M closed the lid of his laptop, satisfied with the email he’d written. He knew Kate would read the email. How could she not? He’d been toying with her for some time now, probably driving her crazy.
As he was emailing from outside of the organisation, he knew his email might get flagged up as spam. But, that was a risk he was willing to take.
The worst-case scenario was that Kate wouldn’t receive his email. But, he still had her mobile number. Yes, he was satisfied.
M’s thoughts turned to his original message to Kate. Although she had no idea who he was, M knew everything about her.
They’d met some years ago at a business conference. Well, not really met. M’s eyes had been instantly drawn to Kate from across the large, business-like room. M and around one hundred others had gathered here to make connections and share best practice. At the time, M was keen to promote his new business venture, and it was key that he met others in his field.
Kate was what some might call ‘conventionally pretty’. Her hair flowed down her back, in thick mousy brown curls. Tastefully highlighted, Kate’s hair was definitely M’s favourite part of her. That, and her deep brown eyes.
Observing Kate for the first time had caused his mind to wander instantly. He’d felt a surge in his trousers. It was imperative that M controlled this – it was highly inappropriate to be getting hard during a business meeting.
However, looking at her curvy body, how could he be expected to focus on anything else? He was supposed to be focusing on making business decisions today, but it was becoming increasingly difficult for him. Instead, he was imagining peeling off each layer of clothing to reach her sweet spot.
At the time, Kate was wearing a black, tasteful dress, black tights and brown flat shoes. M could already imagine what she must look like underneath those clothes. What alluring bra and underwear would she have on? Maybe lacy. She looked like the kind of woman who’d wear discreet but sexy underwear.
He shuddered at the thought. M stood there for some time, watching her talk to potential clients. He felt he could stay looking at her beauty for an eternity.
Suddenly, there was a tap on M’s shoulder, which startled him back to reality.
“Mike, there’s someone here asking for you.” His assistant. Damnit. He could have stayed watching Kate forever.
Mike didn’t know it, but that would be the first of many meetings he would have with Kate over the next few years. What Kate didn’t know, though, was just what lengths he was willing to go to to tease and tantalise her.
******************************
I am strong and ancient. My pieces have seen centuries of history and pain. People look to me for comfort, but I am cold. What am I?
Figure this out, and you’ll be able to find me.
Back at home now, Kate sat herself down with her glass of wine and left over lasagne for dinner. She’d had time to digest M’s riddle, but was coming up with nothing right now.
Kate had tried to Google M’s puzzle, but to no avail. She knew that most riddles had their solutions published on the internet nowadays.
But, no-one had written a riddle like this before. There was no easy solution she was looking for. Of course he wouldn’t have made things easy for her. Kate scolded herself for even thinking that it would have been that easy.
It was unique piece, especially written for her. A slight pang flickered in her belly. It almost felt good knowing that he’d picked her. It felt even better knowing that he’d spent time writing a one-of-a-kind piece for her.
Pushing those thoughts out of her mind, Kate knew she’d have to figure it out herself. But, she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to give M the satisfaction.
Kate’s brain hummed into action. She had to figure out how to take back control. She’d already tested those waters when replying to M’s text message. He didn’t like that, did he? He hated the fact that she hadn’t done what he’d said. That’s why he felt the need to email her at work.
Actually, Kate realised that she had more control than she’d thought. M mentioned her childishness and stubbornness in his email. She’d really got under his skin, hadn’t she?
Using this position to Kate’s advantage was key, somehow. She knew it. All this time she’d succumbed to M. Kate was ready to turn the tables.
Since M was so skilled at formulating plans, Kate knew she had to do the same. Right now, she had M’s riddle. She had to figure it out first, then, like a game of chess, be two steps in front.
Right, Kate thought. The first sentence talks about an object (or so she thought), that was strong and old. What objects could fall under this? The word ancient suggested a few things to Kate. Could it be something to do with ancient civilisations? That was the first thing that came to mind.
Or, maybe some kind of institution that had been around since ancient times? A relic from millenia ago? Kate’s mind was swimming with ideas.
Something ancient and some kind of relic would support the word in the next sentence – ‘historical’.
Tied in with this, it had to be something that might have caused pain. There had been lots of events, institutions and relics that certainly had caused pain to people over the years. Wars and religion had been started over such things. Past civilisations had fought, lost and died because of them.
Actually, religion was something people also found comfort in, Kate realised. Could this be what M was referring to? Something religious? Kate thought about what religious symbols there were that could be considered cold, old, but yet comforting.
The only idea she had was a church. People definitely considered churches as comforting, especially in times of need. Churches often provided a roof for the homeless, food for those that were hungry, and a lending ear for anyone that needed to confess what was on their mind.
Could M really be referring to a church? It would make sense. A church building fit all of the riddle’s hints.
“Okay, M. You were talking about a church.” Kate reflected.
But, there were churches everywhere. How would she possibly know which church he meant? That would be bigger than the proverbial needle in a haystack; it would be impossible.
Kate decided that her only choice now would be to message M and tell him she’d figured out his riddle. But, she couldn’t reply to his email. This must be kept away from her work life. He’d had a nerve even emailing her at work in the first place.
So, Kate started composing a text message. This time, though, she would play him at his own games. If she wanted to play M like he had with her, she’d have to be sly. She’d need to let on that she knew the solution to his riddle, but manipulate the situation to her advantage.
By now, it was evening time. Kate’s wine glass had been empty for some time, and she’d forgotten all about her lasagne. She quickly scoffed her food down, and plodded over to her fridge to top up her glass. She’d need a swig of wine before composing this message.
Back on the sofa now, Kate started writing:
Dear Mr. M. Thank you very much for your in-depth email at work. You must have predicted my surprise at receiving such an email. I’m sure you’re reveling in that right now; I bet you loved it. Anyway, about your riddle. You are so eloquent, aren’t you, Mr. M? However, I do believe I’ve solved it. But, this creates a bit of a quandary for me, now. Since there are so many of the things your riddle eludes to, how am I supposed to know which one? I believe I have a solution for you. Since you love playing games so much, I have one for you. A game that I’m sure you’re going to want to partake in.
To be continued…
3 Comments