Working Girl: Volume Two

by Scarlett Metal

  “Sure, boss,” he said with a nod.

  I thanked the principal and shook his hand, still holding Shane. I wasn’t going to let him get far from me right now. We left the building and went out to the car. I buckled Shane into my car and headed out.

  “What happened to Charles?” he asked innocently from the backseat, looking out the window.

  “I’m not sure, buddy. That’s why we have to go see him and find out.”

  “Is he going to be okay?” His voice got small and I thought I heard it crack a little. I glanced in the rearview mirror and noticed his eyes were filled with tears.

  “I hope so. Charles is a fighter.” I saw no need to sugarcoat it for him.

  We spent the rest of the ride in silence. I arrived at the hospital with Bruno right behind me. We parked the cars near the emergency room entrance. We got out of the cars and Bruno scooped up Shane into his massive arms while we walked quickly inside.

  I went up to the front desk and asked for Charles. The nurse nodded and led me to a sectioned off area in the back. “Wait here for the doctor,” she said and hurried away before I could protest. Fuck if I was waiting for the doctor to see him.

  I turned to Bruno, still holding Shane. “Wait here. I’m going in.”

  “Got it,” he nodded in return.

  I stepped toward the curtain and pushed it back enough for me to sneak in without my son seeing anything. I stopped dead in my tracks, totally unprepared for the scene before me.

  Someone had beaten Charles to within an inch of his life. He was bruised and swollen, and I barely recognized him. He was hooked up to machines and bags, hanging on for his life. I ran my hands over my face and walked next to the bed. I sank into the chair next to it and looked at him. “We’ll get whoever did this to you, Charles, I promise,” I whispered, my eyes filling with tears.

  “Mr. Harris?”

  I looked up to see a guy in a white coat. Taking a deep breath, I stood up and shook his hand. “Yes. Are you his doctor?”

  “Yes, I’m Dr. Smith,” he nodded in confirmation. He glanced at Charles. “You can see it’s pretty grim.”

  “Yeah.” I shoved my hands in the pockets of my dress pants. “It looks like he was beaten pretty badly.”

  “He was. He has many broken bones and cuts. We found some internal bleeding as well. There was head trauma, but until the swelling goes down, we won’t know if there is any permanent damage.” He glanced at the chart in front of him. “Do you have any idea who would do this to him?”

  “I don’t know,” I shrugged. I had some ideas, but I wasn’t going to share them with this doctor. “Where are the cops?” I had expected to see a few standing nearby when I got there. I was dying to know more details about where he was found. Did he even make it to the meeting, or did someone get to him before?

  “They left for a break, but they’re waiting to talk to you. They will have more details for you on where he was found and things like that.”

  I nodded, making a mental note to touch base with my contacts at the police department. I was also going to get my private doctor in here to take care of him. Charles was in no shape to move to another hospital, but I wanted him to have the best care—and I needed someone discreet.

  “What can we do for him?” I asked, changing the subject.

  “Not much right now,” he replied, shaking his head. “We have to wait and monitor him and hope he wakes up soon.” He set down Charles’s chart. “Whoever did this to him was definitely trying to send a message.”

  I didn’t say anything, but he was right, and I was going to find out who. No one would get away with hurting my family again.

  I went back to Shane and Bruno. Bruno was sitting in a chair with Shane on his lap and was reading him a book. They looked up when they saw me.

  “How’s Charles, Daddy? Can I see him?” he asked, his face lighting up.

  “He’s sleeping, buddy,” I replied and shook my head slightly at Bruno. “He needs lots of rest to get better. I’ll tell him you said hi.”

  “Fine,” he replied, his voice low with disappointment. “I’m hungry. Can I get a snack, please?”

  “Sure, let me talk to Bruno quick.”

  I watched as Bruno stood up and set Shane down in the chair. “Sit tight and we’ll get some food in a minute.”

  We walked far enough away so Shane couldn’t hear us but we could still keep our eyes on him. I let Bruno peek in on Charles so he could see how serious it was. Other than that, I didn’t have much to tell him.

  “I’m going to be busy figuring out who did this to him, so I need you to watch Shane closer than ever. I can’t be sure he’s not next,” I said quietly behind him as he looked at Shane.

  “You got it. If you need me to do more, just say the word,” he replied, his voice low. He hadn’t been with us that long, but Charles and he had gotten close, and I could see the pain and anger in his dark eyes.

  “The most important thing you can do right now is keep my son safe. Charles would agree,” I urged him.

  He nodded. “Okay. You got it. You know I love your son and will guard him with my own life.”

  “Yes, I know,” I nodded. “Thank you for that. Now go get him some food and come back here. I like having him close by right now.”

  “Sure thing,” he replied and walked back to Shane, scooping him up in his arms. “Let’s go get some ice cream in the cafeteria.”

  I watched the two of them laughing and walking down the hall. When they were out of sight, I took my phone out of my pocket and started scrolling through my contacts to make some calls. I was about to dial someone when a couple of men in police uniforms were standing before me.

  “Mr. Harris,” one of them said with a smile. “Just the man we were looking for. We would like to ask you a few questions.”

  Chapter Six

  Violet

  Shane Harris had been missing from school for two weeks now.

  I panicked the day he was pulled from my class by the principal, concerned something had happened to Deacon. I had to hide my emotions but was later able to find out it had been Deacon who came to get his son. While I was relieved he was okay, I was still worried about what was keeping him out of school so long.

  I had been told that day he would be out indefinitely, but every day he was gone, my concern grew, as well as my curiosity. I hated to do it, but it was time to use my connections.

  On the way home from school one day, I called up Leslie.

  “Hey, what’s up?” she answered.

  “Not much.” I paused. I hated asking her for favors after everything she’d already done for me. “Could you please do something for me?”

  “Sure,” she replied slowly. “I’ll do what I can.”

  “Deacon Harris’s son has been missing from school for two weeks now.” I took a deep breath. “Deacon came and got him, and he hasn’t been back since. I was wondering if you had any connections that could find out what’s going on.”

  “Wow, yeah, I probably could. Let me make some calls and I’ll get back in touch. Will you be around?”

  “I have yoga, but that’s it. Leave me a message if I don’t answer,” I said, relieved she was going to help.

  “Will do. Let me get on this. Take care.”

  I hung up and glanced in my rearview mirror. I hadn’t received any other messages from Eric, but I made sure to be more vigilant. I kept my gun nearby, and I didn’t leave my apartment after dark much anymore unless it was the weekend and I was meeting a client. I found it hard to believe he was going to leave me alone after sending the picture, and it was only a matter of time before I heard from him again.

  I pulled off the blonde wig I wore to teach before I arrived at yoga class. I always wore it as a precaution in case I ran into one of my clients during the week. I was anxious to hear what Leslie found out about Deacon, and I almost skipped class, but it wouldn’t help to sit and wait by the phone. My muscles were so tense anyway, yoga would probably do me some g
ood.

  I lost myself in yoga class, not allowing myself to think about Eric, Deacon, or little Shane Harris. I let the stress flow away from me, and when class ended I was feeling much better. Of course, the first thing I did was check my phone to see if Leslie had called or sent a text. I was disappointed I had no messages from her; maybe she was having trouble getting information.

  I drove home after yoga class and took a long shower. When I was done, there was still no word from Leslie. I sent her a quick text asking what she was able to find out. I was pouring a glass of wine when she responded to let me know she was waiting for a call back from someone, and she would let me know as soon as she talked to them.

  I sighed and made a salad despite not feeling all that hungry. I decided to work on some grading and other paperwork for school to try to keep my mind off things. I was on the school’s website when I got an idea—I could get Shane’s address and go to their house. I would bring some of Shane’s homework and say I was dropping it off so he didn’t get behind.

  A few keystrokes later and I had Deacon Harris’s address written down on a sticky note. It wasn’t that far from my apartment, and I would normally walk there, but I was still concerned about Eric. I changed into jeans and a sweater, debating as to whether or not I should wear my wig. I didn’t want to confuse Shane, so I put it on and gathered up a few assignments for him before grabbing my purse and leaving my apartment.

  I knew I was taking a huge risk going to Deacon’s, but I couldn’t help myself. I was worried about Shane, and even Deacon. I wanted to make sure they were okay.

  It was a calm night in Chicago, and in a few blocks I was at the front door of Deacon’s building. The doorman stopped me.

  “Who are you here to see, ma’am?” he asked, looking me over.

  “I’m here to see Deacon Harris. Please tell him his son’s teacher, Miss Jones, is here to drop off some assignments,” I replied, holding the folder to my chest filled with worksheets for Shane. I didn’t want him to see how nervous I was, and holding it tight kept my hands from shaking.

  “One second, Miss Jones,” he said. He picked up the phone nearby. “Mr. Harris has been in and out a lot lately, so I’m not sure he’s in. Let me check and see if he’s expecting you.”

  I nodded and stepped away, going over to the window while he called up to Deacon’s apartment. I heard him mumbling to someone before hanging up.

  “Miss Jones?” he said, calling me over. “Mr. Harris said to let you up.”

  “Thank you,” I smiled and walked into the elevator that was now open.

  “He’s on the thirtieth floor,” he called out to me before the doors shut.

  I looked at the buttons. There were twenty-nine buttons and then one that said ‘penthouse.’ Wow. I pressed the button and listened to the blood rushing in my ears as the elevator took me up to the penthouse.

  I had to admit I was nervous to see Deacon. I still felt bad about rejecting him and his offer in the parking lot that day, but I had to do what was best for me. I couldn’t think with my vagina. Maybe enough time had passed by now that the intense attraction between us will have faded.

  The elevator arrived at the penthouse, and I took a deep breath as the doors opened. Deacon was standing there, and the hopes I had for a fading attraction flew out the window. He was wearing black dress pants and a black belt with a white button down shirt. He looked a little disheveled and wrinkled with the sleeves rolled up on his lower arms. His dark hair was messy, like he’d run his hands through it too many times. He was holding what looked like whiskey or bourbon in one hand, and I was pretty sure it wasn’t his first drink of the day.

  It was his face, though, that got to me. He looked tired, with dark circles under his eyes. The corners of his mouth were turned down and his dark eyes didn’t sparkle. Instead, they were filled with pain and worry. Whatever was keeping Shane out of school was affecting his father very much.

  “Hello, Violet,” he said, his eyes boring into me. I felt a jolt of electricity between us that even time apart didn’t change. “Come on in.” He motioned for me to come inside, and I followed him out of the elevator.

  He stopped at a table to refill his drink. “Would you like a drink?” he asked without looking up from his glass.

  “I’m fine,” I replied softly.

  “Shane’s not here, so you can lose the wig,” he said, looking at it while he took a drink.

  I reached up and touched the blonde hair. “I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t want to confuse him.” I pulled it off and stuffed it into my purse. I took out the pins that had been holding up my hair and let it fall around my shoulders.

  “Right,” he said dryly. “What brings you here?”

  I held out the folder I was hanging on to. “I brought Shane some homework to work on so he wasn’t so far behind.”

  He took it from me and tossed it on the couch. “Thanks.” He tilted his head and studied me, and I was second guessing my decision to come here. “Something tells me there’s more to it than that. Teachers don’t show up at their students’ houses at nine o’clock at night.”

  “Honestly, I was worried about Shane.” I paused for a second and took a deep breath. “And you. What’s going on?”

  He started pacing in front of me. “It’s not really your business, is it, Miss Jones?”

  “You’re right,” I said, fighting back the tears threatening to spring at his biting words. “I’ll leave.”

  I turned and started to make my way back to the elevator when I felt his hand on my arm. He wrapped his fingers around me and pulled me back, spinning me so I was up against the wall. He held my face in his hand, his eyes dark as they looked into mine. “If you must know, my right hand and the man who’s like a father to me has been attacked. He was beaten to within an inch of his life. He’s been lying in a hospital bed for two weeks now. I don’t know if he’s going to live or die, nor am I any closer to finding out who did this to him,” he growled, his voice like gravel.

  I reached up to touch the hand on my face, my chest heaving now with my breathing. “I’m so sorry, Deacon,” I said softly. I didn’t know Charles at all, but I knew enough to know how much he meant to Deacon.

  He let me go and walked away from me. “I don’t know if my son is next,” he mumbled, his back to me. “I have to protect him. I can’t lose him too.” He lowered his head and I thought I saw his shoulders shake. I stood, stuck for a minute, not sure what to do. My heart screamed for me to go to him and comfort him, but my head was telling me to leave. Deacon only complicated my life.

  My heart won. He was hurting and it killed me. Deacon was the kind of guy who was strong and there for everyone else, but who was there for him?

  I walked over to him and put my arms around his waist, turning my head and resting it on his back. He sucked in his breath and put his hands on mine. We didn’t say anything for a few minutes, standing there together. Eventually he turned around, still touching my hand. He put his arm around my waist and pulled me hard against him. He lifted his hand to cup my cheek. “Violet, I need you. Will you stay with me, please?”

  I nodded, unable to say no to him tonight. The same sexy Deacon I knew was there, but this was a new side to him, a vulnerable one. If I could provide him some comfort, if only for a few hours, I would.

  “I need to do things to you tonight, Violet. I need to get lost in you.” His hands moved down to cup my ass and he pressed his hips into mine, allowing me to feel his erection along my belly. “Do you remember your safe word?”

  “Black,” I whispered, my nipples aching with need for him and whatever he wanted to do to me.

  “Good girl,” he smiled down at me. “Let me show you something.” He released me and took my hand, leading me through the apartment. I followed him until we reached a door at the far end. He stopped and turned to me. “This is your last chance to say no. After we go into this room, the only thing that will stop me will be the safe word, so use it carefully. Got it?”

/>   “Got it,” I replied breathlessly. I remembered Leslie telling me he had certain tastes. My nerves were on edge thinking about what was on the other side of the door.

  He started to open the door and then stopped to look at me. “Violet, tonight you’re here because you want to be, not because I’m paying you. I want to be with you.” He kissed my lips softly.

  Chapter Seven

  Deacon

  When Violet first showed up at my apartment that night, I was angry. I almost had the doorman to tell her to leave but thought it might be fun to play with her emotions a bit. I was still hurt she turned me down and was in no mood for her games.

  Charles was still in a coma in the hospital, and I think I knew who hurt him, but I couldn’t be sure. I sent Shane off with Bruno to Wisconsin Dells for a few days of fun. Supposedly it’s the water park capital of the world, so there was plenty for them to do. It was getting depressing here, and his questions about Charles were killing me. He was only six years old and deserved to have some fun.

  I came home from the hospital tonight to an empty apartment and was well on my way to getting drunk and passing out when she showed up. Then she was wearing that ridiculous wig, and I was reminded of how she rejected me. I wasn’t used to people saying no, especially women.

  I knew I pushed too far when she started to leave, and I didn’t want to be alone. I wanted her. I always wanted her, but tonight, I needed her. I needed to feel her beneath me and I wanted to bury myself deep inside her. I wanted to hear her moans of pleasure and get lost in her. I wanted to forget about all the shit going on in my life. I wanted to feel.

  I didn’t want just sex from her tonight. Tonight I needed more. I was going to take her back to my secret room. I was going to show her pleasure like she had never known before and have her crying out my name over and over again as each orgasm ripped through that tight little body of hers.