by Anna Lewis
“Sleep well?” Anthony asked with a knowing smile, as he dropped one of the cups of coffee in front of her.
“It was alright.” If that is what you called lying awake thinking of a hot and steamy kiss, and then falling asleep and dreaming of more hot and steamy kisses not just on your upper lip, but elsewhere as well.
Last night at the party, one thing had led to another and Shelly had found herself alone with Anthony.
“I like your hair,” he had said. Shelly hadn’t said anything, the way he had said he liked her hair made her very much aware of her physical features, and for the first time in a long while Shelly was grateful for the way she looked.
Smiling, she had leaned in and kissed him, going for a soft thank you kiss, he had dragged her back to him when she had tried to pull away, and deepened the kiss. Thrusting his tongue in her mouth he had played with her tongue, exploring the sensitivity of her inner mouth. The kiss had been so passionate and sweet that Shelly hadn’t been ready to stop.
Shelly looked at Anthony, her face flushed with embarrassment of what he would say if he knew where her mind had just been.
“Brought you some coffee,” Anthony added when it looked like she hadn’t noticed it. He was shadowing her from behind, which in any other circumstance would seem invading, but in this case caused all her senses to stand at attention.
“Yea I noticed, thank you,” she muttered. She felt him bend down to her level and lean in until his lips were close to her ear.
“I had fun last night,” he whispered into her ear.
“Me too,” she breathed the words.
“We were good together,” he said, nibbling on her ear lobe, sweet delicious little nibbles that sent tiny shock waves throughout her entire body.
“Uh huh.” Shelly was already far gone, not really listening to him anymore, just wanting him to never stop doing what he was doing.
“Maybe…” Lick. “We could…” Lick “Go on a real date today.”
“What?” That snapped her out of it. She didn’t date, why did he want her to date.
“Did I say something wrong?” He straightened up, sounding hurt.
“No, not at all. I just thought I heard you say we should go on a date.”
“I did say that.”
“You want us to go on a date?”
“Yes.”
“With the possibility of dating?”
“No, with the possibility of fucking, what do you think Shelly?”
“Oh Anthony, I’m sorry but that would never work,” Shelly said. “I thought you just wanted a casual situation.”
“What did I do to make you think that?” he asked tightly.
“Your whole countenance and demeanor all through yesterday to just a few minutes ago.
“Pray tell me, what was my countenance and demeanor all through yesterday to today,” he mimicked.
“Casual,” she said. Sensing his hurt she added, “Look I’m really attracted to you, but I don’t think there is any point of dating when there is no future for us. We’d be better off to never start anything serious, than start and break each other’s heart.”
He was silent for a while, and then he began to laugh. He had done a lot of carefree and happy laughing yesterday, but this was neither carefree nor happy, this was cold and calculating.
“So, let me get this straight, you want to have a causal relationship with me without the possibility of a real relationship?”
“Casual is real.”
“I’m serious Shelly,” he warned.
“Well if you must know, I don’t date because I don’t have time for a boyfriend. I am always busy, always working, so when I need to de-stress, I get myself into a casual situation with a man.” She lowered her tone. “And I have been having a lot of stress.”
“Aww, so romantic,” Anthony scoffed.
“I’m sorry, but that’s how it is for me,” she said. “Also, aren’t you not supposed to date your client or something like that?”
“You aren’t my client now sweetheart, are you?” he smirked trying to get back at her. “You didn’t hire me, you couldn’t afford me with a gun to your head.”
“That’s low,” Shelly said. She hadn’t expected him to accept her proposition just like that, but he didn’t have to try and hurt her feelings. She felt like she had made the right decision in choosing not to be with this man. With a silent sigh of relief, Shelly turned to her laptop and continued to work.
***
Anthony was lost in thought, it was the next day and he was still trying to wrap his head around Shelly turning him down, him!
Even before he had made his first million, he had never had a girl he was interested in being more than casual with turn him down. In fact in most cases he was the one that did the turning down.
“Did you hear me Tony?” Matty asked.
“Huh?”
“Let me guess, you haven’t listened to anything I have said these past thirty minutes, have you?”
“I’m sorry, I have been a little pre-occupied,” Anthony apologized. He was mad that she was affecting his thought process like this, and he wanted nothing to do with her right now.
“That’s fine I guess, you have been working really hard as a favor to me. Thanks again man but I think I’m gonna have to pull you out.”
“What?” That got Tony’s full attention. “What do you mean ‘pull me out’?”
“Well there have been no more incidents after the first one, so I don’t think there is a need for Shelly to have a bodyguard.” Matty took a sip of his beer. “If there was a threat, I’m sure the culprit is running scared after the last attempt.”
“Are you sure about this?” Anthony had a funny feeling in his chest. He didn’t want to leave Shelly alone, he was worried that she wasn’t in the clear yet. It had been a week since he had been mobilized to guard her, and within that time there had been no incidents at all, and it had felt like the first one hadn’t even happened. The police had been unable to catch the person who had done it, even with the person on the security camera, the police had said it seemed like an inside job because they had somehow known where the camera was and where to avoid showing their face. But Arianna was still convinced that it was a competitor trying to do away with their best employee before the launch. In Anthony’s opinion, that seemed a little extreme. The first attempt hadn’t been well thought out, it almost seemed silly, and he doubted any corporate organization would employ someone silly to do their dirty work, unless that was the plan to begin with.
“I’m sorry Anthony, I know you have grown fond of her but we made a deal that after a week I would start paying you and I no longer think it is necessary to pay for security, when there have been no other threats,” Matty said.
“What if you are wrong?” Anthony asked. He didn’t understand the urgency he felt so suddenly to know where she was right at this very moment, or if she was safe.
“Well, I have already spoken to Shelly, she seemed fine with it.”
That didn’t bother Anthony, he wasn’t about to leave her to fend for herself when his gut told him she was still in danger. Despite his lackadaisical look when on the job, Anthony was always alert and aware. He always did a walkthrough of the office and noticed every single thing that went down. His stealth in doing so was what had made him a good lieutenant in the navy. His attention to detail had also helped him grow his company to be amongst the top ten companies in the security industry in Atlanta.
“It doesn’t matter,” Anthony said. “I will work for free.” The smile that spread across Matty’s face made him suspect that Matty hadn’t really been planning on pulling him out in the first place, but had instead sensed that he liked Shelly and had decided to use it to get something in return. Anthony just smiled a little, the crafty bastard.
It had been exactly three weeks now since the incident, and Shelly still kept on looking over her shoulder. She would never tell anyone, not even Eric, but as the launch date for the new collection
grew closer, she was more scared than she had ever been that something bad may happen to her.
She had held a few meetings with some Angel investors looking to invest in her company, and Shelly had been lucky enough to get a verbal commitment from two of them that by the end of the New York Fashion Week. The only catch was that she would have to move to New York. Shelly wasn’t happy about that at all. She would be signing a legal document stating her commitment to moving, and they would be signing a contract as well stating their willingness to invest in her company and how much they were going to pay her.
Keeping her excitement in was the hardest thing to do, but Shelly had managed to not say a word so far. In fact, the only person she would have been so excited to tell would have been Eric, but he had been MIA for a very long time, Shelly hoped he was fine.
From everything that had happened, what surprised Shelly the most was that she had made a friend in Anthony. They were closer than ever. He hadn’t made another move towards her, and that kind of bummed Shelly out because as they grew closer, she found herself getting attracted to him more and more. He really tried to hide his good qualities from her, but it hadn’t taken long for Shelly to figure out that majority of the things he did, he did it from a good place. He was kind, he was caring, and he treated her like she was his, with everything but the physical. He didn’t talk to her about other girls. She didn’t even know if there were other girls. All she knew was that she wanted him and he didn’t seem to want her anymore.
She found that she had started dressing sexier than she usually did to work, doing her hair and make-up to perfection, but it hadn’t done anything. Light touches on his hands hadn’t hinted to him that she was interested. He was acting like he didn’t see her as a woman anymore, and Shelly was scared to find out if her suspicion was true.
“Shelly I’m going home. Do you need anything?” Doris asked, sticking her head into Shelly’s office.
“No, I’m fine girl, goodnight,” Shelly said, raising her head from her work.
“Oh, okay.” Shelly wondered why Doris was checking in on her, something she had never done until only quite recently. “Good night Anthony,” Doris said glancing at the corner where Anthony sat reading a book. Shelly took in Doris’ extra short skirt and tank top. There was no dress code in the company to follow, but of late Doris had been dressing more scantily than usual. Shelly wondered if it was for the same reason that she had been paying more attention to her own clothes.
“Hmpf,” Anthony grunted, not even looking up from the pages of the book he was reading, he was rude like that, the poor girl left with slumped shoulders. Just as she was about to tell him that he really should be nicer to Doris, her phone rang.
“Eric!” Shelly screamed into the receiver. “It’s been so long.”
“Shelly, oh my god I’m so sorry, Diana told me what happened,” he said referencing one of their friends. “I had no idea, that night I was called to step in for my colleague and close a deal in Japan. I didn’t even get my lap dance.”
Shelly laughed.
“It’s fine Eric, so tell me all about your trip.” She was so intent on what he was saying that she was oblivious to the jealous stares Anthony was throwing her way.
He had taken time off work, and left his company in the hands of his vice president for two weeks now, and had been spending that time babysitting someone who didn’t want him. He had been working for free within that period and Shelly still thought he was getting paid. He didn’t know why he was getting jealous that she was being all free and giggly with a guy named Eric. If she ends up with that guy it would be your fault Tony, a little voice in his head whispered.
He had seen the way she had started looking at him recently, seen the way she had started dressing. He knew that she was interested in him, but he also knew that if he took advantage of their new budding relationship, he would never forgive himself, so he held himself back.
Anthony wasn’t a cad, and he wasn’t protecting Shelly because he wanted to get in her pants, he was protecting her because he genuinely cared for her. They had become friends during this period, and he didn’t want her to think that he was taking her for granted. But right now, with the way his heart was feeling, he knew that he was going to have to stop stalling and do everything to close the case this month so that he could leave. He didn’t want to put himself out there and get hurt in the process.
***
“Arianna, hi,” Shelly said into the speaker. It was a Monday, the weekend had gone by extremely fast, and the launch of their new line was in just two weeks. Shelly was on edge partly because she was running behind on deadlines for the launch, partly because she was running behind on deadlines to close her New York contract, and partly because she had had her mind so encompassed with thoughts of Anthony of late that she had been so distracted.
“Hi Shelly, can you believe it? The launch is only a few weeks away,” Arianna’s excited voice reached Shelly through the speakers. “You just have to finish up your designs by Wednesday at the latest Shelly, so we can be ready.”
“That won’t be a problem Arianna, I will be working from home the next few days to ensure that I meet the deadline with the least distraction possible. I wouldn’t want to lag behind because I lack concentration.”
“Well if that’s how you feel,” Arianna sounded unsure, “then there is no problem.”
“Yes, I know. Just yesterday I completed one of the pieces that I have been working on for so long, and today I should have another one completed. Before the week runs out we will be able to send the specifications and designs to the factory to produce for the launch,” Shelly completed.
“Okay, whatever you feel is right,” she sounded like she was smiling through the phone.
“Ok Arianna, talk later,” Shelly said hanging up.
“Bye, dear.”
As Shelly dropped her phone, she looked around her. Her apartment was neat, quiet, and serene. A good place to be creative. She got down to work.
“Where did you say she is again?” Anthony asked Doris for the tenth time.
“I didn’t say, I don’t know where she could be, she didn’t tell me anything,” Doris said standing up to take her leave. “I have to go grab a coffee.” It occurred to Anthony that Doris who usually wanted to be close to him, was skittish and running off to only God knew where. She seemed fidgety, but Anthony couldn’t be bothered with that right now. He had come into the office this morning to find Shelly’s seat empty, something that never happened. Curious as to why she had been late he had asked a couple of people only to find out that no one knew anything about it, not even where she lived. That seemed a little dangerous considering that she had only recently had someone set a bomb under her chair to kill her. What if this person had gone to her house? Anthony’s mind was racing.
Pulling out his phone he dialed Matty’s number. “Matty, Shelly isn’t at work and I can’t reach her. Do you have any idea where she could be?”
“Anthony calm down, Shelly called Ari this morning, she will be working from home today.”
“And nobody told me? I’m her bodyguard,” Anthony said annoyed.
“There hasn’t been an incident in a month now,” Matty yawned into the receiver. “I think it’s safe to say that whoever was after her has probably given up by now. So relax, ok.”
“Sure whatever,” Anthony growled. “Just give me her home address so I can make sure she’s fine.”
“Hold on, let me text it to you.”
“You are going to go looking for her, aren’t you?” Matty asked, knowing his friend all too well.
“I just want to make sure that she’s okay,” Anthony said, he had a bad feeling about her not showing up, and until he knew she was safe he wasn’t going to be able to think straight.
“Well I suppose I can’t change your mind?”
“Nope.”
“Well, hold on let me text her address to you, if you have to do this, her address will be very helpful.”
A few minutes later and Anthony was in front of Shelly’s door. “Shelly!” He banged the door. “Open up.” There was no answer. His insides squeezed and he was so sure something was off, but he couldn’t determine what it might be.
“Shelly!” He looked through the window to see her lying unconscious on the floor, his instincts kicked in and he found himself kicking the door in.
“Oh my god, Shelly.” He rushed in and checked her pulse. There was a vase shattered to pieces on the floor. He raised the back of her head gently to see that it was matted by blood.
“Oh no, Shelly, don’t leave me.” He pulled out his phone and dialed 911.
“911, what’s your emergency,” the 911 operator’s voice reached him.
“Please help, my friend has been attacked, she has a head injury and there is blood everywhere.” He couldn’t stand the thought that anything would happen to Shelly, she meant something to him, he may not know exactly how he felt about her, but he knew for a fact that she meant a lot to him and he was going to make sure he caught the bastard that had dared to lay a finger on her.
“What’s your location sir? We will send paramedics straight to you.” Anthony gave the address and prayed to the gods that they got there on time.
She woke up with the worst headache she had ever had in history. Opening her eyes made it worse. Everything seemed so foggy and she didn’t know where she was or what she was doing there. She tried to sit up and felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Relax Shelly, you have had a rough night.”
She looked up to see Anthony sitting down by her bedside, his eyes intense and caring.
“My head hurts.” Her hands moved to the back of her head to feel it, and she felt the soft cloth of a bandage.
“You took a bad hit. Don’t struggle to sit up too quickly.” His voice was somehow soothing to her otherwise freaked out senses.