Kristi Granberg

That Gnawing Feeling

Vanessa glanced over at the little black book and sighed deeply. How could something so small be so unnerving and consuming of her security? She could feel the anxiety rising in her throat, as she tried to swallow it away while her chest rose and fell heavily. She wondered if anyone else could hear her heartbeat as it pounded loudly drowning out her co-workers in this incessant meeting. The instructions were clear: she would receive the money as long as she didn't open the little black book with pages that contained information about her fiance. Her sweet, handsome, and charming Ben who she met over a year ago and quickly became enchanted with. Sometimes, she wondered if it were all too perfect to actually be true. And, now, a few inches from her daily planner was a source of undeniable enticement that appeared inexplicably in her office doorway.