CHAPTER 18 – RICHARD
I shake the hands of the last black-suited Russian guy as they make their way out of the office. Silence erupts in the office as the door shuts after them.
I let go of my pent-up breath, slumping on the chair. I feel so exhausted from the tense meeting we just had that lasted forty minutes. Rubbing my temples, I try to steady the erratic throbbing of my heart. Just a while ago, I almost exposed myself that I'm not the Richard this world is used to. Just a while ago, the Russians were on the verge of questioning my identity.
Ray's boisterous laughter makes me turn my gaze in his direction. He was seated on one of the chairs surrounding the long table. The chair closest to mine.
"I can't believe you did that!" He whistles boyishly, clapping his hands repeatedly as he laughs.
I, on the other hand, did not share in his amusement. I'm too tense to even let out a chuckle. It's gonna take a while before I'm back to my normal self.
"You can't believe I did what?" I repeat, shutting my eyes briefly and taking another deep breath.
"That."
"I don't know what the hell you talking about." I sigh, placing my legs on the table and crossing one over the other.
"Don't act so modest, Richard. You know what the hell you just did. I can't believe it." Ray gasps, with a sheepish grin.
"You can't believe what?" I snap irritatedly. I'm not sure what he's talking about, and he doesn't wanna be clear about it. It's beginning to piss me off.
"You just threatened those Russian dudes into giving us two months to work on the project and figure it all out…"
"Yeah, 'cause I thought we needed that much time."
"No, you don't get my point, man." Ray shakes his head, rolling up his sleeves. "It's not about the time. It's about how you made them give us the time. You threatened them, man."
"Well, it was either that or we lose the deal. And you did say the deal was worth over a million dollars and whatnot." I reply a bit nonchalantly.
"Yeah. That's true. But Richard, that's never been your style. You don't play dirty. You always act like you took an honesty oath. You play fair, always."
"Always? Even in situations like this?"
"Yeah. And in situations like this, you usually plead with them or promise to double their interest in the deal."
"If I go about it that way, they're gonna have the upper hand in the project, right?"
"Sure. But you've never cared about who had the upper hand. You're always willing to abide by their rules. As long as the deal pushes through…"
"I must have been the biggest idiot in the world." I hissed.
"Just too honest for your own good." Ray chirps in.
Again, I'm reminded about how stupid the other me was. There's no word on the planet to describe how much of an idiot he was. He's the type of person I crush because I can't stand how weak they are. Good thing he's never coming back. Or will he?
"C'mon, let's go to your office." Rays cut short my sudden thought.
I look up at him distractedly before nodding and standing to my feet. I'll have to ask Flair if there's a chance of the other me ever coming back. I know she killed him off, but this whole thing is yet to be very clear to me. I have to be sure, cause I don't wanna take any chances.
We get to my office and I'm once again awed by it. If there's one thing the other me did well, it's the design he chose for this office. The grey color of the office gives it a gloomy aura that syncs with my personality. There were a few of his portraits, but it wasn't out of place.
It's a really comfy area, and I'm positive I'm gonna enjoy having it as my office.
I settle into my chair and Ray sits in one of the chairs, facing mine. He takes off his jacket, placing it on the handle of the chair.
"What now?" He asks, drumming his fingers lazily on the table. "Tell me the ideas you've got for the project."
"We've got two months to sort it out, Ray.." I lean closer, intertwining my fingers. "For now, I wanna discuss something else."
"Sure. What is it?"
"The secretary. What's her name again?"
"Lisa." Ray's eyes are hooded with confusion. "Why are we discussing her?"
"Because I want her gone."
"What?!" He blurts out in surprise. "Why do you wanna fire her?"
"Uh, because she's incompetent and I just can't stand her anymore." I quickly rasp in a breath.
I have no idea who the hell the secretary is. I only saw her this morning as we walked in. I don't know if she's incompetent. I just need her gone. That's the only way Jane can work here as my secretary. Flair says it'll be in a few days. So Lisa or whatever her name is has to lose her job.
"Dude, are you being serious?" Rays chuckle. "You've always adored Lisa, you give her a lot of accolades for her efficiency. You put a lot of value on her. You won't even let me get close to her. And now you say she's incompetent? You sound crazy!"
"Why do you wanna get close to her?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at him. I see the glint in his eyes and I know what that means. "You like her?"
"No, not her. Just her ass. I'm in love with her bouncy ass. I've never been attracted to any other ass since I saw hers. But you won't let me touch that ass. You won't let me explore it."
I'm wheezing badly before Ray could finish his whining. I can't control my laugh as I repeatedly tap the table.
"What's so funny?" Ray asks, feeling a shred of embarrassment.
"Nah, nothing. Nothing at all." I chuckle, trying to subside my laughter. But in all honesty, I'm laughing because It's shocking having to see this Casanova side of Ray.
In the other world, Ray is the "good guy" who doesn't flirt around or cheat. He's more than faithful to that stupid mate of his and ready to do anything for her.
Hearing him say he wanna touch another female's bouncy ass and whatnot is kinda weird and funny.
"You're making fun of my feelings for the secretary." Ray pouts.
"No, I'm not. And you can have her if you want. I don't give a shit."