He Wants It, He Gets It (Full Series)

by Kira Ward

Sophie shook her head. “Nothing good out.”

  Emma dug through her purse and handed her a ten dollar bill. “Make sure you eat something decent. And bolus for it.”

  “Yes, mother,” Sophie said in her most annoying voice as she jammed the pump into her pocket and headed for the door, Jill behind her.

  “Meet me at the store at five.”

  Sophie just waved her hand as she slipped out the bathroom door.

  Emma turned to the sink and just stood there a moment, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She was only twenty-five years old, yet she felt decades older. Though, she didn’t look anywhere past her age. There wasn’t a wrinkle to be found on her round, pale face, though she would be happy to get rid of some of the spattering of freckles across her nose. Her eyes were still clear, still that pale blue that always seemed to catch people’s attention. And her hair…she’d never been good with styling her hair, but Martha made her go to this salon a few weeks ago and they’d cut it in a style that flattered the shape of her face instead of making it seem wider than it really was. She liked it because it was easy to care for, but she could see now that it made her look a little classier than she was, a little more sophisticated.

  It was funny, but she almost didn’t recognize the pretty girl staring back at her from the mirror.

  “Kids will wear you out.”

  “Hmm?” Emma turned, unaware until that moment that she wasn’t alone.

  “I heard you with your daughter. You wouldn’t know it from the way she was acting, but there’s a lot of love there. I could see it in the way she looked at you.”

  “Thank you,” Emma said, a little shocked that her eyes filled with tears.

  The woman just smiled, patting Emma on the arm as she walked away.

  Emma turned her attention back to the mirror, her thoughts rebelliously turning to Dante Caito. He was the man responsible for all the crap that was happening in her life. So why couldn’t she stop thinking about the way he smelled, the way it felt when she touched him?

  Maybe Sophie was right. Maybe she needed to make time for dating sooner rather than later.

  Chapter 9

  Several days later, Emma was checking the mail when Mrs. Remy approached her.

  “Have you heard the latest?”

  Emma shook her head, too busy wondering how the electric bill could be fifty bucks more than it was last month when the weather had been so mild over the last few weeks.

  “Those of us who have leases through the end of the year? They’re going to court to have us evicted sooner, saying that the building is a danger and needs to be torn down as soon as possible.”

  “What? Can they do that?”

  Mrs. Remy shrugged. “They can do whatever they want. They’re corporate America.”

  “That’s not right.”

  Mrs. Remy laid her hand on Emma’s arm. “There’s no point in getting upset. The only recourse we have is to hire lawyers and fight them in court. But who can afford a lawyer these days?”

  “It’s not right,” Emma said again, but Mrs. Remy was already shuffling back to her apartment, mumbling something about big business under her breath.

  Emma went upstairs and paced her small living room, anger building up so tightly in her chest that she almost couldn’t catch a breath. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Now they couldn’t wait until after Christmas to throw these poor people out into the cold? Now he had to ruin their last holiday in their homes, ruin the one thing they have to look forward to?

  She couldn’t stand it.

  And it was all her fault. If she had just kept her tongue, if she hadn’t lost her temper… She had to do something.

  She stopped pacing, and her eyes fell on the television. And then she remembered the technology expo. Wasn’t that this week?

  A small smile slid over her lips. She knew what she was going to do.

  ***

  “Here?”

  “Perfect.”

  Emma jumped out of the car and began dragging poster board out of the backseat. Todd followed suit, pulling them out from the other side.

  “Are you really sure you want to do this?”

  “Someone has to.”

  “It doesn’t have to be you.”

  Todd came around to her side of the car and gathered the boards she’d gathered along with the ones he already had. He carried them toward the park, glancing around as he did, watching closely for any sign of trouble.

  It was three o’clock in the morning. Emma didn’t think they would run into any trouble, unless they found a squirrel that wanted to steal the corn nuts she had in her bag.

  “They’ll see them before the presentation begins and have them all torn down before he even gets here.”

  “Maybe. But at least someone will have seen them.”

  It was a large, public park with a band shell right at its heart. The band shell was to be the hub bub of activity for the tech expo tomorrow. The convention center next door liked to hold these larger events outside in order to accommodate more people, and Dante Caito’s announcement tomorrow was likely to be a huge event.

  Fortunately, they didn’t have as much security watching over this area as they likely did inside.

  Emma and Todd spent more than an hour stapling posters to trees, tables, and the inner walls of the band shell, posters covered with pictures of the people being evicted from Emma’s apartment building with several different slogans, ranging from the mild—stop DJC from making this child homeless—to the inflammatory—DJC is heartless—written around them.

  When they were done, there wasn’t a place one could look that wasn’t covered in the colorful posters. Emma looked around and laughter bubbled up out of her chest.

  “This is so juvenile.”

  “So is he. What is it they say? Fight fire with fire.”

  “Yeah.” She walked up to Todd and pressed her forehead against his chest. “Thanks for doing this.”

  “Anytime.” He kissed the top of her head lightly. “Let me take you home.”

  Emma smiled up at him as he took her hand and led her back to his car.

  ***

  Her phone was ringing before she was fully awake the next morning. She mumbled something incoherent as she pressed it to her ear.

  “Did you really think my people wouldn’t find those posters you and your boyfriend put up last night?”

  Emma sighed. “It’s too early in the morning for this, Mr. Caito.”

  “You keep trying to get the better of me and you keep falling on your face. It’s beginning to get a little tedious.”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  He didn’t answer. But the line didn’t go dead, either.

  “Are you married? Do you have a girlfriend? Is this something you’d get off doing to her?”

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “What would you do if someone did this kind of thing to someone you loved? Would you just sit back and let it happen?”

  “I’d ruin them. But that’s who I am.”

  “Then you and I aren’t all that different.”

  She disconnected the call and closed her eyes, tossing an arm over her head to block out the sunlight streaming through her bedroom window. She wondered why he refused to tell her about his romantic status but was quite open about answering her other question. Was it because he didn’t want her to know he was alone? Or was that his way of protecting someone he loved?

  It made her smile, though, his mention of Todd. It confirmed what she’d suspected for some time now.

  He was having her followed. That was how he knew which jobs she was interviewing for, how he knew she was behind the television news story, how he knew the about the posters. But it was also how he was playing right into her hands.

  She was going to outsmart him this time.

  Chapter 10

  Emma wandered through the crowd, vaguely aware of the chatter around her. Most people were trying to figure out what Dante Caito wa
s going to announce today. Since it was a technology expo, most leaned toward something to do with the software division of his company, but others thought it was a real estate development project. There was some thought that he was going to announce a merger with another company—Juno Technology was the likeliest candidate, apparently. But no one seemed to have a solid lead.

  Kurt Michaels, the head of Michaels Tech, came out and tapped on the microphone to get everyone’s attention.

  “Welcome to the third day of the Annual South Plains Tech Expo!”

  The crowd clapped and cheered, the noise almost deafening despite the venue. Emma made her way to the far left of the space, a perfect place from which to watch the show.

  “As most of you here are aware, DJC, Inc. is a leading force in the technology arena. Dante Caito has taken the simply smartphone app and elevated it to new heights, creating applications that can do everything from display 3-D games to lock the doors in your house from a state away. And now Dante is planning a project so big, so complicated, that it will blow your minds.”

  Michaels held up his hands to calm the crowd as they again exploded into cheers.

  “Before I give too much away, why don’t I bring out the man himself? Ladies and gentlemen, Dante Caito.”

  He walked out on the stage like he was Moses parting the Red Sea. His hands were raised to acknowledge the applause of the crowd, a big smile on his full lips. Emma found herself studying the suit he was wearing or, more precisely, the way it fit, before she could pull her thoughts back to the task at hand.

  “Thank you, Kurt,” Dante said, gesturing to Michaels as he walked off the stage. “And thank you for this warm reception. Wow, I was not expecting such enthusiasm. But I suppose I should have. We are a tight community, are we not?”

  Again, cheers, applause, and comments screamed so loudly and clearly that Dante actually responded to a few before turning his attention back to his reason for being there.

  “As you know, my company has often ventured into technology. As Kurt kindly pointed out, we developed smartphone apps that changed the way people looked at their phones. We built computer security software that changed the way banks do business. We’ve worked with the government on encryption software that could, potentially, change the way in which the world shares information. And that, my friends, is just the beginning of what DJC’s software development division has planned for the future.”

  More cheers rose all around Emma. But then something changed; something took their attention from Dante’s eloquent speech. As she watched, a huge banner unfurled behind Dante. It was made of two white sheets sewn together, words written in black spray paint. It read: “DJC warps the law to get what they want. Don’t let DJC evict innocent families from their homes!”

  A gasp went up in the crowd. Murmurs spread from the front of the crowd all the way to the back. Emma heard some of the comments, mostly shock that someone had the nerve to do such a thing. Others wondering which innocent people DJC was evicting.

  Dante didn’t even seem to notice the banner, or the change in the crowd.

  But the show wasn’t over yet.

  As he began to talk again, the microphone shorted, squawked, and then went out. No one could hear a word he spoke. And then loud music began to play, an old Beatles song, Hello, Goodbye.

  That got Dante’s attention.

  He looked around, trying to figure out what was happening. Emma was kind of hoping he’d show the crowd his temper. He noticed the banner then, and she could visibly see the tension dropping onto his shoulders, but he didn’t react in any other way. Instead, he gestured to someone off stage. Almost immediately, his blond assistant came out, a small, battery powered mic in her hands. She quickly wired her boss up, sliding the power pack into his pocket with a certain familiarity that made Emma wonder if their relationship was more than just employer/employee. Not that it really mattered.

  The music abruptly stopped. They must have found the little computer bug Leslie put into their system.

  Dante was so busy watching Emma and Todd, he’d completely missed Leslie coming from the other direction. And he missed the small crew Leslie organized to help her hand the banner just a few hours before dawn.

  Dante waved his hands and began to speak again.

  “I apologize. These live events never go quite to plan, do they? But if you will allow me—“

  “What does that mean?” one clear voice called out from the crowd. “Who are you evicting?”

  “That involves another business deal within another division of DJC.”

  “But you know about it.”

  Dante stepped back slightly, his head tilted downward as he struggled to find the right words to say. Emma loved it, loved that he was unsure of himself for the first time since their fateful first encounter.

  “I think it would be best if we stay on topic,” Dante said. “This is, after all, a tech expo.”

  “Yes, but don’t you think your supporters are interested in all aspects of your business?”

  And that was when Emma knew it was a reporter. She had hoped there would be reporters present, but she hadn’t been sure. Now…there was no way people would not pay attention to this story.

  Score one for the underdog.

  Chapter 11

  Emma was curled up on the couch, a bathrobe wrapped around her freshly scrubbed body, her favorite show on the television. Sophie was at Jill’s, presumably studying for a big algebra test. It was the first time in weeks Emma had the apartment all to herself and she was determined to make the most of it. After all, she was celebrating, wasn’t she?

  The fiasco at the tech expo was the lead story on all three of the local channels and she’d seen it headlined on two different internet news sites. There had been more reporters at the event than she had anticipated, some from national outlets who took the story and ran with it. If that didn’t put pressure on Dante to back off, she didn’t know what would.

  It had been a good day.

  She poured herself a second glass of wine from the bottle she’d had hidden in the back of the refrigerator for more than a year, enjoying the sweet taste of the pink moscato. She didn’t drink often, but when she did, she loved a nice glass of wine. And this…it was an appropriate reward for a job well done.

  There was a heavy pounding on the door. Emma jumped, then laughed at herself, telling herself it was just one of the neighbors wanting to talk about the news stories. Three of her neighbors had already stopped by as excited as she was by the national coverage.

  She set her glass on the coffee table and went to the door, resting her hand on the knob just as the pounding came a second time. She hesitated again, something telling her this wasn’t a friendly visitor.

  “Who is it?” she called.

  There was no answer.

  She hesitated again, then told herself she was being silly. Who, but a friend, would be at her door this late in the evening? She opened the door and immediately regretted it.

  “Fucking bitch!”

  He grabbed her throat and pushed her into the apartment, slamming the door with the back of his foot as he shoved her up against the wall. Emma wrapped both hands around his wrist, tugging at his hand in an attempt to free herself. But his grip was stronger than anything she’d ever felt before.

  “You did this. You ruined my announcement.”

  She tried to shake her head, but she could barely breathe, let alone speak.

  “I’ve worked nearly four years on this project. Today was supposed to be my pinnacle, my ultimate peak. But you…” He pushed her hard against the wall, knocking her head against it hard enough to rattle the dishes in the cabinet on the other side. “All anyone can talk about now is your banner, your stupid cause, these damn people.”

  “Good,” she managed to croak out past the death grip he had on her throat.

  He stared at her like he couldn’t believe what she had said. Anger burned in his eyes, a slow, bright burn that could have melted steal
if it was a real fire. But then it changed, softened, as she stared right back with all the defiance she could muster. He leaned in close to her, his breath washing over her like a cool, summer breeze.

  “What is it about you?” he hissed. “Why can’t I stop thinking about you?”

  His grip loosened on her throat, but didn’t disappear altogether. But his thumb, instead of digging into the tender flesh just below her right ear began to stroke her throat, moving in slow circles against her bruised skin.

  “Leave us alone,” she said. “Let these people keep their homes. Let me keep my home.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question.”

  Emma started to shake her head, but he was there, so close, she couldn’t move an inch without brushing her nose against his cheek, without becoming overwhelmed with the scent of his cologne. She couldn’t breathe without each breath coming mixed with the air from his lungs.

  “Let me go.”

  “Believe me, I want to.”

  And then his lips were on hers. It wasn’t nearly as violent as it could have been under the circumstances, but it was heated, passionate. He didn’t just request entrance, he demanded it, tasting everything she had to offer in a breath after their lips touched for the first time. He explored with the same challenging attitude, going where he wanted to go without waiting for any sort of consent on her part.

  It wasn’t like she was fighting him, though. He caught her by surprise, but that didn’t completely explain why she buried her fingers in his shirt, twisting them around the soft, linen and tugged him closer to her. It didn’t explain why her chest felt like it was about to explode, why her lower belly began to quiver, why her palms itched to feel his flesh, his skin and bone and muscle, underneath it.

  His hand slid from her throat to the neck of her bathrobe, a small tug all that was necessary to pull it open. She’d made it easy for him, not bothering to put on much more than a pair of panties when she got out of the bath. His hand was instantly around her bare breast, her nipple standing on edge as he ran his hand hard against it, shoving it upward as he moved his hand up, then back down, then in a small circle that made her cry out against his hard mouth.