by Sam Crescent
“So, as we both know he was one of the most brilliant minds in software. His company, in the early days, was known for winning awards and being one of the best programmers.”
“Yes, I know all that.”
“Then all of a sudden, funds started to disappear. His designs began to appear before he’d even done enough testing, and I found out that within his company was a spy.”
She listened as Noah told her about the employee, one of Arthur’s most trusted assets within the company, who was in fact taking his ideas, and selling them to the competitors. “The design that would come on the market wasn’t Arthur’s original idea, but it would make him nervous, and so, he wouldn’t continue on with the idea. He couldn’t find out who was the person stealing his ideas, and he certainly didn’t feel in a position to approach other companies to ask them where they were getting them from.”
“Who was the person?” she asked.
Noah smiled. “His nephew.”
“What?” She’d met Arthur’s nephew Henry a handful of times. He seemed nice enough, or at least to her he’d always been nice.
“Yep. I know. Arthur’s own family used him to make money of his own. Stealing ideas, selling them as if they mean nothing.”
“How did you find out about this?” she asked. “Does Arthur know?”
“Arthur is aware, and his nephew is now out of a job. I’ve also gone ahead and blacklisted his name as well. He’ll struggle to find work, and I’ll even make it my personal mission for him to struggle to find anything in this industry. Men like me, we don’t like rats like Henry who steal ideas like that. It’s how they ruin lives but also how the destroy the future as well. I’ve no time for thieves.”
“But, how did you find out?”
“That was pretty simple. I hired a private investigator. Once he looked into Henry’s finances and offshore accounts, he followed him for the past three weeks, and discovered he was sitting down with companies, talking up Arthur’s latest idea.” Noah sat back, taking a sip of his water that the waiter had already left them.
“Wow, I can’t even believe this. Arthur adored his nephew.”
“Well, now he gets to make an informed decision on who he allows to remain close. Personally, I’d make sure it was someone he could trust and was vetted constantly. In this business, it’s cutthroat.”
“Did you find out about all of this before it was too late?”
“We’ll see. I’ll be investing in Arthur’s company. Of course, I’ve also told him that you’re non-negotiable.”
“I don’t understand,” she said.
“He didn’t have the first clue that you’d taken several pay cuts and were living in a shithole.”
“Hey, there is nothing wrong with my apartment.”
“Well, after we enjoy our victory meal, you can take me to your apartment and tell me all the good things about it.”
“Noah, no.”
“That’s because it’s a shithole.”
“No. It’s because I don’t want to. You don’t have to come into my life and judge me.”
“I’m not judging you. I never have. You deserve a pay raise, and that’s what you’re going to get. You’ll be overseeing my financial department but also the merger with Sanderson’s, and your insight will be needed.”
They paused while the waiter handed them the menus. She smiled at the man and took it even as she was so angry at being ordered about what she was supposed to do.
“You didn’t ask me,” she said.
“I don’t need to ask you. It’s good for you.”
“Noah, I don’t like this.”
He closed his menu and sighed. “We can talk about this part in my office tomorrow morning. For now, it’s not going to be charged. I’ve got valid reasons for you sticking around.”
“Screwing me is not a valid reason.”
“I’m not keeping your around for a fuck, Skye. Don’t even mistake me for that kind of man. I know you’ve got a brilliant mind. You helped to tutor me when all I could give a fuck about was getting laid and playing the game.”
“Why did you stop playing?” she asked.
When he left with his father’s promotion taking him far away, she’d never gone looking for him. Since working in his office, during one of the lunch breaks she’d stayed in the office for, she did some research on him.
Not long after he left, his football days had come to an end. He won a couple of games, but that was it.
“I decided that playing a game no longer appealed to me. It was all fun and made getting girls easy, but it wasn’t something I was interested in. I hit the gym, worked out, trained, but didn’t play. All of my focus went into my studies. Whenever I was in the library, I’d think about you.”
“You would?”
“Of course. I’d wonder if you’d caught up on all that work we’d missed. If you were even struggling. You were always so bright, so intelligent. I know I drove you crazy with the way I was.”
“You were always so capable of doing the work. Then out of nowhere you wanted me to do all the work myself.”
“There’s a reason for that. I lied. It wasn’t just because I didn’t want to do the homework. I enjoyed hanging out with you, and I shouldn’t. I know there was no way we could have been together not with how I was, or who I was. You were always so smart. For a short time, a day, maybe, I thought flirting with you would get me what I wanted, but it didn’t.”
“I don’t handle flirting very well.”
“I don’t know. I’d say as you’d gotten older, you’d grown used to it.”
She chuckled. “Are you kidding me? Even Martin, he always complained that I wouldn’t even accept a compliment.”
“Martin?”
The smile disappeared. “My ex.”
“My ex told me I was too psychologically damaged and I needed some serious therapy,” Noah said.
“Wow, really?”
He nodded. “Yep, so I took the therapy classes after our divorce. After all, she was the one cheating, not me. The doctor deemed that I was more than capable of dealing with the demons of the past. It had helped shape me into the man I am, but also, there was nothing dangerous about me.”
“You thought you were dangerous?”
“Skye, the other day in my office, I’m like that all the time. I have to be the one in control.”
“That’s not strange. A lot of guys like that.”
“I liked holding you down. Feeling your pulse against my fingers, knowing that I was the one in charge of if you breathed or not.”
“When you put it like that, it’s a little strange.”
“Then why are you aroused? I can see how hard your nipples are, and I know it’s not cold here.”
She had this incredible urge to cover her chest.
“I’ve only had two willing sexual partners in all of my life,” she said. “You and Martin, and … then I have a whole lot of bad memories, including him.” She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I never—” She stopped, glancing around the entire restaurant. “I never achieved orgasm with my ex. Martin. He was such a great guy. He’d flirt with me, and I wouldn’t even realize that he was flirting, that is how he was. He was always complimenting me. Marrying him was a dream come true.”
She stopped, staring at the menu in her hand. The prices were not on her menu, and she knew it would only insult Noah to ask how much something cost. “The sex was … good. It was nice. It wasn’t painful, and I could stand it. I mean, it’s a bit much when you sit back and think about something like that, and you think it’s okay because it doesn’t hurt and you’re not freaking out about it. I never achieved orgasm, ever.” She licked her lips. “Our arguments began when he found…” She glanced around the restaurant again. She didn’t even know why she was telling him this. It’s not like she owed him a single thing. “He found my lubricant.”
“Why would that cause arguments?”
She tucked some hair behind her ear, closing the m
enu. Her appetite was nonexistent right now anyway. “There were times I wasn’t even aroused by him.” She felt tears spring to her eyes. “I need to use the bathroom.” Getting to her feet, she made her way to the back of the restaurant, ignoring all the curious looks she was receiving. She knew they were all because of Noah. He commanded attention where she was often overlooked.
No one was in the bathroom. She gripped the edge of the sink, closed her eyes, and willed for the tears to stay at bay. It had been a long time since she cried over this. The last thing she wanted to do was to shed another tear. It was already embarrassing enough.
“Were you happy?” Noah asked.
She whirled around, shocked to see him standing there, in the bathroom.
“You can’t be in here.”
“I can be whatever the hell I want to be. I’ve got a guy watching the door. No one will interrupt us.”
“This isn’t right.”
“Answer my question before I get my PI to find this prick and I go and beat the living daylights out of him.”
“Noah, you don’t need to do that.”
“Then answer my question.”
“Yes, I was happy. I was as happy as I could be.” She blurted the words out, hating how vulnerable she sounded. “Martin made me laugh and feel loved. The problem was me. It was always me, and it will always be me.”
“You’re not a problem.”
“I couldn’t orgasm, Noah. If I felt any pleasure it was by my own hand. I couldn’t give him what he wanted, and when he found the lubricant, I think he expected some kinky stuff, and it wasn’t that. I knew he’d want sex at night. I mean, I’m a wife and it’s my duty and all that shit. I was often not interested in anything, so I’d put the lubricant on and hope that he didn’t notice how not aroused I was.”
“What if he tried to lick you?” Noah asked, taking a step toward her.
“I’d stop him. I’d tell him I wasn’t feeling up to it and for him to fuck me, to take me.”
“Even now, you blush saying those words.”
“I shouldn’t have told you any of this.”
“I’m glad you did. So you not being aroused started the arguments?” he asked.
“Yes. He wanted to know what was wrong with me. Why I didn’t want his touch. It was all my fault. The breakup of my marriage. I went to therapy, and it didn’t work. She wanted me to talk about what happened then. Why couldn’t people just leave it alone? It’s in the past.”
He stepped right up to her, taking her by the chin, tilting her head back. “Because you can’t let it go. You’re living it every single day. Even now.”
“I don’t know how to stop.”
Noah stroked a finger down her neck. “What else happened?”
Her stomach chose that moment to growl.
“Let’s get you something to eat before I start questioning you again.”
She was more than thankful for her stomach’s interruption. His questions, they held too much pain, too much invasion, and she honestly didn’t think she was strong enough to handle them.
Chapter Nineteen
After dinner they had dessert and coffee. Noah didn’t need someone to tell him Skye was stalling. She clearly wasn’t comfortable with him knowing the complete truth. The time for the check came, and he paid for their meal. There was no way he’d let her pay for anything. He’d made Arthur feel like shit for the cut in salary she’d taken because of his fucking company. It pissed him off to think of her struggling for anything.
Back in the car, he didn’t even ask for her address. He knew it, like he knew everything else about her and Martin. He knew her ex was happily married again with kids. He wondered if she was sad about that.
There was a lot he still didn’t know about Skye, but that would all come when she finally let him in. When she allowed him to see her, the real her, not the face she put on for the rest of the world.
“You really don’t have to come up,” she said.
He was already out of the car, hand at her back, entering her low security building. No buzzer on the door meant everyone on the street could enter. He already hated this building. The elevator had a warning sign posted on the doors to not enter. A second reason to hate it. They took the stairs, and the stench of piss was overwhelming. He liked to think that people didn’t just go down and squat, but there was a lot of bad stuff he’d seen in the world.
On Skye’s floor, there was a couple making out. The woman was pretty much naked, and working open the guy’s belt on his jeans. Skye didn’t even look their way. She grabbed her key, opening the door.
The first thing he noticed when she flicked on the light was her apartment had a singular bulb hanging from the cracked ceiling.
Her apartment was spotless. Minimum furniture, but everything was clean and had a place. There were scents placed all over the room, and he wondered if she was hiding a smell. He noticed the walls were covered in artwork, and even some quotes on the wall. Books lined walls and shelves, but everything was neat. There was a personal touch mixed in with all the neatness.
He heard moaning coming from outside, a television from a neighbor, and yelling.
Noah shook his head. “Pack a bag.”
“I like living here.”
“No one likes living here, Skye. Stop being a martyr. You’re coming with me.” She folded her arms, showing him she was about to put up a fight. One quick turn of the apartment and he already located where her bedroom was. She had one single bed, not even enough room to get comfortable. They were the kind of rooms kids had. Shaking his head, he opened her closet drawer and began to gather the few items of her clothing.
Humming to himself, he listened to her beg him to let it go. To leave her things alone. He wasn’t going to do that.
She grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Will you listen to me?”
“You’re coming to live with me.”
“That’s not appropriate.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck what is appropriate or not. You’re coming with me.”
“Why are you doing this? I hate this. You don’t have to save me. My salary will be back up.”
“And until then, I’m going to take care of you.” He cupped her face, holding her close. “Let me do this.”
“Noah, you don’t owe me anything.”
“Oh, Skye, you have no idea what I owe you.” He finished packing her clothes and lingerie, taking hold of her hand. “What else do you want to take?”
There was so much personality surrounding him. Quotes, pictures, lots of things that reminded him of love and life. It screamed Skye in every single way.
“Nothing.”
“Then let’s go.”
Leaving her apartment, he held her close. The couple in the hallway were still there, only now the woman was on her knees, deep throating the guy’s cock.
Skye didn’t look toward them. Locking her door, he took her hand, leading her out to his car. Part of him wasn’t sure if it would be stolen. It wouldn’t have been hard to find. His car was still parked and in perfect condition.
Dumping her suitcase in his car, he walked around to the passenger side, letting her into the car before getting behind the wheel once again.
Neither of them spoke on the drive back to his apartment. He lived in luxury, and his apartment had its own secure underground parking.
Once out of the car, he grabbed her cases, refusing to let her help. He saw he was pissing her off, but again, he didn’t give a fuck. No one had taken care of her, and now he was going to be the one to do it. He knew she cared about Arthur, but she’d done so at her own expense. Arthur sure as shit wasn’t doing without. Sure, his stress levels were through the roof, but Noah had been to the guy’s mansion out in the suburbs. It had been purchased long before his company started to falter. He’d been set for life. It was only because his love of technology he’d not sold the damn thing.
Most of the men he’d come into contact with were all the same. They were only interested
in their own affairs. He wasn’t about to tell Skye his thoughts on her boss. Arthur had been so focused on creating new software and always looking toward the future, he’d handed over all responsibilities to his nephew.
Skye was one of the best assets Sanderson had, and as far as Noah was concerned, she’d been worth every single cent he’d invested so far. He wasn’t even done yet with it.
“I can carry something.”
“You’re not going to carry a thing. Just relax.”
“It’s kind of hard to relax. You look ready to kill someone or something.”
“Yeah, right now, that someone is you.”
“Stop it. You don’t have to be like this.”
“How would you like me to be? You want me to be calm?”
“Noah, you don’t have to take care of me. I can take care of myself.”
“You’re not doing a good job of it.”
She folded her arms and looked ready to spit and curse. He liked her fighting spirit, even if she was going to lose. There was no way she was going to beat him on this. No chance at all.
The elevator doors opened up, and he stepped onto his floor. There was no other apartment here, and he liked that. His privacy meant a great deal to him, as well as lots of windows. Being locked in a windowless cell for a period of time had caused that.
His therapist had said his constant acceptance of the way he was, was one of the reasons she wasn’t worried about him being a danger. He knew his own limitations and what he wanted and why he did what he did.
Closing the door behind Skye, he flicked the light on. Again, he hated darkness. After the nights they spent talking while it was so dark, he had to always be able to have light. If there was a power outage and for whatever reason the backup generator didn’t work, he possessed no fewer than twenty flashlights. He didn’t like candles. They were a waste of time. By the time he’d lit all of the ones he needed, they first lot had blown out. He’d spent an entire weekend planning that and making sure he knew what he needed to feel safe and secure.
“Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” she asked.
“I do.”
