"Get the fuck away from me," I snarled out angrily as I stiffened and clenched my hands into fists. Carter laughed, and it infuriated me even more.
"What are you going to do?" he asked as his icy blue eyes hardened. "Assault me in my own office? I would hate to have to file assault charges against you. I imagine being arrested is extremely unpleasant and humiliating." He grinned evilly. "I guess you'd have to ask your boyfriend about that."
"You're a fucking bastard," I seethed at him.
"I believe we've already established that, love," he replied smugly. He turned his back on me deliberately and walked to his desk to lean back against it facing me. He crossed one ankle over the other in a nonchalant manner that infuriated me.
"So what can I do for you today, Miss Purcell?" he asked with an amused expression as he crossed his arms. "Are you just here to throw insults at me, or is this also a social call?"
"Is this just a game to you?" I asked in a shaking voice. "You're ruining a good man's life. And for what? Petty revenge? You didn't need my family's business. You're obviously doing very well for yourself," I said as I motioned around the luxurious office. "Why can't you just leave us alone? We're nothing to you. Why do you even care?"
Carter's eyes blazed, and he was suddenly across the room in a heartbeat, his face right in mine. I jerked back until my shoulders hit the closed door. He surged closer until he was mere inches away. He didn't touch me, but I was still intimidated.
"I. Don't. Lose," he said in a low menacing growl that sent terror streaking through my entire body as I tried to sink into the door behind me. "And I always get what I want." His eyes slid down leeringly at my breasts. "Always. The sooner you figure that out the sooner this will be over. " His meaning was clear and sickening. My body in exchange for Ford's life and freedom.
My fear abruptly turned to blinding rage. I'd be fucking damned if I ever let him touch me again. "You son of a bitch!" I snarled and pulled back my hand to slap that smug look off his goddamn face.
His hand caught my wrist before I could strike him and squeezed until it hurt. His cold evil eyes bore into mine, and I was half afraid he'd break my wrist.
"Uh-uh," he said scoldingly. "You can't give me what I want if you're in jail for assault, love." His grip loosened as his thumb rubbed caressingly across the back of my hand. I shivered in disgust and jerked my wrist out of his grip, but only because he'd allowed it.
"That will never happen," I replied harshly as I glared up at him.
A crooked roguish grin spread wide across his lips. "We'll see, Miss Purcell." He stepped away and walked back toward his desk. "Desperation can drive people to do a lot of things they never thought they would do." He stopped next to his desk and reached over to press a button on his desk phone as he watched me in amusement. It was all I could do not to attack him and try to claw his eyes out.
"Emily," he said matter-of-factly.
"What can I do for you, sir?" a female voice spoke from the phone's speaker.
"We're done here. Please escort Miss Purcell out of my office and have security see her out of the building."
"Yes, sir," came the instant reply.
I stared daggers at him as he calmly rounded his desk and sat down. The door behind me opened and the same woman from earlier entered.
"Good day, Miss Purcell," Carter called out as Emily ushered me out the door. "Hope to see you soon."
I glanced back to see him giving me that vile grin of his, but his eyes were cold, calculating, and devoid of anything even closely resembling emotion. That more than anything scared the shit out of me, and made me wonder what else he had planned for Ford and me. Suddenly, I couldn't get away from Carter Bennett fast enough. I fled the room right on Emily's heels, feeling like the same pathetic girl I was eight years ago when Carter fucked me over the first time. I was a complete and utter fool because this time I should have known better.
**********
Nick was coming out of the door that led up to Ford's apartment as I parked my car. He smiled broadly as he noticed me pulling up and walked toward my car. He looked gorgeous, as usual, tanned and exotic with tattoos covering his muscular bare arms and peeking out of the V-neck of his gray T-shirt. His wife was a lucky woman.
"Jenny," Nick greeted me warmly as I climbed out of my Mini Cooper. "It's so good to see you." He approached me and paused when he took a good look at my face. He frowned. "What's wrong, irmãzinha?"
I must have looked as distraught as I felt. Between that disgusting article and my disturbing visit with Carter, I was a wreck. I barely remembered leaving the Bennett Corporation building to go to my car. My drive here was a hazy memory as well. I was strung tight and nearing the breaking point. I was afraid to speak for fear I'd break down if I tried to explain anything to Nick. I realized that I was clutching the newspaper in my hand, so I held it out to Nick as I fought a sob.
He took it from me with a questioning expression, then scanned the paper. I saw his eyes widen the moment that he spotted the headline mentioning Ford.
He snarled something in Portuguese under his breath. I assumed he was swearing. It certainly sounded like it.
He lapsed into silence as he read the article, his eyes glinting angrily and his face hardening like granite. When he finished, he crumpled the paper in his hands and let loose a long tirade in Portuguese, and the only word I recognized was puta, which I was pretty sure meant whore or bitch. Either one could describe that Hopkins woman.
"I'm sorry," I whispered dejectedly, feeling guilty that his name and his business were mentioned in the article. This was all my fault after all. Tears finally spilled from my eyes and dripped down my cheeks.
His gaze flew to mine incredulously. His face softened. "Irmãzinha," he said gently as he stepped forward and pulled me into a hug. "You have nothing to be sorry for." I hugged him back as I shook with another sob. He took my shoulders in his hands and held me at arm's length. He caught my gaze with a firm sincere expression. "And you tell Ford when he reads this, that neither does he."
I pursed my lips and stared back at him, unconvinced.
"You know I'm right," he insisted. "We're all victims here, Jenny. You didn't ask for or want any of this, and neither did Ford."
"But your name is in that article. It mentions your shop," I sobbed out. "What if this hurts your business?"
"If that even happens," he continued, "it won't be Ford's fault or yours. I don't want either of you feeling guilty about things that you're not responsible for and haven't even happened. Okay?"
I nodded, trying to let the guilt go, but it was a struggle.
Nick gave me a soft smile as he handed me back the crumpled newspaper. "You know, you and Ford are very much alike. It pains both of you to think you may have hurt someone you care about. It's a good thing, if you don't take it too far and torture yourselves over something you're innocent of doing. You both need to let this guilt go, otherwise it will eat you up inside."
"I just love him so much, Nick," I whispered as I met his eyes through bleary vision. "I hate to see him hurting."
"I know," he nodded in understanding. "You need to take care of each other, not beat yourselves up."
"Okay," I agreed, willing to try for both our sakes.
"I'm glad you found each other, irmãzinha," he added with a wistful smile. "Hold on to each other, no matter what." He hugged me again, and I sighed gratefully. I'd needed this. I needed someone to calm me down before I showed Ford this latest development in our nightmare. I had to hold it together, since I knew this was going to upset him immensely, and I feared for his sanity. It wouldn't take much more to break him right now.
"I need to go," Nick announced as he released me from his comforting embrace. "If either of you needs me, call me. Alright?"
"Okay." I nodded and managed a weak smile. I watched him leave, then turned my gaze to Ford's door. I sighed, trying to fight down the guilt that was creeping up on me again before walking resolutely forward.
W
hen I walked into Ford's living room a few moments later, it was empty. "Ford?" I called out. A moment later, he appeared in his bedroom doorway with a wide heart-stopping grin that immediately faded away when he saw my face. So much for holding it together.
"What happened, honey?" he asked warily as he stepped into the room.
I felt my lower lip begin to quiver as he came closer. I held the newspaper out to him, and I watched him recoil from it momentarily. It was the same reaction I had too. His lips pressed together in a hard line, his eyes turning dark and stormy as he stared at the paper. He knew what it was, just like I had. Finally, he reached out and snatched it from me. He swept his eyes across the front page, and then his jaw clenched the moment that he found the article's headline. His entire body vibrated with tension as I watched him read it. I didn't have long to wait for him to react.
"Fuck!" he snarled out and tore the newspaper apart in his hands, then flung the pieces away like he'd been burned. His eyes were wild and filled with pain as he raised his hands and clenched them into fists in his hair. He began pacing across the room, fury radiating off of him in waves of heat. I watched him helplessly, waiting for him to explode, but something even more terrifying happened instead.
I watched in horror as Ford suddenly sank to his knees on the floor and started sobbing, his hands falling slack at his sides and his head bowed in defeat. I gasped and rushed over to him. I knelt in front of him and pulled him into my arms. He fell forward and clung to me desperately, continuing to sob as I held him to my breast.
"Baby," I murmured comfortingly and ran my fingers through his hair, not sure what else to do.
"I...I can't do this anymore, Jen," he sobbed out in a lost voice that was thick with tears. "My...my life is destroyed. Even if I'm not found guilty, I'll always be considered a rapist, Jen. I'll never escape it. How...how do I come back from that?"
He sobbed in my arms for several moments as I held him helplessly. He abruptly lifted his head and looked at me with anguish in his beautiful indigo eyes as tears streamed down his face. "What am I going to do with the rest of my life if I don't go to prison? Tattooing is my life, my passion. I don't know anything else. I have a worthless liberal arts degree. What the fuck else can I do with that?" He took a shuddering breath. "Gareth hasn't figured any way to help me because no one can. Carter has won. I've already lost everything. What's the point in fighting it anymore?" He slumped down against me again in defeat.
My heart broke. Ford had given up, and all I could picture in my head was Carter in my face as he said I. Don't. Lose. This was what he wanted, to break the man I loved, and by extension, break me. Rage welled up inside me at that thought. Fuck that. I wouldn't give that bastard the satisfaction.
I grabbed the sides of Ford's face, pushed him away, and forced him to look at me. "No," I snarled out fiercely. He shrank away a little from my vehemence, his eyes widening in surprise. "You are not letting that bastard win," I growled. "That's exactly what he wants, and we're not going to fucking give it to him. He can't have your spirit, and he can't have my body. I won't allow it, no matter how he tries to blackmail me again."
Ford's eyes narrowed sharply. "Again?" he asked harshly. "What are you talking about? Did he come after you?"
"No," I admitted sheepishly as I dropped my hands into my lap. "I...I went to the Bennett Corporation building after I read that article."
"You what?!" Now it was his turn to grab my face as his expression became fierce. Anger danced in his eyes. "What the hell were you thinking? You stopped me from doing that myself."
"I know. It was stupid, and I shouldn't have done it," I admitted grudgingly. "But I'm so tired of feeling helpless. I wanted to do something to help you, to save you."
"You...you went to see that fucker all by yourself for me?" he asked incredulously. He knew how Carter affected me, knew how much Carter had hurt me in the past, and how long I've carried that pain with me.
I nodded. "He all but admitted he set you up. Then he implied that if I gave myself to him that he could end this."
"Did he hurt you?" he demanded fiercely.
"No," I answered. "But I almost wish he had, so we had something to use against him. I wasn't allowed to take my phone into his office and record him like I wanted to, so going there didn't do any good."
He shook his head as looked at me in amazement. "I can't believe you went to see Bennett like that. Even if it was stupid, I love you for it. At least, I still have you, even though I've lost everything else." His eyes were starting to look lost again.
"You are not giving up, Ford," I said firmly as I fisted his shirt in my hands. "I won't allow it. This isn't over, and we have to fight. We can't just roll over and take it. We can't let him win." I took a deep shuddering breath as I let him go and cradled his face again. "He can't get away with this, Ford. He just can't. We'll tell Gareth what happened and what Carter said. There has to be a way he can use it to our benefit. Carter is so arrogant and thinks he's untouchable, but he has to have left a trail somewhere. There has to be some connection to him."
"I love you, Jenny," he said vehemently. His eyes began to burn brightly. Yes, that was what I wanted. I wanted that fire in his eyes again. I wanted him to fight for himself and for us. "I keep telling you that you're stronger than you know, Jen. You're the glue holding me together, honey. You are so amazing, and I love you so much."
"I love you too, baby," I said breathlessly.
He pulled me close, and kissed me into insensibility. His lips and tongue owning me and consuming me utterly. In seconds, I was moaning and undulating against him needily, wanting him inside me with a desperation I'd never felt before.
Ford growled and snarled into my mouth ferociously as he pushed me back onto the floor until his body covered me, his need growing as fierce as mine. We clawed at each other's clothes, his hands shoving my skirt up and my fingers pulling frantically at the fly of his jeans.
There was no foreplay, no finesse or warming up. As soon as my skirt was around my waist, and he'd ripped my panties from my body, his cock was plunging balls deep into me. The sudden penetration filled me up almost painfully, but I reveled in it, feeling taken and overwhelmed by the man I loved. He set a violent pace, his hips pounding in and out of me hard and fast. I knew I'd be sore afterwords, but I didn't care. Within seconds, my body ignited, and I soared into the sky.
Ford wasn't far behind, his bellowed shout joining my wailing scream of pleasure. It felt as if it went on forever, and when we finally came back down we were both left spent and panting for air as Ford slumped down next to me. He pulled me against his chest to spoon me. I felt his heart pounding against my back as he clutched me tightly in his arms and nuzzled his face against my neck.
"You're not giving up," I whispered forcefully between breaths. "You're not."
"No, honey," he whispered back hoarsely with stark conviction. "I'm not."
Chapter 8
Ford
"I swear the two of you are going to give me high blood pressure," Gareth's voice said in a low angry growl through the speaker on my phone. Jen just told him that she went to see Bennett. "Do either of you intend to listen to anything I fucking say, or are you trying to piss me off?"
"We're not trying to piss you off," I said in a deep rumble that was laced with irritation. "But I can't help starting to feel like we're spinning our wheels here. Something needs to happen."
"Are you going to go after Bennett now, Ford?" he asked irately. "Why don't you go down to the Bennett Corporation too and try to assault the guy? That should fucking help your case," he said sarcastically.
I glanced at Jen across the kitchen table where my phone was sitting between us with a sheepish expression. I'd have done exactly that if she hadn't stopped me. She grimaced and picked up her coffee mug to take a sip.
"I'm on the edge here, Gareth," I said as I frowned. "This situation is getting out of hand, and I'm really struggling. I need you to do something. I feel like we're just sitting
here waiting for the ax to drop while you pussyfoot around."
"You think I'm not doing anything?" Gareth asked bitingly. "This is a felony rape charge, Ford. You could go to prison. Do you want me just to wing it, or do you want me to do my job and get you out of this? I can't magically fabricate evidence to exonerate you. My investigator has to find it, and it takes time. If you don't trust me, this won't work."
"You don't need to remind me of what's at stake here," I replied in a clipped voice. "I'm well aware of that, since it's plastered on TV and in the newspaper for everyone to see. Every day, every moment, this nightmare is chipping away at my life. How long until I have nothing left? I don't have a lot of time here, Gareth."
"Do you think I can just fix this overnight?" Gareth asked wearily. "This is the court system, Ford. Nothing happens in a hurry."
"Even if Carter basically admitted to it, and is trying to blackmail me again?" Jen asked worriedly. "Can't you use that somehow?"
There was a long pregnant pause before Gareth spoke again. "Tell me exactly what happened and everything he said, word-for-word."
Jen proceeded to tell Gareth what happened in detail. The things that bastard said to her had me fuming immediately. He was taunting her and toying with her. He really was a psychopathic monster. There was no doubt in my mind anymore. The idea of assaulting him was starting to sound like a viable option again. When she finished I was barely containing myself. I longed to put my fist through his face.
"Hmm..." Gareth sounded thoughtful when Jenny finished. "Bennett is one arrogant piece of work, and that's saying something coming from me," he said with self-deprecatingly humor. "At least I can back my arrogance up with some charm."
"And a conscience," I added in a more serious tone.
"I can't stop focusing on his use of the word desperation," Gareth continued thoughtfully. "What would make an honest woman desperate enough to accuse an innocent man of rape? What would make a cop desperate enough to give out classified information about a case to a reporter? Bennett has to be holding something over their heads."
An Act of Redemption: Order & Chaos Book 3 Page 16