by Jeny Stone
“This meeting is over.” She announced firmly slamming both her hands on the table. Hannah stood to leave. “I look forward to facing you at the next bid. I assure you, this little missy will be celebrating afterwards. Let me know where you’ll be drowning your sorrow and I’ll buy you a drink. No … strings … attached.”
Garret raised from the chair enough to grasp her by the wrist. He roughly jerked her toward him. “Wasn’t it you that said there wasn’t a vindictive bone in your body?”
Her sweeping lashes lowered over her fiery eyes as she blinked. She moved her fearless gaze from him to his fingers indented in her flesh. Garret knew he succeeded in invoking her rage. He waited for the pay off. Then he would take her fiery little ass back to the penthouse.
Hannah tilted her head to look back into his fierce glare. She wanted to slap the fire out of him. She refrained knowing her hand would get the hurting end of that deal. Rage boiled in her gut. She clenched her stomach to prevent the eruption. Using her sugar coated voice she added a matching smile. “There’s not. I just take great pleasure in beating the pants off of men like you. It seems the last time we met, I got two drinks, a painting and your pants off.” OH SHIT, she stepped over the line, now wishing she had just walked away. An aura of rage engulfed his presence, emanating heat she felt on her skin.
Almost envious of her ability to control her anger, Garret unleashed his. That little lady needed to be taught a lesson. He stood up, grasping her other wrist. He pinned her arms behind her, tilting her backwards until her feet barely touched the floor. His mouth covered hers with a bruising kiss, forcing her lips to part. He assaulted her mouth with a showing of strength, his power to take whatever he wanted. Conscious that there were witnesses, he curtailed his lesson. He slowly raised her to an upright position. The shocked look on her face was especially satisfying.
Taking a page from her playbook, he smiled with a cool calmness. He lowered his voice to a whisper with his lips grazing her neck. She smelled and tasted as sweet as honey fresh from the hive. Damn, he wanted this woman.
“I’ll be seeing you soon, Hannah Greer. I suggest you have the painting in your possession or know where to find it.” He released his hold and casually returned to his seat.
Garret kept his eyes on Hannah. He thought he might have underestimated Hannah Greer, free spirit, with an innocent naiveté. Her business technique showed a controlled professionalism that contrasted with her warm, open personality. She had sliced through his demands like a knife through butter, without revealing a hint of any information. She was a force of nature he intended to enjoy harnessing. As a worthy opponent and his perfect match sexually, that little lady stimulated all his senses.
“Run an in-depth financial check on her. See if she sold the painting. If she bids on anything, double the bid. I’ll make her pay for anything else she wants.”
She would be forced to crawl back to him. That thought brought up an image he wouldn’t soon forget. He imagined his hands around her tiny waist pulling her naked ass toward him as he fucked her from behind.
“She’s a firecracker. I can’t believe she’s the one that has been kicking my ass on bids.”
Garret snapped at Ted after having his erotic thoughts interrupted. “You mean kicking my ass, since it’s my money. You’re the lackey, dumb shit, in case you didn’t get her insult. Maybe I should hire her. She knows how to get the job done.” Yes she did, know exactly how to get the job done. He remembered their night in vivid detail. One thing for certain, she was a quick study easily learning everything he taught her. She earned an A plus and made his honor roll.
“What do you want me to do with the merchandise if I win the bid?”
“Donate it to a women’s shelter or something. I don‘t care as long as she doesn‘t get it.” The game was on with Hannah Greer. He hoped she was prepared to lose because he was sure as hell going to win and she was the prize.
With all the calm she could muster, Hannah walked past the shocked stares of the other patrons to the register. Her body trembled from head to toe. Her breath was sharp and shallow, fighting back tears of anger. If the tears escaped all hell would break loose. Tears marked the point of no return when it came to her temper. She signed for the drinks, politely leaving an open tab for the so-called gentlemen at her table. With professionalism as a priority and worn as a mask to protect her flustered state, she left the bar, hoping her shaky legs distanced her from him before collapsing.
She fumed inside with her mind raging out of control. That pompous ass of a man had insulted and assaulted her. There was the off chance her bone marrow contained one-hundred percent vindictiveness. Even if her bones did, she knew her blood was filled with lust. Her traitorous body responded to every offensive action and word from Mr. Garret. What was it about that man that triggered her sexual desires? She wanted to murder him and fuck the hell out of him at the same time. If ever there was a conflict of interest, this was it.
The air of danger that surrounded his presence, his authoritative personality, the possessive way he touched, no, grabbed her and the fact he was the sexiest man she had ever seen, was exactly what attracted her to him in the first place. Well, she hadn’t reclaimed her identity from one man to lose it to another. She wanted Mr. Garret with every fiber of her being. She planned to have him, on her terms. He was in for a shock if he thought his abusive tactics would make her fold.
She had what he wanted. Unfortunately, for him, he was under the misguided impression it was a painting. When in fact she knew, he wanted a worthy opponent. Hannah knew she had the tenacity to fight for what she wanted and give him what he needed.
Hannah flagged a cab. After relaying her address to the cab driver she closed her eyes taking deep breaths to calm her nerves. Now, safely distancing herself from him, she headed to her apartment to finalize her old life. Tomorrow at this time, she would be at the cottage. She would start a new beginning. She hoped this time with a love found, or at least borrowed for a few more nights of wild abandonment.
The movers loaded the last of her furniture onto the truck just as she arrived. She checked the back of the truck to insure the protection of her antiques. The drivers were used to her meticulous ways since she hired them on a regular basis to pack and deliver any sold inventory.
“How’s it looking Miss Hannah? You know we take good care of you.” The same burley driver that lifted her on the truck had helped her off.
“Safe and sound like always, Hank. I really appreciate your efforts to protect my antiques.”
She finally found these men after numerous disasters with other incompetent drivers. After they proved their conscientious work habits, she paid them extra, under the table, to be her drivers. She scheduled her deliveries directly through them, bypassing the company’s schedule.
“Anything for you, Miss Hannah. I almost didn’t recognize you in a suit.” Hank smiled gratefully from her approval.
“Last minute business meeting.” Yeah right, that was anything but a business meeting.
“Just give us a call when you want this load delivered to its new location. If anything gets sold just give us a day’s notice and we’ll put you at the top of the list.”
“Thanks guys. It may be a bit slow until I get the cottage set up but don’t give up on me. I don‘t want to lose the best, now that I’ve found you.” They appreciated her money but compliments went a long way toward their loyalty. They were good at their jobs and deserved both.
The men locked up the trailer and loaded into the cab of the truck. She waved goodbye as she watched her prized possessions drive away. Knowing they were temporarily being stored was easier than deserting them permanently for a life with Jay. They would soon be reunited in a home where they all belonged.
She walked inside the apartment building with the taste of Mr. Garret’s kiss burning on her lips. For some undefined reason that man brought out something inside her, she hadn’t known existed. She had relived that night repeatedly in her mind. It
hadn’t been love, only lust and lots of it. He enjoyed controlling the situation by restraint. It didn’t matter how willing she had been, he forced pleasure on her. Not that she had any complaints, since she may have needed that extra shove. She filed that night under memory only, not ever expecting to see him again. She had allowed herself one night of mystery and intrigue with no reason to ruin it with reality, until now. She suspected he had a darker side but she benefited from it in his bed. Now, after today’s meeting, she had a different glimpse of his controlling nature.
She wondered now, if their meeting that night wasn’t by chance. He wanted her painting. Had he known then, what he knows now? One thing was sure; she intended to find out how he knew about her bid. The compromised web site would be reported. She didn’t pay a thousand dollars a month for nothing. She played hardball when it came to her privacy.
Opening her front door the empty apartment was a sad reminder of wasted years. She had tried to build a dream life without a solid foundation. She would miss Jay’s friendship, which was all they actually had together. He ruined the friendship with his betrayal. In his doing so, she found the strength to move on with her life. Now, that she had tasted pleasures of the flesh that she had repressed with Jay, she wanted more. It seemed only Mr. Garret found the way to turn on that desire as she was quickly reminded today.
Hannah smiled, remembering her first impression of a handsome stranger sitting down beside her. He may control his money but Hannah Greer wasn’t anyone’s bitch. Mr. Garret was about to discover what his money couldn’t buy.
She opened one of the last remaining boxes on her apartment floor. Her laughter echoed off the walls of the empty apartment thinking of Mr. Garret’s reaction to her brilliant ploy to show him just how vindictive she could be. Little did Mr. Garret know her acquisition of a life time completed the set. She owned all four paintings. They belonged to her. They were her legacy, a part of her heritage. She propped all four of her great grandmother’s paintings against the wall. She added a box of tissues to the arrangement with one tissue ready to be plucked from its container. Other tissues were wadded into balls for an already used effect. She tipped over an empty glass as a substitution for scotch. She took a picture with her cell phone and uploaded it to her computer. After making adjustments to the picture, she viewed the final product. The paintings were faded into muted tones but still recognizable. The tissues and scotch glass, she made vivid in contrast. “VINDICTIVE??? YOU BE THE JUDGE.” was written across the bottom in red letters simulating dripping blood. She signed the picture with a black shadow figure of the back of a naked woman. The red lip prints on the figure’s ass gave Hannah a great deal of satisfaction. A picture was more potent than a thousand words.
Hannah clicked to open a new email addressing it to the email P. Garret used on her website. She downloaded the picture file to an attachment. The subject matter was labeled Abernathy paintings, which should receive his full attention, since the artist’s name was a well-guarded secret. All of Louise’s paintings were signed with simply her initials, L.A. written in a flowing cursive and always in red. If he didn’t know the artist’s true identity he would now. Him knowing she knew was a point in her favor. He was playing a game she had already won. Now it was time to play her game and he was the prize.
Death and pay taxes, the only things certain in life, had a new addition on Hannah’s list and one with a greater amount of certainty. Mr. P. Garret would move heaven and earth to find her after he received that picture. She had seen it in his eyes and felt it in his kiss. He took what he wanted, but in this case, he had to find it first.
After changing her clothes and carefully repacking the paintings and the glass, Hannah carried the box to her car to lock it safely in the trunk. Two trips later, she said her final farewell to her apartment with only her purse and her laptop as the last remnants that she had ever lived there. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Hannah sat her laptop across her legs. She placed the cursor over send. With a tap on the mouse pad and a mischievous smile on her lips, her fate was sealed. Message sent on the screen was her cue to pack up the computer and get the heck out of town.
“See you soon handsome stranger. Happy hunting.” She hoped not too soon. She assumed there would be a cooling off period. The time between now and when he actually found her. She closed the door leaving a huge part of her life in the empty apartment. A changed Hannah walked out of the apartment building. A Hannah that bravely stood independently, freed from her obligations to others. A Hannah that took control of her life, ready to start over and build a new life, in a place she belonged.
CHAPTER FIVE
It was love at first sight when she stopped in front of the cottage. She breathlessly stood outside her car, taking in the beauty. Excitement and nostalgia consumed Hannah as she stared at her new home and her great grandmother’s legacy. She pushed open the rusted metal gate that shrilly squeaked from years of neglect. She added oil to her list of supplies. Ranging from saplings to fully matured oak trees had taken over the yard, in various states of growth.
Hannah stepped the steps taken by Louise Abernathy, her great grandmother when she was her same age and madly in love with a man she would lose. The cobblestone walkway partially camouflaged by grass, weathered the elements through years of changing seasons. Bad drainage had smoothed stripes across the walkway in several areas. The damage was nothing a shovel and some hard work wouldn’t correct.
The high-pitched roof was covered with slate. Hannah made a mental note to have the expensive roof checked by a professional whether she found leaks inside or not. Ivy engulfed the stone walls in a blanket of green. Its clinging stems reached out in search of the next arrow of sunlight shooting through the trees’ thick foliage. The rambling plant needed to be trimmed and thinned, especially around the windows. Some of the decorative wood brackets looked cracked and probably need replaced. Overall, the outside of the cottage made of stone, brick and rough-cut wood was intact. Her cottage had stood the test of time.
She surveyed the circumference to insure the cottage was secure. She wouldn’t want to be surprised by a squatter. As a city girl, she knew the pitfalls of entering an abandoned building. In the country, four-legged intruders should be a bigger concern or legless slithering things. Maybe, she should add exterminator to her list of contractors.
Her curiosity won over caution. She turned the key to unlock the front door of her new home. The heavy slatted wood door was swollen shut. Chips of varnish had stripped away from the wood it was supposed to protect. She pulled and jerked on the door unsuccessfully. Oddly, it opened outwards onto the stoop. The door went on her list to see if the door was reversible. Knocking someone off the stoop when she opened the door might be a problem. She finally braced one leg against the doorframe for leverage. She pulled the doorknob with everything she had left. Shoot, she was still locked out.
Hannah sat on the rotting step of the stoop to wait on the contractors she scheduled for bids. Her cottage wasn’t her first restoration. She loved the sound of “her cottage”. She felt a sense of belonging she hadn’t felt before. Her thoughts drifted to another place she belonged, in the arms of a stranger.
That night was unencumbered without all the pitfalls of trying to leave a lasting impression so the relationship would continue, which ironically left a lasting impression. He crept into her thoughts, like now, and her dreams. She wondered how desperately he wanted that painting and why. Playing with fire usually was something she would avoid. She couldn’t deny the fire that burned in her when she thought about him, which was beginning to be all the frigging time.
A white ford truck pulled in behind her car. A sun darkened arm rested on the open window of the driver’s side. “Miss Greer? I’m the electrician you called.” A husky voice shouted out the window.
“I’m glad to see you. The front door’s stuck.” The first of the contractors had arrived, thus, marking the beginning of fulfilling a long time dream. Hannah knew what a restoration en
tailed. She stood alone, drenched in determination. She walked her own path now and nothing blocked her way. Smiling contently from the inside out, her only thought was “let the games begin”.
The beer gutted older man stood beside the truck, tugging on his pants. The heavy tool belt fought against his attempt, winning the battle of the butt crack. A younger version of the man walked around the truck. The shaggy haired younger man trailed behind the electrician as they walked to the cottage.
“I’m Bob Jackson and this is my son, Seth. You’ll have to excuse his staring. He thinks you’re the ghost that haunts this house.” Seth blushed rolling his eyes.
He was in his early twenties or younger, following in his father’s footsteps, learning the family trade. Seth, was a country boy, born and raised, with no other path to lead him from his fated career. The slump of his shoulders, his feet dragging the bottom of his baggy jeans portrayed his contempt.
“Relax, if I was a ghost, I wouldn’t need the door unstuck. I would just walk through the walls. I’m dying to see the inside.” Bob frowned, as he looked her over before scanning the outside of the cottage. His thoughts were written on his face. She was a young female that wouldn’t know a dang blasted thing about electricity or construction. The cottage was an old money pit, which would take a fortune to fix, and she was too stupid to realize the expense. Most people couldn’t or wouldn’t look passed the obvious to find the beauty hidden underneath.
“Surely you didn’t buy it sight unseen? This place is going to need more work than tearing it down and building a new one. Sure you don’t want to level it and save yourself a fortune? A nice double wide would fit nicely on this property.” Bob’s condescending tone made her feel a twinge of pity for Seth. Those were some badass footprints to follow. Bob confused age with wisdom, leaving her to believe, he thought of this project as a baby-sitting job. She saw a lot of head butting and butt crack in her future with her employment of this particular electrician.