Hell, he could’ve done more damage to her himself than any robber out to get their competition. The simple truth was, she was much better off with the security guard watching over her than she’d ever be in Jacob’s presence. He’d do her a greater service if he stayed as far away from her as he could. It’d hurt like hell to leave her, but at least she’d be safe. “Thanks, amigo, I appreciate it. If you could, hold a meeting with all the branches and keep me posted for a few more days. I’ll let you know when I’m headed home.” He’d have to call Mrs. Everett too, which would mean Jacob could kiss his chance at retaliation toward his father goodbye, given the board’s meeting was in two days. But what did that matter in the scheme of things? He clearly wasn’t fit to run BCF any more than the old man. Look at him. He put his own needs above everyone else’s, then ran scared, letting his demons chase him.
The board meeting could come and go without him. It’d be better for everyone that way.
Marc asked, “Hey, man, is everything okay there?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine.” The lie sounded hollow, even to his own ears. Before his friend could question him on it, Jacob ended the call. Nothing was okay. He’d cycled between wanting Sara and wanting to push her away so many times the last few days his head spun. How could he explain that to anyone when he couldn’t talk about his reasons?
A knock on the door had him standing in a daze. He opened it before thinking it through, and Elise slipped into the room, taking advantage of his haze and pushing past him.
Her touch on his arm broke him of it and sent him head first into rage. “Get out!”
Despite his tone, she leaned against the door while unbuttoning the top of her knee-length sweater coat.
He closed his eyes, counted to ten, then opened them again. The woman had absolutely no survival instinct. Couldn’t she feel the anger pulsing in him? “Trust me when I say you don’t want me to ask you again.”
“You don’t know what I want.” She ignored his request and continued working on the buttons of her coat. “I’ve missed you, Jacob.” In a casual shrug, she sent the material falling to the floor.
Hijo de puta!
The woman now stood before him in nothing but high heels.
The idiocy of the move actually cooled some of the fire in him. Instead of lashing at her, he laughed, getting straight in her face. “Am I supposed to be impressed?”
She proved too full of herself to be put off. Her finger trailed down his uniform, stopping at his zipper.
“Go ahead, keep going. See exactly what you don’t do for me anymore.” Her hand grazed his flaccid cock, and he laughed again. “You mean nothing to me, Elise. Don’t you get that yet?”
“What, and your whore of an employee does?”
“How do you know about Sara?”
“Your assistant. Turns out financial problems make her have a very chatty mouth. You’d be surprised what throwing a little money around can do for loosening lips. Or I guess you already know that. How loose did Sara’s lips get once she realized she had a chance at your wallet?”
Money problems…? Vanessa? Jacob took good care of her.
But she had mentioned being afraid of the direction the bank was heading. In fact, she’d mentioned it that same day Jacob’s jacket and wallet, and missing money, had mysteriously shown up.
His rage flared to life again in an instant. Elise wasn’t fit to speak of Sara, let alone insult someone who was more of a woman than she could ever hope to be. And Vanessa? He’d deal with that problem as soon as Elise left. One phone call would be all it took to have the woman forever banned from BCF’s headquarters. Divorce or no divorce, her theft, especially in light of her giving personal information to Elise, could mean an even greater breach of BCF. Not only would Jacob have to conduct a massive internal audit, a criminal investigation could be not too far behind.
Here he’d spent so much energy worrying that his father would be the downfall of their bank when he should’ve been worried about his assistant and his ex.
Or himself.
Things should’ve never been allowed to get that far. If Jacob had only been more focused… But how could he have been when Elise had threatened to bring a child into this world? His child. “Take. Your. Coat. And. Leave. Now.” Each word came out from between gritted teeth as Jacob’s blood pressure spiked to dangerous levels.
When Elise made no move to cover herself and leave, he threw her jacket over his shoulder and picked her up by her forearms, leaving her feet inches above the floor.
Instead of looking scared, she continued to smirk. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Oh, he wouldn’t, would he? The crazy bitch didn’t know him at all.
Without another word, he opened the door and set her down on the other side, then slammed it shut on her outraged face. Even through the partition he could hear her sputtering. But what had she expected? Hell, with as angry as he was, she should’ve considered herself lucky he hadn’t left her out there cold. At least he’d been gentlemanly enough to toss her sweater coat over her head at the last second. As it stood, that was way more than the fucking woman deserved.
28
The next morning, Harrison left the breakroom with hesitant steps. That’s different. As was his silence.
Unfortunately, his changes only highlighted the one Sara had been trying to avoid dwelling on since she’d first learned of the robbery the day before.
She’d expected Jacob to show up on her doorstep last night. His protectiveness flared to life with the least provocation, yet he’d stayed away this time. True, she hadn’t been in any immediate danger, and he had sent over a security guard, but Jacob wasn’t the kind of guy to do things via proxy.
Did his demons run that deep?
She’d thought for sure that he’d come around eventually. But if something like a robbery didn’t make that happen, did she have any hope at all?
Nothing but her own fears answered her. She fought them off as best she could, trying to hold onto the hope that something would change.
Where was Christopher when she needed him? Right now, more than ever, she could really use his advice.
“You do know I never truly thought you were a coward, don’t you?”
The return of his voice in her head brought a small smile. Yet what good did it do to know that she wasn’t a coward? Her issues weren’t at play right now. Jacob’s were.
“Then maybe it’s time you show Jacob that he’s not a coward either. Give him something to hold onto.”
Something to hold onto, hmm? Sara smiled. Thanks, bro. She knew just what to do.
If Jacob didn’t want to be with her for any reason other than fear, she’d watch him walk away with regret, but she’d let him go. However, if he thought she’d let him get away with running only to withdraw back into himself, he had another thing coming. She was a Morrow woman after all. And Morrow women didn’t give up on the people they cared about.
Sara followed Harrison’s path into the conference room and sat next to Bel right as Marc introduced himself on speaker phone. “We're short on time, so I promise to get you out with a few minutes to spare before opening.”
No one on her end of the call spoke. Not even RJ.
Nor did they move as Marc continued. “Here are the facts as they stand now. Three assailants. All average height, roughly 5'8” to 5'10”, one overweight. Two white, one possible Hispanic. Two of the three were armed.”
Sara clutched Bel’s hand under the table to lend support and secretly get a little back in return. She’d stay strong for her friends and the branch, but inwardly she was as scared as everyone else.
“They hit right at opening,” Marc said. “They were waiting outside.”
Yolanda whimpered, and Sara shot her a sympathetic glance, wishing she had enough hands to hold all of theirs.
“As soon as employees unlocked the door, the trio rushed them and locked everyone inside. In and out in less than eight minutes. One employee was injured.”
Bel tightened her grip on Sara's hand while grabbing Naomi’s in her other when the girl wouldn’t stop chewing her already short fingernails.
Marc reported, “A friend in the FBI informed me there's been an ongoing case with fifteen similar robberies along the Arizona border. If this is the same crew they're looking at, so far yesterday was the first injury.”
Sara released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. That was good news at least.
“While they aren't typically violent, we can't overlook the fact it could mean they're escalating.”
Apparently not. And it was something no one else had considered either, judging by the way her coworkers squirmed in their seats.
“I can't stress enough how important it is to pay attention to your surroundings. Make sure no one is loitering nearby before you enter and exit the branch. From a scheduling standpoint, I want you to come in pairs in the morning. No one enters the branch alone. No one. Wait in your car with the engine running until the next person comes in. Park close to the building. After opening, you can go out in pairs and move your cars to the farther spots.”
In a rare move, Harrison started taking notes, nodding his head at each of Marc's points.
“Program every staff member’s number in your cell phone and call your partner if you’re running behind. Guys? Be responsible. Your actions could very well impact someone else’s life. Don't be late and leave your coworker alone.”
Isaac tapped his pen on the table with nervous energy until Harrison motioned for him to stop. Sara gave both of them a smile of encouragement.
“I know we’re creatures of habit, but please follow procedure. Vary your routine. Take a different route home each night. Come in from a different direction. And whatever you do, if it isn’t a mandatory stop like taking your child to school or heading to a regular doctor visit, don’t frequent the same place every morning on your way to work.”
There went her morning coffee runs. Not that they’d be hard to give up, in light of everything.
“Trust your gut. If something doesn’t feel right, pay attention. Don’t hesitate to use the emergency call buttons underneath your stations.”
“We have call buttons?”
“For real, RJ.” Bel leveled the older man with a look. “Did you not pay attention in training at all?”
“I’m kidding. Sorry, I thought everyone could use a laugh right about now.”
“Enough, guys. I need you to focus. Remember the code. If you need police assistance, press the call button. When we call back, what is the response to the question ‘Are you being robbed’?”
“Management’s in a meeting. Can I help you?”
“And if you say ‘Management’s in a meeting. Can I help you?’, what happens?”
“Police are notified.”
Only five of their fourteen staff members knew the drill. No wonder the company enforced yearly trainings. Clearly, they needed them even more frequent than that.
“Since I didn’t hear all of you, I’m going to assume some of you fell asleep during our annual meetings. Pay attention. Learn it. And come up with a code you all understand to alert each other internally, too.” Marc waited for fourteen yeses before continuing. “Most importantly, if you’re robbed, don’t be a hero. Give them the money and get them out as soon as possible. Our money is insured. Your lives can’t be returned. Everyone understand?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now when we get off the phone, start thinking about branch safety. Don’t leave tonight until you’ve agreed upon a clear plan.”
“Thanks, Marc.” Harrison disconnected the call, then grabbed a dry erase pen and tossed it to the teller coordinator. “All right, we still have fifteen minutes until opening. Let’s brainstorm ideas. Isaac, can you write them on the board, please? Call out whatever comes to mind.”
“We need a code word.”
“Something common enough not to alert anyone else, but not so common we think we’re being robbed every time someone asks for a paperclip.”
“How about Rosarita? ‘Cuz that’s the only place I’d be headed to if I robbed a bank.”
“Shut up, RJ.”
“Actually, that’s not half bad. How about a designated place to meet up if some of us manage to escape?”
“The laundromat down the street?”
Isaac’s hurried scrawl tried to keep up, but he didn’t ask them to slow down the entire ten minutes of their meeting.
29
Friday evening, unable to fully commit to the idea that had been brewing since that morning, Sara stared at the plaster swirls on the bedroom ceiling playing the what-if game. What if she couldn’t do it? What if she accidentally sent the pictures to the wrong number? What if she went out on a limb and ended up scaring Jacob for good?
She looked again at the three items she’d laid out on her nightstand.
A quick glance at the clock made her groan.
10:03.
She really was a coward. She’d been laying here for over an hour and still hadn’t done what she’d intended. She knew Jacob enough to know any phone call attempt on her part would be met with silence. But this… surely he wouldn’t ignore an effort like this.
Gaining a modicum of courage, Sara moved the items to lay beside her on the comforter. The contrast of stark sexuality against the innocence of the white eyelet spread gave her another moment’s pause.
Nope, she definitely couldn’t do this. Doing it meant the pictures would be out there for all eternity, which could mean the beginning of a lifetime of embarrassment and humiliation for her. Did she want him enough to risk that?
Sara caressed the pretty pink vibrator, from its tapered head that eased penetration to the bulbous body and down to the slim indent that led to the flared end of the plug. The thrill that swept through her wouldn’t be denied. Yes, she did. She wanted Jacob enough to do this and more.
She held the cylinder base of the second toy in both hands and flicked the switch. The rounded tip of the Magic Wand vibrated at a low hum. Her womb clenched automatically, her muscles having been programmed long ago to the toy’s guaranteed pleasure.
She’d just take a few pictures. If she blocked her face, she’d be unidentifiable, right? Except for that freckle Jacob loved. But lots of women had those. Besides, Sara would have final say over which ones she sent, so if she didn’t find one she liked, she’d simply send him a sexy text and hope for the best.
Here goes.
Sara steadied her hands and sat up to take a quick sip of water before tilting the glass to spill down her front. The drink chilled her skin as she drenched her nightshirt, wetting the material enough to make it transparent. Trying for the best shot, she held the phone out adjusting the angle of the camera, snapping pictures and adding more props only once satisfied.
The whole process from start to finish took no more than ten minutes, but ended to her surprise with a Jacob-level orgasm. It also ended much too soon for her comfort. Her next task would be significantly harder. Who wanted to look at pictures of their own naked body?
Sara put the phone down and went to refill her glass of water, stalling.
She wasn’t ready yet. Her hands still shook.
What had she been thinking? She’d never be ready. She couldn’t send them. No way. She couldn’t even look at them. Okay, so no big deal. Delete them and be done with it.
Now that, she could definitely do.
She hurried back to her bedroom, tapped the home screen, braved a glance, and came face-to-face with herself in a way she’d never before experienced. Then the weirdest thing happened. Looking at herself became oddly erotic, so much so that she kept flipping through them until she found herself at the end of the shots she’d taken. She flipped back through again and picked five out of the eighty-seven to send. Not only did she look good, but the ones she’d chosen would without a doubt generate a reaction from Jacob.
She pressed send before she could change her mind again, then glan
ced back in awe at what she’d captured.
In the first, her wet t-shirt clung to hardened nipples, the outline of her breasts dark underneath the see-through cloth. With her head thrown back, the column of her throat looked as if it waited for his bite.
Her skin tingled in response to the picture and the memory of when he actually had explored that small spot that made her wild. She flopped on her bed, the phone still clutched in her hands.
No harm studying the other four until he responds.
In the second, she’d removed her top completely, yet the highlight strangely wasn't her enormous breasts, but the small scrap of white lace panty she’d still had on that covered skin waxed smooth, and the tip of her finger teasing her legs to part.
They parted again while she scanned more of what she’d sent. Though it’d been less than ten minutes since her orgasm, excitement built again, and without thought her hand closed over the long handle of the Magic Wand.
The next photo revealed Sara completely nude. In it, she’d held her legs spread high and wide and had captured the moment right as she'd pushed the bulbous head all the way home, revealing only her ass, her spread pussy lips, and the pink knob that stuck out and controlled the level and type of vibration of the anal toy.
Her inner muscles spasmed from just the memory. She flipped to the fourth picture while running the rounded top of the wand along her slit, her legs apart, the toy off.
For the second to last one, she’d held the phone above her as she reclined on pillows against the headboard, capturing everything but her face, from the curl of her toes and the pink flesh that had glistened with arousal to the toy working her clit and her muscles bunched in tension.
Just as they tightened now.
Breathless, Sara swiped her finger across her phone to bring the last picture into view.
How she’d captured herself at the moment of glory, she didn’t know. Her nipples showed as proud, hardened peaks that reached toward the heavens while her hips had lifted from the bed with the force of her orgasm, showcasing flexed thigh muscles right as the pink toy slipped from her ass, her contractions so powerful they’d milked it from her body. The picture was blurry and the angle off, but it was by far the sexiest of the five. Only this last one revealed a portion of her face, from the bottom of her nose down, but she’d chosen it because of the way her mouth gaped open as if waiting for his cock.
Morrow's Horizon (The Morrow Women Series Book 1) Page 23