CHAPTER 23
THE INTERVIEW

MICHAEL'S suite was bigger than anyone else's in the building. Coraline felt weird following him to it and lingering behind his every move. She looked over her shoulder several times to make sure no one was watching her. Venable was not around, not even a Grey, but it still felt like there were multiple eyes watching as Michael led her to his office.

His room was twice the size of her own. He had a large sitting area with a fireplace and two big, leather chairs. The flames crackled and burned as he held the door open for her. She eyed him precariously before stepping inside, rubbing her sweaty palms on her pants. Coraline jumped slightly when he closed and locked the door behind her. Michael then walked past her to his desk, perched between the fireplace and a closed area, which she guessed was his bedroom.

"So," he spoke loudly, eloquently, "any reason why you're breaking dress code at this hour?"

Coraline wrapped her cardigan tighter around herself. "I didn't expect anyone to find me."

Michael smirked and sat down at his desk. Coraline noticed another chair was placed at the other end of the table, which he gestured for her to sit in. Her feet were frozen. "Are you sure we shouldn't do this another time?" She asked, biting her lip. "Some time more ... professional?"

"Professionalism isn't my forte," he retorted, glancing down at her teeth digging into her bottom lip. Michael crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in his chair. "Sit, please."

Coraline licked her lips and cracked her knuckles before finally making her way over to the chair. His eyes were on her the whole time, calculating every movement. She strode with such confidence before, but under his gaze ... she almost seemed timid. Coraline didn't like feeling that way, like she wasn't in the know. This whole interview process was nearly frightening, since she knew the man sitting before her, but she wasn't scared of him. His judgmental stare would never terrify her. Him being some kind of Chosen One or involved in the End times didn't matter either. Coraline Avery wasn't scared of Michael Langdon.

She sat down and turned her head to the fireplace again. It looked like he had just lit it. She wondered if he had been up because he was focused on the interviews he had so far, or if he was maybe thinking about her. The latter was difficult to bear.

His stare was still on her. He grazed a finger over his mouth as he watched the orange light of the fire dance through her grey eyes. After a minute, she faced him again and pursed her lips. "So are you going to ask me questions, or are you going to sit there and stare at me?"

"Which one would you prefer?"

She paused, looking from his eyes to his wicked lips. "I would like to get this over with so I can sleep."

Michael snickered under his breath, rubbing a finger over his lip. "The rules are simple, Miss Avery –"

"Don't call me that," she interrupted, unafraid to stop herself. "You know my name, and you said you're not one for professionalism anyways."

He raised a brow at her attitude, but continued nonetheless, "If you edge, I will know. If you lie, I will know. And if you try to trick me, I will know, and this interview will be over. You will die here, painfully. Are we clear?"

Coraline had to bite her lip to suppress a giggle. Michael noticed it instantly, causing his teeth to grind. "Why are you laughing?"

"Nothing, nothing," she shrugged, turning her face away to release a snort. "I just find it hard to believe that you would kill me." When her stare connected with his again, she noticed his eyes were challenging her, as if expecting her to make a wrong move. Coraline leaned back in her chair, placing one elbow on the arm. "How will you really know if I lie?"

"I have the ability to see into the darkest of places that people try to keep hidden."

"Funny," she replied, resting her chin in her hand, "I thought my visions were once used to do that for you."

Michael grinned. "I've perfected my craft."

Coraline felt something implode in the pit of her stomach, causing her back to straighten. Her legs tensed up, winding themselves together tightly. The fire made the room hot, and she found herself pushing up the sleeves of her white sweater. Michael's gaze moved down, like he knew the sudden effect he had on her. Coraline parted her lips and decided to ignore it, despite their connection reaching for each other with a thunderous effort.

"Can I ask you something before we start?" She watched his mouth open, but before he could object, she continued, "I've been at this Outpost for more than a year, with a woman who looks exactly like Miriam Mead, yet she claims I'm a stranger. Why?"

He laughed softly. "Because that's not her. Ms. Mead, sadly, left us a long time ago. I won't get into the gory details, but I was adamant that her memory should live on. So I had her created. She doesn't know you. She doesn't even know me."

Coraline was perplexed, but decided not to question his motives. Was he insinuating that this new Ms. Mead was ... not human? She wouldn't be surprised. The year 2020 brought new inventions, like real hoverboards and smart-flying cars. Androids didn't really seem like a foreign concept.

Michael watched her grow quiet and place a strand of dark hair behind her ear. His brow scrunched up upon noticing a certain symbol on arm. "Do you believe in God, Coraline?" He asked, grabbing a folder from a stack to his right and flipping it open.

"I don't know what I believe," she answered, lacing her fingers together. Coraline watched his fingers sort through the papers before him. Her mouth felt suddenly dry. "I mean, if God does exist, why would he let Armageddon happen?"

"So why do you have a tattoo of a cross on your wrist?"

Coraline blinked, mouth opening in surprise. She stared at him for a long while, knowing that he enjoyed the way he stunned her. It was cruel, somewhat, but that was the only way he knew to trouble her. She bit the inside of her cheek and played with her hands. If she lied, he would know, but what was the point of lying? It wasn't like there was a deep answer to it, other than getting it for her dead dad, who he had never liked in the first place. She remembered the fire in his eyes when Jacob Avery had shown up at the house unexpectedly. She remembered the way Michael almost broke every bone in his body, until Coraline finally asked him to leave. It was hard to believe that that happened five years ago. Michael looked like he aged a decade since then.

"I got it for my dad. He – uh – he died two years ago ... on my birthday," she frowned, brushing her thumb across the small tattoo. The ink had turned a dark grey since settling into her skin. "My mom became this, like, devoted Christian after he died. She always told me she hated him, but then he died and ... I don't know. I think it was her only way to cope." Coraline frowned, finally meeting Michael's eyes again. "She wanted us to get matching tattoos to honor him, or something like that."

Michael looked at the cross for a moment longer, knitting his brow together. With a sigh, he leaned back in his chair and closed the folder containing information on her that he already knew. It was odd, knowing so much about her without the help of a file. When his bright eyes fluttered back to her own, he noticed her cheeks had flushed red. A sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Dragging his tongue across his bottom lip, he asked, "Has my recent arrival at the Outpost made you nervous?"

Coraline swallowed hard. He was trying to intimidate her. She assumed the same posture as him, placing her freckled cheek in her hand, and curling her lips into a sly grin. "Does my presence make you nervous?"

Michael's brow shot up at her response, but he hid the reaction instantly. He smiled coldly and stood from his chair. Coraline kept her gaze ahead, trying to remain unaware of how close he was as he sat down on the desk in front of her. He looked down at Coraline with an enigmatic stare, slowly inching himself closer to her chair. His thigh brushed her own, and he took notice of the way she was crossing her legs so tightly that she was shaking. He huffed in an annoyed tone.

"Have you ..." Michael paused to wrinkle his nose. "Have you ever done anything you regret?"

Coraline slowly turned to look at him. He got her exactly where he wanted her. Anger blazed in her grey eyes, making her face blush to a darker red. Her brow knitted together and she gripped the chair's arms intensely. She was almost tempted to reply that meeting him was one of her biggest regrets, but if she were being really honest with herself, that would've been a lie. Coraline wouldn't forget her gruesome past with Michael Langdon, but she didn't regret a second of it. Maybe that was her biggest sin of all.

With a bashful smirk, Coraline tapped her chin. "Hmm, let's see. I guess I regret the guys I've slept with over the past couple of years. Life gets lonely sometimes." Her eyes slowly slid to his, and she noticed he sat up straighter. "Does that bother you, sir?"

Michael narrowed his eyes, watching her lips curl playfully. Except, he knew she wasn't trying to be playful. She was trying to toy with him. He was only slightly impressed.

"Are you intentionally trying to make me feel jealous?" He asked with one brow cocked upward. His long locks fell in front of his eyes, but he still caught her sneaking a glance his way.

Coraline shrugged. "Maybe."

She was lying. He knew she was lying. She hadn't been with a lot of men intimately. She wasn't like that, but he still felt the bitterness seep into his stomach. His grip on the desk got rougher. Coraline saw the action quickly when her eyes flicker to his hands. They reminded her of the hands in her dream, but she kept her mouth tight. She hugged her sweater close again.

Michael's jaw set, and it took every muscle in his body not to snap. "Any. Other. Regrets?" He spat out through gritted teeth.

Fury coaxed in her veins then. Coraline stood up, finally noticing how close he had really gotten to her. Their heights matched while he sat on the desk and she stood defiantly in front of him. The power dynamic shifted drastically. Their electric threads were almost connecting, but she moved her hand away to prevent an interaction.

Her face was a foot from his, but neither of them moved away. He smiled when he noticed the anger written all over her face, and the way he cheeks were redder than ever. The perfume of death wafted into her nostrils, circling in her brain. Coraline's whole body felt hot when she realized the proximity between them. The pit in her stomach grew bigger, spreading all the way down her legs.

"Are you ..." She shook her head, releasing a loud scoff. "Are you trying to make me admit to something? What – do you want me to say that I regret abandoning you all those years ago? Is that what you want, Michael?"

He tilted his head to the side, eyes flickering to her mouth for a brief moment.

Coraline's hands rolled into fists. Her heart rate increased dramatically as she was reminded of the Winter Ball, where everything ended in disaster.

"Fine, you want a confession? I'll give you a confession." She leaned in slightly, not enough to make her cringe away, but enough to startle him. Crossing her arms over her chest, she continued, "Maybe I do regret leaving you at that dance. Maybe I've regretted it for the past five years, but there's nothing you can do about it. It happened. It's done."

He was completely silent. His intense stare made the inside of her legs get warm, but she didn't dare move an inch. After a long moment, Michael turned his head away and smirked. "That's quite a confession," he replied. "It's exactly what I wanted."

Coraline's face twisted as he stood from the desk, sauntering across the room. She spun around and watched his careful stride move towards the large double doors at the end of the suite. Raising her hands, Coraline asked, "So ... did I pass, or are you going to try to go through with whatever Satanist plan you and Miriam had in mind years ago?"

He opened the doors suddenly, revealing the elaborate bedroom he was gifted by Ms. Venable. Michael turned to face her, watching her eyes grow wide, yet she didn't walk forward. He cocked his head to the side, confusion crossing his features.

"I ..." She chewed on her bottom lip. "After a while, I began to assume that after you killed everyone in that school, you were going to slice me up and eat me for breakfast."

Michael chuckled then, a low and dark laugh that shook the floorboards. "Eat you?" He shook his head. "Oh, not yet, Coraline Rose."

Coraline's head snapped back at his response.

"We'll continue this in part two of the interview. Maybe you'll find out my decision early if you have one of those ..." He waved his hand around. "What did your mother call them? Ah, yes – episodes."

He shut the double doors with a loud slam. Coraline's mouth dropped. "PART TWO?!" She shrieked, completely disregarding the fact that others were sleeping. Coraline ran forward and pounded her fists against the doors, rage wracking through her small form. "You cannot just do this to me, Michael Langdon. I'm not coming back for a fucking second interview –"

The doors slid open again, revealing an amused Michael behind them. Coraline almost stepped back when she realized how close he had leaned into her space. She exhaled heavily through her nose and tugged down at her shirt.

"Go to sleep, Coraline," he replied calmly, before allowing his mouth to twist. "Unless you'd rather come in here?"

Coraline's face flushed again, and it definitely wasn't from anger this time. Her mouth was drier than a desert as she contemplated a response. Coraline almost wanted to smack herself, but her hands were already forming into fists. She shouldn't be contemplating anything. Why would she – even for a second – get in that room with Michael fucking Langdon?

With a loud huff, she replied, "No thanks."

Coraline turned on her heel, walking straight for the exit of his suite. She fought against the urge to look at him over her shoulder, already feeling his stare burning holes into her back. Secretly, she wondered if she would've accepted his offer had she looked back.

•••

A/N: PHEW WE LOVE A COUPLE OF DOMS

I LOST IT @ THIS MEME