by T. N. King
“I can’t…understand why someone would have done this to me.” She tried thinking back on the night and worked hard on remembering anyone who would have wanted to roofie her drink but came up at a dead end every time.
“Try not to think so hard about it right now. Let your body recover then we will talk about it.” He opened her door and helped her in to the car, strapping the seatbelt for her and making sure it was secure before closing her door. The ride out of the city was quiet. He didn’t try to make conversation. He knew she was tired and upset over everything.
She leaned her head back and just let him take her wherever he wanted to take her. She didn’t say a word when they pulled into the penthouse. She didn’t even protest when he led her to the master bedroom and put her to bed in his bed. She crawled into the bed and lay there as he removed her dress and her bra. She felt numb, tired and very alone. He pulled the covers up to cover her almost naked body.
“Try to get some sleep. I’ll be in the next room if you need me.” He ran his hand over her forehead then turned to go.
Megan broke down and began to cry. “Stay?”
He walked back to her and sat on the bed. “Are you sure?”
“Please? Lay with me.”
He crawled over her and sat next to her as she rolled over into his lap. He caressed her head. “I’m here. Cry for as long as you need to. I will always be here for you.” He caressed her head until she fell asleep and stayed there with her until he heard his phone go off. He carefully pulled it from his pocket and read the text he received from his partner, Elle.
We have the security tape, you should come and see this.
He clenched his jaw when a bad feeling worked its way into his mind. He was sure Kristina had something to do with this.
CHAPTER SIX
Megan rolled over and loved the feel of the soft sheets running across her body. When she opened her eyes, she wasn’t sure where she was. She sat up quickly and let the familiarity of the room soak into her mind. She plopped back down on the pillow when she remembered how she got there. Her body was tired and she still felt groggy but she felt a lot better than she did. She looked over and saw two pills sitting on the bedside table with a glass of water. She leaned over and picked up the bottle, reading the side. Jensen went to the pharmacy and got her the medicine the doctor prescribed for her. She picked up the pills and put them into her mouth, washing them down with the water he left for her. She propped the pillow up behind her and looked around the room smiling at the idea that he liked taking care of her. When Kristina entered her mind, she grew uneasy.
What if she comes here and sees me in her bed? She thought. She cursed under her breath and quickly got out of bed. She looked around the room for her dress but couldn’t find it anywhere. When she walked toward the bathroom, she saw some of her old clothes folded on his ottoman by the bathroom door. She figured they must have been left behind when she left. She slid on her jeans and pulled her blue shirt over her head. Her shoes were nowhere to be found, so she snuck out of the room hoping they would have been in the living room. A sizzling sound came from the kitchen with the smell of bacon filling the air. Her stomach growled as it filled her senses. She covered it with her hands and walked toward the kitchen. She peeked in and saw Jensen standing at the stove wearing a red apron and humming a tune while flipping the bacon pieces. Her shoes sat by the counter, with her purse and her dress neatly folded on the top. She tiptoed toward them and carefully picked them up, keeping her eyes on him. Just as she turned to go he spoke.
“Good afternoon, Megan,” he said without turning around.
She sighed and stopped. “Hi. I can see that you are busy so I’m just going to go.”
“Sit down, stay a bit.”
“I shouldn’t be here.”
“Why not? I’m making a terrific breakfast,” he said, turning around.
“And what about Kristina?”
He furrowed his eyebrows. “What about Kristina?”
“I really don’t think I should be here when she comes home.”
“How many times to I have to tell you? I am not with her anymore. I threw that crazy bitch out before I even met you.”
“You don’t have to lie to me. I already know everything.”
“And what is that?” he asked, leaning against the counter.
“I know about you and her, and about your engagement to be married. She is gorgeous, I don’t blame you. I just wish that I wasn’t the other woman.”
Jensen laughed out loud. “What is it going to take to convince you that I am telling you the truth?”
Megan gnawed at the side of her mouth.
“She will never be coming back. Do you not understand that? I don’t know why you don’t believe me. It kind of hurts that you don’t. I thought you trusted me?”
She was at a loss for words and began to feel guilty for possibly jumping to the wrong conclusions. She just wasn’t sure what to believe. She didn’t know if she could take another hit to her heart, especially from him.
He pointed to the bar stool. “Sit,” he commanded. “I’ll make you a plate.”
“I can’t. I have to get back home.”
“I said, sit.” He raised his eyebrows and stared at her until she complied. “I will let you go, if you must, but not until you have eaten something.”
She sighed and watched him cover the plate with pancakes, crispy bacon and maple syrup.
“You…made my favorite.”
“I know,” he said nonchalantly without looking up at her. He sat down across from her after filling his plate and began to eat.
She felt herself blush at the thought of him going out of his way to please her.
“Thank you,” she mumbled before cutting into her pancake.
He looked up and smiled a little, feeling like he was penetrating through a little. He devoured the food on his plate and sat there watching her eat so delicately. She tried not to let it bother her, but it did.
“I think you should stay here, with me.”
“Why?”
“So I can keep you safe.” He didn’t want to tell her that he thought Kristina had something to do with the club event or the security footage he has yet to see, but he knew he couldn’t keep her safe if she wasn’t there.
“I’ll be fine.” She looked up at him when she heard him take a big, annoyed breath. “What?” she asked, a bit annoyed herself.
“I don’t think you are safe.”
“Why would you think that? What happened at the club was more than likely a random act of some jerk trying to get his jollies by the first woman he came into contact with.”
“I don’t think so,” he said shaking his head.
“This is getting ridiculous. Can you please just stop?” She threw her napkin down on the counter and got up from the counter. “I’d like it if you could take me home, please?”
He set his napkin down calmly and got up from the counter, nodding and quietly walking around to her. She followed him out after he gave her a bag for her things. Just before he got to the door, he turned toward her and put his hands on her arms.
“Promise me you’ll be careful.”
“I will.”
“No more clubbing, and don’t go out.”
“What? You are being ridic….”
“Please, promise me.”
“Fine, okay,” she said, her eyes widening. “I promise.” She rolled her eyes after he turned and opened the door.
He pulled out of the drive and headed to her apartment in silence. He didn’t say anything until he pulled onto her street. “So, where are you working now? Tell me about your job.”
She hesitated, wondering just how much he knew. As he pulled up to the front of her apartment, she told him. “It’s a PA job to this CEO downtown. Thank you for the ride, and for saving my butt.” She leaned in toward him and kissed his cheek before quickly getting out and shutting the door. She didn’t want to give him the opportunity to ask any more questions th
at she wasn’t prepared to answer.
Megan went up to her apartment and when she got in the door she saw Lorena walk into her bedroom.
“Hey,” she said to signify she was home.
Lorena turned around and shocked Megan with her smeared make up and messed up hair.
“Wow, you look like hell.”
“Thanks,” she mumbled. “I just woke up. Where did you go last night? I looked everywhere for you.”
“Did you get a text from my phone?”
Lorena looked at her, confused. She disappeared into her room and reappeared with her phone in her hand. “It’s dead.”
“Someone drugged my drink last night.”
“They what?” she asked, shocked at the news. “Who the hell spiked your drink?”
“I don’t know, but it really did me in. If it wasn’t for Jensen,” she shook her head. “I don’t know what would have happened to me.”
“What did happen to you?”
“I passed out. Jensen carried me out of there, put me in the hospital for tests and found some date rape drug in my blood. He took me to his place and stayed with me until I was okay to come home. He said he had a team investigating what happened.”
“Sounds like a pretty terrific guy.”
“Yeah. So, what happened to you and your mystery guy?” she asked, changing the subject.
“Oh my God,” she said putting her hand out. “He was so hot. We did it in the men’s bathroom in the stall.”
“Shut up!”
“It was so good. When I tried meeting up with him later that night, he had disappeared. I don’t know where he went.”
“That sucks. What a jerk.”
“I don’t mind. He was goooood,” Lorena giggled. “Wanna get some take out?”
“Chinese?”
“Definitely.”
Megan called in their order and Lorena threw on a hat and sunglasses to cover up her bedhead and bad make-up, and went to get the food. When she got back, Megan had a blanket spread on the carpet in the living room in front of the telly, with a bunch of big pillows surrounding the back of the blanket.
“Oh, comfy,” she said, putting the bags down on the coffee table.
“Today is a perfect lazy day.”
“Agreed.”
Lorena dove into her chicken and shrimp Szechuan as soon as she got a hold of it. Megan picked at her orange chicken and lo mein, her stomach still queasy from the medicine and sick with worry about who would have done this to her. She picked up her phone for the fourth time but still no text from Jensen.
As if she knew what Megan was looking for, Lorena asked about him. “Tell me about Jensen. I know you are so over him, but something tells me you didn’t want it to be.”
Megan had a faraway look in her eyes. “I didn’t. There was something about him, I can’t get over. He is so….”
“Hot!” Lorena said, giggling.
“Well, yes, but it’s more than that. He knew how to touch me, how to treat me. He knew when to be dominant and when to be tender.”
“Did anything happen last night?”
“No. He just took care of me, that was all.” She wondered if she should have told Lorena about the hot sex on top of his desk. She smiled at the thought, then scoffed silently to herself for giving in to him so easily. “I don’t have any doubt that he cares for me, and I know he loves me. That’s why I don’t get why he lied to me. It just doesn’t fit.”
“Maybe he isn’t lying to you.”
Megan took a nibble of her fortune cookie. “Maybe.” The thought did cross her mind, but Kristina’s actions didn’t make sense if Jensen was telling the truth. The cookie in Megan’s hand broke and Lorena leaned in and stole the little white paper that was inside. “Hey! That’s mine!”
“I know. I like to read them before anyone else does.” She read it then covered her mouth and looked at her.
“What? What does it say?”
“You aren’t going to believe it.”
“Just read it. They are just made up sayings anyway.”
“Hold on to the love you have, for if it gets away, the replacement will break your heart.”
“Shut up, it does not.” Megan leaned in and grabbed the little piece of white paper out of Lorena’s clutches and read it. “Oh my God, it does.” She started giggling and Lorena joined in.
“So, Jensen is the “love”. Who would be the replacement?”
Megan grinned, “Tristan?”
“Your new boss?” Lorena’s jaw dropped. “No way. You have a thing for him?”
“He isn’t hard to look at.”
“What is it with you and bosses?”
Megan laughed, “Their authority, I guess.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Jensen
Jensen pulled away from the curb after Megan disappeared into her apartment. It broke his heart to watch her go through this and not trust him to take care of her. He was determined to find out who was behind it.
He drove back to the night club to meet up with Elle and when he walked in, bright lights illuminated the place, as a cleaning crew busily cleaned, getting the club ready to open at four for happy hour. When he walked past them, they looked up from their work. He nodded without smiling and made his way to the security office. Elle and one of the security officers were inside, waiting for Jensen’s arrival.
“Hello, Jensen,” she said smiling. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. Jensen wondered what kind of a lover Elle was. She was very sexy for an older woman, long black hair, often pinned up on the sides. She only wore a little bit of make-up to accent her features and she had a kick ass figure. She approached him once, when they first met and dabbled on the idea of taking him to bed, but when she found out he didn’t mix business with pleasure she backed off and respected his ways.
“Hi. What did you find out?” he asked, setting his jacket down on the desk next to the computer. He looked behind Elle and saw Black standing there, his arms crossed and a frown on his face. “From the look on Black’s face, I’m not going to like what I see.” He leaned in and looked at the monitor. The picture on the screen was a still of the night club and he could easily see the table where Megan and Lorena sat.
“I’ll let you see for yourself.” She hit a button causing the video to play.
Jensen dreaded watching it, but he needed to get a hold of the culprit involved.
They all watched as the tape showed Megan and Lorena sitting at the table. It showed them downing their shots of tequila and then disappearing toward the dance floor. As the tape continued, she saw Lorena return to the table. Megan returned shortly after, with the champagne that Jensen had purchased for her. They popped the top and drank a few sips then disappeared to the dance floor again. When Lorena returned to the table, she had a new friend. It looked like she was talking to him, laughing and kissing him. When Megan and Lorena returned to the table a little while later, Lorena left toward the bathrooms. Jensen kept his eyes on the screen until it stopped. Elle and Black looked at Jensen waiting for his reaction.
“I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary,” he said.
The security guard rewound the tape and Black leaned in as it replayed.
“There.” Black pointed to Lorena’s friend with his middle finger. “Watch him.”
Jensen’s eyes were glued to him as he leaned in and kissed Lorena. When the kiss got hot and heavy, the man reached his arm up and dropped something in Megan’s glass. “What a fucker,” he said with his mouth open. The guy wore a hoodie that covered him well. “He knew what he was doing.”
“Looks like it,” said Black.
“And the fact that he only targeted Megan’s glass and not Lorena’s speaks volumes.”
“Maybe he thought it was Lorena’s,” said Elle.
“No. If you look, Lorena’s glass is right in front of her. He reached across the table to Megan’s glass. He was specifically targeting Megan.” He looked back at Black. “What do you think?”
; Black grunted and nodded.
“I want tapes of the exits. I want to find out who this fucker is and I want his head on a chopping block,” Jensen snapped as he flared his nostrils clenched his jaw.
The security officer quickly got up and started going through the tapes he had in his cabinet. “It will take a few hours, but I will have it for you.” Black joined the officer and assisted.
Jensen walked out of the office with Elle’s arm in his. “How is Megan doing?” she asked.
“Better than she would have been if I didn’t see what happened.” He looked at his watch. “I’m going to go. I’ll be back after I check up on her.”
Elle put her hand on his arm. “Not now, Jensen. Let her rest. She has been through quite an ordeal.”
“Maybe you are right. I’ll let her rest for a couple of days.” He turned around and went back into the security office. “Black.” When he turned around, Jensen continued. “I want you to trail Megan for me. Keep an eye on her to be sure she is safe.”
Black nodded, gave the tape in his hands to the officer and walked out of the room.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Megan
Megan had a difficult time getting up out of bed Monday morning. With everything that had happened to her over the weekend, her head still hurt, her mouth was dry and her body was still recovering, but very slowly. Grabbing an apple to stop the pang in her stomach, she booked out the door and rushed to work, getting into the building only ten minutes late. She ran to the elevators and pushed the button, waiting for the doors to open. When they did, Tristan stood on the other side, his mind buried in whatever paperwork he was carrying and almost running into Megan when he walked out.
“Oh, Megan. I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there,” he said. After looking at her closer, he saw her pale complexion and tired eyes. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Yes,” she said, forcing a smile. “Just tired. I didn’t sleep very well last night. A little coffee and I should be good to go.” She walked past him and got on to the elevator. “Oh, before you go, lunch,” she said, pulling out a small notebook. She pulled the attached pen off the top. “Do you want lunch inside or outside today?”
