Promise of Souls

by Holly Hampton

  “Maddie, Mrs. Sinclair wants you in the conference room,” our superior cut in before I could answer Mica.

  “Promise to tell me everything before the day ends,” Mica demanded.

  I flashed a soft smile at her and walked out of our office. Everyone had their speculations about our date because I did not come to work in the morning. I had never missed my work for the two years I’ve worked here. Mrs. Sinclair, being a nosy widow as she was, would probably ask about Max, too. Max had mentioned that Mrs. Sinclair was like a second grandmother to him and the childless widow treated him as a grandson, too.

  I knocked on the door of the conference room and walked in. My eyes widened when I saw Max sitting at the conference table. Mrs. Sinclair was nowhere in the room. I turned around and wanted to leave, but Max slammed something on the table.

  “Who are you?” he asked. His eyes darted at me with anger as he added, “Did Robert pay you to play with me?”

  “P-play with you? What are you saying?” I stuttered.

  I looked at the folder he slammed on the table. A document slid out from the folder. “No record” was written in some blanks about Maddison Morgan. A large lump formed in my throat as fear overwhelmed me. I looked at Max with disbelief. He had me investigated? I took the folder and opened the rest of the documents. There was a picture of me talking to a slightly older man in front of a coffee shop. The man only asked if I worked in the Sinclair Children Foundation as he wanted to make a generous donation.

  “How much did he pay you? Probably a lot. You were willing to roll in the sheets with me,” Max added.

  His words shocked me. My body heated from anger and my eyes became misty with tears. I rushed to him and slapped him on the face without holding back. How could he accuse me? I had to change my identity because my father was wrongfully accused. The last thing I wanted was for someone to falsely accuse me, too - especially someone who I was desperate to have trust in me.

  “Is this man Robert?” I asked while pointing at the man in the picture. I threw him the documents and said, “I never wanted to go out on a date with you. I never wanted you in my life, but you kept pestering me the other day. And now, you’re throwing this at me? You had me investigated?”

  Max clenched his jaw as he endured the pain of my slap. He looked at my eyes and I did not evade his stare. I wanted him to see how angry I was at him. I gasped when he grabbed my shoulders and pressed his face closer to me. His lips slid into my parted mouth and he kissed me with a mixture of anger and passion. I tried to push him away, but his kisses calmed my anger. His tongue that explored my mouth seemed to have found the truth. His kisses deepened. The anger was gone and the passion intensified.

  “I’m sorry,” he uttered while pulling away.

  “Now you know why you can’t love me,” I told him. My voice shook as I tried not to cry. “You can’t trust me and I can’t trust you, too. Just leave me alone.”

  I stepped away from him and headed to the door. He ran and stopped me from going out of the room. He looked at me with pleading eyes - the same pleading eyes that begged me to give him a chance. “I’m sorry, Maddie. I don’t care about your past or anything about those records. I’m in love with you. So, please. Give me something about you that I can hold on to. ”

  This man loves me. Every inch of my body told me so. Max was a billionaire. He could have everything he wanted if he insisted. I did not have anything, even an identity. He knew that I was hiding something about me, but he was willing to take a risk. No. My mind told me, but the rest of me became willing to take a risk.

  “Larni,” I spoke.

  Max became confused. “Larni?” he repeated.

  “Everyone who loved me called me Larni. My Mom, Dad and my Nana,” I explained. I looked at Max in the eyes and said, “That’s all I can tell you. If it’s not enough for you…”

  “It’s enough for me,” Max said.

  He stepped closer to me and leaned his face closer to mine. His face was full of delight. His distrust was gone and he reminded me of the Max that wanted to hold me the other night. The Max that did not care of who I was, but wanted me to become his. I parted my mouth and he slid his lips and kissed me gently. He cupped my face and caressed my cheeks with his thumbs.

  “Larni,” he whispered between our kisses.

  “Max,” I called every time he spoke my name. Tears kept flowing down my cheeks. He might not know other things about me, but it was enough that he was in love with me. Larni.

  “Maxwell,” he whispered. I looked at him with questioning eyes. He smiled and explained, “Everyone who loves me calls me Maxwell.”

  A wide smile flashed across my face. I clung to his neck and he lifted me from the floor. I deepened my kiss and challenged his tongue that continued to explore my mouth. “Maxwell,” I moaned as I pulled away to breathe.

  #

  Max parked his car in front of a simple, but elegant lake house at the outskirts of Denver. The house was almost made of glass. The pavement was edged with water lilies. The borders of the lake were filled with wildflowers. It looked like a paradise under a mixture of carroty and gray sky.

  Max gave me a small box before I could even ask him. My whole body trembled as I looked down at the box. No way. We had only been going out for a week. He would not propose to me would he? I pushed the box back to him and said, “What is it?”

  “Relax. It’s not a ring,” Max replied. My lips twitched a little, though I was thankful. He kissed me softly and said, “It will come soon.”

  Max opened the box and it contained keys. He placed it in my hands and said, “It’s ours.”

  Ours. I looked at him with eyes full of questions. He did not answer but opened the car’s door for me. He reached for my hand and guided me out of the car. “Max,” I called when he held my hand tighter and led me to the front door of the lake house.

  I gave up questioning him when I saw the excitement in his eyes. Max was a strict businessman, but he still had the aura of a child when he was excited. He opened the door and turned on the lights inside the house. My mouth dropped in awe at the elegance of the interiors. There were only a few pieces of furniture, but everything was exquisite. The dining room had a great view of the lake and the small forest across it.

  “I want this to be our haven,” Max declared.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “I want us to move in together,” Max replied. I froze at his proposal, but I melted when he flashed one of his dashing smiles that was full of his childful sincerity. “Mrs. Sinclair said you love flowers and a simple life. So, this is what I offer.”

  “Maxwell, this is crazy. We’re going too fast. It had only been a week since we got together,” I reminded him.

  “You don’t like it?” he asked.

  “No. I love it, but…

  Like what he always did, he gagged my objection with his kisses. I fell for it again, like I always did. He smiled and said, “No buts.”

  “Maxwell!” I shrieked when he carried me into his chest.

  He hushed me again with a passionate kiss and carried me to a room. I giggled softly when he laid me in the soft bed covered with velvet sheets. I looked around the room and all the walls were made with glass sliding doors. There was a beautiful porch that extended to the lake. The place was indeed a beautiful haven.

  “Let’s move in together,” Max said as he sat on the bed.

  “Max, come on,” I still refused.

  “Larni, please. You’ve trusted me for a week. Trust me a bit more,” Max pleaded.

  I crawled next to him and sat on his lap. I planted soft kisses on his jawline and countered, “Let’s make a deal. When you’re here in Colorado, we will stay here. If you’re not here, I’ll stay in my apartment. You would not want me to stay here alone, would you?”

  Max fell silent for a while. I did not want to be alone in a house without him as I was afraid that the people who were after my father would find me alone. I chose a small and crowde
d apartment in the city not only because it was cheaper. My neighbors could easily hear me if someone would come to attack us. But it had become a bit troublesome for Max and me.

  Our neighbors thought that we were having a threesome every time we made love in my apartment. We often forget that my unit was not soundproofed and he would call me Larni instead of Maddie.

  “Good deal,” Max agreed. He pushed me back to the bed and leaned down on me. He brushed the tip of his nose to mine and said, “But, you know. I plan to stay here for a long time.”

  I wiped his face with my hand gently and replied, “Then I would love that.”

  Max moved his hands under my skirt and caressed my legs. He buried his head on my neck and brushed his lips on my skin. I giggled at his ticklish kisses. I clung to his neck and wrapped my legs around his hips. He leveled his face on mine and said, “I love you, Larni.”

  “I love you, too, Maxwell,” I said with a happy smile.

  Max never forgot to tell me those words before we made love. He seemed to have made it his quest to assure me of his promise in the conference room. His promise not to know more about my past, but a promise to love me with only what I could offer. My heart.

  Max

  The smell of braised beef filled my nose as I walked into the kitchen. Maddie looked at me with her bright joyful smile and returned to washing the dishes. Stubborn young woman. She was stubborn at everything, even in bed. The lake house was equipped with a dishwasher, but she would manually wash the dishes. I bought her an instant pot so it would be easy for her, but she would rather cook directly on the stove.

  We had been staying in the lake house for more than a month, but Maddie still refused to open up regarding anything about her. I still did not know anything about her past or about her family. All I knew was she loved them and they called her Larni. Larni. It took a while but I learned to call her that, too. I loved how her face lit up with delight and her eyes sparkled with happiness every time I call her by that name.

  I hugged her from the back and tried to take over the washing of the dishes. She planted a kiss on my cheeks and said, “I only have to rinse this now. Just sit and I’ll serve you lunch in a few minutes.”

  “We could have just eaten out,” I told her.

  “You don’t like my cooking?” Maddie asked.

  “I love it,” I replied while taking the dish away from her.

  I turned her around to face me and leaned closer to her. She smiled and parted her lips to let me kiss her. I smiled and slid my tongue into her parted mouth. We had been together for a short time, but Maddie already knew me well. She could read even my tiny gestures and always adjusted to them. She knew when I wanted space and when I needed her the most.

  “But, you wanted to do something else?” Maddie said while raising an eyebrow. She flashed a flirtatious smile and sat on the counter. She grabbed me by the shirt and kissed me passionately. “Something like this?” she said with her cheeks turning pink.

  “Not what I was thinking, but this can be better,” I said while putting her legs around my hips.

  Maddie kissed me and moved her crotch closer to mine, seducing me into taking her on the counter. She looked at the steaming pot on the stove. I pulled her face back to mine and said, “It’ll be fine.”

  “This is not you turning down my invitation again, is it?” I asked.

  Maddie’s smile faded a bit. My lips twitched in disappointment. I asked her to come to New York City with me for four days. She still refused my offer. She always gave in to my offers except when I wanted her to attend parties. She seemed to have a phobia of being photographed and I wondered about the reason behind it. I was more popular in New York than in Denver, as I once rumored to be engaged to a breakthrough artist. Some paparazzi followed me to get the juice between me and that artist. Maddie did not want to be part of it, but she believed that nothing happened between me and that artist.

  “Fine. But promise me you’ll stay in this house,” I gave in. “I’m still worried about you being alone in your apartment.”

  “Fine,” Maddie compromised.

  I held her neck with my hands and tilted it gently. She opened her mouth and I pressed my lips on hers. She received them and pushed her tongue into my mouth. We fenced each other’s tongues while our hands wandered all over each other’s bodies. Maddie reached for the hem of her shirt and took it off. She threw her head back when I caught one of her healthy breasts with my mouth. My other hand kneaded her other breasts.

  “I need to ask you something, Max,” Maddie said.

  “What is it?” I asked without taking my mouth from her nipples.

  I pulled away from her breasts and looked at her when she fell silent. There it was again. The look in her eyes that was full of guilt and worries. Maddie often had that look when we talked about the future. Sometimes, I wanted to just force her to tell me what worries her. She was worried about her past and about our future so much that I could feel her fear about being with me. It was obvious that she was keeping a secret. Whether it was about me or about her, I wanted to know, but I did not want to scare her.

  I was tempted to have Henry look into her, but I stopped myself. Maddie loved me. She might not trust me enough to share her past with me, but she loved me. I could tell through the way she took care of me, the way she kissed, and the way she would confess her love to me in her sleep.

  There was nothing that could make me doubt her love despite not knowing her past. But something worried me about her. She was sorry about something and she could only say it in her sleep. I wanted to ask her about it, but I was terrified that I would scare her again. Maddie…. No. Larni will trust me enough to tell me about it.

  “You believe in my love, right? You know that it is real, do you?” Maddie asked. Her eyes looked desperate for assurance.

  Fear struck me at that moment and I could not understand it. My whole body trembled as the thought of losing Maddie crossed my mind. It was the same feeling I felt on the day my father had a car accident. On the day I lost him. Larni, I thought with my heart galloping like a terrified horse.

  “Come with me to New York, please,” I begged while hugging Maddie tighter.

  Maddie must have felt the tremors of my fears that she became worried. She scratched my back gently and asked, “Maxwell, what is happening?”

  “Just come with me to New York,” I insisted. I kissed her torridly, hoping that it would convince her. Maddie pulled away from my kisses and cupped my face. “Please, my Larni,” I begged desperately.

  “Why did you suddenly become desperate?” Maddie asked.

  Robert’s threat crossed my mind again. Two months had passed since he made his threats. Henry assured me that Robert was not doing anything strange that coincided with his threats. I had become complacent by Henry’s assurance, but Robert was a vile man. That frustrated old man could still be plotting revenge against me and taking away my Larni would be the gravest revenge he could do.

  “Just come with me, please. I’ll donate a million to Mrs. Sinclair’s foundation again,” I proposed. “I would never object to anything you want, just come with me.”

  “Maxwell…”

  Maddie did not continue with what she wanted to say. She only kissed me, looked into my eyes and nodded. My heart began to calm down. I placed my forehead on hers and thought, I will keep her safe forever.

  #

  “Max, it’s cold out here,” Maddie worried when she walked out to the porch of my penthouse unit. She walked out to the porch wrapped with a thick blanket.

  Cold? I could not understand, but my body was numb since that fear of losing Maddie crept inside me. I tried to assure myself that she was safe with me. We were in New York and in the building I owned. No one can harm her here. No one could take her away. But, I could not shake away my fear.

  “It’s only midnight,” I reminded Maddie. “Get in and get more sleep.”

  Maddie wrinkled her nose and walked closer to me. She spread the blank
et and hugged me with it. My body shivered when her nude body touched mine. She put her head on my chest and blew warm breathes on me to ease the coldness of my skin. I brushed her tangled black hair with my fingers and looked into her sparkling blue eyes.

  “Let’s go inside. You’ll get sick if you stay here,” Maddie warned.

  “How do you like New York?” I asked to lighten my fear.

  Maddie frowned at me playfully and said, “It’s nice. Though, I’m a little disappointed.”

  “Disappointed?” I wondered.

  “You’re naughtier here than in the lake house,” Maddie teased. “I bet the girls you brought here are wilder, too.”

  I laughed at her jealousy. She raised an eyebrow at me and I stopped laughing. I planted quick kisses on her lips before saying, “I never loved them. I only love you, Larni”

  Maddie froze at my reply. Her cheeks turned pink and her lips trembled as she tried to keep herself from smiling. She gave up and let her beautiful wide smile flash across her face. She tiptoed and kissed me before replying, “I love you, too, Maxwell.”

  I was about to tell her something when she suddenly added, “I wish this could be forever.”

  An excited feeling made my heart jolt, but the strange fear engulfed it in a sudden. Why would she feel like we would not be forever? I wondered. I hugged her tight again to assure her that I was not going to let her go. She looked at me with curious eyes and I erased her worries with passionate kisses.

  Maddie returned my kisses with the same passion. She giggled when my cock twitched under my pajama and touched her crotch. She pulled down my pants and moved down on her knees. The sheets covered her.

  “It’s cold out here,” I reminded her.

  “It’s hot down here,” she kidded while jerking my shaft.

  Ah. I love this woman. Everything about her was worth loving, especially her sporadic naughtiness. Even a fool would not let her go. I pulled the sheets that covered her and carried her in my arms. She giggled softly and clung to my neck. Her lips slid onto mine and teased me with her kisses. Yes. I would be a fool to ever let her go.