by E. Walsh
She tried to sit up but someone flipped her onto her back. A heavy weight sat on her chest and grabbed at her throat. Chloe gasped as her windpipe was squeezed.
"Back away." She was aware of a hoarse voice near her face, her attacker leaning in. With the bright light and the person's hood up, their face covered by a scarf, Chloe had no idea who it was on top of her. "Keep away from him."
Chloe struggled to breathe. She bucked underneath the weight.
"Let me go!"
But her attacker only started squeezing tighter.
"Stay away from Jack Bennett. Do you hear me? Stay away or I'll kill you."
Chloe's lungs were bursting. The grip on her neck was too tight. Black spots started appearing in front of her eyes.
She was vaguely aware of more running footsteps and some shouting. Suddenly the iron grip on her throat disappeared and she slumped to the ground, gasping for air. But the black spots didn't go away and Chloe allowed them to pull her under.
* * *
Chapter Five
Jack had known something would happen to Chloe. He just hadn't expected it so quickly. They had barely met and now the person who was making his life hell had gone after her.
All she had done was talk to him and show him her work. It wasn't as if they had fucked in the supply closet.
But he also hadn't expected for the hard hit in the chest when he saw Chloe on the floor with someone kneeling on her, squeezing her throat in their hands.
He had chased the bastard off but Chloe was unconscious. Jack's whole body felt the relief when he knew that Chloe was still breathing.
He couldn't call for an ambulance. This was the sort of publicity he didn't need. Plus the bastard might come back and attack Chloe again in the hospital.
She would have to come home with him.
Somehow he had managed to get her into his car - she was light as a feather but Jack wasn't used to carrying women - and he drove them away from the university, glancing over at periodic times to check her.
Chloe was slumped against her seat belt, looking like she was asleep. Jack hoped she would wake up soon.
He arrived home and pulled into the driveway. Unlocking the front door, Jack carried Chloe inside, kicking the door shut behind him. He would collect his things later. Right now Chloe was his priority.
He staggered into the lounge and laid her on the couch. Then he stood there staring at her. Her hair splayed out on the cushion, her face soft and relaxed even in a forced sleep.
Her breasts rose against her shirt and Jack could see the outline of her bra, noting that it was black and it cupped her breasts perfectly.
Her shirt had ridden up, revealing a flash of flat stomach with a simple silver ring in her navel.
He felt a stirring below his belt that he hadn’t felt in some time. The blood rushing to his lower regions caused him to gulp. It had been a while since his body had reacted that quickly to a woman.
Arousal had taken an interest when he first saw Chloe but seeing her like this it flared brightly.
This wasn't good at all. Bringing her back to his place was not a good idea, after all. He should get her awake as soon as he could and get her out of his house fast.
He knelt beside the couch and gently shook her.
"Chloe? Chloe, can you hear me?"
Chloe twitched and shifted on the couch. Her eyes fluttered open and her blue eyes fell on Jack with a glazed look. Then the glaze cleared and she was blinking at him in confusion.
"Jack? What happened?"
"Don't you remember?"
Chloe started to shake her head but then she winced and put a hand to her neck. Jack could already see bruises coming up on her throat and anger bubbled just beneath the surface. The one who attacked her was going to be in big trouble when he caught up to them.
"I remember someone trying to strangle me." Then Chloe looked around with a frown. "Where am I?"
"You're in my home. You were unconscious and I had no idea where you lived." Jack touched her arm, feeling how soft her skin was. "You need medical attention."
"I'm fine."
Chloe started to sit up.
"Something could've been damaged."
"I said I'm fine,” she said, fingering her throat. It's just a little sore."
She got herself upright slowly and settled back against the couch arm. She pressed her fingers to her temples and rubbed in slow circles.
"God, my head hurts."
"Did your attacker say anything?"
"Something about keeping away from you." Chloe frowned at him, her expression pained. "What does that mean?"
That confirmed Jack's suspicions. Chloe wasn't safe. He wanted to focus on her injuries and get her to seek medical advice but somehow he knew Chloe wouldn't go anywhere until she knew what was going on. He guessed she earned that right.
He sighed and looked away.
"It means my worst fears have come back."
"What are you talking about?"
Jack stood and moved away. Being that close to Chloe when he was telling her what was happening to him was not a good idea. He would be constantly touching her and distracting himself when he needed to get this out into the open.
"Jack?"
Jack reached his desk, which was situated by the empty fireplace, and turned back, leaning against the desk. He folded his arms and focused on a spot on the wall instead of Chloe's concerned expression.
"I have a stalker." He said simply. "This one is obsessed with me. Not just my books, but with me personally. They think I'm their One and Only. I get emails and letters from them every day, some of them threatening and others loving and sweet depending on the day of the week. And then there are those that are downright steamy, steamy enough to make my eyes burn."
"Sounds like a female fan," Chloe said.
She had swung her legs round so her feet were on the floor, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. Jack tried not to look down her shirt as it opened to reveal her cleavage. She probably didn't even know she was doing it.
"I'd hardly call this woman a fan." He grunted. "She doesn't like any other women getting close to me and taking an interest. I was married young, but that didn't last long and, thankfully, no children from it. My ex-wife got a threatening letter to leave me alone or she would be harmed, even though we hadn't seen each other since the day she walked out nearly twenty years ago. I've had girlfriends but when the stalker finds out - and that's usually pretty quickly - they have threatening messages and unpleasant gifts. In the end they all run away."
He glanced at Chloe, who was looking shocked at the news. He wished he could go back to that naivety where he thought everyone was nice in their own way. But this deranged person had taken that away from him ten years ago.
"I'm guessing my stalker saw you and thought I was getting interested. Don't get me wrong," He added quickly when he saw Chloe's eyebrows raise, "You're a very pretty girl, Chloe and I'm partially to redheads." Why did he say that? "But the fact you're young enough to be my daughter is stopping anything dead. However, my stalker didn't think so and wanted to warn you off."
For a moment Chloe took this in silence. Then she gave a small smile and a slight chuckle.
"I'm flattered you're partial to redheads. But you don't need to worry about it. It's going to take more than a deranged woman to stop me from liking you or your books."
She really was naive. Jack pushed off the desk and knelt before her. He planted his hands on the couch and it was only then that he realized Chloe had sat up so he was effectively trapping her in, their faces nearer than they should be. If either of them leant forward they would be kissing.
Jack pushed this thought from his mind. He needed to get it into her that this was serious.
"You have no idea what's going on here, Chloe. My last girlfriend was three years ago. My stalker took her dog and left it on her doorstep three days later decapitated with a note saying it will happen to her if she didn't stop seeing me. I can't ha
ve a normal relationship because of that woman and many people are being hurt. Don't be another one."
It was then that he realized that he was beginning to more than care about Chloe. This wasn't right. They had only met hours before and had barely spoken, yet he felt protective towards her.
He wanted to protect her from all evils, holding her and never letting go. Something about Chloe wanted him to plunge forward and take her.
Now he felt like a dirty old man.
"I'll be fine," Chloe said calmly, although her chest was rising a little faster and her pupils were dilated. "I can handle it. I've worked in a mental health ward. It's nothing I haven't seen before."
"Not like this." Jack pulled away before he did something stupid like kiss her and rubbed at his forehead with a frustrated sigh. "Look, you'd better go. And go to the ER to have your head and throat checked out."
Chloe flushed and she started to stand.
"I don't need to...ouch!"
She buckled as she put weight on her left foot. Jack darted forward and caught her, lowering her back to the couch.
"What's wrong?"
"My ankle." Chloe leant over and rubbed it, her expression pained. "I think I must've twisted it when I fell."
Jack felt helpless. She couldn't stay; she was already playing haywire with his thoughts.
All he could think of now was taking Chloe to his bedroom and not coming out again for a couple of days. But she couldn't leave - she wasn't able to leave on her own two feet.
So he made a decision.
* * *
Chapter Six
When Chloe stirred she felt the warmth of the sun on her face and knew immediately that she wasn't in her bed at home; her bed was tucked into a corner by the window so the sun wouldn't be able to land on the bed at all.
She opened her eyes and sat up, waiting for the world to come into focus.
She was in a bedroom, bigger than her room in her one-bed apartment, with cornflower-blue walls and yellow furnishings, from the bed sheets to the cushions on the armchair by the dresser.
The carpet was a dark turquoise, which was so soft Chloe's feet sank into it when she put her feet on the floor.
Chloe tested her ankle gingerly. It still throbbed but not as bad as it had done the night before. That was something, at least.
Then everything came back to her. She had been attacked, strangled by this loon who thought they owned Jack. Jack had rescued her and brought her back to his home.
Chloe would have been flattered if she hadn't noticed that Jack looked like he wanted to get her out of there as quickly as possible.
The only reason she was sleeping in his spare room was because her ankle had given way and Jack had given in, allowing her to stay the night to rest.
If it had been because he was cantankerous old man Chloe might have felt like she was intruding and would be slipping out the house now.
But she had seen the expression in Jack's face and the way he stood as if he was in slight pain. Her suspicions had been confirmed when he had carried her to the spare room and put her down.
Her body had slid against his and she had felt the prominent and hard erection prod her in her stomach. He was turned on.
Jack had felt it when she had realized how aroused he was and had virtually run out the room. It was somehow endearing that he did find her attractive as he had claimed.
Chloe felt herself growing wet as she thought about his cock, wondering if it was as big as she had been imagining in her dreams all night.
The erotic encounters she had over and over again with Jack had made her body come out in a sweat and her pussy crying out for his cock to fill her up. The throbbing was getting to the point of uncomfortable.
Standing up and testing her ankle, Chloe hobbled over to one of the three doors in the room and opened it. The first one opened into a closet. Not helpful. The second door opened out into the corridor, a banister separating the landing from the stairs and the hallway below.
The third was an en-suite bathroom, including a shower and a Jacuzzi. Finding some towels in the closet, Chloe turned on the Jacuzzi and stripped, slipping into the hot water and sitting back with a contented sigh.
This felt like heaven. She had never been in a Jacuzzi before so the sensation of the bubbles rippling against her body was a new one, but one she enjoyed.
Chloe dozed for a while before she realized she needed to get out and find Jack before figuring out how to get home. Maybe she could get Jack to drive her back. Her neighbouring in the apartment opposite hers was also a Jack Bennett fan. She would be gobsmacked when Chloe came back with him.
Getting out and towelling off hurriedly, Chloe dressed and left the bathroom as she had found it, dropping the towels into the hamper by the door.
Then she left and limped to the stairs. Voices drifted up to her from below. At least she wasn't alone. Jack was somewhere in the house. Chloe hobbled down the stairs and followed the voices, which got clearer as she reached the first floor.
"You are absolutely crazy, Jack!" It was a woman's voice and clearly she wasn't happy. "What possessed you to bring her here, let alone letting her stay?"
"Would you prefer I shove her out the door and tell her to make her own way home?" Jack asked.
"Yes!"
It took a moment for Chloe to realize they were talking about her. She wanted to leave, get out of the house while she still could.
Evidently Jack had a girlfriend he hadn't told her about and she wasn't happy with what he had done.
Now Chloe was feeling like the 'other woman', even though they hadn't done anything.
She heard Jack sigh as if he was trying to keep his patience.
"Janna, she had just been attacked and she had a bad ankle. She wasn't in a fit state to go anywhere. That deranged loon following me is out there, possibly watching the house, and I wasn't going to let her get attacked again."
"So that's your excuse for letting her stay the night, is it?"
"I didn't realize I had to report to you every time I let a woman stay over. We may be family but that doesn't mean you control who I see or not."
Chloe felt the relief flood her body. They were family. He didn't have a girlfriend after all. Why did that make her feel better?
"It's not like you haven't got an ulterior motive with her." Janna sneered.
"It's just for a couple of days while she rests. She's not here forever."
"I bet she's one of those groupies who gush about how good a writer is just to get into his pants." Janna snorted. "She's probably doing the same thing with you that she's done on other people."
Chloe was beginning to really dislike Janna.
"Grow up, Janna." Jack sounded like he was starting to lose his patience. "Chloe's not like that."
"How do you know? You barely know her!"
It was then that Chloe decided she should show herself. She felt like an intruder as it was without eavesdropping. She made a bit more noise as went down the hall and entered the kitchen. Jack and a beautiful Asian woman with long black hair flowing down her back were at the center counter, both having taking up a stance at either end. They turned when she entered, the Asian woman's expression darkening and Jack's showing relief now the confrontation was over.
"Chloe." He pushed away and hurried towards her. "Sorry if we woke you."
"I was already awake."
Chloe resisted the urge to yawn. She was still tired but she wasn't about to tell Jack that.
Jack stopped close to her and brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. His fingers brushed against her skin and Chloe shivered.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, thanks."
A snort came from the other woman and Jack suddenly realized they weren't alone. He turned.
"Janna, this is Chloe Ellis. Chloe, this is Janna Forde, my sister-in-law."
"Sister-in-law?" Chloe frowned at him. "I thought your name was Bennett."
While she was a fan of Jack's
work, she realized she knew very little about the man himself. He was quite secretive in his interviews and his Wikipedia page was sparse. It didn't say much about his personal life, if at all.
Jack shrugged.
"My mother's name. Jack Forde didn't look as good as Jack Bennett on the book jackets."
Janna coughed and picked up her purse from the counter. Chloe couldn't help but stare. Despite her unkindness, the other woman was beautiful. Statuesque with gorgeous light brown skin, she wore her red dress like a model. It was just a pity her attitude brought her down.
"I'd better get going. The kids need to be dropped off at school." Janna moved to the door, giving Chloe a warning glare. "Do me a favor, girl. Get out of here as soon as you can. You're not wanted here."
"Janna!"
But Janna ignored him and pushed past Chloe, storming into the hall. A few moments later the front door opened and slammed. Chloe winced. Jack looked embarrassed. He rubbed at the back of his neck.
"I'm so sorry, Chloe. Janna can get a bit possessive."
"You call that a bit?" Chloe snorted. "But why?"
Jack sighed and moved back to the counter, picking up a mug and taking a sip. Chloe took the time to admire him. Wearing a black button-down shirt and jeans, he was barefoot and his dark hair was still damp from a shower. He looked delicious. Chloe felt herself salivating.
"Janna's made it clear she wants to be my wife since my brother died of cancer two years ago." Jack said, leaning back against the counter. "They were married for fifteen years but she's always made it clear she wanted me and my brother was second best. Mikey knew that but he still loved her, even gave her two children. But that woman drives me mad. I don't really want her anywhere near me."
"Then why do you let her come around if you don't like her?"
"Because we're essentially family. My parents are dead and Mikey was all I had. She's Mikey's family." Jack looked away. "And if I cut ties with her it means I can't see my two nieces. I adore those girls and I don't want to lose contact with them because I cut off ties with their mother."