The Game - Chapter Two

Chapter Two

I only panicked for two seconds when I woke up that morning. After sitting up and rubbing my eyes, I prevented myself from crying, since I had done about as much of that as I could stand, and climbed out of bed, padding over to the bathroom.

The room I was in was much like Leon's, except that the walls were painted a creamy pink color and the drapes were white and made of flowing linen, the floor white and pink speckled marble. I showered and took care of all my other personal hygiene in the white marble bathroom, then went back out and found the closet. All of my new clothes were either hanging up or folded and in drawers, the tags already removed. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a simple black and white top, putting on a pair of black and white slip on flats before cautiously leaving the room.

I had only stepped into the hall when a lady, dressed in formal black and white attire, walked around the corner. Spotting me, she smiled and walked over, holding out a hand. I shook it.

"I'm Mary. You must be Brooke. Marcus told us to watch out for you. Come this way." I nodded and followed her back the way she'd come from, arriving at Leon's door just two minutes later. She knocked and opened it without waiting for him to answer, sticking her head inside. She said something in a low voice, which I heard Leon answer, then opened the door completely and pulled me inside, leaving with a smile.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Leon's voice floated out of the bathroom, which I could just see from my spot. I walked further into the room and stood awkwardly in the middle, thinking.

"Pancakes," I answered after a moment. "Blueberry ones." He was quiet for a moment, then he emerged from the bathroom in nothing but a towel, his hair and torso dripping wet. My cheeks blazed and I looked away quickly, finding the wall very interesting. I felt his eyes on me, then he moved away, and I sighed a small sigh of relief, glad he had decided not to say anything.

"I'll tell Mary then. After you eat, we'll be going downtown."

"Okay," I responded quietly, keeping my eyes on the wall. There were scuffling sounds behind me, then Leon grunted.

"Come on." I nodded and turned, my eyes on the floor even as I followed him out of the room. I trailed behind him, taking occasional glances at his back, which I was slightly surprised to find was covered in a deep blue dress shirt. I blinked, then noted that he wore a pair of black slacks, his feet covered in shiny black shoes. So that must mean that we were going downtown for some sort of business function. "Are you listening to me?"

At the same time that Leon's voice penetrated my thoughts, I bumped into him. My eyes wide, I just barely registered falling before my rear end hit the ground. I sat there for a moment, then looked up at Leon with slightly frightful eyes.

"S-sorry," I stammered, climbing hurriedly to my feet and brushing myself off while discreetly rubbing my throbbing backside. My eyes met Leon's piercing ones, and I hoped I looked sincerely repentant, since I really was. His gaze was hard.

I found myself trying to come up with an excuse for spazzing out before he said anything, the blue of his eyes made brighter by the shirt he wore. Figuring that I could at least say 'sorry' again, I opened my mouth, only to close it again when he glared harder, then turned and kept walking. I followed quietly.

We walked in silence for another two minutes before he opened a door and grabbed my arm, pushing me into an elegant dining room. Motioning toward the long table, he stalked off in another direction, disappearing behind a swinging door. I walked to the nearest chair and sat down, wincing slightly as I sat; who knew that falling onto a marble floor would hurt so much? For a minute, I fiddled with the hem of my shirt, then looked up as Leon appeared again, looking as he always did; emotionless. I watched him as he strode to the seat across from me, sitting down in it with a barely audible sigh. I said nothing.

We sat in complete silence. I stared at the design on my shirt, rubbing the fabric lightly. As the quiet stretched on, I could feel Leon's eyes on me, watching me. His gaze was unnerving, and I licked my lips nervously, resisting the urge to look at him every now and them.

"Stop that," he said suddenly. I jumped, then looked up at him in alarm. His face remained impassive., but I guessed he saw the question in my eyes. "You can't keep fidgeting like that."

"But you're staring at me," I responded quietly, lowering my eyes again. He scoffed.

"So what? People stare."

"It makes me nervous." I met his eyes again, feeling my cheeks heat up slightly. He folded his hands on the table, leaning forward slightly.

"Well you're gonna have to get used to it; people are going to stare at you." At that moment, I heard a door open, and, glad for the distraction, I turned away from Leon, my eyes finding a woman walking towards us with a platter in her hands. She said nothing as she set the platter between us, not even after I thanked her, and she was gone as quickly as she had come. After a while, Leon reached forward and removed the lid of the platter, revealing a plate of steaming hot blueberry pancakes. My stomach immediately growled in response, and I reached for the plate, pulling it toward me.

As I ate, after drowning the fluffy foodstuffs in maple syrup, Leon continued to stare at me. After a few moments, I self-consciously began to take smaller bites, being careful not to look like a greedy pig. The man across from me said nothing, and when I was finished, he stood abruptly. "Leave it," was his response to my reaching for the plate, and I nodded slightly, then followed him out of the dining room.

Again, there was nothing but silence as he led me - surprisingly - back to my room. Opening the door, he pushed me inside before closing the door after he himself entered. A little confused, I simply stood there, unsure of what he wanted. Leon however, either not noticing my bewilderment or not caring, went straight to my closet, pushing open the door. He rifled through the clothes for a moment, then, finding what he was looking for, pulled it from the closet. "Here." He held out the green fabric, and I went forward to take it, watching as he delved back into the depths of the wardrobe.  After a moment, he handed me something black, and I took it quickly, looking at him in utter mystification when he closed the closet door.

"Go change," he said semi-slowly, as though he had already told me. I blinked a few times, then nodded, turning and going into the bathroom. "And put on a bit of make-up," he called as an afterthought. I nodded just before closing the door.

Around twenty minutes later, I emerged in a black pencil skirt, the green cotton blouse tucked neatly inside of it. Nervously, I stepped out of the bathroom, going to stand in front of Leon while inspecting my toes. Suddenly, he grunted, surprising me by reaching up and gripping my chin, forcing me to look at him. His fingers were warm, the tips slightly rough. I blushed, though from what I didn't know. He let me go after scrutinizing me for a few more moments, then stepped back and nodded once, curtly.

"Good." He nodded his head in the direction of the closet. "Pick out a pair of shoes and let's go." I nodded quickly, padding over to the closet and opening it, choosing a pair of attractive shoes with a nice heel. I slipped them on my feet, then stood and turned to Leon for confirmation. He nodded, then motioned for me to come.

He ushered me fairly quickly out of the house, glancing at his watch every now and then. It occurred to me that I might've taken a little longer in the bathroom than I first thought, and I bit my lip as I climbed into the Corvette, stealing a furtive glance at Leon, then sighing softly in relief; he didn't look too agitated. I sat back and attempted to relax as he pulled out of the long driveway, taking deep breaths and trying to stop the nervous shaking of my hands.

As we drove through the streets of Miami, I barely noticed the smiling faces and bright sunshine. I stared out of the window, preoccupied with thoughts of my family back in Minnesota. Again, I pictured the face of my mother crying and my father's pained expression as he tried to comfort her. I bit my lip once more, trying to tell myself that they would be alright, that all I had to do was pretend to be Leon's girlfriend for a little while and they would be fine. Just a game, Brooke, I thought. That's it.

"If you're not going to make not listening to me a habit, you're going to be a very sorry girl." I jumped in my seat and quickly turned my head to give Leon my full attention. He glanced at me out the corner of his eye. "That's better." Turning on his blinker, he made a smooth left turn before continuing. "We're going to meet a man named Julio Vasquez. He owns Vasquez & Co., which I'm sure you've heard of. He's wanted to affiliate with McCain Industries for a few years now; I'm just going to seal the deal. All you have to do when we get there is observe. Watch what I do, what Julio does." He made another left, parking in front of an impressive looking building. "And don't speak unless you're spoken to first." I nodded.

"Okay." He looked at me for a minute, then nodded and reached behind him, unlocking the doors.

"Stay there," he murmured before climbing out of the car. I frowned in confusion, then realized what he was doing as soon as he came around and opened my door for me, holding out a hand. I took it and thanked him softly, taking his grunt as an acknowledgement. As I stepped away from the curb, one of his hands dropped down to the small of my back and he led me gently to the door of the building, opening it and following me inside.

The lobby was cold and detached, the floors made of gray marble and the walls painted a boring white. There was a desk immediately in front of us, placed against the back wall. The rest of the room, oddly, was empty, nothing except for a few doors leading off to other parts of the building. Leon snapped me out of my observing, gently pressing his hand into my back and spurring me forward. As we neared the desk, the secretary smiled.

"Ah Mr. McCain, good to see you." In an instant, Leon's normally cold air dissolved and his smile broke through the icy façade.

"Good to see you too, Hannah. Is Julio in? I believe he knew of our appointment." The brunette nodded, picking up a manila folder and stepping around the desk.

"Right this way," she chirped. I saw the curious glance she cast at me, but dismissed it as Leon nodded for me to follow behind her first. I did as he bid me, following Hannah into one of the closer doors. It turned out to be an elevator, concealed behind a regular door, and I stepped inside as soon as the doors opened. Leon entered after me, positioning himself between myself and Hannah. The elevator door dinged shut, and the woman pushed a button, though there was no indication to which floor she had requested. I stood with my arms folded and waited.

The elevator ride was silent, broken only by the sounds of breathing. When the contraption stopped, Hannah stepped out first after the doors opened, followed by myself, then Leon. I looked around, deciding that if the entire building was as cold as the lobby, then I wanted to be out of it as soon as possible. My heels clicked lightly against the floor, and Hannah stopped about halfway down the hallway, knocking lightly on a plain oak door.

"Come in," a voice called lazily. Hannah obediently opened the door, and I walked in after Leon, smiling to the woman as she left the room, closing the door after her. As I turned my gaze on the only other human being in the room besides Leon, I felt butterflies flutter in my stomach, nervousness setting in full force. Leon must have noticed, because his murmured command of 'relax' was spoken just short of two seconds before his greeting of,

"Julio, good to see you." The handsome man sitting at the desk smiled widely, his hazel eyes lighting up with the expression.

"The same here, my friend. Come, sit." He motioned towards two chairs in front of his desk, then he seemed to notice me for the first time. "And introduce me to that beautiful young lady standing next to you." Involuntarily, I blushed and smiled shyly, following Leon as he led me to a chair, sitting beside me.

"This is Brooke Lesley, a close friend of mine. Brooke this is Julio Vasquez, owner of this boring old building." I smiled politely and took the hand Julio offered.

"Nice to meet you," the man intoned, his voice dropping an octave. He had a slight Spanish accent, making his voice smooth, almost musical.

"Nice to meet you too," I responded, allowing my hand to linger in his only because I didn't want to pull away and seem rude. When he finally released my hand, he turned his beautiful hazel eyes to Leon, smiling.

"Now how'd you manage to get a pretty little thing like her to date you?" Leon grinned devilishly, something I hadn't seen him do.

"That's for me to know and you to never find out," he answered. One of Julio's sandy brown eyebrows rose, and he chuckled but didn't say anything else about it, shaking his head.

"If you say so."

It didn't take me long to find out that Leon had no intention of letting Julio's attention linger on me for any amount of time longer than necessary.  Almost as soon as the man faded into silence, my captor lightly cleared his throat, then pulled an envelope from the inside pocket of his jacket. He set it on the table, indicating it with a nod of his head. I decided to tune him out, since I wouldn't understand anything he would be talking about. I observed instead.

Leon spoke quietly, but I could hear the demanding, business-like undertone in his voice. It seemed as though he were commanding all attention, and as I watched him out of the corner of my eye, I could see that his face was set in a hard expression. It gave away nothing. I looked to Julio.

His countenance was much the same as Leon's; hard, serious. I noted that his eyes, which had been bright just moments before, were now slightly dull, focused on Leon and sometimes the papers he had removed from the envelope. I could see that the muscles of his shoulders were relaxed, and the position of his body screamed You don't intimidate me. I blinked, then stole another glance at Leon, whose body was leaned forward slightly in his chair, his hands motioning sometimes.

Then, suddenly, it was over. Julio nodded, smiled, then stood even as Leon did the same. They shook hands across the desk, then Leon motioned to me that it was time to go. I rose, smiled at Julio, then followed Leon to the door.

"Brooke!" I turned back to Julio, who smiled widely. "It was nice meeting you," he said again. I smiled and nodded.

"You too."

Leon led me out of the door after saying his goodbyes, closing it quietly behind him. His eyes met mine, and I waited for the verdict. After a moment, he nodded. "You did good," he murmured quietly. "Though I would suggest you refrain from flirting with all of my clients." A light blush covered my cheeks, and I followed him down the hall, standing in front of the elevator with my head down.

"Sorry." He grunted, but said nothing else until the elevator doors dinged open. Ushering me inside, he murmured,

"But round one isn't over yet." As the doors shut after us, his arm wound around my waist, and he pulled me to his side, pressing a button. I figured that there must've been cameras in the elevator, and I looked up only to have my suspicions confirmed; the little black and white device was pointing right at us. Sighing, though not loudly enough for him to hear, I copied his movement, laying my head on his shoulder. "Good girl," was his reaction.

We stood like that until the doors opened, and he let me go, only to capture me again as he stepped out after me. He lifted one hand in a parting gesture to Hannah, who waved back, then he led me out of the building and into the warm midday air. He helped me into the car an instant later and we were driving off soon after that. There was silence only for a moment.

"So what did you learn?" It took me a minute to realize what he was talking about. Nervously, I shifted in my seat and fiddled with the seatbelt.

"I-I don't know."

"You must've learned something. I know you were watching like I told you to." When I hesitated, he sighed, stopping at a red light and turning towards me, capturing me with his intense gaze. "Was there emotion at that meeting?" I shook my head, and he nodded slowly. "Exactly. Emotion gets you nowhere is this line of business. You can't be nervous, afraid, intimidated, or even angry. You have to be expressionless, cold. Can you do that?" I swallowed.

"I-I don't kn - "

"That's not a good enough answer." His interruption was abrupt, his tone clipped. "You have to be hard. You have to be cold." The light turned green and he turned away from me again, pressing on the gas and causing the car to inch forward. "You'll have plenty of time to practice," he added after a moment of silence. I nodded, my hands in my lap.

If it'll save my family, I can be cold. I can do this. I have to do this, I thought grimly. I turned to stare out of the window. I will do this.