by Maya Hughes
“She had a lot of fun at the snowball fight. It was nice to see her playing with other kids.”
“She doesn’t do that very often. Thanks for getting her out. She loves to stay cooped up in the house and I don’t push her to do more,” he said, squeezing the bridge of his nose.
“I can’t imagine what it’s like for you. You’re doing the best you can,” I said, cringing. Of course, he was. He had more money than God. Esme had the best of everything and above all else, she had a daddy who she knew without question loved her. He didn’t need my seal of approval. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine. Now that I know Esme’s safe. That you’re safe. I’m sorry if I scared you before.”
“It’s okay. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to my own kid.” Was this what my mom felt that day at the grocery store? That clawing panic that threatened to bring you to your knees?
“The fact that it’s happened twice in the past couple of months has put me on edge.” The ice rattled in his glass as he gazed out the window. “I must be the world’s worst father.” He drowned the pain in his voice with another sip.
“Don’t think that. Don’t ever think that. You have no idea how terrible some parents can be. None. Esme is healthy, happy, warm, safe and loved. That’s more than a lot of kids could ever hope for.” I said it emphatically, probably more than I needed to.
“I’ll get you another drink,” he said, again not asking. I was beginning to get used to his controlling nature. Sometimes he just seemed to know what I needed, even before I realized it.
When Rhys stood in front of me to take my glass, our fingers touched as he took it from my outstretched hand. Once again, I froze, staring into his eyes, as he towered over me. He put both our glasses down on the table behind him and ran his hand along my jaw.
“I don’t know what we’d do without you, Mel.” His touch sent a tingling down my spine as he said my name again. The way it rolled off his tongue. I licked my lips and his thumb ran along my chin, just under my bottom lip. I don’t know if it was instinctual or if I just really wanted to do it, but I couldn’t help it. I dipped my tongue out and ran it over my lips. The fire was back in his eyes now, the fire that made my stomach somersault and my core throb.
He sucked in a breath and ran his thumb over my wet lip. A hint of his flavor danced on my lips and I couldn’t hold back anymore. Maybe it was the highly charged emotional day I had, or maybe it was the fact that I’d wanted him since the moment I saw him, but never thought it possible. I wanted comfort. I wanted his comfort, in whatever way I could get it. I stuck my tongue out and licked his thumb, drawing it into my mouth and sucking on it. A mix of scotch and Rhys hit my tongue. I longed to taste even more of him as he groaned. I loved that I could draw that out of him, make him putty in my hands. Wielding a power I didn’t even know I had.
Rhys pushed his thumb into my mouth deeper and I sucked on it harder, keeping my eyes on him, not wanting to break the trance we were both under.
“You’re playing with fire, Mel,” he warned. When he said my name like that I couldn’t help but turn liquid under his gaze. I let his thumb fall from my mouth.
“I know, but I can take the heat,” I said, resting my hands on his belt buckle. I was out of my mind, but I was past the point of caring. I needed this, and I think he needed this too. One second I was looking up at him, and the next, my back was pressed against the top of his desk, my legs wrapped around him and his heavy weight settled on top of me. I savored his body on top of mine.
He kissed his way along my neck. His lips like liquid fire, threatening to consume me. I tilted my head to give him better access. He nipped my neck and I ran my fingers through his hair, pulling him in closer to me. Everything was Rhys. Every smell, every taste and everything completely focused on him and what he was doing to my body. I thrummed with a pounding energy that couldn’t wait to be set free.
A loud knock on the door broke us apart. I was still in a daze on top of his desk before I realized he was gone. The cool air of the room hit me, and embarrassment settled in. Did I really just do that? Suck on his thumb like that? What was I thinking? He glanced back at me before opening the door. Derek stood there with a file folder and I knew our time was over. I hustled out of the room with my cheeks on fire.
It was hours before I fell asleep. Staring up at the ceiling, wondering what would happen now. Now that I’d thrown myself at my new employer like that, and now that he’d been more than happy to take me up on my offer. My stomach was still aflutter from what happened in the office. He wanted me just as much as I wanted him. What surprises would tomorrow bring?
RHYS
Derek kept his face a mask of professionalism as Mel raced out of the office like her hair was on fire.
“What?” I said, snatching the file out of his hand. Everything I’d tried to do to prepare myself with her being so close was thrown out the window. I wanted her. I wanted her more than I’d wanted anything in a long time. All the things I’d told myself about her and how I needed to stay away blared even louder in my head and I didn’t know how much longer I could resist.
“I didn’t say anything,” he said, shrugging. He folded his arms across his chest, standing like a sentry. I flipped open the folder.
“What’s all this?” I asked, turning each page, not making sense of anything in there.
“This is what Allan’s been up to for the past few years. I had the file put together, so you’d know what was going on.”
“How did he find her, Derek?” That worried me more than anything. He’d known where to find Esme, and approached her. Scared her and Mel half to death. Scared all of us. What was he trying to do?
“You’re not exactly low-profile. Where you live isn’t a secret.”
“What a clusterfuck. What did you say to him?” I closed the folder. Nothing in there told me anything I needed to know. What had he said to Esme? Had he said anything to Mel?
“I wasn’t exactly having a conversation.” He tugged at his sleeve. “He scared Esme, and Mel freaked out. I wasn’t just going to pat him on the head and let him go on his way.”
“Did the cops get involved?” That would be a media circus.
“No, I smoothed that over.”
“Good,” I said, the tightness in my chest relaxing the smallest bit.
“The costs were high, though,” he said, glancing up at me. The worry in his eyes was plain as day.
“How much?” He told me the amount and I started running calculations in my head. Looked like I would be doing a lot of donating over the next few weeks. A lot.
“We’ll keep them safe, don’t worry about that. I’ll work off the clock if I need to.” The glint in Derek’s eye told me he meant every word of it. He’d become so much more than a security guard. He was a friend. Probably my only friend at this point.
“I appreciate it, Derek. But I’ll make it work.”
I only hoped that Allan popping up didn’t mean he intended to be around. I hoped he was passing through or this was a momentary lapse in judgement. If he intended to stick around, I was prepared to reign down everything in my arsenal to ensure he didn’t do any more harm to my family than he’d already done.
And I needed to keep away from Mel. I saw how she helped Esme after what happened. She got her talking again in a matter of hours. I couldn’t risk screwing this up and having her leave. Esme needed her and I needed her here. If I had to keep my distance, then that’s what it meant because I wasn’t going to drive away the one person who’d given my daughter back to me.
17
MEL
I couldn’t sleep. The nightmares were back. Funny, most people’s nightmares were of scary things. Things they feared and couldn’t forget. My nightmares were worse than that. They were things I wanted to forget because they were too painful to remember. Too bright and sunny. Too happy. Being tucked in at night. Baking cookies. Running home from school because I was so excited to do my homework and have dinner at the tabl
e. One year of perfection in an otherwise bleak sea of desperation and pain.
I flung the covers off me and slid out of bed. I needed to get a drink. It became something of a nightly tradition for me. I’d slip out of my room, check on Esme and grab a drink from the bar. A little liquid courage to help me face those dreams again. Rhys had been gone a few days, so I wasn’t afraid to wander.
I walked past the gym and a light was on. Esme left that thing on more than she turned it off. The trampoline was one of her favorite energy burners since the snow and ice settled over the city. Yes, an indoor trampoline. My fingers had just grazed the light switch when I froze in front of the large window overlooking the lap pool. Thick legs sliced through the water, efficient and powerful. He was back.
I stood there, mesmerized as he swam lap after lap. Sinewy muscle glided across the pool, his long arms slicing through the water. He was a machine. I don’t know how long I watched him. But it was so long, I anticipated his next turn in the water and was caught off guard when he pulled himself out of the pool. Droplets sliding down his back. My eyes followed the path of the water as it ran down over his ass. My cheeks flamed as it dawned on me that he wasn’t wearing any trunks.
The water cascaded over his firm ass as he turned and sat on the edge of the pool and grabbed for a towel. He picked it up and dried his face, then looked up and stared directly at me. He knew I was there. I fled from the gym, my nightmares forgotten and replaced with dreams of muscled arms and his strong frame settled on top of me, giving me exactly what I needed.
He didn’t mention the night at the pool the next time I saw him. And I certainly wasn’t going to. But the tension between us remained. That night in the office, coupled with our encounter at the pool. Every time I saw him I couldn’t get the visions of him out of my head, the way his lips felt against my neck, the way he tasted. He seemed immune though. Like he was often seen in his full glory by women who worked for him. He’d been the picture of professionalism. If I hadn’t known better I’d have thought everything that passed between us, all our inappropriate moments were all in my head.
Decorations and Christmas trees popped up all over the city. The messages on my phone were more frequent and urgent. Since I opened a new bank account, the old one stayed drained. I wasn’t making that mistake again. If there was one thing I thanked Colleen for it was finally curing me of the last vestige of a connection between us. For some reason, I had thought if I worked hard enough maybe she could be like a decent human being, but that idea was dismissed a long time ago.
Colleen: I saw you in a picture with that rich guy. Finally made it back to where you always thought you belonged, didn’t you?
Me: Leave me alone, Colleen.
Colleen: Maybe I should come over there and tell him all about you.
Me: Don’t contact me again.
Colleen: Don’t tell me what to do. You always thought you were better than me. I’ll be seeing you soon. You’ll be kicked to the curb just like you always are.
And with that nasty reply, I turned off my phone. Thanks, Mom. I hadn’t thought of her as my mom in a long time. Not after the first time I was taken away from her and put into foster care. Back then I didn’t know it wasn’t normal for a seven-year-old to have to make her own food scrounged out of whatever was in the house at the time. That taking a bath once a week wasn’t how it was supposed to be. But she still tried to find a way to screw up my life, even from halfway across the country. The threat of showing up had me transferring a little bit of money into the joint account. It was the only way I knew to get her to leave me alone. The last thing I needed was her showing up in the city trying to track me down. All I needed was a few months to get things together, and I could tell her exactly where to go. Forever.
“Mel, can we go ice skating today?” Esme asked, bounding into the room. It was hard for me to believe this little girl hadn’t talked to anyone but me or her dad in over two years. When she was with me, she was just a normal little kid. Bouncy, manic, and adorable all rolled into one.
“Sure, I need to check with your dad first. I think he had some plans for the two of you later today.”
“Ugh,” she said, flinging herself on my bed, ever the actress. Esme ran back to her bedroom and I made my way to Rhys’s office. Since that night of the run in with the guy in the park, things between us had been more confusing than ever. The way he looked at me, spoke to me, and made me feel, my stomach was a mess whenever I was around him. Going in search of him was a dangerous prospect. The days after that night in the pool hadn’t been as awkward as I imagined because he’d made himself scarce. He had a couple of days where he travelled and was otherwise locked up in his office.
But now I needed to speak to him. Rachel and Derek had been great go-betweens over the past few weeks, but I needed to speak to Rhys eventually. Why not now? The solid wooden door to his office loomed in front of me. And remembering what happened behind that door had those butterflies awakening. Stretching and gently flapping their wings. I didn’t like to disturb him when he worked, which seemed to be non-stop. I hated to think it was always like this. I raised my hand to knock, when the light from inside caught my eye. It was cracked open.
“I don’t give a fuck what they intend to do. I need to be on that board for next year. I told you to get results and so far, you’ve given me nothing. Get it done!” Heavy breathing and then an ear-splitting crash made me yelp before I could stifle the sound.
The door whipped open with a glowering Rhys standing there looking more feral than I’d ever seen him. His demeanor shifted immediately and while his eyes still burned, he didn’t look like he was ready to tear me apart. Sparkling pieces of glass littered the floor behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and closed the door behind him, pushing out into the hall and right against me before I took a step back.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I— Esme wanted to go ice skating, but you mentioned a gala earlier and I didn’t know what time you’d need her ready,” I blurted out. He tilted his head to the side and crossed his arms over his chest.
“I never said anything about Esme going to the gala. I said I needed you to be ready at eight.”
“But—” My brain tried to recall the conversation. I’d been so distracted by him I completely missed that part. A gala. I couldn’t go to a gala.
“I can’t go to a gala. I’m not really gala material. I don’t have anything to wear.”
“There’s a dress hanging in your closet along with shoes. Rachel dropped them off yesterday,” he strode past me and I scrambled to catch up. Yesterday? I hadn’t seen anything in the room.
“Rhys, wait,” I said, grabbing onto his arm. He stopped abruptly and I slammed into his back. He turned to steady me, his hands on my shoulders. Prickling fire crested over me at his fingers on me.
“You know that’s only the second time you’ve ever said my name,” he said. His smoldering gaze on me.
“It is?” I squeaked.
“Yes. You always call me ‘your dad’ whenever you speak to Esme or you don’t call me anything at all. I liked hearing my name on your lips,” he said, bringing his mouth closer to mine. My breath caught in my throat as I breathed in his intoxicating scent and watched his lips as he spoke. “I’d like to hear you say it again.”
“Rhys,” I whispered. His soft lips, turned up, a little higher to one side. Almost a smirk and it turned everything upside down. It wasn’t a smile of happiness, at least not all happiness. It was a smile that promised me he had so many more plans for us. Beyond our toe-curling kiss and skinny dipping. I clasped my hands behind my back to keep from fanning myself.
“There will be someone here in thirty minutes to do your hair and makeup. Check your closet for the dress,” he said, his breath fanning against my face. Goosebumps prickled my skin and his fingers rubbed against my shoulders. “I hope you like the dress.”
And then he was gone, striding off down the hall to his own room. I took a few seconds to colle
ct myself before finding Esme and letting her know we wouldn’t be able to ice skate. But I promised we would go soon, and threw another trip to the zoo to sweeten the pot. I stood in front of my closet, equal parts excited and scared to open the door and see just what he’d picked out for me.
I laid the unassuming black garment bag on the bed and my fingers trembled as I unzipped it. The bright red peeked out from the zipper before I whipped the dress out and held it in front of me. The red lace gown had a high neck with see through lace covering the shoulders. It was gorgeous, not something I’d have picked for myself, but beautiful. I picked it up to hold it up in the mirror when I noticed the back of the dress was nowhere to be found. There was a plunging back that had me searching the bag to make sure something wasn’t missing.
The knock on the door signaled the arrival of the team Rachel had called in.
“We’ve got a lot to do, Mel. I mean, not that you need a lot done. It’s just I want to make sure tonight’s perfect for you,” Rachel said, flustered and turning a deep shade of pink, pushing her glasses up her nose. She had to be the most dedicated assistant in the business. Rhys ran her ragged at times, but she never complained. Not that she would, at least not to me.
“It’s okay, Rachel. I knew what you meant. I’m glad you’ve done all this. I wouldn’t have known the first thing about getting ready for something like this,” I said, sitting in the hairstylist’s chair that had appeared out of nowhere.
“Great! You’re going to have so much fun tonight. Mr. Thayer—I mean Rhys wanted to make sure everything was perfect,” she said, clapping her hands together, her phone between them.
“I’m sure you’ve got these guys on speed dial for these types of things,” I said, as they wrapped the cape around my shoulders. She gave me a funny look. Did I have something in my teeth?
“No, never. Rhys has never done something like this for anyone before. He picked out the dress himself, told me to ensure you had everything a woman would need for a gala,” she said, scrolling through her phone. Her phone buzzed, “Sorry, I’ve got to take this.”