Fulfilling Torment

by B. L. Purser

  I positioned myself behind my mahogany desk and motioned for her to take a seat in one of the two chairs facing it. Amazingly, she sat in the chair this time and waited for me to continue.

  “I understand you have stipulations that need to be addressed. Please begin when you are ready.”

  I leaned back in my chair and struck my infamous business pose. The walls were in place, and I was ready. At least I thought I was ready.

  “First, just so we’re clear, I will not call you Mr. Bennett. I will speak to you by your first name just as you speak to me by mine.”

  “Honestly Aiden, I think I’ve changed my mind. You’re too overpowering, and you make decisions and change the rules as you go. I thought that we could settle on an agreement that we could both live with, but I realize now that it isn’t possible.”

  Her eyes held a touch of sadness, and I knew that her decision had not been fully made.

  “Why have you changed your mind so quickly without even trying the arrangement? What has happened to make you think that this will not work? I remind you that this meeting was set to address stipulations that you had. Would your stipulations not address your concerns? I hardly think you are that sloppy in your negotiations.”

  I knew that I could hit a nerve with my last remark. Just as I expected she quickly retorted. “Sloppiness is not a quality that I possess. I am fully aware of my required stipulations. What I will not accept is being lied to. You said that I would be able to continue living as I always have. I translate that to mean that I would continue to make my own decisions. If you know me even the slightest little bit, you know that I will maintain control over my life at all costs. Yet, the moment that I said I would consider this, you changed the game. First, you paid for my hotel stay. I have money and plans. I’m not a kept woman and will not be treated as such. Just when I began to let a little of the anger go from that, I realized that you didn’t just move me into any apartment building owned by Bennett International, you moved me into your apartment building! You have control issues, and I have issues being controlled. There are at least a million women that would be into that. I am not one of those women. Perhaps we jumped the gun on all of this.”

  This made perfect sense to me. I knew that she would not be happy about my settling her hotel account. However, I had a simple excuse for that. The change in apartments would be slightly harder to convince her of, but I knew I could handle it.

  “Let me explain. It is customary for Bennett International to help with relocation efforts of new employees. Part of this includes the company footing the bill for lodging until an apartment is leased. I am assuming you turned down relocation assistance from our new-hire department. However, I am not happy that our employees incur these expenses. I would have done that for any employee. Since I became aware of this, I have ordered a complete overhaul of our new hire relocation process.

  “Secondly, I understand your concern about the apartment. However, I made the change with both of us in mind. The media constantly searches for dirt on me. They camp out all over trying to track my routines. If they saw me traveling to your apartment more than a few times, they would have figured out that I was going to see you. More stories than you can imagine would have been printed about it. If they saw you repeatedly traveling to my apartment, they would have known you were coming to see me. So, the same would hold true. This way, they will have no reason to believe that anything is going on between us. You will maintain your privacy, and believe me; that is worth its weight in gold. On paper, Bennett International owns this apartment building. So, it does not look fishy that you are staying here. Plus, I am having the other vacant apartments elsewhere gutted and renovated. It was a good way to kill two birds with one stone. At the moment, this is the only apartment location available. My PR department will see that the media realizes this.”

  I leaned back in my chair as if to insinuate that I was getting bored with the conversation. In reality, I was anything but bored.

  “Now that we have cleared those two issues would you like to discuss your stipulations, or are you still going to recant on our agreement?”

  The look in her eyes told me that my explanations had worked. Deep down, I knew what I’d done stemmed from my need to control her, but I also knew she would never willingly allow that. I had to have her, and if it meant letting her feel she still maintained control, then that is what I would do.

  “Alright, I have two stipulations other than the ones that we have already agreed upon. The first is not so much a stipulation as just information. I can’t take birth control pills. I tried it in the past, and it makes me physically ill to take them. I’ve tried all forms of birth control, and they all make me sick. My past doctors have explained that most birth control contains hormones. For some reason, my body rejects the hormones in them. I think it has something to do with them being synthetic or the carrier of the hormone, I’m really not sure. Anyway, there is no need for it. I can’t have children. Your doctor can review my medical records and do a physical exam if he wants. Trauma and scar tissue has made it impossible for me to get pregnant. Besides, I don’t want children, so if I thought there was any way for that to happen, I would avoid it at all costs.”

  Her demeanor never changed the entire time she was explaining her debacle, and I knew that she had made peace with her never having children. In fact, she seemed to be comforted by it.

  “My final stipulation is one that I will not budge on. It will probably be the hardest stipulation for you to agree to, but trust me, if you break this one, I will leave and never look back.”

  She sat forward in her chair and pushed her finger into my desk to emphasize as she spoke. “I want my past to stay in the past. I made great efforts to leave it behind years ago, and I refuse to relive it. I realize that you have the means probably to uncover everything that was ever even slightly connected to me, but if you want this agreement to work, you won’t. You will take the physical element that I have to give, and leave the rest of me alone.”

  She was asking a lot, and for anyone else, I wouldn’t have even considered it. For her though, I knew that this was the only way. I didn’t blame her for wanting her privacy. After all, who wants to share their demons with the world? Although I didn’t have that luxury, I understood completely how she felt. I sealed the deal with one single word,

  “Agreed.”

  Chapter 11

  – Cam

  We were still sitting motionless across from one another. Our eyes seemed to be caught in an intense staring competition. It had been a minute or maybe longer since Aiden had muttered the one word that seemed to hold so much promise. It was as if neither of us knew where to go from there. The deal was made. Now, if I could just keep it together, I might just manage to be okay.

  I must have glanced away first because I now found myself taking in my surroundings. His apartment office was eerily identical to his office at Bennett International. The intricate gigantic mahogany desk consumed the room. It was like an extension of him. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect representation of the man sitting behind it, and I found myself wondering what it would be like to be stretched out across it with him on top of me. Although I wasn’t sure where the thought came from, it was disturbing. I had only made this agreement because of the nightmares. I could never allow myself to get any more involved than that. Since my nightmares had not come back yet, there was no need to cross that line.

  “Let me show you around the apartment complex. I’m assuming that you looked through the brochure?

  His question pulled me from my thoughts.

  “Yes, but a tour isn’t necessary. I do not want to be an imposition to you. I am not a guest here, and you don’t have to treat me as such. Although, I do have a question. How many other people live in this building?”

  I should have known that I wouldn’t like the answer I received.

  “Two besides us. Dean, my bodyguard, lives in the ground level apartment, and Hawkins lives in an apartme
nt just above Dean.”

  This information was a little unnerving.

  “What about all of the other apartments?”

  He shrugged his shoulders as he replied. The gesture seemed out of sorts for him, and I wondered if I had uncovered something that he really hoped I wouldn’t discover. “Cam, I don’t like people all that much. Would you like to see the other apartments? Perhaps you would prefer one of them? Right now, they are just shells. I finish them when I have a use for them. If there is something you could use one for, give Hawkins the specifications and he will see to it. I do not know if you have any hobbies, but as the brochure indicated everything here is at your disposal.”

  I wasn’t quite sure what to say. All of the other apartments were unfinished, but mine was completely perfect. It was also totally me. Had he finished my apartment after meeting me? Although I wanted to ask this question, I was scared of the answer that I’d receive. This hinged on complete control of me, and I felt a panic attack starting to brew.

  “Cam I can tell by the look on your face that this is a lot for you to take in. You have to understand; my life is very different from the average persons. I have more money than I could spend in twenty lifetimes. I have no descendants. I do not consider money a commodity; therefore, I spend it with little regard. It does not mean that I am trying to make this personal. In actuality, I do it because of my selfish nature. You are not a prisoner here. Since I have asked you to live in close quarters with me, I would like for you to have options at your disposal. If money can allow that to happen then so be it. I do not look at it like I’m spending money on you, and I suggest that you stop looking at it that way as well. You have said that you do not want a relationship of any kind, so I can only imagine that we are more alike in that regard than different. If I had to guess, I would say that crowds of people make you anxious, and you try to avoid people most of the time. Therefore, I know this may be harder for you than even you can process at the moment. My hope is that the things around here may provide some relief and help you settle in comfortably. There is a credit card with your name on it in the left kitchen draw of your apartment. If you want, use it for anything you need. If that is stepping over a line that you are not willing to cross, because of feeling bought or personally connected more, then simply cut it up. You are currently analyzing every little thing. If you continue to do that, you will drive both of us crazy. Our physical acts will not be as good if you are overthinking things all of the time. Stop it, or let’s save the drama and scrap all of it now.”

  This was the most that I’d heard him say the entire time that I’d known him. His words made complete sense, and I found that I was letting my guard down slightly.

  “Thank you for explaining. I have a better understanding of things now. I think we are both on the same page and as long as it stays that way, it will be fine.”

  I watched as a smile passed behind his eyes. I had already learned that I could not gage his mood from his face. He was able to mask his thoughts well, but his eyes gave him away. The average person would never pick up on it, but as a person practiced in the art, I saw through his indifferent expressions.

  He retrieved something from his pocket and extended it to me.

  “Here is the cell phone that I mentioned previously. My number is pre-programmed in the phone. You can text or call whenever you see fit, and I will do the same. Dr. Reed will be coming by your apartment tomorrow morning at nine o’clock if that suits you. He will want you to sign a release so that he and I can discuss your medical status. As I promised, I will not delve into your past. You do not have to reveal what happened to you just your current medical state. I will be sure that Reed is clear on that.”

  He made it very obvious that our business was complete, and I was being dismissed. To reinforce this, he turned to his computer screen and began punching keys. Taking the hint, I stood and left his office. Somehow, Hawkins knew that he was needed. He was standing just outside the office door.

  “Ms. Anderson, I will gladly escort you back to your apartment.”

  I tried to smile and appear happy, but my smile faltered slightly. Hawkins made no indication that he noticed, but then again, I didn’t really expect him to.

  “No thank you Hawkins. If you will, just call for the elevator, I can take it from there.”

  He provided no response just turned and made his way to the elevator. I slowly followed him.

  As I walked through the foyer area, I stole a glance into the kitchen and living room. Although the architectural elements were similar to my apartment, the décor was starkly different. Deep, dark colors and leather upholstery screamed male. That combined with the meticulously positioned dominating dark wood furnishings gave off a powerful aura. There was nothing inviting or cozy about this place. It screamed Aiden’s name perfectly. The devious female in me wanted to smother it with the most feminine throw pillows I could find just to see the explosion that it would create.

  – Aiden

  This was proving to be more of a challenge than I was used to. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why she was worth all of this hassle. I have never had to explain myself to anyone. After all, I was Aiden Bennett for crying out loud. Yet, here I am allowing a woman, of all things, to question my judgment and decisions. In the past, I had fired top level executives for fewer indiscretions than these. Was I becoming soft, or had this woman just weaseled her way in the way no other person had ever done? Either way, it stopped here and now. This was part of the reason I’d dismissed her so rudely. She had reassured me multiple times that she wanted this to be purely physical. I knew these were my wishes as well. It was time for me to start behaving like the asshole I knew I was.

  With all this having been hashed out in my mind, I still couldn’t understand why I continued to watch her on the security video feed. As she descended slowly back to her apartment, I studied her face. I noticed a flash of sadness behind her eyes quickly replaced with the usual look of indifference. She was trying hard to keep her past buried, and I knew that the deal she had made with me was part of her efforts.

  A knock at my office door startled me away from my lurking. I quickly minimized the video footage and sat up straight in my desk chair.

  “Come in Dean.”

  I waited as the burly man opened the door and ambled in with little to no noise. Part of why I had chosen him as my bodyguard was his ability to be unseen and unheard. This would come in very handy for the mission I was about to give him.

  “Dean, I have an assignment for you. I want you to keep a close eye on Ms. Anderson at all times. Each evening, I would like a full, detailed account of her day’s activities. If she eats, I want to know what. If she buys something, I want to know what. If she meets with someone, I want to know who and why. Like before, I want you completely off the radar. She should never know you are there. This is completely confidential and no one, even Hawkins, needs to know about this assignment. You may go.”

  A curt nod of the head was all I got from Dean, but I knew he understood the assignment.

  Cam would be livid if she knew that I was monitoring her every move. However, it was something I had to do. I had to know everything I could about her. Plus, this was not breaking our agreement. Her past would not come into play unless something from it resurrected itself. If that happened, I would deal with it immediately. I would not allow it to ruin her any further. This was not controlling her; it was merely observing. The longer I sat there, the more I logically convinced myself that my behavior was perfectly acceptable.

  The final thing that I needed to accomplish was getting in touch with Reed. I picked up the phone and dialed his number. He picked up on the second ring and greeted me in the normal manner.

  “Hey Aiden, you ready for me to send you a girl?”

  It had become customary for me to call Reed a few times a week to arrange a call girl. I’m sure he wasn’t expecting the information that I was about to lay on him.

  “No Reed, I won’
t need those services anymore. At least, no time soon. I have met someone that has agreed to services on a more long-term basis. In fact, that is why I am calling. I would like for you to meet her at her apartment tomorrow morning at nine o’clock. I want a complete physical and health examination completed on her. I am planning on not using protection with her, so I want to be sure she is clean. I know that it’s not an issue because I shoot blanks, but I suggested she go on birth control as a double precaution. She says that she is unable to take birth control due to them making her sick. However, she has had a past accident of some sort that has left a shit load of scars on her abdomen. One of them looks significantly damaging. She says that because of this trauma, she is unable to have children. She has agreed to your research into her medical history in regards to this and a physical examination. I would like for you to do both tomorrow. I expect a full report on my desk by tomorrow afternoon. She has agreed to your being her medical doctor while she is with me. So, I want you to establish a weekly schedule to address her care just as you do mine. Incidentally, she happens to be the same girl that drugged me the night that I called you for an emergency blood test. Reed, I do not want you mentioning that event to her. I only mentioned it to you to lend an explanation of how I found her, and why we have formed this agreement. She states that she does not want any form of relationship with me or anyone else. So, I want you to make sure her emotional state reflects what she is saying. I will not be paying her for services. The agreement was made because we have mutual needs. She lives in an apartment just below mine. Hawkins will meet you in the lobby and escort you up a little before nine o’clock. I look forward to reading your report tomorrow.”

  I didn’t give him time to reply before putting the phone back in the receiver. This was my customary behavior, and I wasn’t going to change it now, even if Cam did not approve of my all business attitude. What I didn’t understand is why I was even lending thought to what Cam had to say on the matter. After all, I never considered what anyone else thought about me.