Thread: The Best things in life are free ~ (XessyXdesideratum)

Pulling his trench coat tighter about himself, Dustin watched his reflection glide by in puddles on the sidewalk beneath his boots as he pushed through the storm that raged around him. The city streets were mostly empty, its inhabitants either hiding indoors or busy at work. Meanwhile, he was out job hunting. Oh how he loathed interviews. He pulled a soggy piece of paper from his pocket, compared the address written in his scrawl to that on the sidewalk below him, then glanced up at the building that was his target. Squinting through the downpour, his hazel gaze traced up the towering silhouette of the structure. It was like a mansion--a very sterile, corporate mansion. The company was obviously well-off. Dustin already felt uncomfortable. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his trench and stepped into the building, the storm quieting as the doors slid shut behind him. He stood dripping in a vast lobby with glossy, immaculate marble floors. It was so devoid of life that the sharp voice of the secretary seated at a desk in front of him echoed through the room. Dustin Gale? she inquired blandly, sparing him only one sharp glance over her glasses without ceasing tapping on her keyboard. Yep. I have an interview for a programming position, right? Please have a seat the CEO will see you shortly. He settled himself onto one of half a dozen sofas arrayed around the room with their matching end tables and vinyl plants in vases. The anxious discomfort in his stomach only grew as he waited in the sterile silence, gazing around the vast lobby at nothing. Big companies could be so cold and impersonal. He could already picture this CEO a pompous, balding, rich fool who thought he owned the world, looking down his nose at Dustin. He would have to keep his temper reigned in so he didn't say anything to ruin his chances. The CEO will see you now, the secretary announced as if granting access to a throne room after listening to an earphone for a moment. Take the elevator to the sixth floor and enter his office on your right. She went back to typing. Dustin was considering just leaving right then, but he'd come all this way in the rain, he may as well see it through. He clomped through the lobby trying to ignore the wet prints his boots left behind him, planning what he would say in the elevator and how to gracefully decline the offer if he even got it. He paused at the large door with his hand on the gilded, gold-plated handle. He could have sworn he'd heard a raw, passionate moan from inside. He bit his lip and glanced up and down the hall. Sixth floor, door on the right it was the correct place. Well, no turning back now. He pushed into the room. His eyes went wide before he averted them and spoke to the floor. Uh...I'm sorry, I thought I had an interview right now, here. But uhm... He struggled to find words. So much for grace. What a rude perv. Why is it always the assholes that succeed in life? His eyes wandered, briefly studying the CEO behind his fancy desk, then eying the scarcely-clothed woman on his lap who looked liked she'd barely pulled her dress up in time. Just like Dustin expected just another fool who thought he owned everyone and everything. The woman didn't even look like she wanted to be there. If she was his wife, she was probably only in it for the money. Her eyes which seemed to glimmer with a peculiar crimson hue met Dustin's own greyish orbs briefly. He peered as if trying to read into her soul before looking back down at the tiled floor. There was something odd about that gaze, something...empty. The young man shivered and shrugged deeper into his dripping coat. I can uh, go. Sorry to disturb you and your wife, sir.