by Kira Blakely
“Please leave.” I made sure my words were clear and authoritative. I wanted no misunderstanding.
“No.”
In one of those insane moments when you’re in trouble and you can’t focus on it, I almost laughed as I realized Ripley looked like one of those children’s punching bags, weighted clowns. His feet were stiff, and he seemed to wave as though standing in a high wind.
I tried to push past him, to get into the hall so we weren’t in a locked room together. His fingers slid into the waist of my slacks, holding me back and pulling me against him and his rigid penis. It wasn’t that he was well-endowed, but that he’d pulled me against his groin and there was no mistaking the hard bulge I felt. “Ripley, let me go!”
“No.”
“Get your filthy hands off me, you conceited asshole!” I screamed as loudly as I could and dragged him with me into the hallway where I knew security cameras were monitoring 24/7.
Their suite door opened, and Bernadette stood in the doorway. She had a sleep mask pushed up over her forehead, so it was obvious she’d been napping. “What’s going on here?” she demanded, frowning and crossing her arms.
“Your husband is trying to rape me!” I shouted. I was past reason, past caution and most of all, no longer afraid of what was sure to happen.
“She’s lying, of course,” Ripley muttered half-heartedly. He knew Bernadette would do nothing; she never had.
“Fire her.” Bernadette had become judge and jury and the verdict was in.
With a half-smile across his drunken face, he sputtered, “You’re fired. Pack your things and be out in a half hour.” He seemed satisfied with his power and headed toward Bernadette, who backed up and let him in. As he passed her, he lifted her blouse to reveal she was naked beneath. “I came up to join you in your nap,” he told her and she smiled.
“I know…” She nodded and the door shut behind them.
I threw my hands into the air. I had no idea where I was going to go or what I was going to live on. Maybe the YWCA had a bunk for me? I supposed I could sell my laptop. I pulled out my luggage and piled the clothes into them, not bothering to fold or even sort the dirty from the clean. I saved out a soft cotton skirt and t-shirt top that matched, but otherwise, it all went in, willy nilly. I threw my toothbrush on top and zipped it shut.
Dragging it all down the hallway, I stabbed at the elevator button and heard a noise behind me. I turned to see Dougie and Katie standing in their doorway, their hands in the air as a goodbye wave. In that moment, I felt pity for them. It didn’t last long. I stepped into the elevator and between tears, I took a deep breath of relief.
When I reached the lobby, I went to the counter and asked if they could hang on to my luggage while I went to look for Brayden. Agreeably, they took it and put it in their office and then pointed to his office. On my way to see him, I peeked into the tea room, but Steph had already gone. I felt sad and lonely.
I tapped on Brayden’s office door but he was already in the process of opening it. Evidently, the front desk had announced me. He pulled me by the hand into his office and shut the door. Wrapping his arms around me, he pushed my head against his chest, his hand at the back of my head. He held me like that while I sobbed into his chest, my makeup staining his crisp, white shirt.
He backed up and pulled me onto his lap as he fell backward on the sofa. “Shhhh…” he whispered. “Cry it out and then tell me what’s happened.”
“You have to ask?” I stuttered in my sobs.
“Not really, but I thought you might want to talk about it.”
“He fired me. That dickhead on an asshole had the nerve to fire me.”
“That’s pretty much what I knew was coming. If it’s any comfort, you’re not the first and you won’t be the last. Let me guess. He put the moves on you?”
I nodded, burying my misery against his muscular chest. At that moment, I didn’t care if he’d been with another woman or was even married. I needed him and he was there for me. I didn’t want to tell him the extent of Ripley’s offenses—I had a feeling Brayden wouldn’t be able to overlook it. He didn’t need the trouble, and there was certainly nothing for me to salvage from the situation.
It felt so good to be in his arms, to be comforted and coddled. I’d never had that before. I’d never realized Brayden was even capable of that kind of empathy. I knew I liked it.
His hand went to my chin and lifted it, turning it toward himself. He kissed me. Softly. With warm sensitivity. His index finger petted beneath my chin and the other hand held my head firmly so I couldn’t pull away. I had no intention of pulling away, ever.
“Okay, got it out?” he asked me in a tone of resolution.
I nodded.
“Good. Now, let’s talk about what happens from here.”
I reached for a tissue and dabbed at my eyes and nose. “I just came to say goodbye.”
“Are you going somewhere?”
I nodded.
“Where?”
“I have no idea, but don’t worry, I’m resourceful. I’ll probably bunk in with Steph on her floor for a while.”
“I don’t think so.” He sat back and his hand smoothed my thigh gently. It was so unlike what Ripley had done to me. This was soothing and loving and God help me, so exciting. I felt a wet rush in my panties and didn’t dare breathe because it might make him stop.
“You think Steph will turn me away?”
“Well,” he laughed, “I don’t know her very well but right now I think she’s entertaining my big brother so she probably wouldn’t even answer the door. Collin has a way of getting women to that point rather quickly.”
“Damn!”
“Tsk, tsk, don’t fret.” He leaned his forehead toward mine until they touched, his nose just a half inch from mine. I could feel his breath on my upper lip. I fought the impulse to grab his head and kiss him. I knew it would be my undoing. I wasn’t ready for that; not yet. “You are not going to sleep on the beach or go dumpster diving for food.”
I cocked my head, wondering what was coming next.
“I’m offering you a job.”
I began to shake my head. “No, Brayden, I can’t take any handouts from you.”
“Now, did I say it was a handout?” he chided me, wiping the tears from below my eyes with the cuff of his shirt. “Look, Harper, I’ve overwhelmed here. This has all grown too fast. I never have a moment off. I need an assistant and have been considering asking you to take the job for the last few days but I was afraid to ask you.”
My head jerked up. His beautiful eyes glowed with a warmth that was different than I’d ever seen. I knew there was emotion and caring; and maybe even a bit of insecurity there. It made him vulnerable to ask me. The scales had tipped. When did that happen?
“I know you think I’m after sex with you and I was afraid if I asked you, you’d leap to that conclusion and disappear.”
“Oh.” I nodded. “And the thought of that bothered you?”
“Of course! What did you think?”
“I guess I hadn’t.”
“So, will you be my assistant?” He was so close to me and I wanted to close my eyes, crawl into his arms and let the world go on about its business. Yet, here he was, opening his arms and inviting me into his business. Could I handle being that close to him every day? I realized then that I couldn’t not be that close to him. I wanted to be attached to him at the hip.
I nodded.
“Now there are a few conditions that go with the job.”
I steeled myself—maybe it had been too good to be true. “What sort of conditions?”
“First thing is that you are to spend at least four hours every day working on your website. You have smarts and ambition, and I won’t squash that. There will be plenty of time left for your other duties.”
I wanted to hug him, but not yet. Not until I heard the other conditions.
“The second is that you will live at my home, and I have a reason for asking that. I don’t wan
t to tell you now, but it’s not what you think.”
Part of my heart was screaming for him to tell me that I had to sleep in his bed. The other part was screaming that he couldn’t make me do it, that I had value apart from being a sexual fascination for him. One side of my brain didn’t trust the other. That was when I realized that my lack of trust had nothing to do with Brayden. It was all inside of me. I didn’t trust my father. I didn’t trust myself.
“I can’t say completely that I agree because I don’t know what I’m agreeing to.”
“I realize that. Just keep the option open for now, agreed?”
I nodded. “Thank you, Brayden. I’m in a tough spot, and I hope this isn’t a pity offer.”
“Oh,” he laughed, “I guarantee you it’s not based on pity. That’s the last thing. I think I have more faith in you than you do in yourself.”
I nodded. “That might be true; I won’t deny it. So, all the conditions on the table, right?”
“Right,” he said. “Come with me. Let’s take a ride.”
I was puzzled. “My luggage is in the office behind the desk.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“You seem pretty sure of yourself.”
“Always have been. That’s why you love me!” he laughed and then his face froze.
He’d said the word and it felt like it had come from my own mouth. For a moment, I wasn’t even sure who had said it. It just felt right. We stared at one another for a split second and then both looked to the floor. Without looking up, he walked to the door, his head tilted downward as he turned the doorknob. He held his hand out. I took it. He squeezed my hand quickly and pulled me forward as he walked out.
We left Utopia at the front entrance, the heat slapping us in the face. I thought he was headed to the garages where I supposed he kept his car.
Instead, he headed toward the marina. “Let’s go home,” he said and handed me aboard a red, shiny cabin cruiser. It was state of the art and a man emerged from the cabin.
“Harper, this is Captain Bob. You can trust him with your life. Captain, take us home.”
Chapter 10
Brayden
“Where are you taking me?” Harper asked as we left the dock, the prow lifting out of the water until we leveled off, skipping above the waves. There was a look of uncertainty and a little fear in her eyes, and I put my arm around her to quell those nerves. I knew she’d never been great with uncertainty, and I wanted her to know that she was safe with me.
I pulled her into the cabin and handed her a glass of wine. “Sit down, Harper, and let’s talk.”
She took the glass, questions in her eyes. I didn’t blame her. I wasn’t giving her much to go on.
“You see that land out there?” I pointed out the porthole. She nodded. “That’s my island.”
She gulped. “That’s your island?”
“Yes, it’s called Vermilion Key, and I bought it a few years back. I know you probably thought I lived at Utopia, but things can get overwhelming there. I needed somewhere I could call my own, where I could get away.”
She nodded and leaned back, getting more comfortable that what I was telling her was not life-changing, but simply common sense.
“So, I bought the Key and had the property developed. I built a house, and I call it Red Sapphire.”
“Interesting name.”
I laughed. “After the first sunset, you’ll know why. The sky glows like it’s on fire, a blazing red. It earned its own name.”
She held out her glass for a refill. “Isn’t it a little inconvenient to live on an island?”
“It can be a challenge from time to time, but the isolation feeds your soul. You’ll see. You’ll love it, I promise. I’ve got all the modern conveniences; there’s nothing primitive about Red Sapphire. In fact, I think you’ll find it’s actually fairly nice. Now, few, and I mean very few people know about it. A couple of my top employees, in case of emergency. My attorney, a very few others. In fact, Collin doesn’t even know about it. I don’t want him showing up there. I need him to stay on the big island and leave me alone. In fact, he’s one of the reasons I bought it.”
“Why is Collin such an unwanted person?”
“Oh, God, Harper, I have no idea what all he’s involved in. You know him—he’s always been wild. He walks the line between legal and not, and I think he crosses it more often than he’d like anyone to know. He’s always on the down and out, needing money or a place to stay. So, whatever he’s doing, it’s not working for him, that’s for sure.”
She reached forward and patted the back of my hand. The touch felt like a fiery brand, and I knew we both felt it. Her hand jerked, but she didn’t pull it back. It was as if we were connected by some mystical energy that had grown over the years we’d known each other. I coughed and realized I’d forgotten what we were even talking about. It made for an awkward silence but the room was filled with that touch.
“So, anyway,” I continued, “there is more that I need to tell you. This part is hard.”
I knew I had her attention. She probably thought I was going to spring a wife or two on her. “You remember my brother, Cory?”
“Yes, and I’m so sorry about that. It must be very hard for you.”
“Life goes on,” I said, looking out into space. I’d learned not to think too much about it. If one could have a favorite brother, Cory had been that for me. Collin was my brother, and I’d always have his back, but he knew it and wouldn’t be inclined to return the favor. Cory had been different. He and I had been very similar in personality; we looked at life in much the same way. “Anyway, there’s something I didn’t mention when I told you about him. He and Sylvia had a daughter. Her name is Meghan, and she’s ten. She lives with me at Red Sapphire. There’s staff always on duty there and she has someone who comes to home school her, but she basically lives there on her own. I don’t get over there as often as I’d like.”
“Really?” she asked, surprised at my secret.
“Harper, Collin does not know about her. Cory and Collin were at odds, and he never told Collin they had a daughter. They didn’t want Collin’s influence over her, and you know how Collin can be.”
She nodded. “Go on.”
“So, this is why I’d like you to live on the island. First of all, I do want your help as an assistant. It won’t mean spending much time at the resort, unless you’d like to. I would like to ask that you accompany me as hostess for the many events and dinners booked there. That will take me off the eligibility roster, thank god, but I also happen to enjoy your company. So, mostly you’ll stay at Red Sapphire. I think you need some peace and quiet to work on your site, Meghan would love some feminine company and me, well, I want you nearby. I’m sorry, but I can’t put it any better way.”
She opened her mouth but I held up my hand to hush her. “Let me go on. You’ve been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. There is no one I trust more than you. You’re already like family. I’d like Meghan to know she has a woman in her corner, someone she can go to with that girl-stuff talk. A friend and sort of big sister. You never know; you might really like her. I happen to think she’s a great kid.”
Harper was studying my face.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m just thinking.”
“About…?”
“I guess I’m surprised that you trust me to enter your life and to be a part of your business. That sounds like you’re not planning to run me off anytime soon.”
“Hell, no! Does that bother you?”
“Not in the least,” she said, grinning, and got up from her seat and came toward me. Reaching up, she pulled down my head and gave me a warm, lengthy kiss. Her touch shot right through me again.
“You’re not going to leave me, are you?” I tried to keep my voice level, but she’d left before.
“Not unless you give me a reason to. But there’s one thing I want clear.”
“Fair enough. What’s that?” I wa
s afraid of what she might say. I was floating in the depths of her eyes and the fact that we were discussing an arrangement that would keep her nearby was all I could think of.
“I want you to want me for my brain and not because I never gave in when we were together before and you see this as some sort of conquest.”
“Oh, honey. Is that what you think?”
“You hurt me badly, Bray.”
“I know I did. Do you think I’m cruel enough to do that to you twice?”
“Are you?”
I drew my breath in at that. She still didn’t trust my intentions, or even me, as a man. The part that involved me, I understood. I’d heard about her old man after her mother died, so maybe I was starting to see some of the root of her insecurity. “I just want to be with you, in whatever context you’ll let that to be,” I told her softly.
She kissed me again and that time, I held her tightly and longer than normal; just because it felt good. There was a lump in my throat and I recognized emotion in myself I’d never felt before then.
“I think you need to understand something, honey. You were everything to me at one time. When you continued to reject me, I thought I’d lost interest and moved on. I am beginning to see that just maybe I saw your rejection as hurtful and had to put that hurt away. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
She nodded. “More than that, Bray, I’m beginning to see that you’ve got a deeper soul than I ever gave you credit for.”
“Oh, shit, don’t be getting all emotional or tagging me with touchy-feely qualities. I can still be an asshole. That’s just men in general.” I was embarrassed by the tension and wanted to make the conversation lighter.
“Maybe so,” she agreed. “But you’ll be my asshole.”
I had to laugh aloud at that and with a new understanding between us, we went topside as the sound of the motors had revved down, telling me that we were approaching the Vermilion Key dock.
Meghan was bouncing down the walkway toward the dock. I knew she’d heard my boat and the distinctive red signaled it was safe for her to come down and greet me. I liked to think she was anxious to see me, but knowing how pre-teens could be, I thought it far more likely that she was bored and wanted to see if I’d brought her anything.