He dropped the intercom and looked around the office. He noticed one of the window blinds was still down. He rose to his feet, crossed to the window and slid the blind up. He always wanted to be able to take in happenings around from his office. He watched as the early morning sun filter through the blind streaming into his eyes. He could tell it no doubt promised to be a scorching day. He checked on his gold-plated wristwatch as he moved back to his desk. The time stood at seven twenty. There was still time before his morning round. And that time would be enough to go over his plans for the evening, once again. He knew what to do already but he wanted to be sure, if there was a yet better way to get around things.
He sat at his desk, opened the bottom drawer and searching through it produced a big brown envelope. He ran his fingers over it, as if feeling its contents. After some thoughtful gaze at the brown envelope, he opened it and brought out two smaller white envelopes. The white envelopes were identical, except that one was marked 'X'.
He spread out the contents of the marked envelope on his desk. In it were five photographs. Faces of five different women stared back at him from the pictures. They were beautiful women in every sense of the word. Women who a lot of men would give anything to have. Women who had loved him. Women who existed in his past. No, they were never part of his life, he reasoned. They were just victims of their own passions. They were victims of his little game. He continued to stare at the pictures until in his subconscious mind he saw the smiles etched on the faces of the women fade off gradually before disappearing totally and replaced by tears. He watched the tears course down their cheeks and could not help as his lips formed into a satisfying smile. The tears gladdened his mind. Tears and heart-aches were all they deserved. He felt no pity for the common fate that befell them. It was all they deserved. Five down, five more to go, he thought within himself.
He returned the three photographs into the marked white envelope and picked up the other white envelope. He brought out the only picture in it and sighed. She was without more beautiful than the first three faces. She had not gone the way of the first three women too. No, not yet. She loved him from all he could tell. He should be happy to have a woman like her as girlfriend. A beautiful woman who breathed his love. Any man in his shoes should be glad to be unreservedly loved by a woman such as this. But he was not any man, he reasoned. To him, being loved by a woman was nothing he cherished. To him, it was a problem.
He ran his finger over the photograph, crossing an imaginary 'X' as he let out a wry laugh before placing the picture back in its envelope. Until he was done, it would still be kept separate from the other three. He replaced the two white envelopes in the big brown one and hid it away in the bottom drawer. He again checked on his watch. It was time to begin the day's work. He rose to his feet and made for the door.
* * *
To be continued...
