by Emelia Blair
I don’t know where the yawn comes from but I find myself mumbling, “Maybe a few minutes wouldn’t hurt.”
She chuckles, the vibration reaching inside me.
My stomach full, I close my eyes. “Just a few minutes.” Her scent surrounds me and it reaches into the crevices of my soul and fills in the lonely spaces. I know this isn’t easy for Elise, none of this is. But admiration rears its head in me that despite her apprehensions, she’s refusing to be buried under the mountain of fear heaped on her.
I open my eyes and see her watching me with a soft expression in her eyes, one I’ve never seen before.
She immediately becomes flustered when she realizes she’s been caught.
I let out a husky laugh and reaching out with my right hand, I hook it behind her neck and pull her down for a sweet kiss.
She doesn’t resist and when we have to part for air, she’s smiling in that shy way of hers.
Her smile always makes me want to muss her up.
Seeing the intention in my eyes, she immediately clasps her free hand over my eyes. “Stop it!” There’s a hint of laughter in her voice.
I relent. Closing my eyes, I slip away in a few more minutes, not having to realize how tired I was.
I don’t know how long I’ve slept for but when I come to, I feel oddly reenergized and it takes me a few minutes to get my bearings.
Elise is resting her head on her palm, her elbow propped on the arm of the couch. Her eyes are closed and she’s dozing. I take her in her slack features and my lips curve, affectionately.
A glance at the wall clock reveals that it’s been near to an hour. The food containers still have some left in them and I gently sit up, making sure not to disturb her.
The slightest movement has her eyes snapping open and she blinks, instantly alert. Her first reaction is to look at the clock and she visibly relaxes. “I must have fallen asleep as well.”
I’m digging into the pasta, ignoring the fact that it’s cold now. “As a first date, this is pretty great.” I stuff a spoonful into my mouth.
She’s trying really hard not to laugh. “You’re really shameless, you know?”
I swallow while she yawns and rubs her eyes, and then I grin. “I’ve been completely overwhelmed with work these days. Getting a nap, getting fed, and having a pretty woman to flirt with, I don’t think it can get any better.” While I eat a second helping, I see something on her face, a slight hesitation, and I can see that she wants to discuss something with me but doesn’t know how to broach the subject.
We chat idly for a while and I slowly round the conversation to what’s on her mind.
The now empty dishes have been stacked on the side while she’s sitting stiffly.
I realize that this whole thing was more than just a date. I wait in silence for her to speak and as it stretches, she gets more and more agitated while I grow calmer. “Elise, whatever you have to say, just say it.”
She looks frustrated now and then gets to her feet and starts pacing.
That’s a surprise to me because she doesn’t seem like a pacer. That’s more of my thing. I lean back against the couch and watch her, patiently.
It takes her a few minutes, before she speaks, “What do you want from me?”
I blink, not having expected that. The answer is torn from me without hesitation, “Everything.”
Her jaw tightens and now she stills, her hands forming into fists by her side, “I have a child, Lucas. I don’t know what ‘everything’ means in your dictionary.”
And then I understand.
This is the turning point of a relationship.
Something raw blooms in my chest.
Elise isn’t a person to lead me on. She’s trying to play fair. If she thinks that my goals don’t align with hers, she’ll walk away from this, to do us both a favor.
Seeing that I’ve not spoken anything, she continues, “You say you’ve had feelings for me for a very long time.” She struggles with the phrase ‘had feelings’ as if she doesn’t quite believe it yet. “That’s a long time to be interested in someone and not make a move. So, I just want to know what I’m stepping into.”
“That’s very aggressive of you,” I offer her a half smile which is sly.
She narrows her eyes at me.
I shrug. “Who said I never made a move on you?”
She falters, “When? I would have –“
“I was always on your mind, wasn’t I?” My eyes pin her to the spot. “Taking care of you, watching over you. It just wasn’t a sexual overture. As I said, you needed a friend at the time, so I decided to become your friend. And now you’re ready for more, so I just changed tunes.”
She stares at me for a long while before saying softly, “Some people would call this manipulation.”
My arm is stretched over the back of the couch, and my legs are crossed, casually, as I agree, cheerfully, “Those people would be right.”
She looks speechless at that and then she purses her lips. “Sometimes it feels like you show a side of yourself to the world that’s not actually real. As if under the mask lurks someone very dangerous.”
“Are you scared?” I ask, quietly.
“No.” She wraps her arms around herself, looking confused. “If anything, I feel safer.”
I get up and cross the room until I’m standing directly in front of her, looking down at her my hands on her upper arms. “That’s the way it should be. I want everything from you Elise. Everything and more. A relationship, marriage, children, a family.”
I lay my cards on the table.
“It took me a few months with you to realize that. You’ve always been the end goal. But I’m willing to move as slow as you want.”
Her eyes are bright with an emotion that she doesn’t seem to dare to name. Her lips part and then she says, “When Darren had approached me, I had been flattered and when we went on the date, it was fun at first until he took me to the club and kept buying me drink after drink. I never drink like that but he was so handsome and charming… I was so stupid I was pretty drunk when he got me back to his apartment.” She turns her head away as if she can’t bear to look at me. “I wanted to go back home but he kept saying that I lived too far away and that it was too late. When we reached his apartment, he started kissing me. I was too tipsy and at first I tried to stop him but then I just gave up because I didn’t feel so good. I don’t remember most of that night but it wasn’t pleasant in the least. He was too rough. But I do remember asking him to use protection and him refusing.” Tears of shame are welling up in her eyes but not one falls as she grits her teeth.
I can see it’s through her sheer will that she’s trying not to break down. Rage nearly consumes me but my hold on her is light, and I wait for her to continue. She needs to get this whole thing out of her system in one go and I understand that. She squares her shoulders and I can’t suppress the feeling of pride of how strong my woman is.
“The next morning, he woke me up and told me to get dressed. I was so hungover that it took me a while to remember what he’d done and I got upset. He got angry and then he grabbed me by my wrist, dragged me to the front door and tossed me out.”
Now, I see sparks of anger on her face.
“I was just wearing my undergarments. My clothes, my shoes, my purse, they were all inside! I banged on the door for God only knows how long until he tossed out the rest of the things. It was long enough for some of his neighbors to see me.” She swallows as if finding the courage to continue, “I took the weekend to get myself together. But when I went back to work, he ignored me, not saying a word to me as if nothing had happened. Even at the office party, he came over to the group I was standing with and was his usual self. T-That was the day I found out I was pregnant, when you took me to the hospital.”
She went silent for a few moments.
I don’t say anything either, I just wait.
“I told him two weeks later and the rest you know. The rumors started around that ti
me of how I had coerced him into sleeping with me.” She takes a step back. “You’re the only person I’ve told. It’s not that I’m afraid of sleeping with you. I just – I just—that morning when I stood outside begging him to give me my clothes back, while I stood half-naked outside, that memory is in my head. I’m too frightened of being placed in such a situation again. Getting into bed with someone and being forced to do things against your will, I can’t bear to go through it again.” Her lips quiver before she firms them. “I know you wouldn’t do something like that but I can’t stop being scared. I won’t apologize for it.” Her chin is raised as she finishes.
My chest tightens at seeing my brave little warrior, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she bares her heart to me. And at the same time, the rage pulsing through my veins can’t be abated as well. While I had known most of the story, I hadn’t been aware of the exact details.
I want to rip Darren Hall apart with my bare hands. I want to find him, corner him outside the office somewhere, twist off his balls and shove him naked onto the street.
The ruthless thought doesn’t bother me but it would be too much to share with Elise, so I press my lips together. “Why haven’t you reported this to Lana?” I know she has a reason and I can guess most of it but I want to hear it from her own mouth.
“If I do pursue this thing, then I’d have to leave because nearly half the female staff here is friends with him and I don’t think any of them have faced something like this at Darren’s hands. I have to protect myself as well, Lucas. You don’t know how vindictive these women can be. I do. Because I’ve been facing them for a year now. It’s best I keep my head down for now.”
“Until when?” I ask, simply.
She’s about to say something but she immediately swallows the words, a flash of guilt on her face. “I’ll figure it out.”
Something I’ll have to think about later.
I pull her with me to the couch and make her sit on it while I sit on the coffee table, facing her. “This is what today was, wasn’t it? You wanted to tell me what had actually happened between the two of you and to ask me whether I intended to use you and toss you away.”
She nods and there is that brave tilt to her chin again. “I spent a week thinking about this. And I came to this decision.”
My hands run down her arms and then I grasp her cold hands, settling them in my lap, “There’s no rush to anything. And if you think it would make you feel better, we can always go to your place.”
The meaning is clear and she blushes.
When we leave the office to pick up Sophie and drop her home, she looks mentally exhausted but happy. Before exiting her car, she kisses me on the cheek and then rushes out.
After she’s gone, my own smile fades and I return to the office, making my way to Caleb’s office.
When I open the door, both Oliver and Caleb are waiting for me there, their expressions grim.
The door shuts behind me with an ominous click.
10
Elise
Lucas’ declaration is still ringing in my ears. It’s been a handful of days since I went to his office. He’s still pretty wrapped up with his work, but he always makes it a point to come and see me twice a day. Once in the morning, and once for lunch.
I keep telling him he doesn’t have to but he insists on taking me and Sophie out to lunch every day. I mean technically, I am Sophie’s lunch but the gesture is very sweet. However, I refuse to let him pay every time. The one time I forced him to let me pay, he sulked the whole time on the ride back.
That’s something I’ve discovered about Lucas.
He can sulk like a child when something doesn’t go his way.
It’s the most adorable thing about him and although I can sense that this man is incredibly lethal when roused, cruel and fierce when the moment calls for it, the fact that while he can turn savage at any moment, he lets me get away with mostly anything. I provoke him endlessly and come out unscathed, most of the time.
Yesterday, when I had ignored him while working on something, he hadn’t quite liked that. So I had ended up being pressed against the bathroom door and punishing kisses had been my reward. I adjust my collar to hide the fruit of Lucas’s labor.
Honestly, the man has no shame, whatsoever!
The more time I spend with him, the more I realize that my ‘friend’ had been such a mild person. The man who keeps finding reasons to kiss me is cunning, sweet tongued, and a sadist. Lucas’s favorite past time is teasing me until my face is so red that I have to chase him away.
Jerk, I think, fondly.
I glance at my watch and fuss over Sophie, waiting for the lunch hour to start. Five minutes or so are left. These lunch meetings are the highlight of my day.
Maybe it’s because I’m so engrossed in fixing Sophie’s top that the footsteps don’t register on me until a smooth voice says, “So, this is the little brat.”
I stiffen automatically and immediately aim to lift Sophie out of the pram into my arms where she’ll be safe.
Darren grasps my wrist tightly, in a painful hold. His tone is still pleasant as he speaks, “Don’t do that. I want to see my daughter.”
I pale as I try to tug my wrist free, but I hiss, “Get away from her, Darren!”
He ignores me and looks into the pram, a cold and detached look on his face, remarking, “Ugly little thing.”
Sophie is quiet, staring up at him, not a hint of a smile on her face.
Darren’s lips curve in a cruel smile, “But you’re still mine.”
“She’s not yours, Darren!” I spit out, without thinking.
He turns to look at me, vaguely surprised. “Are you saying you were spreading your legs for other men before me? So, the rumors about you are true then.” He acts as if he isn’t the one spreading them.
I finally manage to pull free of his hold, “I mean that you have nothing to do with either of us. So stay away!”
He gives me a mocking look. “Maybe it’s because you don’t want your lawyer boyfriend to think there’s still something going on between us.” He takes a step towards me.
I gather Sophie in my arms and step back.
“You know I think I might change my mind. Having a brat might not be the worst thing in the world.”
“The contract says—”
“The contract says…” he cuts me off, “that you can’t use the brat’s existence against me. You can’t bleed me for money. Nowhere does it say that I can’t use the brat.”
My blood runs cold as his words hammer at me. “I’ll take you to court. If you try to gain custody of—”
“You can’t stop me, Elise. I have a better salary than you. I come from money. I can simply say that I don’t find you a fit parent.” He leans forward.
I’m trembling with both fear and rage.
He smirks, “Trust me, there is no shortage of people who would willingly testify against your character in court. So, don’t threaten me.”
I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. “I’ll tell everyone what you did.”
“Then you’ll be taken to court for breaking the terms of the contract you signed. Think about lawyer fees, possible fines, possible jail time.”
I can see each escape route close one after the other as I grip on to Sophie, my breathing shallow. “What do you want from me?”
The satisfied look in Darren’s eyed makes me want to claw his eyes out. “Now you’re talking. For starters, get rid of the lawyer.”
“What?” My mind is running in circles. “My personal life has nothing to do with you!”
He gives me a cold look. “That’s my child you’re holding. You want to keep Sophie, the lawyer goes. Or, you can keep him and I’ll take the brat. Then you’re free to fuck whoever you want.” He runs his eyes over me, “Not that you’ll be able to hold on to him. I’ve never bedded a more boring woman than you.”
I would flush with shame if the noose that was his threat wasn’t tightening around
my neck.
He gives me a strange look suddenly, almost sympathetic. “You really are pathetic.”
I bare my teeth, his words pissing me off. Right now, the only two choices I can see before me are that either I fight Darren on this or I give in to his demands, which I don’t think will ever end. “What did I ever do to you?” I bite out, furious with myself while loathing him.
“You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he says and there’s not a trace of humor in his voice, a chilly look in his eyes.
His words, albeit odd, are the least of my problems. I make my decision in seconds. I can’t expose Sophie to this man. “No.” I shake my head. ”If you go after Sophie, I will take you to court. You’re not getting your hands on her!”
An ugly look settles on Darren’s face and he reaches for me, grabbing my wrist in a painful hold that makes me cry out, “Listen, you bitch—”
“Mr. Hall!” A male voice sounds within the lobby, and my heart flutters in relief while Darren’s face grows tight.
He immediately releases my wrist and I know that there will be bruises tomorrow. I take quite a few steps back and my eyes drink in Lucas’ tall form striding over.
“This isn’t over, Elise,” Darren whispers harshly, a cruel glint in his eyes before turning around and saying loudly, “Mr. Black. Is something the matter?”
My eyes shift to Lucas and despite quivering with bone deep fear, I promise to myself to kiss him a hundred times for saving me right now.
I’ve never seen Lucas wear such a ruthless look on his face. It’s a mixture of cold indifference, as if Darren is nothing but a bug to be squashed under his shoes, a naked savagery is hovering just under the surface of his indifferent expression. “Are you running out of work to do that you’re wasting time dawdling in the lobby?”
I can’t see Darren’s face but his voice is light and pleasant, “Elise called me down. She needed some assistance with her computer.”
Lucas raises a doubtful brow at him. “You’re telling me that the receptionist personally called you through your supervisor to help her with an IT related problem when the IT department is on the first floor?” He doesn’t even bother looking at me, his eyes still on Darren. “Elise, put a reminder for me to have Lana reprimand Analysis Department Floor Supervisor for delegating meaningless tasks to their employees.”
