by Emelia Blair
The Finance Consultant looks aggrieved. “Not my fault when they don’t stop yapping about it.”
“Indeed,” I murmur. Even as I say this, a white scalding rage settles in my gut and I want nothing more than to go downstairs and wring the name of the man involved from Elise. Then proceed to beat the man within an inch of his life, because not for a moment, do I believe that this man is blameless in the spreading of these rumors.
The fact that Elise has never let his name slip within the entirety of her pregnancy and how she’s always acted as if he simply doesn’t exist, tells me more about this man than words ever could.
Is bringing Sophie to work every day even easy for her?
I know she doesn’t have a choice for the first two weeks since her babysitter is down with a cold. But how long can she continue with it? Has the man approached her, knowing that it’s his daughter? Is he turning the women against her out of spite? Will the existence of his child make him curious?
As different scenarios pop into my mind, I realize this unknown man is a threat to me either way. He needs to be completely removed from the picture because either his poisonous tongue will harm Elise and Sophie or he might aim for her affections and both scenarios are absolutely unacceptable to me.
I need to deal with him as soon as possible.
Both occupants of the room are staring at me.
I relax my frame before offering a smile that I know doesn’t quite reach my cold eyes. “Thanks. This has been very helpful, Jace.” I turn to leave.
Kendall calls out to me, strain in her voice, “What are you planning to do, Lucas?”
I look over my shoulder, no smile on my lips now, and reply, “Right now, nothing.”
I offer Elise a ride home after work.
In plain view of the people leaving and those who turn to look at me, leaning casually against her desk, my coat folded over my arms, I watch them in return, memorizing their faces and their expressions.
Weed out the enemy.
I’m not a forgiving man, especially not when something that belongs to me is being threatened, and Elise has been mine since I laid eyes on her. And I’ve cared for her daughter while she carried her and now Sophie too carries around my heart in her tiny fists.
Elise is in the washroom, Sophie left in my care.
She trusts me with her daughter and that is important to me. She trusts me to protect the most precious thing to her.
So, I wait.
“Lucas, you really shouldn’t do this,” she finally says as she walks towards me.
My eyes are focused on the way her hips move, the curve of her body, the furrow between her eyes. She’s filled out since her pregnancy, and not in a bad way. She’s curvier, her bosom heavier her hips wider, all in a way that if I found her attractive before, now I have to make a visible effort to calm myself down.
Motherhood suits her, I muse.
She picks up Sophie and places her in the baby carrier she’s wearing. With Sophie snug and safe, I pick up the pram, ignoring Elise’s protests, and my eyes move to the group of women standing around the elevator, waiting for it to take them to the underground garage.
They’re all young women and I recognize some of them as belonging to different departments in junior or senior positions. However, that’s not what grabs my attention. It’s the way they’re sneaking glances at Elise, the look in their eyes, not quite right. They look my way too and I can see the clear resentment in their gazes.
I remember Jace’s words from a few days ago and my mood turns dark. However, I quickly control my facial expressions and deliberately put my hand on Elise’s lower back.
She startles at this and the tips of her ears turn red.
If I weren’t completely focused on the group of females, I would have been amused.
They’re unable to hide the irritation that flares in their eyes at my gesture.
I’m not a vain man but I’m not deaf as well.
I know that a lot of the women here think of me as like attainable bachelor and they like my looks. I’ve had a few of them hit on me on occasion. But my heart had always belonged to Elise and I’ve never paid any of them any mind.
“Let’s go,” I murmur, softly.
Elise lets me nudge her along. However, she hesitates when she sees the group standing there and her hands which are supporting Sophie’s head, flex. However, she doesn’t stop and moves quickly, leaving me behind.
As she brushes past one of the women, I see the woman move her lips.
I don’t hear the words but I do see the way Elise’s face tightens and the flash of fear of on her pretty features. I also don’t miss the way her hands tighten on Sophie.
To my surprise, she stops and turns her head to look at the woman, her movements slow, her body stiff. Her voice is cold as she asks, “Did you just threaten my daughter?”
6
Elise
I don’t know where I got the nerve to confront the woman but the whispered words that were laced with smugness and anger sparked a fire inside of me, reminding me of how a few days ago, someone had shoved me, nearly making Sophie fall.
The woman, Melissa, looks taken aback by my cold words and her eyes widen in shock. She clearly hadn’t been expecting me to retaliate.
Fortunately for her, one of her friends gathers her wits and immediately bites out, “Stop making up stories, Elise. Melissa didn’t say anything!”
The rest of the women chime in, in agreement.
I feel frustration bubble up inside of me. However, with all of them siding with her, I can only grind my teeth.
Melissa takes a step closer to me and whispers, “You can go around spreading your legs for every man here and act like a princess but we know what you are, slut.”
I press my lips together tightly, knowing that whatever I said right now would be loudly refuted by the group. I’ve never been a vicious person but their words fill me with a burning desire to claw out their eyes. However, I keep my composure, and say coldly, getting into Melissa’s face, “At least I don’t go around threatening defenseless children.”
I don’t let her get a word in and turn towards the staircase that leads down to the basement. I’m halfway there when Lucas grabs my arm and turns me around, gently. The sound of the elevator doors opening and the clatter of heels as the women rush in, reaches my ears and I know that I’m wearing an ugly expression on my face but I simply can’t be bothered to care.
I refuse to meet Lucas’ eyes.
He grasps my chin firmly, forcing me to look at him.
I meet his sharp blue eyes and although he’s wearing a pleasant smile on his lips, his eyes hold a chilling fury that makes me tremble when I see it. I’ve never seen this side of him, this detachment on his face even as his eyes burn me. “What did she say to you?”
I’m not frightened of him. Even like this, I can’t find it in me to be scared of this man.
“So angry,” he murmurs.
The light amusement in his tone despite the fury raging inside of him, makes me part my lips, and nothing comes out. I can’t even retaliate as he raises his thumb to press down on the frown on my face to smooth it out.
Where is the laughing man that I know? Where is the man that sneaks me sweets and buys my daughter silly looking bibs? The man standing in front of me, gripping my chin and smoothing out my scowl exudes danger and my legs quiver, not from fear but from another emotion that I force down, refusing to acknowledge it.
When he lifts a brow, I realize he’s still waiting for an answer and I struggle to find my bearings. “Don’t worry about it.”
Lucas blinks languidly. “Want me to go ask her?”
It’s like a bucket of cold water has been thrown over me and I look away, feeling my own anger surge up again. “Go ahead.” I wrench my chin from his hand, suddenly furious and upset at being abused like this when I’ve done nothing to deserve it. My anger needs an outlet and I open my mouth to vent it on the person closest to me before snapping
my mouth shut, horrified at myself.
What am I doing?
Lucas has been nothing but nice to me and I was about to say something nasty to him, to unload the injustice and hurt inside of me.
He’s still watching me with that same unnerving intensity.
I take a step back, feeling plagued with guilt and disgust. My hands go to Sophie’s back and I look down to see her watching me with wide eyes, her face unusually somber. “Maybe we should do this some other time,” I say, slowly. When I’ve not been accused of being the office whore and my baby a bastard.
Lucas stares at me for a few seconds before turning on his heel towards the staircase. “Wait here.”
Startled, I cry out, “Where are you going?”
He looks over his shoulder and states, “To have a word with the women who were bullying you.”
I gape at him before letting out a horrifying sound, “You can’t!”
He stills, not looking at me now. “Why not?”
I take a step towards him, my hand unconsciously reaching out to grasp at his sleeve, almost desperately. “You’ll only make things worse.”
He whirls around and this time his anger is directed at me, “Worse than you not feeling safe in the workplace?”
I’m forced back and I’m speechless at his words. Although I try to think up of a response, I come up empty. “I-It’s not bullying,” I finally stammer out.
Lucas steps towards me asking softly, “Then what would you call it? Fun teasing? Casual jokes?”
I shake my head without knowing it. It takes some effort for me to say, “I don’t – I don’t need you to protect me, Lucas. I can handle this.”
The fury lights up his face and he gestures towards Sophie. “Yes, but this is not just about you.”
The protective look on his face has me faltering and suddenly, I wonder what it would be like to just let him handle this and make this whole thing go away. His kindness also warms me from the inside but I can’t be reliant on other people and even if I let him know how bad the situation is, Lucas can’t possibly deal with everyone involved. So, I sigh and say, “I do appreciate your concern, Lucas, but I’ve got this.” My tone is firm and brooks no arguments.
Frowning, he looks down at me. “There’s nothing wrong with accepting support, Elise.”
I don’t answer him.
Now, his eyes glitter. “I’ll let this go this time. Next time, however, if you get harassed, I’ll take action whether you like it or not.”
I can sense he’s angry with me now and I purse my lips not knowing what to say to him. I’ve never had somebody angry on my behalf and the feeling is foreign to me.
He doesn’t wait for an answer though, saying curtly, “Come on. I’ll drop you home.”
A glance at the bus schedule tells me that I’ve missed the last bus and I have no choice but to follow him to the garage.
The ride home is silent and I know without him saying anything that he won’t be coming to pick me up at eight and the sense of loss in me is staggering.
Lucas drops me at my apartment and drives away.
For a few seconds, I stand at the front entrance of the building and watch his car get smaller and smaller in the distance.
Then I turn and enter the building. Heading up the stairs I cannot fathom how everything just turned to crap because of those women.
Bitterness isn’t a feeling I’m accustomed to. Nor is such unbridled anger.
But my heart is heavy with fury and I’m upset and irritated.
It’s not fair.
None of it is.
It’s not like I’m going around confronting anybody. I’m doing my job like everyone else but yet, I don’t dare leave my daughter alone for even a minute.
But Lucas’s words resound in my head and as I change Sophie, I realize that I truly don’t feel safe in the office.
But why would anyone try to harm me or Sophie? We’re not even trying to approach Darren. In fact, I’ve done a stellar job of staying away from him.
I put Sophie in her cot and unable to handle her serious countenance, I tickle her feet making her burst into giggles. Seeing her brilliant smile, I feel my own lips tugging. Turning on the panda shaped night-light that I had gotten at a flea market, I leave the door ajar slightly, after making sure that the baby monitor is working.
Although I should be going to bed, I decide to pour myself my first drink in months and wearing only a faded oversized t-shirt, I huddle onto the couch, staring gloomily at the blank TV screen.
Maybe I should look into getting another job.
The thought eats at me and I have the urge to throw the glass in my hand against the wall. I don’t want to change my job. I’ve made some good friends here and…Lucas’s face flashes in my mind.
I swallow the cheap whiskey down, ignoring the burn in my throat and then top up my glass again.
Lucas is another dilemma.
It is one thing to have a one-sided crush on him but now he goes and starts acting all strange, as if he likes me back. I know he says he cares about me and he wants to give it a shot but I’m hesitant to believe it.
The last time I went on a date with a man, he got me drunk and despite my protests, he got me to sleep with him. The humiliation of the next morning isn’t something I’m likely to ever forget. I had gotten upset with Darren. Then he called me a lousy lay and pushed me out of the apartment in just my underwear. My clothes were finally tossed out a full ten minutes later while I had stood at his door and banged on it with my fist, pleading to at least return my clothes.
Maybe this had been the turning point for me which hardened me a little bit.
Back then, Lucas and I had been friendly and he would sometimes flirt with me but the shock of that one single experience had made me stick to friendship and nothing else. Back then, I had a bucket load of confidence and a cheery personality. Bit by bit, that part of me has eroded over these past few months. The incident with Darren, the difficult pregnancy, raising a child alone, it’d taken its toll on me and although I pretend to hold my head high, I sometimes feel like my confidence has taken a beating.
I know Lucas wouldn’t do something like that to me but the trembling fear in my heart isn’t something I can get rid of. I don’t ever want to be so vulnerable again, at any man’s mercy. But then again, Lucas’s desire to take me out, I don’t think much of it. The woman he was interested in is long gone. Now, I’m just playing pretense at being something I’m not.
So, I don’t want to encourage him in any way or form.
But the way he looks at me with a protective gleam in his eyes, the raging fury in his eyes as he gripped my chin today in such a forceful manner, it makes me ponder over whether I’ve gotten the wrong impression of this man over the years. I’d always thought of him as someone jovial, lighthearted. Where had this strong-willed, dominant man come from?
Although I knew he was one of the top lawyers in the country, I’d just never seen him like that. It stunned me actually.
My feelings conflicted, I sip at the whiskey in my hand, one ear tuned towards the baby monitor.
Suddenly, unable to handle it, I stand up abruptly and make my way to the filing cabinet that holds most of my important documents and I take out the contract. My eyes roam over the contents and I growl under my breath before stuffing it back into the drawer. In my haste to get the document out of my sight, I forget to close the drawer completely.
I curse Darren.
I wish I had never met him.
I wish I hadn’t said yes to that one accursed date he’d asked for.
How could I not have said yes?
The man had been charming, funny and he would flirt outrageously. I had been flattered beyond belief when he had asked me out.
Suddenly my mind went back to that night when he had me pressed against his bedroom door, my mind hazy with alcohol. I recall the moment when he had thrust into me roughly and sought only his own pleasure, and I can hear myself pleading with him
to put on a condom.
My legs feel weak and I sink onto the couch. I want nothing more than to scrub the events of that night from my mind.
Darren had cornered me a few days after I had told him that I intended to keep the child. He had backed me into the alley behind the office. The glint of the knife in his hand had frightened me out of my wits and all I could think was that I had to keep my baby safe.
So, I had signed the contract that said that I couldn’t ask him for anything for Sophie. I couldn’t bring the child near him to entice him to take a role in her upbringing. I couldn’t take him to court for child support and I definitely couldn’t reveal to anyone who the child’s father was. I hadn’t understood why he was being so forceful until later when I had been put into the role of the assaulter. How that works or how people were stupid enough to buy that, I still don’t know.
It was after I had put my name and thumbprint on the contract when I’d wondered how many other women have had to sign such a thing.
There had been no one I could have turned to. No one who would have believed that the soft tongued Darren Hall who was so helpful and kind would be capable of this. Instead, Darren had ensured to spread rumors that I had convinced him to sleep with me and lied about being on the pill and now I was trying to manipulate him into paying child support for a baby he never wanted.
At least, that’s the gist of what I’ve become aware of ever since a few of the women in the office took it upon themselves to accuse me of trying to take advantage of the kind hearted Darren.
“Kind-hearted, my ass,” I say, loudly.
In my drunk anger, I toss the glass on the ground and it shatters into pieces.
I blink at it and feel remorseful. That was from my good set.
A knock on the door distracts me from my woes and without thinking, I head to the front door. “Who is it?” My voice is a little slurred and I feel a little tipsy as I stand on my tiptoes to look through the peephole.
