were no glasses, no pocket full of pens, and no starched shirt. Instead, Frank was wearing a pair of jeans and a black button-down shirt with the first few buttons undone and his sleeves rolled half way up. In place of the imagined Drew Carey hairstyle there was a full head of thick, black, curly locks that were the slightest bit untamed. John couldn't help but to think of Frank as one of those "cool rebel type guys" that all of the girls fawned over in high school. The one thing that satisfied John ever so slightly was that he couldn't see anything spectacular about his physique; he certainly wasn't built like John, "Mr. Captain of the Football Team."
There was another very noticeable aspect of Frank: he was indeed incredibly appealing to women. John guessed that women would find Frank attractive (he made a habit of not wondering whether or not a man was good looking), but this was confirmed when he witnessed the way the female population of the room ogled Frank as he passed them. Had that been their reaction to John, he would have reveled in it; Frank, however, didn't even seem to notice their stares.
When everyone was seated, the head of the department introduced John. He gave a rather dull presentation warning the employees to document everything they do carefully, as the number of lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies grows constantly. As he spoke, he looked around at everyone in the room and tried not to stop and stare at Frank.
The meeting ended and John took his time in packing up his things. He was tempted to find an excuse to talk to Frank…but about what? He picked up his briefcase and his temptation won over his common sense. He walked through the hallway in search of Frank's office. When he came to the door that had the nameplate F. Falconer next to it he froze for a moment, almost turning around. Again, his curiosity triumphed; he just had to meet the man that had Eva.
He lifted a slightly shaky fist and knocked on the doorframe. Frank didn't look up from his desk at first; John could see that he was calculating something.
"Yes?" Frank asked
"Mr. Falconer?" John said trying to sound confident.
Frank looked up with an expression of surprise. "Mr. Trafford? May I help you?"
John smiled. "This is a bit embarrassing, you knowing who I am and all…"
"Pardon?" Frank interrupted. "I'm sorry, I know you?"
"Well, you don't know me know me, but I'm sure you know of me."
"I apologize if I'm mistaken, but I'm quite sure I haven't the slightest idea of who you are, aside from the fact that you just presented down the hall."
"John Trafford." He repeated his name as if Frank had never heard it before. He then added, "I, uh, well, I was engaged to your wife…Eva."
Frank's eyes grew wide. "Oh, I see. You know, I'm not sure I had ever heard Eva mention your last name before." John didn't respond, so Frank sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment. "Er, is there something I can help you with?"
"Well, I um…" John felt like a fool; he didn't know what he was doing. He decided to be honest with Frank. "…truth be told, I was curious about you."
"Curious?"
"Yes. I wanted to meet the man that married Eva."
Frank was unsure of how he should have taken that statement. He stood up and circled to the front of his desk. "Alright, I suppose. Um, any particular reason?"
"Well, I spoke with her a couple of months ago and she seemed really happy. I guess I just was interested in meeting you." John spotted two framed pictures on Frank's desk; they were caddy cornered so you could see them if you were seated either in front of it or behind it. The first picture was a portrait of Eva and Faye taken shortly after Frank's "return" home. John smiled when he looked at it. "You have a gorgeous daughter," he said nonchalantly.
"Er, thank you. She takes after Eva."
"I was pretty stupid for doing what I did to her, Eva I mean," he said as the other photo caught his eye. It wasn't professionally taken, just a blown up snap shot, but one that spoke volumes. It was of Frank and Eva and they were engaged in a rather provocative kiss. It was taken at Audrey's house after their impromptu wedding. "But I can see that worked to your advantage." John could feel jealousy beginning to eat at him.
"Yes, it did. I believe it worked to hers as well." Frank saw him staring at the photo; a partial smile crossed his lips. "I realize that the office may not be the most appropriate place for such a photograph, but it is a very happy memory of mine and it shows Eva's sensual side quite well."
Obviously, John wasn't there when the photo was taken, but he could just tell that at that moment, forever frozen in time, Eva was kissing Frank with more passion and love than she ever bestowed on him in their five years together.
"How did you do it?" John asked, his tone changing.
"Do what?" Frank asked, puzzled.
"How in one night did you manage to steal her away from me?"
Frank laughed. "Steal her? That's quite possibly the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I believe that she caught you with her sister…"
"And you took advantage of her," John said gruffly.
"Advantage?" Frank was doing his very best to keep his tone calm and steady. "I think that perhaps you should leave this topic alone. There's no need to drudge up…"
"You found a vulnerable young woman who was half toasted and…"
"And how do you know she was intoxicated?" Frank asked raising an eyebrow.
For a moment John felt guilt course through his veins. "I urged her to have a good time that night."
"So you could sneak off and be with her sister?"
John's words came quickly, almost running together. "You don't have the right to judge me, especially since you were able to force yourself on her due to the state she was in. You manipulated her enough to sleep with a complete stranger. My Eva would never…"
"No!" Frank shouted; he then quickly lowered his voice. "Let's clear one thing up before we continue with this drivel. She is not your Eva; she is not my Eva either. She is her own person. Was she vulnerable? Yes, slightly, but I have never forced myself on anyone." He thought to himself, "Persuasion is a different matter all together." He then continued. "Eva made an unclouded decision to do what she did that night. She wanted to drown out what she had seen and I simply helped her to move on." Frank let his tone become slightly conceited. "She needed someone to console her…mind and body. I must admit, I think I was a wonderful source of therapy for her."
"You smug bastard."
"Ah, name calling, very mature of you, Mr. Trafford. I gave, and still do give, Eva what she needs in every sense…and I always will. From what I understand, you treated her terribly…"
"I never did anything to her!" John interrupted.
"I think that was the point. You acted as though she wasn't there…except for the few times you stumbled home and tried to have your way with her."
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"Eva has told me everything that happened between the two of you. I still can't understand how a gorgeous and loving creature such as Eva fell for an insect like you." Frank was now being terribly arrogant and he had every right to be. The man in front of him was lucky that Frank's old temper didn't flare up.
John detested the way Frank had just spoke to him, trying to sound like he was so much better for her than he ever was. He thought that it might be fun to see just how far he could push Frank. "Or maybe my opinion of her was never right. Maybe she's nothing more than a slut."
Frank felt his face grow hot, but he still tried to keep his composure. "How dare you say something so vile and untrue…"
"I could have given her everything she wanted."
"Material things, perhaps, though I must admit that we're doing quite well for ourselves. However, I can give her far more than you ever could have. In fact, I gave her something that she wanted terribly, but that you made very clear to her you never wanted any part of…I've given her a child."
"Big deal, you screwed her and she got pregnant."
Frank could no longer contain himself; he clenched his fists and breathed deeply. "I have never once 'screwed' her," he said in a harsh voice. This new tone caused John to back up ever so slightly. "It sickens me more than you could ever fathom that I was once so much like you. You're so damned insecure about yourself that you have to jump from bed to bed to prove that you're a man." Frank chuckled a bit. "Or perhaps you need to move from woman to woman because you can't really satisfy any one person for a given length of time."
Frank began to walk towards John, slowly backing him towards the door, his tone once again callous. "In either case, as far as I'm concerned, you are nothing. And while it saddens me deeply that the woman I love more than anything in this universe had the atrocious fortune of being with you for five years of her life, I can't help but to revel in your stupidity. Had you not been such a swine, I wouldn't be as fortunate as I am."
Frank closed his eyes for a moment, remembering that he was no longer the man he was in the castle; if he had been, John would most likely be on his knees begging for the pain to stop. "Before Eva, this would have been a moment where I would have liked nothing more than to see you in some sort of physical agony for the things you have said…however, my views on life have changed drastically and I am fully satisfied in knowing not only that you spoke of her so dreadfully due to your jealousy, but also that you realize that you let a true goddess let slip away from you." Frank turned and walked to his desk. "I think it would be best if you would escort yourself out of this room."
John left Frank's office both terrified and strangely, more curious. What did he mean about "before he met Eva?" Did this man who claims to love her with every fiber of his being have a sordid past? John was now determined to find out just who Frank Falconer was.