To Color Your Life

"What's with the face?" Kat asked, staring at the wound on the boss's lip, "Oh, let me guess! Did Mel punch you again?" the girl grinned.

Emily was standing beside her and drinking another cappuccino in silence. Judging by the communication style between Mr. Evans and the showy blonde colleague, they seemed to be more friends than colleagues. Hayes pricked up her ears at the unfamiliar name.

Mel? Apparently, this lady with an explosive character was the culprit of the boss's injury.

"Yeah," Justin took a sip of hot tea and winced as moisture hit the wound on his lip again, "She got offended that I refused to stay with her overnight. You know how attached she is to me. Says I'm the best in the world! She's going to marry me. Not like some, first they promise - then they break up," the man said and lifted his chin importantly, casting a quick glance at Emily.

The girl choked.

"Miss Hayes, are you all right? You seem to have blushed a little! No fever, I hope?" he patted her sympathetically on the back.

"Th-thanks, I'm fine," Emily raised her hand and took a half step to the side, indicating that his diligent concern was unnecessary.

"You're lucky Jacob doesn't hear it. Even in the worst nightmare, he would not allow you to marry his daughter," Catherine grinned, watching with interest the silent exchanges between the boss and the newcomer.

"Justin," she caught his attention, "The programming department has finished the layout for tomorrow's Pharaoh issue. I was just thinking, why don't we change the concept for next week? Gregor is stepping on the heels of our team. I don't want my girls to work out their losing in the form of mermaids at the entrance to the department."

"And?" the boss sipped his next batch of tea with a blank face as if the magazine's affairs were not his job.

Catherine glanced over at Emily's conservative business suit. "If tomorrow's sales of our team beat those of Gregor's team, I want a new role model," she pointed at the girl, "Her. A strict teacher."

"What?" Emily was taken aback.

"Khem, who?" Evans looked surprised, choking, and glanced at Hayes as he re-scanned the girl. A fleeting surprise was replaced by a playful twinkle in his eyes. The man was clearly impressed by the unexpected idea. "Hmm, interesting."

Emily looked from the boss to the blonde, "W-wait! What model? This is my first day here and, most likely, I am not catching up with something. Catherine, do you want to use me as a model for a magazine?!"

Images of beauties appeared in the girl's head, who settled on the pages of the Pharaoh magazine. They were all different: a romantic student, a cold businesswoman, a mother of many children, a curvy girl. And now the teacher?

"Relax, it's not you," Catherine began to calm her down, "But your image. Although…," she narrowed her eyes and Emily felt like a bug under the microscope. Joyce was a renowned photographer, and Hayes had goosebumps with this lady's professional grading regime. "I would also love to photograph you."

"Kat, you're embarrassing Miss Hayes," Justin said. "She's new here and has come to replace Kelly, so don't burden her with your wild fantasies."

Catherine narrowed her eyes, trying to catch the boss's secret thoughts in his facial expressions, but Mr. Evans's face was unbreakable. She threw up her palms, gesturing to retreat, "Okay, no problem. But I want a strict teacher next week. So! Emily, get up here!"

Joyce pushed her closer to her boss and turned her to face him. She picked up some thick books from a nearby table and thrust them into Emily's hands.

"Justin, pretend to be guilty," Catherine ordered in a stern tone. "Emily, look at him like he has just interrupted your qualifying lesson."

Emily opened her mouth to argue, but Kat had already taken a camera from somewhere and she began to take pictures. Hayes immediately turned away from the camera and stared at Evans.

What's going on here? Yesterday she was going to edit boring articles on scientific topics, and now she participates in a photo shoot with her own boss. And the latter looked very pleased!

"Okay, great! Justin, now pretend to be arrogant. Emily - stay as you are."

This is what I am doing, I am just standing! Unlike him!

Evans laid his palms imposingly on the table behind him and looked defiantly at Emily. His appearance showed complete indifference to her stern gaze. Like a reckless boy who doesn't care about the rules of society, he ignored her attempts to educate him.

But in the man's eyes, such hidden passion and secret desire were burning, which only she could understand. The one on whom he laid his eyes, like a predator teasing its prey.

Emily swallowed. She remembered her first year at college when one of the students looked at her in the same way. At that moment she felt very unpleasant. But now the sensations were completely different.

She forgot for a moment where they were. Justin Evans' gaze, penetrating into the darkest corners of her soul, was like a dance with a cobra. Where Emily was not a fakir, but a rabbit.

"Super! It's so cool!" Catherine exclaimed, looking at the resulting pictures on the camera display, "Evans, I will send you the processed photos, upload them to your Instagram."

Justin grinned, "You haven't beaten Gregor yet and you have already started to act. Don't forget who the boss is, Miss Joyce."

Catherine rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say, Boss. Then here is my condition: if our sales in the first hour are twice the sales of the male team, you will publish the pictures and put the hashtags, which I will tell you!"

Emily was standing in silence and did not dare to get into the conversation. The more she was in the company of these two, the less she understood what was going on here!

"Baby, don't worry. Your face is nowhere to be seen." Catherine patted her amiably on the shoulder.

"Miss Joyce, mind the business ethics, please," Mr. Evans interrupted her sternly.

Both girls widened their eyes. It is unknown what Catherine thought, but Emily thought the boss might have applied the same comment to himself too.

"Mmm, that's how it is," Joyce purred to herself.

What is it? What is it about? Emily tensed as if Catherine had figured out some terrible secret.

"Okay, it's getting late. Emily, I think you should go home. The first working day dragged on. Boss, do you mind if she comes an hour late tomorrow?" Kat asked.

Evans shrugged. He didn't seem to care if she came at all.

"It's settled then! Darling, you may come a little late tomorrow. See you," she leaned over to Emily and kissed her cheek. "Bye, boss," the gorgeous blonde waved her manicured fingers and walked from her hip to the exit.

There was an awkward pause between the remaining two.

"Can I give you a ride?" suggested Mr. Evans.

"Thank you, don't. I've already booked a taxi," Emily said.

It's one thing to damage the car of this spectacular man and another thing to sit with him inside this very machine.

Too little space and too close.

Too dark and too many unnecessary thoughts.

Dangerous.

It took Emily a long time to unlearn to love danger.

The night air chilled her skin as she stepped outside and stopped by the side of the road, waiting for a taxi.

The Pharaoh Publishing building towered behind her like a dark giant. Lights were still on some floors. She lifted her head and looked at one of the upper floors, where it was now dark.

I wonder if Mr. Evans's office was there or even higher?

Too high, Emily thought. From this height, you can easily feel dizzy. Better to stand firmly on the ground.

The roar of the engine put the girl out of her thoughts. The black Maybach stopped in front of Emily. The glass of the passenger seat came down.

Vivaldi's "Winter" was playing in the salon. The one that was on her call when her grandmother called. Does he listen to this too?

Emily just now realized that her grandmother hadn't called her today and hadn't pestered her with offers to go on a date with Kevin. For the first time in a year.

"Thanks again for the offer, Mr. Evans. But I would prefer a taxi. I don't like driving fast."

"Oh, it depends on where you go, Miss Hayes. Did you know that sports cars are much better than conventional cars? They are designed for high speeds so that in everyday life they are not only more comfortable and interesting but also much safer," the man winked.

"I think it depends on the driver," she retorted.

Justin looked at the girl thoughtfully and added in a calm voice, "When you start the engine and press the gas pedal, the car and the driver become one, Miss Hayes. Think about it. Sometimes the danger just seems like that. There is nothing wrong with taking risks. Who knows where this road will lead you. And yes, don't forget about the second blanket to keep you warm when you go to bed. Good night," he smiled and, under the roar of the engine, disappeared around the corner.

The taxi arrived a couple of minutes later. Emily got into the car.

It was cool outside, but inside the girl, an inexplicable heat was building up.

She wanted to return home as soon as possible, take a cool shower and go to bed. Forget about all the events that happened today. And about all thoughts.

But the taxi, as luck would have it, was going too slow.