Miranda by Sheila Sheeran Page A

leave in two days.” I said that with a smile on my lips.
    Everyone present focused completely on Eliezer’s face. As much as he wanted to, as did I, he could not say no to my invitation. Suddenly, the idea of being in his company turned my stomach.
How could I ever engage in such madness?
I almost buried my head in the papers on the enormous table.
    He stared at me as if his look could destroy me. His jaw shifted. He was about to lose control. It was a matter of seconds before he would explode, but as quickly as it came… it went. He overcame his sudden bad temper. He stopped tightening his jaw and the muscles in his face relaxed.
    “Invitation accepted. This meeting has concluded.”
    The others left the conference room as quickly as age allowed them to, but I was last. I went by him not realizing that I had made a grave error: I let my guard down.
    Eliezer grabbed me by the left arm and prevented me from walking any further. He tightened his grip hard until I let him know with a look that it was painful.
    “What is your intention, you slut?” he demanded, in a low voice that masked his rage.
    I paid him little attention. I looked at his hand, which was hurting my arm more and more. When I looked up, he slowly freed me from the pain.
    “My intention is to make the right decisions in line with the current reality.” I raised may hand. I was about to slap him. Instead I gave him courteous warning. “Don’t ever hurt me again, Eliezer, or you’ll have big problems. And don’t ever touch me again, let alone that way.”
    My words made him reason. He looked at the redness and finger marks on my arm. His expression changed. He understood that he was still screwing up, and that a complaint for battery and workplace harassment would soon be knocking at his door.
    The rage that my defiance provoked in him had blinded him. I knew his weakness. I smiled internally.
Is it so easy to make you lose control and explode, dear Eliezer?
    “I’ll talk to Margaret and ask her to check your agenda and coordinate the details. I assume that you won’t travel on a commercial airline, or am I wrong?” Sarcasm slipped out with the question.
    “There’s no need to play the common person. Much less in the countries I expect we’ll visit.” His mouth contorted in contempt as he finished talking.
    I was lost in his eyes for a few seconds.
    “Too bad that eye color and last name are the only things you share with Norman!”
    He was not expecting that comment, but he gave a short dark laugh that ended in a bite to the corner of his lower lip. He glanced at my arm, surely to check that the evidence of his rage had vanished.
    “You think yourself quite capable don’t you?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “To take this to the limit.” I assumed he was referring to the declared war.
    “I didn’t know it had limits.” I rubbed my arm, which was still hurting.
    Eliezer looked at my arm again.
    “Do yourself a favor, Wise. Give up.”
    “Should I take that as a threat?”
    “No because in that case, I’d be giving you a very good reason to screw me over. You should be thankful for the advice, Wise. It’s not something I give often.” He smiled and his smile was both sarcastic and… pretty? I couldn’t believe it was his.
    “That’s very clear to me. Giving advice is not something you do often. Nor is being kind, respectful, courteous...”
    He tired of listening to my string of synonyms and interrupted me.
    “Why would I have to be like that with you?”
    “I was not referring to me. I could care less about how you refer to me. I care about the others. Since you are being so generous now, I ask that you keep this shit you have against me between us. Don’t involve anyone else. Don’t fuck with anyone else’s life.”
    “So you mean to say that I’m fucking with your life?” The malice showed in the deep darkness of his green eyes. “This is not going to end well, Wise.”
    “I guarantee you that it will not,