Torn

by T. N. King

  Ellie was the real thing. Genuine, like a raw diamond, uncut by the world.

  He now chuckled a bit at her thinking it had been rhinestones on the dress. He laughed aloud. It had been so dammed cute. If she only knew, the dress was worth about 200,000 dollars. Morgan pulled in a deep, unsteady breath as his chuckling stopped. He knew at the time that he probably shouldn’t tell her the price.

  Then had she insinuated that he was trying to buy her? The call girl line. Yes, she had said that. Well, shit. Too late now. A dress, a jet ride, a hotel suite and all the things she would need, all supplied. Then the apartment, car and college. He suddenly felt uneasy when at the time, it had been to help her, even when the possibility had been that she would refuse to date him again, after his seduction night blew up in his face! He gave a cold laugh. Yes, that did blow up into something he couldn’t fathom. No, he wasn’t buying a piece of ass. He was trying to capture fire.

  Morgan sat up in his seat. The fire. Yes, the one between them. The blaze he felt just being near to her. The inferno she’d unleashed when they had their night together at his suite. It had burned him so well, that he up and ran, like a god dammed coward.

  Well, he found his courage and he would not lose her again. Funny, how he’d pulled her from a fire. Then ever since, it had been burning him up. This would be the deal of his lifetime, trying to catch fire and hold it in his hands. He needed to make sure everything went perfectly. Show her he was serious about her, wanted her to be with him all the time. No one and nothing better get in his way either.

  Morgan picked up his phone to call his pilot and make sure his plane was ready to go.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Ellie

  Ellie finally felt ready. She’d talked to Joanna and told her she was going to a ball. That she would not be available to work for about three days. The woman had actually squealed over the phone. Never…never in the year she’d worked at the diner had that woman ever squealed. Joanna had gushed about being invited to the wedding. Ellie had rolled her eyes and told her it was far too early for that kind of thinking. Joanna had just kept gushing and told her to have fun at the ball, and to be careful.

  Be careful? Like condoms? Her breath had caught. They hadn’t used any the night she’d been with him! She knew she was clean seeing as it had been more than a year for her and he would be, knowing the type of perfectionist he was. But—damn. She had really jumped into that fire, hadn’t she? If and when the time came, and knowing that sexy charming beast of a man and her true weakness for him—it would come, she needed to see about birth control. In the days after she’d been with him, she had her time of the month and so, she’d gotten away with it once. But twice burned, wasn’t something she felt ready to face. It was like a bad Cosmo article, titled: How to trap a Billionaire? Sleep with him, unprotected! Shame washed over her. No, she didn’t have that in her mind at all. In fact, it appears that she’d hadn’t had much of a mind period, the night she had dinner with him in his suite.

  Now, here she was, waiting for her prince to arrive, to whisk her off to New York! She trembled and held the smartphone in her hand. She could do this. First challenge would be to hide the terror she knew would rise in her at the thought of getting on that jet. Next, her fear of arriving at that ball, with all those sophisticated people. The type she saw at The Hunt Hotel, here in Philly. How could she pull this off? Just smile and say nothing! It was the best she could come up with.

  Her phone buzzed in her hand and she jumped a little. She tapped the screen. “Hello, Morgan.”

  “Yes, Sweetness. We are waiting down at the front.”

  Bolting up, she grabbed her small bag that held her dress. “Okay, I’m coming,” she stated breathlessly.

  There was an odd silence on the other end.

  “Morgan?” she asked.

  “Huh…Oh yes, I will be waiting for you to…come.” His voice held steel in it.

  Her body flushed as she let out a giggle.

  “It is not funny from where I am sitting,” he seethed.

  “I’m sorry!” Ellie shut her door and locked it. Then tapped her security alarm with the code, just like Morgan had shown her to do. Then she turned and tapped the phone to end the call. Better to let him and her off the hook, so to speak. She rushed to the elevator. They couldn’t even have a normal phone conversation without thinking of the sex they had and could be having. How was she to get through this date, the suite and him, without wanting to just throw herself at him? She took a deep breath and raised her eyes up.

  No impulsiveness, Ellie.

  When she got out front, she halted.

  There Morgan stood, leaned up against the limo, wearing probably Armani, again. The man looked like a god, as she’d first concluded.

  His head rose up when he spotted her and he stepped away from the car.

  The driver came rushing around the front.

  Morgan shook his head and said something.

  The driver then rushed back around and got into the driver’s seat.

  Morgan flashed that beaming smile of his and stepped forward to open the limo door for her.

  Her breath caught in her throat. Oh, he was on top of his P’s & Q’s. Being the gentleman and opening the door for her, himself.

  Striding forward with all the grace she could, she then accidentally dropped the bag with the dress, then panicked about it and stumbled over it, falling right into Morgan’s grasping arms.

  “Whoa there!” he exclaimed as he pulled her up from her almost cement-face-plant.

  Ellie gasped as his hard body met with her soft one.

  He held her to his chest and stared into her startled gaze. He then lowered his lips to hers. “You need to be more careful, love,” he whispered a hair’s breadth from her lips.

  Trembling at the feel of his body heat, at the look in his steel colored eyes and at his tone, she gulped heavily. “M-my dress. I just got scared that I would ruin it.”

  He gazed at her mouth as she spoke. “The driver already has it and it is in the front seat.”

  Blinking her eyes, she did the hardest thing ever—she pulled away from that sexy bod of his. “O-oh, okay.”

  He then seemed to snap out of whatever mood he’d been in and gave her a smile as he bowed and motioned his arm to the open car door. “Your carriage awaits, my lady.”

  For a moment, all she could do was stare. The Greek god in an expensive and probably hand tailored suit, bowing in front of his limo for her to get inside? Pinch yourself, Ellie. She cleared her throat and still didn’t move.

  He stared at her. “Are you okay?”

  She wasn’t. No, she wasn’t. What had she been thinking? To get into a limo, then on a jet, then to a five star hotel in New York, then to an actual ball? Suddenly, it all hit her.

  “Maybe that stumble shook you up a bit?” Morgan looked concerned as if he saw the sudden panic in her eyes.

  Ellie swallowed heavily and fought not to turn and run away—screaming.

  He took her arm and propelled her into the car, then got in beside her.

  When his hip touched hers, she realized she needed to scoot over and did so. Well, at least she had control over her body again! That was a pure panic attack just now. She took a deep breath and let it out as the car started to move.

  “Ellie?”

  She turned to look at Morgan. “Yes?” Her voice trembled.

  He grasped her hand. “What is it? You look like you were getting on the death roller coaster there for a minute.”

  She tried to smile, but it failed. “I don’t know if I can do this?”

  His smile faded and he sat forward towards her. “What?”

  She shook her head.

  “Was it something I did?” he asked in almost a whisper while still holding her hand.

  She gazed at his face, his concerned gaze and down at his hand holding hers so tenderly. He thinks I am backing out of the whole thing! Shit! She fought to control her fear. A fear of failing. She was never
good at determining her own steps, deciding what to do. Except that day when she returned his phone. “I-I’m sorry. It was just a moment, okay? I am fine now.”

  Morgan didn’t look convinced. “You will let me know if there is anything bothering you? Anything I can do to—”

  She leaned forward and cut off his words with a kiss to his yummy lips. The man was gorgeous, kind, and sweet. She kissed him deeply.

  Morgan tightened his free hand into a fist as he let her direct the kiss and took what she gave him.

  Ellie moaned into his mouth as his flavor set her on fire. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. It was glorious, kissing a man with all your might, like you wanted to since you first saw him. Then he growled into her mouth, or nearly so. Her eyes popped open to gaze into molten steel. OH! She was revving him up when she had made him promise to not seduce her. Wasn’t that what she was doing right this very minute? She pulled her mouth from his and breathed heavily. “I-I’m sorry.” She pulled away and scooted further from him in the seat.

  His expression looked intense, like almost angry.

  At least that was her view of him.

  He took a deep breath and unfurled his fists. “Why are you sorry?”

  Ellie shrugged. “I shouldn’t have kissed you like that. It might be misleading.”

  He looked stunned for a second and then leaned his head back on the seat and laughed.

  His laughter startled her and she jumped a little in her seat. “W-what is so funny?” she asked.

  He swiped at his tears. “It did lead me to places that were–visions of you the night we…” He took a deep breath. “Dammit, Ellie. I think we both just need to relax, okay? We are too wound up.”

  She nodded. Hell yes, we are! I am wound up and wet. She grinned at him. “I will be calm now. I promise.”

  He smiled back at her.

  “Sir?” A voice came over the speaker behind Ellie.

  She turned and stared at where the voice had come from.

  “Yes, Frank?” Morgan replied.

  “We are now at the tarmac.”

  “Okay.” Morgan looked over at Ellie.

  “Tarmac?” she asked, though she almost knew what this meant.

  Nodding, Morgan replied, “Yes the jet, remember?”

  Her eyes widened. Oh, god. The second panic attack was fast approaching. What do I do?

  He stared at her face. “What do you mean? You just get on it with me.”

  Oh, she had said that aloud? She took a deep calming breath and closed her eyes. Count to 50. One, two, three—

  “Ellie?’ Morgan called to her.

  Her eyes opened. “Yes, Morgan?” she answered in the calmest simulated voice she could muster.

  “Are you feeling ill?”

  Shaking her head, she let out a sigh. “No, it’s just the excitement, you know? I mean flying is always nerve wracking, right?”

  He studied her face. “You have never flown, have you?”

  Oh there! It was out. Now, play this off. She shrugged. Lying had always been a foreign thing to her. Her dad had always said lies led to cheating, and cheating led to stealing and—

  Morgan grasped both her hands in his. “I promise I will be right there with you and it will be okay.”

  She stared into his steady gaze. Get a grip, Ellie. This man has seen two panic attacks within ten minutes out of you! What kind of crazy do you think he sees in you? She nodded and calmed. “Okay.”

  He beamed at her. Then the door opened revealing the driver. Morgan nodded at him and tugged her across the seat.

  Allowing him to just lead her, she realized she would just give everything over to him. Let go and allow it all to happen. Just like on her trip to the falls with her dad.

  They walked to the little set of stairs and Morgan carefully led her up and into the jet.

  Ellie gazed around. Wow! It was huge inside. She spotted a bar, a lounge, couches. It was bigger than any plane she could imagine. She sniffed the air. Food?

  Morgan led her to the couch and sat her down. He chuckled. “Yes, we are going to have dinner on the plane.”

  She suddenly did feel hungry. Of course, the delicious scents in the air had probably done that to her.

  Morgan leaned over and tapped a button on the table. “We are in and ready.”

  “Yes, sir,” a voice replied.

  The plane door closed up and the engines started.

  Ellie jumped a little at the sound.

  Morgan patted her hand and soothed, “I am right here. No worries.”

  She gazed up at him, then could feel the plane taxing. Her heart pounded in her ears and the sounds around her seemed odd, as the plane must have lifted from the ground. “OH!” she yelled.

  Morgan gasped at her shout, then pulled her up on his lap and planted his mouth over hers.

  Ellie fought for breath and for a moment, she fought his embrace.

  He was so much stronger than her and his arms were like steel bands. He held her in place and kissed her hard.

  The kiss finally permeated her brain and her body as she melted into him and allowed him to take her breath away—take her fear away. She felt like as they rose from the earth, her body rose too, by the headiness he was taking her to. She then leaned in as close as she could get and let him kiss her however, he wanted.

  Morgan seemed to know when she finally relaxed and he slowed the kiss to nibble at her lower lip.

  The plane steadied and now, Ellie couldn’t tell they were even flying.

  Pulling his mouth from hers, he rested his forehead against her head. “Okay, now?”

  She nodded and let out a sigh, feeling safe and protected in his large arms.

  Then after a few minutes, he grunted.

  She raised her head up to look at him.

  He looked troubled. “I love holding you, but I am not relaxed if you get my meaning.” He motioned his head downward.

  Puzzled, Ellie gazed down and realized he meant he was hard under her lap. “Oh!” She tried to move.

  He still held her with an iron grip. “Wait just a moment.”

  The plane then seemed to dip. And she leaned forward against him again.

  He laughed as he held her. “I was waiting for that, we needed to level out.” He pulled back. “All will be calm now, okay?”

  She gazed into his eyes and nodded.

  Now, he lifted her up and set her on the luxurious couch. “Do you think you can eat yet?” he asked softly.

  “I-I think so.”

  He smiled at her, leaned over, and tapped a button. “You can serve now.” Then before he did anything else, he seemed to try to adjust his slacks.

  Ellie couldn’t help it, she giggled.

  He slowly turned his gaze to her. “Something amusing?”

  She nodded her head and let out a huge laugh.

  His eyes narrowed at her. That grey color turned to a dark charcoal again.

  Halting her laughter, she admitted, “You are not alone. I will now have to change my—my panties.”

  His eyes widened for a second. “Really?”

  She nodded. “It was not from peeing myself with fear either.”

  He suddenly looked gratified as he chuckled. “Well, at least it isn’t just me.”

  Ellie said nothing, but she so knew…It was ALL him that had caused it. She chose to leave the subject alone.

  A steward served them dinner. It was Chicken Cordon bleu, Morgan had informed her. He dismissed the man and poured her a glass of wine, then served her the best dinner she had so far with him. Well—no, the dinner in his suite would never be topped, no matter what she was served. This thought Ellie kept to herself as well. It wouldn’t be fair to keep revving the poor man up. She had requested he go slow, and it wasn’t fair if she pushed at his gears by teasing him.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  They arrived at the hotel fairly late at night. When Ellie stepped in, she stopped and gazed around. This hotel was twice as large and more op
ulent than the one in Philly. With a huge glass gold chandelier, red carpeting and lush sofas everywhere. This time, she looked around to see people that were laughing and chatting and they did seem to be on vacation. She took a deep breath and allowed Morgan to tug her along.

  He hadn’t let go of her hand, the entire time. When he said he would comfort her and protect her…the man had meant it.

  She then remembered what Joanna had said. Wedding. Would that be what he did? Take care of her and protect her. Make her feel safe and loved. Ellie rolled her yes. Look who is getting ahead of themselves!

  They were ushered up to the penthouse at the top, of course.

  The bell boy asked about luggage and Morgan laughed. He took out a hundred dollar bill from his pocket and handed it to him. “It is all in the suites.”

  The young kid stared at the bill in his hand. “Thank you sir!”

  Ellie had watched. She used to be, or still was in the service industry and she knew this feeling. She gave the kid a bright smile. While with Morgan, she knew she would see this type of thing a lot, so she’d better act like it was nothing. Just like he did.

  Morgan again, took a hold of her hand and led her inside.

  She gaped. It made the one in Philly look like a studio apartment. This was—looked like a house! Her steps halted.

  Morgan stopped with her and looked at her. “You okay?”

  “Umm, yes. But is this just one suite? I mean it is both right?”

  He grinned and led her across the marble floors, past the couches, the gold plated lamps and tables, then through past a full kitchen, to a hall.

  “This is like a house!” she blurted out.

  He laughed. “Yes, I suppose they made it to feel that way.” He stopped at door in the hallway, then tapped the screen with a few numbers. It clicked open and he tugged her inside. “This is your suite.”