by Lucy Eden
"Give me your phone. Quick, give me your phone." He demanded and snapped his fingers. Anyone else who dared talk to me like that would have spent the rest of their lives regretting it, but there was a sense of urgency and panic in his voice which made me toss my phone at him without thinking. He held it out to me impatiently, "Fingerprint!" he demanded. I held out my thumb and unlocked the device. "That fucking car." He mumbled. "That piece of shit, fucking car."
“What are you talking about? What car?” I demanded as I watched him furiously tapping on my phone’s screen.
"Her parents gave her a used car for her sixteenth birthday, and she refuses to get rid of it. It's basically held together with gum and duct tape, but every time I..." He paused, still tapping. "Ha! I knew it! She uses the same password for everything. Now we wait," he briefly drummed his fingertips on the desk, then whispered, "Oh shit."
“What?!” I snatched the phone a peered at the screen. There was a map with a glowing blue dot. “Is this her? Where is this?” He was staring at a far wall.
"You said the helicopters didn't spot her?" he said in quiet, confused voice. I nodded, still not taking my eyes off the dot on the screen. "That dot isn't moving. It's a deserted road only five miles away. She'd have no reason to stop there, but where's her car?" He looked up at me as he asked the last question.
I didn’t intend on wasting one more second before I found out.
“I’m texting security and calling EMS!” he called behind me as I took off running down the hall.
I didn’t give a fuck who he called, I knew where she was, and nothing was stopping me from getting to her. The panic look on Dustin's face terrified me. My jealousy had sent her out into the world angry and alone. If something happened to her, I'd never forgive myself. I burst through the exit door and was met by Steve, my head of security.
“Chuck, the SUV is this way.” He gestured to me as I blurred past him.
“Too slow.” I called over my shoulder, “follow me.” I leaped into my Bugatti and Steve dove into the passenger’s side just as I threw it gear and sped off towards the main road. He barely closed the door when I tossed him my phone. “You’re navigating. Don’t fuck it up.”
"Like, you did twice," Steve smirked while studying the phone. In addition to being my head of security, Steve was also my cousin and my best friend. He had a front row seat for this whole saga. He knew how much Tessa meant to me.
“Too soon, man.” I called focusing intently on the road, “She has to be ok. We have to get to her.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll find her. It’s gonna be ok.” He said, “hey, make a left here." I slammed on the brake and jerked the wheel to the left, before speeding up again. "Man, she really has you doesn't she? I've never seen you like this."
"Yeah, she has me, and I've never felt like this before." I speed up trying to push every awful thought out of my head, "I've always felt like something was missing, but I didn't know what it was until I saw her that night. I don't need anything else in my life but her."
“Does that include this car?” I flipped him off. “Naw, man, I’m kidding. That’s fucking beautiful. You deserve it.”
“Listen, if she’s ok, you can have this car. I just need…”
“We’re coming up on the dot. Slow down.” I did and came to a stop on a deserted stretch of road. On either side were thick bushes in front of densely wooded forests. Where the hell was she? “The signal is coming from her. She, or at least her phone has got to be here somewhere.”
My heart started thumping wildly. There was nothing here. No sign of her. Not even her phone. Her phone…that was it.
“Steve. Call it.” I knew he had all the numbers of my personal staff programmed into his phone. He conducted all of the background checks himself.
“It’s ringing!” he yelled. I put my finger to my lips and pointed him in the other direction. We fanned out searching.
I came upon skidmarks that led off the road and began running. I started screaming her name, then quickly remembered Steve, calling her phone. Finally, as I crept closer to the spot where the skidmarks ended, I heard the muffled tones of a cell phone, but still didn’t see a car. I ran toward the side of the road and was met with a steep sloping embankment. At the bottom, nearly covered with brush, was the roof of a car.
“STEVE!” I screamed as loud as I could, “HERE!” I half ran, half slid down the embankment. I tore back the brush and yanked open the driver's side door open, damn near ripping it off the hinges in the process.
She was there. She was breathing. Her tiny body was slumped over the steering wheel. Her beautiful face was so peaceful; save for the significant cut on her forehead. My heart broke to see it. I reached over her unbuckled her seatbelt and gently removed her from the car. She began to stir against my body.
“Mr. Kerwin,” she whispered, “I’m so sorry…”
“Shh. Don’t talk, angel." I whispered back. "You're safe now." She snuggled against my chest and lost consciousness again.
I heard sirens as I scrambled up the embankment with my precious cargo. Steve offered to take Tessa from my arms as I climbed and I narrowed my eyes at him, and he backed away.
No one was taking her from me. I was never letting her out of my sight. I helped load her into the waiting ambulance and climbed inside. None of the EMTs dared to stop me or question me.
“What do you want me to do with her car?” Steve called from the road.
“Burn that fucking thing!” I growled, before remembering how much it meant to Tessa. Even though the thing may have almost just killed her, I didn’t want to risk upsetting her. Never again. “Get it out of there and get into the shop. I’ll figure out what to do with it later.”
“And what about your car?”
“Don’t you mean, your car?” I tossed him the keys as the ambulance doors closed. He smiled as he caught them, then turned to face his team.
I watched him grow smaller and smaller as we drove away, sirens blaring. I turned my attention to my little angel. She was still unconscious and breathing deeply. Her face was half covered with an oxygen mask, but I could still see her full rosy lips as the mask fogged and cleared with each breath. I was desperate to kiss them again and feel her delicate hands caressing my face. I was deep in thought when my phone pinged. It was a text message from Steve:
Take good care of that girl.
I like you better with her around.
Yeah, me too.
Tessa
My eyes flew open. I immediately knew I was in a hospital. The throbbing in my head made me wince in pain and all of the memories of my first day at work and all that followed flooded my head.
I tried to sit up and became aware of a hulking figure sitting at my bedside. It was more like he was on my bedside. Charles Kerwin's unmistakable hulking figure was hunched over my hospital bed. He had a chair pulled so close that his knees were underneath like a desk. His head was resting on his giant arms like a pillow, and he was holding my hand. His handsome, chiseled face was turned toward me, and he was softly snoring. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I slid my hand out of his and gently ran my fingers through his hair and caressed his stubbly cheek. He must have been here for hours judging by the length of his five-o-clock shadow and dozed off watching me sleep.
I slowly brushed my thumb across his lips, and I felt them pucker in response. His eyes fluttered open, and he whispered my name.
"Hi," I whispered. I should've felt embarrassed but I was exhausted, and my head was still throbbing. He clasped my tiny hand in his huge one and kissed it.
“You’re awake.” He smiled sleepily, then jerked his head up, “You’re awake! I’ll call the doctor.”
"No, no." I pleaded. "Not yet. Can we just stay like this for a minute?"…or forever, I thought to myself.
“Of course, beautiful,” he said in a low deep rumble that made my body quiver, “anything you want.” His blue-gray eyes met mine with an intensity that told me Charles Kerwin wo
uld do anything for me. I immediately remembered my behavior at the office.
"I'm so sorry about…" I began and could feel the tears stinging my eyes. He placed one his massive hands on my cheek and silenced me by placing his thumb on my lips.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” He looked away as he raised his other hand and rubbed back of his neck nervously, “I should be apologizing to you. I overreacted to Dustin and kissing you, well, I couldn’t help myself. That doesn’t make it ok.” He paused and a dark look crossed his face, “And I definitely shouldn’t have let you leave like that. If something happened to you and I lost you again…I don’t know if…”
I couldn't tell if I was hallucinating from my head injury or if this was really happening. What did he mean if he lost me again and why was he holding my hand and sleeping at my bedside? I knew how I felt about Charles, but is it possible he felt the same way? Maybe, he just felt guilty because I got into a car accident. Maybe, he would do this for anyone.
“I’m not going to sue you,” I said, “If that’s what you're worried about.” The pained expression on my face, made me instantly regret my words. The look on his face told me everything I needed to know, but I needed to hear the words to make it real.
“Sue me?!” He slid his chair closer to the head of the bed, “Is that why you think I’m here?” I turned my focus to a suddenly interesting piece of lint on the hospital blanket.
"I don't know," I mumbled, "I just don't understand why…" He gently cupped my chin and turned my face to his. He focused his gaze intently on me, and my whole body began to burn with desire.
“From the moment I laid eyes on you,” he confessed, “you are all I’ve been able to think about.” He caressed my cheek, wiping away a single tear that had fallen, “I can’t work. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I need you. You’re my oxygen. I can’t breathe unless I’m with you.” I watched his eyes searching my face for a response, almost pleading.
"It doesn't make sense," I began, and I saw his face beginning to fall, "but I feel the same way. I couldn't get you out of my head since that night. I thought of you every minute of every day. I thought I'd never see you again. Then you bought the company and I…" A realization came crashing down like a ton of bricks. "Did you buy the company because of me?" He looked down for a second then into my eyes again, drawing in a deep breath before he responded.
“Guilty,” he replied with a little smirk. I snatched my hand away in horror.
"All of those people lost their jobs because of me?" I started to feel the tears well up again. He smiled and took both of my hands into his and kissed them again.
“All of those people lost their current jobs because of years of mismanagement by Marvin Claffey. Some of them have accepted very generous early retirement packages, and the rest were given generous severance packages and are guaranteed employment within six months. Claffey's was headed for bankruptcy, and Marvin Claffey was headed for prison. Every single person at that company, including your old boss, still has a job because of you." His smile broadened when he saw me relax and reach for his hands again. "Tanya and I helped." He chuckled softly.
I was trying to process everything he was telling me. There were rumors that the company wasn’t doing well, but Mr. Claffey always downplayed them while continuing to charter private jets, buy expensive gifts for Janice, and throw lavish employee parties. What Charles was saying made perfect sense. He had really saved the company.
"Do you always go to bat for people you care about?"
“I guess I do.” I sighed.
"Well, I do too." He caressed my cheek again. "And Tessa Findlay, I really care about you, and I'd do anything to be with you. I'd do anything for you, and I intend to keep you. I'll spend every day of our lives making you feel the way I felt when I first saw you."
“Keep me?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," he replied, raising himself to his full height, towering over my bed. "You belong to me now. I lost you once. Then I almost lost you for good. I’m never letting you out of my sight.” He smiled hungrily and lowered his face on to mine.
I raised my face to meet his. Our lips met, and my hands flew to his tousled dark hair, my fingers entangling themselves. I felt a familiar tingling between my legs, and I knew I was becoming slick with longing for this man that haunted every single one of my fantasies.
We kissed for what felt like a blissful eternity. He began to trail tiny kisses down my neck, and I felt one hand slip below my hospital gown and cup one of my breasts. Charles began to slowly tease and gently squeeze my nipple between his fingers. The sensation was too much, and I started to moan.
Each tiny pinch sent waves of pleasure radiating from chest to every part of my body. My entire body was quivering from his touch, when suddenly a high pitched beeping fill the room, startling us both. Charles pulled away, looking at me with concern.
“I’m okay. I’m okay.” I already missed his hands on my body. “I think we might have set off one of the machines.”
Moments later a group of hospital personnel burst into the room.
"Mr. Kerwin, if you insist on staying here past visiting hours," said a stern looking woman in a lab coat, "I thought we agreed to let Ms. Findlay sleep and not to excite her." Her choice of words, however unintentional, made me flush crimson.
“I wasn’t asleep.”I managed to mumble, “and I feel fine,” and desperate to change the subject I added, “How long have I been here?”
“About twenty hours give or take.” She replied. She was flipping through a clipboard attached to the bottom of the bed.
“Am I ok? What happened?” My head began to throb again. “I remember swerving to avoid hitting a deer…” I felt Charles’ hand tighten on mine and saw his jaw clench. I tried to give his hand a reassuring squeeze, “Then, that’s it.”
"You were in a single vehicle car accident, but luckily, you were wearing your seatbelt," She shined a mini light in my eyes. "You have a few bruises and that cut on your forehead, of course." My hand instinctively felt for the large bump under the bandages on my head. That explained my headache "But, at the insistence of Mr. Kerwin, we ran every test imaginable," she delivered the last bit with the slightest hint of sarcasm, "and you are perfectly fine.” She directed the last piece of information at Charles, who narrowed his eyes at her.
"When can I take her home?" Charles' question was more of a demand than a request. The doctor looked from Charles to me. I smiled sheepishly. He wanted to take me home. This man felt like home, and he could take me anywhere he wanted.
"Well," she began, "you can leave whenever you wish. I'll start the discharge papers." She swept from the room, and most of the staff followed her. One nurse stayed behind to remove my IV and monitors.
Charles got up, kissed my hand and released his grip on it.
“Do not leave this room. I’m going to talk to the doctor and take care of your discharge papers.” I nodded. “Don’t run away again.” He smirked.
"Never," I replied and crossed my fingers over my heart. I blew him a kiss. He caught it and stepped through the doorway, letting the door softly close behind him.
“That man is in love with you, honey.” The remaining nurse said in a low voice as she removed the IV and sensors. “When they brought you in here yesterday, he was beside himself with worry, roaring in here, barking orders at everyone and waving his platinum card around,” she chuckled, “but I could see right through that mess. Deep down he was just a scared little boy, terrified he was gonna lose the one thing that money can not buy.” She patted my leg and handed me a bag of clothes.
"He sat by your bed all day and night. They tried to make him leave, but he wasn't having that. I had to fight him just to get him to eat something. He doesn't scare me. I told him he had damn near everyone in the hospital tending to you, so there'd be no one left to help him if he passed out from hunger." I was trying to process everything she was saying. Charles Kerwin loves me. I opened the bag of clothes.
“I know,” she replied matter of factly, “He had these sent over.” I stared at the clothes in disbelief. They were beautiful but must have cost a fortune.
“Where are my clothes?”
“I don’t know. The person who brought these in took yours out.”
I dressed silently and noticed my hospital room for the first time. The sun was beginning to rise, and it filled the room with light. It was massive. If it weren't for the hospital bed and the machines, I would swear I was in a hotel room.
“Where am I? I mean what hospital is this?”
“Sacred Heart, baby.” She smiled. “Its the only hospital for miles. Although, your boyfriend wanted to AirVac you to Mass Gen. Wouldn’t stop until we ran every test.” She shook her head.
“This can’t be Sacred Heart. I’ve been to Sacred Heart.” …when my parents died… “This room…”
“Is a deluxe suite. They don't get used often, but they're here. In fact, there are two, and for the first time in my twenty years here, they're both full."
“Will my insurance cover this?!” I was talking more to myself than her, but she laughed heartily.
“Sweetie, I wouldn’t worry about that.” She finally choked out when she could regain her composure.
“Delores!” Charles had reentered the room. “Are you causing trouble?” He was smiling a huge boyish grin displaying a mouth full of perfect teeth.
“The only trouble around here is you,” She poked him in his perfectly chiseled chest. “Getting on my last nerve.”
“Thank you,” He placed his hand on her shoulder, “for everything.” She swatted his hand away.
“You can thank me by taking care of this young lady,” she turned to me, “she must be very special.” My face flushed again.
