by Sam Crescent
“I don’t need you to pay for me.”
Henry looked at her over the edge of the menu he held up. “You told me you were returning to work as you needed the money. Was that all lies?”
Heat filled her cheeks at his words. They were not lies, but hearing her own complaints spoken back to her hurt.
She heard him release a sigh. April chanced a look up at him.
“Lunch is on me. Don’t take it personally, April. I want to feed you, and you’re going to let me. I heard you mention to Julia that you wanted to come here. I’m making sure you get the chance. The food is wonderful.”
April smiled once again then looked down at the menu. She loved her food and took great lengths to try something new.
Settling on a dish, she told him what she wanted then sat back waiting. She tapped her fingers on the table and looked around the room. None of the people stood out, but the intimacy of the layout struck her. The tables were small with enough length to fit two plates across from each other. Underneath the table she was sure she felt Henry’s knees brush hers or it could be in her head. When she was around Henry, her imagination seemed to go into overdrive.
“You can talk to me.”
Returning her gaze to Henry, she saw he was sitting back in his seat, staring at her.
“Why do you hate me?” she asked, blurting the first words that came to her mind. Biting her lip, she glanced down at her hands wishing she hadn’t spoken.
Crap, great way to start the conversation.
“I don’t hate you.”
“Yeah, you do. You’re always looking at me as if you don’t approve or something. Ever since we’ve met and you found out I was Julia’s best friend, you were always negative.” She folded her arms over her chest wishing Julia was here now. The conversation would carry on at the table with whatever she could think of. Julia had a way about her that drew people out.
“Do you take advice?” he asked, leaning forward.
His thick arms rested on the table. Did he work out? She was sure Julia said he did. Sitting behind a desk all day didn’t create arms that thick or a body more suited to the devil himself than Henry.
“Depending on the person giving the advice,” she said, glaring at him.
“Then take this advice, April. You’re not ready to know what I’ve got to say to you. This is new territory for you. Back off and I’ll tell you the truth when you’re ready.”
What did that mean?
****
The waiter left them with wine and water for April. She told him she couldn’t drink wine because of her leg and the pain meds she was still taking. Feeling like an idiot, Henry ordered himself a water, too, not wanting the weakness wine would give him.
Staring across the table, he tried to find something to talk about. Whenever he was with her, all he wanted to do was stare at her. She was so utterly beautiful and yet she didn’t have the first clue about herself. There were many nights she’d slept over in the spare bedroom with Julia and he overheard their conversation between each other. Throughout their talks, he heard April snort when Julia would talk about her beauty.
She looked down at her lap and started to trace around her leg cast.
“I don’t want you working while you’re still in a cast,” he said.
“What?”
“There’s no way you’re fully recovered. I don’t want to think of you working all day. It’ll tire you out.”
“Henry, I need to work. Money doesn’t grow on trees.”
He gritted his teeth as he knew she’d refuse to listen to him. “Then you can work for me, from my home.”
April’s mouth dropped open with shock.
“What?”
She kept saying that word. Was he speaking gibberish?
“You’re not ready to return to work. The only logical solution is for you to come and work for me. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you.” He fired off a sum that had her coughing. Henry wasn’t stupid. The money he offered her was more than she made within a year at the supermarket.
“What exactly would I be doing? You live in an apartment. How is working for you going to be easier than getting to the supermarket? You don’t exactly live on the bottom floor.”
Henry sat back in his seat, liking his idea more and more. If he had her around, he wouldn’t spend a great deal of time worrying about her. He was tired of always worrying about her. Every chance he got, he was thinking about her, even when he wasn’t supposed to be worrying.
“Stay at my place. You can clean and organize my life, I don’t know. I’ll pay you to play housemaid. I don’t care, April. I just don’t want you going back there. It’s not right. Your leg needs time to heal.” He stopped speaking when the waiter placed their food in front of them.
“You want me to clean for you.”
“I don’t care what you do.”
She started to twirl her fork in the pasta. He didn’t know what else to say to her.
Shit, great way to get what you want.
“I’m so confused right now,” she said. “I thought you hated me. Why would you even want me to be near you?”
“I don’t hate you, April. I’ve never hated you.”
I’m a jealous fuck who wants you more than I want anything else.
She shook her head. “Even Julia knew what you thought. She told me not to take it personally.”
“I never hated you. I want to help you. Take my offer willingly, April.”
“Or what?”
He leaned back in his seat and stared at her. “Or I’ll take you back to my apartment and lock you in the fucking place every day.”
She gasped. “You can’t do that.”
“I can do whatever the hell I want, and I do. You’re not going to work for the supermarket. You’re going to work for me, and you’re going to do it with a smile on your face, remembering Julia.”
“Throwing my friend in my—”
“Julia would want me to take care of you. Stop being a hard assed fucking female and learn to live with it. You’re coming home with me. We’ll stop by your place first to collect some things.”
“I’ve got rent to pay. I can’t just leave.”
“I’ll deal with your landlord.” He dug into his food starting to make plans in his head. This was how it could work. She wouldn’t start to think of it as charity or anything else. He was concerned for her.
“Using Julia wasn’t right.”
“What do you think she’d say to you right now?”
Tears filled her eyes making him feel like the worst bastard in the world. He did love Julia in his own way. They were together for over a year.
“Fine, I’ll come to work for you willingly. You better not talk to me like crap. I’m only doing this for her.”
For the remainder of their meal neither of them spoke. Henry didn’t mind the silence. He got the chance to simply watch her.
April got her tears under control after several minutes of looking away from him. He hated bringing Julia up. The woman who died in that car had touched both of them in some way.
Once their meal finished, he helped her back into the car then drove toward her place. Instead of letting her go inside, he took her key and entered her small apartment. Without wasting any time, Henry paid the landlord for the coming month’s rent. He had no intention of her being here to stay, but the amount was so small, he didn’t mind.
Inside her place, he gathered some clothes along with personal items. He noticed the photos of all three of them. Surprise struck him when he saw there were pictures with him. He ignored the memories and packed up two cases along with some personal items and made his way back to the car.
“I could have packed my own bag,” she said, folding her arms over her full tits.
“You wouldn’t have come back out. I’m not stupid, April. Don’t treat me like I am.” He gave the order for the driver to move away.
She stared out of the window, ignoring him. Her hands were fisted at her sides. What woul
d she do if he reached out to touch her? Her dark skin called to him to touch, stroke.
Fisting his own hands, he stared out of the window.
He needed to remember April wasn’t his woman to touch.
Chapter Two
The first few weeks working for Henry were a nightmare. Sleeping in the spare bedroom, she tried not to get in his way. Everywhere she turned, he was there. She found herself bumping into him when she tried with all of her might to avoid him.
She tried to get up a little later than he did, yet she’d find herself bumping into him.
Henry refused to go to work until he saw that she was fine. His actions were sweet, in an annoying kind of way. He would demand her presence at breakfast where she had no choice but to serve him.
The first few mornings she’d hated the intimacy of serving him breakfast. The days passed, and she found there was little to no intimacy involved in serving him. He made sure she ate breakfast with him before he set off for work.
The worst part of being alone in his apartment was finding something to do. His place was spotless. All she needed to do was dust over the counters with a cloth. When it came to dinner, she found her element. Henry didn’t criticize her when it came to dinner. When he refused to tell her what to cook, she simply walked into the kitchen and allowed inspiration to take over.
He talked about his work, asked about her day, and then at night, they’d sit and watch a movie, forming a routine together.
Three weeks into her time at his place, April started to feel more and more at home. Pushing hair off her face, she turned to glance across the kitchen counter as he stood beside the window looking out onto the city with a glass of whiskey in one hand and a phone in the other. She didn’t know why he even came home at times. All he seemed to do was work.
Stirring the tomato sauce, she added a dash of pepper before taking a taste. Satisfied, she dropped in the seafood giving it a quick stir. Once the seafood was almost cooked, she added the cooked spaghetti.
Serving their meal onto two plates, she grabbed her crutches and walked over to him. She had tried to master carrying plates to the table. The attempt caused a mess, stained his white carpet, and forced him to get a new one.
April tapped him on the shoulder, letting him know dinner was ready. He nodded, and she turned away to take a seat at the table. She placed the crutches beside her chair then waited for him to bring their food.
“I’m sorry about that. Business never stops.”
“You own the company. Of course it never stops.”
He paused with the fork in midair. “Why would you say that?”
She shrugged. “If I had my own company, I’d struggle to leave for an hour let alone a day. It must be hard getting some relaxing time.”
“You’re the first person to see it like that.”
“I don’t mind how many calls you have to make. We’re not a couple. You don’t need to explain anything to me.” She twirled the spaghetti around her fork and stared at him.
“This is good.”
“I do have one question,” she said.
“Go ahead.”
“If you need to still be making calls, why do you bother coming home? I mean, I know this is your place and all, but why come home if all you’re going to do is be on the phone?” She bit her lip when she realized she’d started to ramble.
“My business is all over the world. I’ve got to be prepared to take a call at all times. When I’m here I can relax even though it’s still business.”
“Sorry.”
“No, I don’t mind your questions. You’re finally talking to me again.” He smiled.
The first few days she’d behaved like a child, refusing to give him an inch. She didn’t talk to him or even acknowledge his presence apart from to tell him when his food was ready.
“Yeah, sorry about that. I’m not used to people ordering me around. I’m my own person.”
“You’re still your own person,” he said. “I’m happier that you’re here. I’d hate for anything to happen to you.”
“You lost a white carpet and a couple of plates.”
Henry chuckled. “You were more concerned about the carpet than I was. I was more upset about the food being on the floor. I’d never in all my life considered eating off the floor until your food ended up there.”
She laughed along with him. “Fine.”
He carried their empty plates into the kitchen. She wouldn’t let him do the dishes. Why should he do the dishes when he hired her to do all the cleaning work? April followed him into the kitchen.
“I’m going to make a couple of calls.”
She didn’t argue with him. April washed the dishes, and when she finished she made her way into her bedroom. She selected a long nightshirt before going into the bathroom.
When the cast finally came off her leg she was going to enjoy the luxury of bathing in the large tub. Sitting on the toilet, she filled the sink with water and started to wash the rest of her body. She wiped her leg around the cast. After she cleaned her body and face, she finished washing her hair. Wrapping her body in a towel, she made her way into her bedroom.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she dried her body while staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her curves stood out making her uncomfortable. Julia had been slender with only the smallest of curves.
Stop it.
Turning away from the mirror, she grabbed her nightshirt pulling it on in jerky movements.
****
Henry gripped his cock as the water fell all over his body. In his mind he saw April, without the cast, on her knees before him. Being around her daily was wreaking havoc with his thoughts. Most nights he lay in bed, turned on knowing she was only a few feet away from him. The best part of his day was nighttime. She wore a thin shirt, which did nothing to hide her glorious full body from his view. Sometimes in the morning with the sun shining through the window her nightshirt became transparent. All of her dark curves would be on display for him to see.
He worked from the base up to the tip, sliding his hand over his aching dick. Gritting his teeth, he imagined her opening her full, plump lips and taking him inside. Her mouth would be so fucking sweet.
The deeper his imagination got, the harder it was to deny himself. Crying out, Henry opened his eyes in time to see his seed washing down the drain. His orgasm left him unsatisfied like all the other ones he experienced. He turned off the shower, wishing he could pull them both out of this comfortable living arrangement. Part of him wanted to shock her by simply taking the kiss he craved while another part of him wanted her to come to him.
It was messed up. None of it made any sense to him.
Climbing out of the shower stall, he wrapped a towel around his waist then padded his way into the bedroom. He already heard the television blaring in the sitting room.
What movie would she want to watch tonight?
They’d gone through a large selection of chick flicks, and he’d even sat through the cooking channel a couple of times.
Quickly sliding up a pair of sweatpants, he threw the towel into the basket then walked toward the sitting room. April sat in a corner of the sofa, remote in hand, flicking through the channels.
“Do you want to pick a film?” she asked, glancing up at him. Her dark brown eyes struck him hard.
“You’re not going to hog the television?”
“Nah, you’ve watched enough chick flicks to last you a lifetime.” She pushed some hair off her neck. He was drawn to that exposed flesh like a moth to a flame.
Pulling out of his craving, he walked toward his DVD collection. He settled on a horror flick.
Henry didn’t know why he liked horror movies, but they always intrigued him.
April groaned, grabbing the pillow that was behind her toward her front. Before the advertisements were even up for other films, she was cowering behind the pillow. “Trust you to pick a horror film.”
He chuckled, sitting back and pressing play on the film
. Within twenty minutes, she was peeking over the edge of the pillow.
“I can’t look.”
She still looked, clearly drawn to the story. He was busy watching her rather than the television screen.
When it got to a particularly scary part, she dove toward his side. Henry was so shocked, he tensed up. After several seconds passed he forced himself to relax against her touch.
He held her close as she jumped after each scary scene. Closing his eyes, he pressed his nose against her hair, breathing her in.
“How can you not be afraid?” she asked.
“I’ve seen it a thousand times.” It wasn’t much of a lie. Scary movies never bothered him.
Holding her close, he simply basked in the feel of her against him.
This is what he loved more than anything, being able to hold her.
Staring at his hand on her arm, he felt possessive. She was so much smaller than him.
Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he watched the remainder of the movie.
“You owe me a good movie now,” she said, pointing at him.
“Okay, I’ll watch one of your chick flicks but you’ve got to do something for me.”
“What?”
“You’ve got to stay with me, cuddled up against me.”
She frowned at him, looking confused. “Why?”
“I want you to.”
“And you’ll watch a chick flick.”
He nodded.
“What if I don’t?”
“Then I go to bed.” He hoped she didn’t call his bluff.
“Okay,” she said, settling back. “I can do that.”
He climbed off the sofa, changed the DVD then settled back beside her. The first few seconds of the movie were tense, but April finally relaxed against him.
Within the hour she fell asleep against him. Her face rested against his chest.
Henry stayed for the whole of the film, using the time to stroke her hair and bask in knowing she trusted him enough to fall asleep.
Don’t get too ahead of yourself.
Using the remote, he turned the television set off then worked his body so that April slept on the sofa. Once he was standing, he tucked his arms around her body, fitting her against him. He lifted her up, loving the feel of her in his arms.