by Aneta Quinn
“What…I don’t get two choices this time?” she giggles, making her chest move beneath me.
I don’t say anything, but instead lift my head away from the hollow of her neck and look down at her, resting on my elbows.
We spend hours talking shit, asking stupid questions, and I swear when my alarm starts ringing at six in the morning, I still haven’t slept an ounce. I think I was apprehensive that as soon as my eyes closed she’d try to sneak out and go home. So my arms were wrapped up nice and tight around her waist like a vice, not that she moved much in her sleep anyway.
She reaches outwards and stretches her arms, her chest pushing upwards with the movement. My eyes automatically look down. She gives me a soft, sleepy smile, which I swear is the most fucking adorable thing I’ve ever seen.
“Morning” she says, her voice slightly husky and still a little sleepy.
“Morning” I say with a grin, and watch as she gets up to get dressed. I realise I should have been at work an hour ago, so I get out of bed and follow after her, not in the least bit rushed to get there.
I give her a lift home, and what surprises me most, is the little sweet kiss she gives me before jumping out of the car and rushing inside with a grin on her face. I watch the wind whip her hair around her face, and then pull away from the curb before I stare like an idiot any longer.
Chapter 16
Carter
I end up spending the day looking out for her, wanting her to sneak up to my office, or even grab lunch together – but she’s nowhere to be seen. I take matters into my own hands and decide to get her up here, if I’m acting unprofessional or not I don’t give a shit. Crap maybe she’s avoiding me?
I press the speaker button on my office phone and wait for Emy to answer at reception.
“Yes, Mr Monroe?” she answers sweetly.
“Can you do me a favour and get Adam from level eight to send up his assistant, I … have some stuff for him” I finish stupidly.
“Sure thing, sir” she replies and hangs up the phone. I wait patiently, check my emails, and after about ten minutes my phone stars ringing.
“Hey Jimmy” I answer, probably sounding slightly disappointed.
“Hey dipshit, what’s up your ass?”
“Nothing man. What’s up?”
“Just making sure you were out of bed is all, and ready for tonight?” his accent stronger with his enthusiasm.
Shit, to be honest I actually forgot. My silence must speak volumes because he chuckles before saying, “You bloody forgot didn’t you?”
“She’s kinda fucking with my head to be honest” I admit, knowing he’ll know who I’m talking about.
“You’re not worried she’s gonna get mixed up in all our problems?”
“She’s got just as many as us Jimmy, with Mikhalov too. I’ll tell you all about it tonight.”
He doesn’t answer straight away, no doubt mulling everything over before finally saying, “Can’t you just let her go?”
“I can’t…that’s the fucking problem, I’ve tried. She’s the same as you though, she tried telling me not to do all this, but I can’t help myself man.”
“Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later, you realise that, right? You can’t live your life pushing people away, because I sure as fuck ain’t gonna marry you and keep you happy” he laughs.
“Who said anything about marrying someone? Look she just…”
“She gets you?” he interrupts me before I can finish. I can’t figure out whether he’s laughing at the cliché or being serious. I scrub my hand down my face just as there’s a knock on the door.
“Yeah man, she just gets me” I say to Jimmy and then tell her to come in, only to be momentarily confused because it’s not even her. It’s some bright eyed intern that I saw with her a few times around the office.
“Uh, I gotta go Jimmy, I’ll call you later” I say and hang up.
Is she that desperate to ignore me? I thought we’d left this morning on good terms, both letting our walls down slightly more than I guess we’d first wanted, but maybe I’m wrong I don’t know. Maybe she’s scared because she let me in so much, or because I’m guessing it’s the first time in a long time someone’s treated her like something more than a pawn in their own game.
The intern grins at me widely and takes the few steps between the door and my desk, waiting for the non-existent documents I was supposed to be giving Adam. I stand up, my chair rolling away slightly with my movement.
“Where’s Kayla?” I ask, not even attempting to be less obvious.
She looks slightly taken aback but then rambles on about Kayla - the girl who she sat next to, the girl who was really pretty (not that I need a reminder), the girl who always seemed distracted, who apparently handed in her resignation yesterday because of family troubles.
“Oh the poor thing, I can’t imagine what she’s going through right now” she finishes.
“Yeah poor thing” I add as I grab my phone off my desk to text her.
“Did you still need me to drop something off to Mr Richards?” she asks, reminding me she’s still here.
“Oh no, that’s alright…thanks” I say, barely looking up at her as she nods and walks out of the room.
Me: Everything okay?
I erase that and try again…
Me: …
Shit, I don’t know what to say. Am I over-thinking all this shit? Surely she wouldn’t quit just because…well just because what? I mean things haven’t changed that much have they?
I decide to leave it - I don’t call and I don’t text. She said she didn’t want a relationship and maybe I freaked her out by being so pushy, by inserting myself into her life so much.
I leave early because of what Jimmy and I have to do, but by six that night my fingers are itching to call her, to see if everything’s alright. Maybe to just simply hear her voice which I know is fucking insane. My phone starts ringing from the kitchen as I throw my hoodie on, and yet again I find myself disappointed.
“Hey man, I’m coming out now” I answer the phone to Jimmy.
I throw on my boots, barely managing to get the laces done up before I’m out the door and heading to the front of my building. I find him waiting by his idling car right out the front, as a snotty woman shakes her head at him for parking in a no park zone. He sees me come out and flicks his cigarette away, before jumping back behind the wheel.
“No Kayla?” he asks straight up.
I shake my head slightly, “Just drive west, I’ll give you directions” I say and decide fuck it – I can’t do the asshole thing and not call her. Her phone rings three times before someone finally answers, to my surprise that someone is Alek.
“About fucking time man” he says into the phone as greeting.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, suddenly a little apprehensive as to why he’s answering her phone and not her.
“Well, I’m sure you’ve done nothing wrong because the sun shines out your ass, but she’s been upstairs ever since we finished arguing this morning” he groans. Arguing about what?
“Upstairs?” is all I seem to manage to ask though, because I have no idea what he’s talking about.
“Just get your ass over here, because I’m guessing that’s why she’s not…herself.”
“Right…on my way” I say, and hang up.
I manage to tell Jimmy how much Mikhalov fucked up her life just as much as ours, before we pull up out front of her brownstone, three story apartment building. I assumed each level was a different apartment, but now that I think about it, maybe they own more if not the whole thing.
I jog up the few front steps, and Alek opens the door before I even manage to knock.
“Look she’s probably going to kill me for telling you to come over, but I fucked up, okay?”
“Alek I have no idea what the hell you’re on about, is she okay or is she not okay?”
“She’s fine. I just … she seems different with you and I couldn’t figure out w
hether that was a good or bad thing. I said some shitty things to her about you, and she kinda put me in my place when she told me what happened to you and how you hate Mikhalov just as much as us.”
I rub the back of my neck awkwardly, because I can’t be mad at her for telling Alek anything because I literally just did the same thing with Jimmy. We both turn to look at the steps as Jimmy jogs up to the front door, taking two steps at a time.
“So are they coming or not?” Jimmy asks and pulls out a cigarette before lighting it up. He leans against the little rail as he looks between the two of us. After I told him how much she felt she needed revenge, Jimmy thought both her and Alek would be a great deal of help to everything we had planned ourselves.
I introduce them quickly, and leave them out in the cold on the front steps as I make my way upstairs. Jimmy will hopefully fill Alek in on what we’re doing and convince him to help us out tonight.
I take the few remaining steps quietly, and turn my head an inch when I hear the soft music. I pop my head around the doorway, and turn to look at the giant empty expanse of the second floor in awe. It looks like a home gym takes up the entire floor, but I see more intricate bars and equipment set up throughout.
She hasn’t noticed me in the doorway yet, but I sure as fuck noticed her. She’s on a balance beam doing a handstand, and I watch as she slowly separates her legs in the air into splits. She holds that position for a while, before leaning a little to one side, then shakily but gently lifting one hand off the beam.
I watch fascinated as she balances on one hand upside down like some fucking ninja, before her head tilts my way and she completely loses balance, falling off the beam and landing on the mat underneath her with a soft oomph.
“You alright, darlin?” I ask as I take the few steps towards her. She leans up on her elbows and quirks her brow.
“Wasn’t expecting to see you that’s all” she smiles a little, and I’m kind of relieved to know she’s not mad at me for whatever reasons I seem to have built up in my head.
“So you’re not up here hiding?”
“Hiding? No, I’m not hiding” she giggles, and I grin at the sound like the total dipshit that I am. I sit down next to her, stretching my legs out, crossing them at the ankles, and leaning my head against the beam behind us.
“So Alek says you’re mad at him” I say, not sure what else to say. She scoffs a little and shakes her head.
“He exaggerates” she rolls her eyes, “just because someone doesn’t want to talk to you anymore doesn’t mean they’re mad at you.”
“It kind of does” I grin, “So why have you been up here all day then if you’re not hiding?”
“Clears my head” she grins playfully and tilts her chin up to face me better.
Before I can ask what's on her mind she continues - "You, Carter…have got my mind a little misdirected."
"Misdirected?"
"I should be focusing..." she stops mid-sentence and looks at me again, tiny smile playing at the corner of her lips.
“On?” I push her to continue.
“On what I’ve had my mind focused on for the last fifteen years, but you know what?” she says as she pushes herself up, and then gracefully extends her leg out and over my own. I watch her hungrily as she slides herself on to me so she’s straddling me, and places her palms on my chest.
“What, Kay?” I ask, licking my lips.
She slowly runs her fingers up and down my chest, before wrapping one of her warm little hands around the back of my neck. Her soft lips press a light kiss to my cheek, then another on my lips.
“I like how you clear my head, give me something else to think about Carter.”
“And what is it that you think about?”
“The way your hands feel on me” she says as she runs her own fingers lightly down her sides, “the way you drive me crazy and make me want you so badly” she says as she keeps running her fingers lower, and puts them right where I want to be touching her. I can’t help but groan a little.
“Especially here.”
I can’t hold back anymore as all my self-control disintegrates with every word she says, with every touch she places I lose all my willpower.
I slide my fingers into her hair as I crush my mouth to hers, wanting to taste her, to claim every bit of her. She moans softly against my lips, as I slide my tongue into her mouth and take everything she’s giving me.
I slide my hand under her top just wanting that skin to skin feeling, pulling her body closer against mine. She moves her hips against me and I feel her grin when she feels just how hard I am for her.
“It’s not just this Carter” she says breathlessly after pulling away a little, “it’s also how you’ve managed to make me laugh so much in the last few weeks, when all I’ve had on my mind is so much hatred.”
“Glad to be of service” I smile playfully, but it honestly feels like a huge accomplishment on my part for her to admit that.
There’s a grunt from the doorway as Alek and Jimmy appear, and see us practically screwing on the floor.
“Sorry to walk in on you in such a compromising position” Jimmy chuckles, “but we got some business to attend to, if you care to join us?”
Chapter 17
Kayla
As soon as they revealed their plan I was all in, I needed to get to Mikhalov’s computer anyway, so what perfect timing.
Mikhalov requested to see Carter tonight at his manor – alone. Jimmy being Jimmy refused to let him walk right into the lion’s den without some sort of plan, without any help if necessary.
So that is why I’m now tucked away in the trunk of his car, while he drives right through the gates of Zoloto Manor. Alek and Jimmy are on the outside in a separate car, and since I connected to the network and security system the other day, Alek will be able to disconnect it while Jimmy gets in.
The only reason I’m in the trunk is because guests park just outside his personal garage, so my objective is to subdue the dogs while Jimmy makes his way in. I guess when you really think about it, we could’ve both squeezed in the trunk, but then we would have to deal with the dogs on the way out as opposed to now anyway.
I feel the car come to a complete stop and the door open and close as Carter gets out. There’s muffled talking and then silence. I play Tetris on my phone while I wait an excruciatingly long five minutes, then push the back seat down and climb my way into the main part of the car.
I pop my head up quickly just to look around, and I’m a little surprised to see that the car is actually inside the garage. Why would Abram let Carter park in here? Now that’s special treatment for sure.
I pull out my phone and text Alek.
Me: I’m in the garage. Work your magic
I wait a couple minutes before getting out of the car, quietly closing the door behind me with a soft click. I take a look around his garage, my jaw dropping open in awe – holy shit he sure has some impressive cars. My head turns from one end of the giant garage to the other, taking in the entire expanse of lined up luxurious cars. Bentley, Ferrari, Maserati, you name it and he’s got it.
I walk quietly along the white tiled floor that literally looks like a museum than an actual garage, and make my way over to the little room on the side. I pull the door open a fraction, and once I see it’s clear I step in, automatically feeling annoyed at how little room he’s given the dogs compared to the grandeur space for his cars.
I wonder how Carter’s doing and what it is that Abram actually wants from him. I find myself realising that this isn’t as exhilarating as I thought it would be, getting into Mikhalov’s manor. Is it the fact that Carter is in there on his own?
I press the button to open the little doors and put the treats into the empty bowls for the dogs - just a little something to calm them down. Then I hike myself up on to the top shelf against the wall.
I put my fingers in my mouth and lightly whistle, then wait for the dogs in total silence. After a couple minutes one or two come tr
otting in and sniffing around, sensing someone’s presence. They catch a whiff of the treats and start to crunch on them loudly. The rest of the dogs show up and follow the same motions of sniffing around for the intruder, and then eating the treats.
I hang on to the edge of the shelf with one hand, and use my free one to pull out my phone to text Alek again.
Me: Tell Jimmy it’s all clear.
I wait another five minutes, but to my surprise the dogs are still wide awake. This stuff should have knocked them out for a good hour without hurting them. I take a cautious little jump off the shelf and stand there motionless as the dogs ears perk up at my movement. One comes over sniffing, and to my surprise nibbles gently at my hand just as Jimmy climbs in through the little door.