4 comments/ 8540 views/ 2 favorites Island Secrets Ch. 01 By: islandchica The Island Saga Series Book One - Island Secrets - What could a poor, underprivileged girl and a rich over privileged boy have in common? This is the beginning of a series and as such has no sex. Characters and backgrounds are being established. Please read and enjoy. I would appreciate your comments and encouragement for the subsequent chapters as the series unfolds as well. Happy reading and I do hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Island Chica ***** Chapter one - Summer entertainment for some, Summer job for others... 1980, Montego Bay, Jamaica Sharon Bailey tugged at the hem of her one good black skirt again. She examined her reflection in the piece of broken glass that passed for a mirror in the tiny room she shared with the older two of her three younger siblings. She smoothed her hair down as much as she could get it and tucked a stray strand back into the complicated roll into which her mass of hair had been pinned. She examined the hairstyle, as much as she could see of it, and was pleased that her handiwork was holding up well. She brushed an imaginary speck of dirt from the collar of the faded pink blouse she wore tucked into the skirt. She used a comb and made her eyebrows as neat as she could before smearing a bit of Vaseline onto her lips to prevent them from drying out. She took a little coconut oil in the palm of her hand and smeared it sparingly on her exposed knees and calves. There was nothing worse than having skin the shade of rich black coffee such as hers and white kneecaps and ankles due to a lack of moisturizer. She shoved her feet into the pair of black shoes she had been wearing now for the two years she had been in teachers' college. She was hoping that with the money earned from this summer job she would be able to replace it considering that she would have to go out on teaching practice come January. Everyone always put their best foot forward for teaching practice. She took another look at her reflection. For two years now she had tried in vain to get a summer job. Now that she finally did not have the word 'teen' at the end of her age the various companies to which she usually applied sat up and took notice. It could also have had something to do with her being able to put on her resume that she had completed two years of teachers' college. Sharon had not had life easy but she had become very adept at weathering the storms that invariably came her way. First off the bat was that she was from a single parent family. She had never known her father and no doubt never would considering that her mother was not quite sure which of the many men she had been sleeping with at that point in her life was her sperm donor. Her mother had been just about her age, twenty, when she had gotten pregnant with Sharon. Now at age forty and three more children later she looked like someone past their prime. Sharon was the darkest child though some balanced it out by saying she was also the prettiest due to her thick,long wavy hair which was always a coveted feature among girls, and attributed her complexion and coloring to her father having some maroon heritage. She had dark hair and eyes to match her smooth dark skin and had the longest lashes ever seen. Her hair, whenever it was pressed out as it was now, gave her the resemblance of a black coolie girl. She had always been bright and, in spite of the family's poverty, had done well in school. She had gone through the primary and secondary system and had managed to sit and pass all her external exams due to the kindness of the tight knit ghetto community in which she lived. But passing examinations were not all. At age eighteen she was considered an adult and so no one was legally responsible to further her schooling. In stepped a benefactor yet again in the form of the Montego Bay Benevolent Society. It seemed as if every year they gave away a tuition scholarship to a deserving student chosen from a random high school. The lot had fallen on her school the year she graduated and her teachers had selected her. As a result she found herself on her way to the prestigious Mico Teachers' College in the island capital of Kingston to pursue a three year Diploma in Education programme. The scholarship covered the tuition for the three years but she had to find everything else: books, boarding, uniforms, food, and daily expenses. She examined her slim, neat figure yet again and straightened her shoulders, trying to look beyond the worn clothing. This was her best and it would simply have to make do. She picked up the tiny black handbag into which she had placed the sandwich she had made at breakfast, opting to just have a bit of hot water into which an orange leaf had been steeped to give it some flavor. The sandwich and some water would do for lunch until she came home to whatever meager fare her mother would have been able to forage. She quietly slipped out of the house, taking care not to disturb the other occupants of the two room dwelling. She walked quickly down the pathway to the main road that would take her to the business district. As she walked she hummed a little tune to herself. The sun had already risen above the horizon and she ensured that she walked on the shaded side of the street. The summer mornings were known to be scorching and she did not want to run the risk of being hot and sweaty when she got to the office. She knew she had a good forty five minute walk and paced herself well. By the time she got to the Kirkland building in which she would be working it was just about eight fifteen: work started at eight thirty. She walked up the broad front steps, her heart racing with each step. As she pushed open the door the cool air from the central air hit her and she felt as if she had stepped into an oasis in the desert. She took a deep breath, feeling the cool, crisp air enter her lungs. Remembering the instructions she had been given at the orientation session on Friday, she walked over to the information desk. "Good morning ma'am." The woman behind the desk took one look at Sharon. "I'm sorry, all our vacancies for summer jobs have been filled. Maybe you can try again in December." With that she turned to deal with another person. Sharon felt her cheeks burn and thanked her lucky stars that her complexion hid her embarrassment. She stood in the foyer awkwardly for a good five minutes, waiting for the woman to notice her yet again. As the receptionist turned she sniffed as if she had suddenly caught a whiff of something rotten. "Didn't you hear what I said the first time?" Sharon spoke quickly. "I already have a job here. I start today. I was told to ask at the receptionist desk for the directions to the filing room." The woman gave a start as Sharon spoke. She pursed her lips and knit her brows before reluctantly pointing her in the direction of the elevators. "Get off at the fifth floor and get your instructions from there." "Thank you ma'am." Sharon ran to towards the elevator that was just about to close. Her heart leapt into her throat at the thought that she would have to wait for the next one and that would surely make her late in getting to her station. Inch by painful inch she watched as the doors continued to slide close no matter how fast she ran. Just as she was about to wail in despair a hand shot out and the doors slid open once again. Gratefully she stepped into the cool interior. "Thank you sir." "You're welcome. What floor?" "Fifth please." She watched as the hand of her savior moved across to punch the console in front of her. Her heart gave a slight lurch as the metal box started to move upwards. Her eyes widened in panic as she placed a nervous hand against the smooth steel wall. "Nervous?" Her companion drawled, a slight tinge of amusement in his voice. She let out her breath on a whoosh. "Just a little bit." He chuckled softly. "That was how I was the first time I rode one. I found that it relaxed me to watch the numbers go by. So right now we're at three. I just stared at them until my number lit up then I knew I was free. See now it's at four. Five is next." He put out his arm just across her body and Sharon frowned. The next thing she knew was that she had grabbed wildly and found his arm to be an anchor as the box lurched to a stop at the fifth floor. The doors slid open smoothly and she turned to thank her companion. She found herself looking way up into a clear, smooth face with a startling pair of grey eyes. "Thank you, sir." "You're most welcome. Take care now." She stepped out of the box on slightly wobbly legs and turned to watch the doors close smoothly behind her. She turned on her heel and walked quickly through the double doors she saw at the end of the corridor. And thus began her first day of work. *** Matthew Kirkland looked up from the pile of papers he was sifting through as he felt a sticky wad of wet paper hit him behind the ear. "Michael! Cut it out!" His grey eyes sparked angrily as he looked across the expanse of the office to his younger brother Michael Kirkland. At twenty one years old and two years Matthew's junior, Michael was still as rambunctious as a ten year old. He stuck his tongue out at his older brother. "Make me." Matthew sighed and went back to his task of alphabetizing the invoices in front of him. He knew that Michael could only stand being ignored for so long and no longer before he would stop his antics. He was right. Less than five minutes later there was nothing but silence. He took a peek across the office and saw that Michael had put his head down on the desk in front of him. By the steady rise and fall of his shoulders he could tell that the lazy bum was fast asleep. It was just a little after lunch and so the tendency to grow drowsy was the norm. He had had to pinch himself several times already to stay awake as the Kirkland Marketing logo swam before his eyes. He stood up and stretched his long, lean body. The Kirkland men had been blessed with height and Matthew and Michael were no different. Though the two youngest in a clan of seven they were able to hold their own as far as height was concerned, both measuring in at a towering six feet two inches. They could have been twins as they bore the same aquiline nose which had been inherited from their mother. The piercing dove grey were unusually light, almost white and inherited from their father, Morris Kirkland. All five boys had their father's eyes. The two girls had the light brown belonging to their mother. The girls had not escaped the Kirkland eyes completely as their children had inherited them. As Matthew sat again he sighed. At twenty three years old he was in his fifth year of medical school. He was a promising young doctor in the making yet here he was filing countless invoices. No wonder Michael was bored! At twenty one he was in his third year of law school and had always been a difficult one to settle down. Matthew sighed yet again as he picked up another sheaf of invoices and began shuffling through them without really seeing them. He was glad it was a Friday as he could not wait for four o'clock to come so he could be on his way home. He loved his family dearly and understood the need to learn the business though he and Michael had other career paths. But this was simply torture. His older brother Maxwell was already a partner in the business so why did they need to be there? Almost as if he had heard Matthew's thoughts Maxwell Kirkland appeared on command from his office. He was unmistakably a Kirkland. At twenty eight years old he stood at an imposing six feet four inches. He had the same thick black hair that brushed his collar slightly. He was more his father than any of the others as he had escaped the trademark hooked nose from his mother. He also had his father's eyes. As he strode over to his little brother more than one female head in the outer office turned in his direction, but he was oblivious to them all. "Can you guys please try and keep it down out here? Remember this is a professional office. You're not at home." "Sorry Max. The noisemaker is no more as you can see." Matthew pointed at the snoozing Michael. Maxwell rolled his eyes. "At this rate you guys will never get done and these papers need to be filed. Sometimes I wonder what dad was thinking." "You and I both know what he was thinking. Keeping us busy and out of trouble until it's time to go back to UWI. Keeping us out of the house so that we don't have a repeat of last summer would have been high on the list as well." Maxwell grimaced. The Kirklands preferred not to remember the summer of '79 when Michael and that girl had been caught down by the shed at the bottom of their property. It had taken a lot of money to hush up that scandal. The Kirklands were a well respected and established family in Montego Bay and it wouldn't do to have their reputation sullied. Maxwell sighed as he looked over at his youngest brother who was now snoring softly among the mountains of papers. This did not look good in the office at all and there were already whispers about nepotism. Something would have to be done. This was just the first week of summer and already the problems with Michael had arisen. He wished his father had listened and shipped him off to Aunt Carol in America; Matthew would have worked well on his own. But then again the flip side was that Aunt Carol's was like a palace and they didn't want to give Michael the wrong impression that his loose behavior was rewarded with a luxurious vacation. And so the lot had fallen to Maxwell to keep Michael in check. It was proving to be a trying task. Their father had left for Kingston that morning to take care of some business for the weekend. Michael had been a model worker up until today but the minute he realized that his dad was gone he had started to act out. Maxwell turned to Matthew who was still shuffling the papers. "Wake him up and tell him I said to get to work if he doesn't want to work late plus take a taxi home. Call down by filing and have them send up someone to give you guys a hand. I don't care how long it takes, all of this had to be done today." With that Maxwell turned on his heels and stalked back to his office, his brow in a furrow. Matthew sighed as he got out of his chair and went over to his brother. He nudged him forcefully and was pleased to see him jump up and stare about him wildly. "Max wants us to get back to work. You see the trouble you've caused now? Max is mad at us." Michael sucked his teeth at the thought of his older brother dictating to him. He yawned and stretched wildly before once again taking his seat. "Like I care what the great Maxwell Alonzo Kirkland thinks. All he wants to do is kiss papa's ass. A kissass. That's what he is." He snorted in amusement at the joke he had made. Matthew sighed, shaking his head as he went back to his seat to make the call to the filing room. *** Sharon looked up as she heard her supervisor call her name. She had just finished alphabetizing the racks in section four and hurried quickly to the front. Today was the end of her first week on the job and so far it had been okay. She had quickly realized not to wear her best or cleanest clothes on the job as the filing room was a dirty, dusty place. She wore dust masks most of the time and by Tuesday had learned to take an extra t-shirt to work in. as she rounded the corner she was a sight to behold. The handkerchief that she had placed around her head to protect her hair was dusty. The dust mask had changed color from being used all week and her hands were black with dirt. The loose t-shirt she wore hung almost to her knees like a minidress. Underneath it all she had on a simple blue blouse that had seen better days as well as a pair of her mother's jeans that she had found as she foraged for possible clothing to wear to work each day. "Yes Miss Campbell?" "Oh there you are! I need you to hurry now. Take off all those dusty clothes and clean up yourself. I'm sending you up to the seventh floor to Mr. Kirkland's office. They need some emergency filing and you're the best I've got. Take your things with you as the office may be locked up down here by the time you're done." Sharon hurried to the bathroom and whipped the t-shirt and handkerchief off in one move. She washed her hands and face carefully, taking care to get under the nails and remove the smudges from her cheeks. She released her hair from the rubber band which she had used to hold it up in a loose bun and the straightened locks and the thick mass tumbled halfway down her back. Pressing her hair had been a miraculous discovery she had made in the first semester of college as she recalled the nightmares as a child when it came time for her thick, wavy hair to be washed and groomed. She hastily pulled a comb through it, glad that the straightening was holding up. It had one more week to go before it needed to be washed and straightened again. She walked out of the bathroom and headed out of the office. In less than five minutes was pushing open the door to the executive offices of the CEO of Kirkland Marketing. She took a moment to adjust to the blast of cool air before she proceeded to the receptionist's desk. "Good afternoon. I was sent up by the filing room to do some filing for Mr. Kirkland." The woman waved her in the general direction she was to take. Sharon found herself wending her way down a corridor which opened up to an outer office in which several people were busy at work. She turned to the first person she saw and asked for Mr. Kirkland. She was pointed over to where three men stood in a corner of the office. As she approached she heard a heated discussion and stood patiently and as inconspicuously as she could. They all seemed to recognize her presence at the same time as three pairs of grey eyes turned in her direction. One of them became faintly tinged with amusement as he recognized his damsel in distress from the elevator. Sharon gasped as she looked into the eyes of her elevator savior. Thanks for reading. Please comment and give me a ranking. Island Secrets Ch. 02 The Island Saga Series Book One - Island Secrets - What could a poor, underprivileged girl and a rich over privileged boy have in common? Thanks for the kind comments on chapter one. I trust that you will find chapter two just as interesting. There are some aspects of the dialogue that may not be written in standard English as, let's face it, islanders do not typically speak standard English. I have actually given you an English patois as the raw Creole would have been hard for the reader to follow. I do welcome your comments and your five star votes. Happy reading! Island Chica Chapter two - Can you keep a secret? Sharon swallowed as three pairs of intense grey eyes swiveled in her direction. She felt her throat suddenly go dry as she opened her mouth to speak and nothing came out. She saw the eyes of her elevator savior twinkle with amusement as she closed her mouth with a snap. She opened her mouth a second time and this time she was more successful in her attempt to speak. "Good afternoon. I'm from the fifth floor filing room." "Oh good!" Maxwell beckoned her forward and magically she found her feet moving to close the gap. She looked at the three pairs of eyes that still watched her, waiting for further instructions. Maxwell spoke yet again and as she looked at him she realized that he was indeed older than the other two. "It makes no use to introduce us by our surnames as you may become confused. I'm Maxwell Kirkland. This is Matthew and that is Michael. They will show you what to do. This all has to be done before work ends at four so I do hope that you're a fast worker." "If it takes longer I'd be more than happy to stay." "Well we do hope it doesn't come to that now don't we." With that being said Maxwell Kirkland returned to his office, leaving her with the other two. Matthew waved her over to a seat and took several files bulging with loose papers and plopped them in front of her. "The main folders are in the cabinets behind you. The treasury tags are in the top drawer and you will need to record the document being filed on the inside of the folder. This is just the first batch so let me know when you're done." Sharon nodded as she sank into the plush upholstery. She felt the coolness of the air-conditioning blowing through her hair and lifted it away from her temple. She barely took in her surroundings as she bent to her task eagerly. In a few moments she was lost in the pile of papers as her fingers literally flew through. In seemingly no time she was done with the batch in front of her and had yet another pile placed in front of her. The two young men watched as the girl worked feverishly through the task. Her hair swayed gently as she moved her head from pile to pile. It was not until three fifty five that she raised her head from the desk. She was once again the center of attention from the three pairs of eyes. She felt her face grow hot as she stood. She looked around her to ensure that there was not even one piece of paper out of place. She looked at Matthew questioningly. He shook his head to indicate that there was no more filing to be done. "Well I'll be going then since it seems as if I'm all done here." She made her way out of the space and was almost halfway to the door when one of them spoke. "Thank you," she stiffened slightly at the familiar voice. She turned then and looked him directly in the eyes. "Sharon. My name is Sharon." She ducked her head shyly and walked out the door. *** The rumble of thunder did not bode well for Sharon. She had pressed her hair just that weekend and did not relish the thought of having to do it sooner than was necessary. The rumbling again caused her to scurry through the house looking in vain for an umbrella. She had no choice. She was going to have to find some sort of plastic bag to wear over her hair. It was the beginning of her fourth week on the job and she felt her spirits lift. This was the week she would get paid. Somehow it made the hard work she had had to endure that much more worthwhile. Ever since that first week when she had been called up to the admin office to help them file it had become a weekly ritual for her to report to the seventh floor after lunch on a Friday. She was very observant and soon learned quite a bit about the three men with whom she worked closely for those few hours. One Friday she had been privileged to encounter the patriarch and had been stunned into disbelief when she looked into the older man's face to find those same eyes. She swore she could see those eyes even in her sleep. A third rumble followed by a flash of lightning broke into her thoughts and she sighed. This was the kind of day that she wished she could afford to hop into one of the many robot taxis that traveled from the communities surrounding Montego Bay to the center of the city. But that was just wishful thinking. She moved as quickly as she could. She knew that based on the time lapse between the thunder and the lightning the deluge was still some time away. She would have to move quickly. As she exited the house she felt a gust of wind tug at her clothing and she shivered. Today would also have been a good day to take a sweater to work as the office tended to be colder on days like this, even down in the dusty filing room. But alas she had none and so had to go along just as she was. She set out on her journey and admittedly put a little pep into her step. She felt the rain coming with every gust of wind and it propelled her along. She knew how sudden and unpredictable the late May rains could be. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the Kirkland building come into view just as she felt the first huge drop hit her arm. She broke into a quick run and managed to escape just in time. She hailed the security guard and receptionist as usual. The latter was no warmer than the first day but at least she was not colder and Sharon had been raised to respect her elders. She made her way up to her floor and was in her place in the filing room a good twenty minutes before work was due to start. As she signed in and walked towards the bathroom to change into the extra shirt that she had brought, she was just in time to overhear a conversation between Natalie and Monica, two other girls who worked in the filing room. "I don't know what she feel like. Just 'cause she go up to the boss man floor every Friday evening she tink dat make her better dan we?" Sharon frowned at the pure malice she heard in Natalie's voice. What the hell! They couldn't be talking about her! "But Natalie, she never invite herself up there in the first place. Is Miss Campbell send her up." "So why that ole cow never tink bout we? Every week she have to be the one to go? We just as good you know. It not normal. Something into something. Maybe she along with one of them." "Natalie! Why your mind always so smutty? What Sharon do you? Why you don't like her?" Natalie had fallen silent and sucked her teeth. Sharon felt her heart beating a mile a minute as she thought about the hurtful words her co-worker had spoken. She walked back to the main door and came in again. Making sure that it banged loudly enough to alert the other girls to the fact that someone else was on the floor. She saw them come to the front and she turned to greet them with her brightest smile, forcing the tears that almost came to her eyes when she looked at Natalie. Natalie Brooks was a very pretty girl as far as Sharon was concerned. The first thing she had going in her favor was the fact that she was what was called a 'browning'. This meant that by island standards it was obvious that she had some Caucasian in her DNA. Her skin was the color of coffee with a healthy heaping of creamer that made her look like a very tanned white person. She also had what was called in the islands 'pretty hair' which was hair that lay in waves and curls and was soft to the touch. She had a habit of daubing hair oil as thickly as she could to bring out the shine in her hair and brushed it to lay smoothly against her scalp in waves as she held back the mass with a headband. It was rumored that Natalie's mother had been a housekeeper at one of the top hotels along the Montego Bay strip. She had lost her job suddenly and no-one knew why. Nine months later she had given birth to Natalie and it became obvious to everyone that she had had an illegal dalliance with a guest. Sharon had heard this from her mother who was familiar with all the local gossip as much as she was gossiped about. She glanced at Natalie again and was startled when the girl rounded on her. "Why you looking at me like that?" "No reason." "No reason huh. Mind I give you a reason to look." Sharon frowned. "I beg your pardon?" "Hear her. You think because you go to big teachers' college in Kingston you're better than everybody else. You not any better than me black coolie baboo." "But I've never said that I'm any better than you Natalie. And I don't behave like it either." "Listen to how you speaky spokey. You don't even sound Jamaican." "Well I'm sorry if that offends you Natalie. I need to get started on my work." With that Sharon brushed past the other girl and made her way to the bathroom to change. By the time she returned to put on her dust mask the two girls had gone deeper into the filing room. She sighed as she took up her first stack of files from the racks and proceeded to carry out her duties. The rumbling of her stomach told Sharon that it was time to take a break. Unfortunately she couldn't. Halfway through the morning she had realized with a start that in her haste to hunt for the umbrella and get out of the house before the rains, she had left her sandwich on the dining table. She sighed as she resigned herself to the fact that she was now on compulsory fasting. It didn't help that her dinner the day before had had to be split in two as an old family friend had stopped by. She glanced at the clock on the wall near the front. It was exactly midday. She picked one of the darkest rows and meandered down to find a favorite nook of hers. On the other days when she did not have lunch she would always sit here and look down at the pier watching as the tourists walked about the bustling city. From her vantage point she could also see the Sangster International Airport. She would often spend her hour daydreaming about what it would be like to fly on a plane one day. As she took up her familiar position today there were no tourists due to the deluge which continued to come down in sheets. As she had been inside all day she had not given a thought to the inclement weather. A slight frown creased her brow as she thought about her home and wondered if she would have a dry bed to sleep in that night. She shook herself mentally, not willing to give in to any such thought. She crossed her forearms and rested her cheek on them as her eyes fluttered closed. She took her mind off the emptiness in her stomach and thought about walking through the airport and taking a flight to anywhere but here. She had almost dozed off when she heard a slight scuffle and muffled laughter. She heard two persons whispering and soon made out one of the voices to be Natalie. She moved quickly and in no time dashed into one of the many aisles in the filing room. Unfortunately she had picked an aisle with a dead end. By the time she realized her mistake it was too late for her to pick another as there at the end of the aisle stood Natalie. She was looking up at whoever it was that was with her and smiling. Slowly Sharon sank to the floor and covered her mouth for fear she would give away her presence. She watched as a pair of light skinned hands held Natalie by the waist as the girl reached up to embrace her companion. Sharon's eyes opened wide as she heard the obvious sounds of kissing and slurping as the couple made out. She watched as the hands pushed Natalie to her knees and she heard the unmistakable rasp of a zipper. She felt as if she was watching a pornographic movie as she watched as Natalie reached out to pull her companion closer. The girl fished the young man's cock out of his pants and practically inhaled it into her hungry mouth. He groaned and put his head back. For the most part he remained hidden. All Sharon could see was his black slacks and his very white cock. She watched as Natalie bobbed her head back and forth, slurping with pleasure. Every now and then she would allow it to pop out of her mouth and Sharon could see how wet it was. She trembled slightly as she watched the scene unfold before her. She kept as quiet as a mouse and prayed they would not turn and see her crouched there. She heard the man sigh as Natalie continued to suck him off. He gripped the filing shelf and it shook slightly as he held on to it for balance. "Hmmmmm yes. You're such a good little cock sucker. Suck it you slut. Suck it." Sharon slapped a hand over her mouth as a gasp almost escaped her. That voice! Sharon's cheeks burned at the demeaning terms but Natalie did not seem to mind. She turned adoring eyes up to her partner and started to suck him even harder. She allowed the cock to pop out of her mouth yet again and used her tongue to play with the angry red helmet head. She lapped at the precum as if it was water in a desert before bending her head to take his full length yet again. "Oh yes! That's it right there! I'm gonna cum! I'm gonna cum! Take it down your fucking throat! Don't waste even a drop bitch!" Natalie opened her mouth as wide as she could while her partner held his throbbing member and aimed deep into her throat. Sharon saw her throat moving convulsively as she swallowed. Spurt after spurt was fed to the girl and she obediently took it all. When at last the last drops had been shaken onto her tongue she stood. She reached up to kiss her companion and he pushed her away slightly. "Are you mad? Your mouth is filthy! You can't really want to kiss me now. We kiss before, not after sweetie." He turned his head away sharply to the left and saw Sharon crouched on the floor. At first he was startled. Then he winked one grey eye slowly before turning back to the girl clinging to him. "Let's get out of here. Your lunch break is almost up. Wouldn't want anyone to catch you on the job now would you." He turned so that his back was to the aisle as he pushed the girl to go ahead of him. Just before he stepped off he turned to look at Sharon once again. He blew her a kiss before he disappeared. Sharon counted to twenty before she rose slowly. She made her way down the aisle on shaky legs and turned in the opposite direction from which the couple had come. She knew this filing room like the back of her hand and could make it appear as if she had only just entered. She lifted her hand to brush aside a bit of cobweb that had touched her cheek. As her hand came away she frowned. She put her hand to her face again and realized that she was crying. She clapped her hand over her mouth yet again, stifling the sobs that she felt threatening to rise. She waited until she had gotten to the other side of the massive filing room before she allowed herself to crumple to the floor sobbing. It was a classic example of pathetic fallacy as the thunder outside decided to rumble at precisely the same time that Sharon broke down. She cried. She cried for her poverty above which she was determined to rise. She cried for her brothers and sister who looked to her for redemption. She cried for her mother for whom all hope seemed to be lost. She cried for her community and the young people with no hope of making any progress. But most of all she cried for girls like Natalie who felt they had to sink to such levels and put aside their pride in order to get ahead. If only Natalie could recognize that they were on the same side. *** Five o'clock could not come soon enough for Sharon. Her empty stomach combined with her sobbing had resulted in a headache of massive proportions. Slowly she freshened up in the bathroom. She usually liked this time of the evening because the others would have already left five to ten minutes before in order to avoid the elevator traffic. She washed her hands and face before taking off the dusty t-shirt. She hung it in the small cupboard where workers were allowed to store things since they did not have desks. She retrieved her handbag and the plastic bag for her head as she was sure it was still raining. Usually when it started in the morning the way it had, it went right throughout the day. She exited the office and was about to make her way to the staircase when a hand shot out to grab her. She felt her knees buckle as she felt herself being pulled up against a man's chest. Panic overtook her as she opened her mouth to scream and felt a hand clamped over her lips. She looked up to find a pair of grey eyes looking down at her. "It's me. Just be quiet and listen. Are you going to listen?" She nodded mutely. "No screaming if I move my hand?" She shook her head. Slowly he removed his hand and true to her word she remained silent. They both turned slightly as they heard voices on the stairwell. As the voices faded they turned to face each other again. He was the first to speak. "I know you saw what happened today. Let me get straight to the point. Name your price." Sharon looked up at him, slightly puzzled at first until the meaning behind his words sank in. "That's okay. No payment is necessary. You don't have to buy my silence." He frowned, "Everyone has a price. You might not want money but you could use some favor. Do you want a transfer to my office for the rest of the summer? This floor sucks. I had to hold my breath earlier." He chuckled wryly at the joke that only he had gotten. Sharon scrutinized him scornfully. "That's quite okay Mr. Kirkland. You may consider your secret to be safe with me. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to be on my way home." Mocking grey eyes searched her face before slowly stepping out of her way. He turned and watched as she walked away, listening to her steps echoing on the stairwell before turning and heading back up the stairs to the administrative floor. He was going to have to keep a closer eye on this girl. *** Sharon did not have to ask. She knew without a shadow of a doubt and there was just no going around it. She was ill. This had been a downright miserable week as it had rained heavily every day. The township did not have the best drainage system and as she navigated the now inundated roads each morning and evening she could not avoid particularly deep puddles every now and then. It did not help that she had to be in the office with the air on all day. Plus supplies at home had been rationed and she had been without lunch all week. Each night before going to bed she rubbed her feet and chest with as much bay rum as she could to ward off the chills that came before a cold. It did not help that she was not eating properly. As she raised her head Friday morning she sank back down with a groan as a searing pain flashed across her temple. She felt the weak tears creep to her eyes and she began to tremble. This was one of the days when she felt like just throwing in the towel. As she lay in bed she allowed the week that she had just been through to play on her mind and she tried to stifle a sob. She would like nothing better than to just sink into oblivion and have everyone forget that she existed. She lifted a hand to cover her face as her shoulders shook with silent sobs. The springs of the box mattress creaked as she felt her little sister turn in the bed beside her. She bit her lips to stifle any sound of her crying. She took a few deep breaths as she struggled to regain control. When she felt a bit calmer she slowly got out of bed. She felt her throat and forehead and knew she was having a raging fever. She sighed. She would have loved nothing better than to crawl back into her bed but knew that she could not afford to. Today was pay day. She coughed slightly and felt a sharp pain sear her chest. She had developed the cough after two weeks of working in the dusty environment. She shuffled around the house, desperately ignoring the pain in her limbs. She went through her morning ritual and in no time was dressed and out the door. The morning sky was heavy and she knew they were in for another day of showers. She walked slowly, much slower than usual. It was eight twenty five when she arrived at her floor. Without any thought she went straight to her tasks. At lunch time she went down to the accounts department on the third floor and joined the line like everyone else. When the brown envelope was pushed into her hand and she had signed her name on the relevant line she made her way slowly back upstairs. She packed up her things as usual and made her way to the seventh floor. Island Secrets Ch. 02 Matthew waited anxiously for Sharon to arrive. He looked at the desk that had been assigned to her and the overflow of documents. If the truth was to be told he admired the pretty dark girl who sat at her post for three hours each Friday. She barely spoke apart from having to ask for more documents for filing. But today he waited anxiously for other reasons. He turned his head as the door opened and immediately he frowned. He saw her put her hand to her mouth as her shoulders shook while she coughed. His eyes narrowed as he looked keenly into her face. He could be mistaken but somehow to him she looked a little more drawn since the last time he had seen her. She raised her hand in greeting before sliding into her seat. She raised a trembling hand to take up the first document just as Maxwell stepped out of his office. "Is Sharon here yet? Oh there you are. I need you in here for about half an hour before you get started on those." Sharon looked up at him as he spoke. Her spirit sighed as her body forced itself to stand on her shaky feet. The few feet from the desk to Maxwell's office seemed to open up like a chasm as she moved one foot in front of the other. She felt her breathing become labored as she heard her heart begin to pound in her ears. Her hands felt clammy and she felt her body grow cold. She looked at Maxwell and he seemed as if he started to melt right before her. She saw him open his mouth but for the life of her she could not hear one thing he was saying. The rushing in her ears grew louder and louder and she was reminded of the times she had gone to the beach as a child and had been caught up in a game of jumping waves. She felt her foot take another step before a huge wave came out of nowhere and knocked her flat on the ground. She closed her eyes and allowed the darkness which had been pursuing her all day to overtake her. *** "Holy shit! She's burning up!" Matthew was the first to get to her side. Maxwell sprang into action immediately. He ran to the inert figure of the girl in the middle of the office. Michael, for once, was being useful as he ran into the outer office. He came back followed by a few of the secretaries and a first aid kit that someone had managed to find. Maxwell looked around and saw the gathering crowd. This would not be the best environment to tend to the unconscious girl. He scooped her up into his arms, surprised at how light and frail she felt. He made his way back to his office with his brothers in tow along with the secretary who bore the first aid kit. He stretched her out on the couch then stepped out of the way. Matthew, the doctor in training, took charge. He loosened all her restrictive clothing while not exposing her. He used his hands to check her pulse: it was fluttering erratically. He remembered that she had been coughing as she entered and he pressed his ear to her chest as she breathed. He frowned slightly. This was nothing that their little office first aid kit could handle. He turned with a grim look. "She's burning up and I don't like how her chest sounds. We have to get her to the hospital."