"You're going to have to." She stands now and steps into her skirt. "You're not even half the man Mark is. You'll never get those shares away from Ivy. You might as well give up now."
"Don't say her name again." He snaps at her.
"She's nothing." She spits the words out. "He loves me."
He can't contain his amusement and he roars with laughter. "He loves Ivy. You're his whore."
"I'm not his whore." She reaches down to pick up one shoe, her eyes still scanning the area next to the bed.
"You're right." Jax shifts his body in front of the screen yet again. "You're one of his whores."
"If you care so much about Ivy, why don't you run and tell her what Mark is doing?" Her question rattles me.
"I will tell her." He walks forward now. I get my first glimpse of her fully dressed standing in the doorway of the room.
"When?"
"You don't get it, do you?" I watch as he pulls on a pair of faded jeans and a black t-shirt. "I watched my mother suffer when she found out my father was cheating on her. You think I'm just going to march up to Ivy and announce it?"
"Why should you care what she feels?" There's definite contempt in her tone.
"She's not like you." His expression is hard and unyielding. "She's not like anyone."
"So you're just going to let her marry him, is that it?" She adjusts her watch. "You're going to let her believe in him forever?"
"She'll know before the wedding." He stands and motions for her to leave the room. "I won't let her marry him."
I sit in stunned silence as I hear the muffled sound of their footsteps and a door closing. I watch the screen for what feels like hours until Jax reappears alone. He walks over to the computer, punches a few keys and the screen goes black.
Chapter 8
I stare at the door trying to control the pounding in my chest. I just need to press the buzzer and Jax will let me up. I have no idea what I'll say to him. I glance at my hand. The broken necklace is dangling between my fingers with the flash drive pressing into my palm. I have to tell him I watched it. I have to tell him I understand now.
I push my purse further onto my shoulder as I reach towards the panel that houses all the buzzers. "Excuse me." A woman's voice startles me. The street is dimly lit and in my overwhelmed state I hadn't noticed anyone walking up the steps.
"I'm sorry." I step back and watch as she unlocks the heavy door to the building with her keys.
"Are you coming in?" she asks as she holds open the door with her foot.
I nod and follow closely behind her marvelling at how she can balance two bags filled with groceries, a briefcase and a container of take-out all while using two different keys to unlock the door.
"Where are you headed?" She smiles as we reach the base of the stairs.
"I'm here to see Jax Walker," I say softly now wishing that I had stayed behind and buzzed him. I'm not certain of how warm a reception I'm going to receive when I start pounding on his apartment door.
"He's that way." She nods towards the wooden stairs. "I'm this way." She points with one free finger to a hallway to the left.
"Do you need some help?" I step closer reaching for a grocery bag.
"I'm good." She turns and disappears down the corridor while I pull in a deep breath and begin my ascent of the staircase.
I reach the top and I'm overcome with dread. I glance at my phone and realize it's almost ten o'clock. Maybe he's not here. Could he be on a date? Did he give up on me because I gave up on him? I shake the thought from my head. I came here with purpose and resolve. I can't turn back now. I'm so close to understanding the truth. All I need is for Jax to fill in the missing pieces.
I knock softly on the door before pressing my ear against the heavy wood. I hear nothing. There's no movement inside. I knock again, louder this time. Still there's nothing but complete silence. I don't want to wake Jax's neighbors but I'm not leaving without talking to him. I thump my fist against the door three times and call out his name. The distant sound of swift footsteps is my reward.
I hold my breath as I hear the click of the lock. I stare at the door handle, watching it turn. It's as if everything is in slow motion. I feel a wave of emotion washing through me. Suddenly the door swings open.
"Ivy," he says in a breathless whisper. He's not wearing anything but a pair of blue pajama pants that are sitting low on his hips.
"I just wanted…" I hold up the necklace and open my hand to show him the flash drive. "I watched this."
I'm vaguely aware of his hands grasping my shoulders as he pulls me into the room. I hear the distinctive sound of the door closing before his arms engulf me. I melt into his bare chest, clawing at his skin. I want and need to pull him into me. I inhale the scent of him and rest my forehead against his chin.
"Beautiful," he breathes the word into my mouth before his lips claim mine.
I wrap my hand through his hair as I pull his body into me. I need to tell him I'm still confused. I should explain that I want answers. I want to understand everything. Thoughts are bouncing off every recess of my mind. I should tell him to stop.
"Jax," I say his name as he moves his lips to my neck. "Please."
"Please what?" His hand is moving up my thigh. I can feel it getting closer. He's going to touch me. He's going to feel how aroused I am already.
"Please," I repeat unsure of anything in the moment.
"Please let me love you," he growls as he dips his index finger into my panties. I shudder as he pulls the length of it against my slick cleft. "Let me show you how much."
I don't resist. There isn't an inch of my body that doesn't want this right now. I need to feel him inside of me. I need to know we're connected. "Yes. Jax. Yes."
He drops to his knees. I whimper at the thought of his tongue touching my core. I don't think I can hold back. I'm so close to the brink now. I feel the brush of his hand against my hip as he rips the panties from my body. I'm so open, so exposed and so ready.
"Christ, Ivy. Look how wet you are." His breath whispers across my skin as I feel the first hint of his tongue brushing against my already swollen clit.
I moan in response, arching my back to meet his hungry mouth.
"That's it, beautiful," he growls into my flesh. "Take your pleasure. Use my tongue."
I grab hold of his hair with both my hands and push myself into his mouth. I'm lost in the moment. In the indescribable feeling of perfect pleasure. I buck my hips against him, using him to bring myself closer to the edge.
He moans loudly, lapping at my clit. He pulls it into his mouth, his tongue tempting it. "Come for me," he coaxes. "Do it, Ivy. Come."
I don't want it to end. There is nothing that feels as good as this. Nothing but having him within me. I cry out as I fall over the edge and the orgasm claims my entire body. He holds my legs as I shudder and pull on his hair. He's reaching for me with his tongue and I'm too tender to respond.
"No." I shake my head. "No more." I almost grunt the words. The primal sounds leaving my lips are a mirrored reflection of what I'm feeling.
"More." He pushes up against me and runs his lips across mine. I taste my own arousal. I need to feel him inside of me. I tear at his pajama bottoms, pushing them down as his cock springs free.
He scoops me up in his arms, kicking free of the pants as he heads towards the sofa. He unties my dress, pushing it off my shoulders before he unhooks my bra. His lips cover mine again and I close my eyes, relishing in the touch of his hands on my breasts. He pinches my nipples, gently pulling them between his fingers. I reach for his cock but before I can touch it, he's pushing me onto my back.
"I need to feel you." The words spill out of him recklessly. "I have to…" his voice trails as he pushes the tip of his cock against my clit.
I moan from the sensation and adjust my hips so he's at my entrance. I'm aching and he knows it. He thrusts himself into me in one sold, fluid motion. I gasp at the deep mixture of pleasure and pain.
"Fuck
, you're so tight." He pounds himself into me. He pushes harder and deeper and with each thrust my body responds in kind. I grip the edge of the sofa for leverage and drive back against him. I can't get him deep enough inside of me. I can't let him go.
"Harder, Jax." I beg. "Harder."
He grips my hips with both hands and plunges further into me. The sofa moves in time to our rhythm. I can feel it jumping forward each time he pounds himself into me.
"I’m so close," I scream the words.
I feel him pull me closer, his body begins to tremble and in that moment I find my release. He fills me at the exact second the orgasm races through me. "Oh, God, Ivy. Oh God."
We lay in silence; the only sound in the room is our measured breaths.
Chapter 9
"I have questions." I adjust the hem of the pajama top that Jax gave me to wear.
"Drink your tea." He motions to the cup of herbal tea he brewed for me that is now sitting atop the nightstand.
"It's too hot." I wave my hand in front of my lips as if to warn of the impending heat.
"That's adorable." He settles in across from where I'm sitting.
I smile before I continue, "I'm serious, Jax. I came here looking for some answers."
"I want to answer those questions." He sits up straighter. "You watched the rest of the video on the flash drive?"
I nod my head. "I did."
"You understand then." He reaches for the cup of tea. He blows on the liquid before he hands it to me.
I manage a small sip and then realize my hands are trembling. I nervously place the cup back down. "I don't understand everything."
"About Brooke?" He reaches for my hand to quiet it within his own.
"About Brooke, Mark, your parents, the woman who hurt you, the…"my voice trails as he brings my hand to his mouth and gently brushes his lips across the palm.
He looks up and into my eyes. "Let's start with Brooke."
I nod and feel my breath quickening. Even though I watched the full video I still feel a sense of uneasiness about watching Jax in bed with another woman. I'm not naïve enough to think there was no one before me. He's told me there were many but still the burned images in my mind of him pulling her body into his are hard to carry within me.
"Brooke worked for my dad," he says quietly as he squeezes my hand. I run my index finger back and forth against his palm to reassure him that it's okay to continue. "She was in college at the time. She was one of the interns they hired over a summer."
"Did you work with her too?" I press.
"No." He shakes his head slowly. "I was traveling back then, ignoring my responsibilities. I was running from things."
"What things?" I ask, wondering if this is another road into Jax's life that will unveil secrets I'm not ready for.
He raises his eyes from my hand to my face. "Life things. I wasn't ready to grow up. I wanted the wealth my dad could give me without the responsibility."
I can see the pain in his eyes when he talks about his father. It's the same pain I've long felt knowing I haven't lived up to my dad's expectations.
"I didn't know who Brooke was until my father was dying." His body trembles slightly when he says the words. "My parents had separated months before that and my mother was a mess. She was destroyed by his affair but they wouldn't talk about it."
"The affair was with Brooke?" I ask the question even though I'm already certain of the answer.
He nods. "She was decades younger than my dad. She told him she loved him and he left my mother for her. He hid it…her from me."
"But you found out about her before he passed?" I try to say it diplomatically. I've seen the wrenching pain that Jax is in because of his father's death and I don't want to exacerbate that.
He pulls in a heavy breath. "The hospital called one morning and said he was asking for me. I didn't know he was there."
I'm taken back by the admission. It offers me clarity. I now understand how estranged Jax and his father really were. I squeeze his hand again reassuring him so he'll continue, offering him understanding.
"He was so weak. He was frail," he whispers, his voice cracking. "We talked for hours. He told me all about Brooke. She had used him."
"That's horrible."
He pauses as if he's gathering up the will to continue. I can tell he hasn't talked of this before but it's been weighing heavily on him. "He asked me to make things right. He knew she was sleeping with Mark too." He casts his eyes downward. "I knew he was cheating on you then."
I wince, not wanting the confirmation that he held that knowledge for so long. "You didn't know me then," I offer in response.
"I knew Mark had a girlfriend." He smiles slightly. "You two were just dating back then."
I flash back to the night that Mark proposed. Part of me hadn't wanted to admit that his philandering had been a part of our relationship before that day. I know now that when he dropped to his knee and pledged his undying devotion to me that he was already being unfaithful. I briefly stare at my now vacant ring finger.
"When did you know we had become engaged?" I know it's a selfish question given Jax's emotional confessions about his father but my curiosity is peaked.
"I didn't know who you were." He pulls himself across the bed so his knees are now touching mine. "When I arrived at the gala that night I heard someone say that Mark and Ivy were engaged. Any woman in that room could have been Ivy." He traces his finger along my ankle. "It didn't matter at that moment to me who she was." He puts extra measure on the word she.
I furrow my brow not quite understanding what he's saying. "You didn't know I was me?" I giggle and shake my head once the words leave my lips. "I mean you didn't realize that I was Mark's fiancé?"
"Once I knew that he had gotten engaged to his girlfriend I was determined to tell her… to tell you about his relationship with Brooke." He taps his index finger against my leg. "Then I walked into the room and standing in the center of all the madness was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen."
My heart stops for what feels like an eternity. I lock eyes with him and wait breathlessly for him to continue.
"You were searching the room for something. I watched you for so long. You were wearing a beautiful long black gown that showed the gentle curve of your back. Your skin looked so soft." He studies my face as he continues, "your hair was pulled up onto your head." He lifts his finger to trace a line along the side of my chin. "It was falling down in places though so you kept pushing it back with your hand."
I remembered the night but not the details the way that he did. Everyone in the room had melted away because I was so caught up in Mark and in planning my happily-ever-after with him.
"I walked up behind you," he says, his eyes widen as if he's seeing that moment right in front of him. "I breathed in the scent of your skin and I heard your voice for the first time as you said hello to a woman passing by."
I'm awestruck by his recounting of that night. I'm hit by how different things might have been if we'd met then. If he'd pulled his arm around my waist and slid his body next to mine.
"I was reaching out to touch your shoulder and then…" his voice trails as he casts his eyes downward.
"Mark," I murmur.
"He walked into the room and you waved at him." He raises his hand in the air as if to mimic my movements. "There was a flash and something bounced off the light."
"My engagement ring," I say weakly.
He nods in response. "You walked away then. You moved across the floor and into his arms. I knew then that you were Ivy." His hand clenches into a tight fist on the bed between us.
I place my hand over it willing him to let go of the anger. "I still believed in him then."
"I know." His hand softens and he cups it over mine again. "I knew that night that I couldn't let you marry him. I didn't want you to be hurt the way my mother was."
"Would you have told me if I hadn't found out myself?" I ask meekly.
He hangs his head lo
w, his eyes focused on the bed. "Yes," he offers in a shallow voice.
"When?" I press.
"I went back to California after that night at the gala to take care of my mother. Well, actually after that night with Brooke." He corrects himself. "I made it my mission to find out everything I could about you."
"That's how you knew about the article. The Dialogue article that you brought up at Brighton's opening?" I ask excitedly. The pieces are starting to fall into place.
"Yes." He nods.
"What about the woman you said you dated who was wearing one of my bracelets?" I ask.
"There was a woman months ago. It was the only date I went on after seeing you at the gala," he says gently. "She was wearing one of your bracelets."
"How is that possible?" I'm confused. "What are the chances that a woman you'd go on a date with would be wearing one of my designs?"
He pulls back and swings his legs over the bed. "I met her the day I bought into Veray. I was in the showroom with Madeline. There was a blonde woman looking at your pieces."
I move next to him, my feet dangling inches from the floor.
"I thought it was you." He squeezes his eyes shut. "I wanted it to be you. I stood right behind her. She wasn't wearing a ring."
I reach to wrap my arm around his neck and I pull him into me. "I'm sorry it wasn't me. I wish it had been."
He gently rubs his hand over my leg. "Me too, beautiful."
I pull back as a heavy yawn takes over my body.
"Get under the covers." He stands and moves back the blanket exposing the sheet. "It's very late."
"We're not done." I protest kicking my legs against the side of the bed.
"We're never going to be done. You'll always be mine." He scoops me up and lays my head on the pillow.
I smile at him in the dim light. He looks different tonight. He's happier, lighter maybe. "That's not what I meant."
"We'll talk more tomorrow." His lips graze my forehead. "Sleep now, beautiful."
Obsessed: Part Three (The Obsessed Series) Page 4