Learning to Trust

by Cynthia P. O'Neill

  His hands reached up to cup my face. “Promise me, if they continue you’ll consider talking with a therapist? I worry about you.”

  Grace had been bugging me to seek out a counselor for a while now, but I didn’t want to have someone else know what had happened to me. It was embarrassing enough that it happened and I just wanted to learn to walk away from it. To appease him, I said I’d think about it.

  He pulled my lips down to his, where he nipped lightly at my lower lip, sucking it in before clamping his mouth down firmly on mine. The passion in him roared to life, igniting my own internal flame. No matter what the situation, my body responded to his desires.

  The next thing I knew, he had rolled me over to my back and was between my legs. “Again?” I asked.

  He smiled, pressing his length against my thigh so I could feel the full extent of his hardness. “I don’t know what it is you do to me, Laurel, but I can never get enough of you. Be prepared, baby, this is going to be slow; I want to worship your body.”

  I watched as he sank into me slowly, making me gasp at the feeling of him deep inside me. He began to move and I was lost to him.

  Garrett was true to his word about traveling. He was based at the main office for the next couple months. He did have some events in town to attend to, but he was around in the evenings, spending almost every night with me. He extended me invitations to some of them, while others he cited were, in his words, “Utterly boring. If I didn’t have to attend them I wouldn’t, so I don’t expect you to have to sit through a snoozefest. Stay home and have fun with Grace.”

  While he was staying within the city limits, Grace had started traveling to conventions around Florida and some that extended out of state. She was in her element, talking with doctors and nurses from all over about new products the company had come up with to help aid all sorts of ailments. At times it was nice to have the apartment to myself, but we kept in touch almost daily.

  For a while I thought Grace had a crush on her supervisor, Evan Daniels. She talked about him non-stop for ages and was suddenly wearing more low-cut tops and tighter fitting suits. She was crushed when she found out he was engaged to be married, but managed to pull together a friendly working relationship.

  It was hard to believe that three months had passed since I had started working for Mr. Waters. My main job was at Bio-Medical Solutions, perfecting prosthetic equipment for use of the masses that needed better range of motion. I had come to spend about three quarters of my time here, while my other job at Waters International Athletic Training Center took up the other quarter.

  Originally, I had been driving back and forth, spending a few days here and a few days there at each job location. When I made a small complaint about how tiring it was getting, Garrett obtained permission for me to work on creating and researching equipment for use at the Training Center within the Bio-Med facility. Everyone seemed to be happy with the results and Garrett was glad that I had my energy back.

  I’d been putting the final touches on the revamped wrist prosthetic when I received an email from the head office notifying me that I was to meet with Mr. Waters the next afternoon to discuss my progress with the company and get a tour of the main facility. I noticed the email had been copied to supervisors at both facilities.

  I was a bundle of nerves that night, going through my closet and trying to find the perfect outfit to finally meet the elusive Mr. Waters. Garrett kept smiling and shaking his head in amusement, over my stress.

  “Don’t fret, Laurel. He’s just a guy; just like me.”

  I know his words were meant to calm me, but they failed miserably. “That’s easy for you to say, considering you’ve been friends with him since you were kids. According to his family, you’re as close as brothers and considered a part of their family.”

  He pulled me aside, picked out a cerulean blue sheath dress, an off white bolero jacket, and matching pumps. “You’re right. I’ve known him a long time and am very familiar with his tastes in things. This outfit will compliment your beauty and I know for a fact that he loves the color blue.” He leaned in and nipped the side of my neck. “Just don’t look too good for him. I don’t want to have to fight for you.”

  He always confused me when he made statements like that. Why would he think he needed to be jealous? I just laughed it off. “You know I’m skittish around guys, with the exception of you.”

  His arms wrapped around me as he delivered hot, passionate kisses to my face and neck. “You’re mine,” he growled.

  “Yours,” I appeased him before I was lost to his ministrations and all thoughts of worry were out the door.

  I sat in the waiting area of Mr. Waters’ office the next day, waiting for him to finish with an urgent overseas call. To say it was a nice waiting room was an understatement. The floors were a tan marble, the deep mahogany sofas were made of the softest leather I’d ever felt, and a saltwater fish tank was built into the backdrop of one wall, full of exotic sea life and live coral.

  My heart was nervous and about to leap out of my chest when I suddenly heard his secretary, Charlotte, calling my name. “Miss Hart. Excuse me, Miss Hart? Mr. Waters will see you now. Feel free to go in.” Why does her name sound so familiar? I feel like I’ve heard it mentioned before.

  I rose from the sofa and walked over to the heavy wooden door. I paused to knock, but Charlotte smiled. “Go on in, he’s expecting you,” she said and gave me a little wink of reassurance.

  I took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked through to an office that was bigger than my bedroom and living area combined. There were two tall-back leather chairs facing a large, expertly-carved wooden desk which had his nameplate, “G.A. Waters,” sitting on the center. A couple of huge flat screen televisions lined one wall, along with a few drafting tables. To the other side was a sitting area with two mahogany sofas facing one another with a black coffee table in the center. There appeared to be a small bar area with some decanters of liquid decorating the back of the bar as well. It was all very opulent and just a little bit intimidating.

  I would’ve continued to peruse the area, but I heard my name being called. I looked the direction it came from, only to be met with the back of a chair, as Mr. Waters looked out onto the skyline.

  “Miss Hart, please come in and close the door behind you,” he directed in what seemed like a subdued tone.

  I did as I was told and began to walk towards his desk when the chair shifted and I was met full on with a set of seductive emerald eyes I’d come to know quite well. I faltered in my steps. “Garrett? What are you doing here?” Why was Garrett everywhere that Mr. Waters was supposed to be? When would I ever meet this elusive billionaire?

  He rose from his chair and closed the distance between us. “I promised to give you a tour of the facility when you came to meet Mr. Waters.”

  Confusion swept across my face. “Where is he? I thought I would be meeting with him today.”

  His hands clasped each of my hips, drawing me close against him as his head descended to kiss my lips. “You will, but aren’t you happy to see me?”

  I was mesmerized by his closeness. “Yes,” I whispered, and before I could say anything else, I was lost to his lips. After a few minutes, my mind began to regain some of its capacity to think and I pulled back. “We shouldn’t be doing this here! What if he walks in and catches us? I don’t want either of us to be in trouble.”

  He smiled and shook his head. “Fine, let’s get this tour over with.”

  The facility held more electronic wonders than I could have imagined. They were continually reworking equipment used in the operating room, specifically for neurology, cardiology and orthopedic surgeries. Right now, the big focus was on trying to create higher resolution radiology equipment and early detection of problematic areas on film. The possibilities were endless with the team that was established.

  During the tour, we ran into Dr. Waters, or should I say Harris. He gave Garrett a friendly handshake and embraced me warmly.
Garrett informed him of me touring the facility, while Harris said he was there regarding an idea he had in terms of the neurological equipment.

  When the tour was done, we returned to Mr. Waters office; however, the man was no where to be seen. Am I ever going to meet him? Though I wonder… No sooner had the door closed behind us than Garrett had me pressed up against it. He locked the door with a flick of his wrist. “Wrap your legs around me,” he demanded in an aggressive tone.

  I did as he asked and was instantly carried over to the desk while his mouth captured mine, heating my insides with his searing kisses and probing tongue. His hands quickly removed his jacket and threw it across the chair. One hand grabbed the nape of my neck, holding me firm, while he continued to devour my mouth. The other ran up my inner thigh to my panties, skirting the edges of the lace before his fingers found their way to my folds. “You’re so fucking wet, Laurel. I need you here, now.”

  I moaned, but that was all the invitation he needed. He had his zipper down, my underwear hitched to the side and was in me before I could even think, grabbing hold of my backside and drawing me tightly against his groin.

  The sex was rough and quick and I loved it. I had begun to like all sexual sides of Garrett. Sometimes he could be slow and compassionate, other times controlling and sensual, and then times like this, rough and needy.

  He was setting a tortuous pace. “I need you to come quickly for me, babe,” He groaned, his hand slipping between us to rub the nub of my clitoris, making me shatter underneath him almost instantly. He slammed into me a couple times more before finding his own release.

  Our breathing was harsh and ragged. “I swore I would never do this at work and here I am breaking one of my own rules with you. What spell have you put me under, Laurel?”

  I was about to ask him the same thing, when his speaker buzzed with Charlotte’s voice, “Mr. Waters, your three o’clock appointment is here early.”

  My eyes went wide as I realized where I’d heard Charlotte’s name. She called Garrett while we were still in Massachusetts. I began to take in all the information around me. I saw fear in Garrett’s face as he realized his secret was up. “G.A. Waters is you?”

  He pulled out of me, straightening himself and trying to offer to help me clean up in his private bathroom. I quietly, swiftly, efficiently straightened myself and headed towards the door.

  He was quick to block my retreat. “Talk to me, Laurel, please.”

  “What am I supposed to talk about? How you misrepresented yourself? How you lied to me? How you’ve been fooling me for three months now? How I met your family and didn’t even know it?” I crossed my arms to emphasize my point. “How could you?”

  Somewhere in my subconscious I suspected, but I didn’t want to believe he could be so cruel to abuse my trust. I stood there waiting for an answer that didn’t seem to be coming.

  I tried to move past him, to the door, when he fell to his knees. “Hear me out, Laurel. Please?”

  Feeling humiliated, betrayed, used, and a whole wealth of other emotions I could probably name, I didn’t feel like I had anything more to lose. “Fine, you have ten minutes to make me understand.”

  Garrett got up and led me over to the sofa, where he sat us down facing one another. “Technically, I didn’t lie to you, unless you consider it a lie of omission.” I started to ask a question, but he raised his hand to continue. “My name is/was Garrett Andrews. When I was born, I was Garrett Anthony Andrews, the son of Mitchell and Melinda Andrews. My parents were killed in a car accident when I was five. I was taken in by my dad’s sister, Lydia, until a year later, when she saved my life and in turn ruined hers. Harris was one of my aunt’s physicians and offered to take me in under foster care while she healed.”

  All these months, he’d been aloof when I asked about his family, his past, his life, only giving me little slivers of information. Now, here we sit and he’s still only providing me with what’s necessary to “ease my mind,” but I continued to listen.

  “My aunt spent months in the healthcare system before taking a turn for the worse. She could see the love Harris and his family had developed for me and so she asked them to adopt me on the condition that my last name would become my middle name so I would always know who I was. So they adopted me and my name became Garrett Andrews Waters.”

  My heart ached for him. I couldn’t imagine being so young and losing so many people you cared about. But, still… “Why didn’t you tell me the truth?” Plus, why was I so naïve?

  “There’s a reason why my picture isn’t on the internet and why I parade around as Garrett Andrews. For a while, when I first started this company, everything was fine, but then when it took off, I had anyone and everyone trying to get to know me. There were investors continually calling, women interested in ‘dating’ me and trying to climb into my bed, and paparazzi following my every move. It was disconcerting to be the object of everyone’s affection, while no one really gave a shit about me, only what I could do for them or to them. Therein lies one of the reasons why I don’t like to date.”

  He paused for a moment, running his hand through his hair and looking a bit nervous. “The majority of the people here in this company think I’m Garrett Andrews, Head of Human Resources. Technically speaking, I’m just that. I like to have a personal hand in finding the talent that can help move this company forward. There are only a handful of people who know that I’m also Mr. Waters and I would prefer to keep it that way. Can you imagine what it would be like to live your life constantly under a microscope?”

  I shook my head. “No, I can’t imagine life like that. But, still, you lied.” No wonder he kept people at arm’s length.

  “What can I say, Laurel, that I haven’t already? I didn’t mean to hurt you or abuse your trust. To be honest, you caught my attention the first time I saw you working on your project. Something stirred inside me that I couldn’t ignore. I had to know you, but not as myself, as Mr. Andrews. Then when we talked on the phone and met in person, I needed to be with you. I moved heaven and earth to arrange for this job, the apartment, everything.”

  My eyes widened with the realization that was upon me. “The whole time you kept saying that Mr. Waters wanted his employees to have the best and be safe, and it was really you wanting to keep me close so you could watch me and screw me?”

  Tears began pouring down my face, making me feel used in a similar way to how Chase had taken advantage of my body, only Garrett he took benefit of my soul. I got up and made a quick retreat to the door. “Please have Thompson collect your things from my apartment, I mean your apartment. Grace and I will begin our search for a new place to live. Consider this my one month notice.”

  Garrett hovered over me at the door, holding it closed. “Please don’t do this to me; to us. I don’t expect you to move and I will NOT let you work anywhere else. You have a talented mind that I would like to explore further with you. I WON’T let you leave this company and I WILL fight to earn your trust.” His voice lowered to a darker, more determined tone. “Remember, YOU’RE MINE, Laurel!”

  I turned, drying my tears with the back of my hand and managing to muster enough strength to look him in the eyes. “I WAS yours until you chose to use me and abuse me as bad as Chase did. He took my body, you took my trust, Garrett!”

  His face was full of dejection. He stepped back, releasing the door so I could exit. Before I took a step, he grabbed hold of my elbow. “I promised to keep you safe,” he whispered. “I will ALWAYS be here for you.”

  I couldn’t look at him, my heart hurt too much, and I knew if I saw his face again, I would cave. Instead, I yanked my arm free and headed to the elevator.

  When I got to my car, I called my supervisors to let them know I wouldn’t be back for the rest of the day. To my surprise, Garrett had already called them.

  I drove around for several hours, wondering what I would do next and where I could potentially find another job. I wanted to call Grace and vent, but was afraid to tu
rn the phone back on. He had called me relentlessly for the past two hours until I finally turned the thing off.

  My mind was in a perpetual fog until I finally found myself back at the apartment. It was no surprise to see that Thompson had worked quickly. Some of the clothing Garrett had stored in my room was removed. There were four large flower arrangements spread throughout my bedroom, all with cards asking for forgiveness, understanding and a second chance.

  I quickly changed into some sweatpants and a t-shirt, threw a good tearjerker into the DVD player, and curled up on the sofa and had a good cry. My heart was shattered. In one respect, I could understand why he did what he did, but on the other hand, how could I trust a man who continually lied to me?

  Several hours must have passed, as I awoke to a darkened apartment and a continual knocking at my door. I sleepily turned a few lights on as I made my way to the door. Looking through the peephole I was thankful to see it was Thompson and not Garrett.

  “I’m sorry for disturbing you, Miss Hart. Garrett is worried for your well being and has asked me to deliver this meal to you.” His face looked sympathetic.

  I took the meal Thompson offered. “Thank you. It smells delicious. Though please don’t tell him I said that.”

  Thompson half smiled. “Your secret is safe with me, miss.” He paused for a moment, as if contemplating what more to say. “Forgive me for speaking out of line, but you should know that Garrett suffered a lot of loss at a very young age. For some children, they would’ve given up on the chance at happiness and followed whatever route was easy. Not him; he opted to work hard, to prove himself and make improvements in the medical industry, which helps to save more lives. He’s a bit of a recluse in some ways and extroverted in others. Can you imagine him trying to get away with what he does in public, if they actually knew who he was?”

  I was completely stunned. I didn’t know Thompson knew this many words.