Chapter Six

According to her watch, they’d driven for ninety-five minutes before the driver lowered the barrier and announced that they’d arrived at their destination.  Considering the length of time it took to get there, Chloe understood the need to live on premises.  Lada had stated that the housing was an added perk to the job and she could understand how it could be perceived as such.  She couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to make that type of commute, especially after a long day of work.  Even so, this wasn’t part of her agenda.  She needed to call Jim and tell him of the change in plans as soon as possible.  Afraid the driver might hear her conversation if she called him, Chloe tried to text Jim, but the vehicle must have had some special barrier built into it because she had absolutely no cell service for the entire trip.

Relief flooded her when the driver opened the door and she was finally able to exit what felt like a mobile prison.  She shifted her weight from one leg to the other to bring them back to life while taking in her surroundings.   She saw nothing but forest on all sides of the creamy white building before her.  She was about to question the driver on what she should do next when he closed the door and hopped back into the vehicle without so much as a nod or a glance. She stared, open mouthed, while she watched the limousine follow the long drive until it disappeared into the sea of trees.

Whether it was from having to sign non-disclosures and housing paperwork or simply the way the driver abandoned her, she couldn’t say, but she suddenly shuddered from the creepy feel she got from the place.  Her first instinct was to turn and run.  She was about to do just that when the door opened and she was greeted by a tall, handsome, middle aged man.  She recognized him from his photos.  She was in the presence of the one and only Dr. Antoh Sudnik.

All thoughts of leaving vanished.

“Miss Kensington, I assume?” he said in his native Russian.

“Are you Dr. Sudnik?” she asked in her best Russian as she extended her hand.  She knew he was, but she didn’t want him to know that.

“You have heard of me, then?” he said with a raised brow.

“Dr. Sudnik of Sudnik Research for Humanity,” Chloe giggled. “You are the reason I applied for the job.”

“Truly?” he said with what seemed like genuine surprise.  “I am flattered, although, I am sure, undeserving.”

“Your research on cloning stem cells was a huge topic for an entire semester,” she explained as she grabbed his hand, without waiting for him to offer it, and shook it vigorously.  After a brief moment, she decided to cover the fact that she recognized him by adding, “The photo of you that they provided does not do you justice.  You are much more youthful in person.”

“Probably poor pixilation,” he said.

His face suddenly clouded over and his smile was replaced by a forced grin as he retrieved his hand from her grip and reached into his breast pocket for his glasses.  The thick panes did nothing to detract from his good looks. If anything, he resembled a model trying to appear studious.

Chloe almost lost herself in his beauty.  She could understand why women were reported to throw themselves at him.  He was tall. At least six feet.  He wore a baggy lab coat, but, even so, it was clear he was lean and fit.  His brown eyes were set wide beneath perfectly arched brows of a rich fawn color.  His thick hair was cut to flatter its waviness.  It accentuated his high cheekbones and squared jaw.  If someone was to ask her to describe him in one word, she would have to say a god.  He was what myths were written about.  Tall, strong, handsome…. god. 

It wasn’t just his looks that captivated her.  There was a charismatic element about his energy.  He emitted pheromones that were like magnets pulling her to him. Her heart pounded and her blood rushed with desire the longer she stood next to him.  Between his good looks and his spellbinding pheromones, anyone he wanted to lure to him just didn’t stand a chance.

At the thought of his pheromones, she realized that Lada’s pheromones had affected her in a similar, yet lesser way. Her brows knit together as she tried to make some sense of it.  She wasn’t attracted to women and she hadn’t desired Lada in that way.  It was more the desire to stay in her company.  Her pheromones acted like a magnet.  Although she spoke fluent Russian, she’d learned it in school.  She’d never spent time in the company of a true Russian.  Perhaps they all emitted pheromones of this nature.

Antoh brought her out of her reverie when he said, “I have been asking for a female assistant who was fluent in Russian for quite some time now. I’m pleased that human resources finally came through with one.” He motioned her into the reception area of the building.  “Things were explained to you, correct?”

 “Things got a little confused,” she admitted. “I was given a brief orientation, but I did not sit through the standard one.”

His body visibly tensed and he scowled.  “Did you sign the non-disclosure and housing agreement?”   When she nodded, he relaxed. “Good.   We can catch you up on the rest.”

“Will I be working with you?” she asked, hoping she didn’t sound too obvious.

“Everyone in this facility works with me in one form or another,” he said as he led her down a long, sterile looking corridor.  “You will be working in the reproductive lab for starters.  Then, we will see. “

“Cloning?” she asked with unbridled enthusiasm.

 She may have chosen to become a private investigator over a scientist, but that scientific part of her was far from latent. Being in the thick of things was bringing it to the forefront.  The thought of being a part of some history making discovery made her blood run hot with excitement. 

She’d lied when she said she learned about his research in school instead of in case files, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t one day make it to the textbooks with his research.  Her ego clung to the idea of having her name next to his in that text.

“Cloning and reproduction are separate. You will be in the reproductive lab.” At her look of obvious disappointment he added, “For starters and, then, we will see.”

Chloe was so absorbed in the concept of the world she’d just entered that it didn’t dawn on her until after he’d deposited her at the efficiency apartment she’d been assigned and told to take the rest of the day to settle in that the notorious womanizer, Antoh Sudnik, hadn’t given any sign of being attracted to her -not even an inkling.  He made certain that she understood that their day started at eight a.m. and he had no tolerance for tardiness before retreating down the corridor that reminded her of a maze.

It took the absence of his pheromones for her senses to return.  She vigorously shook her head and slapped her cheeks.  If that was the way she’d respond whenever she was in his company, she was in big trouble. Although the fact that he didn’t make a play for her was hurtful and insulting, she reminded herself that it was for the best.  She clearly had limited control over her faculties while in his company.  One move from him and it would be all over.  She was at risk of becoming a part of the statistics in the case instead a part of the team that solved it.   She needed to be careful.

The first thing she did when she was certain she was alone was to follow his instructions and replace her street clothes with one of the white outfits Lada provided her with. 

It was early afternoon and, although he wouldn’t be concerned yet, Jim would be expecting her to contact him by now. Frustration surged when she discovered that she still had no cell phone service.  She decided it might have something to do with the building.  It wasn’t uncommon for research facilities to have sensitive equipment that made it necessary to block cell phones and other types of technology.  She decided to step outside and try again.

Her footsteps echoed off the walls of the long, confusing corridor as she focused on retracing the steps she and Antoh had only recently traveled.  When she reached the reception area, she was amazed at its beauty. She’d noticed none of this while with Antoh.  Once again, she reminded herself of the dangers of being too close to him.  Mild frustration filled her as she wondered how she’d manage to pull the information from him when he was so all consuming.

Large, strategically placed plants reached for the sunlight that glistened through the glass ceiling of the reception area as they bathed in the sun’s natural warmth.  The reflections of their abundant leaves and thick stems in the highly polished marble floors and walls gave the illusion of a greater amount of foliage than there actually was.  The various shades of green broke up the monotony of the sterile white that enveloped them.

The front wall of the reception area was completely glass.  The ability to see nature on the outside aided the illusion created by the clever designer who clearly took offense at having to deal with so much white.

She was both surprised and panicked when she discovered that the front door required a code in order to open it.  The feeling of being imprisoned that she thought she’d left behind when she exited the limousine quickly returned.

“Can I help you?” said a voice in thickly accented English. 

Chloe turned to see a young man in a white lab coat and white slacks stepping toward her from seemingly nowhere and jumped. “You startled me.”

The young man smiled, but said nothing. 

Chloe couldn’t help noticing the stark difference in his appearance to that of Antoh Sudnik.  Where Antoh, even though middle aged, was strikingly handsome in a manly way, this guy was just the opposite.  His physique gave off an androgynous vibration that, initially, caused her to guess at his sex beneath his baggy lab attire.  Where the womanizing doctor sported a full head of hair, this young man’s stringy hair was thinning so badly, she was sure he’d be bald in a few years’ time.  The combination of small inset eyes, an oversized nose, and thin pursed lips on his petite face created an ugliness that was made even uglier by the presence of acne.   Where Antoh took her breath away by his mere presence, this guy made her gasp with fright.

“I just arrived.  I was going to step outside for a moment. The ride here was long and stuffy.”  She felt uncomfortable beneath his stare.  “I thought I’d stretch my legs and get acquainted with the grounds.  Is there a commissary on premises?”

“You should know from orientation that you cannot leave the building once you enter,” he said firmly.

“I didn’t receive the orientation,” she managed to choke out through the panic that his comment caused. “I don’t understand. Why can’t I leave the building?”

“It is for contamination purposes.  Don’t you remember being decontaminated before entering?” he asked with surprise.

She strained her mind to bring forth such a memory, but couldn’t. “I was dropped off by the driver and then Dr. Sudnik greeted me and escorted me to my quarters.  I was never decontaminated.”

The young man displayed a set of crooked teeth as he smiled with genuine humor.  “That happens a lot when you are in his company.  Especially with the ladies.”

“What happens?” she asked with a mixture of curiosity, defense, and fear.

“You get so focused on him that you notice nothing else,” he replied.  “Look here,” he said as his long, slender finger pointed to a row of jets in the ceiling of the portico on the opposite side of the door.  “You stood below these and talked with him for a moment.  It was during this time that you were sprayed with a decontamination agent.”

“I never felt it,” she said with surprise.

“It is a light agent that, even when you are aware, you barely notice.” He cocked his head to the side.  “You are the first female to come here as an assistant.  Most are volunteers for his research.”

Suddenly remembering Antoh’s comment about human resources finally getting him a female assistant, the private investigator in her took over. “I imagine it is difficult to find females with a science background who are fluent in Russian.”

“You speak Russian?” the man said with surprise.

“Fluently,” she replied in Russian.

The young man studied her for a moment and then shrugged before reverting to speaking in Russian as well.  “If I were to guess, I’d say it’s because our work is a bit uncomfortable for most women.  You have to have a tough constitution.  There’s not room for sentiment or softness.”

She gasped. “What type of work do you do here?”

He shook his head with disgust. “Why would they send you without an orientation?  I am going to have to arrange for one before you start tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” she said in English, and she meant it.  Perhaps the orientation would shed some light on just exactly what she’d gotten herself into.  “I’m Chloe Kensington, by the way.”

“Oleg,” he tossed over his shoulder in thickly accented English as he walked away without saying good-bye.

Chloe looked at her hands.  They were trembling and no wonder. She wasn’t sure what she’d signed up for, but every bit of her screamed that she’d be sorry for it.