“It’s heavy tonight. I’ll carry it to your car for you.”
Fuck that.
“No, I can manage.” I tried to tug it out of his arms, but he held fast and stared me down.
“I insist. Lead the way.”
His voice still held the same lascivious tone, but his expression had shifted slightly. The smarmy, artificial warmth was gone, and my pulse doubled in speed. I didn’t know what else to do but let him follow me outside. At least we’ll be in a more open space, I reasoned. I could scream for help if it came to that. It was late, but we were still in a populated area. Someone would hear… But would they help? I hastily dug my keychain out of my pocket and held my solitary car key as though it were a knife, prepared to jam it into his eye socket if he put his disgusting hands on me even one more time.
As soon as my car was in sight, I remembered my broken driver’s door lock. I would have to use my key to unlock the door. Fuck. Maybe…
“You can put it in the trunk,” I told him, hoping he didn’t hear the unsteadiness in my voice. I refused to allow him the satisfaction of knowing he’d made me feel vulnerable.
Once I’d hit the button for the trunk release on my remote, I all but ran to the driver’s side and struggled to unlock the door with trembling hands. But I wasn’t fast enough. Brent was at my side again quicker than should have been possible, having tossed the box into the trunk and slammed the lid loudly. He spun me to face him, trapping me against the car and causing me to drop my keychain. Again, I brought my hands up to push him away, but he intercepted me this time, catching each of my wrists in his ham-like hands.
“There’s no need to play games, Charlotte,” he crooned darkly. His grip was firm, and I winced in pain. “Unless you’re into that sort of thing, of course. I never took you for the kinky type, but it’s always the quiet ones. I can give you rough if that’s what you need.”
“Let go.” The words came out with a grunt as I struggled harder against him, but Brent managed to adjust his hold so that both my wrists were crushed against his broad chest.
“Don’t be like that now, sweetheart. You’ve been teasing me for months.”
He reached his free hand down to my crotch and grabbed hard, smiling with dark pleasure when I whimpered in pain. This can’t be happening…
Brent’s grip flexed, his fingertips digging into the soft flesh beneath my shorts. I couldn’t seem to breathe properly, and just as my fear rose another notch, I heard footsteps approaching rapidly from behind his hulking form. I couldn’t see the newcomer, but my wrists were suddenly free as Brent’s weight was pulled off of me.
And the man slamming a fist into Brent’s face was the last person I expected to see.
Eleven
Charlotte
“Jesus, man, chill the fuck out!” Brent shouted, holding a hand to his jaw. “Everything’s fine! It’s not what it looks like!”
“Bullshit it’s not! I know what consent looks like, and that sure as fuck wasn’t it!” Eli roared. His face was bright with rage as he gave Brent another shove, this time forcing him to the pavement. Eli stood between us, tall and braced for battle. “I highly doubt my brother-in-law will appreciate one of his employees being assaulted in his parking lot.”
The alarm on Brent’s face was easy to translate. He clearly hadn’t been expecting to get caught by someone like Eli. Or anyone else, probably. I shuddered and tried to pull myself together.
“She’s fine. I’m the one with the busted lip.” I didn’t miss the subtle threat in Brent’s tone as he mouthed off, and neither did Eli.
“You’ll have worse than that if you don’t get the fuck out of here, asshole. Now.”
Eli’s glare was menacing, and we both watched Brent crawl away like the worm he was. He went back inside, slamming the door behind him. I stared at Eli with wide eyes, still trembling slightly and cradling my left wrist against my chest.
“Thank you.” Did my voice sound as weak to him as it did to me?
I couldn’t seem to pull my eyes away from him. Eli was still fuming visibly and having quite a bit of trouble calming himself down. He turned away from me for a moment as though he didn’t want to let me see his anger. Did he think it would frighten me?
“Who was that?” The words were a growl delivered through clenched teeth.
“His name is Brent.”
“Brent What?”
“Sullivan. He works here.”
“Not for long.” Eli’s hands flexed again then relaxed minutely as he turned back to face me. His eyes scanned me from head to toe. “Did he do anything else to hurt you? Before you came outside, I mean?”
“No,” I shook my head, wondering just how much he’d seen. My gaze flickered to the black BMW, and I realized it belonged to him. What was he doing there?
“Is this the first time he’s messed with you?”
“I… No,” I admitted, now avoiding his steely blue eyes. “He hasn’t gotten out of line like that, though. It’s usually just… rude comments and standing too close. That sort of thing.”
“But he hasn’t put his hands on you before tonight?”
I hesitated before answering the question. He gave me a look of warning that made it clear he expected the truth, and to my surprise, that was exactly what came out of my mouth.
“He’s touched me now and then. But never like that. He always plays it off like an accidental thing, and no one is ever around when he does it…”
“Son of a bitch,” Eli snarled. He looked like he wanted to hit something again. “Why haven’t you reported him?”
“He’s management. I need my job,” I shrugged helplessly. “He’s not the first creep I’ve had to deal with, and he won’t be the last.”
Granted, I’d mistakenly assumed Brent to be the harmless sort of creep. But when it came to sexual harassment, it was easy for someone outside the situation to say ‘report it.’ It just wasn’t always that simple. When I glanced back up at Eli’s face, I saw a hint of guilt in his expression that confused me, but before I could ask about it, he was speaking again.
“Where are you headed?”
“Um… I always drop off the leftover food to one of the local homeless shelters.”
“Where?”
“Seventh Avenue.”
“That’s a bad neighborhood. I’ll go with you.” His tone was firm and left no room for argument.
“No, I’ll be fine—”
“I’ll follow you there,” Eli announced, already walking away from me toward his car. I stood motionless for a moment before moving robotically to pick up my keychain and get in my own vehicle.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Will he try to follow me ‘home’ too? Panic welled in my chest as I tried to come up with an argument against that. Eli Brighton was a gentleman and clearly protective of me for some reason. What plausible excuse could I give him? Could I find some random apartment building and pretend to live there? Would he be satisfied enough by seeing me park in its lot that he would leave before realizing none of the units were mine? Somehow, I doubted it. Shit.
He followed me closely all the way to the shelter. I tried to stall a bit outside the building, but he parked right next to my car and told me to pop the trunk. I did so, feeling slightly numb as he picked up the box and followed me inside with it. Thank God Glen gave me something to eat tonight, I sighed inwardly, knowing I wouldn’t have an opportunity to pull anything from the box before we handed it over to the director, Marie.
To my relief, she was polite to us but was busy handling some sort of crisis. She didn’t have time to talk, so we returned to the parking lot in silence. Maybe I could just head him off by saying goodbye…
“Thank you again for your help. I’m not sure what you were even doing there, but… I’m glad you were nearby. And thank you for the job too.”
“There’s no need to thank me,” he frowned, somehow looking even more troubled than I was.
“Well, you have my gratitude anyway. I’ll see you when I start
work, which I’m hoping will be Monday.”
I quelled the brief urge to hug him as I turned toward my car. I really was thankful for his well-timed intervention. Even more so now that my fear had dissipated. For a moment, it seemed he was really going to let me leave. He looked so torn. But before I could take more than a few steps away from him, he rushed forward and grabbed my upper arm lightly.
“Wait.” Eli’s tone was almost desperate, and I turned back to see an odd expression on his face. It almost looked like panic. “You need to come with me.”
Huh?
“What do you mean?”
“I’m sorry. I thought I could let you go, but I can’t.”
“What are you talking about?” I frowned.
“I know,” he said quietly, his blue eyes anguished.
“You know what?”
“That… That you don’t have anywhere to go.” I was frozen in shock as he continued, “Please, just come home with me. I have a guest room you can stay in for as long as you need.”
Well, shit.
There was a hollow ache in my stomach that had nothing to do with my perpetual hunger, and to my horror, I felt a sob of humiliation and fear rise in my throat.
“How do you know that?”
“I followed you. Last night. It was completely innocent,” Eli added quickly, seeing my eyes widen. “My brother-in-law mentioned that you deliver the leftover food here, and I knew it was a rough neighborhood. I just wanted to make sure you were safe. That’s it. But then…”
“Then I didn’t go home,” I filled in, easily guessing what he’d seen. My anxiety increased at the reminder that Donovan was his brother-in-law.
“Yes. I followed you to Lincoln Gardens, and…”
“You can’t tell Donovan. If he finds out I lied about my address, he could fire me, and I may still need that job.” He shook his head immediately and brought a hand to my cheek, cupping it gently. I was sure the gesture was meant to calm me, but I was too worked up for that.
“Donovan would never do that. I promise. Just let me help you. Please. I can’t walk away knowing where you’re headed. I didn’t sleep at all last night, and tonight will be no different unless I know you’re somewhere safe.”
I gazed up at him, transfixed by the earnest concern in his eyes, and my pride warred with my exhaustion. The stubborn tough-girl inside of me wanted to tell him to stuff his white knight syndrome up his ass along with his amazing job offer. But my willpower was at all-time low. The incident with Brent had left me more shaken than I cared to admit, and I knew it could’ve been so much worse if Eli hadn’t been there. Would I have been able to get away? To defend myself? Under normal circumstances, probably. But I’d been up for twenty-one hours. I was just so fucking tired.
As much as I might have wanted to turn Eli down, I just didn’t have the energy to argue with him. And the idea of sleeping in a bed… Fuck. I was too weak, and the day had been too long. But there was something I needed to know first.
“Is that why you offered me a job?” I asked dejectedly, fully expecting him to say yes.
“Hell, no.” His tone was so adamant and his expression so honest that it took me by surprise. “The woman who interviewed you had the final say, and she didn’t know anything about you before she was handed your résumé. I didn’t tell anyone.”
“But this is the reason I got that interview in the first place?”
“No. I would’ve made sure you got one no matter where you were laying your head at night. When I said I wanted a mind like yours on my team, I was telling the truth.”
I wanted to believe him. He certainly looked and sounded honest. I supposed that after so much bad luck, it was hard for me to accept something good that came with no strings attached.
“And it wasn’t because you wanted to sleep with me?” I asked warily. Eli blinked in surprise at my candor and began to stutter in search of a reply. We were still standing less than a foot apart, and I reached up to silence him, touching my fingertips to his lips much as he had touched mine the first time we met. I shook my head ruefully and lowered my hand. “It’s okay. The feeling was mutual.”
“Was?”
“Well, yeah. I highly doubt you’re still interested now that you know I live in a ‘98 Chevy.”
“But—”
“It’s better for you this way anyway. Trust me. I’m a mess. My life is a mess. You really should just run as far away as possible.”
“I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel uncomfortable,” he said quietly, apparently having recovered from his moment of speechlessness. He stepped even closer, now mere inches away, but he didn’t touch me. It was almost as though he was afraid he might spook me, and some part of my brain registered that he was probably being cautious in light of what had happened with Brent. “I won’t deny that I want you, and that hasn’t changed in the past twenty-four hours. But I promise that’s not why I want to hire you. I think you’ll be a good fit at RPC.”
I stared into his eyes for a long moment, silently judging his sincerity. I believed him, but I didn’t know how this was going to change things. Something tangible had already shifted between us, and I was sure he could feel it too.
“Okay.”
“Okay…?”
“I’ll come home with you. Just for tonight, though.”
Eli breathed a sigh of relief and suddenly looked every bit as tired as I was. I agreed to follow him to his apartment building, and we returned to the downtown area in a reversal of the way we’d left it. My mind spun with new worries as I stared at his tail lights in front of me.
What would happen now? Could I still take the job? Should I? Just a few hours ago, I’d thought that keeping a professional distance from Eli had sounded like the best way forward, but now it felt like some sort of veil had been lifted from between us. The last barrier that had truly been keeping us apart. Because the messiest part of this clusterfuck of a situation was that even if all he wanted was to get into my pants… I was inclined to let him. Job or no job. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this way about a man, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d be able to resist him.
Would it really be so bad to give in? It’s not like he doesn’t already know my biggest secret...
Once we’d pulled into the parking structure beneath Eli’s building, I parked in the open space next to his car and gathered a few things from my backseat before getting out. He waited patiently, though I could feel his eyes on me, as always. I hooked my fingers through the handles of the bag Glen had given me and the duffle that held my clean clothes. The latter was very light, since tomorrow was laundry day.
Under most circumstances, I’d never have gone home with a guy I barely knew, no matter how hot he was. But as I rode the elevator up to Eli’s condo, I realized that something about him just made me feel safe. I smiled inwardly at the memory of his fist hitting Brent’s jaw. Even if he hadn’t rescued me from that jerk, I doubted I’d have had the willpower to turn down his invitation. Not after this emotional roller coaster of a day.
I generally had good instincts when it came to people, and I could tell Eli’s concern was genuine. Of course, that didn’t mean it wouldn’t have been smarter to just walk away right now. It certainly would’ve been better for him. Maybe better for me too.
The elevator stopped sooner than I expected, and the doors opened to reveal a modernly decorated hallway on the eighth floor. Eli guided me to the left, and we walked a short distance before reaching his front door.
“I thought all millionaires had a penthouse,” I joked, hoping to lighten the mood a little. He rewarded me with one of his perfect smiles.
“Then what I’m about to show you is probably going to come as quite a shock.”
He unlocked the door and led me through to a small foyer area, flicking a light switch on the wall and closing the door behind me. The apartment had a spacious open floor plan, so I could see through to the kitchen, dining area, and living room. What I saw made me smil
e in surprise. My library research had indicated Eli was divorced, but his apartment was not at all what I would’ve expected from a wealthy bachelor.
Not only was it a basic unit with a standard city view on a mid-level floor, but the decor was welcoming and… well, normal. I liked that. It told me he was practical and that his sudden wealth hadn’t gone to his head or turned him into a snob. Eli wasn’t blowing his money on extravagant things, and I really appreciated that. I’d never been a materialistic person, and if he’d taken me to some palatial estate or sterile-looking penthouse, I probably would’ve refused to stay. While it didn’t take much effort to picture him in that setting, I would never have felt comfortable in a place like that.
“There’s a utility room there,” he began, gesturing to a closed doorway off the kitchen as I followed him through the apartment. He flipped on more lights as we went. “The master bedroom is at the end of the hall, and the guest bedroom and bath are through here…”
I followed Eli through an open doorway and smiled again as I looked around his guest bedroom. There was a neatly made queen bed, a small nightstand, and a modestly-sized desk with space for a laptop computer. An open doorway in the corner led to a small bathroom, and like the rest of the apartment, both had a welcoming and pleasant feel to them. Just the thought of laying down on the bed made me want to moan out loud.
When I turned to look at Eli again, he was much closer than I’d expected, staring at me with an intensity I was beginning to crave. My previous nervousness returned full force, and I felt suddenly tongue-tied.
“Is there anything you need?”
I didn’t miss the way his eyes darted to my half-deflated duffle and my rather pathetic plastic shopping bag of food and bottled water. I shifted self-consciously and shook my head.
“No, I’ll be fine. Thank you. I don’t remember if I said it before, but… I really appreciate this. I haven’t slept in a bed since…” I stopped, not wanting to overshare. “I promise I’ll be out of your hair bright and early tomorrow morning.”
Fortune's Angel (Fates Aligned Book 2) Page 7
