After several rings, his voice mail finally picked up. She left him a message telling him the news and reminded him about her appointment that evening with Samantha. Now she knew for certain that Samantha would understand. She would see how well Shelby had dealt with all of this and would agree that she was finally whole again.
She met Tamara for lunch, just a quick bite and girl talk, or so Tamara had told her last night. Tamara had other plans, though. When Shelby met her at the restaurant, she was handed a folder with newspaper clippings advertising bridal fairs that were coming up. It had pictures of dresses and ideas for table settings. Tamara was turning into a little wedding planning machine.
After the tornado of a conversation that took place during their lunch, Shelby headed back to her office. She was about ready to step into the building when she had that feeling again. She felt the hairs stand up on the back of her neck and a chill race down her spine. She quickly turned. She scanned the surrounding area. It was bustling with people going to or coming from lunch. People were carrying newspapers, briefcases, and purses, and all of them looked hurried and eager to get to their destination. She continued to scan the area, looking for any sign of him. But she didn’t see him.
Could she be wrong? Was he not really here? No, he was here, she could feel it. She took a final look and decided to let the fear subside. Even if he was here, she was surrounded by people in every direction. If he was watching her, that was all he could do. He could only watch. She wasn’t alone, and she had absolutely no intention of being alone either. She continued into her office building and returned to work. If her dreams and Jesse had taught her anything, it was to not take anything for granted. She would not live in fear of whoever he was. She would live her life to its fullest and be happy. Even he couldn’t take that away from her.
He watched her. He stood in the lobby of the building directly across the street from her. The windows were darkened. He could see her watching and looking. He smiled. He knew she was looking for him. She was smart. She knew how much he loved her and that he wouldn’t leave her alone for very long. “Don’t worry, my sweet. I’m here. I’m watching,” he whispered.
He smiled as he exited the building. Tonight couldn’t come soon enough. Once she went to her appointment to meet Samantha, he would grab her. He would take her away and show her just how much he loved her. It wouldn’t be long and she would soon forget about anyone and everything else in the world. All that would remain would be the two of them, together forever.
Rex waited outside her office just as he promised he would. Before her appointment, he planned to take her to look at one of the houses the realtor had recommended. He got out of the car and went to stand on the other side of it. He leaned against the passenger side door and crossed his legs and arms.
Shelby walked out of the building laughing at a joke the night security guard had told her. Her laughter was heightened by the sight of Rex standing against his red Corvette. She looked at him as he watched her and waited for her to come to the car. While he probably wasn’t aware of it, women were walking by drooling at the sight of him. He was so rugged and masculine and sexy. And he’s all mine! She felt a sense of pride and elation as she walked toward him.
Rex picked her up and held her in a bear hug. “Hey, gorgeous. Feel like looking at a house before your appointment?” he asked before he kissed her.
“Sure, will we have enough time?”
“To look at the house, or did you have something else in mind?” he asked as he waggled his brows.
She looked at the car and then at him. “Seeing as how I don’t think it’s possible to do much of anything in that car, I was talking about the house.”
“Who said anything about the car? The house is only ten minutes away, and I bet it’s got a bedroom or two.” He winked at her.
“Rex, be serious. We can’t have sex in someone else’s house.” She was giggling as she struggled to get down. “Come on, you animal, let’s go.”
He shrugged and let her down. “All right, fine. You’re a spoilsport, you know that?” He opened her door to let her in and proceeded to the driver’s side.
On the way to the house, he took her hand in his. “Any problems today?” he asked casually, but they both knew what he was talking about.
“No, I mean not really,” she said, not sure if he was really outside today watching her or not.
“Feel like explaining that?” His hand tensed.
“It was probably nothing. But remember I told you that a few of the times I saw him I had gotten a weird sensation right before?”
“Yeah, go on.”
“Well, I had that same feeling again today. But I looked, I mean I really looked, and I didn’t see him anywhere. It might have just been my imagination.” She tried to sound nonchalant.
“Maybe, I’m sure you’re right. It was probably nothing.” He smirked at her and kissed her hand.
She knew he was trying to convince himself as much as her.
He pulled into a driveway and got out to open her door. After letting her out of the car, he led her to the door. “Come on, Mrs. Brooks gave me the key.” He unlocked the front door and watched Shelby’s face as she took it in for the first time.
He knew that her face was going to tell him which house to buy. Shelby was economical, and he knew she would not long for much in a home. But he wanted her to have everything. So he was certain that if he was going to buy her a home that she really loved, he would have to watch her. If he asked her to pick one, she would probably choose the smallest little cottage she could find. But that wouldn’t do. He wanted nothing but the best for her.
Shelby said nothing at first. He watched her expression as she stared at the house in awe. It was a craftsman-style home, her favorite type of architecture. Coincidence? Hardly, seeing as how he had been asking her questions all week about her likes and dislikes.
The staircase was enclosed by a dark wood railing and banisters at the top and bottom. She walked to the front living room and traced her fingers along the built-in bookcases. Rex followed her while they both said nothing. She walked across the foyer and back the way she came until she reached the other side of the house. Beyond two French doors, there was a sitting room. She walked in and admired the crown molding encasing the room and took in all of its beauty. She was about to say something when she came upon a fireplace. It wasn’t massive in its size. But it was magnificent. The mantel was of the same rich wood tones that were throughout the home. It was a mammoth-sized mantel for the modest fireplace. It was almost too big, but somehow it seemed to fit perfectly.
Shelby traced her fingers across the detailing of the woodwork and imagined pictures, candlesticks, and all sorts of other family mementos that could grace the uppermost part of it. Rex came up behind her and put his arms around her waist.
She sighed. “It’s beautiful. Do you think that all of the carving was done by hand?”
“Maybe. It is pretty spectacular. Let’s go look at the rest of it,” he told her as he placed a hand on the small of her back, leading her from the room.
They continued to walk from room to room and take in the superb quality of the workmanship. Shelby wouldn’t say it, but he could see it on her face. She was in love with the house. That was why he had wanted to bring her here tonight. Technically, the house wasn’t going on the market for two more days, but with all of the details he had given Mrs. Brooks about what they were looking for, she had insisted it would be perfect for them. She had to call the owners, who had to move out of town for work, to get their permission to show it early, but they had agreed.
The house had four bedrooms, which included a master bedroom that would fit a very large bed. This thought prompted devilish ideas in his head. There was a master bathroom that had been updated to contain more modern amenities, but it was still decorated to honor the style of the home. With every other room they left and looked in, he knew this would be the house he would buy.
They had just finished looking at the
spacious backyard and were discussing what they envisioned could be done to add to it when Shelby turned to him. “Rex?”
“Yeah, babe?” he asked her, surprised by the hitch in her voice.
She took on a playful tone as she ran her fingernails down his chest. “You know how you said there was nothing you wouldn’t do for me?”
He lifted one corner of his mouth and cocked a brow. “Shelby, are you trying to seduce me?”
She snickered. “Hardly. Nothing so mischievous anyway.”
“Okay, then what?”
She took a moment to weigh her options. She could beg, but she knew she didn’t have to. “I love the house, Rex. It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed about, before I even knew I wanted those things. I don’t need to see any more. This is the one that I want to live in with you. This is the one I want to raise children in and make love in.” Okay, so she played the seduction card. A woman had to go with what worked, and if it worked, then no harm no foul. She knew this house would be perfect for them. She was certain of it.
He raised his head and laughed. Without even looking at her, he pulled on the waistband of her skirt and dragged her up against him. “You are trying to seduce me. You think if you do, you’ll get your way.”
Shelby held a hand to her heart in horror. “Rex, I am shocked. How could you think I would go to such lengths just to get my way?” She said the words as she was trailing her tongue up the side of his neck, and then she began nibbling on his ear.
“Oh, I don’t know. But something tells me that you would be willing to do just about anything to have this house,” he teased her.
So he wanted to play a game did he? Okay, she could play along. She drew back from his embrace and fluttered her eyelashes at him and nodded. “I think you’re right. I’m sure there is nothing that I wouldn’t do.” She trailed her fingers across the top of her blouse. “I’m sure that I could make it worth your while,” she continued as she undid the top button.
He watched her. “Babe, this taunting game is quickly losing its novelty. If you continued talking to me in that tone and acting so damn provocatively, I’m going to take you right here on the grass.”
He stopped smiling and fisted his hand in the back of her hair. “You win, babe. I’ll buy the house. You can have anything you want. Just promise me that you’ll remember how you were acting and the things you were doing when we get home tonight.” He kissed her long and hard. When he broke the kiss, he spanked her bottom. “Now come on, let’s get you to your appointment. If I don’t get you out of here now, we are going to take getting in touch with nature to a whole new level.”
They locked up the house that would soon be their home, and he drove her to her appointment. He had immediately called Mrs. Brooks to see if he could come by the office tonight during Shelby’s appointment. He was barely able to make the arrangements because she was kissing him and attempting to show her gratitude. The things she was doing with her tongue and her fingers were driving him insane. It took every amount of strength he had to not pull the car over and lay her down on the hood and ravish her body in front of anyone who happened to pass by.
Once he got her to the small building that her appointment was held at, he reminded her to keep her cell phone close by, just in case he ran late at the realtor’s office. He didn’t want her waiting outside alone. She agreed, and he walked her to the door. Once he saw that she was safely inside the waiting room, he headed out. Mrs. Brooks told him that if they were lucky, they would be able to close on the house in the next couple of weeks. It was a cash sale, and she knew the owners were eager to sell. Since Rex was meeting their asking price and offering to pay more for some of the furnishings that he knew caught Shelby’s eye, she hadn’t seen any foreseeable problems.
He drove to Mrs. Brooks’ office in complete serenity. He was buying a house. He would soon have a wife, and they would be starting a family. “Now all you need is a dog, Metcalf, and you have the whole kit and caboodle,” he said to himself, knowing that having Shelby was really having it all.
Shelby waited in the waiting room. She was so excited about the house. She was thinking about all of the things they would need to do to prepare for the move when Samantha walked out of her office.
“Shelby, I’m glad you’re a little early. Come on in, have a seat.” She motioned to the small couch.
Shelby sat and waited patiently as Samantha sat down with her notebook and pencil. “So, Shelby, tell me. Have you thought about what we spoke about last time we met?”
Shelby nodded. “Yes, and actually, I have so much to tell you. I think you’ll be pleased and actually very proud of me.”
Samantha’s head perked up at her statement. “Oh? Well, okay then, let’s hear it.”
Shelby dove headfirst into all of the bits of information that had happened in the past week. She told Samantha about the dreams and her realization. She explained how she felt about Jesse and why she felt she was so drawn to Brent. She told her how she had opened up to Rex about her past and told him everything. She told Samantha all of it as she felt a huge weight being lifted from her shoulders.
After about fifteen minutes of her incessant rambling, she realized that Samantha hadn’t uttered one single word the whole time. She wondered if Samantha had always been this quiet while she spoke. She couldn’t quite remember Samantha ever being so distant. “Samantha?”
Samantha shook her head, as if trying to escape her thoughts. “Sorry, I was just absorbing everything that you told me. It certainly seems that you’ve made headway this week in your recovery. With everything that you’ve told me, I have to ask. Are you still planning to marry Rex?”
Although she was surprised by the question, she responded with polite determination. After all, she knew that Samantha’s only concern was for Shelby’s happiness. “Yes, I love him, and I’m going to marry him.”
Samantha made some notes in her book. “I see. Look, Shelby, I’m really glad for all of the progress you’ve made. I really and truly am. But I–well, I guess I am just concerned about what might happen when your relationship reaches the levels of–oh, fine. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Eventually, whether it’s now or on your wedding night, Rex is going to expect you to have sex with him.”
Shelby’s body jerked back, not from the words but from the tone Samantha was using. She sounded agitated. But again, she had to remember that Samantha was only doing her job. Shelby gave her a genuine smile of reassurance. “Samantha, I guess I haven’t told you everything. I’m sorry. I guess I just figured some things were private. But I can definitely see your concern. Rex and I have already made love, and it wasn’t scary at all. It was wonderful.”
Samantha stilled and almost snapped the pencil she had been holding in half. “Excuse me? Did you just say that you have been intimate with Rex?”
“Yes, I did. I know it sounds sudden. But I feel like we’ve been leading up to this all along. I know that as a rape victim, I should have been afraid and nervous, but I wasn’t with Rex. He was gentle and caring and oh–I can’t believe I’m telling you this.” Shelby couldn’t control the blush that was rising to her cheeks.
Samantha got up from her chair and walked to the mini fridge she kept in her office. She retrieved a bottle of water and took a huge gulp. She turned back to Shelby. “Would you like something to drink?”
Shelby shook her head. She suddenly had a feeling of unease. Samantha looked upset. “Samantha, I–I hope you don’t think that Rex pressured me in any way. He didn’t. If anything, I was a bit aggressive with him. He awoke emotions in me that I had never felt before. I probably shouldn’t tell you this but–oh, what the hell, you’re a woman. I–I had my first orgasm with Rex. It was amazing and beautiful and so powerful. I–Samantha, what’s wrong?”
Samantha began pacing the office. “I don’t have to tell you, Shelby, that I think you made a horrible mistake. I have tried to be understanding because he was your friend. But from what you’ve told me, he is a bit of a l
adies’ man. I hardly think that is an appropriate choice of husband for a victim of abuse.”
Shelby suddenly was angry. She felt the need to defend Rex. He was nothing like Samantha was portraying him to be. Maybe he used to be that way, but things were different now. “Samantha, look, I appreciate your concern, I do. But he has changed. We love each other very much and–what are you doing?”
Samantha was digging in her desk drawer for something. Shelby was confused by the level of concern she was showing. She might have been her therapist, but she wasn’t in control of her life. She was entitled to make her own decisions.
“Samantha, I think it would be best if I just left. Obviously I feel well enough that I don’t feel the need to continue therapy. I’ll just show myself out.” She picked up her purse and headed toward the door. Samantha was still tearing the contents of her desk drawer out and rummaging for something.
“Thank you for everything, Samantha. I really appreciate all that you’ve done for me. Maybe we’ll see each other again sometime.” She reached for the door handle. She felt sad. She had grown fond of being able to talk to Samantha, and now it seemed as if their relationship had shifted into unfriendly territory.
“You can’t leave!” Samantha shouted to her.
“Excuse me?” Shelby turned to face her.
“If Rex loves you so much, why would he leave you here? He left you to wait for him to return all by yourself? I saw him drive away, you know. What kind of man leaves the woman he supposedly loves all alone with a stalker on the loose?” Samantha asked her with defiance.
“How did you–Samantha, I never even mentioned the stal–” Shelby’s words were cut off by Samantha placing a rag over her mouth. She couldn’t breathe. All she could smell was the scent of something sweet seeping into her senses. She tried to struggle with Samantha but was surprised by her strength. She lost the battle only seconds after it had begun as her eyes closed and she crumbled to the ground.
Morgan, Nicole - Sweet Salvation [Sweet Awakenings 2] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 25
