by Marisa Logan
The first one I remember was with an older man named Kirk. He seemed sweet at first, treated me almost like a pet. The other kids were jealous when I got to sit in his lap at dinner or special treats like trips to the store or small toys. By the time I was six, I thought I had a perfect home. There was no way I would be sent away.”
“And then what happened?”
Olivia shooed one of the pigeons away with the toe of her shoe as she watched more of my fries vanish without me taking a bite. She placed a hand on mine.
“What did he do?”
“Well, I...I guess he wanted more than he could have. He started telling me how beautiful I would be when I was older. He dressed me up in clothes that I know now were much too old for a six year old. His hands started wandering when he held me and he wanted me by him whenever I wasn’t at school or my appointments with the social worker.
It wasn’t so bad until he had a new placement. A boy a few years older than me. We spent time together because we felt like outsiders. I was the first girl Kirk ever took as a foster placement and he was overweight and shy; the other boys avoided us so we kind of banned together. We would read together outside under the one tree in Kirk’s yard. He helped me with homework and kept me from the other boys when they were mean.
“So he treated you like a young sister,” she said, motioning me to eat. I took a small bite of the burger.
“It was nice. Until Kirk noticed how much time he and I were spending together. He got angry with us, threatened to have the boy sent away to another placement. We kept quiet about being together after that until one day when Kirk returned home from work early. He sent the older boys out and took me upstairs where he…”
“He took advantage of you, didn’t he?” Olivia said, her face hard and angry.
I felt the tears begin to fall. I gathered up the trash and turned away to toss it. Olivia met me at the trash can. She put her arm around me and I stiffened.
“My friend called the cops and they came just as Kirk started to beat him in the living room for interfering. They found me barely conscious upstairs. I fought back and, from what the doctor said, I had a few broken ribs and contusions on my face from where Kirk pressed me down onto the bed. The cops threw Kirk in jail. We were all put in new foster homes and I never saw my friend again.”
Olivia sighed deeply.
“Now I know why you keep to yourself so much. You’re afraid to let anyone in,”
“If it hadn’t been for me, none of those boys would have lost their foster home. Some of them had lived with Kirk for years without any trouble. I came in and ruined everything.”
“No, you didn’t,” Olivia snapped, “he was sick. He shouldn’t have had any children in his care.”
We grabbed up our purses. Olivia checked her phone.
“I’m sorry, sweetie. We need to get back. We only have thirty minutes.”
I nodded and tucked my drink into my bag. She tucked her free arm into mine as we walked, pulling me closer for a shoulder bump.
“You know, I’m glad you told me. I hate that you had to go through that but now I know why it took you so long to let me in. I was beginning to think I smelled or something.”
I chuckled half-heartedly.
“Now I know it's just because you needed to make sure I wasn’t crazy or something. I can stop applying deodorant every hour or so. It’s getting expensive.”
A burst of laughter escaped me. I shook my head at Olivia as we entered the building.
“I’m glad I haven’t run you off,” I said as we reached her desk in the lobby.
“You haven’t,” she replied, settling in, “and Gwen?”
“Yes?”
“You don’t need to be alone with anything that bothers you. I’m right here, just a call away.”
I smiled and entered the elevator.
***
I was happier at the end of the day. Mr. Steel wasn't in the office for most of it so I had time to deal with some of my confusion and anxiety.
Besides Olivia, I don’t think anyone else knew about my years in foster care or Kirk. I wanted to ask Mr. Steel exactly what he knew. Every time I was around him I felt different, less introverted. He felt so familiar that I couldn't help but open up around him. I was afraid I'd let go completely and never be able to guard myself around him again.
I wished I'd never taken this job. At the same time, I’m glad I moved out of my comfort zone. I had a dear friend in Olivia. My attraction to men wasn’t as dormant as I thought; maybe I am healed after all. All I need to do is find another job, something that allows me to keep my apartment, and food on my table, without all of this tension.
As I prepared to leave, the phone on the desk rang. I grabbed it, my purse and coat tucked under my arm.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Steel’s office.”
“Gwen.”
My mouth went dry.
“Yes, Mr. Steel?”
“I’m downstairs in a car right outside the door. Meet me there,” his voice husky but smooth rushed over me, “don’t keep me waiting.”
He hung up. I put the receiver back into the holder, blinking.
He was downstairs, waiting for me.
I really wanted to dart out of the building, run all the way to my apartment and lock myself in. I could feel my heart pounding.
I rushed downstairs before I could even think. I said a quick goodbye to Olivia, who watched me through the glass front doors as I approached the car.
The door popped open as I walked up and I got in, closing the door behind me. Mr. Steel sat next to me. He gestured at the driver to continue on before turning to me.
I was a mess, my hair flying everywhere, sweat ruining my makeup. He didn’t seem to notice, took my coat and purse from my arms and tossed them on the seat across from us.
“How do you know about me? How do you know Kirk?” I blurted out, staring at him.
He smirked and reached out, pulling me closer to him. My hand fell on his chest as I leaned over. His lips touched mine and I moaned. I couldn’t stop myself as I leaned into him, my hand wrapping around his neck. He kissed me deeply, his tongue teasing mine before letting me go.
“I promised I would find you, Gwennie. Once I did you would never be alone,” he said softly, his face calm.
I looked into his brown eyes. They were suddenly so familiar to me that I couldn’t believe I didn't notice before now. I could see those eyes staring back from a much younger, chubbier face, as he picked me up from a fall. His hands, gentle and strong even then, wiping the dirt from my knees. His arms wrapping around me as we read.
“Lou?”
He laughed, a bright, shining laugh in the back of the car.
“I know I’ve changed more than you have. I couldn’t believe it when I saw you during the interview. I had to make sure before I could make my move. I didn’t want anyone to feel like I favored you at work. It was bad enough I hired you for my secretary position without any experience.”
“Where did you go? I tried to send you letters but they always came back,” I said, laying my head down against his chest.
“I got lucky. A wonderful set of parents adopted me from my last foster home. They raised me, sent me to college, even helped me set up Steel International. You’ll love them,” he replied. His arms tightened around me as he pulled me closer. I could feel his lips move against my hair as he spoke.
“They didn’t want me to have any reminders of my past foster homes so they sent the letters back. My parents told me all about it when I confronted them after I hired an investigator.”
“Investigator?”
I sprung back, struggling a bit in his arms. He shushed me, his arms pulling me back to him.
“I had to know you were who I thought you were. I can’t tell you how many women have taken advantage of who I am, how much I’m worth. I had to know, Gwennie.”
“Fine.” I huffed.
“God, you sound just like you did at six. Spoiled and determined to
get your own way.”
“I do not!” I said, indignant.
He laughed, his chest vibrating beneath me.
“You do. I’m so glad to see you haven’t changed. I worried about you, you know? At first, I was sad you didn’t recognize me. I know my name had changed. I haven’t gone by my first name since I was adopted. Once I realized that you kept yourself apart from everyone else, I wondered if you had changed from what that bastard did to you,” he remarked.
“Olivia says I haven’t. That it wasn’t my fault and I shouldn’t hide.”
“That’s right,” he sighed, “you don’t need to. I’m taking you to my place and we’re going to make up for lost time. I’m never going to leave you again.”
“What about Stefanie?” I asked.
“Stefanie Gilles? She’s just a tease. She’s more like a sister than anything else. We went to school together and our parents are really close. She recognized you from all my stories.”
“Oh.”
“Yes, oh. I told you in the hospital before social services took me away that I would come back for you. Remember? I asked you to marry me when we were old enough.”
I remembered more as I let go of the pain and tension. I could remember him standing in my hospital room, his arm in a sling, tears dried on his cheeks. They let him say goodbye before he left. He grabbed my hand and promised me--he promised me--
“You don’t have to keep a promise you made when we were kids! Why would you even want to, after everything that happened?” I leaned back so that I could look at him again.
He grinned.
The car slowed down and stopped. He allowed me to get back onto my own side. Helping me into my coat, we stepped out of the car. We were at his manor. He held his hand out to me. I placed my hand in his and he led me to the front door.
“Do you really think anyone would ever measure up to you? I’ve known I wanted to marry you since the first time I saw you,” his face grew sad, “unless, of course, you don’t want me. I can understand, all these years since. What he did.”
I drew closer to him taking his hand. We walked into the manor together.
“I guess we’ll never know unless we try.”
Chapter 6
Upstairs in his bedroom, he handed me a small velvet box.
“Think of that as a promise. If you can find it in yourself to stay, I will marry you. If you can’t, I will always protect and provide for you. It’s the least I can do.”
I opened the box slowly. Inside was an emerald set in white gold, surround small by citrines. I gazed at it before turning to him.
“I wanted something that meant more to you. I had our birthstones placed inside a setting.”
“How did you-”
He waved his hand.
“Almost anything can be taken care of quickly if you have money.”
I set the box down on the nightstand. I could feel his steps as he came behind me, his hands wrapping around my waist.
“I hated that I couldn’t protect you,” he said, his chin on the top of my head, “I couldn’t keep you safe. You’ve always seemed like the perfect partner to me. Your wild curly hair, your sweetness. I never found someone that could make me feel loved as much as you, even at such a young age.”
I turned in his arms and shyly pressed my lips to his. He deepened the kiss, backing me slowly towards the bed.
I never experimented with sex during college. I was too afraid to try, wondering if I would ever be able to be free again. Dominic made me feel safe.
“I want to love you. Can I?”
My heart was racing. He nodded and leaned in for another kiss, working his way down my neck and across my collarbone.
The last of my tension melted as he slipped his hands around my waist and I giggled.
“I can’t believe you’re laughing. I’m trying to create some romance here.”
I laughed again until he brought lips to mine in a tender kiss. We spent the next hour getting to know each other again...very well.
***
“I think that was a good try.”
I laughed.
I could see the ring in the velvet box beside us on the stand, shining.
“Do you think I can try it on?”
He laughed.
“You can.”
THE END
Bonus Book 3 -- Tessa's Spring
A Contemporary Suspense Romance
J.L. STARR
Book Description
Tessa Cunningham has always been a health-conscious person, growing her own fresh vegetables at home and spending her days working at a company with a reputation for growing healthy, organic food. But when she comes across some reports that raise questions, she starts to wonder whether her employer is operating entirely on the up and up.
With the help of her neighbor, a hipster health nut named Samson, she starts her own investigation into her employer's practices. But before they know it, Tessa and Samson have gotten in way over their heads.
This is an 18,000 word standalone, contemporary suspense romance novella with no cliffhanger.
Tessa's Summer, the second romantic suspense story in the series is now available on Amazon.com.
Chapter 1
“It's not illegal,” Tessa's boss told her. “Everything we're doing is well within the boundaries of the law.”
“That doesn't make it right,” Tessa said. “I mean, these reports—”
“Those reports are company secrets,” Mr. Morgan said. “I trust we have an understanding in that regard? I can't have anyone leaking our internal information.”
Tessa held the file folder in her hands, struggling with what was inside. She wasn't sure what to do, though her gut was telling her that there was something very wrong going on at Dunham Enterprises. The nationwide food chain had a reputation for providing clean, wholly organic products, though the more time she spent on the inside, the more Tessa was starting to question what she knew about her employer.
“Are we going to have a problem here?” Mr. Morgan asked. He studied her like he was readying the chopping block.
“No problem, Mr. Morgan,” she said. “It's just that I don't want to get myself into any trouble. If I'm liable...”
“Don't worry.” He smirked and patted her on the arm. “You won't be held liable for anything. Besides, like I said, everything we're doing is perfectly legal. All the major corporations operate this way.”
“They do?”
“Of course. It's the cost of doing business. Perfectly standard.”
“Oh.” Tessa looked down at the file folder, wondering if she'd simply misunderstood it. “All right. Sorry for taking up so much of your time.”
“No problem at all.” Mr. Morgan turned to leave, then paused and looked back at her. “I'm glad you brought this to my attention first, Tessa. You're a smart girl. I've always thought you do an excellent job here. You probably know that if internal information were ever leaked to the press, it could cause a scandal. That's the sort of thing that costs people their jobs. I'm sure you don't want that.”
“No,” Tessa said. “I definitely don't.”
“Good.”
Mr. Morgan left, and Tessa returned to her cubicle. She sat in her chair, her shoulders slumped, and tossed the folder onto her desk.
A head topped with short, spiky read hair popped up over the wall of her cubicle. “What was that all about?” Mindy asked. She glanced down at Tessa, then looked over the wall at Mr. Morgan as he headed out the office door.
“Nothing,” Tessa said, keeping her head down. “I don't want to talk about it.”
Mindy leaned her arms on the wall and peered down at her. “You okay, Tess? You've been pent up all day.”
Tessa tapped her fingers on the folder in front of her. She opened her mouth to say something, then remembered what Mr. Morgan had said about not letting certain things be spread. “It's nothing. I'm just having a rough day. I can't wait to get finished here, go home, pop open a bottle of wine, a
nd get my hands dirty.”
Mindy snorted and shook her head. “Okay then, if you say so.” She disappeared back into her own cubicle, leaving Tessa alone with her work.
She booted up her computer and navigated through the company's archaic online file system until she found the folders she needed. This was supposed to be the easy part of her work. Tessa's department at Dunham was responsible for organizing inventory reports, results from health inspections, and internal safety test reports, all gathered from the hundreds of manufacturing branches the company had around the country.
There was an endless stream of files and reports coming into the office. So many files, in fact, that there was a three year backlog on getting them entered into the system. There were stacks upon stacks of boxes lined up along the wall on one side of the office, containing all of the files that needed to be organized, typed up, investigated, and eventually disposed of.
Tessa started entering the information from the report into the online database. It was a tedious process, mostly consisting of typing in the handwritten notes made by plant managers and inspectors. The company handled a lot of things digitally, but with a corporation this size, there was simply no way to avoid good old fashioned paperwork for some of the most mundane, grueling tasks.
As she entered the information from the report, Tessa tried not to think about the meaning behind it. She didn't know much about how pesticides and Genetically Modified Organisms worked, but Dunham Enterprises always advertised its products as being completely natural and organic.
The report showed that a number of GMOs were used in the ingredients of a large number of Dunham's products, and that there were traces of some potentially harmful pesticides. The man who'd written the report, one of Dunham's own internal Quality Assurance Inspectors, had made a note in his report suggesting further investigation.
Tessa finished entering the information into the computer, hit “SUBMIT,” then placed the folder in her outbox with the rest of the files she'd gone through that day. It was getting close to 5:00, so she grabbed her stack of folders and headed for the shredding room.
