As soon as the movie ended, he’d taken her home, walked her to the door like a gentleman and kissed her. Roxanne liked when he kissed her, but this kiss wasn’t like the first one, it felt more like he was exploring her mouth, not that she was complaining. Nevertheless, it still scared the heck out of her for the desire she felt for him, and seeing it returned in his eyes wasn’t helping to control the need she felt for him.
She sighed as she felt sleep tug at her. She closed her eyes and gave in.
* * * *
Sebastian stood under the shower head and, as cold water flowed over his overheated body, he recalled his evening. For the whole day at work today just the thought of having Roxanne ride in the car with him made him semi-hard. Sure, while he was on his way to her house he'd wished that he could catch a glimpse of naked skin, but seeing her in a barely-there robe had his imagination going off all evening and had kept him in a permanent state of arousal.
He cursed under his breath when the cold shower he’d been planning all evening didn't help soften his raging hard-on. He wrapped his hand around the base of his cock and pumped it while he pictured Roxanne bent over his desk downstairs, on her feet the red heels she’d been wearing when he first saw her, and nothing else.
After checking her readiness he would push into her pussy and begin thrusting into her fast, and when she was close to orgasm he would slow his pace. When she couldn’t take it anymore she would use her inner muscles to squeeze his cock. Loving it, he would continue to thrust fast and then slow so she would continue to squeeze his shaft. When his balls drew up he would thrust faster and rub her clit.
When she climaxed her pussy would squeeze his cock and he would come so hard inside her they wouldn’t know where one began or where the other ended. His cock jerked and he groaned as cum erupted, splashing on the shower wall. He leaned his forehead on the wall trying to catch his breath. A few minutes after, he washed off the wall, lathered up then rinse off.
Sebastian stepped out of the shower and into his bedroom after brushing his teeth. As soon as he was on the bed he started thinking about what he was going to do about Ashley. He sighed. What a way to ruin the bliss of his orgasm!
On their way from the cinema, Nick had seen a car like hers; however he wasn’t sure if it was her since the person was dressed in all black. In addition the driver’s head was covered, but Sebastian would have given his right arm just to prove it was her. When Nick told him, he’d looked but the person had just started looking in another direction.
He’d know if it was her tomorrow, but for now Roxanne’s safety was the most important thing on his mind. What if Ashley had a homicidal streak she’d kept hidden?
Chapter Nine
Roxanne’s eyes flew open when the alarm went off; she groaned and cursed under her breath. The alarm had interrupted the nice—well nice was too tame for it—dream she was having about Sebastian. You’d think that she’d have gotten used to the alarm going off so early every morning, but—damn it—that was a priceless and possibly once in a lifetime dream. Two more strokes and she would have orgasmed. She sighed, climbed out of the bed and stretched.
As soon as she was finished with her morning routine, Roxanne left for work earlier than usual, so she could pick up a cup of coffee on the way there. A few minutes later, Roxanne held her breath as the elevator doors closed. As much as she liked the company in the morning while riding the elevator, this morning was one of those days when she just wasn’t in the mood and she didn't care if it was the good one. She exhaled in relief when the elevator doors opened on her floor.
Stepping through the doors, she hurried to her office praying that she didn't run into Ashley. She stopped only to respond to morning greetings from her colleagues. As soon as she reached her office, she closed the door quickly when she entered. After putting her handbag in the desk drawer, she sipped her coffee while waiting for the computer to come on.
* * * *
As Sebastian stepped into the elevator, he wished the doors would open and Roxanne would step through. Instead it was Ashley. A huge part of him wanted to step back out into the lobby and wait until the elevator returned empty. He didn't and now her bitterness toward Roxanne was grating on his nerves.
“Did you hear what I just said, Sebastian?”
He sighed and decided against telling her to shut the fuck up. “No.”
She muttered something, but he didn't care enough to ask what was wrong.
“I said, what are you doing tonight?”
“Roxanne and I are making plans for later.”
The moment those words left his mouth he regretted them. He didn't know how serious Ashley was and he didn't want Roxanne in any danger, but at the same time he needed to know how far Ashley would go. Sebastian turned to look at her; the smile he saw on her face would have made him sigh with relief, if her eyes hadn’t looked crazed for a minute before returning to normal.
“What do you see in her?” she asked. Bitterness tinged every word.
He chose not to answer because it seemed anything he said would just make things worse and that he didn't want. He was about to shake his head, but the elevator doors opened at her floor. She stepped through the doors and his blood ran cold when he heard her mutter something about paying for stealing him away.
Nick was right. He really had to tell the police. A part of him believed Ashley was capable of hurting someone, but the other part believed he was being paranoid. The opening of the elevator doors brought him out of his thoughts and back to the present.
“It’s worse than I first thought,” Sebastian said as he entered his office.
Nick raised a brow in question.
Sebastian sighed then began telling him about his conversation with Ashley in the elevator; he also told him what he overheard her saying as she exited the elevator.
“Damn!”
That’s what he first thought too.
“Did you tell Roxanne about last night?” Nick asked.
Sebastian grimaced. “No I didn't tell her. I don't want her getting scared.”
Sebastian could tell that Nick didn't agree, but Nick nodded anyway. For that Sebastian was relieved, he really didn't want to make Roxanne scared or worried, but he would have to tell her if things got any worse.
* * * *
Hours later Roxanne pulled into her driveway then exited the car. Once she was in her bedroom, she kicked off her shoes before entering the bathroom. After filling the tub with hot water, she poured a good amount of apple-scented bubble bath in before climbing into it. As she laid her head on the edge of the tub, she closed her eyes as she recalled her day.
Around one o’clock someone had knocked on her office door before entering. Briefly she’d wondered if it was Ashley, but when she saw Sebastian, Roxanne had sighed with relief.
What is it about him that makes me want to jump him every chance I get?
She squirmed in the chair under his heated gaze.
“Want to have lunch with me?”
“Sure, let me get my handbag then we can leave.”
He nodded. She pulled out one of the desk drawers, took out her bag then followed him out the office. “Where are we going?” she asked.
“A diner not far from here,” he said.
She nodded as they left the building.
A few minutes later they pulled up in the parking lot of a diner. Sebastian opened his door and stepped out. Roxanne got out and they walked side by side to the diner. It took them about five minutes to get an empty table and another five minutes for a waitress to take their order.
“What are we doing tonight?” Roxanne asked as they waited.
He shook his head. “We can't do anything tonight. I've got paperwork I need to catch up on.”
“Okay. That reminds me, I'm not available on Fridays including tomorrow.”
He nodded. “What are you doing tonight?”
“I’m going to curl up with a book until bedtime.”
He smiled. About ten minut
es later the waitress came back with their order. They ate in silence. Sebastian paid for their meal after they finished, he left a tip for the waitress then they walked back to his car. Twenty minutes later they pulled up into Ferguson Graphics parking lot. Before she got out of the car she thanked him for lunch. He nodded, smiling.
He surprised her when he took her hand in his as they walked back toward the building. The cold water on her skin brought her back to the present, dragging a yelp from her.
So much for a very long hot bath, she thought before stepping out.
Chapter Ten
Roxanne stepped out of the tub, letting the water drain out before pulling on a robe and grabbing a bottle of lotion on her way to her bedroom. After getting dressed, she placed everything back in its appropriate place before going downstairs to the kitchen.
As soon as she got to the kitchen she began gathering everything she needed to make dinner. Dinner took longer than expected; but she was all right with that because while that occupied her time and thoughts, she didn't have Sebastian on her mind like she did so often lately. Finally, after waiting for what seemed like forever, Roxanne took the chicken from the oven and made a plate.
When she finished eating, she washed the dishes, and then put the leftovers in the fridge. She went back to her bedroom, got a book from her new stash and went back downstairs. She was almost by the sofa when the phone rang.
“Hello,” she answered.
“Hey.”
She smiled. “Hey, Lexi, how’s everything going?”
“Everything is fine. Can I ask you for a favor?”
“Sure.”
“There is a conference in Washington on Saturday and it’s essential that I'm in attendance. I won't return until Sunday and though I've already asked Ava and Kira, they’re not able to look after Zach for me because both of them will be working both days.”
Roxanne smile. Lexi was babbling and they both knew it. How could she not want to take care of Zach? He was such a sweet little boy and she loved him like she would her own. “Yes, Lexi, I’ll do it and for the record you didn't have to tell me the reasons why Kira and Ava couldn’t. I don't mind.”
Roxanne heard the relief in Lexi’s voice when she exhaled. “Thank you, Roxanne.”
“No problem.”
They chatted for a while until Lexi said she had to go. Roxanne replaced the phone on the hook, walked back to the sofa, curled up with her book and started reading. About half an hour into her reading the doorbell rang. She wondered who it was; she wasn’t expecting visitors today. She placed the book on the sofa and went to open the door.
As she opened the door, her mouth fell open and she gripped the door tightly as she saw who her guest was. Standing on the other side was her ex-fiancé. She braced herself for the pain of his betrayal three months ago, but it never came. What did he want? How had he found her? How long had he known where she was? The questions kept repeating themselves in her head.
“What do you want?”
“Can I come in?”
She was tempted to tell him to go to hell, but she had neighbors and she didn't want anyone knowing her personal life, so she stepped aside and closed the door after he entered. She didn't turn to see if he was following her as she walked back to the sofa. She sat down and watched as he paced in front of the fireplace.
“How did you find me, Daniel?”
“I always knew where you were.”
“Why now?”
He turned to face her. “I wanted you to cool down before I talk to you.”
Talk about what? she wondered idly. Sure, when she’d left his apartment she’d thought she would never see him again. She’d cut all contact with him, because she wasn’t ready to face him as yet, but also for fear that if she ever saw him again, she’d castrate or strangle him for hurting her. She sighed. Why hadn’t she talked to him before leaving? If she had he wouldn’t have shown up now.
“What did you want to talk to me about?”
“About us,” he replied hopefully.
Roxanne cringed. “Daniel, there is no us.”
“Roxanne, I made a mistake and I accept that but we have to talk about it before we start our life together as planned. I have no doubt that you still love me, so why can't you forgive me?”
She was shaking her head by the time he was finished. “Daniel, if I was the one who cheated—I'm not saying I did or I would if we were still together—but if you caught me with another man in the bed we shared, what would you have done?”
“Broke off our engagement and ask you to leave the apartment.”
She nodded. “Do you see now? I loved you, Daniel. We were going to get married and start our life together but when I caught you with that woman in our bed, what I felt for you died.”
Roxanne felt a tear trickle down her cheek. She wiped it away and continued. “I forgive you, that’s the truth and although I thought it would be hard, it wasn’t. But if you want to know if I would put what I saw behind me and take you back, the answer is no.”
She continued after taking a deep breath as she tried to get past the lump in her throat, “I can't, Daniel. Forgiving you is the most I can do. Maybe one day we can be friends but right now I want nothing to do with you. Suppose we’d gotten married, how long would it have taken you to cheat again?”
He ignored the question but when he spoke again he sounded so defeated that she almost felt sorry for him. “I'm really sorry for what I did to you, Roxanne, and I hope one day we can be friends. It was nice seeing you again; I’ll show myself out.”
Roxanne closed her eyes to stop the tears from falling until she heard the front door close. It wasn’t a lie, she had loved him but discovering him with another woman had crushed it. She wasn’t lying either when she’d told him she forgave him. Everyone made mistakes. No one was perfect and maybe one day he’d realize they weren’t meant to be.
She got up from the sofa and locked up before going upstairs. She brushed her teeth, changed into her pajamas and went to bed. She fell asleep quickly, even though her only thoughts were about seeing Sebastian tomorrow.
* * * *
Sebastian finished the last of the paperwork at ten o’clock. He wanted to call Roxanne but he decided against it. She was probably sleeping. He clenched his fist as he calmed his flaring temper as his thoughts went back to Ashley. Who did Ashley think she was?
After pulling into his driveway around seven-thirty, Sebastian had been tempted to call Roxanne and invite her over to watch a movie but he’d changed his mind at the last minute. After returning to his bedroom after his shower, Sebastian had glanced outside when he saw a car parked one house down from his. The car had looked a lot like Ashley's but he wasn’t sure and jumping to conclusions without enough proof wasn’t like him. A few hours later while he was in his home office he’d glanced out the window again; he was just about to move when the person took off a familiar black hat.
When he’d realized that it was Ashley, Sebastian had called the police. It hadn’t taken them long to arrive, but when they did Ashley had driven off immediately when one of the uniformed officers pulled up by her car and said something to her. About an hour after they left, Sebastian’s neighbor, Mrs. Betty, called and told him the car had returned. He could hardly believe that Ashley would return after what seemed like a long talk from the cop, but he didn’t want to doubt his neighbor. Sebastian had checked and immediately spotted Ashley’s car.
When the police left for the second time that night, she didn't return; however she did leave a message on his answering machine stating he belonged to her and no one else. He took the tape to the police station and waited while someone listened to it and at the end Sebastian answered all the questions that were asked. Before leaving the police station Sebastian was told by a detective that a car had gone to her apartment but it was empty except for pictures of him and Roxanne on their dates. The detective then told him that he should warn everyone involved. At that moment Sebastian had regretted invol
ving Roxanne. He hadn’t known then what Ashley was capable of.
Chapter Eleven
Roxanne flipped the covers off and sat up as she looked at the clock. It was only five o’clock, but she got up anyway. If she tried going back to sleep it would never happen. She sighed. Her life was going so well, she hadn’t thought about Daniel at all since she’d started dating Sebastian. Pretend dating, she reminded herself.
When Daniel showed up on her doorstep yesterday evening, the wound he’d left in her heart felt like it was reopening and, although the pain she felt before wasn’t as bad, it hadn’t mattered because she never wanted to see him so soon. She wanted to blame him for hurting her, but she also blamed herself for being too caught up in finding someone to love her, that she hadn’t realized sooner he wasn’t the one for her.
It wasn’t clear before, but now she knew that deep down a part of her had always known Daniel wasn’t the man for her. Now she didn't even know if she ever wanted another man in her life again. As much as it pained her to admit it, catching Daniel with another woman hurt her to the point that even the thought of a relationship had made her ache. Meeting Sebastian had changed that. More than anything she wanted to take a chance with him and that thought scared her every time it entered her mind.
Roxanne shook her head. Now was not the time for such frightening thoughts. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, and stretched as she stood.
Roxanne's Redemption Page 4
