by Axl Goode
At that very moment, her would-be assailant barreled around the corner in a fast run. Reacting instantly, Zane’s arms sprang to the man’s shoulders, intercepting and arresting his momentum. The man hadn’t budged Zane an inch.
“Hey slow down, man, what’s the rush?” Zane asked as the man took a step back. The man ignored Zane as his eyes focused on Brenley. Stepping in front of her, Zane took a defensive stance suddenly looking dangerous. “Can I help you with something?” His voice was chilling and full of menace. The man looked up from Brenley to meet Zane’s stare. The two held eye contact for a few moments, glaring at each other. Holding her breath, trepidation ran down Brenley’s spine.
“No, I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention,” the man huffed. Backing away carefully he finally took off in a jog before ducking in an alley.
Turning around, Zane’s tense stance relaxed. “Are you all right?”
Still breathing hard, Brenley looked up into Zane’s piercing brown eyes and noticed the concern he had for her written in them. “Yeah, I think so. You just caught me off guard there.”
“Well it didn’t hurt my feelings. It’s not every day I have a beautiful woman run into me.” A slight grin spread across his face.
Feeling the hot rush of blood to her face, she realized she was blushing. His eyes scrutinized her elbow, where she noticed blood starting to drip from a cut she had gotten when she hit the ground. Taking her arm, he examined the wound then said, “My townhome is only a short walk down the road. Come on over and I’ll bandage you up.”
Grabbing her hand, he pulled her down the sidewalk. Guess I might as well. It would be my luck to get an infection from something so trivial.
Walking down the sidewalk, it only took a few minutes until they came to his complex. They headed directly to his suite. They didn’t talk but she could tell he, like her, was occupied with processing the events of what had happened. They entered his house, which had a very open, modern feel. It was a two bedroom. The living room had a couch, a recliner and TV, along with a few pieces of selective art along the walls and pictures of his family. The kitchen was clean, with several pieces of fruit on the counter, along with several bottles of wine.
She sat down on a barstool while he went to get some bandages. Disappearing down the hallway for a minute, he came back with a box full of supplies. She moved over to the sink as he unscrewed the cap from a bottle of hydrogen peroxide.
“This might hurt a little,” he warned.
“I think I’ll live,” she said, trying to sound confident.
Tipping the bottle over, he slowly poured the solution on her wound. Flinching slightly, she felt it tingle as the hydrogen peroxide bubbled over her elbow.
She hadn’t realized how bad it was hurting with her adrenaline pumping so heavily, but now that it was slowing down she could feel the constant throb of pain. Using gauze he patted off all the blood, which had mixed with dirt from the sidewalk, then pulled out some antibiotic ointment and carefully applied it.
Brenley watched Zane work. Seeing the intensity in his eyes, she thought he could’ve been a surgeon. He possessed absolute confidence in what he was doing, easily patching her up.
After he finished, he looked at her with a smile and exclaimed, “All better!”
Standing next to him she became aware of how close they were, taking a few steps back. With all the excitement wearing off, her memories of their last encounter came flooding back. Being pushed up against the elevator by this man, having him give her the most passionate kiss she had ever received. Still, she hadn’t stopped him. She had thoroughly enjoyed it. What was I thinking? She couldn’t really complain though. Afterward she had wished it had gone on longer. If only she didn’t dislike the man so much.
Now, against all odds, she was in his house being taken care of by him. It didn’t change anything for her though. He simply wanted something from her and when he got it he would leave. Taking a glance over the rippling muscles of his body, she momentarily wished that she wasn’t so principled. If she weren’t, she would certainly be willing to have some fun with him.
Bringing her out of her musing, he adopted a quizzical tone. “Who was that man out on the street?”
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly.
“Then why was he following you?” he countered, confirming her fears and causing a slight shiver to run through her body.
She decided playing dumb was sometimes the smartest thing to do. “I didn’t know he was following me. Why do you think he was following me?”
“First of all, you’re a terrible liar.”
Affronted, she didn’t know what to say. She thought she was a terrific liar. So much for being able to play dumb.
“Second, if you need evidence of why I think that then let’s review the facts. First, when you ran into me you screamed. You also looked scared to death. That suggests you were already worried. Second, that man came around the corner a moment later. And even though I kept him from running into us he barely took his eyes off you the entire time. Furthermore, I know when someone has a dangerous look in their eyes. And Brenley―he had it. Not to mention he was carrying a gun. I don’t know many people who run with one. So would you like to rethink your answer?”
Dread seeped through her body. A gun? She began to realize just how much danger she had been in. If he had caught up with her, she might very well be in someone’s trunk right now. This all made no sense. Her body started to shake. Struggling to gather herself, she responded in a soft tone.
“I don’t know who he was. I was running when I realized someone was following me on the running trail. As soon as I could, I hopped onto the sidewalks to attempt to lose him or make it to a public place.”
This was all too much at once for her.
What is happening? Why am I here in the house of the man I have despised for so long? And why am I even entertaining this conversation? Why don’t I leave right now? Why am I talking to him about any of this? Wait, why don’t I want to leave though? Why do I feel safe here in a place with a man who is so unsafe?
Her mental confusion was running rampant, preventing her from thinking clearly or making decisions at all. Without any words, he stepped closer to her and enveloped her in his arms, holding her for a few minutes. Once he let go and took a few steps back, she could feel her emotions were back in check. Her walls were back in place, even if shaken.
“How do you know he was carrying a gun?” she asked curiously.
“I noticed the way his hand dropped to the side when he ran into me and the bulge there,” Zane said, as if anyone would have noticed it. “So how about a different approach? Why do you think someone would be following you like that?”
Mulling this over, the only thing Brenley could come up with was the letter she had received the other day. There was no way she was going to tell Zane that though. In fact, now that she was calming down she wasn’t sure why she was having this conversation with him at all. She was thankful for his help but this was something she could handle herself.
“I have no clue,” she responded. Deciding it was time to go she continued, “I should be going. I have some work to finish up tonight. Thank you for taking care of my elbow…and I’m sorry I ran into you.”
Taken aback by her quick disconnect, Zane shifted his stance a little before insisting on driving her home. Before they left, Brenley asked to step into the restroom. Going down the hall, she found the guest bathroom but as she exited she noticed something unusual. Across the hall was the guest bedroom but instead of a bed, there were six monitors stacked together with what looked like a supercomputer powering them. Intrigued, she wanted to investigate further but didn’t want to get caught snooping. After a moment she meandered back down the hall.
Walking out and to the car together they were quiet. Without all the excitement she wasn’t sure how she felt or should act around Zane. Last time they had met, he had kissed her even after she had just got done bashing who he was as a person. Despit
e how mad she should be about that, he had just stepped in front of her would-be attacker, saving her from who knows what. He had also bandaged her elbow. The mixed signals she was receiving were difficult to process.
Making it to Zane’s dark blue Camaro, she realized it looked like a Camaro but didn’t at the same time. She must have had a curious look on her face because he said, “I’ve made a few personal upgrades to Destiny’s Fate.”
“To what?”
“Destiny’s Fate. That’s her name,” Zane said, inclining his head towards the car.
“Oh.”
What an odd name for a car. Upon opening the door, understanding washed over Brenley. The dash was one large instrument panel with a large LCD screen in the middle. Each seat was rigged with a five-point racing harness to ensure its passengers didn’t move an inch. Pulling straps over her shoulders and around her waist and a last one between her thighs, she locked them all together in front of her bellybutton. Starting the engine, the car let out a roar not belonging to any Camaro.
Brenley had always loved fast cars. She drove a sports car herself. There was something about the way they made her feel. Not many girls shared her passion for cars. She was by no means a connoisseur, but she held a great appreciation for things that went fast.
Finding herself curious she asked, “What kind of upgrades did you do?”
“Oh, these are all personal. I don’t like people working on my car, plus I can do it better so I decided to spice things up a little,” he said with a playful tone. He must have caught her incredulous look, because he said, “What? A shallow actor who hasn’t had to work for anything in his life can’t have skills?”
Ouch. She had said that to him, hadn’t she? It was a good thing he didn’t seem upset about it. His sense of playfulness lightened her mood. Slightly. “I guess everyone is decent at something.”
“Do you like to drive fast?”
Feeling her adrenaline starting to rev up again, she couldn’t deny she did. “I’ve always enjoyed fast cars.”
Pulling out of the parking garage, Zane looked over at Brenley. “How fast do you want to go?”
“Faster than your modified Camaro can take me. I’m a Ferrari girl.”
Holy shit, am I flirting back with him? What the hell was she doing? Seeing his hand move to the computer in the middle of his car, he made a few slight modifications that she couldn’t follow but was curious about.
As they hopped onto the freeway, she informed him that her house was only an exit down. Pulling down the ramp, he said, “I’ve modified almost every single aspect of the car to handle the horsepower load. Without doing that it would rip itself apart.” Coming to a complete stop mid-ramp he turned to her with a roguish grin. “Ready?”
Before she could reply he slammed the car into first, launching forward like a rocket. She couldn’t move from her pinned position in the passenger seat. The car sounded like a jet airplane taking off. She had ridden in Ferraris and Lamborghinis but those seemed like nothing compared to the forces holding her in her seat at that moment. Before she knew it, her harness was holding her strapped to the seat or she would have flown into the dash from decelerating on the off ramp.
He asked for directions as they got off the ramp and she told him the rest of the way.
“Still a Ferrari girl?”
“Yes. But I might have to consider converting after that. What kind of modifications did you make for the car to be able to do that?” she asked playfully.
“Secrets of the trade, I’m afraid. It’s all part of being an overrated actor.”
She noticed he was making fun of himself and his trade. It was slowly dawning on her just how badly she had mistaken who he was. He had an incredibly quick wit and was obviously highly intelligent. Yet there was a certain mystery to him she hadn’t noticed before. He downplayed a lot of what he was to her. Clearly he was very competent in at least a few areas. And what was up with all those computers at his place?
Pulling up to her apartment, he looked over to her with a deadly serious look. He bit his lip before finally speaking.
“I want you to know, I’m not sorry for kissing you in the elevator. I can’t explain why I’m so attracted to you but I know I am. I don’t know why you have such a chip on your shoulder against me but I wish you didn’t. I think if you would take the time to really look at me, you might see something very different from what you assume I am. I don’t know what today was about either but I can help you if you want it.”
She sat there a little stunned at what he said, not knowing how to respond. Looking back into Zane’s eyes, she could see how sincere he was but didn’t know how to respond. She found herself almost totally speechless. Finally she blurted out a “Thanks” and got out of the car before anything else could happen.
Walking into her apartment, she plopped down in her bowl chair to think about everything that had transpired that day.
* * * * *
Watching Brenley walk away, Zane fought the urge to go after her. Instead, he waited until she had made it safely inside her apartment before slowly driving away. His day had gone very differently than expected after Brenley crashed into him. It was so different from every other time he had seen her in her business suit. Today she had been in rolled up running shorts with a tank top. Noticing his arousal at thinking about her, he didn’t think it was a bad thing. She looked incredible, even all sweaty with her hair disheveled.
At first he was extremely startled by having someone crash into him on his way home. However after seeing her reaction, he instantly knew something was wrong. Seeing a strange man barreling around the corner in pursuit of her raised all his flags. He was nothing if not protective of people he cared about. Stepping in front of her, he was as nice as possible to the guy to avoid escalating the situation any further.
Once the man left, he realized Brenley was bleeding. Always the one to take advantage of a situation, he saw an opportunity to spend time with Brenley where she might see more of who he truly was. Taking her hand, he started walking her towards his townhome to bandage her up. He was almost surprised when she didn’t have a flippant remark about going, but she fell right into step beside him. Giving a little chuckle to himself, he thought that he didn’t always play fair but who really did, right?
After he bandaged her up, she came out of her shock, recalling their last meeting. He could see it in her eyes but she didn’t know how to act considering he had just taken care of her. He knew it definitely put her in an awkward position, although he found a way to get through to her.
Hoping to steer her thoughts away from him kissing her in the elevator, he asked about the man following her. He got the sense that she really didn’t know why she was being followed or by whom, only that she had a hunch she wasn’t sure about.
His heart beat faster. It was upsetting to think about anyone wanting to harm her. He found himself frustrated with his lack of ability to help her. At least without her allowing him to. Right before she got out of the car he was surprised to find himself telling her how he really felt.
He was tired of being in the middle or vague about his feelings for her. He hadn’t even truly admitted them to himself. Not until that moment when he had spoken them aloud. She might not want him and that was fine. But he wanted her to know how he felt. He needed to admit to himself how he felt. His other relationships had been increasingly insipid, lacking some essential piece that for some reason manifested itself in Brenley.
Deciding to drive around a little more to help clear his thoughts, he rolled down the windows and relaxed a bit. Why had he shown his car off to her? It was like he was back in college or something, wanting to impress someone. That wasn’t usually his style though. He was normally very humble about his possessions, choosing to downplay what he had. He particularly avoided showing people his car because he didn’t want to be hassled about the upgrades he had done to it. Half the stuff on it he had created himself, increasing its performance past a supercar.
Zane didn’t understand why people hadn’t thought of some of the ideas he had in his car but then again not everyone thought the way he did either. Chastising himself for blowing another opportunity to show Brenley who he really was, he stepped on the gas a little. The car lurched forward with power. He decided he should change the computer back to standard mode, so he didn’t get himself in trouble on the road.
Feeling the cool wind whipping through his long hair, he contemplated what the situation could be with Brenley. After a few moments he stopped himself, realizing he was speculating on things he didn’t need to. She may not like him for it but he had reached his conclusion—he would find out what sort of trouble Brenley was in and help her in whatever way he could.
Chapter Eight
Having decided that she had become wrapped up in something unsavory, Brenley found herself on a mission to get to the bottom of it. Rather than driving to work that morning, she had decided to wait outside the mayor’s office for an impromptu meeting. She rarely did things like that but after having someone follow her last night, she thought it best to try to rule out whoever she could.
She had known Frederickson for a good while and never had reason to doubt his credibility as a good person. This hadn’t entirely changed. Yet. It could be that someone was trying to frame him or somehow harm his investments. Whatever it was, Brenley was determined to know one way or the other. Sitting in the waiting room, she thought the wait was taking an abnormally long time, especially to see a person who had invested substantial funds with her. No one else has even been here all morning.
The mayor’s secretary sat behind her desk like a guard to a gate, working on the computer doing whatever she did. It didn’t look like a lot. Feeling thankful that she had a much more interesting job than that, Brenley’s mood brightened a little. After all, she was a highly successful money manager, who at twenty-eight years old did better than people twice her age. She possessed keen instincts and watched the market like a hawk. She would just get feelings about what to do and it always worked out. She had developed a series of safeguards to improve her methods, which ultimately gave her huge returns.