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I shake my head in embarrassment. At the same time, there is a brief silence.
“Vaughn,” Craig says in a light tone, “I hope you realize that it is important that you always tell the truth during our sessions. I have told you several times and will keep telling you that this is a safe space, free from judgment. I understand why you may not want to talk about certain things, and if such instances arise, you can tell me you don’t want to talk about them. Are we clear?”
I nod in understanding.
“Good. Now, is there anything you would want us to talk about?”
I shake my head negatively.
“Okay then. I better get going. Thank you for the dinner.” He flashes me with his perfect smile and disappears through the front door.
I go back to my room and lie in bed. My eyes are starting to get heavy with sleep, and warmth spreads over my chest. As I said earlier, I am not really a fan of therapy, but with Doctor Craig, even when I don’t gain insight into my issues from our sessions, talking to him makes me feel better.
The swirling fan gets blurry, and my eyes close slowly. I can already feel my consciousness drifting away when, suddenly, my phone shrieks, jolting me back into full wake mode.
Rachel.
What the hell does she want?
I swipe right, and a shaky, apprehensive voice fills my ears.
“Mr. Vaughn, we have a serious problem.”
The tone of her voice sends a chill down my spine.
“Serious problem?” I sit upright, my nerves on edge, my senses tense. “What happened?”
I can literally hear her gulp before she continues, “Remember Novaspire Technologies? The mobile tech company you did a shoot for in the UK? Well, we mistakenly signed a contract with their rival company, Mobilix Solutions, and they are calling for you to fulfill the terms of the contract, or else they are going to sue.”
“What?” I spring up from my bed, my neck hair standing on edge.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Vaughn.”
Chapter seven
Chapter Seven
Rachel
Archie’s soft fur brushes against my chin, the tingling sensation bringing me back from the land of dreams.
“You didn’t have to do that, Archie. I am work-free today. No alarms!”
Meow.
He placed his front paws on top of my chest, nudging me.
“Oh, I understand now. You’re hungry, aren’t you?”
Meow.
My fingers curl around Archie’s body as I am sitting on my bed.
My bedroom window is wide open, and with the light flooding through my blinds comes the nerve-numbing heat of a hot summer Tuesday afternoon.
I definitely shouldn’t be here.
It’s a Tuesday. I should be at the office working for Vaughn, but I couldn’t bring myself to do so. Vaughn is an asshole—that’s as evident as the sky is blue and the sun is a hot burning ball of fire. But he’s never scared me like he did two days ago when I called him about the mistake I made.