Before she had left the store one of the guys from security had scanned the parking lot for Roger’s white Range Rover, as she needed to make sure that he wasn’t there waiting for her in the parking lot. After telling the human resources manager that she had to quit immediately, she left, feeling totally unhinged. The manager had been very understanding, acknowledging that her safety was more important than the job.
She was grateful that her co-worker, Stacy, was really sharp and had a good sixth sense, thinking so quickly on her feet. Evidently Roger was doing a thorough search for her. It seemed like he knew she was working there by his line of questioning. Stacy had said the right things to not raise his suspicions, but if he had talked to anyone else, it might have gone differently.
She couldn’t wait to go upstairs and be with Neil. She exited her car and ran to the elevator. When the doors opened, a man was preparing to step outside and head to his car. His presence startled her and she jumped back a little. The man realized this as he spoke to her. “Are you okay, miss? I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Yes, I’m fine. It’s just been a long day.”
They exchanged places as he got off and she got on the elevator. Now the sight of strangers was freaking her out. She actually thought of running for a moment at the sight of an unknown man. She needed to get a hold of herself.
She couldn’t wait to be in Neil’s arms. The elevator seemed to move at such a slow pace that it caused her anxiety to rise even faster, if that was possible. She couldn’t believe that her life was being controlled by a sociopath who was fixated on her. She knew deep down that Roger was capable of the unthinkable, that the police didn’t have the wrong suspect. How was she ever going to feel safe again if they didn’t put him away?
The elevator opened and she hurried to the front door. She wanted to get inside as soon as possible. She tried to put the key in the door, but her hands were shaking and she ended up dropping her keys. She tried again, and couldn’t get the lock to turn. She was a mess. Neil heard her commotion and opened the door before she could try for a third time.
He took a good look at her and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Kate’s mouth couldn’t seem to form words.
“Shit Kate. What is it?”
She entered their apartment and put her purse on the island. Neil closed the door behind her.
“Roger…Roger found me,” she said.
“Roger found you?” he asked, with alarm in his eyes.
“Well, he didn’t see me, but he came to my department and asked Stacy about me. She told him that I did work there up until last week when I quit abruptly. It was like he knew I was there. I don’t know how. He just seemed so confident when he talked to her. I think that’s why she confirmed what he thought and then said I quit.”
“Thank God that he didn’t see you. I can’t imagine the fear you must have felt knowing that he was so close to finding you,” Neil said, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close to his muscular frame. She melted into him, breathing in his scent which always calmed her. Neil rubbed his hands up and down her back. He held her for a long time. She finally felt safe after having been consumed by fear.
“Baby, you sit down. I picked up some Thai food on the way home, so I’ll bring it out to you. Just relax.”
Kate did as she was told. She sat on the sofa and waited for her handsome man to bring her a glass of wine and dinner, wondering what she had done to deserve someone like him. She knew that she needed to thank his mom for raising such a kind, considerate and thoughtful man. She made a mental note to do that at Thanksgiving when she would finally meet his family.
Neil brought her a glass of Moscato. It was her favorite and he kept it on hand. He was heating up the Thai food and had set their places at the island.
“Dinner is ready, baby.”
Kate got up, took a drink from her glass and went to sit on a bar stool. She wasn’t very hungry, but took a couple of bites anyway.
“So, I quit my job tonight. I am no longer an employee of Nordstrom,” she said, feeling sad that she’d been forced to quit a job she had loved. “I hate that I can’t give a proper notice. It’s not the right way to do things, but I think that they understood. HR was very accommodating about the whole thing.”
“I’m so relieved to hear that you quit,” Neil said. “You’re not going back after today, right? Not for any reason?”
“I can’t go back. He could find me. I can’t even shop there. I don’t know how dedicated he is to finding me. He will probably keep checking there. He’s out of his mind.” Kate covered her mouth with her hand thinking that she might throw up. This close call with Roger had made his obsession extremely real tonight. She didn’t know what he would do to her if her found her.
“I couldn’t agree with you more. You don’t have to worry about anything. I have no problem supporting both of us. You can just concentrate on school.”
“I appreciate that, Neil, but I really want to be able to pay my own bills. It’s not like we’re married. I don’t feel comfortable with you paying for everything for me. It’s just not right.”
“Well, I know that we aren’t married, but I could see things going in that direction. Can’t you?” he asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Kate smiled. She wanted to jump into his arms and tell him over and over that she would marry him, but she thought better of it. She didn’t want to scare him off. “Absolutely, but it’s really early to discuss a topic like marriage. We have only known each other for a couple of months. Besides, do you really want to be tangled up in all of this craziness? Your life must have been so much simpler before you got involved with me,” she lamented.
She realized that felt unworthy of his love. Her life was so convoluted now because of Roger and she had made Neil’s life complicated as well. How long would he put up with this?
“You haven’t messed anything up. You have brought me back to life. I now have hope for a future that includes more than just having a successful career. You are an angel sent from God who has caused me happiness I never expected to feel again. I am grateful every day to have you in my life,” he said, putting his hand on her thigh.
“You have made me happy as well. I’m just concerned for your safety. I would be devastated if anything happened to you because of me,” she said placing her hand on top of his.
“Nothing is going to happen to me. You don’t have to be concerned about anything.”
“I just need to find a job when I get back from my dad’s funeral.”
“I have an idea,” he said. “We need help with filing at the office. You could come in after class and work until six every day. If you want more hours, you could go in on Saturdays. I’m sure that my assistant Laura could come up with a list of things for you to do. That way you won’t be working out in public where he might find you.”
“That’s a great idea. But do you think that people in your office would feel weird about you having your girlfriend working for you?”
“Well, no one has met you yet. They don’t need to know that you are my girlfriend if you would prefer they don’t know.”
“That’s true. No one needs to know. Can I start when I get back from my dad’s funeral?”
“That would be perfect.”
They finished eating in silence. Kate was relieved that she could work for Neil. It would be good to be working out of the public eye. He had just made her life easier again. The angst she had been overwhelmed by, now seemed a little less consuming. I love this man. He took their plates and put them in the sink, then returned, taking her hand and kissing it. She loved, so much that he was affectionate all the time. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the lips. He trailed kisses over her face until he reached her ear. He whispered to her how much he loved her and wanted her.
Kate looked up into his eyes. “Let’s go upstairs, baby,” she said. “I want to show you just how grateful I am to have you in my life.”
Neil grinned at her. He was even more handsome when he smiled, if that was possible.
His dark hair, hazel eyes, and strong jawline made her weak in the knees. She led him up the stairs, feeling strangely powerful that she was initiating sex for the first time. So far, he had been the one to lead her up to the bedroom. She wanted to do everything she could to please him. As soon as they walked in their room, she closed the door behind them.
“Well, what do you have in mind, Miss Simmons?” he asked with a salacious grin.
“You’ll see,” she said coyly. She finished loosening his tie, taking it off. Then she concentrated on his shirt. She pulled the jacket off his broad shoulders and placed it on the chair in the corner. Then she took off his belt and unzipped his pants. She realized that the shoes should have been removed before the pants when she tried to take his pants off. Here she was trying to be seductive, but instead she was making a rookie mistake. She bent down and untied his shoes and took them off. Now she could return to the removal of his pants. Once his pants were off, she laid them over his jacket on the chair.
“You know, this really isn’t fair. I’m down to my boxers and socks and you are completely clothed,” he said, beginning to lift her purple silk knit top over her head. “That’s better. We’re almost even.”
She giggled as she slipped off her shoes. Lastly, he removed her pants. Now they were facing each other, wearing only their underwear.
Kate regained control by pushing him onto the bed. “Ooh, I’m liking where this is heading,” he said, looking up at her.
She slid off his boxers to reveal her target. She kneeled down and wrapped her hand around his expanding shaft. He watched her closely as her mouth approached him with eagerness. She slid the tip of his hardened sheath into her mouth causing Neil to moan loudly. She reveled in the sound of pleasing her man. She continued to slide him in and out of her mouth as she held onto him tightly. She picked up speed and kept her eyes locked on his. His eyes were fixed on her, the passion in them intense.
“Oh, baby… this feels great… but I really want to be inside of you. Come here.”
Kate released Neil and climbed on top of him. He slid her panties off and unhooked her bra. She had straddled him and had started grinding her wet slit against his girth. She rubbed him against her clit. He had his hands on her hips and he maneuvered himself to penetrate her hot core.
“Oh, Kate,” he said, thrusting himself inside of her.
“I want you to lick your finger and rub your clit,” he panted.
She did as he asked. As she rubbed herself, she could feel her desire for him building deep inside. She kept moving up and down on his shaft while circling her own clit. Neil watched as her breasts bounced with each movement. Then he sat up and began sucking one of her nipples. It immediately responded to the warm caresses of his tongue. Once it was a tight rosy bud, he moved to the other nipple and lightly bit at it. This was her undoing. She screamed. Her orgasm was intense, lasting longer for any she could remember.
“I love to hear you come. It is such a turn on when I make you scream like that,” Neil said.
Kate began moving up and down Neil’s hardened shaft with intense speed. In less than a minute, he came, calling out her name as he did. She laid on top of him and kissed his neck. She didn’t move for a long while, pressing her body against his. She needed to stay connected to him in the most primal way.
***
As Kate got ready for bed, her exhaustion from the overwhelming events of the day set in. Being stalked and almost found by a mad man seemed surreal. Had she really quit her job? She hated that Roger had taken away not only her livelihood, but her feeling of safety too. But what else could she do? He had made it clear when he took her to lunch that he wanted her. He had shown what lengths he was willing to go to by tracking her down at Nordstrom.
She finished brushing her teeth and got into bed. Neil was waiting for her.
“Come here, baby,” he said with his arms open wide. “Let me hold you.”
She scooted toward him and rested her head upon his chest.
“It’s going to be all right. Things will look better in the morning.”
“I know you are right. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too. You are the most important person in my life. You are my precious girl and I never want to be without you,” he said stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers.
When Neil looked at Kate with such intensity, she knew his claims of how important she was to him were true. This gave her more peace than she’d known in a long time. “I don’t know what I would do without your love and support. Especially right now.”
Neil kissed her lovingly on the lips. “You’re never going to find out what it will be like without me. I’m all yours baby. There’s nothing you can do to get rid of me. Now try to get some sleep.”
Kate closed her eyes and drifted off in a matter of minutes. Neil had calmed her and assured her that she was safe and protected with him.
***
Neil stayed with Kate until she fell asleep. He watched her for a few moments while she slumbered. He lightly traced the curves of her face and then gently kissed her on the forehead. He couldn’t believe that he had found someone that he could spend the rest of his life with, someone he could adore and cherish. She was his dream come true and he was grateful to get a second chance at love. Losing Elizabeth had been so traumatic. He was determined to make sure that nothing happened to his beautiful Kate. He wasn’t about to let Roger hurt her or take her away from him. He needed to do something. Waiting for Roger to do something wasn’t his style.
He got out of bed carefully so that he wouldn’t disturb her. He then went downstairs to his office and looked through his rolodex to find the phone number of the security company that his firm had worked with before. He wanted to hire someone to protect Kate when she returned from Minnesota. He found the card of the owner, Paul Atkins. Paul was a former Navy Seal and he only hired people with military training. He felt that Paul and his men would be able to keep Kate safe when she wasn’t with him. He figured that Roger had killed his best friend Rick, but it was probably because Rick had been taken by surprise. Roger’s element of surprise had been blown when they figured out he was a killer. He would call Paul first thing in the morning to discuss the logistics of protecting Kate. Now he just needed to figure out how he was going to tell her. She most likely wouldn’t want to have security following her around. But he would insist and help her understand that it was necessary. She would listen to reason. She had too.
***
Kate woke up suddenly at four o’clock in the morning. She’d had a disturbing dream. She was being watched by someone with glowing eyes. She could feel an evil presence in the dream, but she couldn’t make out a man’s face. All she knew was that she needed to get away from those eyes. But every turn she made to run away, the eyes followed her. She couldn’t escape them no matter how hard she had tried. She felt shaky as she got up to go to the bathroom. When she returned to bed, she moved close to Neil’s body. His warmth made her feel safe again and she finally drifted back to sleep.
She finally got up about nine, and it was the latest she had slept in for a long time. She usually was up around six for either work or school or both. But now, she didn’t have work to go to. It was a strange feeling to not have a job. Neil was already up, so she sauntered downstairs to greet him.
“Good morning, baby,” he said with a huge smile. “Coffee is ready.”
“Good morning,” she said, reaching up to kiss her sexy man.
“What do you want to do today? We have the whole day to spend together. In fact, we have the whole weekend to do whatever we want.”
“This is exciting. I would love to explore more of La Jolla with you.”
“I was thinking that we could go to L.A. and see a play and spend the night. How does that sound?”
“That sounds amazing! I would love to see Wicked. I have heard it is sensational. T
he Wizard of Oz was my favorite movie when I was a child.”
“I’ll check online to see if we can get tickets for tonight and I’ll find a room for us. You just relax and have some coffee. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Neil retreated to his office while she poured a steaming cup of coffee. She added her truvia and creamer. It was so soothing to have her hazelnut coffee. The warmth calmed her somehow.
She heard the phone ring as she took her coffee out on the terrace and stood against the railing. Neil answered it in his office. The view of the Pacific Ocean was beyond words. The crashing of the waves below brought peace to her soul. The sunshine on her face lifted her spirits. She knew quitting her job was the right thing to do. She woke up feeling that it would be difficult for Roger to find her now. Trying to find her at SDSU would be like counting grains of sand at the beach. There were more than fifty-thousand students on campus. It was a madhouse on any given day. She would keep her eyes peeled for him just in case.
Neil came out and joined her on the terrace. He wrapped an arm around her waist and gazed out at the ocean with her. “I got tickets for the seven o’clock show tonight. It has outstanding reviews. We can find an Italian Bistro to eat dinner before the play begins. We should leave here about three. I booked a suite for us at the Four Seasons.”
“That would be wonderful, thank you Neil,” she said, her stomach rumbling. “ Sounds like I’m ready to have some breakfast.”
“Well, let’s go inside and make some. What would you like?”
“I need some comfort food. How about pancakes?”
They went inside and began taking out the ingredients for pancakes. Kate started the griddle and Neil mixed the pancake batter with water, oil, and an egg. She added cinnamon to the batter and sliced up a couple of bananas. She loved bananas in her pancakes. When they were done cooking, she poured two glasses of milk, carrying their breakfast out to the terrace. It was so relaxing to just sit, eating breakfast, enjoying the glorious day. Time seemed to stand still.
Taken By You Page 5
