by Aliyah Burke
She sucked on her teeth before delivering a line he’d stupidly said to her before the press. “You couldn’t afford me.”
As one the women walked out of the establishment, leaving him alone to face the amused and interested looks of those around. Neela departed with her head high. The crowd which had jostled him more than once, parted for them like the Red Sea had for Moses.
Jack shook his head and got to his own feet, following her out. He lengthened his stride as she began climbing into a limo.
“Neela!” Command laced his tone but unlike everyone else, she didn’t stop, turn, or even slow.
The driver closed the door behind the women and made his way to the driver’s side and moments later, the limo pulled away leaving him there, alone, feeling as if the door on his life had just slammed shut in his face.
Chapter Six
“Damn it, Neela. Open this goddamn door before I break it down.” Jack pounded on the wood separating him from the woman who wouldn’t leave him alone in his thoughts or dreams.
Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
Anger simmering near the top, he whirled around to bark and snap at the one making that noise behind him, sending them away with their tail between their legs. It was the redhead that had been with Neela the night in the club.
She didn’t back up at all nor did she appear the least bit impressed or in awe of the man before her. Quite the opposite in fact, he read derision and a slow boiling anger in her gaze.
He raked his gaze over her, taking in the black outfit. The crop top was off her shoulders and the high waisted pants with loose legs, showcased her fit body. Matching stilettos added height and almost had them eye to eye. Sex on heels. In the past, she was the type of woman he would have been sleeping with for a night before he moved on. Right now, all he wanted was Neela.
“What do you want?”
“Your attitude may work wonders for you in your boardrooms, but I don’t give a flying fuck how much you own or what your name is. You want to talk to me, I suggest you find some politeness in that tone of yours. Now get out of my way.”
She didn’t give him a chance to say another word, just shoved him aside and put a key in the lock. A side eye and she opened the door.
“Property damage is frowned upon, especially when it is a property that I own,” she commented, pushing the door open all the way.
Jack didn’t wait for an invitation, just strode by her inside and froze. It had been cleared out. Even the furniture was gone. The floors were spotless. No sign that anyone lived there, not her, not the girls and not their uncle.
“Where is she?” he growled.
“Somewhere else.” She moved by him and went to the kitchen outcropping countertop where she placed a black leather bag.
Jack thought about the time he’d fucked Neela on that counter until his legs could barely hold him up.
The redhead picked up an envelope and opened it. After she drew out the sheet of paper, he turned his attention to the rest of the small place. His mind raced with possibilities.
“How the hell did all of this get moved up and out so quickly?”
“Things don’t have to work on your timeline,” she said, putting the letter back into the envelope and subsequently back into her purse. “You can leave now.”
Jack crossed his arms. “Where is she?”
“I’ll never tell you. All I will say is this. You should have treated her better if you wanted her to stay in your life.”
Unkind words flowed to the surface yet by the will of God he managed to keep them contained. It wasn’t her fault that he’d spoken callous words.
“Is she okay? Does she need anything?”
The woman cocked a perfectly arched eyebrow as she stared at him with a new level of disdain, he’d been unsure any one person could express on their features.
“She never needed anything from you. That arrogance was your own hubris. She was with you for one reason only, she wanted to be. Not because of what you may be able to offer her other than you. Neela doesn’t give a damn about money, never has. She’s not one of your gold-digging whores like your media is calling her.”
The woman moved toward him, reminding Jack of a King cobra, mesmerizing the prey as it closed in for the kill. Warning spiked up his spine, yet he refused to move. He was desperate for any information she would give him if it meant facing her wrath then so be it.
“We may not have the billions you do, or the automated house that takes all the fun out of living by disguising it as something forward thinking and progressive. The new wave of what is to come, but we have something you’ll never have.”
She shooed him toward the door. He allowed her to move him that direction.
“What’s that?” he asked as they both went into the hall.
“Family.”
She was right. Other than Toby and Melinda, he didn’t have any and hearing that fact from another didn’t bother him until he’d not had Neela in his life.
He dug for his business card and held it out. She blinked and never made a move to take it from his outstretched hand.
“Give this to her and have her call me if she needs anything.”
“You truly are a self-absorbed asshole. She was your assistant, your personal assistant for months. Don’t you think she knows how to reach out to you if she wanted? And I had such high hopes when she told us about you. Thought perhaps you were the one we would actually get to meet. So not the case.”
“She never talked about you to me.”
“She didn’t trust you enough. Which tells me all I need to know.”
After a final scathing look, she strutted off down the walk to the waiting dark gray SUV and slid in the back with a comment to the driver who held the door for her. Jack stared after her as she was whisked away.
His own vehicle and driver still waited. Off in the distance, black clouds rolled in, bringing with them the promise of more bad weather. Lightning sliced through the clouds and even from this distance the thunder could not only be heard, but also felt.
Back in his vehicle, he gave the destination to his driver and leaned back against the leather seat.
Her friend owns the building she lived in. I’ve been an idiot, I was so focused on keeping her beside me I, didn’t check to see about her friends aside from Paulson. And that was only because of jealousy.
All those months and I found ways to weasel out of taking her to places I know she would have loved. Places I would have loved to take her and have the world see her on my arm.
“Here you are, Mr. Perrot.”
Sliding from the seat, he nodded once to the man there, holding the door, standing there, holding an umbrella out for him. He took the handle and sighed.
“Take the rest of the day off, Brenden. I’m not going out again. Go home and spend time with your family.”
Brenden gave him a short nod. “Thank you sir. Call me if you need to go anywhere.” Brenden shut the door.
“I’m serious, Brenden. Go home. I’m not leaving again today.”
“Yes sir. Thank you sir.”
Letting it go, he strode inside the building, handing the umbrella over to the doorman with a muted ‘thank you’ then continued on to his elevator that took him to the penthouse.
Welcome home, Jacques.
It wasn’t the feminine voice he wanted waiting for him.
“Any messages?”
Just one from Ms. Fitzgerald.
His heart stopped then began again at triple the speed. “Why didn’t you forward her to me? I told you to do that.”
It was at her request.
“Since when do you listen to anyone else?”
Since Ms. Fitzgerald would play chess with me and talk to me as if I were more than a piece of artificial intelligence.
He shrugged out of his suit coat and reached for his tie. “Just play the damn message.”
At your command, Jacques. Here it is, left today at three-twenty-seven pm.
“Hello Jack.”
His heart clenched at the sound of her voice, deep and throaty as it was in his dreams since the day he met her.
“I’m sure today, Ms. Donna put my resignation paper on your desk. I’m done. I should have trusted my gut and never taken that job. I don’t blame you, not fully. Could you have stood up for me? Certainly, but then people may get the mistaken idea that you actually have a heart or soul. We both know that’s not true. The outfits you purchased for me will be returned as well, all of them. I want nothing from the time we spent together. And as much as I want to be petty and wish you shit for the rest of your life, I refuse to give you that kind of power over me. My wanting to hate you would allow that to be as I would expend my energy on keeping that anger alive when I have much better things to do with my time. So I will leave you with this. Have a good life.”
She was gone.
“Did she say anything else?”
That was the full extent of the message, Jacques.
He walked to the bar and started drinking. “Play it again.”
Did you miss part of the message? I can recap it for you if you would like.
He downed the drink, it burned as it sailed down his throat. “Play the goddamn message again!”
αβ
Four days later, his mood had only soured further.
“Mr. Perrot, you have a visitor who wasn’t on your schedule.”
“Is it important? And who is it?”
“He says it is and his name is Paulson Torres.”
“Send him in.”
The man entered and closed the door behind him. Paulson was a good-sized man.
“Can I help you, Mr. Torres?”
The silent man approached his desk, hands in his pockets.
“Is everything okay with Neela?” Christ, is that my voice sounding desperate?
Bam! The punch came out of nowhere and laid him out flat. Paulson stood over him murder in his eyes.
“You’re going to make this right or I’m going to kill you.”
What the fuck is he going on about? Rubbing his jaw, he began sitting up, with wary concern. “Care to fill me in on what the assault was about?”
αβ
Neela yawned and stretched her arms over her head, enjoying the beautiful sunset playing out over the balcony as well as the lake beyond. Tonight was hers and hers alone. Paulson had a date, and the girls did as well with some friends they’d met at school. They were involved in a sleepover and quite honestly, she was oh-so happy to allow that woman to have a handful of pre-teen girls running and screaming all over.
She relaxed on the lounge and wriggled her toes as the soft strands of John Dreamer’s Rise replaced Broken Sorrow from Nuttin’ But Stringz.
A warm breeze poured over her, and she sighed, sinking deeper into the soft cushions. Beside her sat a tall drink of sweet tea but she wasn’t thirsty.
Okay, perhaps I am but I’m just too damn comfortable to move anywhere.
The music continued to shift, from genre to genre, however it was still slow and relaxing. When only a few streaks of light from the setting sun pierced the sky, she swung her feet over the edge of the lounge and pushed to her feet.
“Time to find some dinner.”
She swiped her drink on the way and walked inside. Neela frowned as the smell of Italian food reached her.
“Paulson? Are you back early from your date? Did something happen that she was an absolute twat and I have to go kick her ass?” Silence. She shook her head. “You know if you would just agree to date Mara, this wouldn’t be an issue. She’s not technically a stalker and the girls love her.”
“Tell me, Neela, is Mara the dark-haired one or the redheaded one who gives you places to live wherever you want them? I mean they were both sexy but the third in that group snared my attention.” Jack walked into view, wiping his hands on a towel. “And from that very first day she’s sunk her claws into me and I can’t get them out.” He held her gaze, his own straightforward and unblinking. “Nor do I want to.”
Her body flashed with a whirlwind of emotions. Shock. Desire. Fear. Anger. Lust. And even more lust.
It didn’t seem that her body had gotten the message she and the man before her were no longer an item. Like a starving animal before a feast, she ate up the vision before her, craving more. Her fingertips burned with a preposterous need to touch him, skim over the ridges in his hard body, trail along the scruff shadowing his jaw.
Silence lingered between them for a moment until he cocked his head to the side. “Hello Neela.”
She couldn’t find the words. He wasn’t in a suit but jeans and a shirt as he’d been that first time she’d met him. Neela stared and blinked.
“Are you going to talk to me?”
“How the hell did you get in here?”
His eyes narrowed a fraction. “That’s what you have to say to me after all this time and the way you left?”
Her bristling was instinctive. Instead of reacting as normal, she shrugged and took a deep breath. Kind of a mixed bag of smart and stupid on her part. She needed the air, however, that allowed his scent to flow in and imbued into her once more.
“Go away, Mr. Perrot.”
His gaze singed her, but she refused to drop her own. This was her place, not work.
“I’m not going anywhere until we have a talk.”
“Why now? I’ve been gone for months. Why do you feel the need for one now?” She gestured to her body. “I’m not pregnant and if I had been I wouldn’t have come to you, anyway. Wouldn’t want my child to think it was only in this world because I was after your money.”
“I deserved that. Come on and eat, Neela. Give me a chance to do what I should have done that day.”
Her laughter was harsh and completely unfriendly.
“That’s the thing, you didn’t have to do anything that day. You did what was natural to you. I didn’t expect you to defend me. I went into our situation with my eyes wide open, and against my own better judgement, but it was my decision. I was your assistant that’s it. While in my head, my fantasies could have gotten out of control, it is what it is. You could have however, corrected them when they began dragging my name through the mud. I gave you two extra weeks to see if you would step up and do anything of the sort. When it didn’t come, I left. I didn’t need a knight in shining armor, I just needed my boss, one of the wealthiest men in the world to step up and state they were wrong. There was nothing between us and I had been moved up from the mailroom because I earned it, not because you wanted to fuck me, even though that’s what the true reason was.”
“Neela.”
“No. they didn’t go after you because they were afraid of what you and your team of lawyers could do to them, so they picked on me. Paulson. The girls. All because you live in your own glass bubble and don’t see the rest of the world has feelings and can actually be hurt by your decisions and lack of giving a damn. So there, we’ve talked. Now go.”
He didn’t, in fact he moved closer to her. Refusing to back away, Neela locked her knees as they’d begun to shake.
“You’re right. I’m an asshole. Always have been. Probably always will be. But I’m damn good at my job and overall my employees are happy to be working with me. Granted Toby does more with the employees than I do, but across the world they are happy to be with us.”
“Congratulations,” she drew out. “They why bother one employee who walked away if you have so many who are happy there. Surely you can find another to be your assistant.”
Even saying the words cut her again. She’d made it her mission to not think of all the women he could be sleeping with. Not wanting to think of another on her hands and knees before him sucking his thickness. Or accepting his dick doggy style as he pounded home with an endless control.
“Because I didn’t hurt them. I hurt an employee I actually care about.” He put his hand on the small of her back and guided her to the kitchen where she found the table set for two. The lasagna looked delicious and smell
ed better. Her stomach rumbled as he held her chair for her.
She kept her hands in her lap as he took the chair across from her. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a lighter to put flame to the tapers between them.
“I’m to tired to play games, what do you want?”
He ate a bite of food. “I want to apologize to you. It’s not something I do often or well.”
She tore the bread into tiny pieces. “So what? I should be in awe of your magnanimous gesture of apologizing to me as you don’t do it often?”
“No. You were never in awe of me, Neela. You didn’t allow my money to change how you viewed me. If I needed a correction, you gave it. Without hesitation. You were brutally honest with me when I asked a question and would intervene if you thought I wasn’t doing right.”
“Big surprise, I’m opinionated.”
He nodded. “You are. And I respect the hell out of that. And what you did. I pushed you to the limit. Testing what you would allow me to do and not. But I always would listen to your suggestions, your view on something. Others pander to me because of the money, and that they thought it was what I wanted to hear. Not you. You always put others first and as Todd puts it, gave me back the humanity that I had lost a long time ago.”
She ate the bread while he spoke, the garlic flavor seeping into her taste buds. Some days it was bread that was needed. The rest of the food looked delicious, but she wanted bread.
“Still doesn’t say what your reasoning is for being here now.”
“Because I’m in love with you.”
Neela began choking. Eyes watering as she coughed, she barely saw him shove back from the table and rush to her side. There was no mistaking the touch of his hand on her back as he gave a few sharp pounds.
“I’m sorry,” she wheezed when she could finally find some air. “What did you say?”
“I said I was in love with you.”
“Why would you say that? Do you truly need me back as your personal assistant so bad that you lie like this?”
He turned the chair and positioned himself between her legs. “Neela, look at me.”
She wiped her eyes, took a drink of wine, and did as he’d commanded. “What?”
