by Kerri Carr
“Really, Noah? ‘Cause it seems like you’re engaged to Denise. What is it? Is she pregnant?” Tara spat the words at him angrily and he held up his hands and said, “I know it looks bad, alright? Look, you were right- someone was watching last night- it was Denise. And when I went back to my room, she confronted me about it. I tried to break up with her on the spot- I swear I did Tara- but she threatened to tell my dad and Eileen about us. She said she would tell unless I married her.”
Tara stared at him, and said, “So you proposed?” Noah ran his fingers through her hair and said, “What else was I supposed to do? I can’t have your mom and my dad find out about us- we’re going to be siblings, Tara- do you realize how fucked up that is?”
Tara nodded and said, “So why are you here then? Why explain yourself? Go and marry Denise- I wish Denise and your credit card a long and happy life together.” Noah held her wrists and said, “Come on, Tara, you know why I’m here. I don’t want Denise- I just want you.” Within seconds, he was kissing her and she kissed him back as his hands started to roam.
*****
The next morning, Tara lay in bed until the sun was high in the sky and poured in through her window, casting everything in a bright golden glow. Despite the bright cheeriness of the weather, Tara felt awful as she pulled the covers tightly around herself. She still smelled like Noah and she regretted sleeping with him the night before. She had just slept with someone else’s finance, and even though he had still been with Denise before when they would meet secretly, Tara had comforted herself with the knowledge that neither Noah nor Denise cared for one another and that Noah would leave Denise for her. Now, she knew that it wasn’t going to happen, even if Noah wanted it to. Her head hurt from all the crying she had done since Noah had left her room in the early hours of the morning, and now, she was ignoring her incessantly buzzing phone, flashing her mother’s name on the screen.
A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door and before Tara could even ask who it was, her mother had thrown open the door and walked in. “Tara, what’s wrong honey? Are you sick?” Tara sat up in bed and her head hurt as she tried to steady herself. Her mother’s face swam into view as Tara groaned and Eileen shrieked, “Oh my God, Tara what is it? Do you need to go to a doctor?” Tara shook her head and weakly said, “I’m fine, Mom.”
Eileen laid a hand on Tara’s forehead and said, “Hmm, you don’t have a fever but you’re all red and your face looks swollen.” Eileen then noticed the mascara stains on the pillow and the tissues littering the bed sheet.
“Tara?” Her mother said slowly “Have you been crying, sweetie?” Even as Tara shook her head, she burst into tears again and Eileen threw her arms around her daughter as she said, “Baby what’s wrong?”
Tara didn’t respond but she stayed like that for a while, letting her mother stroke her hair and finding some comfort in the embrace. Finally, she broke away from her mother’s hug and said, “Mom, I have to tell you something.” She sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve, as Eileen peered into her face and said, “You can tell me anything, what’s wrong? Are you in trouble?” Tara shook her head and said, “I’m in love, Mom.” Eileen beamed and said, “Tara, that’s wonderful,” but her face fell and she asked, “So why are you crying? Does he not love you back? Or is it a she? Is that the problem, honey? Are you gay?” Tara shook her head and said, “I’m not gay, Mom, but the guy- he does love me- I think he does- but he can’t be with me.” Eileen tucked her daughter’s hair behind her ear and said, “Why not? Is it because he’s in New York and you’re here? Darling you can go back soon.”
Tara shook her head again and said, “No- it’s not that. He can’t be with me because he’s with someone else, he’s engaged. And- and he’s in Miami, Mom.” Her mother looked confused and she said, “But darling, you hardly know anyone here in-” and suddenly, she stopped speaking and raised a hand to her mouth. “No- Tara, you can’t be serious.” Tara nodded and started crying again as she said, “I know it’s disgusting Mom, I can’t explain it, but I- I truly love him.”
Eileen backed away from her crying daughter and said, “Tara- he’s your- he’s Paul’s son.” Tara wiped her tears away shakily and said, “I know, it’s all so messed up.” Eileen moved away and sat at the edge of the bed with her back towards Tara for a few minutes while Tara sobbed quietly, certain that her mother would never speak to her again.
After a few minutes, however, Eileen stood up and faced Tara, crossing her arms over chest as she said, “What about Noah? You said he loves you too- so why marry Denise?” Tara shook her head and explained everything to her mother, leaving out the gory details of what exactly had been happening in the pool and when she was done, Eileen looked scandalized. “Tara- how long have you been- it must have been two weeks since the day Paul came home, and that’s when you two…?” Tara nodded, ready to start crying again when her mom said, “Alright. I’ll- I’ll do something, you leave it to me.” Tara stared at her mother and said, “Mom, what are you gonna do? There’s nothing you can do. If Noah and I are- if we’re together it means you and Paul can’t…” she trailed off.
Eileen sighed and sat down next to Tara again as she said, “Tara, you asked me something the first day you got here- you asked me if I was happy, and if I loved Paul. Darling, the truth is, I’m happy, but it’s only on the surface- it’s not the kind of happiness I felt when your dad and I got married. And as for Paul, he’s a sweetheart, he really is- but I don’t love him.”
Eileen took a deep shaky breath and said, “There I said it- I don’t love him. I like him, I certainly enjoy his company and I think he’s a lovely man, but I don’t love him. I don’t feel for him the way you say you feel for Noah. And baby, if I can give you the chance of being happy, of being truly happy, I would never take it away from you.”
Tara stared at her mother and said, “What are you saying?”
Eileen stood up and took off her ring, “I’m saying that I’m going to call off the wedding.”
Tara leaped up from the bed and hesitantly said, “Mom, are you sure?”
Eileen sighed and took Tara’s hands into hers, “Darling, one day you might have a daughter of your own, and then you’ll understand.”
Tara flung her arms around her mother’s neck, feeling for the first time in her life, completely and truly happy.
THE END
Another bonus story is on the next page.
Bonus Story 31 of 44
Bound by the Bronco
Olivia smoothed down her skirt and hurried into the building. She had only been working in this law office for the past three weeks and the last thing she wanted was to arrive late. She knew that her boss ran a very tight ship and wouldn’t tolerate any hints of unprofessionalism.
With a few minutes to spare, she plopped down in her chair and tried to catch her breath. She usually arrived at the office twenty to thirty minutes earlier, but last night she’d had a lot of trouble getting to sleep. At 3am, she’d woken up startled. She’d had a nightmare, or maybe it was a dream. She still wasn’t sure.
When she shot up in the bed, she was surprised to find that she wasn’t bound to it. In the nightmare, she’d woken up in a strange house with all of her limbs tied to the bedposts. She could hear someone walking around the house. And she could hear footsteps approaching the room that she was in.
She began thrashing around the bed and screaming for help as the footsteps got closer and closer. The door slowly creaked open. In the dream, Olivia stopped screaming at this point. She was completely paralyzed by fear. But before she could get a good look at the face of the person, she’d woken up panting and covered in sweat. She was terrified. It was the first time she’d ever had that dream. But she had a feeling that it wouldn’t be the last.
*****
“Olivia, I’ve been waiting for you!” the sound of her boss’ voice snapped her back to the present. She sat up straight in her chair and looked around.
“In my office now,” the vo
ice boomed out.
Olivia stood up and looked around the office. There were about eight other employees in the room at the time. None of them seemed to be paying attention to her. It wasn’t unusual for her boss, Mr. Carter, to call people into his office. Actually, it was one of his favorite things to do. He loved to flex his muscles to remind everyone who was in charge.
He was determined to make sure this firm stayed on top. Before he’d taken over from his father, the firm had gone through a period of serious decline. A few high profile cases that had gone seriously wrong had severely damaged the law firm’s reputation. That was unacceptable because in this business reputation was everything.
Carter would often talk about how his father had grown too trusting and lenient with his employees. He vowed to never let that happen again even if it meant pushing people past their breaking points. He was willing to do everything to maintain the reputation of the firm.
That passion for excellence and dedication to provide the highest quality service is what attracted Olivia to this firm. She’d had several offers to work as a paralegal but no one that she interviewed with had made quite the same impression on her as Sam Carter.
As she prepared to head into her boss' office, she was terribly afraid that she’d done something wrong. The word around the office was that as long as you did what you were told and you always put one hundred percent into each case, you would be safe from his wrath.
Why was she getting called in now? Was he just trying to scare her, or had she actually done something wrong?
She could feel her legs shaking beneath her as she walked into her boss’ office. He was typing on his desktop keyboard and didn’t acknowledge her. She kept her eyes on him as she sat down. But he refused to look at her. A few moments of tense silence passed before Mr. Carter finally looked towards Olivia.
He leaned back in his chair and cast his eyes around the room. His calmness made Olivia even more nervous. She couldn’t figure out why he was doing this to her. She was more than willing to do anything he asked. There was no reason for him to treat her like this.
“So Olivia tell how these first few weeks have been for you.”
She swallowed hard and lowered her eyes. Carter’s intense stares always made her blush. His green eyes seemed capable of cutting into her soul. It was like he knew exactly what she was thinking as if he could read all of her emotions.
“Everything is going really great,” Mr. Carter’s, she said. “Thank you so much for this opportunity. I really appreciate it.”
When she’d finished speaking Olivia was nearly out of breath. She waited anxiously for him to respond. But another few minutes of uncomfortable silence passed before he said anything.
This made her tremble in her seat. He seemed so relaxed, too relaxed. Had she said something wrong? Had she come off as silly and naive? Did he not take her seriously?
“That’s good,” he said. “Very good. It’s not easy working full-time in a law firm for the first time. But I’m glad you don’t feel overwhelmed.”
“No, no, not at all, Mr. Carter. Everything is going great. I can’t wait to keep working and learning.”
Carter sat back in his seat and stared at the ceiling. “I’m currently looking for a very particular type of woman to perform a very particular type of task for me. I don’t want to get into any specifics right now. But I must admit that I have concerns about whether you will be able to fulfill this very special role.”
What concerns could he possibly have? Olivia wondered. She wanted to wait patiently for Mr. Carter to explain what he meant but she couldn’t control her anxiety.
“But I’ve done everything that’s been asked of me. What did I do wrong? I don’t understand. But whatever it is, I promise to never do it again.”
Carter seemed complete relaxed. It was as if he had her exactly where he wanted her. Olivia was far too flustered and wrapped up with her own emotions to notice that her boss was greatly enjoying the anxiety that he was causing. If she had noticed, it would probably just have confused her even more.
After a few moments, Carter got up out of his chair. He towered over Olivia. He was six foot three with an athletic, but not too muscular build. He had piercing green eyes and devilish smile. When he looked at Olivia, she could feel her whole body trembling. No man had ever looked at her like that before.
He began slowly pacing around the room with his hands clasped behind his back. This only served to heighten the tension in the room. Olivia was sitting on the edge of her seat. She was prepared for the worst. Maybe she’d had done something to disappoint him. Maybe she’d done something that would get her fired. But that wouldn’t make any sense, she said to herself. I haven’t done anything wrong.
“Like I said, you’ve been a good employee so far. But as I’m sure you can understand, good is not what we’re looking for here. Do you understand that?” he asked fixing his eyes on her.
Olivia lowered her eyes and looked away. She couldn’t handle the intensity of his stare.
Finally, she regained her composure and was able to answer. “Yes, of course, I understand that. As I said before, I’m more than willing to do anything you ask of me. Anything.”
Carter seemed especially pleased with that answer. For a few moments, he rubbed his chin and seemed to be deep in thought, or maybe deep in fantasy was a better way to say it.
“Is that right?” he asked. You’ll do anything I say?”
Now his face beamed with satisfaction and a sense of control. That’s how he liked things to be in his office.
“Yes, sir, I mean…”
A sly smiled passed over Carter’s lips. “What did you call me?” he asked.
Olivia was confused. She stared at her boss with a bewildered expression. What had she done wrong now? Had she said something to offend him?
“What do you—”
He cut her off with a wave of the hand. “Did you call me sir? Were you going to call me Sir Carter?”
“No. I would never do that.”
“Why not?” Carter said sitting down on top his desk right in front of her.
*****
Her mouth had gone completely dry. Her tongue felt like it was stuck to the roof of her mouth. This is not how she’d envisioned her morning going. She felt like she was under attack and had no way of defending herself. Yet at the same time, there was also something exhilarating about being in such an intimate encounter with her extremely handsome and sexy boss.
She admired how seriously he took the firm’s reputation. She admired that he wasn’t afraid to tell employees when he was disappointed. She’d learned that he could be just as generous as he could be critical.
If he was particularly pleased with someone’s performance, he would pay for them and their family to take a month long vacation to anywhere in the world. Olivia desperately hoped that she would be on the end of that sort of treatment one day. Yet here she found herself being scolded. And her boss was enjoying every moment of her discomfort.
As he questioned her, he kept his eyes locked on her. He watched every tick, doubt, and hesitation that passed across Olivia’s face. His intense eyes made her feel as if she were under a microscope.
“Do you have a problem calling me Sir Carter?”
Olivia stared at her boss without answering. She wasn’t sure whether or not she was about to walk into a trap. She wasn’t sure what all of this meant.
“Would that be a problem for you Olivia? Calling me Sir Carter in front of all the other employees?”
“No, that would be—”
Carter cut her off with a sharp stare. “What did you call me?”
“I meant Sir Carter, sir. Yes, I will call you sir around the office and in front of everyone whenever you want.”
“That’s good. That’s very good. Now get back to your desk. I’ll have more to say to you later in the day.”
*****
Once she got back at her desk, Olivia felt her heart racing. She was still trying to
understand what had just happened. She knew that her boss had a reputation for being tough. But what he’d just put her through made no sense to her. She’d never heard anyone else around the office refer to Mr. Carter as sir. Why was she being made to do it? It would be so humiliating. In no time, people around the office would start talking. She would be the young, naive girl who let the boss push her around.
As she imagined the future humiliations she would suffer at Carter’s hands, she felt anger welling up inside her. She had the urge to storm back into her boss’s office and demand answers. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t the way employees were supposed to be treated, not even in law firms, which were notorious for their tough treatment of new employees.
Tough treatment was one thing. But creating arbitrary rules that didn’t apply across the board to all employees was just wrong.
For the next few hours, Olivia did her best to concentrate on her work. She had to prepare some important briefs and she knew that she couldn’t afford to make a mistake. Despite how hard she tried to concentrate, she couldn’t take her mind off the strange encounter she’d had with her boss. And every time she thought of it, her eyes drifted away from the paper work in front of her and back towards her boss’ office.
The blinds were pulled down and she couldn’t see inside. But on more than one occasion, she could’ve sworn that she saw Carter peeking from behind the blinds and staring at her. She wasn’t sure, though. Maybe she was blowing things out of proportion. Maybe she was imagining things.
Her boss’ door swung open and he marched out with hands on his hips. He casts his eyes around the room. Everyone had their necks bent over stacks of paper work. Everyone except Olivia.
Carter immediately noticed that his young paralegal seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. He stared at her suggestively and sauntered towards her.
Olivia didn’t notice him, until he was standing over her desk, looking down at her with a smirk. She felt her face flush. She lowered her eyes and looked away. Carter’s smile only grew broader.