It was already four months since Bryan Ferdinand started working with them and already he was a voice to be reckoned with. She had watched grimly as he became the director. At board meetings, he dominated, pushing David further and further away. This was what she had been afraid of but even now, David would not listen to a word against him.
At the office it was as though everyone and everything revolved round him especially the female folk. Half the women were in love with him and the other half was fascinated with him except for her of course. Sharon still despised and distrusted him just as much as she did the first time they had met only now it was much more.
Amanda one of the share analyst would not allow her rest with talks of Bryan.
'I do not know why you detest him this way', she said. He is the hottest thing that has happened to this office. Look at the hot deals he has won for the bank since he started with us'.
Sharon did not know how else to do away with this girl. She seem not to take hints at all.
'Amanda, haven't you got any work to do?' Sharon said looking at her computer.'Because if you haven't, I have. With David ringing in to say he's working at home today and our trip to Rome starting tomorrow, I've got so much to do. I'll be working until very late tonight, so get off my desk and go away'.
'In a minute', Amanda said wriggling like a child on the edge of the desk, her small feet swinging back and forth. 'I wanted to ask you something....'
'Well what?' Sharon was impatient to be done with her.
'Has he got a woman tucked somewhere? I mean he hasn't dated anyone since he joined us. He says he isn't married and I do not believe that he is gay, so is there anyone in the background?'
'I do not know and frankly, I do not care. And since you are that interested in his private life and have nothing else to talk about but Bryan Ferdinand, why don't you ask him yourself? Now will you get off my desk, I have work to do'.
She frankly wished that she had never heard of the man. He was growing more and more irritated with him and the mention of his name.
The last time she had spoken about this to David, she had told him how Bryan was taking over from him and pushing him further and further to the background and had even taken over his clients and the most lucrative of them all at that.
'At my suggestion dear girl!' David has insisted. 'I am trying to shed some of my workload. You told me that I was working too hard, remember?
'I didn't ask you to hand over some of your best clients over to Ferdinand and neither did you tell me that you intended doing that's.
He had given her an apologetic look.
'I knew you would get agitated and let ture me on your favourite subject'.
Startled, she asked, 'What do you mean?'
'Bryan. Now don't deny it. You only trust him as far as you can throw him'.
'Yes, I do not trust him but I do hope you are not making a terrible mistake letting him get into such a position of power in the bank.
Her uneasiness had not lifted when a few weeks later, Amanda would not get off her desk for talking about Bryan Ferdinand.
She pushed Amanda off her desk and Amanda turned a laughing face to her.
'Oh come on, I bet you are secretly crazy about Bryan too -you just won't admit it!'
'I'd rather date Dracula! Sharon snapped just as her office door opened.
She and Amanda both looked round, both frozen in confusion. Bryan was at the doorway, his dark eyes hooded and unreadable. His powerful body briefly at test which she knew was already was rate for him since he was constantly in motion, a man with burning energy always racing against the clock or himself or the world, she did not know which.
'What's Dracula got that I haven't?' he drawled and Amanda began to giggle, half in relief because he didn't seem angry, half in embarrassment because she didn't know how much of the earlier conversation he had overheard.
'Don't tempt me', she said and Bryan looked into her eyes, his mouth twisting.
'Could I?'
Amanda's eyes went round as she gazed from one to the other in fascination, waiting to hear more.
'No', Sharon said through her teeth.
'Weren't you just going, Amanda?'
Amanda hesitated, wanting to stay and eavesdrop but Bryan's eyes were hypnotic and she swung her waist as she walked towards the door and Bryan watched her with a glint in his dark eyes.
Amanda was like a little Venus, high chested with a tiny waist and rounded hips and she knew how to move to attract the attention of the men and she did the same now.
When she got to the door, she looked at him, smiling and said, 'Dracula doesn't have anything that you haven't got'.
'Then why aren't you afraid?' he asked drawing his face close to her baring his teeth as though about to sink his fangs into her.
She shrieked in delight and fled.
Bryan straightened and looked across the room at Sharon, his laughing gaze met Sharon's cold ones and the laughter stopped and his face tightened and turned cold.
He walked towards her and let the door slam behind him.
She quivered at something she saw in his stare.
He stopped beside her desk and for one awful moment, she turned red and then white sure that he was going to touch and kiss her.
He watched her inexorably.
'One of these days, I shall tell you the reason you can't stand the sight of me', he said softly, 'and then you will really hate me'.
'I already do!'
It came out before she could do anything about it and she bit her tongue. She had not wanted to be so upfront about her real feelings towards him. She could not believe that she had allowed herself to lose control that way. In her line of work, she often came across men that she loathed but she never let it show, always in control of her feelings.
'I'm sorry', she said not quite meeting his gaze. 'I lost my temper, please forget that I said that'.
If he were to tell his cousin, then David would not be happy with her. In fact she was not happy with herself for losing control that way.
'I never forget anything', he murmured and she believed him. She had noticed that he had the most fantastic memory, remembering even the tiniest detail about public companies and private hands and calling up the most minute detail from memory when least expected.
'That's up to you', she said trying to hide her dismay. No doubt one day he would make her pay for losing her temper and that was why it bothered her that David seem to trust him so implicitly.
She was afraid that one day, Bryan Ferdinand would make David pay for the way his family had treated had treated Bryan's mother.