by A. L Long
“Hanna, we really need to go. Something bad is about to go down across the street and I don’t want to be around when it does.”
“Just ignore them,” she replied, pulling me inside her home. “Are you going to tell me what you’re doing here?”
“I came to get you… and to explain.”
“You don’t need to explain. Dotty told me everything. I’m really going to miss that place,” she confessed.
“Does it mean that much to you?” This was my chance to find out exactly how important the diner was to her.
“It did… but now… after listening to Dotty, her happiness is more important than having a safer place to live.”
I was confused by her statement. I wasn’t sure what having a place to live had to do with the diner. “Can you please explain?”
“Dotty was going to let me live above the diner, but now since she no longer owns it… well… I guess I will have to stay here until I can find a new place to live and a new job.”
“You can’t live here, Hanna. It isn’t safe. And after seeing what is going on across the street, we really need to get out of here.” As much as I understood her dilemma, all I wanted was to get her out of here and discuss her situation later.
“If I make a deal with you, would you please let me take you away from here?”
“You are always about the deals. I think I’m done making deals with you.” Her arms were crossed on her chest, letting me know she had no intention of leaving.
This was my one and only chance. “I will keep the diner going and you can even stay in the apartment above it. Please, Hanna, let me take you away from here.”
After going back and forth for what seemed like hours, she finally agreed to leave with me. The timing couldn’t have been better. As I waited for her to gather what she needed, I kept an eye out on the house across the street. There wasn’t any movement, which told me that whatever was taking place when I arrived was finished.
Chapter Twelve
HANNA
I couldn’t believe how much I missed taking a bath. The only difference was that I didn’t have my mom here to wash my hair and wrap me up in the soft warm towel that she used to put in the dryer for a couple of minutes to make sure it was warm when I got out.
Aiden hadn’t said much on the drive back to his home and I wasn’t in the mood for talking, but after I finished my bath, something needed to be said about his intentions with the diner. I needed to know if he was going to stick to his word and keep the diner or if it was just a ploy to get me to leave my house. I really didn’t know why he was so insistent on leaving. I had lived in that house for nearly a year and the stuff that was going on across the street hadn’t changed. I guess you could say I was immune to it. As long as I didn’t bother them, they didn’t bother me.
Climbing from the tub, I grabbed one of the plush towels hanging on the towel bar and wrapped it tightly around my body. Running a brush through my wet hair, I headed back to the bedroom to put on something comfortable of my own. It wasn’t that I didn’t like what Albert had chosen for me, but having my own things made me feel more comfortable.
Dressed and ready to face Aiden, I opened the door to my room and headed down the stairs. When I reached the bottom, I wasn’t sure where Aiden would be, so I decided to check his study first, since that seemed like the most logical place. Just as I thought, he was sitting at his desk. Even though I couldn’t see him, I heard him talking with someone on the phone. Stepping away from the door, I tried to listen to what was being said.
“Why do you continually remind me of the deadline? I am well aware of how much time I have.” I heard him tell the person on the other end. There was a slight pause before Aiden continued. “I will be bringing someone, don’t worry. It will be someone that I’m sure you will approve of.”
Without knowing what was being said on the other end, I had no idea what Aiden was talking about. The only thing that I could make out was that he was running out of time. I only wished that I knew who he was talking to on the other end. Knowing that he had ended his call, I tapped lightly on his door and waited for him to acknowledge my presence.
“Come in,” he said, sharply.
Pushing open the door, I saw his expression, which matched his tone. Maybe discussing the diner wasn’t such a good idea. His eyes were focused on the computer screen as I walked closer to his desk. I needed to get his attention but was afraid that he would snap if I said anything. Waiting until he looked up at me, I stood silently while he finished what he was doing.
I felt uncomfortable as he stared at me without saying a word. I thought that maybe something was wrong and I might have spilled something on me. Looking down at my shirt, I realized I should have been a little more selective on the one I chose to wear. Care Bears weren’t exactly the most age-appropriate thing for someone in her twenties.
Bringing a smile to his face, he tipped his head to the side and said, “Let me guess, Grumpy Bear.”
Placing my arms over my chest, I knew that he wasn’t only admiring my bear, but I was certain that the pink of my nipples could be seen through the thin material. The t-shirt should have been thrown out years ago, but it was hard for me to give it up since it was my favorite one.
Taking a seat on the couch, I pulled my legs to my chest and thought this was probably the one time that I would have enough courage to ask him about the diner. “Did you mean what you said about the diner, back at the house?”
Rounding his desk, he walked toward me, taking a seat next to me. He was much too close. With the effect he had on me, I didn’t want to risk something happening. Scooting closer to the arm of the couch, I kept my eyes on him. Shaking his head, he let out a small chuckle and said, “I meant what I said, Hanna. If it means getting you out of that neighborhood, I am willing to do anything.”
“So, you are going to keep it the same?”
“Not exactly, but close,” he admitted, moving closer to me.
“What do you mean, ‘not exactly’?” I was beginning to feel my comfort level decrease and with nowhere else to move, I stood to my feet and moved to the other couch opposite from where he was still seated.
“Well. First of all, I need to bring the diner up to code and to do that, I will need to replace all the electrical and plumbing. All the walls will need to be torn down in order to do that. So, it won’t be exactly the same, but I will do everything I can to make it equal to what it is now.”
Aiden seemed to be sincere. Dotty did mention that there were some code issues with the diner and she didn’t have the money to fix it. As my mind began to wander, thinking about what it would look like once it was finished, I hadn’t noticed that Aiden had moved to the other couch where I was seated. Trying to avoid what would happen next, I rose to my feet and said, “Will you change the name? So many people know it by Dotty’s. It would be a shame to change the name.”
Standing to his feet, he walked up to me and stood inches from where I was. Reaching out, he placed his hand on my cheek and my body began to react before his lips even touched mine. Lowering his head, he kissed my cheek lightly, moving downward until I could feel a small tug on my ear. My breath hitched, “Aiden.”
“You are so damn beautiful, Care Bear and all,” he confessed, working his way down my neck.
My body tingled all over and if I wanted to resist, there was no way that I could. His lips were on mine and I could feel the warmth of his touch as he ran his fingers beneath the waistband of my yoga pants. I knew that soon he would feel exactly what he was doing to me. I was caught off guard when he lifted me in his arms and carried me to the couch. My body sank into the soft leather. I didn’t move… not even an inch. He began stripping away his shirt and all I could focus on was his incredible chest and the movement of his muscles as he pulled down his shoulders.
His large frame towered over me like a shield from everything bad. When our lips met again, I parted my lips to let him in. The kiss wasn’t demanding, nor rushed. It was
one of those slow, erotic kisses filled with so much passion that it almost felt like love. Breaking the kiss, he took his thumb and traced my lower lip. His eyes were focused on mine before he lowered his head, moving slowly down my neck to the valley between my breasts. Cupping my breast with one hand, the other drifted down my stomach and worked its way under the waistband of my yoga pants, wasting no time in nudging them off. Lifting my hips, I gave Aiden the access to remove my pants.
It didn’t take long for his mouth to continue kissing and sucking my skin as he moved ever so slowly down to my most sacred of places. When he found my slippery nub, he began working it… exploring it with his tongue, lapping and circling my clit precisely and expertly. I had never been kissed in such a manner, but he found the one special spot that triggered my body to explode with heavenly pleasure.
Reeling with ecstasy, I slowly opened my eyes to find that he had lowered his pants, preparing to tease me and pleasure me even further. Lowering his body to mine, I could feel his erection brush between my milky folds, teasing, caressing me, rubbing against my flesh without entering. All I wanted was to feel him inside my warmth. When I bucked my hips upward, his rigid shaft found its home as he moved slowly inside me. A word of warning pierced my ears. “Careful, Hanna,” reminding me that he was in command.
Allowing him to take charge, I halted my movements, relishing how good he felt inside me. Then it came, pleasure rocketed through me. I could no longer hold back as I took hold of him and pulled him closer. My body went taut and I could hear myself chanting his name over and over again. If it hadn’t been for his lips on mine, he would have surely heard my cry of satisfaction.
~*~*~*~
I wasn’t sure how long we had been in each other’s arms, but at some point, Aiden must have gotten up and grabbed a blanket to cover us. It was no longer light outside and given the fact that my stomach was making unheard-of noises, it had to be close to dinner time.
As I was stroking the firm skin of Aiden’s chest, he began to move and I could no longer feel his breath against my cheek. Tilting my head, our eyes met and a smile formed on his face. Pushing to my elbow, I kissed him lightly on the lips and asked, “Do you know what time it is?”
Lifting the arm that was under my head, he gazed at his watch and said, “It’s seven o’clock.”
Placing my head against his shoulder, I shifted my position so that my eyes were staring at the ceiling. Even though the couch was small, it was very comfortable and I could have laid there forever with him if I hadn’t it been starving. “Umm...” I began hesitantly, “how about a pizza?”
The sound of his laughter filled the room and it was the sexiest thing ever. Pushing to a sitting position while holding on to me, he shifted the blanket and said, “How about we go out?”
“Um… sure… I guess,” I wasn’t expecting him to suggest we go out, but all I wanted was to be with him and it didn’t matter if it was here or somewhere else.
Chapter Thirteen
AIDEN
I suggested that we go out because it was the only way that I knew I would be able to keep my hands off of Hanna. I wanted this thing between us to last. Even though I was running out of time, it was important that I didn’t fuck this up. She was my last chance in getting what I wanted. There was only one thing that I had left to do, and that was to convince her to accompany me to my father’s home for dinner. I still had a few days left, but like everything else, it wasn’t enough time.
Walking to Hanna’s room, I knocked lightly on the door and waited until she answered. I was becoming impatient standing outside her door. There was something off with her when I suggested we shower together. In one breath she was all willing and then in the next, she decided it would be faster to shower separately. Turning the doorknob, I decided at least there was a god. The door was unlocked. “Hanna, are you ready?” I asked loudly, knowing she must have been in the bathroom since the door was closed.
Without knocking, I turned the knob and pushed open the door. I thought for sure she would be inside, but I was sadly mistaken and was beginning to worry. Maybe she was already downstairs waiting for me while I finished. It would certainly be a first since every woman I had ever met took way more time to get ready than I did.
Jogging down the steps, Hanna was nowhere to be found. The only other place that she could have been was in the study. The minute I opened the door, it was clear that she had left again. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I dialed her number and waited for her to answer.
I was upset and knew that she could hear it in my voice, “Hanna, where the fuck are you?”
“I’m sorry, I had to leave. Something bad has happened,” she stated hysterically.
“What happened, Hanna?”
“I’m on my way to my house.”
The minute I heard those words, I knew there was no way this could be good. “I’m on my way. Wait until I get there, Hanna.”
“You might have a problem getting here…” she said with hesitation in her voice, “I kind of took your car.”
“You did what?” The only person that ever drove my car was me, and there was a reason.
“Don’t be mad, I needed a ride and you were still in the shower. So, I grabbed your keys and just left.”
Mad wasn’t the word I would have chosen to describe how I felt at the moment. I was beyond mad. Not only had she left with a 100k car, she just put herself in danger. “Hanna, don’t do anything. Wait until I get there.”
With my cell still in my hand, I hurried to the kitchen where the keys to my truck would be hanging on a hook. I would call Albert when I was in route since I didn’t have time to hunt him down. I wasn’t sure what had happened that would make Hanna leave the way she did. All I knew was she would be in danger if she got close to that house.
My thoughts began spinning, thinking, whatever was happening at her place was the reason she had left. Pressing my foot on the gas pedal, I had little time to get to her. I prayed that she would listen to me and not do anything until I got there.
~*~*~*~
Pulling up to her house, I was glad to see that she had made it there. Looking over to the house, the lights were on, which told me that she was inside. I wasn’t sure what I would find inside. The way she sounded on the phone it was pretty bad. I felt defenseless knowing that I didn’t have anything to protect myself. The only protection I had was in my car and Hanna locked it before she went inside.
Looking for anything I could use to defend myself, I found a piece of steel that came off an old swing set that had been taken apart and piled up in the back yard. Since I was already in the back, I decided to try the back door first to see if I would be lucky enough to find the door unlocked. My luck had changed as I slowly turned the knob and carefully pushed the door open.
I could hear voices in the front part of the house. One of them was Hanna and the other one was male. My first conclusion was that it might have been one of the men from across the street, but the more I listened to what was being said, it sounded like a family dispute.
Making my way quietly to where the voices were coming from, I peeked around the corner into the living room. I should have recognized the voice of the man that was talking to Hanna. It was her brother. Not only was he talking, he had a gun in one hand and a bottle of liquor in the other. He was in no condition to be holding a gun, and the way he was waving it around, sooner or later someone was going to get hurt.
It needed to end right now before Hanna got hurt. Stepping into the room. I got his attention, “Carter, you need to put the gun down before it goes off.”
His eyes were drawn to mine and there was a coldness in them, an evil that was clearly visible. “Mr. Drake… how nice of you to join us,” Carter mocked drunkenly as he took another drink from the almost empty bottle.
“What is this about, Carter?” I inquired impatiently wanting nothing more than to get the gun away from him.
“Ha-ha… Come on, Aiden, you of all people should know what this
is all about.” By the way Hanna looked at him, she had no idea what was going on. Evidently Carter hadn’t had enough time to tell her that he knew me and I was the one who made him lose everything.
“Aiden,” her voice sounded in disbelief. “How does my brother know you?”
There it was. The ultimate question. I had no answer for her. If I told her the truth, I knew that my chances with her would be gone and my hope of becoming CEO of Elite Exchange would follow. I needed to end this conversation before too much was said. “Hanna, your brother is drunk. He is clearly mistaken.”
“Then how does he know your name?” she questioned.
Everyone knew who I was, so it was difficult to explain how he knew me. “I’m a businessman, Hanna. Everyone knows who I am. It is amazing what you can find on the Internet.”
Approaching Carter, I needed to do what I could to get the gun away from him. He was unstable, and given the amount of alcohol he had consumed, I wasn’t sure what he was capable of doing. His eyes were focused on Hanna as he continued to convince her that I was lying.