by Colora, R.
“Yes. How did you know my last name?" she asked.
“Let’s just say I have heard you being described as having pouty lips and a tight, little body," I try to suppress my chuckle, but it doesn’t work.
She blushes. “Who said that?” Oh, she talks a good game, but she is inexperienced. That’s an interesting tidbit I can relay to my friend.
I nod my head. “Nope, I’m not getting in trouble by spilling the beans.” The three of us spend the next few minutes laughing.
“Ashleigh, thank you so much for finding me. I never got a chance to thank you, but really, I don't know if I would have ever escaped if it hadn't been for you.” I say gratefully.
“I didn’t do it for you, to be honest, but I did it for Rhydian. He was the only person to ever have my back; I needed to have his.”
“It was nice seeing you again, Estelle, but we have to head to a meeting at the office,” Rhydian says. When they get to the door, I see Ashleigh elbow him in the ribs and nod her head in my direction.
I went back to reading Conquering Alexandria by C.M. Steele, when I heard a throat clear. “Umm, Estelle I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me sometime this week? I know you're probably…”
“Tonight!" I say, interrupting Rhydian. “I would like to have dinner tonight!” I know I sound overly excited so I calm myself down.
“Really?” he says, seemingly surprised.
“Yes, really. What time should I be ready?” I ask. I say coolly but bubbling with excitement inside.
“About seven. Am I picking you up on Anderson Street?” he confirms with a wide grin.
“Yes, I am not moving into the new place until all the renovations are done," I say with an equally wide grin.
“Ok, I will see you tonight,” he says then bows. I start laughing as he spins around and head to the door.
“See you tonight.” I call after him still laughing.
Chapter 14
A date, that’s a good start. Rhydian and I are on new ground right now. We are starting fresh with a date. I have butterflies as I get ready with the girls in my room.
“Do you love him?” Oksana asks while brushing my hair.
“Yes, I do. I have always loved him, but he needed to really find out if he loved me.”
“Are you going to have sex with him?” Zasha stares out the window towards the back yard. “What is it like to be with someone you love?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll have to see how things turn out. I think it’s different when it’s with someone you love.” I know this is a weird conversation to have with a fifteen year old girl, but I realize she isn’t a child and she has been the victim of repeated rapes since she was eleven. Therefore I tell her what I feel. “I think that’s where we went wrong. We rushed everything the first time. We thought when we met again we knew each other, but we really didn’t. This is going to be our shot to get to know each other, and it will either work or I will move on.”
Mel was standing in the door. “I’m really happy you're giving Rhydian a chance to make this right. I’m telling you this as your friend and not your therapist, I think you guys went too heavy too fast. You knew each other for what amounted to a few weeks and moved in. You didn’t have a foundation and now you get a chance to build that foundation, but you need to remember to be very clear about what you want and expect. Also ask him to also be clear with his expectations. You guys have gone through so much, it really should be smooth sailing. You have feelings for each other and now you both have the skills to deal and work on a healthy and happy relationship.”
I smile when I hear the doorbell ring. The girls run down the stairs and wait on the staircase when Patrick opens the door.
“Rhydian.” Patrick sounds like an annoyed father meeting his daughter’s date.
“Good evening, Patrick. I’m here to pick up Estelle for our date.” He says nervously.
“Where are you taking our Estelle?” Patrick asks.
“I’m talking her to this new fusion restaurant in town.” he responds.
“Well, have fun. You too Estelle. We will see you tonight, correct?” Patrick confirms.
“Yesssssss, Patrick,” I say with an eye roll. “I will be home no later than eleven. Are you happy?” I say with a chuckle and an eye roll, I’m channeling my inner teen.
Mel and Patrick both say “very” at the same time, and we hear the girl’s giggles from the staircase.
“So, this new restaurant, what is it fused with exactly?” I ask.
“I’m not sure. I think it’s like Hawaiian and Asian, so I’m thinking soy sauce and pineapple,” he responds with a slight grimace on his face. I think he is about as excited about fusions as I am, so I make another suggestion.
“Can we not go there? I would really just like a steak with nothing fused on, except maybe some onions and mushrooms.”
He turns to me with a grin. “Yeah, I think steak sounds like an excellent idea.”
When we pull up to Porter’s Steak House, and are seated as soon as the hostess sees Rhydian, being a Kerrigan in Denver does have its perks. Once we have ordered we finally have time to talk. . ”So what’s been going on, Rhydian?”
“Not much. I made Ashleigh a partner the other week. I realized that she is a part of the business I can’t function without, the other employees look up to her, and truth be told, she is great at recruiting young, eager programmers that are willing to stop hacking illegally to come work for my company. I should have made her a partner a long time ago, but I let my ego get in the way. I didn’t want Kerrigan Security to be anything but Kerrigan Security. Now it's Kerrigan & Hawke Security and I’m fine with that. Also, after years of pressure, Killian decided it was time to get the Cochlear implant. He had his surgery about six weeks ago, and he is still getting used to hearing again. The kids are all doing well, they have formed some little group and are performing all over the area, and they call themselves K3. They are really good too. Stacy has started dating this architect named Avery; he has a super cute daughter named Quincy, who is in love with the triplets. She treats them like little dolls. Other than that, nothing much has changed. What about you?”
“Well, as you could see, I have three houseguests now. They were there with me when I was taken. He was collecting us. They were having a hard time in California, so we brought them here. They just want to have normal teenage lives, but they have only ever known captivity. I was going to actually call Rose and see if maybe her three kids could come over and hang out at the house. The two younger girls want to go to school. Greenly had them abducted as children and never bothered to educate them. They have basic reading and basic math skills, the older girl taught them everything she knew. They want to go to high school, so we have a lot to do in the next couple months if they are going to start school in August. They are intelligent, so I have no doubt they will be able to catch up.”
“You know, they could go to homeschool and do activities at the school. I had a friend in high school that was homeschooled and he came to play sports and do the clubs after school. Maybe you can transition them in the next couple weeks to do that.”
“That’s an awesome idea. I didn't even know that was a possibility. Thanks, Rhydian, for the advice.” We have a really great dinner.
“Would you like to go for a walk?” He asks. “I was thinking we can go over to the Golden Triangle Park.”
“Yes, that sounds like fun." We get back in his car and drive to the park to go for a walk. Neither one of us has made an attempt at any physical contact so far. “Rhydian, you seem like you have something on your mind? Let's not go down this path again, please. If you need to say something, then just do it.” I say holding my breath, until he speaks.
“Actually, I wanted to talk about everything that happened between us. I wanted to talk about the abduction and why I was so upset. And I wanted to talk to you about how I still feel about you, Estelle. So here goes. After you got back from Cresthaven I didn’t want to let you go
again. I know you think that what I felt for you was for Stella only, but it’s not. I think after everything you went through, I thought that maybe I wouldn’t be enough to help you heal, to make you feel whole, and you're right when you told me your recovery wasn’t about my feelings. I took a while to understand what you meant, but I do now. When everything happened with Michael, I felt like I got dragged into his problems, but my focus should have been you, it should have been us. I have to admit, I wasn’t ready for a commitment a few months ago. I think us living together and getting engaged was great in theory, but when it came time to do it, things fell to pieces because we weren’t clear about what we wanted, so I'm making myself clear now. I love you, Estelle and I want to be with you. I want to date you exclusively and I want us to work on building a foundation. I want you to be part of my life, and I want to be part of yours. I have missed you these last few month, but it gave me some time to work on me and my shit while you worked on yours. This is me, Defining The Relationship” he says with conviction.
“I heard you loud and clear. Now it’s my turn; you weren’t the only one rushing full steam ahead. I should not have moved my stuff into your house and the day we fought, I shouldn’t have let my temper get the best of me. I should have tried to stay and talk it out. That being said, you made a valid point. I always ran to Kennedy and Tristan, and as much as I wanted to stay, I wasn’t standing on my own two feet. I was using them as a crutch, and I was using you as a way to, I don’t know, maybe I was using you as a way to focus on something other than what my real issues were. I can’t say what those issues are because I’m still working on me, Rhydian, and I want to build that foundation with you, but it has to be at a pace that works for both of us. No moving things in, no engagement, and until we are sure we belong together, no sex” I say blushing.
“I understand. Does kissing count as sex?” he asks with a boyish grin.
“No, it doesn’t and I’m overdue for some kisses.” I'm holding his hand, and decide I will test the boundaries. I make a sudden stop to face him. I go up on my tiptoes and place a peck on his lips, then the side of his mouth, and last on his cheek. He seems ok with that, so I go again, but in reverse order this time, and instead of a peck on the lips. I linger there for a minute and pull back again. Yet again, he doesn't seem to mind so finally I say fuck it.
I grab his cheeks, place my lips back on his, and coax his mouth open with my tongue. He lets me take the lead so as to not push me. So I delve deeper into his mouth, circling his tongue with mine, enticing a nice moan out of him. After a few minutes of this and him getting hard, he pulls back and says, “Princess, we’ve got to stop. A man can only take so much temptation. We don’t want to get carried away, we don’t want to take it there. But trust and believe we will when the time is right for us again. There will be no stopping what will happen between us.” I realize I lost my head, but he does that to me, making me forget myself.
Rhydian's POV
Walking into The Mad Batter, I see Estelle sitting and reading, she looks happy, but something must be up because she is in the middle of a chocolate overload. I walked over, it’s been awhile since we talked, but what they hell, I am feeling brave. When she hears my voice, she looks up and smiles, and I can feel my heart beat in my chest. She isn’t telling me to go fuck myself, that’s an improvement since the last time I saw her. She invites me to sit and I don’t even think twice about it. This is what I have been waiting for since we broke up; a chance, a chance to talk and apologize. Tell her all the things I’ve been holding inside. When Frankie brings me my muffin and tea, I see she gives me the death stare and I know I deserve it.
I all but accused her boyfriend, maybe not boyfriend, of trying to steal my girl. It seems like years ago, but it’s only been a few short months. I hear the bell over the door chime then Ashleigh’s asking me what the hell I am doing. As soon as she sees Estelle, she instantly knows who she is, I’m sure the ten pictures of her in my office, or the picture of her as my computer wallpaper, screensaver, and phone wallpaper, ensure that she would know immediately. Estelle seems confused at first then hurt when she thinks Ashleigh is my date or new girlfriend. Once Ashleigh tells her who she is I see her relax, she thanks her for everything she did in helping the FBI find her. I remember we have a meeting soon. I could give a shit, but this is a government contract, and if we get it, we would create two hundred or more jobs for the area. I say goodbye hesitantly and make my way to the door.
“Oh my god,” Ashleigh says annoyed. “Do I have to tell you everything? You’re so fucking stupid sometimes. Go ask her out to dinner, dumbass.” She says this like a huffy teenager.
“I wanted to ask her on a date, but the truth is, I’m not brave enough to deal with the rejection” I say in a disappointed tone.
“I swear, if you don’t go ask her, I’m flooding your social media with the news that you’ve just discovered you have a vagina.”
I roll my eyes at her, but make my way back to Estelle’s table, where she has resumed reading. Whatever it is has her engrossed, and she is blushing from her cheeks all the way down her neck. I know that I shouldn’t, but as soon as I get back to office I’m hacking her iPad. I want to know what she is reading. When I clear my throat and she looks up, I see a small smile spread across her lips, and then I do it; I ask her to dinner. I’m ready to plead my case, when she tells me we can have dinner tonight.
I’m so excited I almost skip back to where Ashleigh is standing. Holy fuck I must have grown a vagina if I’m thinking about skipping in a bakery. Ashleigh and I get in the car and her smile is as wide as mine.
“What are you grinning at over there?”
“Oh you have no idea. You get Estelle, but I will catch me a Viking.”
“Seriously Ash, he’s much too old for you.”
“Back off, yeah?” she said. “His words were saying no, don’t chase me, but his body and those eyes were telling a different story.”
I have to laugh at her because honestly, in the five years I’ve known her, I have never seen her go on one date; she doesn’t seem interested in men at all. She seems solely focused on work, seeing her all predatory and lioness is funny.
We make it to the meeting and the presentation goes off without a hitch. I tell her I’m leaving the office early. I try on every piece of clothing in my closet, by the time I find something I like, every stitch of clothing I own is on my bedroom floor. If my brothers could see me right now, they would pull my man card.
I pull up to the Anderson Street house and ring the doorbell. When Patrick opens the door, he looks little a pissed to see me and Mel seems resigned, with or without their approval, I will claw my way back into Estelle’s heart. When she comes down the stairs, my breath hitches in my throat.
She has on a pretty summer dress and some ballet flats. I see three teenage girls trail behind her like a gaggle of geese, and they are all grinning. I’m not sure who they are, but I will ask about it at dinner. She surprises me when she says she wants to keep it simple with just some steak when we get in the car, my hands are sweating so hard I can barely switch gears. I don’t think I have ever been this nervous on a date before.
Dinner is wonderful, we take the time to talk about all the things we missed in each other’s life, and I don’t want the night to end. Therefore I ask her to go for a walk with me. When we arrive at the park, I make my move. I entwine our fingers as we walk, and then I tell her everything that is in my heart, and everything I want for us. She does the same, and we agree to take things slow and not make the mistake of rushing everything again.
I’m not going to lie, I’m horny as hell and I remember the heaven of being deep inside her, but she is right, we need to take a different path. When I ask her about kisses, she suddenly faces me and she starts with small kisses that end up heating up really quickly. I have to stop because if I don’t, I’m going to cum in my pants. I haven’t been with anyone since I was with her, and jacking my dick doesn’t have the same effect a
s it did then I was a pre-teen. I know she is affected too because when we pull away I see she is breathing quickly and her face is flushed. We make our way back to my car and I take her home. I walk her to her door, give her a kiss goodnight, and ask if I can see her again tomorrow night. She says she has plans, but she is free the night after. I tell her I will call and give her one more kiss. I didn't even make it to my car before I send a text.
Rhydian: Tonight was amazing. I can’t wait till I see you again. Sweet dreams, Princess.
Princess: I will count the minutes till I see you again and trust me you will be in my dreams tonight. There will be more than sweet good night kisses.
Chapter 15
Sitting on a plane the morning after my date is agony, but I have a meeting with Reed Sterling, Governor Dewitt, and a fifteen member multi-organization task force. They need my testimony to go along with the videos I have handed over. I tell no one where I’m going; I don’t even let anyone know I’m going out of town. I hop on a commercial flight. I’m reading when I feel someone sit in the seat next to me.
“Are you going somewhere, Princess?” Rhydian asks with a serious look on his face.
I’m sure the shock I feel on my face is evident. “How are you here? Why are you here?”
“I hope you’re not mad, but Ashleigh set up an alert on your GPS unit. Anytime you go out of range, or deviate from your normal routine, she gets an alert. She isn’t doing it to keep tabs on you, or to inform me where you are. She does it because in her own weird way, she doesn’t want for anything to happen to you if she could prevent it.”
“I seriously need to get this thing removed, but no, I’m not mad. I’m glad she cares enough to look out for me." I say sincerely.
“You didn’t answer my question, Princess, why are you headed to California?”
I tell him I have to give my testimony in front of the task force who will then take it to the grand jury, both in Colorado and my rapists' home states. They are trying to charge them with over a hundred crimes from child pornography to rape of a child. The fact that they crossed state lines to commit their crimes makes it a federal case, so they are also charging them with a multitude of offences. While telling him this, Rhydian entwines his hands in mine.