The Shadow Box

by Ke, Alexis

  It didn’t.

  Damn you, Afryca.

  He glanced at his wrist watch. He had a meeting in twenty minutes and then a consult and fix an hour after that. He hit the button on his computer to show his calendar. If he’s lucky he’ll be too busy to worry about her. He blew out a breath. Great. The day was going to be filled with work, not Afryca.

  He paced around his office, working off the excess energy she’d caused. Again he checked the time. He had to get moving. Time was not going to stop because a woman had his mind wrapped around her body and his cock wrapped in something else.

  Chapter Eight

  Simon stepped into the conference room and all thoughts of distraction were defeated. Afryca sat at the end of the table, her face expressionless. Damn. He’d had many impossible days, but this was going to be the worse one yet. How was he going to sit across from her, carry on a business conversation and not lay her on the table and have her? God he wanted her and he would only be fooling himself if he said otherwise. He had been successful in dodging her all week. Sure he considered it very cowardly but what was he to do?

  If he told her the truth he took the chance of losing her, their friendship, everything. What if she wanted to keep her secret side, just that, secret. To confide in her that he was Shadow could crush her and that was the last thing he wanted to do. He would rather die than douse the spark he had seen in her eyes and heard in her voice when he’d trailed his mouth along her hot skin.

  No, he wasn’t willing to do that. She meant too much to him, even if it meant his misery for the rest of his life. He quickly glanced her way and then diverted his attention to the others in the room. His heart cracked a little more each time he caught her looking at him. He sucked in a breath, held it and blew it out between his pursed lips, but quietly, so she didn’t notice it.

  “Afryca, gentlemen.” He smiled and tilted his head in a gentle nod.

  She smiled back and immediately his groin tightened even more and this time to the point of pain. It was going to be a very, very long meeting.

  “I haven’t seen you much this week.” She pushed up from her chair, walked over to him and placed a cup of coffee on the table in front of him. “You’ve been busy I take it.”

  Like the fool he was he could only muster up enough energy to nod. A single, geeky, forced nod. If he didn’t get it together she was going to start suspecting something was wrong, and then how was he going to answer to that? Oh, no Afryca. Everything is fine. It’s so fine I want to push you right down on this table and slam my cock—yeah the one that’s been like a pole since I saw you at the club— into you and screw you until we both scream.

  He’d already lost his mind, so what else was left? He needed to get it together. Never had a woman had this effect on him. The jumble of emotions slamming in his heart and head were foreign to him. How was he supposed to respond to them? He glanced up into her gaze, took the cup and lifted it to his mouth. After a sip he said, “Sorry. It’s been an extremely crazy week.”

  “You want to grab a movie tonight and a bite to eat?”

  He hesitated a second too long. She stared at him and raised her eyebrows. “What’s the matter, you got a date or something? If you can’t make it tonight how about this weekend?”

  There was something in her voice that wasn’t usually there. It sounded as if she was toying with him. He knew he was imagining things because if that was true then it must mean she knew he was the Shadow. But that was impossible. Only one other person knew his true identity and he would bet his last dime there was no way Tess would break that confidence. Tess enjoyed the club too much and she knew it would mean immediate and permanent barring. They had an understanding. While they were friends, they would not let that interfere in the business side of their lives. A promise was a promise.

  He caught himself as she reached out to touch him. He leaned back, out of her reach. “Tonight would be good,” he blurted out before thinking.

  She chuckled and said, “That’s great, cause I’m hoping to go out of town this weekend.” There goes that smile again. It was just enough to make a man wonder what a woman was thinking about. It was just enough to make him wish she was thinking about him.

  He lifted an eyebrow, knowing she wasn’t about to divulge where she was going or what she had planned. After all, he helped the club write the policies that each employee and client must adhere to.

  “Okay, tonight it is. You pick the movie and I’ll pick the food.”

  Without another word she nodded and took her seat at the opposite end of the table. Two hours later all t’s were crossed and i’s doted and he was locked in his office yet again, feeling a coward for not facing his dilemma head on.

  The ringing of his phone startled him back to life. He grabbed the receiver and brought it to his ear. “Ellery,” he answered with a bit too much urgency.

  A frantic voice clamored in his ear. “Oh, my God! It just crashed! I’ve lost everything.”

  “I’m going to need you to slow down, take a deep breath and tell me exactly what happened. What did the computer do?”

  “It hiccupped and then shut down. I can’t get it to reboot or anything. Oh my God! My report!”

  He wasn’t sure but he was thought he heard a sniffle from the other end. Certainly the man wasn’t about to cry. However, it was possible. He remembered when he first started out and he’d had a few too many computer crashes. Tears used to come to his eyes too. After several attempts to guide the poor man through a series of tasks in an effort to remotely fix the problem, he knew he was going to have to go out.

  “Which location are you in, sir?” He cringed at the address and glanced at his watch. It was all the way on the other side of town. No way was he going to be able to get there, diagnose and fix a computer problem and then get back in time to take Afryca to the movies. He shook his head. “I’ll be there in about an hour.” He sat for a few more seconds and listened to the expletives spewing from the man’s mouth, knowing it was frustration and nothing more. “That’s the best I can do. I’m not on site.” He hung up and began gathering his belongings.

  Minutes later he was standing outside Afryca’s office dreading knocking. Just how upset was she going to be that he had to cancel? Very. She was always upset when he changed their plans. He wasn’t sure if he was upset or relieved. From the moment he’d made the date to go to the movies he hadn’t been at all sure how he was going to sit next to her and carry on a simple conversation. He’d had visions of blabbering like a fool at her simplest questions. A ‘how was your day?’ would probably have him in tears. So maybe this was a good thing, not being able to make such a fool of himself in front of her.

  After all, she always ended up with her head on his shoulder or something cozy like that. What would he do with that? Certainly not what he wanted. So, yeah, it probably was a good thing that they weren’t going out. He was an idiot to even ask, to even imagine thinking he could act as if everything was okay.

  It wasn’t.

  He rapped on her door and pushed it open. She was not there. Damn. He hated leaving her a note to explain but what else was he to do? He glanced at his watch again and shook his head. The hour was fast ticking away and if he didn’t arrive within the next forty minutes the fee would be cut. So he did the last thing he wanted. He left her a note, promising to call her from his car.

  “Whatever, Simon!”

  “I’m sorry, Afryca, really I am.”

  “And you couldn’t get someone else to go?”

  “You know it doesn’t work like that.” One of the things their company boasted about was the person who answered the phone would be the service person to fix the problems. They swore it cut down on the issue of having to talk to a million people before you got satisfaction. Until that moment, Simon had believed in it.

  “I’ll make it up to you, promise.”

  * * * * *

  Damn straight you will. Afryca stared at the phone for another moment before hanging it up it.
It was bad enough that she’d almost called him Shadow at the meeting earlier that day but now she wasn’t sure if she was upset because she was mad or because she thought it might be fear. Had Simon really received a service call at the last minute or was this his way of backing out.?

  He’d acted strange the entire first part of the week. Had he found out she’d visited his secret club? Did he disapprove of her that much? Her stomach lurched from the thought that she could possibly repulse someone so much. But damn it all to hell, she wanted Simon. He may have it in his head that she wasn’t what he wanted but she was going to prove him wrong. She had too.

  Chapter Nine

  The week went by in a blur. She’d barely seen Simon after he’d cancelled their movie date and on the few occasions she did he was hurrying off to one meeting or another. She’d finally gotten up the nerve to call him but he was never home and he didn’t return her voice mail messages either. Her body ached from the need to see him, talk to him. She wanted to be angry with him but couldn’t. This wasn’t the first time they’d not talked during the week. On more than one occasion his schedule had run opposite hers.

  But she knew it wasn’t that. She knew that he was avoiding her. She’d asked Tess if she’d told him her secret. Tess swore she hadn’t, promising she’d take it to the grave. Afryca was mortified at the thought that maybe he’d found out and it repulsed him that she would visit such a club. Her heart told her otherwise. If he was a member, then certainly he was open to it.

  There was only one thing to do.

  She pulled her car onto Interstate 95 and headed north. There was only one way to scratch her itch. Maybe if she got one more visit with Simon, then he and his Shadow Box would be out of her system. This was what she told her head, but her heart and gut said something else. She’d never get enough of Simon.

  Two and a half hours later she braked to a stop in the parking lot. She sat in the car for another twenty minutes gathering her courage, and wondering if Simon ever participated in any of the other rooms. Thinking back to the many rooms she’d seen that first day, she smiled at her visions of Simon tying her up, pinching her throbbing nipples with clamps or sliding his pole-hard cock into her ass while his hand toyed with her clit. She almost came just thinking about it.

  Her anxiousness turned to dread the moment she stepped into the club.

  “Oh, Ms. A., I’ve been trying to reach you,” the receptionist said, her voice hurried. “Shadow had to cancel his appointments today.”

  “Huh?” No, she wasn’t hearing what she thought she was hearing. Didn’t she just drive almost three hours to get to this club? “What did you just say?”

  “I’ve been trying to reach you. I know you came a long way.”

  Anger bubbled in her gut so that she couldn’t even hear the woman. “Why didn’t you call?” She tried to keep her voice calm when all she wanted to do was grab this bearer of bad news, pull her over the desk and slap her. “I don’t live around the corner,” her voice wobbled with dread.

  “I am truly sorry. I’ve been calling for two hours. I left several messages on your voice mail.”

  “Well it’s not going to help me to call my home phone when I’m on the road now, is it?” Her voice hitched as she pulled her cell phone out of her purse, then slumped, suddenly deflated.

  Her cell phone was on vibrate and she hadn’t heard it tucked in the bottom of her pocketbook. There were several missed calls, even a couple from Tess. She brought her gaze back to the woman’s face.

  “I’m sorry.” She swallowed past the lump in her throat and hoped the tears at the back of her eyes would stay right where they were. Hidden. “I guessed I missed the calls.”

  “Yes, and we are sorry for that. We want our customers to get the best experience possible. I would like to reschedule this appointment, free of charge, of course. How does that sound? Or you may visit any of the other rooms today if you so please.”

  Her heart was pounding in her chest so loud she barely hear the words coming out woman’s mouth. “When will Si—when is Shadow’s next available appointment? Does he work in any of the other rooms?” She didn’t want another room unless he was in it with her. She knew it was silly but if her life was going to be in a shambles then at least she was going to get some pleasure out of it.

  “I’m not sure.” The receptionist frowned. Her once concerned demeanor turned cool as if Afryca was now bothering her with inappropriate questions. “He’s actually asked for some time off. Indefinitely.”

  Afryca opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out but hot air. Did she say he’d quit? Just like that? No more Shadow? What about the Shadow Box? What was going on?

  Too much was happening. None of it made sense. “Why would he do that?” She grabbed the corner of the desk in an attempt to stave off the dizziness squeezing a band around her neck cutting off her much needed oxygen.

  “Ms.?” She was shoved into a chair before she could object and her hands were wrapped around a glass of cold water. “Are you going to be okay?”

  She wanted to yell no, not ever again, but instead, she took a tentative sip of the cool liquid and nodded her head. She gulped the remainder of the water, placed the glass on the corner of the table and ran toward the door. Never again. Sudden fatigue washed over her and she wondered how she was going to get home. A three hour drive home was a long ride when you had no reserve. Reserve you were hoping to get from Simon. How dare he do this? She was not going to stand by and let him get away with it. It was one thing to avoid her at work. He didn’t have to even talk to her except on a professional basis.

  Yet, she’d thought their friendly relationship could withstand any storm. She guessed she was wrong.

  She hit the expressway doing eighty miles an hour. She dared any trooper to pull her over. It would be the day she went to jail. Anger wrapped around her fogging her vision. No way was Mr. Simon Ellery going to get away with this. Sure, he didn’t know it was her, but he was going to know. If he still hated her then so be it. She’d wash her hands of him and move on with her life. Who knows, she might even revisit the club again. They did owe her an appointment. And if not that club, then another. She’d find them, all of them if need be. From what she’d seen and what Tess had told her, Simon wasn’t the only man who knew how to give pleasure.

  Who was she fooling? She was miserable. Nonetheless, before the day was over, Simon was going to know who it was whose honey had coated his tongue.

  * * * * *

  Bleary eyed Afryca pulled into the nearest parking spot in front of Simon’s apartment. Somewhere along the ride home her anger had started to abate but as she spotted the light glowing behind his curtains it rushed back with a vengeance. Damn him. She pushed the car door open, stormed up to his porch and banged her fist on the door. Her finger punched the bell numerous times. But he didn’t answer. She snatched her cell phone from her pocket and dialed his number.

  “Simon. I know you’re home. You are such an asshole.” She snapped the phone shut, turned and ran back to her car.

  She needed to get as far from him as possible. Tears stung her eyes, threatening to fall. God, she didn’t want to cry. How’d she get to this place? Leaving angry messages on Simon’s voice mail. Hating him.

  Thirty minutes later and feeling a lot better she braked to a stop in her driveway. She blinked and stared at the car parked in front of her house. Simon? What the hell was he doing there? This was why you should never give people keys to your house. They showed up when you didn’t want them to, when it would tear at your heart to look in their eyes.

  She pushed her door open, stepped in and stopped dead in her tracks. He was sitting there staring back at her.

  “What are you doing here?” her voice came out harder than she anticipated.

  He opened his mouth to answer and she cut him off with the flick of her hand.

  “You know what, Simon? I don’t really care. You haven’t spoken to me in over a week.” She stormed over to him and jabbed h
er finger into his chest. “You can leave.” She didn’t want to see him. She didn’t want to have that conversation with him. Maybe after a few weeks, months, years she’d get over him. She turned to walk away and swung back around. “I don’t need friends like you Simon. Not ever.”

  He stood there, his gaze hard on her face. “But I need you.”

  “Yeah, right.” She took a step and he grabbed her arm, pulled her back to him. “Let me go, Simon.”

  “Why are you angry at me?”

  “Why? Why?” She tugged her arm from his grasp, moved over to the sofa and flopped down.

  He sat down beside her and she jumped up and moved over to the chair. “Leave me alone.”

  “Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”

  “No.”

  “Yes.” He kicked his legs out, folding his arms across his chest.

  She stood, walked over to the door, pulled it open and waited. “I was at that club. All right?”

  “I know that.”

  It was as if a needle popped a balloon. Everything swished out of her body. Her mind went blank. “You are such a liar!.”

  “I’ve never lied to you a day in my life.”

  “Well, there’s always a first. I know Tess told you.”

  “Tess?” He walked over to her, grabbed her hand. She tried to pull it out of his grasp but he wouldn’t release it. “I haven’t talked to Tess all week. And I haven’t spoken to you because I was afraid of what you would think if you knew I was Shadow.”

  She swiped away the tear that had the nerve to breach her eyes. “I don’t need you to lie to me Simon. I’m a big girl. I can take it. And even if you did know, you certainly didn’t do anything about it.” Her breath hitched. She sucked in a deep breath, blew it out. It was hard but she’d get it out. Had to. “It’s even okay if you don’t see me like that. I’m used to it. You aren’t the first who couldn’t take me and my insatiable sexual appetite and you won’t be the last.