Slave to the Emperor

Stephen was inside waiting for me. I inhaled deeply once more and let it out before entering the already obnoxious, super-expensive space. I had always like eating at fine restau

ked through it, trying to find something that I could eat easily." Eating anything substantial was not something I could have imagined doing, especially not with that man in front of me making me feel so uneasy that I felt like throwing up. Although I had anticipated some discomfort between us, I hadn't anticipated it to be this oppressive. I was already eating dinner with my employer rather than my soon-to-be spouse. He remarked in a rather agitated tone, "Have you made up your mind?" and I wasn't sure if he was truly hungry or just running out of patience. Based on my initial view of him, I like to believe that it's the latter. There was no denying that he exuded impatience. "Yes, I have," I answered, and he summoned the server right away, asking me to indicate my order on the menu. After following my instructions, the waiter quickly turned to go, leaving Stephen and I by ourselves once more. We didn't say anything for the first several minutes, and I attempted to divert my attention by staring at anything else instead of him as it seemed weird. I felt more uneasy and self-conscious since I could tell he was staring at me. How could I have ever believed that going on a date with this man would help me get to know him better? I regret not remaining at home and not joining in on this crazy right now. "Am I making you uncomfortable?" He inquired abruptly, making me turn to face him. In answer, I just nodded and kept my lips shut since I didn't want to lie and say that I'm uncomfortable. "While I would apologize for it, I don't think it's appropriate for us to begin our agreement with only regrets. Amara, listen, I'm feeling really uncomfortable, just like you are. I assumed that since I had previously checked you out, this would be simple to manage, but knowing who you are and doing some research in advance doesn't really help. How about we just introduce ourselves correctly and save this night from going terribly wrong?" When he inquired, it must have been the longest Stephen had spoken to me without seeming like his regular robotic self. Though I shouldn't have been shocked because it was expected, it did irritate me that he checked on me and called it "research." "So what exactly do you suggest we do?" I enquired. Amara, we don't need to do much. We're going to start off as relative strangers and work our way up to being friendly. We'll begin by giving a quick recap of who we are before moving on to ask each other questions that we find interesting. "Sound good?" he said, and I wholeheartedly agreed since it would make our relationship less uncomfortable and claustrophobic. "That seems adequate, Stephen. Shall I begin now, or will you?" I inquired. "I'll get started," he said. As you are aware, my name is Stephen Ericson, and I suppose you might describe myself as a businessman. I am thirty-two years old, to give you a general idea of who I am. I a