“Next, he started punching me and was supposedly trying rape me – I don’t remember much past going through the glass - but David managed to save me. He kicked a hole through the door to unlock it and get back in, grabbed a frying pan from the kitchen and whacked Christopher over the head with it, knocking him out cold.
“Like I said, I don’t really remember much after going through the glass, just what David saw and the doctors told me happened based on my injuries. I lost a lot of blood because the glass slit one of my wrists, but David got me to the emergency room faster than any ambulance could have come to get me, so I was ok in the end.
“I know I told you when you asked about my scars that stupidity was the reason I went through the glass, and really it was. It was stupid of me to move in with him and even more stupid for me to stay when he started to get volatile. I should have gone back home instead of fighting back. None of it would have happened if I wasn’t being so forthright and stubborn.”
Elliot sat next to me in deathly silence. I hadn’t looked at him the whole time I was relaying my story, and only now chanced a look at his face. His brows were tightly knit, and his face was a swirl of emotions. I wasn’t sure if he was going to cry in sorrow or explode with anger.
“So let me get this straight,” Elliot spoke through clenched teeth. “Some guy puts you into hospital, and you think it’s your fault for provoking him?”
I shook my head, “No Elliot. I know it wasn’t my fault. I just think that if I wasn’t so caught up in fighting with him over my friendship with David - or any other guy, for that matter; that it all could have been avoided…I think I should have paid attention to the situation and left… I think I never should have moved in with him in the first place.”
“Did you at least press charges against the guy?” he asked expectantly.
“No, I didn’t,” I said looking the other way, everyone in my life was disappointed with me for not pressing charges. “I don’t even know why I didn’t. I guess I just wanted it all to be over.
“No else knows this, but he came to visit me at the hospital. He was so upset about what he had done that my heart kind of broke for him. He told me he had started taking steroids because he saw me joking with one of the body builders from the gym and thought I was flirting. It was all ridiculous in the end. I told him that I wouldn’t press charges, as long as he was out of the apartment when I went to collect my things, which he was, so…” I shrugged my shoulders, not really having anything else to say.
Elliot turned to face me and took my arm in his hands, turning it over to inspect my scars, touching each one tentatively with his fingertips. My heart skittered across my chest as he lifted my hand and pressed a soft kiss to the scar at my wrist. Sliding his hand up my arm, he traced the scar on my shoulder before kissing me there too, sending waves of longing throughout my body.
I became unable to resist him any longer when, using his thumb, he caressed the scar on my face. I closed my eyes as an intoxicating wave of desire flooded through me and leaned into his hand, not caring where we were, ignoring that fact that we shouldn’t be touching like this out in the open.
I let him kiss me, at first I didn’t fully respond, but as he gently sucked my lip with his, I parted my lips and let out a soft gasp, allowing him in. My body was on fire as his arms circled around me, and I moved to sit on his lap, never breaking the kiss. Our tongues danced together as they explored the crevices of each other’s mouths, replacing the pain I felt from telling that story with something so much sweeter and more beautiful than anything I had ever experienced.
My head tipped back as he rained kisses down my neck and across my chest, leaving a tiny trail of fire in their wake. Our breathing was getting heavy, and I could feel his arousal pressing against my own, causing me to grind instinctively against him. He moaned and captured my mouth in his again, hugging me tighter to him as his hands caressed the exposed skin on my back.
A sudden beeping brought us crashing back to reality along with the comprehension of where we were and what we were doing. Panting, I sat back as he slowly released me so I could switch off my alarm.
“I guess I had better get back,” I breathed, laughing a little.
His eyes were dark as he reached his hands up to my face and pulled me towards him kissing me deeply again. He gently brushed the hair away from my face as he searched my eyes for the answers to questions unasked. His eyes narrowed a touch before he said, “Now we can go.”
“You are going to be our undoing Elliot Roberts.”
His eyes sparkled as he laughed, “As far as I can tell I’m already undone by you.”
Standing, he held out his hand to help me up. I did a quick scan of the park, hoping no one had seen us here and chanced one last brief kiss. “I’ll go ahead like I normally do ok?”
He nodded, “I might sit back down here and while and ah… calm down a bit.” I looked down and noticed his erection tenting his running shorts; I raised my eyebrows and couldn’t stop the grin from curling the sides of my mouth.
“I think that might be a good idea,” I said laughing as I started moving off.
“Katrina,” I stopped and turned to face him, “you know I’d never hurt you right?”
“I do know Elliot. I wouldn’t be spending time with you if I thought you would. Don’t go feeling sorry for me Elliot, I’m fine.” I called out as I ran ahead of him.
***
“So, how is tennis?” I asked my mother when we got a quiet moment alone, it was after dinner on Wednesday night, and I was helping her with the dishes while my brother and father had taken a trip up to our local shops to get some ice cream for dessert.
She kept her focus on the dish she was scrubbing as she spoke, “It’s fine, my game’s getting better, I think.”
“Have you been making friends with the other women?” I probed.
“Well yes, I’ve met them all for coffee a couple of times, and I went to that dinner a few weeks ago. They’re a really nice group.” She glanced at me and gave me a quick smile.
I narrowed my eyes as she turned away, the gentle approach wasn’t working. I would have to be more direct if I was going to find out what she had been saying to Elliot’s mother.
“What about that lady you were telling me about? The one with a son at my work - how do you get along with her?”
“Oh you mean Kathy? She’s great. We get along really well.”
“Do you talk about your children?”
She shifted nervously and continued to talk into the sink, “Of course we do Katrina. It's what mothers talk about most.”
“Any interesting topics?” I ventured.
She stopped and turned to face me, “I’m guessing you’re aware that I know how you spend your lunch times at work – is that what this is about?”
“Partly.”
“I have to be honest Katrina. I am a bit hurt that you haven’t told me anything about Elliot yet. How long has it been? A month? More?”
“We’re not together yet mum.”
“That’s not how his mother tells it; she says you’re seeing each other.”
“I’m not really sure what we are to each other right now, I’m just spending time with him.”
“Katrina, I’m really happy that you are spending time with a boy, or a man in his case, but I am upset with you. Elliot is what? 25? And he has told his mother about you. You are my daughter, and you haven’t told me anything. You acted like you didn’t even know him.”
I had to admit it sounded pretty bad when she put it like that, “I’m sorry mum. I just didn’t want to talk about it until I knew it was something.”
Her mouth twitched at the corners, threatening a smile, but she kept it under control and asked hopefully, “Are you saying it’s something now?”
“I’m saying it’s something now.” Her face changed from stern to excited in milliseconds. She let out a little girl squeal and hugged me tightly.
“I’m so glad you are moving on! Te
ll me about him, when do I get to meet him?”
“Mum, slow down ok. We’re not up to that stage yet. He is really nice though, you would like him. Although I have to ask mum, have you told Kathy about what happened to me with Christopher?” Her eyes dropped immediately, I could tell by the look on her face that she had.
“I’m sorry, I told her before I knew that you were seeing each other. She didn’t tell him did she?”
“No, she just warned him to be gentle with me, so I thought it best that I told him myself.”
“How did he take it?”
I shrugged, “He was angry, and kind of sad about it. I think he was worried that I might have thought he could be capable of doing the same thing.”
“And do you think he is?”
I shook my head vigorously before I answered, “He doesn’t seem to have the bad-boy streak in him that Christopher did, so no. I don’t think he would.”
“Well, if his mother is anything to go by I don’t think he’d be like Christopher either.”
“I just don’t like people feeling sorry for me, you know. He sees me as really strong and capable because that’s what I always show him, and now he knows some guy beat me up. I don’t want him to think I am weak and need protecting all of a sudden.”
“I doubt he sees it that way, sweetheart.”
“I hope not.”
Chapter 11
Friday had come around again and I was planning to stop by the conference for a drink that evening, after not attending for a little over a month.
I had instead, been going out with David every Friday night to have dinner and go dancing before catching the two o’clock train home, drunk and exhausted on Saturday morning. It was wreaking havoc on my training schedule, but I didn’t have any big races planned until January, meaning that I was happy to have a bit of fun for now.
Most mornings I would catch the train to work with David so I advised him of my plans that morning, and never being one to miss out of a good time, he wanted to come along as well.
Elliot was next on my list to inform, I told him when we were training up in the gym at lunch time, while we were doing sit ups and throwing a medicine ball at each other.
“Is that wise?” he asked cautiously, as he threw the ball to me.
I caught it and leaned back with it over my head, hefting it up to return it before I answered. He caught it quickly, stopping the exercise to listen. “Yeah, I think I need to show them I can go, and that you and I can be normal around each other. You’ve been going every week haven’t you?”
“Yeah I have, I normally stop in for a drink, so I can talk to the partners – networking; you know?”
I nodded my understanding and went on, “Well, I thought that if I go, stay close to Kayley and head out with them afterwards - without you; that it may just end any 'supposing' about things going on between us.”
“Without me huh?” he noted with his eyebrows raised.
I tilted my head slightly, frowning as I reasoned, “You know we can’t go out with them all together. Bianca and Beth will most likely be there, and then we’ll get hauled into Priya’s office again – I doubt she’ll let us off this time.”
“It’s ok – don’t worry about it. I was planning on meeting up with some old uni friends afterwards anyway. Although, if you get bored hanging around that lot, I'll be at the Docks Hotel.” He raised the ball above his head to resume the exercise, lying back before throwing the ball again for me to catch.
It was my turn to pause after catching the ball, still having more to say. “Tempting, but I won’t be able to - I have to catch the train back with David at two. But, I was going to ask you if you were free Saturday night.”
His eyes widened in happy surprise, “You’re going to let me take you out?” he asked.
I smiled 'yes' at him, relishing in the delight I felt at his thrilled response.
He leaned closer to me and lowered his voice, “Although, what do you think about staying in and having dinner at my place?” he suggested.
Those pictures of what I'd do to him when we were alone started flitting through my mind, and it was my turn to feel excited, “I think, considering our track record with PDA so far, dinner at your place would be a very good idea.”
***
David was waiting for me at reception this time, so he didn’t have to James Bond his way through to the conference room.
His eyebrows shot up as he let out a low whistle when he saw me. “I hope you weren’t wearing that all day,” he commented taking me by the hand and twirling me around. “You look gorgeous, Trina.”
I had gone shopping earlier that week and bought a skirt that transformed into a short black strapless dress. I wore it with a thick belt in the centre to cinch in my waist and give me the appearance of curves. I let Kayley help me with my makeup and hair, then put on some strappy high heels so I was then standing eye level with David.
Taking him by the hand, I led him into the conference room where everyone was already drinking and chatting amiably. What they spoke of, I have no clue. I struggled to maintain focus the moment I caught Elliot watching me from across the room.
The conversation around me was becoming more of a humming despite the energy I was exerting in an attempt to listen to it. I could feel his eyes boring into me, the awareness filling my body and numbing the sounds to silence around me, so I was attuned only to him.
“Katrina!”
I blinked surprised, “What!? Huh?” I blundered out, as my attention was dragged back by David, standing in front of me, attempting to hand me a drink.
“Where the hell were you just now? I was trying to hand that thing to you for a while.” He told me as I relieved him of the glass he was holding out.
I took a mouthful of the cold liquid and laughed uneasily, “I don’t know, I just kind of switched off for a while – long week; you know?”
The great thing about Friday drinks was that people relaxed and showed a side of themselves they didn’t normally show around the office, even the partners were laughing and smiling - acting more or less human. As the night moved on, we all gathered around the conference table and talked as though we were long-time friends.
One of the partners Ken, a small man with mousy brown, curly hair - that bounced as he moved his head; came and sat in the chair next to me to spark up a conversation. He was wearing a tie covered in Looney Tunes characters, finding it a refreshing change to the usual spots and stripes; I complimented him on his choice.
Thanking me, he asked if I was at university, to which I replied yes, I was studying law. Politely, he asked me about my grades and which area of law I was most interested in. I told him that at that moment I liked family law. He himself practiced patent and trademark law and said that he would find family law difficult to handle as there were too many emotions involved.
“Although, I don’t think it would be as hard as criminal law like Elliot here is learning to practise,” Ken boomed bringing Elliot into our conversation. He had been unobtrusively sitting across from us, nursing his drink and acting as though he was watching the room.
“I don’t know about that Ken. They can both have their ups and downs I think.”
“That is probably very true. I am lucky; I spend my days looking at names, slogans and devices. None of that gets too personal so it’s easy to do well and leave your work at the office.” He sat back in his chair and looked at his watch, “Ah, it’s getting late – almost ten already. I think we had better call it a night or my wife will lock me out of the house,” he joked, slapping his thighs as he hefted himself out of the chair, leaving Elliot and I, sitting across from each other.
As I looked at him, my breathing quickened. The attraction between us so strong that I struggled with acting upon the hot image of me leaping across the table and ripping his shirt open to run my tongue down his…stop it!
I briefly closed my eyes to straighten my thoughts, opening them to give Elliot a quick smile before rising to pu
t some distance between us, preventing me from doing something foolish in front of so many prying eyes.
Ken stood at the front of the room, loudly telling everyone that it was time to head off. I took the opportunity to wander over to David, who was standing by the bar talking to Bianca, Beth and Carl.
“Hey Trina,” David said happily to me, he was already a little soused, taking advantage of the free liquor before we headed out. Bianca and Beth said nothing to me, instead choosing to excuse themselves so they could visit the ladies' room before we all left.
Carl nudged me with his shoulder and said out of the side of his mouth “Well, you just chased them away.”
I gave him a little shrug and walked with him and David to the reception area where everyone was gathering to go to Pontoon together. Elliot walked past with Andrew and Carmen. They were all saying their goodbyes to the rest of us.
“Aren’t you coming with us this time?” asked David.
“No, not this time,” Elliot answered as his eyes flicked to me and then back to David, “I’m going out to a late dinner with these two, then I have some friends to meet up with. Have a good night though.” He nodded politely, and walked to the elevator bay where Carmen and Andrew were already waiting.
David put his arm around me and gave my shoulders a squeeze, “You ready to dance the night away baby girl? Although I don’t know how I’m going to keep the guys away from you in that dress,” he said biting on his lower lip and shaking his head, making appreciative noises.
“Do you think it shows too much leg?” I asked seriously.
“There’s always too much leg with you Trina, those things go on forever.”
“You make me sound like a spider!” I grumbled pushing him on the shoulder.
He laughed at me pulling me closer as Bianca and Beth re-joined us.
“Is everyone ready?” Kayley called out.
There was a chorous of 'yes' and 'let’s go' as we all moved as a group to catch the next lift down and walk to the bar.
As it was last time, the bar was packed and people were spilling out onto the surrounding patio area. Kayley started waving her arm above her head animatedly as she saw her friends and cousin, Connor. Oh shit, I didn't even consider him being here, I thought.
A Beautiful Struggle Page 9
