Annabelle's Angst: NEW ADULT CONTEMPORARY SUSPENSE ROMANCE

by Bree Branigan

  “Damn,” Jane exclaimed, dismayed. “I succeeded in my goal though,” she giggled to herself. She had taken enough photos of herself and Sean in various indecent poses. “Whoa, sexy,” she exclaimed, excited. She then uploaded the photos in a private message to Michelle. Finding her cellphone number had been very easy.

  Chapter 3

  The following morning, Sean awakened with a splitting headache that made him dizzy. He vaguely remembered what had happened the previous night. Foggily he forced his brain to think back. Fuzzy pictures came to him in spurts; memories of his body being stroked and aroused. Slowly, he recollected parts of the evening before. He recalled how Jane had taken him into a room and fondled him. It was all fuzzy in his memory. He looked around. He was obviously in one of the resort’s cottages. Sitting down, he groggily groped for his phone on the bedside table. Picking it up he read his reminders on its face. Oh, no! He was supposed to fetch Michelle from her apartment for a late date last night. Damn! What had happened?

  Michelle’s cellphone rang three times, and then went dead. I’ve got to talk to her! It was not the first time he’d stood her up due to his tight work schedule, and now . . .

  He sped down the street, his hands sweaty on the steering wheel and his chest constricted in emotional pain. He loved Michelle to death! It was impossible for him to imagine life without her. How could he have been so irresponsible yesterday?!

  Michelle refused to open the door and to answer his calls. He stood by her apartment’s door buzzing and calling out. Finally, an angry looking woman raised her window and shouted at him. “Shut up!” He sat forlornly by Michelle’s doorstep, his body still ravaged by alcohol. The thought struck him. “Had he been drugged? How could he have gotten so drunk as to have been rendered pretty much unconscious?” Just then his cellphone beeped an incoming text message.

  “This is too much. How could you?” It was Michelle.

  Sean’s hands shook as he scanned the message one more time, making sure he was reading it correctly. He scrolled down the message and was stunned. There were various pictures of a naked man and Jane. They were in various sexual positions. His eyes grew wide as lunar orbs when he saw his own face in the last frame with his engorged penis proudly standing at attention.

  OMG! What are these?

  He bolted from the doorstep and banged on Michelle’s door, “Mitch, open the door, please. Let me explain,” he pleaded.

  But silence greeted his pleas.

  He went on with his futile attempts to talk to Michelle but there was no response. He didn’t blame her for her reaction. He had committed numerous “sins” against her, and she had always forgiven him. Perhaps, this time it was just too much for her. If only she’d listen to my explanation, but it sounds preposterous! Sean wept silently.

  Inside the apartment, Michelle was seated on the wooden floor, her back to the bed, crying her heart out. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her hair was in disarray around her face. This time, she couldn’t find it in her heart to forgive Sean. There had been hints of Sean’s unfaithfulness before but they’d turned out to be misunderstandings. However, the current incident was entirely different – there were actual photos to depict the truth.

  *

  Michelle’s childhood had been miserable with her father’s womanizing, and she’d been traumatized by the endless fights, sleepless nights and extreme stress that had stemmed from his infidelity. The physical, verbal and emotional travails she and her mom suffered had battered her soul. She had vowed never to marry a philanderer. Gradually, she’d become a partial recluse, reluctant to associate and mingle with men because of her harrowing experiences - until she’d met Sean in the hospital one bright summer day. He had accompanied his friend, Sam to visit Sam’s wife, who had just given birth. Michelle had noticed Sean as soon as she saw him. He was dressed casually, and she’d found him strikingly attractive. Something in his warm, smiling eyes. Michelle was able to notice his good heart and sincere concern for people. Eventually she discovered that he was gentle and kind, and most of all - he was loyal and faithful to her. It took only three months for her to say yes to him.

  But now . . .? She should have known. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She was broken and miserable. She didn’t want to see his face – ever again! She knew she was acting like a pompous prig, but she couldn’t help herself. She would not experience the suffering her mother had undergone. The death of her dad when she was twenty had ended their nightmare, but the wounds still festered.

  On the second day, Sean finally was able to connect with Michelle’s cellphone.

  “Hello, Mitch, please let me explain,” he begged.

  “What’s there to explain?” Michelle’s voice was cold.

  “I was drunk . . .I must have been drunk . . . nothing happened,” Sean said, asking for understanding. “Please, let’s talk. I’ll come to your apartment.”

  “There’s no need,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I can never trust you again.” The image of Sean’s rigid and eager dick was painfully etched in Michelle’s memory.

  “I’ll let Jane explain,” he persisted. The phone went dead. And he knew that Jane would never reveal the truth. “Damn that woman!” he cursed inwardly.

  Sean tried all means to talk to Michelle again, but no matter how much he implored her, she gave him the silent treatment. Finally, he went to the hospital where she worked, desperate to see her. “She’s gone!” the head nurse told him, shaking her head. She resigned, and I understand she’s moved away. I’m sorry, Sean,” she added, seeing the stunned look on his face. Michelle had also changed her phone number. There was no way he could contact her anymore.

  He was in pain. His handsome face became ashen with insomnia and malnutrition. He barely ate his meals and he was only able to forget his loneliness and misery when he was busy at work. He stopped speaking to Jane and detested the mere sight of her. She deserves to be burned at the stake. But he only fired her.

  Chapter 4

  While Sean was dealing with his own misery, Michelle had gone home to her family in Cheyenne to nurse her broken heart. Her mother and her sister, Micah, were waiting for her with big smiles pasted on their faces.

  “Mitch, we’ve missed you,” Micah gave her a welcoming hug and peppered her cheeks with kisses.

  Micah was Michelle’s identical twin; same facial features: straight, pert nose, luscious lips and dark-fringed eyes. Even their physical attributes were the same; 5’5” in height and slender. Most people couldn’t distinguish one from one another. Their characters were totally different, however; Michelle was the sensitive and hurting one, while Micah was the fighter and the survivor. This may have been because Micah had grown up with her grandparents in an environment of love and stability. When their grandparents died, Micah went back to live with their mother, and was currently working as a cashier in a department store. She filed for a two-week vacation, now, to spend some precious time with her mother and sister.

  “You’re so pale, and as thin as a reed. What happened to you?” Micah asked Michelle after dinner.

  Michelle started to cry. A lump in her throat impeded her speech.

  “C’mon tell me, Sis. Is it a man?”

  Michelle nodded. Micah felt a rush. A billionaire? Attracted to her sister?

  “Who did this to you?” Micah demanded, but Michelle continued sobbing uncontrollably, unable to reply to her question.

  It was after many minutes, that Michelle told her about Sean.

  Micah had only one question: “Did you have a heart to heart talk with him?”

  “The photos say it all.” Michelle showed Micah the pictures on her cellphone.

  Jane had chosen to send Michelle the photos where Sean was still conscious, so the act appeared to be consensual.

  “And you can’t forgive him?” Micah prodded Michelle.

  “I can’t. I don’t even want to see his face.”

  Micah put an arm around her sister, comforting her as she cried anew.
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  “That bastard,” Micah was thinking. “He ought to be taught a lesson!”

  Micah stayed by her sister’s side that night, consoling her and keeping her company. For days, Micah was torn apart as she watched her sister wallow in desolation. Finally, Micah decided to see for herself the man who had brought so much sorrow and misery to her sister.

  Chapter 5

  It was on a Monday that Micah ventured to Sean’s company. She had only seen him in pictures and known him through the stories of Michelle. She had no specific plan in mind; she simply wanted to meet him and start from there.

  Micah marveled at the edifice of Ultra United; it stood tall and impressive with its large glass windows and Victorian-influenced structure.

  “May I help you, Ma’am?” the blonde, voluptuous woman at the information desk asked her. Obviously, the woman was a new employee, who had not met Michelle.

  “Yes, I’m here to see, Sean Michaels.”

  “Do you have an appointment?”

  “No, I don’t,” Micah was becoming more and more intrigued. Wow! He is VERY rich! she mused.

  “I’m sorry Ma’am, but if you’d leave your name and phone number, I can set-up an appointment for you,” the woman was saying.

  “Tell him, it’s . . . “

  “Mitch,” a shout came from behind Micah.

  Micah turned around. Her jaw dropped when he came face to face with a handsome, dark-haired man with brilliant blue eyes. She realized that this must be Sean.

  “Oh, Mitch, you came at last,” Sean ran to Micah and wrapped her in a big, warm embrace.

  Micah felt her heart race a little as he hugged her tightly. Why not pretend she was Michelle and find out about the girl responsible for her sister’s heartache?

  “I knew you would believe me eventually, Hon,” Sean said, his eyes glimmering with unshed tears.

  Micah smiled and allowed him to take her to his car. “We’ve got lots to talk about,” he declared, as he fastened her seatbelt.

  “Where do you want to go?” Sean knew he was blabbering, but he didn’t want to stop for fear of hearing what Michelle had to say. He clasped her hand firmly and brought it to his lips. “God, how I missed you,” he declared, unabashedly.

  While Sean went on, Micah was thinking how naïve he was in not noticing that she was not Michelle. At the back of her mind, she was thinking how handsome he was. She was fascinated by him; he was dashing and charming - every woman’s dream. She was drawn to him instantly without wishing to be. Her mind said no, but her heart kept drumming dangerously in her chest. “That was probably the reason why he had no qualms about breaking women’s hearts”, she thought.

  “You have forgiven me, right?” he uttered, uncertain.

  “Give me more time . . . Let’s talk first,” Micah blurted, unsure of what to say. Would she reveal that she was Michelle’s twin? Did he know about her? Obviously, he didn’t because his eyes never showed any doubt.

  “Okay, sure, no problem,” Sean acquiesced and fell silent for a moment. He was anxious that Michelle would leave again without a word. It had been hell without her. He had to take it slow. “So, where do you want to talk?”

  “You choose,” Micah replied.

  “What about the Ritz?”

  The Ritz was a diner that Sean and Michelle had frequented when they’d dated in the past. It was a quiet, cozy place that provided sumptuous meals and comfortable chairs for those who wanted to sit and talk.

  “I’m so happy, you’re back.” Sean held Micah’s hands. “Did Jane talk to you?”

  Jane had resigned a week after Sean issued his ultimatum.

  “No, why would she talk to me?” Micah asked, curious. Michelle had revealed to her that the girl in the photos was Jane, one of Sean’s office staff.

  “To explain what actually happened, of course.” His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “So, you’ve just forgiven me without knowing the truth?”

  “Well, I can learn the truth from you. What really happened?” Micah probed.

  “You know, Michelle, to be honest I don’t know! I remember having a drink with Jane. The rest is so foggy. Somehow I was in a room with her. She was fondling me, but I don’t think anything happened. Maybe I was drugged? I guess I blacked out. I woke up in that strange room. I-I just don’t know how it happened.” Sean declared with exasperation.

  Micah looked him in the eye and he seemed sincere, but she still had to acquire more information. Was he telling the truth? She had to observe further.

  “What are your plans later on tonight?” Sean asked.

  “I don’t have any.”

  “Why don’t we go to my place for a nightcap?”

  Micah hesitated, but only for a second. She wanted to be with him. “Sure, why not?” She replied, trying to contain her excitement.

  Micah felt the adrenalin coursing through her veins. She couldn’t help but stare at Sean’s muscular arms on the wheel. She could feel the heat of his lithe body penetrating her senses. What was the matter with her? She was supposed to find out the truth about him and Michelle, not become attracted to him. But what the hell?! If Michelle was foolish enough to let him go …

  Sean felt ecstatic that ‘Michelle’ was going home with him. He had been despondent when Michelle had cut off all means of communication. He had begun contacting her friends to look for her, but it was useless – those he approached knew nothing of Michelle’s whereabouts. But now, like a miracle, she had just appeared out of nowhere. I will have to make her understand, Sean vowed.

  At his house, his anxiety heightened, “wine or coffee?” He asked ‘Michelle’. All he wanted was to kiss her and make love to her, but he was afraid she would escape again.

  “Mmmmm Wine.” There was no doubt now in her mind that she was drawn to him. An intimate talk with this delectable man was just what she needed right now.

  They were seated opposite each other in the living room. Micah lowered her eyes against Sean’s steely gaze. Did he notice something?

  “So, do you plan to move back here?” Sean asked expectantly.

  “Not yet. I have things to settle at home first.”

  “Then, do you believe me now?” Sean persisted.

  “Give me time.”

  “Don’t you trust me?” Sean was disheartened. “Do you still doubt me?”

  “Shall I go back home then?” Micah stood up.

  “No, no, please,” Sean snatched her hands. “Okay, okay, let’s just take things slow. I won’t pressure you. Just don’t go.”

  Sean pushed her gently back onto the couch. “Don’t go,” he repeated. “Perhaps, Jane would help in clearing this mess up. She was responsible for it in the first place.”

  “Give me time,” Micah mumbled.

  Sean sat down beside her. Oh no! Micah panicked. She felt her insides churning and there was a certain thrill that crept through her spine. She wanted him beside her- wanted him to touch her – BUT - he was Michelle’s man. They’d been about to get married, if things hadn’t gone sour.

  Micah rose hastily and distanced herself from him, her mind racing. Why shouldn’t she have him? Michelle hadn’t even bothered to find out his side of the story. This man was hot ~ and she wanted him.

  “What’s the matter?” Sean asked, perplexed. “Can’t I sit beside you?”

  “No, it’s not that,” Micah stated, her voice cracking. “I want . . . us to start all over again.”

  “I see.” Sean was obviously disappointed. With his shoulders slumped, he went back to where he was seated. He threw Micah a pleading glance, “Whatever you say.” His eyes were pools of despair as he looked into hers. He melted her heart. And her body! As he sat slumped in his chair, locks of unruly dark hair falling over his handsome face, his large, strong hands flexed, shoulder and arm muscles bulging … She felt wet just looking at him.

  “It’s getting late,” Micah intoned. “I have to go.”

  “Do you have to? I have spare rooms. Why don’t you stay for the nigh
t?”

  Micah’s face grew hot. She imagined herself and Sean in bed, their naked bodies entwined in an ardent embrace. “No, no, I’ll take the bus.”

  “No. No bus. If you insist, then I will have to drive you home.”

  OH, NO! She couldn’t allow that to happen. Sean would come to know the truth about her and Michelle. “I’ll sleep here,” she declared hesitantly.

  “Don’t worry. I won’t force myself on you.”

  The guest-room was an apartment unit, spacious and comfortable with its own living room and bar. There was a king-sized bed in the bedroom and richly quilted, soft pillows that smelled of early morning dew and fresh roses. There were also shelves of clothing for both genders that were apparently new –with their price tags intact. In the bathroom, there were new towels, bathrobes and toiletries, conspicuously displayed. It was a luxurious suite, with everything readily available for guests. The bathroom was as big as her room back in Cheyenne. The Jacuzzi and the bath tub seemed to be gilded. She undressed and filled the bath tub.