by Sam Crescent
“You deserve that. Kent and I are friends. There is nothing going on between us.” She started walking again. Tears filled her eyes at Frank’s vile words.
“Does he even know about your past? Does he know about your mother?”
“I told you those things about me because I thought you loved me, Frank. I thought I loved you.”
“It’s amazing what you can get a woman to do with a few kind words,” Frank said.
“You’re a sick bastard. If you think you can use me in some way then you’re mistaken. I’m Kent’s friend, nothing else.”
They were approached by a large guy wearing a suit. “Sir, I’ve got to ask you to leave Miss Hawkins alone, now.”
“Who the fuck are you?” Frank asked.
She’d never heard him talk like that to anyone else but her before.
“My employer would like for you to step away from the lady. Lana, Kent would like you to get into the car.”
Lana shook her head. “I don’t know you. There is no way I’m getting in a car.”
Spinning on her heel she walked faster toward the Kent’s building. Frank’s arrival unnerved her. She’d bared her soul to him, and now it sounded like he wanted to use her for money. Did he really think she had some kind of hold on Kent?
My life is turning into a soap opera.
She glanced behind her to see the black car following her. After twenty more minutes of walking she got to the entrance of Kent’s building. She pressed in the code taking her up to the top floor.
Without waiting to calm down, Lana went straight to his office. He was closing his cell phone as she entered.
“You had me followed?” she asked.
“For good reason. It was getting darker, and I didn’t like the thought of you being alone. I hired a guy I trust to follow you. It’s for your own safety.”
Lana frowned, and then she recognised the guy. She’d served him numerous times at the diner. “Why? I’m perfectly safe,” she said.
“You’re a beautiful woman, Lana. You’re my friend. I’m looking out for your safety, and tonight I’m pleased I did. Frank came to visit you,” Kent said.
He seemed to know a hell of a lot. Her anger grew as he threw down a small brown file. “I’ve been getting harassing phone calls from this man.”
The picture was of Frank holding up a black sign. Her stomach took a dive as she looked at the photo.
****
“What is this?” she asked.
Kent had been getting the calls offering information on Lana in exchange for money for some time. The man in question had even been to his office trying to cause a fuss. The police officer who’d escorted him off the premises was a friend and had warned him about a history of violence.
He didn’t know how Lana had gotten away from Frank without some kind of violent outburst. Then he’d discovered Frank took his aggression out on all of his women in different ways. Her ex had been cheating on her throughout their relationship. For all Kent knew, Frank was hurting Lana in some way.
“This man offered me information on you in exchange for money. This is your ex-boyfriend? The one who dumped you and left?” he asked.
She nodded.
“From what I’ve read, you’re a lucky woman. He’s got a history of violence under his belt. Women are terrified of him. He lost his job at the bank a few months ago, and from what I’ve found out, things are tight. Frank likes to live a luxurious lifestyle. He can’t afford it and is looking for someone to help fund the bill.”
Tears filled her eyes as she dropped the file. “I never knew he was like that. I mean, he said horrid things and sometimes his anger got the better of him. I thought I was the one to bring it out of him. I can’t believe he was the same person. He loved his job, or at least I thought he did.”
She folded her arms over her chest.
“What information does he have on you?” Kent asked.
“You didn’t buy the information?”
“No, you’re my friend. I’d rather hear it from your lips.”
Lana let out a sigh. “I’m sorry for jumping to the wrong conclusions, and thank you for that guy. Knowing this,” she pointed at the folder, “Frank would have gotten violent. I’d never use our friendship for his personal gain. I can’t believe I never knew this.”
Kent got up and went around his desk. He pulled her against his body and held her tightly.
“I don’t have a very good past. I don’t like talking about it, Kent. I was never on drugs or anything. It was just a pretty bad start to life. That was all.”
He’d figured that much out with her having no pictures in her apartment or talking about her family. Lana kept herself closed off from the world. His family liked her and looked forward to her spending Christmas with them.
“Hey, Frank is out of the picture. He’s not going to spoil your life anymore. You’ve got me,” Kent said. From the day at his home where she’d promised he would always have her, Kent had made a promise to himself to always be there for her. He’d hired Mitch, the guy who followed her to keep her safe. Kent got daily reports, and when the call came through of Frank harassing her, he wished he’d been the guy with her and not Mitch.
“Thank you. I know I can count on you.” She rested her head against his chest. Stroking her hair, Kent closed his eyes and relished the feel of her in his arms.
“Am I forgiven?”
“Yes. I could never stay mad at you for long, Kent.”
They stood in his office for several minutes. He didn’t want to break the cuddle off. Kent loved the feel of her in his arms. He’d sworn off women. The only woman he cared about was in his arms.
He’d talked with his parents about how he felt, and they agreed with him to take it slow. His mother and father adored her. They thought she was sweet, but they also felt sorry for her. She was clearly used to not having any affection toward her.
Kent wanted to give her the world.
She pulled away. “I better get started. I don’t want you phoning the firm and telling them I’m becoming lazy.”
He’d never do that. In fact, he’d already agreed to give her a large bonus. She should receive it at the end of week in time for her to go shopping with him. He’d settled everything with the firm.
When she’d been in the shower one night, he’d gone hunting for the safe with the bills she worked out. He’d gone through her paperwork and started leaving money in the safe, and when he didn’t get chance to put it in the safe, he left it around her apartment. Kent figured leaving her money lying around on surfaces or slotted inside books would be more realistic.
One day he’d purposefully placed some money in a cook book. He’d opened the page in the kitchen and stared at her.
“Are you leaving enough money in books now to pay for ingredients?”
Lana had frowned when she saw the two bills laid in the page.
Kent made sure not to leave her too much in case she got suspicious. He also upped her wages through the company. She’d been excited at getting a raise.
These were the little things he could do for her. She still refused to let him pay for a television or a cell phone. It wouldn’t be long until he got his way. He looked forward to seeing her face on Christmas morning.
His parents were excited about having her in the family. Penny looked forward to getting in touch with her when he got her the cell phone.
“I’ve got a few things to do here. Are there any leftovers at your place?” Kent asked.
“No, I’m dry until Friday. I’m living off stale bread and ham.”
He chuckled. “Then tonight is your lucky night. You’re coming back to my place.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she said.
“I’m not taking no for an answer. I’ve got food, and I intend to feed you.”
“Okay.” She moved out of his office and started working. He went back to his desk to finish signing some of the letters he’d not gotten around to during the day. Every now and ag
ain he looked up to find her bent over a desk, showing him her glorious ass.
Moaning, he covered his eyes and forced himself to concentrate on the document in front of him. His feelings for Lana were growing. He didn’t know how much longer he could cope with just being her friend.
Chapter Eleven
Tiredness consumed Lana, and for once she was pleased she wasn’t cooking. Kent drove them to his apartment. Her eyes widened at the sheer size of the building in front of her. He punched in some numbers, and then he was driving underneath the building.
“You live here?” she asked.
“Yeah. It’s nothing like my parents’ home, but this is where I live when I’m not with them.”
“This is insane. I can’t believe you want to spend time with me when you could be here.”
“It’s lonely, Lana.”
She kept her mouth closed after that statement. Kent had opened his heart to her the last time they were at his parents’ house.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He parked the car, and together they made their way up to his apartment. She stared at their reflections in the metal door of the elevator. Kent wore a designer business suit while she wore her cleaning uniform. They were like chalk and cheese.
Her old tattered purse dangled in front of her legs. They were polar opposites of each other. Dropping her gaze from their reflections, Lana stared at her trainer pumps. She spotted a tomato grease stain from one of the kids she’d served in the diner. Pulling a tissue out of her bag she dropped down and started cleaning the mess from her shoe. She hated mess, and she couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen the stain on her shoe before now.
“Lana, what’s the matter?” Kent bent down.
“I’ve got to clean the mess. I’ve had a raise, and I can’t believe my standards are slipping.” Tears filled her eyes as she recalled the horrid food stains in the trailer. The time she’d gone into her mother’s room and the stench of sex, urine, and alcohol had filled the room.
She’d never allow herself to be like her. Frank was wrong. She wasn’t like her mother. Everything had to be clean and have its own place.
Kent’s hand closed over hers. “Stop this,” he said.
Lana lifted her head. Tears fell on her cheeks. He wiped the tears away. “I’m not like her. I’m not dirty. I like things clean, and I work hard. I’m not like her.”
“No, you’re not like her.”
He didn’t have a clue who she was talking about, but hearing him agree with her meant a lot. Kent removed her hand away from the shoe. “See, it’s all clean. You’re fine. I promise.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry.”
The bell on the elevator rung out letting them know they’d come to the right floor. Kent lifted her up in his arms. She didn’t let go as he carried her down the corridor to his room.
Resting her head against his chest she waited for him to open the door.
“I won’t have to fight semi-naked women out of your apartment, will I?” she asked, teasing him.
“No. There are no naked women here.”
“That’s good to know.”
His heart thumped against her ear. Kent carried her inside his apartment. He sat down on the sofa pulling her onto his lap.
“I’m too heavy,” she said. Lana went to move off his lap. Kent stopped her by holding her tightly against him.
“Don’t even think about it. You’re not going anywhere.” Kent stroked her hair, soothing her with tiny caresses. She closed her eyes relishing the closeness she felt next to him. After a time, Kent lifted her off his lap and placed her at the end of the sofa. He removed her shoes and socks.
“I don’t want you to move from this space.”
“I’m sorry about the elevator. I don’t know what came over me,” she said, dropping her gaze as the shame of her past gripped her.
“You know what came over you. It’s your mysterious past. You don’t want to talk about it, and that’s fine. You don’t have to talk about it or say anything. You’ll tell me when you’re ready to.”
He tapped her leg and made to move away.
“It’s my mother. She’s the only person from my past.”
“Didn’t she like mess?” he asked, sitting down.
Heat filled her cheeks as she recalled the mess inside the trailer. “She didn’t care for mess or much of anything else. I’m nothing like her.”
Dropping her gaze, she wrapped her arms around her legs. Kent handed her the remote. “Here, watch television. I’m going to get us some food.”
“You know how to cook?” she asked, teasing him.
“You’ve seen my mom’s kitchen. Do you really think she’d let any of her boys go without knowing how to look after themselves?” he asked.
“Point taken. I look forward to your food.”
He left her alone. She clicked on the television. The screen was large, and seeing the size of it made her chuckle. Kent had been trying to get her to have a bigger television for a long time. Shaking her head, she flicked through the channels.
“I see why you want the bigger screen. I don’t even think this would fit into my apartment,” she said, calling out to him.
“Everyone deserves a big screen. I can get one to fit your apartment,” he said.
Lana laughed. “My electric bill would go through the roof. How much does it cost to run?”
“Stop teasing me and enjoy it.”
She continued flicking through the channels like he told her. There were several sports channels along with a couple of porn channels. Lana shook her head at his choice of viewing and stuck with the news. The safest channel was the news.
He came back out of the kitchen with a tall glass of milk.
“The news? You’re watching the news?” he asked with mock disgust.
“I thought it was better than sex.” She lifted a brow. Kent chuckled and walked away.
Glancing around the room she spotted several pictures of his family along the shelves.
****
If his cock got any bigger Lana would notice him tenting his pants with the size of his erection. He felt like the worst friend in the world. While she’d been crying in his lap, he’d been enjoying the feel of her pressed against him.
Opening his fridge he took out the pasta and sauce he’d bought the other day. He’d intended to cook for her when he bought them. The only thing that had changed for him was Frank coming back on the scene. He filled a pan with water and salted the water. Kent got everything ready like his mother taught him to cook the pasta. He glanced into the room to see Lana had taken her coat off. The uniform she wore did nothing for her figure.
His cell phone buzzed letting him know he’d gotten a call. His mother’s name flashed on the screen.
He let Lana know his mother was calling.
“What are you doing up this late?” he asked, putting the phone to his ear.
“Don’t be cheeky to me. I’m calling to see about Lana’s Christmas present. I’ve got a catalogue here, and I see some dresses I think will look gorgeous on her.”
His mother already viewed her as being part of the family.
“What colours?”
“I’ve got blue and purple. I think the purple will look good. I need her size.”
“What does Dad think of you ordering like this?” Kent asked.
“Your father leaves me to do what I do best, and that’s looking after my family. I’m looking after my family, and I get the feeling Lana hasn’t had much looking after,” Penny said.
Kent turned the heat on the stoves down and walked into his bedroom. “I’ve got something to tell you.”
“Okay, I’m ready for the gossip.”
He chuckled and then told her everything that had happened from Frank showing up to the episode inside the elevator.
“She’s been hurt bad, son. I think you need to take it carefully.”
Kent took her advice and hung up.
> Moving out of the room he saw her sat watching the news. He quickly finished dinner and handed her a plate of steaming pasta.
“This smells good,” she said.
She twirled the pasta around her fork and sucked it into her mouth. He watched her lips close around the fork, and like a randy teenager he was hard imaging those lips around other parts of his body.
He was going to burn in hell because of his thoughts.
“This is really good.”
“I was taught by the best.”
“Penny is an amazing woman,” Lana said.
“I’m glad you like her. She likes you, you know?”
Lana shrugged, and a blush stained her cheeks.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Sometimes I feel a little out of place. We’re weird being friends. I don’t know. I forget we come from different worlds.” She finished her food without saying another word. He let her.
Kent had come to realise Lana kept herself closed off in order to protect herself. She’d been hurt in the past, and he didn’t think it was just because of Frank. There were parts of her past that were fuzzy. At least he knew she’d known one parent. He got the sense that one parent wasn’t the best source of comfort to his woman.
She handed him her plate and sat back against the sofa. He cleaned away the dishes and found her asleep curled around a pillow. Kent didn’t want to wake her.
He moved toward the spare bedroom and made the bed for her to sleep. He turned the thermostat up so she’d have plenty of warmth in the large bedroom.
Once he was done, he moved back to where she lay on the sofa. Kent lifted her into his arms and carried her through the bedroom. She mumbled in her sleep but didn’t fight him.
Her weight meant nothing to him as he placed her on the bed. He stared down at her for the longest time. She looked relaxed in her sleep. The deep frown she usually wore was flat. She appeared younger in sleep without a care in the world. He wanted to see her like this more often. She shouldn’t worry about money or stressing about life.