by TN King
Ellie gave him a look, her one eyebrow lifting all the higher. “Do you really think that I didn’t think about it?” she asked, hurt lacing her tone despite her best efforts not to let it.
“I didn’t mean it like that, I—” he started, desperately trying to explain.
“It’s okay,” she cut him off before he could possibly dig himself into an even bigger hole. Ellie shook her head, trying to shake off the hurt that had lanced her with his words. It was unfounded and an overreaction and she knew it. She sighed, lifting her gaze back up to his once more. She knew she should be careful baring herself to him again, but she couldn’t stop herself either. “By the time I got out of high school, my dad was already sick,” she began slowly, her voice as impassive as she could possibly keep it. “I knew if I went off to college he would have to keep working to support himself. So, I decided to get a job so he could take an early retirement and I could take care of him.”
Morgan was silent still for a moment afterwards, staring at her with an unfathomable expression deep within his grey gaze. Slowly, his thumb arched, caressing her cheek. “See, you really do deserve this.”
Ellie shrugged offhandedly. “An ivy league school?” she asked doubtfully. “I don’t know what to say...” she finally muttered, trailing off once more.
“Say yes,” Morgan urged, sounding oddly reminiscent of the last time that they had some kind of conversation similar. “You can choose from law, business, design…I hope you choose business though, because I could use a smart woman like you at my side... and the Wharton School of Business is world renown.” He continued with a smile.
Ellie closed her eyes and shook her head, trying desperately to wrap her head around all of it. “I just—can’t believe that this is happening.”
Morgan drew her into his embrace, his strong arms wrapping around her and pulling her close. “Believe it,” he whispered, his hot breath against the side of her face more comfort than it should’ve been.
She couldn’t hold back the tears any longer and buried her face in Morgan’s suit jacket. Her heart hurt, her emotions were raw and ragged, and she had no idea how to even herself out. “I need to think about it,” she sobbed out, her fingers grappling with his clothing to pull him even closer.
“Oh no,” he interrupted her, pulling her back away from him and putting some space between them. “None of that, sweetness,” he instructed her. He lifted her chin gently with his finger, forcing her gaze back up to his again. His gaze was somehow both gentle but firm, grey eyes pulling her in all over again. “No tears, okay? You deserve this. All of this. I’m only thankful that I drove by a burning diner that day.”
Ellie laughed. “Pulling me from the flames.” Then setting me on fire in other ways. She didn’t say that aloud though, her smile soaked with the tears that had been leaking down her face. All of this had taken her by storm. Hell, Morgan alone, had taken her by storm. She exhaled shakily, banishing her tears with it and accepting his generosity all at once.
His hands were soft against her face, smoothing her tears back one by one until there were none left. “There she is,” he mumbled warmly, the only precedent to his lowering his lips to hers once more. He had wiped her tears, and now he kissed her...
Ellie felt her knees weaken; damn the man could kiss her into a sweet oblivion. All warm emotion and promise of… she didn’t even know what exactly, but she knew that it was good. What had they been talking about...again? Her thoughts stuttered, fingers tightening in his shirt and trying to drag him down further into her.
He pulled those skilled lips from hers and rested his head against her forehead.
Almost breathless, she blinked her eyes. What had they….? Oh, yes, him handing her a new life. This was the subject they had been discussing. All brand new sets of keys and over lavish, unbelievable gifts... “But I can’t just accept all of this,” Ellie hesitated further, shaking her head again. “It’s too much.” Much too much.
Morgan put his hand up to his chin while wearing a thoughtful expression. Overplayed and dramatic, and she couldn’t stop the giggle that she loose upon seeing it. “Alright then, since you have the day off, why don’t you change and you can drive your new car to check out your new apartment, okay? That might help you to decide,” he suggested, looking down at her with a smirk.
Ellie arched a brow, seeing right through his nonsense… and still unable to fight agreeing to it even still. “I believe the technical term for that is bribery,” she reminded him pointedly, her smile stuck to her features despite her best effort to stem it some.
“So it is,” he said, acting surprised to be hearing it, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “Let’s see if it works,” he suggested further, giving her that dazzling, deal signing smile of his.
Morgan
Morgan waited only long enough for Ellie to change out of her work clothes and into something more comfortable before beginning the start of the entirely different kind of seduction that he had planned for her. Although by seduction, he mostly just meant apology. He led her down to the area where he had parked her car excitedly. She said bribe- but he hadn’t thought of it that way originally. He’d considered it more a gift to make up for him being such a jerk to her the other morning. And he did genuinely want to help her get an education. If nothing else, he could feel good about that. He had meant what he had said to her. Regardless of anything else, he did genuinely want to see her succeed.
He didn’t even need to point it out to her, the car he’d chosen. They’d only just come into sight of the little candy apple red coupe when he got his first hint that maybe bribery might end up working after all.
Ellie squealed delightedly, jumping up and down next to him as she caught sight of it. Her hands trembled; pretty, round face lifting up to him with a large grin. “Oh, my god!” She squealed further, her fingers pulling at him. “Is that it!?”
He thought about jerking her around some, teasing her further… but her expression was so excited and hopeful he couldn’t even pretend to do so. His grin stretched across his features, giving a short nod. “Yes,” he admitted with a chuckle. “That’s it.”
She ran towards it with the keys in her hand, bouncing every step of the way. “It’s so cute!” she called out behind her, stopping just short of the car itself and running her hand softly over the hood of the car. “What kind is it?” she asked, looking back at him over her shoulder in question.
“It’s the latest Mini Cooper model, but I had it customized slightly.” He admitted, watching her pour over the vehicle in excitement.
She pushed the keypad to unlock the car, stumbling over the buttons and slid into the driver’s seat, her lips broken apart in a large grin. “This is so amazing!” She called out, her hands rolling over the dash and the steering wheel reverently. “Have you seen the inside?!” she gushed, obviously overtaken with excitement.
He chuckled and slid his large body into the passenger seat beside her. “So, you’ll keep it?” He asked, trying to keep the victory from leaking into his tone.
“I’d be crazy not to, right? But…” Ellie turned to look at him with a serious expression, her eyebrows lifting just slightly. “That would be an impulsive decision,” she informed him solemnly, her chin lowering to better keep her smile from overtaking her lips again.
Morgan shook his head with a laugh. “Touché. I’ll ask you again, after you’ve seen the apartment,” he compromised, shutting his door and buckling himself into the seat as she started the car with another excited squeal.
He had, at least verified that she had her license before purchasing this car for her. Something he was glad of having done, even if it didn’t necessarily mean that her driving was impeccable. He should have offered to drive for his own comfort, but she was so excited to be behind the wheel that he just gave in, giving her directions as they went and listening to her harried guesses as to which apartment complex it might be. None of which were even close, obviously she wasn’t factoring in the differences
between their budgets.
They finally turned into the newer complex just off the University of Pennsylvania campus, her surprised gasp at the complex’s covered and monitored garage making him grin all the wider. She wouldn’t have to worry about random intruders letting themselves into this apartment.
“This spot?!” she asked incredulously when he pointed, eying it and then him in turn as she hesitated on pulling in. “But it’s right next to the elevator Morgan!”
He lifted one brow pointedly at her. “Obviously Ellie, I assumed it would make things easier,” he joked. That and he didn’t need to be plagued with worrying over her carrying her groceries to the car and somehow falling under someone else’s tire while she was otherwise distracted. She was prone to accidents after all, as she’d already proven again and again. “You’re up on the eleventh floor,” he told her as he slid out of the car, gently closing the door behind him and rounding the hood to meet her in front of the elevator.
“That’s so high up,” she exclaimed, her nervous inhale at the end of her speaking altering him to her reaction.
He shrugged, eying her sideways and remembering how comfortable she’d been on his balcony. It wasn’t as if, like in her apartment, she had to use stairs at any point. No, this elevator worked on all floors. “I thought you’d enjoy the view,” he confessed, watching her face light up at the prospect.
Which was his whole reasoning behind that specific apartment he’d purchased in the first place, watching her face light up even further with each new floor they rose in the elevator itself. She looked like a kid on Christmas morning, her whole body tense with the excitement she was only just barely containing. She looked gorgeous, his eyes unable to move off of her even when the bell of the elevator dinged and its doors slid open.
Ellie rushed out, spinning in place once she realized that she still had yet to know her room number- looking at Morgan expectantly as he followed at a slightly more relaxed pace. 11M, he had thought it was ironic really, that the best view on the floor happened to also have his initial- although he doubted that she had connected that yet.
“You ready?” he asked, pausing with his hand on the knob and the key still in the lock. It wouldn’t do for her to pass out and ruin the whole experience.
She took a deep breath, her expression a mixture of nerves and excitement, before she nodded.
He swung the door open, stepping back to allow her to pass him into the entryway and waited for the gasp that he knew was coming. He wasn’t disappointed either, stepping behind her after closing the door behind both of them to find her standing in the middle of the entryway with both of her hands clapped over her mouth and her form turning in a slow, repeated circle to take in the open concept around her.
The apartment was sleek and modern, and also fully furnished. A giant contrast to the apartment he had just taken her out of. The entire east wall was floor to ceiling glass, allowing the early morning sun to brighten the entire living, dining, and kitchen area at once, painting the room in a soft orange and red glow.
He’d been very careful upon selection of the furniture, matching it to the different tastes that he had already picked up off of her. The couch wasn’t the same leather black sectional that came with most of the units on this floor, but a pillowy looking white, slightly Victorian era style couch, with a matching loveseat, chair, and two footstools. As for the art lining the walls, he thought he’d done well in choosing those similar to what he hung in his penthouse that she had so admired. However, just thinking that he did it right didn’t necessarily mean that he had.
“What do you think?” he finally asked after the silence had stretched too long for his own nerves.
Ellie was silent even still, turning again and slowly lowering her hands from her slightly parted lips. Her eyes were round, glazed over with the unshed tears- and her cheeks were a soft, delicate pink. “Morgan…” she breathed out, awe lining his very name. “I think this is amazing,” she confessed emotionally. “I can’t believe you did all this for me.” Her words were stilted, her body finally coming to a stop just in front of him and her face upturned.
He lifted his arm to allow his thumb to stroke her cheek, unbelievably happy that he had succeeded after all. “I’d do anything for you, Ellie,” he said lowly, surprised by the honesty in the words.
Her body sunk into him, face leaning into his hand as her arm wrapped about him in a half-hug.
“So, does that mean you’ll accept my offer?” he prompted, his other arm wrapping about her in turn, fingers stroking her lower back through her blouse.
She took a deep breath, pushing back from him and nodding. “Yes,” she agreed her tone more businesslike than it had been before. “But, I have a few of my own conditions Morgan,” she warned, one hand lifting to her hip and holding there.
“Okay….” he acquiesced, waiting for her list to start. Suddenly it was his turn to be uneasy, arms crossing defensively over his chest as he prepared himself to listen.
“First of all, I’m going to call Joanna up and tell her I’m keeping my job.” She informed him, ticking her first addendum off on one finger.
“But—” He tried- only for her to hold her hand up to stay his words.
“Morgan, I will not rely solely on you, okay? I appreciate your help and accept it to a point, but I have to keep my job. You can let me worry about how I’ll keep up with my studies and a job. Maybe I’ll only work part-time during the busy part of the semester, but I can’t be jobless. If anything happens or… It’s just better this way.”
Reluctantly, he nodded, trying to ignore her ‘if anything happens’ comment, because it was fair and founded. “Anything else?” he asked hesitantly.
Ellie took another long, lingering look about the apartment, her sigh heavy. “There’s no way I could afford this place, so I’m not even going to ask how much you’re paying for it.” Her voice sounding slightly forlorn, but resigned, looking back to him with a frank expression.
Morgan shrugged, not at all uneasy about the talk of finances. It wasn’t as if he were hurting himself doing anything that he had done for her thus far. Hell, it wasn’t even making a dent in his bank account, any of them. “It’s not anything that I can’t afford,” he finally said, trying not to sound too boastful.
“I know,” Ellie acknowledged with a half-smile. “Which is why, in return, I’m offering to volunteer at any one of your favorite charitable organizations. You pick,” she offered, waving one hand as if to show the options that he had.
“You don’t have to do that,” he quickly assured her, his eyebrows lifting up to his hairline. That wasn’t at all the offer that he had been expecting.
“I want to,” Ellie countered matter of factly. “And it’s either that or I go back to my own apartment. Its crap, but I know I can afford it.” She again looked around at the apartment they were in as if to show how ill prepared she was to do that here.
He tilted his head, considering her offer. He had plenty of charities that he was involved in, but most of them were the sort that he wrote a certain check amount each year and hosted events in order to get others to write check amounts. It wasn’t like he regularly volunteered places himself—Oh! That was it! “Well, actually,” he broached, his lips widening into a grin. “There is this charity ball I have to attend Wednesday night in New York. I’d almost forgotten about it, but we can go together and I’ll introduce you to a few people. They might have something in mind suitable for your talents.” Two birds. One stone. And he hadn’t even had to resort to base trickery either, it really was doing exactly as she’d asked while also securing the date for himself.
She seemed to consider it before nodding with a smile. “That sounds great,” she told him, the fight slowly leaking out of her body and the tension along with it.
“Anything else?” he asked, for the second time that night, obviously hoping for a no this time. Those were already enough addendums, whether she realized it or not.
“Yes,” El
lie whispered, stepping closer once more with a different sort of smile. Her body lined up with his, sliding along it so that she could slip both arms around his waist this time, linking them in the back. Her chin rested against his chest, face lifting even further to gaze up at him, sweet eyes flashing at him. “I think we should use this as a start over,” she offered softly, obviously nervous with so much as making the suggestion at all. “Maybe take it slower this time? I mean besides you buying me a car and the apartment, because obviously, I already agreed to that.” She laughed slightly, shaking her head as if she couldn’t quite believe it herself.
“And this time don’t play with my heart, okay?” she said even more seriously, looking at him carefully. “I can’t take that again,” she admitted. “If you only wanted to have sex with me you should have just said that. I’d have rather known that so I could make a sound decision based off of the truth rather than what happened. Even though it all seemed very ‘let’s just have fun’, you also stormed me with emotion and led me to believe that it was emotional as well…that you really could…” she trailed off, sighing heavily. “I’d rather you just be honest. Always,” she explained, her arms tightening slightly as if to ask him to do just that.
Morgan took a deep breath and sighed, looking over her features carefully. “Okay. I can do that,” he agreed seriously. He could, at least he was fairly sure that he could. Honesty may not be in his first nature, but it was certainly easier with her than he knew. The thing was, he didn’t know what was happening either. He’d never experienced emotions like this before. He’d never been this emotionally involved with anyone previously. He figured eventually, he would find it, although he’d long since given up finding it where he thought that he was supposed to have. He had thought it would come to him at a Gala or a company business party though, not out of the ash and smoke of a raging diner fire.
