Obsessions

by Bryce Evans

  “Thank you, Eloise. You are very special to me too. I would love for us to keep in touch.” London spoke gently to the older woman then hugged her again.

  “I prepared my resignation last night not knowing if I would need to use it today, but it appears that I do.” London got a brown envelope off her desk and handed it to Eloise. “Thank you for helping me with everything, and for always showing me kindness.” London said grabbing her purse, “I will be in touch soon.”

  She looked up at her friends; the stress of what she had just done was making her sick. Trying to keep it together before she broke down, London sighed heavily with a sense of doom. Everything she had worked for was gone, but she had to keep it together until she was alone. She needed to act natural or Zoey wouldn’t give her a moment’s relief when they left.

  “I guess I’m ready for lunch.” They all waved bye to Eloise as she and her friends walked out of the office.

  “I’m sorry London. I know you loved your job here.” Zoey expressed. London could see the concern in Zoey’s face.

  Chapter 14

  Donnie made small talk with Zoey as they traveled down the road. London sat in the back of the limo watching cars as they passed by. Her body began shaking as she thought about everything she had worked so hard for had just gone poof. All the time she put in to building her career was gone. Once Tracy and Roxie ruined her name, she would be lucky if she got a job waitressing in New York. She didn’t want to go eat. She wanted to go home and die. Her heart was breaking into a million pieces and all in front of Ryder.

  The car stopped at the Winford Restaurant. It was ranked one of the best restaurants in Manhattan. Donnie whistled as they all exited the car.

  “Wow, I do like how you take us out to lunch in style,” Donnie said, grabbing London’s hand as they walked inside. The maître d’ immediately went to Ryder shaking his hand, greeting him as though he was a top customer. She knew that Ryder and Zoey had a lot of money and money always got you the best table, but it still surprised her.

  He escorted them to a table informing them that their waitress would be here in a few seconds. He said seconds and he was right. A beautiful young lady showed up as he walked away, placing a bottle of wine on the table, before excusing herself for a few minutes.

  London was in shock. She sat between Donnie and Zoey, with her arms wrapped around her middle trying to stop the trembling in her body. The realization of what she’d done was finally hitting home.

  “What did I do?” she whispered, rocking back and forth. She had nothing now. No one could save her, and her life was in shambles. She didn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. Her anguish hit her square in the chest.

  Ryder poured her some wine. “Drink this, London.” She couldn’t concentrate, but she managed to put the glass to her lips and drink it down, with Ryder watching her as she swallowed.

  “Calm down, sweetie. You did the right thing. You know you did. I’ve got Roxie by the balls with that video if she even thinks about trashing your name. Tit for tat. I’ve got your back and so does Eloise. Here drink another.” Donnie tried to make her understand as he poured her another glass putting it in her shaking hand.

  Blowing out a tired breath, London closed her eyes for a minute to try to clear her head. She took in deep breaths from her nose and knew it was Ryder’s scent she was inhaling. Opening her eyes, she stared directly into his concerned blue eyes. The intensity in his gaze showed how distressed he was, which was odd to her because he’d acted like he hated her before. The electricity she felt around him was still there, and it unnerved her that she felt this way about someone who didn’t like her. Looking away, her eyes moved over to Zoey who smiled but looked concerned too.

  “Hello, Mr. Malone. Welcome back. My name is Nancy and I will be waiting on you. What can I get for everyone today?”

  London didn’t know if she was even hungry. Her mind was in distress and so was her stomach. She needed to look at the menu. Concentration flew out the window along with her career. Her life was now a disaster. How can I eat? She needed to get up and take a cab back to her apartment. Calls should already have been made, but instead she was in the best restaurant in town.

  I need to look for a new job. Cry? Fuck no, I’m not crying. I should have hit that bitch square in the mouth. Oh God, what did I just do? She continued to replay it over and over in her head. Her emotions were everywhere now.

  “If you guys don’t mind, I can order for you. They have the best steak. It is a specialty here in New York.” His voice called to her, and she looked up at him.

  “That would be great for me. I haven’t had a good steak in a long time. I like mine medium,” Donnie responded as he looked over at London. He looked worried too when she nodded instead of answering directly.

  She drank the rest of her wine as Ryder ordered, and she didn’t even listen to what he was ordering. Closing her eyes, she tried to calm her mind, but every time she took in deep breaths, his scent consumed her.

  Why is he even in my thoughts right now? It was pissing her off thinking about Ryder when she should be concentrating on her life that was now falling off the cliff.

  “London, I have a question for you. I know this might not be the best time to bring it up but I think now since everything happened at your old job…well, maybe it’s the perfect time.” London heard Zoey speaking, and she turned in her seat trying to listen. She didn’t say anything when Zoey spoke to her. She couldn’t concentrate on the words.

  “London?” Zoey grabbed London’s hand. She looked up, her vision unfocused as she silently stared at Zoey.

  “London. I need you in my company. I need your expertise and I need you because you’re family to me. I trust you with my life and hope that now you will consider being my partner. The program you developed for the Landon Company is the same type of business we could bring to these companies. But, we will be in charge. Nobody will try to take it away from you this time. It will say your name at the top of the program as who created it.”

  London’s eyes narrowed looking from Donnie to Zoey. She knew at that moment that Donnie had told Zoey everything and now Ryder knew. He had too. That was why he was being so nice to her. She should have expected it. Zoey would pull out all the stops for her best friend and Ryder didn’t want Zoey to be hurt. Wow, can this day get any worse?

  London wasn’t used to taking handouts. She believed in hard work getting you to the top. She was never given something without earning it first. She could see the pity in everyone’s eyes as they stared at her. A shiver moved through her when she realized her best friend felt pity for her and was only offering this job because she had just resigned and had no hope to find a new one.

  Her career was over and she wanted to punch someone. All the anger she felt was rolling around inside of her like in a pinball machine. It was bouncing back and forth waiting to hit the next hope and dream she had. Before she did something she would regret London silently got up from the table. She walked right past the maître d’, and out of the restaurant. As she got to the bottom step of the restaurant, the rainstorm that had been threatening, unleashed on the citizens of New York.

  Rain fell down on her, drenching her clothes, as she ran down the street. The weather was starting to get cold in New York, which made the rain feel ten times harsher, but she continued to walk until she found herself in Central Park. London sat down on a bench as men and women ran past her trying to escape the rain. People only glanced at her as she sat there, defeated.

  She probably looked like a nut sitting in the rain, but looking out, she thought that the park was beautiful now. She loved coming here during her days off.

  Well you’re going to have a lot of them soon.

  Thinking about that made her heart hurt. It hurt so much at how her life had turned out. She felt defeated for the first time in her life. Everything she had was tied up in that job. She had put her heart and soul into it and now it was gone. Just like that. It was gone.

&n
bsp; She tilted her head back allowing the rain to beat across her face as she breathed in the cool air. She wanted the pain from the rain and cold to take it all away. She hated being a weak person. She hated herself for not being like them. She couldn’t lower herself to be that corrupt. Stealing another person’s work then putting your name on the top of it, as the programmer was just wrong.

  “What are you doing?” London didn’t have to look up to know who was talking to her. When she didn’t reply to Ryder, he reached out and tipped her face toward him. He shook her gently until her eyes popped open.

  “London, look at me. Are you okay?” he asked, pulling her up from the bench.

  London narrowed her eyes at Ryder, and her voice came out as a whisper. The emotion she was feeling was beating her down. “Why are you following me? What do you want?”

  Ryder just stared at her. All London could see was pity on his face. She was lashing out at anything and she wanted to hurt someone. His intense look did her in. The air between them sparked as she stared back at him.

  She hated the way he affected her. He drove her body insane. Even now, she struggled to stop herself from kissing him. Then she reminded herself that this was Ryder and he only felt pity for her. London was sure that Zoey had sent him to get her.

  “I don’t need your damn pity, Ryder or a job. I found this one. I will find another one. If I have to, I will move away from here to another city and start over, but I won’t take hand-outs from you or my best friend.” London was yelling at Ryder as she pushed her arms against his hard chest. It was like trying to move a mountain.

  “Handout?” Ryder grabbed London’s face. “London, you are acting like a child. Zoey is your best friend and she loves you. She tried to get you to go into business with her before you even left college. For once, think about someone else. Did you ever think she needs you? You are being so selfish.”

  “Selfish? You—you big baboon, let me go! Why do you continue to do this to me? My life is upside down right now. Everything is falling apart. I…I’m no good for her right now. I would only bring her down. Didn’t you just see what happened? I… I’m ruined now…” She couldn’t feel her toes anymore as she yelled at Ryder. The rain continued to beat down on them as she struggled to get away from him. London finally realized what Ryder had said.

  “What’s wrong with Zoey?” London asked. Her teeth were chattering so hard, she thought she was going to break them.

  Ryder didn’t answer her question about Zoey. “You’re not ruined. Let’s go get in the car before you freeze to death.”

  Without waiting for her to react, Ryder picked her up and carried her to the car. The driver came around and opened up the door allowing them to get in.

  “Norman, take us to London’s apartment, please. Hurry before she freezes to death,” Ryder demanded.

  The cold rain dripped off her body as she sat in the limo. Her lips had already turned purple and her body was shaking uncontrollably when Ryder closed the door. London was so cold it felt like she was drugged. All she wanted to do was sleep.

  * * * *

  Ryder pulled her body closer to him, wrapping his arms around her. She was still shaking when he started rubbing his hands up and down her arms. He took his coat off and draped it over her as she continued to tremble uncontrollably.

  Ryder’s wolf came to the surface, and his body heat grew warmer, like a heater. His wolf was rubbing against skin, when he got a big sniff of the woman wrapped in his arms. He wanted to do more than hold her but he couldn’t take advantage of her. This was not the strong woman he had met before. This was a woman on the edge. Her dreams had been stripped away from her, and she felt like her life had ended.

  Ryder had done an extensive background on her, so he knew the reason she guarded herself from others. London’s parents moved often which made it harder for London to make friends. She never had real friends, and every time she moved, it became harder and harder for London to relate to others. Then her parent’s death had wrecked her, taking away feelings and emotions so she wouldn’t be hurt again. The only tangible part of her life was her job and now that was gone. She couldn’t see past that right now. He understood it.

  Ryder looked down at the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Even with mascara running down her face, she was the one who plagued his dreams ever since the first time he saw her picture, and she didn’t even know how much he cared about her.

  He had placed the file with her picture in his top desk drawer so he could pull it out and look at her often. Even his wolf demanded that he claim the woman, but London wasn’t like him. She wasn’t a shifter and wouldn’t understand their ways. The pack and the council required a lot of responsibility in Alpha City. Ryder knew she wouldn’t understand all he had to do. When someone needed him, he would have to leave and go help or solve the problem. Plus, she didn’t even like him and when she found out that she was a witch, she ran from it. To sum it up, he needed a mate who would stand up to problems and try to find a way to solve them. Not run from them. Just like today she ran away from her friends.

  Regardless of how she was acting, it didn’t stop how much he wanted her. Even now, he wanted to strip her clothes off and take her in the car. He wanted to suck her blood as he pounded into her luscious body, but that would never happen. London was a human and with his strength, he could hurt her.

  She felt wonderful in his arms. His body hardened just from being near her. If she was his mate, how would or could she deal with everything, but, deep down he knew she wasn’t cut out for it and he wouldn’t want to see her hurt.

  Tilting her head back, Ryder had to know how her lips felt. He only needed one kiss. Just one. He leaned in and licked the drops of water that dripped from her hair onto her face. Then his lips touched hers. The spark that he felt, as her smooth lips touched his, was electrifying. His eyes jolted open when her tongue came out wetting her lips. He could tell she was asleep but he couldn’t take it. He leaned over again and kissed the sweetest lips he had ever tasted. It was just a soft kiss to her lips but it would be something he would recall over and over again.

  * * * *

  Before she knew what was happening, London stirred to awareness when her body was picked up. She wanted to move closer to the heat. It felt so warm, as she snuggled closer to the source. It was strange, as she felt the chill to her back as her body was shifted.

  London’s eyes slowly opened, as she was placed lightly on a bed. Looking around, she realized she was in her bedroom. She heard the shower turn on in the bathroom and watched as Ryder walked toward her.

  “How do you feel?” Ryder bent down in front of her. She could see actual concern in his eyes, and she had to look away before she did something she would regret. The man was nothing more than eye candy and only being nice to her because of Zoey. “Better. Thank you for what you have done for me. I feel like a fool.” The words slipped out before she could stop her blabbering. She felt a tear escape as she wiped it away quickly.

  “Everyone has a bad day,” Ryder said softly.

  London snorted. “Bad day. Yeah, I guess you could call it that. I…” Ryder looked toward the door just before London heard the front door slam. Zoey and Donnie were back from the restaurant.

  “I’ll hold them off while you get in the shower.”

  London nodded her agreement, but before she could stand up, Ryder pulled her chin up toward him. “It will be okay, London. I promise everything will work out. These things happen for a reason.” She watched as he walked out of her bedroom closing the door behind him.

  Leaning against the shower wall, London breathed in as she let the hot water bash onto her sore muscles. The water felt good as it warmed her skin, but she didn’t have the energy to do much. She took a quick shower, but had to get out when her vision became cloudy, and she struggled to hold her body up. Exhaustion from this week’s event was weighing heavy on her mind and body. She needed to rest before she fell down.

  She grabbed hold of her n
ecklace and talked to it. London didn’t know if it could hear her, and she knew she was crazy talking to a necklace, but the Tree of Life seemed to help her. She hoped that today it would give her strength and bring her peace. Tomorrow, she would need a level head if she were going to find a job.

  She took in a deep breath, wrapping the towel around her naked body and walking into her bedroom to lie down. She meant to turn the light off, but finding the comfort of her bed nothing more existed.

  When London’s eyes opened later, she blinked trying to clear the sleep from her head. Gradually becoming aware of what she had done the day before. The pain of quitting her job and losing her career crept back in.

  Rolling over onto her back the sheet that covered her body slid down past her stomach. Glancing down she noticed that her nightgown was on. Odd she thought. She didn’t remember putting it on last night. Lifting her head up, London looked around her bedroom. Nothing was out of place as she urged her body to get up. Swinging her legs down to the floor, she groaned knowing that today she would need to put out some feelers to the Head Hunters group.

  The group would put out information on her as she tried to find a new job. They would also cost her a fortune and she didn’t have that much money saved. Living in New York was expensive and saving money on a first line programmer’s salary wasn’t cutting it. She had hoped that she was going to move up soon along with her pay. That reality was dead in the water now. She shivered from the reality of the battle that was coming.

  Head Hunters were a necessity, without them it would be hard to find a job after only lasting ten months at her last one. They would want to know why she left the Landon Company so soon, and Tracy and Roxie would most likely destroy any good references she had made for herself. She would be lucky if she got a job selling video games instead of working for a Computer Company.

  Lying in bed dwelling on it wasn’t getting her another job. London was about to get up and take a shower when she heard people laughing in her kitchen. Then it hit her, what happened in the park and then later in her bedroom. The sexual tension between her and Ryder, blew her away.