by Jenna Jacob
Kaitlin woke tangled in the sheets, sweating and panting. A glance at the clock showed it was already after eleven. With a heavy, frustrated sigh, she untangled herself and rolled out of bed. Spying her torn nightgown draped over the chair, a wave of embarrassment skittered through her. Longing to keep her real nocturnal rendezvous with Sky a secret from Gran, Kaitlin wadded up the evidence and shoved it into the pouch of her suitcase. In dire need of coffee, Kaitlin slipped on her robe and started downstairs.
The house felt eerily quiet, and when she entered the kitchen, instead of finding Gran, Kaitlin found a note sitting on the table.
I’m sorry to abandon you, Katie-girl, but Ethel Crenshaw passed away in the night. Reverend Hastings and I are at the house with Melvin to sit with him for a bit. I’ll be back sometime this afternoon. There’s plenty of food in the fridge, so fix something to eat. You’re too thin and I’m worried about you.
We’ll talk soon. I love you,
Gran
“Poor Melvin,” Kaitlin murmured. Her heart ached with sorrow. “He’s going to be lost without Ethel. And Gran…oh, Gran.”
The older couple had been her grandmother’s closest friends for as long as Kaitlin could remember. The news of Ethel’s passing filled her with sadness and a heavy dose of anxiety. While Gran was still spry, she was getting up in years…a fact Kaitlin didn’t want to dwell too keenly on. She didn’t know what she’d do without Gran and quickly pushed the gruesome thought from her mind.
She focused instead on making a pot of coffee. While her caffeine infusion brewed, Kaitlin unpacked her computer and dug out her cell phone. It was time to face the music. After pouring a mug to prepare for the ugliness awaiting, she turned on the electronics and issued a groan. There were enough texts, voice mails, and emails to keep her occupied until Christmas.
Deciding to tackle the mail first, Kaitlin opened several from her assistant, Veronica, marked Urgent. Each message bore a tone of fear and desperation. Instead of trying to reply to each one, Kaitlin picked up her phone and called Veronica’s private cell phone number.
She answered on the second ring. “Thank god it’s you,” Veronica gasped. “Please tell me you’re all right. I was afraid something bad had happened to you after Mr. McCarthy tore out of the office yesterday.”
Kaitlin’s heart dropped. She’d been so focused on making her escape she’d failed to even touch base with her assistant. “I’m fine, Veronica. I’m safe and sound. I’m sorry I worried you, and I’m even sorrier for leaving you to deal with my mess. I simply couldn’t stay in the same state with that bastard.”
“No need to apologize. I can handle things here.” Kaitlin knew that, too. “So you are coming back, right? I mean, everyone is asking. I’m not sure what to say.”
Are you going back? the little voice inside her asked as well. Kaitlin didn’t know…wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, which was unusual in itself. She always planned for everything…kept plan A and plan B at the ready. Hell, she often had plans C and D mapped out on contingency, just in case. But after discovering Doug and Madeline, the only thing she’d wanted to do was escape.
“Tell them we’ve been in touch and my directive is for everyone to carry on as if I were still in the office. If any problems come up, I want you to call me. All right?”
“Of course. Did you read all the emails I sent you?”
“No, I thought it would be easier and faster to call you. Is there already a problem with a client?”
“No, nothing like that. I just needed to let you know that Mr. McCarthy has your client files now,” Veronica whispered.
Though purely rhetorical, Kaitlin couldn’t stop herself. “Excuse me?” For years, Doug hadn’t given a crap about Kaitlin’s projects or her teams. All he cared about was the profit margin or, rather, his cut. She had a sick feeling he was up to no good. Push you out of the partnership with a hostile takeover? Maybe.
“I’m sorry, Miss Grant, he told me he’d fire me if I didn’t hand them over,” Veronica pled her case passionately.
“Wait, don’t freak out on me. Doug’s always had access to that information. You didn’t do anything wrong. It just seems ironic that the only time he shows any interest in my clients is after I’m gone,” Kaitlin stated dryly. “Moving on. Is there anything that needs my immediate attention?”
“Not that I can think of. Thomas is all set to give the Ballard Group presentation as scheduled. Things are running smoothly.”
“Good. I’m happy to hear that.”
“Mr. McCarthy wasn’t,” Veronica replied cryptically.
“What are you talking about?”
“He wanted to know what clients he needed to assume command over in your absence. I told him none, that we had it all under control. Then he went ballistic. He started screaming and swearing, slamming his hand on my desk, and accused me of trying to undermine his authority.”
“Oh, good god,” Kaitlin spat.
“Thomas heard him going off on me…. Hell, I think the whole building did. Anyway, Thomas rushed out of his office and threatened to file a complaint with HR on my behalf. They stared off with each other for a couple of minutes. I was expecting them to start throwing punches, but finally Mr. McCarthy stormed back to his office. Thomas got me some water and stayed with me until I stopped shaking. I still don’t know what I did to piss off Mr. Mc—”
“You didn’t do anything, Veronica. Doug’s pissed that I left. He’s lashing out. I’m sorry he laid into you. You didn’t deserve that.” Kaitlin dragged her fingers through her hair and sighed. “Okay, here’s what I need you to do. Upload all the files the teams are working on. Put them onto a zip drive, but don’t let Doug know you’re doing this. I don’t want him ripping into you again. I want you to overnight the drive to me, but don’t send it out from the mail room. Take it home if you have to, but send it to me from a shipping store. Tomorrow morning is fine. All right?”
“If Mr. McCarthy gets wind of this, he’s going to fire me.”
“Honey, he’ll probably try to fire you the minute he finds out we’ve talked. But don’t worry, if he does, you can work from home. You’re much too valuable to me, Veronica. I’m not going to lose you.”
“Thank you, Miss Grant.” Veronica exhaled a sigh of relief. “You’re a lifesaver.”
Flying by the seat of her pants, Kaitlin rattled off Gran’s address and phone number as well as a list of instructions for her teams. She was wrapping up the call when her assistant suddenly told Kaitlin to hold on. She could hear muffled voices through her phone.
“What’s going on?” Kaitlin demanded.
“Oh, my god, he’s lost his damn mind,” Veronica suddenly blurted out.
“Who?” Kaitlin rolled her eyes. Why had she even bothered to ask? “What’s Doug done now?”
“He lost that a long time ago,” she heard Thomas state emphatically. Her newly recruited ad manager didn’t mince words—Kaitlin liked that about him as well as his business acumen. “His paranoid bullshit is ridiculous. If it weren’t for Miss Grant, I’d walk out the damn door. But McCarthy? He’s nothing but a worthless piece of—”
“Tell Thomas to chill the hell out,” Kaitlin barked. “I don’t need him getting fired any more than I need you to. What’s he so upset about?”
“Mr. McCarthy just sent a memo to all of us on your teams. He’s having our computers and company phone calls monitored through IT now,” Veronica explained.
Doug was indeed the poster child for paranoia, but this tactic even surprised Kaitlin.
“Is that Miss Grant?” Thomas asked anxiously.
“Yes. She said to settle down. Give me a minute so I can talk to her, please?” Veronica paused for several long seconds. “Okay, I think he’s calmed down. I’ll get those files uploaded for you as soon as possible.”
“Thank you. I have a feeling we’re running on borrowed time. Call me if Doug pulls any more stupid stunts.”
After ending her call with Veronica, Kaitlin placed
a call to her lawyer, Reed Landes. After apprising him of her situation with Doug, Reed extended his sympathies and suggested Kaitlin obtain a restraining order.
“I’ll be happy to draw it up for you, dear,” Reed offered.
“I— Yes, I suppose you should,” she reluctantly agreed. “The fact remains that I’m eventually going to have to deal with him. Some type of agreement will need to be reached regarding our assets and the company. Oh, god…what am I going to do with the company?”
“Whatever you decide, but rest assured you won’t face Doug alone. You’ll have me with you through any and all negotiations. You’ve got several options regarding the company, but whatever you choose, I’ve got your back, Kaitlin. I promise.”
“Thank you, Reed. You’re a godsend.”
“Let’s start with the restraining order and work our way to the company. Have you told me everything?”
“Yes,” she affirmed. “I don’t think Doug is stupid enough to breach our partner agreement, but then…he’s not stable. Nothing he does surprises me much anymore.”
Reed outlined various avenues aimed at extracting Kaitlin from the company. When he suggested Doug buy her out, she scoffed.
“That had been my initial thought, but Doug doesn’t have two nickels to rub together these days for reasons I’ve previously explained.”
“We’ll figure something out,” Reed assured her.
Toward the end of their conversation, she gave Reed Gran’s address for the restraining order, promising to be in touch.
“Try not to stress yourself out too much,” he instructed.
She found Reed’s concern sweet, and by the time she hung up with him, she felt a bit calmer. Though still irked at Doug for monitoring all correspondence, Kaitlin circumvented his dictate by moving all her mail to a private server in case he instructed IT to block her out completely. If things went south with Doug and he tried to make good on this threats, Kaitlin wanted a thorough paper trail of evidence. The thought sent a chill up her spine.
Working on her computer, Kaitlin began playing the messages on her phone. It was no surprise that most were from Doug. Opting to avoid his tirades, she skipped—but saved—each recording the minute she heard his voice.
Engrossed in an email from Ralph Barrett, President and CEO of Andrews Industries, Kaitlin didn’t catch Doug’s message in time. His repugnant voice bellowed through the phone’s speaker.
“Why haven’t you called me back, bitch? Pick up the phone, you stupid whore. You’d better get your ass back here. I see now I need to show you a good time like I did New Year’s Eve. Though what I plan to do to you now will make what I did before seem like a fucking picnic. Pick up the phone, you filthy cunt. Goddammit. Oh, you’ve pissed me off now. Get ready, whore, because I’m going to put you through hell.”
Her body trembled and her blood ran cold.
As she reached for her phone, a large, calloused brown hand covered hers. Kaitlin screamed and jerked so hard she nearly fell out of her chair. Standing above her, Sky had a look of rage in his eyes she’d never seen before. His demeanor reminded her of a rabid bull and was totally incongruent with the tender brush of his fingers. He tugged the phone from beneath her hand and turned the device off. Still, contempt and anger lined his face. Yes, he’d heard Doug’s vulgar message. Sky’s seemingly unapologetic invasion of her privacy ticked Kaitlin off. But more than that, he knew her secret. It embarrassed her to the bone.
“How long have you been living like that?” Sky asked as if struggling to keep his voice in control.
“He wasn’t always like this,” Kaitlin replied, hating that she was making excuses for Doug…and herself.
“Don’t,” Sky ordered with a shake of his head. “Don’t you dare justify the things he said and did to you. Dammit, Katie…why—”
“I wasn’t trying to justify it,” she interrupted with a hateful glare. Anger exploded from deep inside her. Sky had no right to be in Gran’s house, and he certainly had no right to eavesdrop or try to wheedle his way into her problems. “None of this concerns you.”
“Oh, trust me. It concerns the fuck out of me. And stop lashing out at me, Katie. I’m not the fucking enemy. He is,” Sky bit out, thrusting the phone at her. “You’re not thinking about going back to that sick bastard, are you?”
“I—I… No. I’m not,” she huffed.
“Good. Because if you so much as even think about it, I’ll chain you to your bed and keep you here forever.”
Though the thought instantly aroused her for some bizarre reason, Kaitlin issued a sarcastic snort. “Oh, so I’m supposed to, what…kick one abusive prick to the curb so I can pick up with another? No thank you.”
A darker wave of fury erupted over Sky’s features. He tossed her phone to the table and grabbed her by the shoulders. When he yanked her from the chair, Kaitlin gasped and issued a terrified squeal. Sky hauled her across the room as her feet dragged along the polished hardwood floors. Her breath locked in her chest, caught in a stranglehold of fear.
Without a word, Sky pinned her against the refrigerator, pressing the length of his massive body against hers. Trapped, Kaitlin felt a burst of adrenaline explode inside and fought to push him off, but he wouldn’t budge. He simply leaned in more firmly, crushing her between two wholly immovable objects. Panicked, she tried to raise her leg to knee him in the balls, but he was too close. She tried to lift her arms to scratch at his eyes and face or strike him in the throat, but he held tight to her shoulders.
Sky sucked in several choppy breaths. His nostrils flared, and fire leapt in his black eyes. Suddenly, Doug’s face appeared before her. A mewl of fear seeped from her throat. Shrinking in on herself, Kaitlin hunched her shoulders and closed her eyes…waiting for the painful blow of his fist.
“Look at me, Katie,” Sky demanded on a hoarse and strangled tone. She didn’t obey. “Goddammit, look at me.”
She slowly lifted her lids. A swirling combination of anger, worry, and pity reflected in Sky’s eyes. Releasing her arms, he gently cupped her face as his stare cooled to compassion. A lump formed in her throat as his thick erection lay hot and hard, throbbing against her belly. Kaitlin’s confusion doubled. Did Sky get off on hurting women, too? Please, god. No.
“Do you honestly think for one second that I’d ever purposely hurt you?”
No, she didn’t. But she’d never thought Doug was capable of the things he’d done to her, either. She’d trusted the monster, and it had cost her dearly.
Kaitlin clenched her teeth. “Get off me.” Emphasizing her demand, she bucked against him and immediately wished she hadn’t. Sky’s cock, thick and long, ground against her mound. Sparks of desire screamed through her, confusing and pissing her off even more. The thrill of arousal thrummed like a bass drum, deep and loud. She didn’t want him to know how much he unnerved her. “You proved your point; now let me go.”
“Answer my question first,” he insisted. “Are you afraid of me…afraid I’ll hurt you…hit you?”
“I don’t…think so,” she answered, unable to look him in the eye.
“You don’t think so?” Sky asked incredulously.
He dipped his chin before nudging his lips against hers. Every ounce of fear vanished, and a fragment of the bold woman within leaned in and opened her mouth…deepening the kiss. The feel of his soft, full lips was spellbinding. Kaitlin couldn’t help but sigh when he swept his tongue with a lazy glide around hers. Sinking her fingers into his long, inky hair, she delighted in the feel of the familiar thick and silky texture. Sky rocked his hips, ardently pressing his rigid cock against her, and swallowed her soft moans.
Suppressing a gasp, Kaitlin realized Sky had gotten bigger…everywhere. Though she wanted to slide her hand into his jeans and stroke his mighty cock, she wasn’t quite brave enough…at least not yet. She settled for feasting on his tongue as the kiss grew wild and urgent.
Heat rolled off his body like a blowtorch, singeing her skin through her thin silk robe. H
er pussy clutched at the emptiness while her entire body throbbed with desire. Suddenly, Sky inched back and stared down at her. Want. Need. Demand—the same cravings clawing inside her—reflected in his eyes.
“You taste as incredible as I remember, Katie. But until you answer my question…answer without an inkling of doubt, I won’t touch or kiss you again.”
His words slowly pierced the thick fog of lust saturating her brain. What. The. Fuck? Anger spiked, hot and fast. What an arrogant son of a bitch. He wanted to play games? Fine. She was ready, able, and willing. A tight smirk tugged her lips.
“Well, I don’t remember asking you to touch or kiss me in the first place,” she chided in a cold and haughty tone. Squeezing out from between the uncompromising metal of the refrigerator and equally inflexible slab of his chest, Kaitlin’s body hummed in both fury and need.
A cocky grin kicked up the corner of his mouth. “You didn’t have to ask. The way you swallowed my tongue said all that needed to be said. You can’t stand there and tell me you didn’t enjoy it. I know better,” he taunted. “You’re forgetting one very important thing, Katie. I know you. Know the way your eyes turn dark, smoky, and unfocused when you’re turned on…like they are right now. And no amount of expensive perfume can mask the smell of your spicy pussy, because like it or not, your scent’s been scorched into my brain forever. I’ve got to tell you, darlin’…that mouth-watering fragrance coming off your cunt only makes me want to lay you over that kitchen table and lap your silky juices. Drive my tongue into your pussy and tongue fuck you the way you liked me to, until you’re screaming and writhing. Then I’d want to slide my cock deep inside you and make you scream some more.”
His words set her ablaze. Kaitlin wanted to melt to the floor and let him do exactly what he said and more. Sky was purposely trying to drive her insane…she was sure of it. Her mouth was so dry she couldn’t swallow, let alone speak.
