by Vivien Vale
For a couple of seconds, it’s like I’m in a dream. The night has been so perfect, of course, the nightmare shows up next.
He leans on the open door.
“Ruby. We need to talk.”
“Damn fucking right, we do! What the fuck are you doing here?” I demand. Ah, my loud mouth and my temper. Can’t thank them enough for stepping up when my conscious brain is dying of shock.
Fentress shakes his head. “I’m not here to be spoken to in that way! Honestly Ruby, how can you treat me like this?”
Okay. At that, my loud mouth actually just falls open and doesn’t even try flapping. Is there an answer for this in the English language?
“Mr. Fentress. How did you find me?”
“Days now. Days I’ve been sending you messages. You haven’t even bothered to reply. I demand to know why.”
“You didn’t answer my ques—”
“I mean, to start with…it was just casual banter. Fair enough. I get that you’re a woman who needs to be stimulated. The best ones always are a challenge. So, I upped my game—and still, nothing.”
He looks deeply into my eyes and I almost laugh out loud. He’s completely serious. Wow.
“Then the concern set in. It’s electronic messaging etiquette to at least acknowledge my messages, Ruby.”
“Are you fucking serous?” I say, interested. “Etiquette? Where do you get these ‘etiquette’ rules?”
“Google it, for fucks sake! Do I have time to explain it to you? All I want is a bit of consideration. Just a tit pic here and there. I’m spending a lot of energy on you, Ruby,” he actually pouts. “I need to know I’m being heard. That you understand the depth of my appreciation.”
“Mr. Fentress—”
“Call me Carl, darling. Please. I’ve told you a million times.”
“And I have said no a million times because I want our relationship to be strictly professional.”
He’s staring at my chest with his tongue flicking at the edge of his mouth. Ugh.
“It’s professional to help out your boss. Especially when you’re an entry level legal secretary and I’m a top fucking lawyer. You could go places, Ruby. I’ll do favors for you if you do some for me,” he suggests, leaning in closer.
“Come on, baby. I know you want it. I can feel it. All those times you sat at your desk listening to me and Candi or whoever the fuck it was, you got hotter than an ember in a bonfire. Admit it.”
Jesus Fuck. I did too. I was so fucking horny all the time I got quite worked up over that.
Now that I’ve been in Wyatt’s arms, all of that seems utterly ridiculous. I didn’t get worked up because I had a thing for Fentress. I got worked up because I needed satisfaction.
Not a cheap fuck like he’s been having. He can keep those. I know what making love feels like. I’m happy I waited for it. I’ll never accept anything less.
“Why would you think that? I admit to no such thing.” I know my cheeks are burning, but I don’t care.
“I saw you watching me when I came out of my office. I know you were thinking you wanted a bit of the good, hard stuff,” he says confidently. His face goes from hard and angry to soft and puzzled. “That’s why I couldn’t understand why you didn’t respond to me.”
Still shocked with disbelief on many levels, I decide to play it his way as best I can. I might actually be heard that way.
“Mr. Fentress,” I say breathily, leaning forward so our faces almost touch.
“Yes, Ruby,” he replies looking up, eager, excited.
“How did you find me here?”
He seems puzzled for a second. Then his face clears, and he nods enthusiastically.
“Oh, that was a simple matter. Don’t worry,” he waves a hand dismissively. “I bugged your phone when you first started working for me.”
“You did what?” I yell. I’m so angry it comes out hushed even though I put a lot of force into it.
Fentress goes on, conversationally, quite unaware he’s committed any offense.
“I have to, you know. It’s important to track your workers, know where they go. Had a suit pop up a few years ago over a secretary that worked in the red light district off hours. Bad for the firm, but fuck me, that bitch could suck a cock,” he admits. He shakes his head thoughtfully, looking off over my head somewhere.
“Good times, good times indeed. Anyway, the point is, I just bug everyone now. It’s a lot simpler. You’re an extremely good girl, Ruby. You don’t go anywhere.”
He takes a step closer, eyes devouring me. I step forward to grab the edge of the door.
“Dude, enough. I don’t know what you’re expecting here, but—”
“Expecting? I’m not expecting a goddamn thing, darling. The only thing I’m expecting is a little appreciation.”
“Excuse me?”
“I expect you care about your job.” He glares at me fiercely. “Do you still want it?”
“Of course I do. I need this job. The experience is so necessary to my career,” I start. “Mr. Fentress, let’s talk about this on Tuesday. This is my vacation. It’s not fair.”
He keeps glaring at me, pretty much unmoved. “You know what? Secretaries like you are a dime a dozen. But I expect you to make it up to me.”
I can’t help a snort of laughter. “Make what up to you, exactly?”
“I’ve spent the last few months wasting my time on you. I’ve sent messages to you and agonized over your reply. I’ve passed over some very interesting opportunities for you.”
He leans forward, gripping the edge of the door. “So, I deserve compensation. Strictly from a legal sense.”
I reach out and grab the door.
“Compensation? Mr. Fentress, seriously. Now is not the time.” I try to be dramatic and bad ass and swing the door back to slam it, but he fights me.
“All I wanted was to love you!” he yells. “Why wouldn’t you just let me love you? Honestly, I’m not looking for a lifelong commitment. Just let me get my obsession out of the way and I’ll leave you alone for good.”
“I can’t believe this,” I mutter, yanking the door.
“You can’t believe this? What about me? Oh yeah, I can smell it on you, even if I couldn’t see it in your eyes and rosy cheeks. You act so innocent and virginal, but you’ve been out here getting plowed, haven’t you? Where is the lucky scumbag? I should buy him a beer. Or did he run out on you sweetheart? Didn’t you show him your appreciation?”
“You creep! You fucking jerk!” I snarl as I yank the door out of his hand and he stumbles back.
In triumph, I swing it hard, expecting it to click shut and then I can pounce on it to lock it. No sweat.
I don’t expect him to leap at the closing door and batter it out of the way. I step back quickly as his momentum carries him right into the door.
“Ruby, we need to discuss your job,” he says, pointedly. “We’re going to do it here, and we’re going to do it now.”
Where the fuck is Wyatt?
I don’t know about what’s going to happen when I go back to work, but right now, I just want Mr. Fentress gone.
I don’t want to hear from him, I don’t want to see him. I just want to finish my vacation in peace!
I take in a deep breath, and do what I know I can to get Wyatt in here now.
I never thought I could scream like the first dead girl in a cheap ass horror film.
But here I am, absolutely killing it.
Chapter 33
Wyatt
I close the window quickly behind me, knowing that Jake is liable to fly off the handle if he finds out what just happened between his sister and I.
I know that it’s a violation of bro code or whatever, but fuck if it wasn’t worth it.
I can still taste her on my tongue, and the thought has my cock hardening all over again. I doubt that I’ll ever be able to get enough of that woman.
Though I’m damn sure excited to try.
I can’t seem to wipe the huge grin
off my face as I rifle through the brush surrounding the lake house.
I drag my arm through it, still replaying what just happened with Ruby, picturing her perfect body, seeing her the way her eyes shone when I finally shoved myself into her.
Fuck.
I collect myself, trying to shake the jitters away as I try to prepare myself to face Jake.
How I’m gonna keep the excitement from my face is fucking beyond me. I can’t even seem to get my cock under control.
I’m still trying to puzzle it out when I hear her scream.
The sound sends my heart racing in my chest—a shrill, fearful cry that reaches me from down the hall.
I don’t even think. I’m not trained to think—I just fly into action.
I sprint to the front door, grabbing the handle and yanking fiercely. There’s a sound like splintering wood, followed by a loud crash as I fly through the doorway. In a far-off kind of way, I realize I’ve ripped the fucking door off its hinges, but I can’t even begin to care.
I tear down the hallway, coming to a sliding halt as I reach the living room.
Some guy is towering over Ruby, his body tense as he stares down at her. She looks terrified, pale.
I’m on him before he even has time to notice me.
I reach out quickly, grabbing his suit in either hand to pull the bastard away from her. My blood is boiling, a growl escaping my lips as I spin him around to face me.
His eyes go wide as they land on me, and I take just a second to indulge in his fear before my fist slams into his nose.
I hear the familiar sound of snapping cartilage, see blood begin to gush from his now broken face.
He lets out a sound, something like a whimper, raising his hands in an attempt to shield himself.
Too fucking late.
I lay into him again, my fist connecting to his already broken nose, eliciting another cry from him.
He goes down with a loud thud, his hands coming up to cover his gushing nose.
“Wyatt!” Ruby screams.
I hear her as if from a distance, her voice reaching me like I’m underwater.
I’m familiar with the sensation, having experienced it countless times before. In the SEALs, in the heat of battle, outside sounds always seemed to dissipate.
When your adrenaline gets pumping, when your mind is focused solely on one target, everything else just means fuck all.
“Wyatt!” I hear again, but I’m already moving.
My lips pull back into a feral snarl as I launch myself on top of Ruby’s would be assailant, hearing his breath whoosh from his lungs as my knee catches him in the gut.
My already bloodied fist comes in for another strike, followed quickly by another. Over and over, I pummel him, feeling the rush of intense energy that I used to be so familiar with.
“Stop, Wyatt! Oh god, you’re gonna kill him!”
I feel hands wrap around my bicep, fingernails digging in to my skin as I pull back for another punch.
“NO! PLEASE!”
I turn angrily, my lips still pulled back into a snarl. Why on earth is she trying to stop me?
“Wyatt, stop!” she cries again, and I notice the tears beginning to pool in her eyes.
“What?” I shake my head, trying to clear the rage-filled fog that has settled there. “Why?”
Her eyes are wide, fearful, as she looks at me, her gaze traveling repeatedly between my bloodied hand and the broken face of the now unconscious man before me.
“Why did you do that?” she demands, looking at me like I’m the one to be feared.
“What? What do you mean?”
Confusion washes through me in waves. I glance down at the man beneath me, my brow furrowing in thought.
“He’s my boss!” she cries, drawing my gaze back to her.
Oh, fuck.
“Ruby, you screamed…and then I saw that guy and how scared you looked. Oh fuck, I-I’m so sorry.”
“You could have killed him,” she says, taking a deliberate step backward. “I thought you were going to kill him!”
I open my mouth to deny it but can’t seem to find the words.
She’s right. I thought he was trying to hurt Ruby. If she hadn’t stopped me, I probably would have beaten the fucker to death.
“Why did you scream?”
“I—I just got spooked. He just showed up and pushed past me. I was just surprised, is all…”
Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. What the fuck have I gone and done now?
I look back to the man I’ve just beaten to a bloody pulp, groaning as my eyes rake over his damaged face.
This is bad. This is really fucking bad.
And the way Ruby is looking at me, like I’m some kind of monster…well, that’s even worse.
I stand slowly, turning again to face Ruby.
“I don’t know what to say…I’m sorry, Ruby.”
She just continues to stare at me, shock written across her features.
I’ve clearly crossed the line here, changed her image of me in ways that I can’t fix. After all my hoping, I’ve somehow managed to destroy this relationship before it could even begin.
The fact reverberates intensely through my mind, waves of guilt following in its wake.
I turn my gaze towards the floor, unable to meet her eyes a second longer. The disappointment and fear written in them are damn near crippling.
I wipe my hands against my shorts as I turn, trying and failing to free them of blood.
I guess that’s fucking poetic or something.
I’ve got blood on my hands.
Like I didn’t already know that.
Without another word, I head back down the hall, retreating to the solace of my bedroom. As I suspected, the door has been ripped clean of the hinges, small shards of wood now littering the floor.
I lift the solid wood monstrosity one-handedly, still trying to wipe the blood from my free hand.
I do my best to fit it back into the doorway. It needs actual repair, but this will do for now.
When I’ve again gotten some level of privacy, I head slowly over to the bed, sitting with a groan.
I lean forward, resting my head in my hands and rubbing idly at my own temples, desperately trying to stave off the headache already forming there.
Through the doorway, I hear Ruby muttering, the sounds of her pacing reaching my well-trained ears.
I can’t seem to get the image of her shocked face to leave me; her fearful eyes seem locked onto me even now.
I can’t believe I fucked this up. Can’t believe I’ve scared her.
I groan, feeling my heart ache at the thought.
Well, at least she knows. Better for her to find out sooner than later what kind of man I am.
It’s better this way.
Now, she can move on and find somebody decent to be with instead of a fucking monster.
Chapter 34
Ruby
I try to force the tremble from my hands as I pace back and forth in the entryway, my heart hammering away in my chest.
I can’t believe what just happened, can’t seem to process the situation now laid out before me.
As if held by a magnet, my eyes track non-stop to Fentress’s still unconscious body, repeatedly taking in the sight.
Blood still trickles from his crushed nose and from a nasty gash at his temple, dripping slowly to the floor. I watch in rapt fascination as it spreads along the tile.
How could Wyatt do this?
I’ve never seen him like that before, so violent and full of rage. The way he relentlessly pummeled Fentress plays through my mind on a loop, the fury that burned through his eyes.
I feel fear bubble up in my chest at the thought.
I would never have thought it possible for me to be afraid of Wyatt, but here we are. I run my hands through my hair in frustration.
Why would Fentress even show up here, and so forcefully at that? This was supposed to be my vacation, my second chance with Wyatt.
Now, in the blink of an eye, it’s turned into nothing but a huge disaster.
And it’s not just my trip that’s been ruined. I groan, wondering whether or not I’ll even have a job tomorrow.
At this point, no one could blame Fentress for firing me. Being beaten by your employee’s man is a pretty good ground for termination.
I have no idea what I’m going to do, if I lose that job, no clue how I’ll even make rent.
The fear in me mixes with anger as the true implications of Wyatt’s anger strike me anew.
I’m fucked. Totally and completely fucked.
The sound of footsteps draws me from my thoughts, and I turn to find Jake strolling through the door.
There’s a smile on his face, and he opens his mouth as if in greeting. The moment his eyes track to the huddled mass before him though, all pleasantries die in his throat.
“What the fuck?” he says, his eyes widening in surprise. “What happened, Ruby?”
I can only manage to shake my head, tears stinging at my eyes again.
“Ruby,” he demands, crossing quickly to me. He grasps my hand, focusing intently on my eyes, “What the fuck is going on here?”
“I—Mr. Fentress showed up and—and Wyatt…”
“Wyatt did this?” He asks, looking back towards the slumped form of Fentress, “Why?”
“Well I got startled. I screamed, I shouldn’t have.”
“Why didn’t you stop him?”
I groan, throwing my hands up in defeat.
“I tried Jake, it was like he didn’t even hear me!”
I can no longer hold in my tears, they’re rolling freely down my face, as I stare questioningly at my brother.
“What do we do?”
He releases his hold on my hand, turning to look around and assessing the situation from the entryway.
“Where’s Wyatt now?”
“I—his room I think. I’m not sure.”
“Okay, we need a story here, Ruby.”
“What do you mean? I told you what happened.”
“I know, but I’m gonna have to call the cops, and if we tell them what you told me, Wyatt’s fucked.”
I hadn’t even thought of that, my mind too busy worrying over all the other issues at hand.
“Oh my God, you’re right. But what can we say?”
