Inescapable

by C. J. Fallowfield

  ‘Alex, is everything okay?’ Tom’s voice asked. ‘Perhaps you’d like to take Mr. Castle back to your office to talk business in private.’

  ‘I’m so terribly sorry, Mr. Castle,’ I stammered, suddenly desperate to escape the crowds. ‘But … but I’ve made the decision that I’m not taking on any more commissions right now, and my diary is full for the foreseeable future. If you’ll please excuse me, I have an urgent call that I need to make.’

  I couldn’t even look him in the eye as I turned and started pushing my way through the gallery, Tom’s confused sounding voice calling my name. My legs were turning to jelly, and my palms had turned clammy. If I wasn’t careful I was going to throw up, then pass out.

  I bounced off the edge of the opening that led to the toilets, kitchen, and my office, and stumbled through my door, palming the top of my desk as I closed my eyes and tried to breathe calmly. He wasn’t Richard. Even if he found me, he couldn’t come near me with that protection order I kept in my safe upstairs. I had nothing to fear, a statement I repeated in my head over and over as I attempted to calm myself down.

  ‘My God, Alex, what the hell? Do you have any idea who that man is?’ Tom demanded as I heard the office door click closed.

  ‘I don’t care, Tom. I just need a few minutes alone.’

  ‘You don’t care? Tate Castle is one of the wealthiest property developers in London. Hell, probably the northern hemisphere. When he says jump, people say “How high, sir?” You don’t turn a man like Tate Castle down.’

  ‘I said. I. Don’t. Care,’ I repeated through gritted teeth, as despite my best efforts the room continued to spin.

  ‘Okay, what’s going on, as this isn’t you? I’ve never seen you be rude to a potential client, or act this way.’

  ‘Maybe you don’t know the real me, Tom.’ I opened my eyes, ready to unleash my pent-up frustration at him when I heard the door being opened again.

  ‘Alex?’

  ‘Can’t I just have a goddamn minute to myself?’ I bit as Janice’s voice echoed in my office.

  ‘What did I do?’ she protested.

  ‘Take no notice, I think it’s her time of the month,’ Tom replied. ‘Cranky with a capital C!’

  ‘Please,’ I begged. I didn’t want to take my simmering anger over the hold that bastard still had on me, out on my only two friends.

  ‘Well, whatever’s going on, these should cheer you up, someone’s sent a delivery from Parkers florist,’ Janice said. She slid the prestigious blue box across my desk into my line of sight. ‘Are you okay?’

  I jumped as she placed her hand on my shoulder. Goddamn it, my nerves were completely frayed. ‘I will be, but I’d really like a few minutes alone, so if you could both return to the shop floor and make sure that the customers are happy, that would be fantastic.’

  ‘Oh, so now you care about them being happy. Didn’t seem to matter when it was Tate Castle you were upsetting,’ Tom muttered petulantly.

  ‘Tom.’ I growled his name and heard the office door softly close as two sets of footsteps moved away. ‘Jesus, Alex, get a grip,’ I warned myself. I wiped my damp palms down my modest knee-length skirt and straightened up as I took in a deep breath, then blew it out in one long slow controlled movement.

  I wasn’t sure if I was more shaken up by the reminders of Richard, or the fact that until five minutes ago I hadn’t found anything remotely attractive about a man in forever. Tate Castle had just reminded me that I was still only a thirty-three-year-old woman, who was in her sexual prime, with a bucket load of issues and sudden unfulfilled desires. But there was no disputing that the fact I knew Richard King was free, had rattled me recently. I even felt like I was being watched, even when I was in my own apartment, which only proved I was going crazy.

  I pulled the Parkers’ box across the table towards me and lifted up the lid. Nestled in the blue satin interior was a single Cala lily. Breathtakingly stunning in its simplicity, much like the coastal landscapes that I’d always favoured painting. I tugged out the small white envelope as I smiled. Tom could be so sweet. He never let me launch a new collection of paintings without doing something to celebrate the moment. I’d have to find him in a moment and apologise, to Janice too. I flicked open the envelope and pulled out the white embossed florists’ card.

  Any reprieve I’d felt from the rush of panic only minutes ago, quickly vanished as I read the typed note, in a fancy cursive font that I recognised.

  ‘No,’ I whispered, a ball of acid collecting in the back of my throat. Only one person had ever called me “darling Isabelle,” and it certainly wasn’t Tom. ‘No, it can’t be. How did he find me?’

  The card fell from my trembling fingertips, and I screamed as a strong hand gripped my upper arm.

  Chapter Four

  Richard King

  I CLOAKED MYSELF IN the shadows of the shop door recess and lit a cigarette. I inhaled deeply, savouring the buzz that the nicotine gave me, while cursing myself for getting hooked during my time inside. Izzie Knight had a lot to answer for and pretty soon I was going to make her pay dearly. She’d ruined my career, my reputation, and just thinking about the degradation she’d subjected me to behind bars made my muscles bunch together tightly. My jaw clenched as I ground my teeth and closed my eyes for a moment, trying to blot away those memories that I never wanted to relive.

  When I opened them again, they tracked straight to her in the brightly lit shop on the opposite side of the road. She was laughing and talking to everyone inside like she didn’t have a care in the world. Only I knew differently. I’d spent the last month watching her, learning her routines. The memories of our time together still haunted her, especially at night when she was alone.

  I huffed out a sharp breath as my muscles began to tense. Other than those six months I’d spent grooming her, convincing her that she’d be better off moving with me to America, instead of remaining in Glasgow, I’d never shown so much fucking restraint in my life. Poker-hot embers were stirring deep in my core as I watched her. My ability to control my rage had pretty much reached its limits. I tossed my cigarette and worked it into the ground with my foot. A Parkers florist’s van pulled up on the pavement outside as I watched her hurrying to the back of the gallery and disappearing from view.

  A dark chuckle escaped my lips as I imagined the look on her face when she opened that delivery.

  It was time. Time that she had concrete proof that I was back in her life and had come to claim what was mine.

  Alex

  I spun around as the scream died on my lips, my mind willing me to take up a defensive posture, but my body was unable. My heart was beating so fast that I was shaking.

  ‘Do as I say, you look as if you’re about to faint.’

  The room was spinning violently, and the man’s face was swimming in and out of focus, as if I was on a fast-moving carousel, but it definitely wasn’t Richard’s voice.

  ‘Ca … Castle?’ I mumbled as I swayed. I felt an arm band gently around my waist, pulling me flush against his muscular body as the lights in the room began to dim. Suddenly I felt weightless, as he lifted me effortlessly into his arms and strode the few paces towards my leather sofa.

  ‘Keep breathing, Alex,’ he ordered as he lay me down on my back.

  ‘Breathing,’ I repeated in a whisper as I closed my eyes. I allowed the scent of his aftershave to stimulate my senses, hoping if I breathed him in long enough, the warm scent of musk would revive me, like smelling salts. Wake me from the vivid nightmare I thought I’d escaped but had suddenly been plunged into again. I felt his strong hands slip under my ankles, the heavy thud of my skyscraper heels landing on the carpeted floor, before he positioned my legs up on the armrest.

  ‘Breathe, slowly.’ His deep voice was like a siren’s call, one I was compelled to obey.

  ‘Oh my God, what’s going on?’ Tom shrieked as my eyelids tried to flutter open.

  ‘Get me a fan and a bottle of water,’ Castle demanded. ‘Now!�
��

  ‘On it,’ Tom responded quickly. At least it wasn’t just me that obeyed Castle’s orders.

  ‘I’m fine,’ I protested, swatting his hand away as I felt him touch my forehead.

  ‘No, you’re not. I came into your office prepared to tear into you for your unprofessional rejection of my business proposition, before I’d even made it, and found you about to pass out, looking like you’d seen a ghost.’

  ‘He’s found me.’ I felt lightheaded at the repetition of that simple statement.

  ‘Who’s found you?’

  ‘I have to go to the police to tell them.’ Fighting the sensation of wooziness that was threatening to drag me under, I tried to sit up. He wasn’t allowed any contact with me, that card was proof that he’d breached the order, they could arrest him.

  ‘Goddamn it, woman, do as you’re told and lie down,’ Castle barked. He gently pushed my shoulder to force me back onto the cushioned leather seat with one hand, as his other slid under my shins and he lifted my legs into the air.

  ‘Water and fan,’ panted Tom. ‘Oh shit, am I interrupting something here? This is all looking like a precursor to something wildly sexy along Tantric lines. Do I need to pretend that I’m capable of getting violent to defend my boss’s honour? As I might look muscular, not as muscular as you do, sir, obviously, but really great as they look, these arms are about as strong as limp noodles. I can scream really loudly though. Like a woman actually. Do I need to scream, Alex?’

  ‘No,’ both of us stated at once.

  ‘Plug the fan in over there and point it at her face. I found her about to pass out, but some colour is returning to her cheeks already.’

  ‘So, you’re not trying to take advantage of her in her weakened state?’ Tom asked as I heard the click of the plug, and the whirr as the fan kicked into life and sent a cool breeze skittering over my face.

  ‘If I was to make a move on a woman, I’d prefer her to at least be conscious, and a willing participant,’ Castle replied dryly. ‘Water, please.’

  ‘Would you like a glass to go with that, sir? Maybe some ice and a slice?’

  ‘Not for me, for Alex.’

  ‘Oh right, would you like ice in yours, Alex?’

  ‘Just give me the damn bottle and hold her legs up for me,’ Castle sighed, as I started to feel the fog that had blanketed my head starting to lift. ‘Good, you’re looking better. Here, open your mouth for me,’ he said as he gently lifted my head. My eyelids fluttered open and I parted my lips to let him trickle some of the cold water into my mouth.

  ‘Thank … thank you.’

  ‘Are you pregnant? Is that why you felt faint?’

  ‘Pregnant? Alex? Crikey, it would be the immaculate conception if she was. I’ve known her for over three years and she hasn’t had sex in all that time,’ Tom scoffed, as he stood at the bottom end of the sofa holding my ankles in the air. I grimaced, in part at the embarrassment of realising that my skirt had ridden up and was showing off the top of my lace-topped stockings and suspenders, in part that a man as desirable as Tate Castle had just been told that I was frigid.

  ‘I find it hard to believe that a woman this attractive doesn’t have men chasing her,’ he said quietly, his heated gaze meeting mine.

  ‘Chasing.’ Reality came crashing back around me and I twisted my head to look at the florist’s card on the floor. Five years of running free, and it seemed like I’d finally been caught. Even in my wildest dreams I’d never have imagined that if he came for me, he’d find me so soon.

  ‘Tom, is it?’ Castle asked.

  ‘Mmmm-hmmm.’

  ‘Give us the room, please.’

  ‘But I’m ankle holding. You seem a very capable man, extremely capable as a matter of fact, but even you can’t be at the top and bottom ends at the same time.’

  ‘I think Miss Bishop has recovered enough to sit up and take a proper drink, and from the look of your security monitor, your colleague is in need of some assistance.’

  ‘Alex?’

  I tore my eyes off the card on the floor and directed it towards my friend, who raised his eyebrows in an unspoken question. I nodded. I wasn’t getting a bad vibe off Tate Castle, and honestly, if Richard was here, I trusted my chances with this well-built stranger more than I did with Tom and his noodle-fighting arms and girlish shrieks. He gently lowered my legs and headed out, pulling the door closed behind him.

  ‘How are you feeling now?’ Castle asked, as he remained crouched at my side and reached up to loosen his tie and undo the top button of his shirt.

  ‘Embarrassed, mostly,’ I replied, as I struggled up and swung my legs down, hastily tugging at my skirt to protect my modesty.

  ‘It’s the non-mostly that I’m more concerned about. Something I did or said in the gallery triggered this reaction in you.’

  ‘It’s not you,’ I whispered, dropping my head.

  ‘If you’re about to add, “it’s me, but I’d really like to stay friends,” before we’ve even become friends, I’d be mildly insulted.’

  ‘You’re teasing me?’ I lifted my confused gaze back to his.

  ‘Yes,’ he smiled. ‘I thought it might lighten the tension.’

  ‘I’m not tense, I’m fine.’

  ‘And you’re an awful liar, Alex. Here, drink some more water.’ He lifted the bottle to my lips.

  ‘Are you always so bossy?’

  ‘Pretty much, I’m used to getting my own way. Drink.’ I tipped my head back and did as I was told, taking desperate gulps to ease the dryness I was feeling in my throat. I was swamped with so many confusing feelings that I wasn’t sure which way was up, right now. ‘Slowly. Are you going to tell me what I did, so that I can apologise for my behaviour?’ he finally asked, as he set the bottle down and I ran my fingers over my damp lips.

  ‘No, you did nothing, other than come and express an interest in my work, and I was rude to you. It’s me that should be apologising.’

  ‘Who hurt you?’ he asked, softening his demanding tone.

  ‘Who said I’ve been hurt?’ I bristled as his eyes looked at mine with pity in them. I’d been a victim for too long with Richard, I didn’t want anyone else seeing me as one.

  ‘I recognise the pain in your eyes.’

  ‘Everyone thinks they know pain, trust me, they don’t,’ I said sadly.

  ‘I’m not everyone, Alex. I recognise it because I saw it in my own eyes every day that I stood in front of the mirror for two years. That’s how long it took me to deal with mine.’

  ‘Two years is nothing. I don’t think I’ll ever get over it.’

  ‘I never said I’d got over it, I said I’d dealt with it. There’s a difference.’

  ‘Is there?’ I asked as I scanned his face for clues.

  ‘Yes. The kind of pain we’ve experienced can never be truly erased, so there is no “getting over it.” One simply learns the techniques to handle it, whether that be through compartmentalising the trauma, or facing it head on, grieving, and accepting that it happened. Nothing can change the fact that it did, but you can either choose to live entirely in the past, weighted down by it for the rest of your life, or you can choose to drop that burden and move forward. I chose to move forward. I’ll never be the man I was before, but I’ve accepted the man that I am now.’

  ‘What happened to you?’ I asked, curious that such an obviously accomplished man had been so deeply affected by something. Even more curious as to how he’d managed to deal with it, because as much as I thought I had, I obviously hadn’t.

  ‘My wife committed suicide, and I was so wrapped up in my work that I never even saw the warning signs.’ He shrugged, dismissing the statement as easily as a duck would water off its back.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ I whispered, my heart aching for him. I knew the devastation suicide could inflict on the ones left behind, only too well. He gave me a tight-lipped smile in return.

  ‘You can trust me, that when I said I knew pain I wasn’t lying, Alex. What did he
do to you?’

  ‘I never said anyone did anything to me.’ I wrapped my arms around myself defensively, while cursing myself internally for being such a bitch. The man had been nothing but nice, he’d opened up about something deeply personal to make me feel at ease, and I’d just thrown it back in his face. ‘I’m so sorry,’ I expelled in a rush as a look of hurt flashed across his eyes, like a storm cloud casting a shadow on a crystalline blue lagoon. ‘I just, I thought I’d dealt with it, but I obviously haven’t. I just ran, and part of me feared this day would always come.’

  ‘Who’s found you, Alex? Your father? An ex? You whispered the words “He’s found me,” right before you nearly passed out on me.’ His gaze softened as he read the fear in my eyes and he slowly reached up as if to cradle my cheek with his hand. In my mind’s eye I saw Richard’s hand about to inflict pain, and I flinched. He immediately dropped his hand, stood up and backed away from me.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ I repeated.

  ‘I can help you, if you’ll let me.’

  ‘Why? Why are you being so nice to me? You don’t even know me.’

  ‘After recognising some of myself in your eyes, I probably know parts of you better than anyone, Alex. As to why? Well, maybe I’m just a selfish bastard acting purely for self-serving purposes. Is it because I’ve admired your artistic talent for some time and came with a business proposition for you, or is it that I see in you a chance at redemption? A chance to help someone who’s obviously been treading water for some time, has just started drowning, and is suddenly in need of a life raft. Maybe it’s both.’

  ‘I’m not going to sleep with you, if getting me below you is the unspoken alternative.’

  ‘Unlike most dominant men, I actually prefer my partner on top,’ he stated with an amused smile. ‘But sex isn’t what this is about.’

  ‘Trust me, sex is always what it’s about when a man is as persistent as you are, when he doesn’t even know me.’