by E. A. James
Her mother had warned her that this would happen. That was probably the worst part. Her mother had told her that in the end, she would have to return home and live with her parents until she found a real, steady job. She didn’t tell her that in a condescending, judgmental kind of way. She said it in a concerned, loving motherly kind of way that assured Melissa when that day came, she would have somewhere to go.
Melissa finished her beer and was thinking about the dreaded phone call she was going to have to make back to her parents, when a stranger sat down next to her.
“Long day?” he asked.
Melissa didn’t look over at him, just shrugged her shoulders and dabbed her eyes dry with her napkin.
“I’ll get the next one,” he said to the bartender, pointing to Melissa’s empty glass.
“That’s fine,” she said quickly. “Really, I should probably be going.”
“But I just sat down,” he urged.
She finally spun around to face him. She was immediately stunned by his attractive features and imposing presence. He had a head full of lush, dark hair that framed his face just perfectly. All of his facial features were defined and chiseled, as was the rest of his body. His eyes were a bright amber color—a shade of greenish, yellowish, brown she had never seen before. They captivated her, and she had to turn away quickly to keep from staring too long.
“All right,” she agreed almost breathlessly. “I’ve made a few stupid decisions lately, why not one more?”
CHAPTER TWO
She let him order her a drink, and after it was delivered they sat in an awkward silence for a moment before he spoke again. “I’m Danny,” he said holding out his hand.
“Melissa,” she said placing her hand in his. His firm grip surprised her. It was like he was meeting a business partner, not a girl in a bar.
“So, Mel,” he said settling back on his bar stool, “what brings you here?”
At the sound of the shortened version of her name she wrinkled her nose and a disgusted look spread quickly across her face. “Mel?” she asked with a little laugh. “I always hated when people called me that.”
“What do you usually go by?”
“One of my friends used to call me Missy,” she said remembering Greg’s nickname for her. “But I prefer ‘Melissa’,” she added.
“All right, Melissa,” he corrected himself. “What brings you here tonight?”
“I got fired,” she confessed. She didn’t know why she told him that. She didn’t even tell Greg. But, there were only things on her mind when she was talking to Greg, so it made sense that she left that out.
“That’s rough,” Danny replied. “What did you do?”
“I was a waitress,” she said with a hint of self-loathing wrapped around it.
“Why do you say it like that?”
“It’s just that I wish I had never taken the job in the first place,” she admitted.
“What kind of job would you have liked to have had?”
“Well, I studied Art History,” she said quietly.
“Art History,” he said the words slowly. “What is that?” he asked after a long pause.
“It’s a waste of four years,” she muttered.
He chuckled lightly, “why would you say that?”
“I don’t see a lot of places hiring an ‘art expert’ in this economy.”
“Things might turn around,” he said casually.
“I doubt it,” Melissa replied. “What about you, Danny?” she said wanting to turn the conversation around so that it was no longer focused on her and her failed career path. “What do you do?”
“A little of this, a little of that,” he said with a shrug.
“That’s not very specific.”
“It’s not very important,” he replied. Everything he said had a tone of undeniable confidence. Even when he was saying basically nothing at all, he said it with an air of self-assuredness.
As he reached for his glass, she couldn’t help but notice the watch he was wearing. It was a very expensive watch—the kind that you see in the windows of the shops exhibited on a sort of revolving table to show off all of its sleek features. But the rest of his attire was pretty average—jeans, a plain T-shirt, and gym shoes that looked to be a few years old. She assumed it was a knock off and directed her attention back to the conversation.
“I told you what I did,” she pointed out. “It’s only fair that you tell me.”
“Life isn’t fair,” he said dismissively, waving for the bartender to come over.
“Ain’t that the truth,” she muttered under her breath, once again thinking about Greg, her job—or lack thereof—and the fact that in 24 hours she would be sitting in her parents’ living room watching re-runs of old TV shows and hating herself a little more than she did right then.
“Want to get out of here?” Danny asked her, bringing her back to the present. He paid the tab quickly and waited for her answer.
“Sure,” she said, knowing it wasn’t the best decision to make. But she just wanted to do anything to get her mind off of the fact that eventually she would have to go back to the small studio apartment, pack her suitcases, face Greg again, and get on a train back to her small hometown in Upstate New York.
He took her hand, not as firmly as he did when they first met, but still with an air of authority and led her out of the bar. They walked down the street for a while, not saying anything. “Where are we going?” she asked.
“For a walk,” he replied.
“I see that,” she countered. “But where is the walk going to end?”
He looked down at his watch, then up at the sky. She thought that was weird—why did it matter what time it was. Did he have somewhere to be? “I don’t have much time,” he said under his breath.
That’s when a chilling fear washed over her. Was she his other woman? Was she his Rachel? “Do you have to get home to someone?” she asked her question in a pointed manner.
“What?” he asked, looking at her with an expression of shock.
“Do you have someone waiting for you at home?” she repeated.
“No!” he exclaimed with a hearty laugh. “God, no! You mean a woman, right?”
“Yes.”
He laughed again. “I don’t do relationships,” he said firmly.
“Oh,” she replied quietly.
“Is that a problem?” he asked.
“No,” she answered quickly. “I don’t really do relationships right now either.”
“Good,” he said increasing his grasp on her hand and pulling her along faster. “Then I have somewhere we can go.”
CHAPTER THREE
They walked quickly until he stopped suddenly and pushed her back against a car. She was taken completely by surprise, but didn’t resist when he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers.
The feeling of his firm, muscular body against hers made her knees go weak. When he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tight, she felt her heart begin to race, and her head began to spin. She put her hand against his chest, feeling his muscles flex under her finger tips and pushed him back slightly. “Is something wrong?” he asked, leaning down and whispering in her ear.
“No,” she said trying to catch her breath. “I just… What’s going on?” she asked, her head still whirling around and her stomach turning into knots of excitement and desire.
“I want you, Melissa,” he whispered. The feeling of his lips brushing against her ear sent a shiver running down her spine.
“Me?” she asked in disbelief.
“Right here, right now,” he continued speaking in a gruff, low whisper.
“Here?” she asked looking around them.
He leaned back and took a set of keys out of his pocket. With the click of a button she heard the doors of the car they were pressed up against unlock. “If you don’t feel the same, say the word, and I’ll drive you home, and we’ll act like this whole thing never happened.”
The thought of goi
ng home reminded her of what was waiting for her there. “No,” she said harshly, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him back to her. She kissed him passionately, letting the rush of emotion push the thoughts of her cheating boyfriend quickly from her mind. “I don’t want to go home,” she whispered.
“Good,” he said wrapping his arms around her again, and pulling her up away from the car quickly. In one swift motion he opened the back door and pushed her back onto the seat.
She stretched out and reached up to pull him down on top of her. He positioned himself between her legs, burying his face in her breasts and inhaling deeply. She ran her hands through his hair, trying to keep them from trembling. This was unlike her; she didn’t do things like this.
She had been with Greg for three years, and he was the only man she had ever slept with. Danny seemed confident as he ran his hands up and down over her body, pausing to caress her gently when they fell on her pleasure centers, causing her to arch her back with desire.
When he lifted the shirt off over her head she reached her hand down to find the edge of his jeans. He leaned in and placed soft kissed across her bare breasts as she fumbled nervously with the zipper of his pants. Her heart was racing and her hands were shaking.
“Nervous?” he asked her, a smirk spread across his face.
“I don’t usually do things like this,” she confessed, her voice shaking.
“Don’t worry,” he said, reaching his hand down and undoing the button of her jeans with one quick snap. “I do.”
The air suddenly became heavy with an electric tension that seemed to consume them both. Melissa decided to let him take control, let his confidence and experience make up for her lack of both.
When they had both slipped out of their clothes, Danny waited a second, drinking in her naked body with his eyes before letting the rush of longing wash over him, driving him to consume her with a passionate, lustful fury. He leaned into her, rubbing his already erect member back and forth along her lower lips, sending a bolt of longing surging through her, causing her to almost scream out with desire.
When he finally slipped himself inside of her, she was filled with a deep satisfaction that seemed to wash over her completely, but leave her longing for more at the same time. She dug her nails into his back and sank her teeth into his neck to keep from yelling out.
There was nothing tender about the rush of passion that passed between them and enveloped them completely. It was a raw, intense, lustful desire that filled the air and consumed them both. She felt him brush against every possible pleasure spot inside of her, sending waves of satisfaction running through her, causing her to writhe with longing for more.
When she felt the warm sensation of release wash over her, she had to bite her bottom lip to keep herself from letting out a moan of pleasure.
Finally their sweat covered bodies pulled apart, and she felt completely relaxed in a haze of blissful afterglow.
Danny, on the other hand, didn’t seem to share her feeling of serenity. He looked down at her, still lying in the back seat of the car, with an almost stern expression. It wasn’t the way his face was set, it was his eyes—they had changed. They were no longer the bright amber color they were in the bar. They were more yellow than before, and seemed to almost glow in the moonlight.
“What time is it?” he asked quickly grabbing his clothes and pushing himself out of the car. He slipped on his pants and grabbed his watch off of the floorboard as Melissa dressed. “Damn it,” he said under his breath.
“What is it?” she asked, the calm feeling that he gave her just minutes before quickly evaporating.
“It’s almost midnight. I have to go,” he said reaching down and pulling her quickly to her feet.
“What are you Cinderella or something? Is this car going to turn into a pumpkin?” she asked, laughing a little at her own joke.
“You don’t need a ride, do you?”
“No. I live just a few blocks down,” she said pointing over her shoulder.
“Good,” he said walking quickly around the car and getting into the driver’s seat. “Look,” he said, his tone suddenly changing to one of soft concern. “If you’re not busy sometime, maybe we can meet up or something?”
“What?” she asked, almost laughing. He had all but thrown her out of his car after having sex with her, and now he wanted to know if they could meet up? “No,” she said firmly. “That’s okay. I’m going to be leaving the city tomorrow.”
“Oh,” he said. His tone carried with it a sense of disappointment, but looking back down at his watch, then up to the sky again quickly, he shook his head and added, “that’s fine.”
That was how they left it. He got into his car and drove off. She walked back to her apartment, didn’t speak a word to Greg, slept better than she had in months, and in the morning, packed her things and left. She had no intention of seeing Danny or New York City ever again. She didn’t know, however, she had brought an unexpected gift with her when she showed up at her parents’ house the next day.
CHAPTER FOUR
It happened in a whirlwind. Only three weeks after returning to Upstate New York, Melissa had found out that she was carrying a baby. But it didn’t belong to the man that everyone thought it did. It wasn’t Greg’s baby; she was sure of it. She couldn’t tell her family that though. Besides, she didn’t have any idea how to get in touch with the real father anyways. All she knew was his name was Danny.
At first she considered trying to find Danny, to let him know. But, how many Danny’s would there be in the entire city of New York? She could go back to the bar and see if he showed up, but that seemed pointless. He didn’t strike her as the kind of guy that went to bars like that one very often. He was so professional and confident. The way he carried himself, the way he moved, everything about him was suave and collected.
And then, after baby Brandon was born he immediately consumed all of her thoughts and energy. Quickly, the idea of finding Danny evaporated into nothing more than a fleeting thought.
There were times in a fleeting moment that Brandon’s eye would remind her of Danny’s. They were the same bright amber color that took her breath away the night she met him. What was the most striking about them, however, was the fact that every once in a while they seemed to change, the way that Danny’s did in the car that night.
As the years unfolded, Melissa noticed other changes in her son. Starting just after his fourth birthday her sweet, innocent little baby would sometimes have fits of screaming outbursts that would seem to come over him as if from nowhere. They always happened in the middle of the night, and would wake up not only Melissa and her family, but even some of the neighbors would call to make sure everything was all right.
By morning, they always passed, and Brandon would once again assume his happy, bouncy, naturally quiet temperament. Melissa tried everything to figure out what was ailing her child. She took him to doctors, but no one seemed to find anything out of the ordinary. She tried homegrown remedies her mother recommended, but nothing seemed to help.
She was beside herself with heartache, hating to see her baby in so much pain and discomfort. She had reached her wits end, and resigned herself to the fact that there was nothing she could do but pray that it would pass, and Brandon would be able to have a normal life, like a normal child.
That was until one day, there was a spark of hope. It came from the last place she expected it to—the television.
CHAPTER FIVE
It started like any other mid-summer morning. Melissa hurriedly prepared for her day at work down at the local grocery store, simultaneously trying to make sure Brandon was bathed and ready for his afternoon outing with her parents.
Running down the stairs to the kitchen, Brandon tripping along behind her to keep up, something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye.
“Daniel Hightower, the so-called ‘Prince of Manhattan’ has officially announced that he will be taking over his father’s business aft
er his death this past weekend,” the voice of the newscaster filled the room.
Turning around slowly to give her full attention to the screen she saw him—Danny. It was him; there was no question. He had the same amber eyes, lush dark hair, and air of self-assurance she remembered so well from the night they met. The footage showed him walking into the front of one of the most luxurious, high-end hotels in New York City. She stood, completely motionless, watching the images fly by on the screen, her mouth hanging open slightly.
“Melissa,” her mom said coming around the corner quickly. “Your breakfast is on the table. Will Brandon be having his usual cereal with orange juice?”
Melissa didn’t answer or turn to address her mother. She continued to stand, her eyes glued to the television.