Just A Man (The Porter Trilogy Book 1)

by Shannon Youngblood

  When we got into the office, Jerry headed to the back of the building, waving his goodbye to us. Brigitte stopped me before I went to the elevator to hand me the mail for Alex. I looked at her with a clear message in my eyes, I am here if you need to talk. She smiled at me, although I noticed it didn’t meet her eyes.

  I gave her a quick hug and headed towards the elevator, checking my phone for any messages I may have missed while I was on lunch. I smiled when I saw a text from Alex saying I should only eat lunch with him, and a smiley emojicon.

  Since I normally opened the mail and got rid of the junk before giving it to Alex, I didn’t think it was a big deal to do so in the elevator. In hindsight, I wished I’d have waited until I was sitting down. It was just a normal manilla envelope, or so I thought.

  When I opened it, my heart raced into my throat, suffocating the scream that was bubbling up. I pulled out picture, after picture, of me. It looked like it was almost every day I had worked for Alex. Every picture showed me walking into the main lobby in the morning, and, on the back of every picture, was a note written in red:

  “What’s mine is mine “

  I couldn’t even pull out the note I saw waiting in the envelope. I was struggling to breath and struggling to stay standing. I slumped down, against the wall, with the pictures fluttering all around me as the elevator continued its ascent. When the elevator announced its arrival, I was shaking so much I was starting to hyperventilate. As the doors opened Alex rushed in and scooped me up into his arms, pressing the emergency stop button on the elevator before walking back into his office.

  He walked us to the couch and sat down with me sitting on his lap, rocking me back and forth. Breathing became more and more difficult with every second and it didn’t take long for my vision to start to blur. I couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down my face.

  “I need you to breathe for me, Charlie. Take a deep breath in.” His voice was wary and strained. It took me a few moments to process his words and take a deep breath.

  When I did as he asked, he started rubbing my shoulders. “Exhale, Charlotte”

  I breathed out.

  “Another deep breath in”

  I took a breath

  “And out”

  I pushed the air back out.

  After a few precious minutes, I felt much calmer. I didn’t know if it was the deep breathing or Alex, but I was thankful to him none the less. It took my addled brain longer than normal to figure out that Alex must have cameras in the elevator as well, so he knew what was happening and was there to pick me up when I got to the right floor. There was a knock at the office door. I went to move to answer it, but Alex kept his arms around me.

  Bracks walked in, holding the envelope and all of the pictures. I turned my head and put my face into Alex’s shoulder. I wasn’t prepared to see the pictures again. It was too much. And the creepy message on the back scared me to death. What’s mine is mine? What the hell did that mean? Was someone stalking me? Or was someone telling me, in no uncertain terms, that Alex was taken?

  Another image of Sarah popped, unwelcome, into my head. I looked up at Alex as he talked to Bracks and chewed on my lower lip. Without looking at me or stopping his conversation, he reached up and released my lip from my teeth. He turned me around to face Bracks, but kept me firmly in his lap where he could play with my hair.

  “Where did you get these pictures, Miss Hightower?” Bracks asked, with no hint of judgement.

  “They were mixed in with the mail I got at reception. I opened everything like I normally do, but when I saw those, I–” I shook my head, not able to finish my thought.

  “Did you read the note that was inside as well?” Bracks asked.

  “No, I couldn’t stop looking at the pictures. What does it say?” I reached my hand out for the note, but Bracks looked at Alex and then pulled away slightly.

  “It doesn’t matter Charlie, you’re safe and you’re going to stay that way,” he said into my ear, stroking my hair, and pulling my arm back.

  I should have argued with him and demanded to see what it said. This was my life and the threat was against me, but, in the end, I trusted him, and if I needed to know he would tell me, or at least I thought he would.

  “Bracks is going to take you back to my place. I have some more work to do before I can go home. At the moment, I’m not comfortable with you going back to your apartment. Would that be alright with you, Charlotte?”

  I nodded my head at him. I didn’t want to go home either, but I needed to warn Danny. “I need to let Danny know. If this person knows where I live, I couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to him. Maybe he could stay with Jerry?”

  Alex cocked his brow at me, but let me up to use his office phone. I would call Jerry first, to see what he said, before I called Danny.

  “Mr. Porter, how may I be of assistance to you?” he answered, proper and polite.

  “Jerry it’s me, can you please come up here?” I asked into the receiver.

  “Of course, Charlie, is everything alright?” he said, his voice no longer holding the professional demeanor it had previously held.

  “No, but I’ll explain.”

  I hung up and walked back over to Alex, who had continued his conversation with Bracks. When I approached, they stopped talking. Bracks stood and walked towards the door. Turning back, he looked at Alex and then at me.

  “I’ll be waiting for you by the elevator downstairs, Miss Hightower.” With that, he tipped his hat and exited the office.

  When Jerry came in a few minutes later, I filled him in a little about the problem and he said he’d be more than happy to have Danny over for a few days. I called Danny to verify he was ok with the plan. He wasn’t happy about the threat to me, but he was more than ok with staying with Jerry for a little bit. Jerry invited me to stay with him as well, but I declined, stating I had other arrangements. The look he gave me, and then Alex, dripped with surprise.

  “Jerry, can you please escort Miss Hightower downstairs?” Alex asked, clearly not pleased with Jerry’s look. Jerry nodded. I was still in quite a daze, and although I should have said something to Alex about being rude, I just couldn’t think of anything to say.

  I felt as if there was a hazy fog around me, clouding my brain and my judgement. I was still shaken from the photos. The last hour had felt like an eternity and mere seconds at the same time. I wanted to lay down and close my eyes to the world for a few hours, so I wouldn’t have to think about the threat to my life, but until I could get to Alex’s house, I needed to keep it together.

  Alex gave me a chaste kiss and sent me down to the ground floor with Jerry, saying he’d be home in a few hours and to make myself comfortable. I walked out to meet Bracks and we made our way to the car. When I looked back, I noticed Brigitte was watching me, very intently, without blinking. I smiled at her, but she didn’t smile back. I was going to have to figure out what was going on with her soon, but for now, I had enough of my own problems to deal with.

  Chapter 26

  The drive back to Alex’s house was quiet, uncomfortably so. My mind raced with thoughts of the pictures that had been sent to me and the message attached to the back. What’s mine is mine. I just wasn’t sure to whom it was directed, Alex or me? I felt the panic start to well up inside of me. Without Alex to hold me and calm me, I felt like a fish out of water.

  “Breathe Miss Hightower, No one is getting to you.” Bracks cajoled from the front seat, clearly taking a page from the ‘Alex Porter’s Guide to Calming Down His Crazy Girlfriend’ book.

  I nodded my head and took deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling with Alex’s voice coaching me on. There really was no reason I should be working myself up like this. There was nothing I could do, and Alex had it under control. He’d keep me safe. That thought alone did wonders for me.

  When we got to Alex’s house, Bracks escorted me to the elevator and punched in the access code, but didn’t join me up. He had to head back to the office
to pick up Alex, he said, so I was to go straight into the house and lock the door behind me. The only people who would be entering through that front door was either him or Alex and both had keys.

  I rode the elevator up, fighting the worry spreading through me, and when I got to the top and the door opened, I almost ran to his front door. I was truly hoping the sight and smell of Alex around me through his belongings would restore my peace. When I closed the front door and locked it, I turned around to find a pretty brunette sitting on Alex’s couch, regarding me skeptically. I gasped and clutched a hand to my chest.

  “Who the hell are you and what are you doing in Mr. Porter’s house?” I stammered out. She looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place how I might know her.

  “My name is Rachel, Charlotte. I am a, friend, of Mr. Porter’s,” she said, elegantly.

  I didn’t like the way she had said ‘friend’. It held some sort of meaning that I wasn’t sure of, and the tone behind it made me feel like an intruder on a secret friend club that I hadn’t been invited to. I also wasn’t happy, or comfortable, with the fact that she knew exactly who I was, but I had no clue as to who she was.

  “Ok, well, I’m a friend of his as well, and have been invited to his house. I’d like you to leave until Alex comes home.” I stated matter of factly, pleased with the confidence displayed in my voice, even though I was trembling inside.

  Her face changed then, as she stood up to stride over to me, “Listen Miss Hightower, you may think you know Alex, but you don’t. You can never be what he needs. You can never fully satisfy him. Leave now, before you get your heart broken.” She smiled sadly when she saw the look on my face. “You don’t know anything about him, or his past. Did you know he was orphaned when he was a baby? Of course you didn’t, because he’ll never trust you with his secrets. You’re just a convenient lay for him. He can never be happy with someone like you. He’s violent, Miss Hightower, and he will break you. So, make it easy on yourself and leave now.”

  Her eyes spoke of affection for Alex, and severe protection. It didn’t matter that I loved him, what only mattered was whether or not I could fight for him, for us. The lady before me was crushing my heart, but she was doing it out of love for Alex.

  After the recent events of the afternoon, coupled with my mystery phone call and the stress of Robert getting out of jail, I felt like I was going to crack. I didn’t know if I could do it anymore. Could I fight for Alex and fight for my life at the same time? I wasn’t sure, but I knew I wanted to. What about what she said about Alex? Was I good enough for him? I knew the answer before I even finished the thought.

  She was right, who the hell was I? I lowered my head and turned away, walking towards the door. I didn’t cry. I wasn’t going to cry. She said he was violent, and though most times he was fine, there were a few incidents, including the night I told him my story, where he had gone bat shit crazy. I may love him, and even felt safe with him, but was I safe from him? I couldn’t answer that question. I knew for a fact though, my heart wasn’t safe from him.

  I got back down to the ground floor and hailed a taxi to take me back to the office, so I could grab my car. I prayed desperately that I wouldn’t see Alex. I couldn’t talk to him right now. Tomorrow, when I came into work, I would sit him down and tell him that I would like to continue to work for him, if he wanted me, but it would need to stay professional. I didn’t think I could be around him that much, but I needed to be strong and not let my emotions hinder my career.

  When we pulled up to the office building, I ducked around like I was undercover to get to the parking garage. Alex had cameras everywhere outside the building so there was a chance he could see me, but I doubted he was monitoring the feed to find me, especially since he thought I was at his house. There were no cameras in the parking garage, so once I dipped inside, I relaxed a little. Grabbing my keys from my purse, with my head down, I almost missed it, although, when I started driving, it wouldn’t have taken long to figure it out. All four of my tires were slashed, and flat, and my back windows had been shattered.

  Not knowing what else to do, and acting purely on instinct and adrenaline, I grabbed my phone and punched in Alex’s contact info. He answered immediately.

  “Charlotte? Is everything ok?” he said, his panic echoing through the phone.

  “Parking Garage” I whispered. It was the only thing I could say. My breathing had turned into short staccato inhales and exhales. This was starting to become a serious problem for me.

  “Did you say parking garage? I thought you were at my house?” I heard him move the phone away slightly, “Bracks get in here. Didn’t you take Miss Hightower to my penthouse?” I couldn’t hear Brack’s response, but I imagined it wasn’t what Alex wanted to hear. “You left her in the elevator? What the fuck is wrong with you man?”

  I heard him sigh before coming back to me, “Charlotte, baby, are you in the parking garage?” I heard him get up and start walking, and the familiar ding of the elevator.

  “Yes” I managed to answer.

  “Stay there, I’m coming out right now.” he said, ending the call.

  I hung up the phone and continued staring at my car. Who would do this to me? Why was this happening? I couldn’t fathom what I could have done in my life that was so bad to warrant gang rape, attempted murder, stalking, and now vandalism. I crumpled to my knees, it was all too much.

  I only heard Alex and Bracks come running towards me, because I couldn’t tear my gaze away from my car. I found myself rocking again, my arms around my stomach.

  “Fucking, shit Bracks! What the fuck!” He was angry, really angry. I’d only seen him this mad once. Remembering Rachel’s recent words to me, when Alex put his arm around me, I flinched. He pulled back at once and looked down at me, with questions in his eyes. I looked away, not willing to answer anything those amber eyes asked me. I couldn’t, not right now anyway.

  His voice was calmer, but clipped, “Charlotte what are you doing here? Bracks dropped you off at home.”

  Something inside me snapped, like a rubber band pulled too tightly. With all of the shit being thrown at me, I couldn’t take it anymore. My intentions were not to take anything out on him, but after the day I’d had, he was the closest person to lash out at. I stood up and marched around him, my vision seeing red.

  “Your house is NOT my home, Alex Porter. I came back to MY car so I could go to MY home.” I took a deep breath and continued, my anger bubbling out of control. “When I got to YOUR house, I was told, in no uncertain terms, that I was trespassing and that I’m just a good fuck for you.” I raised my hand to stop his retort. “I’m not finished. I’m going home, so I can sort out my feelings and figure out what the fuck is going on in my life.”

  When I looked up at him, I could tell he was pissed, but his voice was soft and calm, “Will you allow Bracks to drive you home?”

  I nodded, because I truly didn’t have the spare money to take a taxi again. He was protecting me again and I was being a total bitch. I sighed and put my eyes to the ground. The speed in which my emotions were circling in my head was making me dizzy.

  Alex walked closer to me and made his intentions clear that he wanted to touch me. I nodded again, letting him know he could. I shouldn’t let him, I needed my anger to get through this, but his touch always calmed me down more. He put his hands on the side of my face, with his thumbs running over my cheekbones. I closed my eyes and pressed my face into his hands, feeling the stress rush out of me. I wanted to be close to him so bad, but my heart was hurting with the information Rachel spilled to me.

  “I don’t know what else happened to you today, but I promise you, Charlie, we will figure it out. Together. It’s never been just sex with you, Charlotte, I thought I had made that clear to you.” He leaned down for a kiss, but didn’t come all the way, letting me decide if I wanted to meet him. I knew it was a bad idea, but I couldn’t help myself. His minty breath fluttered across my face, tempting me. I pushed up on my toes
and met his lips with my own. As usual, they were soft, but I could tell he was holding back a bit, not wanting to scare me. After a minute or so, his grip on my face loosened and he withdrew from our kiss, leaving me panting.

  He put his forehead to mine while he regained his own breath before he whispered to me, “I wish you’d come home with me. We’ll go right now. It’s not safe at your house right now.”

  I blanched at his last statement. I totally forgot I may not be safe there, and had my tires not been obliterated, I would have driven home with no thought to my own safety. At the current moment, I just knew I needed to be safe, and Alex was the only one who could guarantee me that, no matter what our future held. Even with the conflict of emotions swirling in my head, I decided that Rachel’s verbal threat didn’t hold a candle to the real threat that loomed over my head. I’d go home with Alex because it was the smart thing to do.

  I looked up at him and nodded my agreement. He reached down and grabbed my hand before whispering in my ear, “Thank you for your trust in me, Charlotte.”

  **********

  When we pulled up to the front of his building a few minutes later, I was feeling better, thanks to Alex’s soothing words. I knew we needed to have a sit down talk, but I couldn’t muster the energy to ask for it right now. I wanted to slip into a hot bath and then fall into bed to sleep.

  When we got up to his apartment, my hands tightened in his, wondering if Rachel was still there. He looked down at me, puzzled, but pushed open the door. I registered the surprise on his face as soon as he entered, and I saw the surprise on hers when she saw me clinging to his hand.

  “Alex,” she purred, “I need to speak with you, alone.” she said, looking at me.

  I don’t know what I expected when she made her request, maybe Alex would tell her that anything she had to say, she could say it in front of me, or maybe he would just throw her out, but nothing could prepare me for Alex placing me on the couch and walking her to his office, without a backwards glance and without a word.