Helios Exposed (The Helios Chronicles #2)

by Tawa M. Witko

  “Ms. Ellis, well, it is after hours; may I call you Madison?” Nolan smirked as he strode into her office.

  “No, you may not, Mr. Crawford,” Madison replied with a little more bite then she had intended.

  “Well, then,” he started with a chuckle. “You are working dutifully late tonight, Ms. Ellis,” he said, emphasizing her last name.

  She sighed and looked up just as he set his hands on her desk. He had a predatory look on his face as he let his eyes wander to the V in her blouse. Madison frowned and narrowed her eyes, which only seemed to make things worse. She leaned back slightly and crossed her arms over her chest, hoping that she looked somewhat menacing as she covered her cleavage from his lustful gaze. He grinned and then laughed before standing up straight.

  “Can I help you with something, Mr. Crawford?” Madison asked, trying to get him out of her office.

  “How about we discuss it over dinner?” he replied smoothly.

  Madison sighed and shook her head. “Mr. Crawford, I am in a relationship with a man I love. I have no desire to date you.”

  Nolan frowned as anger quickly passed over his face. He then slipped his hand in his pocket nonchalantly and offered her a small smile.

  “Can’t blame a guy for trying, right?” he said, but Madison didn’t respond. He tapped his hand on her desk and gave her a creepy grin. “Some other time, Madison,” he said, drawing her name out in an eerie way before he walked out the door.

  Andrew saw the smug look on Nolan’s face as he exited Madison’s office. When Nolan passed him he smirked knowingly at Andrew before stepping towards the elevator. Andrew paused for only a moment before he went barreling through the office to find Madison breathing hard and wearing a fearful expression. All of Andrew’s anger suddenly turned to worry as he wondered what had happened before he arrived.

  “Madison?” Andrew asked as he approached her desk, causing her to jump.

  “Helios, you scared me,” she cried out, almost in tears.

  He pulled her up and held her trembling body, his anger resurfacing. “What did he do, Madison? Tell me now!” he seethed.

  She shook her head. “Nothing, he just came in here, he... creeped me out.”

  Andrew kissed the top of her head. “Let’s get out of here, okay?” He tried to sound calm but he was anything but.

  She nodded against him and quickly put away her papers. Andrew paced, waiting for her to be ready, hoping that he would be able to catch Nolan outside and let him know in no uncertain terms that he needed to stay the hell away from Madison. When she was ready, they exited her office and, much to Andrew’s delight, Nolan was in the lobby, talking to someone on the phone.

  “Stay here, Madison,” Andrew stated firmly as he tugged her hand roughly, indicating he didn’t want her following him.

  Nolan saw Andrew approaching and ended his conversation abruptly. He straightened his jacket and arched his brow at the angry looking man making a beeline towards him. When Andrew got to him his whole body was on alert, ready to do whatever it took to keep this man away from his Madison.

  “If you ever go near her again, I will kill you,” Andrew said without pause.

  “Well, Andrew, considering we work together...”

  “You know what the hell I’m talking about!” Andrew hissed through clenched teeth, his fists balled at his sides.

  Nolan glanced over Andrew’s shoulder seeing Madison slowly, hesitantly, approaching. He smirked at her and then brought his eyes back to Andrew.

  “Well, after the show you put on at the Christmas party I figured why the hell should somebody like you be the only one allowed to taste...” Nolan started to say.

  Andrew didn’t allow him to finish his sentence and brought one of his balled fists to Nolan’s jaw, knocking him back a few steps. Nolan immediately brought his hand to his jaw before rushing at Andrew, throwing his own swing, except Andrew anticipated the move and ducked out of the way as he landed several shots to Nolan's side. Nolan dropped to one knee, out of breath and in pain. The security guard, seeing what was transpiring, came running over to try and intervene but Nolan put up his hand, halting his movement. He had no intention of having someone break up something that he was about to finish.

  “Stop, Andrew, please, stop!” Madison screeched.

  Nolan laughed menacingly as he stood back up and flung his jacket off. “No, by all means, don’t stop, Andrew,” he said removing his tie and glaring at his adversary. “You got a couple of cheap shots in but come on, let’s see if you’re as bad ass as you think you are,” he sneered as he rolled his shoulders.

  “Andrew, NOOOO!” Madison yelled as she tried to jerk Andrew back.

  Seeing an opportunity, Nolan swept Andrew’s legs causing Andrew to crash to the ground. Nolan started kicking Andrew in the ribs. Madison, having been thrown to the side when Andrew fell, jumped up immediately and tried to push Nolan away from him. She knew this was going to escalate quickly and she didn’t want a repeat of what happened to Jimmy at the lake. Mr. Crawford had no idea what Andrew was capable of.

  “Sit down, Madison, let me show you that he really is... nothing,” Nolan said, pushing her back.

  Andrew let out a sound that caused both Nolan and Madison to look at him. His eyes were dark, his expression murderous. He yanked Nolan down by the leg and was on top of him before Nolan was able to respond. Andrew wasted no time pummeling his face with his fists over and over again. Nolan, in a panic, thrashed his legs and twisted his body, trying desperately to get out from under Andrew to no avail. Andrew was filled with rage, rage from all the snide remarks, rage from all the times he was made to feel insignificant, rage from the inadequacies he felt in Madison’s world. Before he realized what was happening, Nolan was whimpering like a wounded dog. Suddenly he felt arms wrapped around his torso, jerking him off. He was tossed to the side and when he went to attack again, he was blocked by Mr. Turner.

  “What the hell is going on?” Grayson asked to all present.

  He frowned as he pushed Andrew back when he tried to get at Nolan once again. Andrew immediately began pacing. Adrenaline was coursing through him, needing an immediate release. He wanted to finish Nolan, for the things he had done to not just Madison, but him as well. Mr. Turner watched Andrew, who appeared to him like a caged animal looking for an opportunity to pounce. He turned from him and kneeled down next to Nolan, checking his injuries.

  “Mr. Crawford was harassing me and Andrew confronted him, it escalated,” Madison said through tears, hoping that explanation, albeit true to a certain extent, would not garner the police being called, which was the last thing she wanted to have happen.

  Mr. Turner sighed, knowing that at some point his partner’s cavalier attitude towards women would come back to bite him in the ass. In truth, Grayson felt responsible. He knew that Nolan wanted to pursue Madison. He didn’t think it was a good idea, yet he allowed him to talk him into working at the office twice a week. That was clearly a mistake that he needed to rectify. He could tell that Nolan’s jaw was either fractured or broken, his eye was swollen shut, and blood was gushing out of his nose. He was glad that he had rushed over when Nolan had hung up from their call without explanation or he might have found his partner dead. Mr. Turner closed his eyes and quickly ran through all the possibilities. He knew that if the police were called, then Madison would surely file a harassment charge against Nolan, just to save Andrew if nothing else. He couldn’t have that, especially since everyone had seen Nolan’s behavior at the bar. It would be easy to prove in court.

  “Madison, you and Andrew leave. I’ll take care of Nolan,” Grayson said without looking at either of them.

  Madison started walking towards the exit with tears streaking her face. Andrew’s rage was subsiding and as he looked down at Nolan’s bloodied face, he winced, knowing that he had done that. He then glanced at Madison who was already at the door. He hurriedly caught up to her, following her outside. As he went to touch her shoulder, she jerked away from
him. He tried to control his breathing as she briskly walked faster. He picked up his pace and caught up with her again, this time not trying to touch her.

  “I know he is an asshole, but shit, Andrew, he’s my damn boss,” Madison stuttered through her tears. “Mr. Turner is probably going to fire me. I’ll... I’ll never be able to find work with that following me around.”

  “I’m sorry, but you heard what he said,” Andrew stated defensively.

  She stopped and turned to him, her face red from her tears and anger. “Yes, I did hear what he said,” she gave him an icy glare, reminiscent of the look her mother had given him before. “So tell me, Andrew, obviously you knew that he saw us, why didn’t you say something to me? That was some important information, don’t you think?” Madison stated coolly.

  Andrew breathed in deeply. Madison narrowed her eyes and started walking again.

  “I’m sorry, I should have said something to you.”

  “Yes, you should have,” Madison spit back before he could finish.

  “Do you...”

  “NO! I don’t want to do anything. I want to go home, I’m tired and my head hurts,” she said nonchalantly. She shook her head and tapped her foot several times, as her eyes closed tightly. “I... I’m pissed, Andrew. I just... I can’t... talk right now.”

  She started for the parking garage and remembered she had caught the subway in. With a scowl on her face, she waved her hand and a few minutes later a cab was pulling up to the curb.

  “Archstone, 50th and Eighth,” Madison stated as she slid into the cab, followed by a reluctant Andrew.

  The ride to the apartment was blisteringly cold. Madison stared out the window, avoiding Andrew’s eyes. She wasn’t sure what she was feeling right now, but she knew that she couldn’t talk to him yet or her mother’s sharp tongue would escape and she would say something hurtful even if she didn’t mean it. Madison started to dig out her cash for the cab when Andrew stopped her.

  “I got it,” he said softly.

  “Fine,” she muttered as she exited the cab.

  “Good luck, man,” the cabdriver said sympathetically as Andrew started to exit as well.

  Andrew sighed as he followed Madison. She didn’t say anything to him as they entered the elevator and then she proceeded to walk straight into the apartment and to their room, slamming the door behind her. Andrew stood there dumbfounded, unsure what he was supposed to do. He raked his hand through his hair as he walked into the living room. He plopped down on his favorite chair and looked out the window, not sure what he was supposed to do now.

  ~*~

  Madison had needed to be alone. She quickly changed into her sleep clothes, having no intention of going anywhere. She paced for several minutes before finally laying down on their bed, new tears falling from her eyes. She was able to recognize that she wasn’t angry that he had beat up Mr. Crawford. Nolan clearly deserved that and maybe now he would think twice about the bullshit he tried with women. She wasn’t even upset about her job. If she lost it, she lost it. Her priorities had changed and maybe the promotion was a bad move for her on a personal level. No, what she realized was that she was upset that he had withheld important information from her. He knew what Nolan was about yet he didn’t tell her anything and in turn left her defenseless. She squeezed her eyes shut and soon found herself in a restless sleep.

  “Andrew?”

  She woke suddenly. She glanced around and realized he wasn’t in the bed with her. She strained to see the clock and found that it was after one a.m. She rose in a panic as she ran into the living room, finding him sleeping restlessly on the couch. She remembered her birthday and how she had found him like that as well. She kneeled down next to him, leaning in, she kissed him softly on the forehead. His lips formed a small smile as his eyes fluttered open.

  “Do you want me to leave?” he asked seriously as he sat up, preparing for the worst.

  “WHAT!” Madison furrowed her brows. “Of course not, why would I want that?”

  He looked down. “I... you were so...”

  She shook her head. “STOP! I love you. I just needed some time to think. Couples disagree and fight sometimes. It doesn’t mean I want you to go. I’ll never want you to leave.”

  “But...” he said hesitantly.

  “You can’t hold stuff back from me. Remember how upset you were when I didn’t tell you about Jimmy right away,” she said cutting him off.

  “I’m sorry. I should have said something. Jayden told me to talk to you but...” he looked down again, scrunching his brows together, contemplating.

  “Andrew, what? Please, you...”

  “I want to go back to California,” he blurted out.

  “Whhaaat?” she could feel her eyes stinging with the tears that wanted to come out. She stumbled back. “You want to... leave?”

  “Madison, no, I don’t know, I’m just, I’m not very happy here,” he could see her face morphing and he couldn’t figure out what to say to make it okay.

  Madison couldn’t talk, she was too busy trying to steady her breathing and racing heart. He wanted to leave. That was the only thought she had. She couldn’t stop the floodgate and rose, looking around her living room, trying to contain the hurt that was overpowering her. She had inherently known that he was unhappy but the thought that he would want to leave had never crossed her mind. She was unable to wrap her brain around the idea of him not wanting to be with her.

  “Madison, please.”

  He stood and pulled her to him, feeling her rapid heart beating against him. His hand entwined in her hair and he tilted her head back as his lips met hers. He regretted bringing up his thoughts. He was sure he probably said it wrong. He wanted her to know he was unhappy in New York, not that he wanted to be away from her, but he sensed that was not how it was interpreted. Madison was crying against him and then suddenly, catching him by surprise, her hand went inside his boxers. He whipped his tongue around hers quickly and pulled away. Her eyes were longing; she needed him. He kissed her again; then he abruptly turned her around and walked her towards the window, shoving one of the chairs out of the way. He ripped her tiny shorts down her legs, placing her hands against the window.

  “Andrew,” Madison moaned and lulled her head down.

  She didn’t know what had come over her but she suddenly needed him, she wanted him to claim her and to show her how much he wanted and needed her. She couldn’t accept the idea of him not being in her life. He seemed to have instinctively known what she needed and was giving her just that. They were wild and chaotic, his labored groans spurring her desire tenfold. They were both frenzied, panting and cursing, the sounds of skin against skin and Madison’s rhythmic banging against the window, echoed in the room. Every time she was close he would pull out, teasing her, dragging out her orgasm until the very last minute when neither could hold off any longer, both gasping as they finally released. When Andrew caught his breath, he moved his arm across her chest, pulling her back flush against his body.

  “I could never leave you, Madison. You’re everything to me,” he whispered.

  Madison felt her body go limp against him as a new round of tears escaped her eyes. He lifted her up, carrying her into the bedroom where he laid her down gently on the bed, slipping in behind her, in their typical sleeping formation. His body molded to hers, as he listened to her gentle sobs, not sure what he could do to stop them.

  “I love you so much,” he murmured into her hair.

  14 Loss

  It had been almost two weeks since the incident with Nolan. Andrew and Madison had stayed inside that entire weekend, making love and talking. They talked about how out of place Andrew felt in New York and how much he missed his aunt and uncle as well as Jayden. They talked about how she didn't like her new position and that she too missed being in California. No decisions were made but they at least knew where they were coming from and had agreed that they were no longer going to keep secrets from each other. They were both trying to mak
e the best of things, as it wasn’t feasible for them to just leave New York. As far as Nolan was concerned, he had yet to return to work. The company line was that he had been in an accident and was recovering. When Madison had told Andrew, they had both laughed. Truthfully though, Madison had hoped he’d stay away forever but knew that wasn’t going to happen.

  After stepping out of the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist, Andrew mentally went through what he needed to do today. He had asked Sonny for the day off, which Sonny allowed. He didn’t pay him for time off so he didn’t really care whether he was there or not. But, today was Valentine’s Day and Andrew was determined to do things right. His plan was to have breakfast with Randall, hit up his probation officer and then head to the store to get what he wanted to cook tonight and then finally get back to the house early enough to get things ready for when Madison came home. He was planning a romantic evening at the house, which would include a nice meal, some Miles Rayford - their signature artist - and a full body massage. He had picked up some scented body oil a few days ago and thought, God willing, that afterwards Madison would be open to trying a few 'things' with him.

  Andrew knew that Madison didn’t want to go out and she had promised him that tonight she would not work late. He was excited for the first time in a long while. Since he and Madison had started talking, he felt more comfortable in New York. Wherever Madison was, that was exactly where he wanted to be and he would make it work. He could handle anything as long as she was by his side. He dressed and quickly made his way to the subway station.

  Andrew pushed his hands all the way inside his jeans pockets, looking down slightly as he exited to the street above the subway. He stepped to the side and glanced around, frowning when he didn’t see Randall right away. Pulling his pack out, he grabbed a cigarette and lit it, wondering where his friend was as he was never late. Two cigarettes later and with a growling stomach he made his way to the diner.