Chapter 10: The Golden Rules
(Arata)
Karsten nudged his head slightly up as if understanding my silent question, but his curious eyes remained focused on me. I pulled his collar up, placed the thick blue satin ribbon around his thick neck and began to tie a full Windsor knot.
The silence around us should have been discomforting but it wasn't.
Detaching myself from every feeling around me I focused on the task with utmost seriousness. My fingers moved with deliberate precision as I crafted the Windsor knot— classic and elegant. I folded the wide end over the narrow one, guiding it up and through the loop with practised ease. My baba had taught me all the knots and I had done them a thousand times for him and Andy. Not that Andy deserved it but I wasn't going to let him control my life anymore.
The tie slid smoothly under my touch, the fabric whispering softly with every movement.
"Almost done," I said, keeping my voice steady despite the slight flutter that kept humming in my chest. He chose to silently observe, his face still stoic and emotionless as I stole a glance.
Bringing the tie's wide end down through the final loop, I tugged it down gently to perfect the shape. The knot sat proudly against the smooth blue fabric, its deep shade looked majestic on him.
Tying his collar button with my shaking hands around his neck, where a few veins stood prominent, I adjusted the collar and smoothed it down. His huge frame had obscured everything else and all I could see were the bulging muscles of his shapely arms and chest.
He might be a cocky boss but he was pleasant to the eye.