Pulled to the Dark (The Siriena Series) (7 page)

We rode in silence. I was out of things to say and couldn't bring myself to make small talk. I was also a little overwhelmed that they were giving me so much personal attention.

We pulled into the parking lot of a very expensive-looking high-rise apartment building. Then she turned towards the building, opened her window, retrieved a card key, and ran it past the scanner. There was a pause before the parking garage door under the building began to open.

She drove in and pulled into a spot that was marked with her name.

"You live here."

"Yes."

We climbed out of the car carrying our coffees. Mine was half gone. Petra took my free arm. We took the elevator up one floor and got out in the lobby. There was a guard desk with computer monitors on the desk. We stepped up to the desk.

"Hello, Samuel," Petra said.

"Hello, Ms.
Darkangel
," he replied. He nodded to Andrea. "Ms. Benson."

"Samuel, this is Felicia Conner. We're going to show her around. Would you show her the security monitors?"

"Of course," he said. "Ms Conner, if you would care to step over here."

Petra nodded to me, releasing my arm, and I walked around the guard's desk. On the monitors were several video camera feeds. One appeared to be the entrance to the parking garage. Where were several in the garage itself, two elevators, two of the lobby, and a variety of empty corridors.

He tapped some buttons. All the images on one of the monitors disappeared and were replaced with one large image of the garage entrance. "This is when you arrived," he said. There was a car in the image and I could see Petra and me sitting in the front seat. "You can also barely see Ms. Benson in the back." He pointed. Then he tapped more screens and the images shifted, following our progress into the building, all the way to the security desk.

"We have cameras and motion sensors in all public parts of the building," he said. Then he gestured to the front doors. "Two inch glass and steel doo
rs," he said. "Bullet proof. It will stop all
hand gun
rounds
and most hunting rifle rounds. It won't, however, stop concentrated, military grade fire. Entrance to the building requires the guard's permission."

"Petra used a card key for the parking garage."

"That was for identification," he said. "I still had to tell the computers to open the door. I also had to tell the computers to allow the elevator to descend. The front doors work the same way."

"Thank you, Samuel," Petra said. She held out her hand and I returned to her. She took my arm and we turned back to the elevator.
We rode the elevator to the eighteenth floor and got out. Petr
a pulled me to the right and we walked to an apartment door. She slid a card key through the lock and opened the door.

"Did that require the guard as well?" I asked.

"No," she said. "Just the main entrances. Once you're inside and on the first floor or above, everything works the way you would expect." She stepped inside and held the door for me. I followed her into the apartment.

It was amazing. We entered a small foyer then stepped into a large, furnished and tastefully decorated living room. Everywhere was rich woodwork. They gave me a full tour. It was about twice the size of my apartment and must cost about six times as much to rent.

"Is this your apartment?" I asked Petra. "Why are you showing me this?"

"No," she said. "It's not my apartment.
I have the top floor, two floors up. This apartment is
yours."

I stared at her.

"I couldn't possibly afford this apartment," I told her. "You know that."

"
Renea
owns this building," Petra told me. "This is a perquisite of working for her. It's not one we normally share with new employees. But
as you said to me, you feel you a
re finally where you belong.
Andrea and I agree with you.
This apartment's rent is identical to your current rent."

I looked around, stunned. Then I turned and looked at her suspiciously.

"You're wondering who you have to sleep with."

I cracked a smile. "Something
like
that. When something is too good to be true, it usually is. Is
Renea
Impressions really a cover for the mob or something?"

She laughed. "No. We're the good guys."

Andrea said, "Would you like the pros and cons?" I nodded. "Pros first. It's a stunning apartment."

"Yes."

Petra said, "You would be able to ride to and from work with me or Karen when our schedules mesh. She's just down the hall. There are eight other
Renea
Impressions employees living in
the
top four floors, so if you make other friends at work, some of them are here, too."

Andrea said, "The building is wired with a corporate-grade
internet
. There is a solid firewall for the building and each apartment is heavily wired. This apartment has a wireless network, but you are free to disconnect it and use your own equipment, if you prefer."

Petra said, "Your monthly rent would remain a constant percentage of your salary before any of the special bonuses. If you get a raise, rent will go up. If you receive sufficient raises, rent will stop when you are paying market rates. That would be some time from now."

"You may retain any of the furnishings you wish or replace them with your own," said Andrea.
"The building allows cats. Limit two, and no dogs."

Petra said quietly. "And you would be safe. Which is the main reason you're going to accept."

"Now the cons," said Andrea. She looked at Petra. "I can't think of any."

"She'd have to move. Some people hate that."

"And if she quits
Renea
Impressions, she'd have to move. She couldn't afford the apartment."

I looked between the two of them.
"Does
Renea
know you're offering a, what? Six-thousand-dollar apartment?"

"Not quite that much," said Petra.

"To a secretary?"

"Assistant," said Petra. "And yes, she does. I would have arrived at your apartment this morning ahead of Andrea, but it took me some time to reach
Renea
for permission. As soon as I told her the situation, she told me I was stupid to even wonder what the answer would be. But I felt I should ask first."

"You woke her up?"

"Yes, and she would have been angry if I hadn't."

"I have a lease," I said.

"You won't when I get done with them," Petra said.

I wandered around the apartment for a minute. There was no carpet. The floors were beautiful hardwood except for tile in the two bathrooms. There were oriental rugs under the living room set, most of the master bedroom, and the dining room table. The master bathroom had a huge shower and a whirlpool tub. The second bedroom was furnished as an office. I wandered into the kitchen and it was fully equipped. The kitchen itself was amazing.

I wandered back out to the living room where Petra and Andrea were waiting for me.

"Are you going to make us order you to take it?" Andrea asked.

"Thank you," I said. "I was so scared. When can I move in?"

"Immediately after breakfast," Petra said cheerfully. "Breakfast this morning is two floors above us. Shall we?"

We took the stairs. Petra's apartment was amazing. I received an immediate tour. There were three bedrooms, two with amazing views. One was her master bedroom, one was a guest bedroom, and one was organized as a mini dojo.

We prepared breakfast together. It was a decadent affair, full of calories, and I loved it. We cleaned up afterwards then discussed logistics. Andrea had suitcases in her car parked outside my apartment. Petra collected two large suitcases and a garment bag of her own.

We stopped back on the eighteenth floor on our way out. Petra knocked on a door and Karen answered. "Are you free today?"

"Yes," she said, looking between us. "What's going on?"

"Felicia is moving in down the hall. Immediately. Do you mind helping?"

"The one we uses for guests?" she asked. "Oh, I love that apartment." She turned to me. "Who did you sleep with to rate that?"

"This morning she was attacked in her old apartment," said Petra quietly.

Karen's expression turned to one of horror. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said. "My comment was in poor taste."

"It's okay," I said. "I was wondering who I was going to have to sleep with to get the apartment when they showed it to me." We laughed together then Karen grabbed her shoes.

We returned to my apartment. Petra
and Karen
packed my closet. Andrea started on my bathroom. I found the cats and stuffed them into carriers. I wandered through the apartment collecting the things I would want right away. The new apartment had a television, but I collected my own DVD player; Erika and I had a movie date tonight, after all. I grabbed cat food and the food dispen
sers,
then
roamed the apartment, picking a few more things and setting them on the dining room table.

I only had one crying jag. Andrea immediately pulled me into a hug and made soothing sounds at me. Petra and Karen both walked over and I was enveloped in a large group hug. "We will not allow anything to happen to you, Felicia," Petra said.
I calmed down and thanked them for looking out for me.

It took several trips up and down, but we loaded everything into the three cars. Karen rode with me, as I didn't know where we were going.

* * *

My things were in by lunchtime.

"Lunch is on me," said Andrea. "I love the place across the street."

"Oh, so do I!" said Karen
,
then
paused
. "Was I invited?"

* * *

Over lunch, Karen asked, "Why the DVD player? There is one there. The movers could have taken care of it."

So I explained about movie night with Erika. "We often have friends at her place or
mine
," I said. "But I haven't really had friends here I've wanted to invite. Last week was 'Young Frankenstein'. We both know all the words and recite them. It takes a pretty special person to put up with us. You three are invited any time you want to come
, but I understand if you don't want to put up with our craziness."

"What is the movie tonight?" Petra asked.

"
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
," I said. "It's one of our favorites, but we only recite a few of the lines." I paused. "I was inspired by a ghost in my dreams lately."

Petra grinned. "I love that movie!" Petra said. "I haven't seen it in years." She gave me puppy dog eyes.

I laughed at her. "You already have an invitation," I said. "Any time. I won't bug you in the future, but it's every Sunday."

"I can't come tonight," Andrea said. "In fact, I need to leave as soon as we're sure you're properly settled. But maybe in the future."

"I've never heard of that movie," Karen said. "I ma
ke killer C
osmos
,
though."

* * *

Karen loved the movie.

* * *

"Thank you," I wrote on
Dream Petra
's hand with my finger that night.

She smiled at me and kissed me.

* * *

I rode to work with Petra in the morning. On the way I asked her, "The training we do in the dojo. Does it really work?"

"Yes," she said. "But when you can, hiding or running away is better than fighting. I would have hid.
A man is almost always bigger and stronger, and sometimes is just as well trained."

At the dojo, she showed me one more yoga pose. I wanted her hands to linger when she positioned me, but they didn't.

Karen arranged everything about my old apartment. We
re
moved the furniture in the second bedroom out and moved my old bedroom furniture in as a guest bedroom. The rest of my things went into storage in the basement. The new furnishings were so much nicer. "Once you're comfortable with the idea," she said, "You can donate everything to charity."

I rode the train home with Karen that night. Petra wasn't going straight home.

* * *

That night,
Dream Petra
was ecstatic when I reached
out to
her with my arms. She let me pull her into a weak embrace.

We cuddled for a long time before she kissed me and I woke up.

* * *

The next day was my fourth Tuesday. I rode to work with Petra and she said, "Shopping again today. A new suit," she said. "Nine-thirty."

I rode home with her.