“This is all you could find?” Elijah asked.
“She’s not done anything wrong. Her mother died at a young age, and when the doctors realized she was alone, they sent her to a foster home. Whoever this Cherry was, she didn’t have the best luck in life. Her mother was a whore, and there are even some social work reports where they suspected abuse but could never prove it. Cherry left one foster home after she broke a guy’s nose but wouldn’t say why. Until she was eighteen she went from one foster home to another until she finally left. She’s been working ever since and studying. The only thing I could really find that was interesting was the use of her library card. She likes to read or study.” Caleb tapped his fingers on the desk.
This was not the kind of stuff he wanted to be thinking about when it came to Cherry. She lived a hard life. He’d dealt with crime his whole life, but Mindy lived a good one. Elijah made sure she had everything her heart desired. She’d asked him once to marry someone, but he’d refused. It was the only thing he couldn’t give her.
“What’s her address?” Elijah flicked through the file.
“It’s all there. You’ve just got to look for it.”
“Is this anything we’ve got to be worried about?” Henry asked.
“No. This is personal.”
“Not many men get women as gifts.”
“Not many men are me.” Elijah stood, shaking each man’s hand. “I’ll see you in a week when the shipment is due.”
“Your excuse for not coming on Sunday was lame,” Caleb said, sitting back. “Donna has extended her invitation to this Sunday.”
Mindy and Cherry had gone out shopping on Saturday and both made arrangements to cook the day after. He couldn’t say no to his little girl and had called Caleb to let him know he wouldn’t make it.
“Fine.”
“You can bring Mindy and your gift,” Caleb said.
Shaking his head, he made his way out of the office. John was with him today, driving him around. Elijah hired the best men in the business, and John was loyal.
“Mindy got to school, sir. I’ve just had Tom update me.”
“Excellent. Cherry?”
“She’s on her way back to your house. There was no argument or even any look that she was going to disappear,” John said.
Flicking through the file he looked at her address. He gave John the address and ordered to be taken there.
John turned the car around, heading in the direction that he’d given.
Glancing through the file he saw she’d had a medical checkup at eighteen before she left her foster home. She’d been clear of anything. Caleb and Henry were thorough. Her mother had died of a drug overdose. He felt sorry for the young girl that Cherry once was. No one even noticed a young girl walking around the hospital with no one to take care of her. She moved from foster homes each with a new excuse. He saw that Cherry didn’t stay in all that long in the homes with boys who were older. There were pictures included from high school. He looked through them all, realizing Cherry was indeed a survivor. She’d been through hell and was still determined to live her life.
“We’re here, sir,” John said. He looked up to see they were in a rundown part of the city. Climbing out of the car, he buttoned up his jacket as some of the men waiting around on the apartment steps looked him over. John climbed out of the car putting on some shades.
“I wouldn’t think about it,” Elijah said, showing them his piece. They were all carrying weapons, but for some reason a man in a suit always made them keep their distance.
They held their hands up, backing away. Clearly neither of them wanted to get into shit with him.
Stepping up the apartment doors, he opened the door without needing permission to do so. There was no security. Anyone could come and go as they pleased. He saw Cherry’s name was on the fourth floor.
Climbing up the steps, the scent of decay and damp hit him.
“Damn, boss, there’s fucking shit in the corner,” John said.
He ignored John as he walked up the steps. There was arguing on every floor, yells, screams, babies crying. All of it depressed him as he stood outside of Cherry’s door.
Kicking out, the door opened with ease, and he didn’t like it. When he entered, he closed the door once John was inside and saw that she had ten different locks on the inside. She would only be able to lock it once from the outside. Cherry was more interested in her safety than her stuff. Turning around, he smelled the damp, but she’d tried to cover it up with cleaning. Every side was spotless. There was no a hint of damp, but the building was in need of care. The space was small, and once he stood in the sitting room he saw the tiny kitchen. Turning in full circle he saw the bathroom and her bedroom. It was so small. The bedroom Mindy had showed Cherry was bigger than the whole apartment.
On the floor beside him was a pile of books. Opening them up, he saw the library sticker inside.
“Pack this up. I’m taking it with me.”
He left the sitting room, going through to her bedroom. She had a suitcase open on the floor. There was another maid’s uniform, neatly folded. Beside it were three shirts of the same color along with two pairs of jeans. There was no sign of other clothing. On the bed lay two bras and some panties. She didn’t have anything to her name. The bed was a mattress on the floor. The sight was pitiful.
A survivor.
Cherry was a survivor. She did what she had to do in order to live. He didn’t like what he saw. In fact, he hated the sight of her constantly struggling.
Elijah packed away her meager belongings, going back to the kitchen. He found a cookbook, and when he opened the fridge inside lay a chicken breast, cheese, milk, and butter. Not anything else. The smells let him know everything was off.
Packing away the few books on the counter, he left her apartment. This was her old life, and he wasn’t going to let her come back. Fifteen hundred a week was riches to her. Elijah was willing to go up to three thousand, but she’d settled at his first offer.
Heading downstairs, he packed her stuff in the back of the car.
“Take me home.”
John didn’t argue as Elijah picked up Cherry’s folder.
She was studying to be a nurse. All of her money was going into her studies. He saw some of her grades had fallen. She didn’t have a lot of time to study, he imagined. He thought about Bethan. Her sweetness had been a complete contrast to him. She had needed him in everything. She had been a virgin when he took her to bed. The love he had for her would never die.
Cherry was nothing like his late wife. She was independent and had fought for everything she now had. He didn’t know what to make of her.
Rubbing at his temples, he wondered what to do.
She made him ache to fuck. He’d not been to any of the women he usually called. None of them were even remotely close to Cherry in looks.
Blowing out a breath, he slammed the file he had on her closed. He didn’t like the feelings stirring inside him. Elijah wanted her. He wanted to fuck her, slam his dick so hard inside her tight pussy that she begged him to not stop.
When his house came into view, he saw the car he’d given to Cherry to take his daughter to school. Mindy was looking for a mother, and she was trying to get Cherry to play the role. It didn’t seem to matter to Mindy that Cherry was only five years older or that she was not dating him.
Climbing out of the car, he carried her belongings inside his home. Closing the door, he dismissed John once he put the pile of books inside the door.
Cherry appeared at the top of the stairs. She wore a pair of jeans and a red shirt. Her blonde hair was curled and hung around her body.
“I thought I heard someone,” she said, moving downstairs.
The jeans put every single one of her curves on display. She turned him on, and that for Elijah was dangerous.
****
What did he have? Cherry recognized the suitcase in his arms. Beside him were the library books she’d been studying. In his other hand,
he held a file that wasn’t all that thick. She walked down the last of the steps, licking her dry lips. Cherry had been cleaning her bathroom when she heard the car pull up. She’d watched him climb out of his car. When she woke up that morning, he’d not even been around. Mindy didn’t seem to mind. His daughter was clearly used to being alone a lot.
He lifted the file. “Your life has been fucking shit.”
She paused on the last step. Looking at the file, she didn’t bother to reach out for it.
“You checked up on me?”
“Cherry Morgan. Everything is there in the file for everyone to see.”
“All you had to do was ask if you wanted to know more about me. I wouldn’t have lied.” She folded her arms over her chest to glare at him. Her life hadn’t been the best, but it had been her life.
“Your mother died.”
“You read that.”
“She had a pimp, and there was suspected abuse. You were young. Did she use you to earn money?” Elijah asked.
Cherry tensed. She’d never had anyone be so blunt with her. No one cared enough to ask her about her past.
“My mother did what she had to in order to earn money.” She gripped her arms tighter, sinking nails into her skin.
“What did she do?”
He placed the case on the floor and the file on the counter where he usually stored his keys.
“I don’t see why this is anyone’s business.”
“You’re living in my house. I demand answers.” He stood waiting. No one told him no, and she saw it as she looked at him.
“Some of the men who came to her for sex, liked to touch. She gave me to them to get more money. Sometimes it wasn’t so bad. They just liked to touch my hair. Some liked a hell of a lot more. I dealt with it.”
He cursed, and she flinched from the anger in his voice.
“What else?”
“Nothing else.”
“The foster homes. Why didn’t any of them stick?” he asked.
“I’ve never been a great person with being used as a sex object. One of the families I was sent to had older boys who didn’t think I had the right to say no. Not only did I say no, I made sure they paid for touching me.”
She gripped her arms a little tighter. All of those memories were in the past.
“Are you a virgin?” Elijah asked.
Cherry burst out laughing, shaking her head. “You’ve got no chance. I fought a lot of them, but I didn’t always win.”
“You were raped?”
She raised a brow. “I learned how to deal with it.”
“You shouldn’t have to learn how to do anything.”
“There’s no need to get angry. This happened years ago. No one has touched me in two years.” She didn’t understand why he was angry. “You should be happy. Mindy doesn’t have to go through any of that shit.”
He shook his head. “No, it doesn’t make me feel better.”
Tilting her head to the side, she stared back at him. “You’re really angry.”
“No woman should be used by force.”
“Well, I’m not going to be taken by force again.” She stepped down, going close to him. “Thank you for getting my stuff.”
She paused as he cupped her cheek, titling her head back. “I’ll pay for your schooling.”
Cherry jerked back. “What?”
“You heard me. I’ll pay for your schooling. You’re not going anywhere. We’ve got a deal, and it’s something I want to do.”
“But you don’t have to do that.”
“I don’t care. You’re doing me a favor. Mindy has wanted me to have female company for a long time.”
“She talked about your good qualities and believes you’d make an amazing husband.” All morning she had to listen to Mindy talk about her father and how amazing he’d be to have as a husband. She clearly didn’t have any clue what Elijah did in his extra time.
“I love my daughter.”
He rested his hand on her shoulder. The tips of his fingers caressed over her skin near her pulse.
She didn’t like her body heating under his touch. “Thank you for getting my stuff.”
“When do you need to go to school?” he asked.
“College. I finished school two years ago.”
“College then.”
“I’ve got classes this afternoon,” she said. This was completely out of this world. There’s no way a man took a woman and then helped her like he was.
“Get your stuff. I’ll take you to college. I’ll have a man put on your protection.” Elijah walked toward his office.
“You don’t need to do that. I’m happy with our deal.”
“Do you ever want to be a nurse?”
“Yes.” She answered without hesitation. The dream of becoming a nurse was what kept her going through the darker days.
“Then I’ll take you to college this afternoon. You may not get the chance again for another five years.”
“That’s how long you want the deal to last?”
“The deal is for however long Mindy wants you around.”
Tucking some hair behind her ear, Cherry nodded. “Okay.”
“Get ready. I’ll take you to college.”
She didn’t argue. Passing him on the stairs, she picked up her suitcase and her bag of books.
“Why do you have so many books from the library?” he asked.
“I couldn’t afford the books.” She stepped around him and headed upstairs.
“Take them back to the library. I’ll pay for them.”
She glanced over her shoulder and nodded. What was the point in arguing? He was giving her what she always wanted out of life.
She put her clothes in with the ones Mindy demanded she buy. What did he think of her apartment? Did he think she was a slob?
Stop it, Cherry.
He knew a great deal of her life because of that file he had, but he didn’t know everything.
She put the books into a sack for her to take back to the library. Grabbing a jacket from the back of the door, she went back to the stairs. She saw Elijah waiting for her. In his hand was the bag she kept with her at all times. He’d seen it contained everything of importance, purse, ID, keys, everything that a woman needed to function. Marcel had given it to him when he’d handed her over as a gift.
“Here.”
“You’re giving me back my stuff.”
“I’m going to do something that I’ve not done in a long time.”
“What’s that?” she asked, putting the bag on her shoulder.
“I’m going to trust you. I’m giving you a better life than you can find yourself.”
Cherry stared at him. “I’m not going to go running.” His threat about Marcel was all she needed for her to stay in one place.
“Good.”
She followed him out to the car.
“John, this is Cherry. Cherry, this is John.”
Shaking the man’s hand, she offered him a smile. What else was she supposed to do?
“Cherry’s going to need an escort to and from college. I want you to handle everything, John.”
“Will do, boss. It’s nice to meet you.”
Smiling back, she climbed into the back of the car. Elijah sat in the front.
“Take us to the library first.”
She couldn’t help but look at Elijah. He was so in control. It seemed strange to her to have a man so in charge. He’d not forced himself on her either. For the first time in her life, she was around a gentleman.
Cherry inwardly snorted. She doubted there was anything gentlemanly about him. Elijah was a male used to getting what he wanted. If he really wanted her for sex, he’d take it without any questions asked.
He assisted her when she took the books back to the library. They were not late, so she didn’t have to worry about a late fee.
Elijah took her hand, taking her to the nearest bookstore. “Order everything you need. Don’t argue.”
Opening her ba
g, she pulled out the list of books that were associated with her course. The cashier ordered the titles, and Elijah pulled his card out, paying for everything without batting an eye.
He stayed in the car as it pulled up outside of her college. She hadn’t made any friends in the time she’d been going. Cherry found it hard to trust people easily. In her time she’d come to see that people were only interested in her for what they could get out of it themselves. She refused to put herself through that kind of pain.
“I’ll see you later,” she said.
“Yes.”
Cherry closed the door, glancing back at him. What was it about him that pulled her in? She wished she knew the answer.
Chapter Four
One month passed, and Elijah had grown used to Cherry in his life. Mindy was constantly talking about her. His daughter had grown close to Cherry. He liked spending time with both girls. Not that he could call Cherry a girl. She wasn’t even close to being a girl. Cherry was all woman, and that was a problem to him. In the month that she’d been in his life he’d not visited any of the women who took care of his needs. None of them appealed.
None of them were Cherry. He hated that truth.
He sat in Ecstasy with Henry and Caleb. They’d talked business and were enjoying a drink. Marcel had more product than usual in a shipment and needed delivery. Henry and Caleb were in on the deal, as were several others that Elijah knew. Both men had met Cherry. Neither of them knew what to say about her. In truth, Elijah didn’t know what to make of Cherry.
She didn’t put up a fight when he made a suggestion. Cherry did everything he asked without argument. She took Mindy to school before going to college. John stayed with her for protection. They both cooked dinner together, and Mindy was improving under Cherry’s care. His daughter was seeing her as more of a mother than anything else.
When his daughter’s menstrual cycle came a week ago and there hadn’t been any ladies’ products, Cherry had handled it, talking with her. He was starting to wonder how he even handled his daughter before she came into his life.
Elijah: The Boss's Gift Page 3
