New Beginnings

by Lori Maguire

  I understood Xavier’s need to protect me, but sometimes his concern for my safety was so suffocating. I had to admit that I didn’t think Stephen would stalk me like he had the past few months, but I felt things were different after we saw him with Carline. They both looked genuinely happy. Granted, that was also the night that Stephen ambushed me in the hallway of the Four Seasons to tell me he still had feelings for me. Shit. Could Xavier be right? Could Stephen still be stalking me? No, there had to be another explanation for Stephen being near the courthouse. There just had to be. He saw Xavier and shot him a dirty look. That was all.

  Mindlessly, I looked at the windows of the businesses as I walked down Second Avenue. I stopped short at a dress shop. It wasn’t just any dress shop, but a bridal dress shop. I glanced at the dresses on display in the window. They were all white and off the shoulder. Three of the dresses had full skirts while two were snugly fit. I tried to picture myself in the gowns that were on display in the window, but none seemed to be for me.

  My phone vibrated in my bag. That had to be Xavier. I didn’t have to look at it to know. I’m sure he was pissed that I left and didn’t wait for Marissa. I thought for sure he would’ve sent her out after me assuming that I had walked.

  I turned my attention back to the wedding gowns. For a moment I thought about going into the shop and having a look around, then I spotted his reflection in the window. My blood ran cold. It was Stephen. He was standing on the sidewalk across the street from me and he appeared to be glaring at me. Instantly, I froze. I was suddenly sorry I hadn’t contacted Marissa now. I was on my own. My phone vibrated again. Casually, I reached into my bag, and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw it was Marissa.

  “Ella, where are you? Mr. Hart asked me to pick you up. We assume you left the building on foot or did you catch a cab?”

  “Marissa, thank God it’s you. Have you left Xavier’s building yet?”

  “No, ma’am. Where are you?” she demanded.

  “I’m only a few blocks away from Xavier’s office. I did leave on foot. I stopped in front of a bridal shop. He’s here, Marissa. Stephen. He’s across the street staring at me.”

  “Don’t move, Ella. I’m on my way.” The phone disconnected.

  I glanced back in the window only to find that Stephen was gone. Whirling around, I looked up and down the street, but he was nowhere in sight. Like a ghost, he just vanished.

  Within minutes, Marissa pulled up to the curb in my silver SUV. Without hesitation, I climbed in.

  “Where was he?” she asked. She scanned the street up and down.

  “He was standing right there.” I pointed to a spot across the street. “He just disappeared. If I weren’t so sure that he had been right there, I would have thought I imagined seeing him. Does Xavier know?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I was in his office when I called you. He tried to call you first, but you didn’t answer the phone. I’m to take you straight home.”

  “Of course. Thank you, Marissa.”

  The hands free in the car suddenly rang muting the radio. According to the caller ID, it was Xavier calling from his office.

  “Mr. Hart,” Marissa said.

  “It’s Stewart, Marissa. Do you have her?”

  “Yes. We are heading back to the condo now,” Marissa replied.

  Before Stewart hung up, I could hear Xavier’s angry voice in the background prattling on about being irresponsible and not thinking. Great. This was going to be a grand fight.

  Two hours after I had gotten home, I was sitting on the couch in the living room reading from my iPad. Bev was in the kitchen making dinner. I wasn’t even hungry. Between the impending fight that I knew was coming with Xavier and spotting Stephen spying on me, I had completely lost my appetite. Putting my iPad down, I headed into the kitchen.

  “What’s for dinner, Bev? It smells fantastic.” I smiled at her as I pulled out one of the stools to sit on.

  “Xavier’s favorite. Baked chicken and rice,” she said. She smiled up at me as she prepared the salad.

  I was secretly glad to find out it was one of Xavier’s favorites that she was cooking. Maybe that would help put him in a better mood. Xavier suddenly came storming around the corner into the kitchen with such force he startled both Bev and me.

  “Ella, I need to speak with you,” he said calmly. The anger flashed in his eyes. His hands were fisted at his side. I knew he was anything but calm.

  I excused myself to Bev. I smiled weakly at her as I slid off the barstool. She gave me a sympathetic smile.

  Turning, I reluctantly followed Xavier into the bedroom. He waited until I cleared the door before he kicked it shut. He grabbed my right arm and spun me around with such force I would’ve fallen if he didn’t have a hold of me. He reached out and grabbed my other arm, and shook me slightly as he spoke.

  “How could you, Ella? How could you do it?” He sounded angry, but I soon realized that it wasn’t anger I saw flash in his eyes but fear.

  “How could I do what?” I quietly asked.

  “How could you put yourself at such risk? You left my office on foot without Marissa or Stewart only to find that Stephen was following you.” He glared at me.

  I thought about this earlier, and I knew the assumption that was about to spill out of my mouth was a stretch. “I don’t know if he was following me. He could’ve been there for another reason. Maybe he just spotted me and stopped at the same moment I just happened to notice his reflection in the glass.”

  “Stop it, Ella! I know you aren’t stupid! You know that I’m right! That bastard is following you!” His hold on my arms increased imperceptibly.

  “Xavier, that hurts. Please, let me go,” I said calmly. He quickly dropped his hands, and turned away from me. Nervously, he ran his hands through his hair.

  “What’s it going to take, Ella? What’s it going to take to get you to understand the danger that Stephen poses? Are you waiting until he approaches you again with a gun? I can assure you that the next time the gun will be fully loaded.” He kept his back to me. Walking over to his side of the bed, he plopped down on the edge. He slumped over looking completely defeated.

  “Xavier, you need to understand. I have known Stephen since I was in high school. I was married to this man for sixteen years. He never showed any kind of behavior like this. He never hurt me physically. It’s difficult for me to picture Stephen as the bad guy you keep making him out to be.”

  He rested his elbows on his knees as he put his head in his hands. “He approached us at gun point, Ella.”

  “As a scare tactic, Xavier. The gun wasn’t even loaded.”

  “I know the warning signs. I sat and watched Heather go through the same motions with her ex-boyfriend. She told me how he never physically hurt her in any way. She never thought he would come after her the way he did, but he was growing more and more desperate in his attempts to reach her. When he saw our engagement announcement in black and white, I know that’s what pushed him over the edge. Seeing it made it real for him.” He paused for a moment. “Since that story appeared in The Seattle Times concerning our engagement, Stephen has seen the ring on your finger. I blame myself for that. I never should have waived it under his nose that night at The Four Seasons dinner. He just made me so angry. I acted on impulse and it was stupid of me. Since then, I see him getting more desperate in his attempts to reach you. You have to believe me, Ella, when I tell you it’s only a matter of time before he comes after you again.”

  I walked over to him and stopped in front of him. He took one of his hands and rested it on my abdomen. At first, I thought he was going to push me away, but then he began to speak again.

  “If you won’t listen to me for the sake of your own life, then will you please do it for the lives of our children? I can’t bear to lose another baby, Ella. Next time, Stephen could take more than just our baby away. I won’t survive it. I won’t survive losing you, too,” he said quietly. His voice broke when he spoke revealing the depth of his em
otion. It broke my heart. I dropped down to my knees resting my hands on his knees.

  “Ella,” he said quietly. He ran his fingers gently through my hair. “I understand there have only been a few times that we didn’t use any kind of protection, but you could be pregnant already. You need to be more careful. This isn’t just about you.”

  I was quiet for several minutes as I allowed what Xavier said to absorb. “I’m sorry. You’re right. He’s already come at me in ways I never thought he would. I’m not the only one he poses a danger to. He could easily take you away from me.” I quickly looked up at him with tears in my eyes. “And I won’t survive that, Xavier. I can’t lose you either.”

  “Come here, baby.” He urged me to get off the floor and straddle his lap. He crushed me to him as he banded his arms around me. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. We stayed like that until my stomach growled. “You haven’t eaten anything, have you?” he admonished. He pulled back to look at me.

  “No. I wasn’t very hungry.” I said sheepishly.

  “Come. I’m sure Bev has dinner ready.”

  Following dinner, I was surprised when Xavier curled up next to me on the couch. He had been working so much lately that I just assumed he would head into his office as soon as the dinner plates were cleared. He turned to face me bringing his right leg up on the couch between us with his right arm draped on the back of the couch.

  “Why do you look so surprised, sweetness? Can I not join you on the couch?”

  “Of course you can. You’ve just been working so much lately. I just assumed …” I shrugged my shoulders at him.

  “I have. I apologize for that, but I’m going to make it up to you.” He gave me a wicked grin.

  “And how exactly are you going to do that? I’m high maintenance you know. It’s going to take a lot more than whisking me away and locking me up in some remote location so you can attempt to pacify me with hot sex.” I raised an eyebrow and smirked at him. I stifled a giggle, as his eyes got big.

  “Oh, sweetness,” he murmured, shaking his head. He narrowed his eyes at me as his tongue darted out to lick his lips. He leaned toward me. “I think we both know that I could easily pacify you right now with hot sex. The only whisking I’ll need to do is taking you from this couch to that floor.”

  I leaned toward him. “Oh, really? You sound so sure of yourself, Mr. Hart.”

  We sat for several minutes staring at each other. Xavier’s musky scent always becomes more powerful when he’s aroused. The irresistible scent filled my nose as I was bathed in the heat radiating from his body. I kept waiting for him to make a move, and I assumed he was waiting for me to do the same.

  Just when I thought I couldn’t wait another second, Xavier launched himself at me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and upper back and twisted so we tumbled to the floor wrapped around each other. He rolled over so I was beneath him, and he settled himself between my legs. He pinned my arms over my head in one swift move. He locked my wrists in an iron grip using one of his hands while the other hand trailed down my side lightly. He bent down and nuzzled my neck making me giggle. He snapped his head up. His dilated pupils were rimmed with just a touch of cerulean blue.

  “Did you just giggle?” he whispered incredulously.

  “I wouldn’t dream of giggling at a time like this,” I said breathlessly.

  His free hand found its way under my shirt. He ran it slowly up my ribs. His light touch caused me to giggle once again. I bit my lip this time in an attempt to stop the giggling. Xavier smirked at me before he gave me an expert roll of his hips, which wiped the smile right off my face.

  “That’s one way to stop your giggling. I can think of at least a few more.” He lowered himself against me pushing me into the soft, area rug. I wrapped my legs around his hips spurring him on. He bent his head down and sealed his mouth over mine.

  Suddenly, a shrill ring from a phone pierced the quiet. Xavier jumped up. “I have to get that.” He made his way into his home office.

  “Xavier Hart,” he said authoritatively. He suddenly let out an impressive string of expletives causing me to sit up and take notice. He never speaks like that. Something must be really wrong. “When? … Did they get past the firewall? … Nothing was accessed? … You’re certain of it? … No, you were right for calling this number. I didn’t have my cell phone within reach … Thank you, Scott. We’ll talk more tomorrow. Have a good night.”

  I got up off the floor and made my way into his office. Xavier was rubbing his face. I walked up behind him and started to massage his shoulders. “Is everything all right?” I asked.

  “Everything is fine, sweetness. There’s nothing to worry about.”

  I stilled my hands on his shoulders. “You want to try that again, Xavier? You are always telling me to watch my mouth, yet you just let out a string of expletives that made this Jersey Girl jealous.”

  He took a deep breath. “Someone tried to access my personal banking information at the firm.”

  “What?” I asked stunned. “Who would do that? What are they looking for?”

  “Don’t worry, Ella. My head IT guy is an absolute genius. He has assured me that there is no way anyone from the outside will be able to break through the security he has in place.”

  “Has something like this ever happened before?” I asked.

  He paused for a moment. I’m sure he knew where I was going with this. “I’m in the public eye, Ella. Things like this aren’t unusual,” he replied.

  “You haven’t answered my question.” I stepped to his side and took his chin in my hand forcing him to look at me. “Has this ever happened before?” I asked more slowly, punctuating each word.

  “No,” he said quietly.

  “Were they after anything else or were they only after information pertaining to you?”

  “My information, but that doesn’t mean anything, Ella. It’s my company. Of course they are going to target my information.”

  “Of course,” I said, giving him a weak smile. My sixth sense was screaming at me. Something told me that this had to do with me, and that Stephen could very well be behind it.

  For the remainder of the week, I was never left alone. Marissa shadowed me until she could hand me off to Xavier. I felt like a toddler being shuffled from one babysitter to another. It was crazy, but I knew it put Xavier at ease so I dealt with it for his sake. I knew he had a lot on his plate. The last thing I wanted to be was an added worry.

  Friday was a light workday for Devlin and me. We managed to be done before lunch.

  “Do you have any plans for lunch?” Devlin asked. Marissa had just started the SUV. I was leaning in the backseat packing up my camera equipment.

  “No. I’d love to do something, but I have to go dress shopping. Xavier’s company Christmas party is tomorrow night. I haven’t had the chance to get anything to wear yet.”

  “Would you mind if I tagged along? I can give you an honest male opinion.” He smiled widely at me.

  “Really? You want to go dress shopping … in a mall … with me?” I raised my eyebrows at him.

  He chuckled. “Yes. Unlike most men, I enjoy shopping. Weird, I know. Besides, Donna is busy with class all afternoon. She’s trying to get as much work done as possible before they break for the holidays.”

  “Okay. Sure. Why not? You want to follow us? I’ll probably head right over to Neiman Marcus.”

  “Lead the way,” he said, heading towards his car.

  “Devlin, you can not be serious! That is a ten thousand dollar Oscar de la Renta gown. It’s a Christmas party. Not the Oscars.” I rolled my eyes at his outrageous choice.

  “But you have to admit, it is gorgeous. You would look terrific in this, too,” he said. He gave me a wide smile as he held up the dress.

  I shook my head at him. “I was hoping to find something in red,” I said, continuing to comb through the rack in front of me.

  “Ella, you’re the owner’s fiancé. Don’t you want to look the part
?”

  I sighed heavily at Devlin without answering him. Then I found the dress. “This is it!” I shouted. It was a sheath dress with allover lace, scalloped trim and hem, a flattering sweetheart neckline with cap sleeves, and it was in a vibrant red color called Vixen. Perfect. “I’m going to try this on.”

  “Be sure to show me,” Devlin shouted after me.

  Marissa insisted on coming into the dressing room with me. She stood guard outside my door, which I thought was unnecessary until I noticed the dress had a back zip. The dress hugged every curve. The beautiful scalloped hem rested just at the tops of my knees. I made my way out of the dressing room to show Devlin. He had his back to me as he combed through a rack with evening gowns.

  “Well? What do you think?” I asked.

  He spun around and froze. “Wow!” he said. He walked up to me and took my hand and spun me around. “You look gorgeous. Xavier is truly a lucky man.”

  I put my head down and blushed furiously at his compliment. Devlin still had my hand in his when a woman spoke from behind him. I didn’t see who had approached us until she peered around his shoulder. Carline. Wonderful.

  “Oh my. What do we have here?” she asked contemptuously.

  Devlin spun around and tucked me behind him. I was surprised by his protective gesture. Before I could even speak, Marissa came out of nowhere. “Is there something I can help you with, Ms. Dawson?” she asked.

  “Really, Ella? I think you can call off your guard dog,” Carline sneered.

  Marissa tensed and drew herself up into an intimidating posture. I stepped around Devlin and put my hand on Marissa’s forearm. She shot her arm out and stopped me from getting any closer to Carline.

  “You are not to have any direct contact with Ms. Martin. Mr. Hart made that very clear to you, Ms. Dawson. If there is nothing I can help you with, then I suggest you be on your way,” Marissa said authoritatively.

  “Very well,” Carline said, waving her hand in the air dismissively. “I’ll see you at the party tomorrow night,” she said disdainfully at me. She turned and stalked off.

  “Who the hell was that?” Devlin asked.