Free Fallen (Chronicles Of The Fallen) by Julie Morgan Page A

schedule. Sneaky, sneaky Mariah.” She smiles at her assistant.
    “I want to see what this guy looks like! He sounded sexy on the phone. I just want to put a face to the voice is all.” She presses on her grapefruit as she shifts in her step.
    Lisa looks up at Mariah and raises her brows. “You’re like a kid waiting for Mom and Dad to leave so you can take the last damn cookie!” Lisa laughs and shakes her head. “Sure, I’ll ask him if he’ll come up…you know, to see you.”
    Mariah grins. “Yay! I can’t wait to see who’s made your heart go crazy!”
    “What makes you think my heart is ‘going crazy’?” Lisa asks.
    “The look on your face while you were reading the note. It’s obvious you really like him.”
    “Well, maybe I do. Now go on before I write you up for insubordination!” Lisa winks at Mariah who turns on her heel, heading back to her desk.
    Setting her peeled orange down, she pulls her phone out of her purse and swipes her finger over her screen. Pulling up the message screen, she keys in Alex’s name. I do love oranges, thank-you. She pauses for a moment. The gesture was very sweet. I think you made a few people jealous. Keep it up and you’ll have a few stalkers here.
    Pressing send, Lisa grins down at her phone. Setting it on her desk, she peels off an orange slice and places it in her mouth. The juice explodes on her taste buds as she peels another slice. Her phone buzzes and she looks down to see a reply from Alex. You’re welcome. As for stalkers, having you on my tail is more than enough. See you soon.
    Lisa laughs, shaking her head. Putting her phone in her purse, she finishes off the delicious orange. Throwing the peel away, she stands and makes her way past Mariah’s desk. She’s tucking the last slice of grapefruit into her mouth. She mumbles a “So good” and Lisa grins.
    Making her way towards the bathroom, she hears Samuel’s voice as he talks with someone in his office. The other voice sounds like Steven. “Then make it happen. I don’t care how you make it happen, just do it!”
    “Yes, of course. Consider it done.” Some papers are shuffled around and Steven walks out of Samuel’s office. “Lisa,” he nods, looking quite off. His face is slightly red as he stomps down the hall. Raising her brows, she looks back to see Samuel standing there, watching her. His slate-colored suit with white shirt and blue tie makes him appear cold and harsh. His dark brown eyes look her over as he grins. She returns a small smile and nods to him.
    “Enjoy your fruit basket?” He makes his way towards her, hands in his pants pockets.
    Lisa starts pushing the bathroom door open. “I did, thank-you.”
    She turns and walks inside. Looking back, she sees Samuel watching her. A flash of red touches his eyes as the door closes behind her. It happened so quickly that she wonders if she imagined it. She shakes her head and walks further into the bathroom. Sometimes Samuel’s too much for her to take in. Other times, he’s harmless. Today is not one of those harmless days.
    Sighing, she looks in the mirror and approaches one of the sinks. Turning on the water, she pumps soap into her hands. Lathering up, she wonders where Alex will take her in Greek Town, then smiles at the thought of the oranges he sent her. Looking down to rinse her hands, she sees blood coming out of the faucet. Fear rising inside of her, she jerks her hands away and the blood drips down her arms. Lisa screams and she jumps back, hitting one of the bathroom stalls. It slams against the wall and she panics. A hand reaches out and grabs her shoulder. She screams again.
    Turning quickly, she sees Jan from the accounting department. Her gray hair is pulled in a bun and her makeup is settled in the wrinkles on her skin. She quickly apologizes. “Lisa, sorry! I heard you scream and thought you fell or something. You okay?” Jan’s brown eyes are wide with concern. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
    She looks