by Karen Deen
“Do I really need to know why you are heading somewhere that you don’t want Grant to know about when I can tell you are wound up like a spring? You aren’t doing anything stupid, are you?”
“No, not at all. I have to run but I will let you know once I am on my way into the office. See you soon.”
I pushed end on the call before she had time to ask any more questions.
While I had been sitting in my car outside of the apartment complex, the feeling of wanting to protect Emily from anyone who might hurt her was getting stronger. I was getting angrier at the thought of this prick taking advantage of such a beautiful woman just trying to look after her family.
I started the car and plugged the address I got from Zoe into the GPS. I didn’t know what I was going to say when I got there, but I did know for sure this guy was going to know exactly how I felt. If he was lucky, he would understand my anger and disgust just from my words. There was a strong possibility, though, it could be with my fists.
As I pulled up outside the building where Emily used to live, I could see it was not much better than the crappy apartment she had now. I know these types of apartments have a place in society and I understand that. They provided affordable accommodation for low socioeconomic members of the community. It was better than being on the street, but wasn’t decent accommodation. Just a safe place to come home to each night, however safe that may be. For Emily, it had turned out to be less safe than she imagined.
I marched up the path to the first-floor apartment, the one with the Building Manager sign on the door. I stood staring at it for a while and took a deep breath, trying to calm down before I knocked. I didn’t want to give away why I was here.
Okay, Zach. Time to teach this asshole how not to treat a lady.
I lifted my hand and banged on his door. I could hear the TV playing loudly inside and some yelling, like he was watching some game. He was shouting at the TV about the game and how it was a bullshit call. Great, he was already worked up watching sport.
Keep your cool, Zach, until you get a handle on the guy.
I bashed louder this time to make sure he heard it. I heard whining about having to get out of his chair and how it had better be important to interrupt the game.
The door swung open.
I was faced with a pathetic looking man holding a beer in one hand and remnants of pizza on his chin. A real class act.
“Mr. Antone, I am Zach Stevenson. Are you the manager of this complex?” I asked in a calm tone without giving in to my anger.
“Why do you want to know?” he responded gruffly, a wary look on his disgusting face.
“Don’t worry, this isn’t a money issue. I just need a reference on one of your past tenants for one of my apartment complexes. Just hoping you might be able to give me some background information on the prospective tenant. I am not sure she will be able to pay the rent and I want to know what she has been like in the past.”
“Ok, I’ll see if I know her. Why didn’t you just call? Unusual to come here. Anyway, what was her name?”
“Her name is Emily Jacobs. She is a single mother with two small children, a boy and a girl.” My mind flashed to the mental picture of them that I had already filed away to think about later.
“My memory is no good,” he said, before gulping down another mouthful of beer. Then he continued, “but I remember her. Blonde, hot-looking and cute ass, if you know what I mean.” He winked at me and I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck start to stand up and my blood pressure begin to rise above a healthy limit. “She always paid her rent on time, however couldn’t afford the rent increase at the end so she had to leave. So, not sure you will get your money. Mind you, I did offer her to pay off the increase in other ways, but she declined.”
Come on, Zach. Hold it in and just keep breathing.
Start counting to ten in your head. “What sort of ways, like helping out around the complex? Did she take you up on your offer?” I was hoping he didn’t pick up on my raging temper that was about to explode.
“Nah. Dumb bitch passed up on my help. No, they were personal favors to me, if you get what I mean.” He nudged me and gave me a wink. “I wanted my share of that sweet ass and whatever she had on offer. Stupid slut single mother, thought she was too good for me and left. Maybe you might get lucky, man, even though I didn’t.”
Ok, my patience was gone.
The clenched fist that had been at my side the whole time trying to keep things calm now had a mind of its own. It collided with Mr. Antone’s nose with a cracking sound and the familiar red liquid started to stream down his face. He was screaming at me and grabbing at his face as he dropped his beer to the floor.
“What the fuck did you do that for? You asshole, I’m calling the cops. You can’t come here and hit me for no reason. I am gonna sue you.” He stumbled and sounded very nasally. I suspected I broke his nose.
“Listen here, you jerk,” I said as I grabbed him by the shoulders and rammed him against the wall. “You are to stay away from Emily Jacobs and her children. You are never to speak about her that way again or any woman, for that matter. You’re a poor excuse for a man. If you come near her again, I will be pressing charges against you for sexual harassment. I am sure I know who the judge would believe, don’t you?” I went to walk away when he had the hide to try and argue the point. I turned, and in a voice that I had never heard come out of me before, I held my hand up and said, “Shut your mouth right now. I don’t want to hear another thing out of that trash mouth of yours. This is your one warning. Think very hard before saying or doing anything like that again. Got it?” I stared straight into his eyes with the force of a laser beam.
He slowly looked down at his feet and the pool of blood that was on the ground, then gave a little nod. I turned on my heels and left without looking back.
I sat in the car breathing heavily, furious at how Emily must have felt around that piece of shit, I pictured the scene with her playing out. It wasn’t helping me to calm down at all. As I tried to breathe in and out and slow down my breathing, I was staring out the window. I started to become aware of the pain in my right hand, the one I broke his nose with. It was throbbing, and I looked down to see it red and swollen.
Great. Grant was going to have a field day with this one. I didn’t give a shit. I felt better, and I knew one thing. Even though I had no idea of what was going on with Emily and the overwhelming feeling I had for her, today marked a change in her world. Today, I took control of looking after her and never again would she feel the utter disgust of being subjected to that sort of harassment.
She had me now, whether she liked it or not. Emily had no idea what was going on, but I would do everything in my power to make sure she and the kids were happy.
Emily Jacobs, I am your protector and vow to keep you safe. Get used to it, because I don’t give up easily when I want something, and I want you safe. End of story.
I drove away from there knowing I had made him pay for his bad behavior. My hand was really starting to give me grief, but I felt satisfied. Now to get back to the office and put up with the shit Grant would be throwing at me. I wouldn’t even be sharing the last thirty minutes of my day with him, but that wouldn’t stop him from wanting to know everything from the Branch Street visit.
For fuck sake, when would he back off and treat us as equals? I know deep down he cares, but he can be such a pain in the ass at times. I was sure today was going to be one of them. He might want to be careful because today could be the day I tell him to back off with my fist. It was feeling particularly trigger happy. I am not a fighter, but Emily made me want to take on the world for her.
By the time I got back to the office, Zoe had gone for the night. A Post-it note was stuck on my desk saying, “Call me, I need to know you are okay”. Yep, I loved her like family. I sat at my desk for a while, a cold can of Coke on my hand trying to stop the swelling. It was the closest thing to ice I had. I scanned through my emails to see if there
was anything urgent that needed my attention tonight, then decided to shut down my computer and head home. I know Zoe had told Grant I would see him when I got back, but I decided to text him and let him know I was tired and heading home. We could catch up in the morning. I waited to hit the send button until I was just about to pull out of the parking garage. That gave me the excuse I was driving and couldn’t reply to any messages until I got home. By then, hopefully, he would have got the message to give up and wait until tomorrow.
I was wrong. My phone started ringing the moment I pulled into the traffic. I let the first one go to message bank, but after the fourth call, I figured I may as well just answer the arrogant ass. At least when I got home, I could be on my own. Just the way I liked it-peace, quiet and my own space. There was so much going on in my head. It was still full of anger from the landlord and so many emotions from meeting Emily.
Grant needed to back off and be a big brother rather than trying to be my father. All I wanted to do right now was work out how I was going to look after Emily, Sammy and Sophia. The Branch Street job was the furthest thing from my mind.
“For God sake, Zach. Where have you been? Were there problems with the evictions, did you run into trouble? I told you to take security with you.” He grumbled painfully.
“Well hello to you too, Grant,” the sarcasm just rolled off my tongue. I couldn’t help it.
“Don’t start, Zach. Just tell me why you took so long and why you ignored my calls all afternoon. Why didn’t you touch base before leaving the office?” It was simply the way Grant was. Straight to the point and direct with what he wanted. Minimal emotion in his voice. If you didn’t know him, you would believe he was a heartless bastard. The truth was that, deep down, he had a big heart and cared. He just never quite knew how to show it to anyone. His reaction to today was more about being worried that I was okay and that nothing had happened to me. From the outside looking in, though, it might paint a whole different story.
“Look, Grant, it has been a long day. I delivered all the notices. There were a few dramas but nothing out of the usual. No one is ever happy about being kicked out of their home. I spent time with one of the tenants who was upset. I am tired and just want to go home, have a long hot shower, a nice cold beer and relax in front of the fire. Can we do this tomorrow, please?”
“Fine, but I know there is more you aren’t telling me. I’m not stupid. I can hear it in your voice. As long as you are okay, I will let it go. In future, answer your bloody phone, you little shit, I was worried. You might be a grown man, but you will always be my little brother. Talk in the morning, don’t be late. Goodnight.” With that, he ended the call and I was left thinking once again what a complex person my brother is.
Grant is so different to Luke and me. We were similar in our soft gentle nature and looks. I think we had more of our mother in us, where Grant was all the hardness of Dad. He had the controlling nature required for that role in the family. Truth was, he did direct the family well. Although we would never admit it, he kept the business together and brought all our talents into the puzzle. He put each piece together in the right place.
“Yep, see you Grant. Love you too, big brother.” I mumbled to myself because Grant had already cut me off.
Grant might want all the information about today, but there was no way I was telling him everything about Emily, Samuel and Sophia. Not until I had worked out in my head what it all meant. I felt exhausted as I drove home and could just fall in to bed, but knew there was no way I would sleep! No, tonight was going to be about Emily. I just knew it.
That woman took my breath away with her natural beauty. My mind drifted off, picturing her standing in the kitchen. She was completely oblivious to the powerful pull she had over me. I stood a solid 6’1”, while Emily was probably around 5’3” or a bit more. The perfect height to lean her head against my shoulder and in line with my heart, which would surely be beating fast if I had her in my arms. Her beautiful blonde hair shaped her rounded face perfectly. It was her eyes that pulled me in, though. They told her story, they were the picture of her soul. They were soft and caring, and the vivid blue color just made me melt. Although today, they were mostly sad. I bet the blue color became even more explosive when she was smiling. That was something I wanted to see and would do my best to make sure, it would happen.
Although Emily’s eyes captured me, and I was lost in them, her sexy body definitely did not go unnoticed. To describe her body as perfect would be cliché but it was. As I ran my eyes down her neck, the curve of her skin to her collarbone would be so smooth to kiss and nibble on as you moved down her body. I imagined my big hands running down from the back of her neck, travelling slowly down her chest to the well-rounded breasts, that were neither too big or too small. The perfect size for me to grasp and hear her start to moan in pleasure. She would be panting softly after I had kissed her neck and nibbled on her ears. Her long slender legs would wrap around my waist. I would continue to feel my way down her stomach, discovering what was hiding under those clothes. My hands would grasp around her curvy hips, just the way I liked them. I could then grab her tight round ass and grind myself forward so there was no mistaking how gorgeous I thought she was. The tell-tale sign would be my hard dick pressing into the space between her legs. He would be eager to let loose and explore the promised land, my name on her lips as she let go finally and forgot about life. She would totally be mine and she could let herself just be Emily.
I had to stop these thoughts in my head.
I was getting carried away and it couldn’t continue. I could only ever be friends with Emily. I carried too much baggage that I would never inflict on her. Emily’s life was already hard enough, she didn’t need the extra dramas. This would be easier said than done, though. In the space of two hours, that woman and her two adorable kids had turned my world upside down and shaken it around like a snow globe. Now I was wondering how all the pieces of me would settle.
Never had a woman caught my attention so quickly and made my heart flutter with so many emotions. I had worked so hard over the last few years planning and building the wall around my heart to protect me. That little family today had not only started to chip away at it, they had found a bulldozer with a wrecking ball attachment. It had been swinging all afternoon, crashing hard into my wall. Tonight, after a good sleep, I would be strong enough to reinforce the wall and keep it, so I was just a good friend helping Emily out.
Tonight, as I walked into my shower after reaching the warmth of home, I already knew I would have to take matters into my own hands to calm down and try to get some sleep. I couldn’t remember the last time the thought of a woman made me jerk off in the shower. Emily had me feeling like a teenage boy again.
Tomorrow, ‘friend Zach’ would be there to help. Tonight though, ‘Zach the man’ was laying down on the bed, dreaming of Emily beneath me, screaming my name as I made love to her. If only that could be a dream that could come true.
Emily
One day I was going to wake up and toss that alarm clock at the wall, smashing it into a million pieces.
I don’t think I got more than an hours’ worth of sleep last night. I laid awake tossing and turning in bed while all the thoughts of yesterday ran through my head.
I tried to come up with solutions that would help me get a roof over my family’s head and food on the table. Every time I was trying to concentrate on my problems though, Zach kept consuming my thoughts. I remembered his strong shoulders and biceps that felt like arms of steel when he held me as I had a meltdown. The strong jaw line and beautiful smile that had me gushing without even trying. His eyes were a warm brown color that gave me such a caring look all afternoon. His tall solid frame when he stood up told me he was not to be messed with, but would also protect us without even a question.
I don’t know why I was thinking this after knowing him for two hours, but I just got a very safe feeling around him. The same feeling I’d get when Mom tucked me into bed at night
and tucked the blankets up under my chin. I felt safe and protected, but most of all, I felt loved.
To be honest, the only person who had ever loved me was my Mom, and now my kids. The twin’s father never loved me and that was quite obvious after what he did. He shattered my heart and left me alone to rebuild it. Hate was not even a strong enough emotion to describe how I felt about Greg. He was where he belonged now, rotting in hell. I hoped I never had to deal with him again. Why couldn’t I have met Zach all those years ago before Greg fell into my life and brought his train wreck with it?
The only thing I could be grateful for from him was Sophia and Samuel. They were the most priceless treasures in my world and I will never regret them for one moment. From the day Greg walked out on me, I decided the kids were mine and mine alone. I would love them enough for two parents and they would never know the truth about their deadbeat father.
There went the alarm again. I needed to get up and wake the kids, check if Sophia was feeling well enough for school. I dragged my feet off the bed to the cold floor and tried to put one foot in front of the other to start the day.
I wasn’t sure what today would hold in store for me, but it couldn’t be any worse than yesterday. Again, my head drifted back to Zach standing in my kitchen with Sammy and I realized not all of yesterday was so bad. I started to see a fantasy of that same picture, Zach standing there with no shirt on first thing in the morning while he and Sammy were making breakfast for us girls. He wore pyjama pants that hung low on his hips, showing off his chest perfectly. Walking quietly across the room, I sneak up behind him. Sliding my arms around his waist and pushing my body against his broad strong back, I would feel his warmth against my cheek as it rested on his shoulder blade. Zach would reach around and pull me under his arms to his front for a morning kiss and cuddle. Sammy would be next to him smiling up at us kissing, like it was funny and sickening all at once. Zach’s eyes would settle on mine with that secret of what we had done last night while the kids had slept. My body would be tingling all the way down to my toes and longing for more of his touch, but knowing we had to wait until the kids were at school to get that time alone again.
