Sudden Devotion

by Sudden Devotion [Siren Classic] (lit)

  * * * *

  Sara had tried to sleep several times through the night but was unable. She wasn’t sure if it was the uneasy feeling that had plagued her all afternoon and evening. Or, if it was the fact that Mitch always checked in with her before she went to bed, but he hadn’t tonight. At first, she just went to bed and tried to ignore the pit in her stomach. She didn’t want to be one of those whiny girlfriends that called when he was trying to get some work done.

  But at two a.m. she had caved and called his cell phone. There was no answer. She waited a while thinking he would call her back, but he didn’t. By three o’clock, she was in full-blown panic mode. She convinced herself that she had every reason to be worried, so she called again. And again and again and again.

  Finally, she thought maybe he had left his cell phone in his desk drawer. He had done it before. With huge relief, she relaxed. Just wanting to hear his voice, she called the main office number and then dialed the extension for the war room. Why hadn’t she thought of it sooner?

  But, as she was thinking how silly she had been all night, she was troubled by the ringing on the other end. After no answer, she called the office back and this time tried his office phone. She alternated between calling the two extensions and his cell phone for another three hours. It was now after six a.m., and she hadn’t been to bed. Telling herself she would not give in to her stupid insecurities, she got ready for work like it was any normal morning.

  At 7:15, Sara walked through the lobby and into the elevator. She knew she was nearly an hour early for work, but she hadn’t been able to relax at home. If she could just walk in and see that Mitch had fallen asleep at his desk, she would be able to breathe easy again.

  * * * *

  “What about you?” George asked Theo as he set down his cup of coffee on the break room table.

  “Same. She’s leaving me. She hates me. I was the worst mistake she ever made.” Theo shook his head. “I swear, if it weren’t for the kids, I would blow my brains out right now. I really love her, George. How could I have done it?”

  “Shit, don’t ask me. I’m just as fucking stupid. Did I tell you she was a virgin when she married me? She waited her whole life for Mr. Right. Instead, she got stuck with me. Her tears were…damn it. I hated hurting her like that. Do you know she was going to forgive me? She said since I strayed once, it was nothing we couldn’t work past. When I had to tell her it had been going on for four years. God. The memory of the pain in her eyes absolutely killed me.” George had to stop.

  Peter stood in the doorway with his arm around Donna. “Got any more of that coffee to spare? We’ve had a rough night.”

  Both men eyed the couple standing there. “You told them together?” Theo asked incredulously.

  “No,” Peter said. “I found Donna sleeping in her car in the parking lot.”

  Donna stood there next to Peter. She didn’t even look like the same woman. Her eyes were swollen and puffy. Her nose was red and had a permanent trail of drainage flowing from it.

  “Donna, are you okay?” George asked as he handed her a cup of coffee.

  She nodded her head as she began sobbing again. “He hates me. He said, he said he was glad that we hadn’t had kids yet.” She blew her nose and gasped for breath as she continued. “He said he didn’t want a whore to be the mother of his children.”

  “Oh, Donna. I’m so sorry.” This came from Theo, who pulled up a chair for her to sit in.

  “Why? It’s true. I am a whore. Who else let’s herself get gang-banged by three men and has oral sex with another woman? Everything he said about me was true.” She put her head in her hands. “I love him so much. He’s everything to me.” She looked up at Theo, standing directly in front of her. “What am I going to do without him? I already feel like a part of me has died. I’ve been with him since I was nineteen years old.”

  “I don’t know, honey. But, you’re strong. You’ll be okay. We all will,” Peter told them.

  “What about you, man? How did Daniella take the news?” George asked somberly.

  Peter hesitated before answering. How could he tell him that he had chickened out? When he had gotten home last night, Daniella had taken the experience of their night before and used it. She had bought a movie from one of those seedy establishments off of Route 24 and wanted to watch it with him.

  At first, he had told himself that he hadn’t told her because she was so excited about the movie. But he knew that wasn’t true. He was being selfish. He wanted that time with her. Just one more night, he told himself. He would tell her tomorrow, he vowed.

  But later that night in bed, she confessed a secret to him. She had told him that for years, she had been worried that he would stray. That she wasn’t woman enough to make him happy. She cried as she lay against his chest and told him how much she loved him. How happy she was that he had loved her enough to be patient and faithful to her for all these years.

  After she had opened up about all of her self-doubt, he couldn’t take away her new-found freedom. She told him she felt like a woman, a powerful woman that could make her man happy. She told him over and over again how much he meant to her. It broke his heart when she went down on him, vowing to do anything in her power to make him happy for as long as she lived.

  He cried as she loved him so sweetly with her mouth. He couldn’t tell her. It would kill her to hear that he had done everything that she had feared most. And that would kill him.

  “Are you okay Peter?” George asked him.

  “I’m not ready to talk about it.” Peter turned away. Hoping they didn’t see the deceit in his eyes.

  “Listen, I hate to bring up the core of our misery, but has anyone heard from Claudia? I mean, she’s been on meltdown mode for weeks now, hell bent on destroying what was left of our lives and our marriages, and then all of a sudden, she dropped off the radar. I didn’t see her once yesterday. And she didn’t call my office for any of the stupid reasons she usually uses, either,” Theo pointed out to them.

  “Come to think of it I don’t think I’ve seen her since a couple of days ago in Peter’s office,” George said, turning to Peter.

  “Did she try and call you?” Peter asked Donna.

  “No. None of us have talked to her since that day. What does that mean? She never leaves us alone. What is she…?” She quickly turned her head toward the hallway. “Did you hear that? Someone’s here. It’s barely after seven.”

  They all filed out and ran into Sara in the front lobby. Peter noticed that she didn’t look good. It was clear that she hadn’t slept with the dark rings shadowed under her eyes. But most noticeable was her pale face and the faint appearance of a lower trembling lip.

  “Sara, are you okay?” Peter asked her. “You’re early aren’t you?”

  “Oh, hello every…Donna, are you okay?” she asked after seeing the tears staining her cheeks.

  Donna nodded, clearly unable to speak without crying again.

  “Okay, if you’re sure.” Sara turned to the three men. “I realize I’m early. I was worried about Mitch. He didn’t come home last night, and while I’m sure he fell asleep at his desk, I just needed to be sure to… Where is he going?” she asked Donna, Theo, and George as Peter raced off.

  The three men looked at each other and the words were understood even though they were not spoken. Peter was sure Claudia had done something. While he didn’t know what, he was very aware that she was capable of destroying lives just for sport. He started to head toward the war room, the last place he knew Mitch and Sara had been.

  “Donna, stay with Sara okay?” George told her as he and Theo followed Peter’s direction.

  “What’s going on?” Sara said to Donna, who was now crying.

  Sara started to run after them, but Donna grabbed her. “Don’t Sara.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “You should stay here.”

  “Like hell I should. Let go of me!” She swung her arm loose and ran down the hall, following the three men.


  Chapter Seventeen

  “Damn it, wake up!” Peter shook Mitch’s arm as Claudia lay on top of him laughing.

  Theo and George had just walked in to witness the scene.

  “You bitch!” Theo cursed her, but his anger only caused her to laugh harder.

  “You really do enjoy destroying people don’t you? You’re pathetic. The joke is on you. We all told last night. Your pictures don’t mean shit now!” George screamed at her.

  Peter didn’t say anything. Would the pictures come out now? Would Daniella still find out? He tried not to worry about that now but the thought wasn’t far from his mind.

  “Mitch, wake up. Mitch, come on, wake up. Sara’s here. Listen to me man.” Peter stopped talking at the sight of Mitch stirring. “Get off of him, you whore!”

  Claudia didn’t move, but instead snuggled closer against him. Peter noticed that she had a determined glint in her eye at the news that Sara was at the office. Had her plan had been for them to be discovered in this very scandalous way, knowing that the office gossip mill would take care of the rest? Had things worked out that much sweeter to know that Sara was here to see it for herself? He wondered.

  Peter had to turn away. This was it. This was what he had avoided the night before. This scene of aching torment that cuts into the depths of a man’s soul when he hurt the woman he loved. He looked at George and Theo and saw the same realization. They had lived the same nightmare just the night before.

  Mitch was groggy. He opened his eyes, but everything seemed so bright. Why was it so bright in here? He opened his eyes to see Peter standing over him shouting something about Sara. Why was Peter in their bedroom? Mmm, Sara. He could feel her lying against his chest. She felt so good in his arms. Wait, something didn’t feel right. He looked down and saw Claudia looking up at him smiling. She was naked. He looked down at his body and saw that he was naked also. What in the fuck?

  “No, let go of me. I want to see Mitch. Oh, my God.” Sara stood in the doorway of the large war room. Across the room, lying on the couch, was Mitch, holding Claudia to him, naked after their obvious night of sex.

  Mitch looked at Sara standing there staring at him, tears streaming down her face. She must have thought, Oh, God, no. “Sara, honey.” He started to push Claudia off of him, but the bitch held on like a damn vice.

  “Let her be, Mitch. She would have found out about us eventually, anyway,” Claudia said as she gave Sara a mocking look of victory.

  “Mitch, no,” Sara cried. “Why?”

  “Baby, please. Let me explain.” How in the hell was he going to do that? He didn’t even know what happened. With Peter’s help, he managed to get up from the couch. He reached his briefs on the floor and put them on hobbling toward her.

  “No. Don’t. Stay where you are.” She put her hands over her face and screamed a guttural sound of agony before looking back up at him. “How could you? You promised me. I can’t believe I was so stupid.” She turned to leave.

  Mitch got to her in time and grabbed her arm to swing her back. “Sara, please. I love you. Let me explain. Please, baby, please let me explain!”

  “I believed you. I trusted you.” Sara struggled to be released from his hold, but he only held her tighter.

  “Baby, I swear to you, I don’t know what happened. I would never…I could never.” Mitch’s eyes filled. “Sara, I love you so much.”

  Whap! The stinging slap hurt more in his heart than it did on his face.

  “Don’t you say that to me. Love me? You don’t even know what love is. I do. I know what love is, Mitch. I loved you. And you ruined that.” She said it with disbelief etched across her face.

  Mitch looked back at her. If he let her walk away, he would lose her forever. He framed her face in his hands. “Sara, honey. I would never cheat on you. You are everything to me. My whole life. You are my soul.” He took one of her hands and placed it on his heart. “You are my heart. I am nothing without you.” He leaned over to brush a gentle kiss to her lips. “I love you so much, honey.”

  “No, stop.” She was bawling now. “Don’t do this. Please, don’t make this harder than it already is. I loved you so much.” She shook her arms, trying to break the hold he had on her.

  “Don’t say that, honey. Please, don’t say you loved me. Tell me you still do. Tell me we can work this out.” Mitch’s control faltered and he began to truly cry. He cried for the woman he loved and hurt. He cried for what he had obviously done. And, he cried for himself, knowing that he might lose the only woman that he had ever loved.

  “I can’t. God, I do love you. I love you so much. But we can’t work it out, Mitch. Ever.” She broke free of his hold and ran for the door.

  Mitch finally caught up with her and grabbed onto her waist as he fell to his knees. She turned to face him. She dug her hands into his shoulders and did everything in her power to push him away.

  “Mitch, stop,” she cried. “Please let me go. Just let me go.”

  His arms wrapped around her tighter. His muffled voice reverberated off of her body. “No. Please, baby. I can’t, please don’t make me. I can’t ever let you go.”

  Sara struggled for a moment, and then stilled. “Mitch, look at me.”

  Sara’s calmer voice took him by surprise. He slowly turned his face and looked up at her, tears streaming down his face. Holding onto her so tight, he was probably bruising her beautiful skin. “Baby, please. I’m sorry. Please. I don’t know what happened. I love you.”

  “Mitch. Oh, Mitch.” She couldn’t help herself as she took her hands to his face, gently rubbing the tears away. “I love you. Until the day that I die, I will love you. But, I can never forget what I just saw. If you love me, if you truly do, you’ll let me go. Please, Mitch. I can’t be with you anymore.” She tried to un-wrap his arms from her back, struggling to free herself. “Mitch, please. You’re hurting me.”

  At Sara’s request, he gentled his hold on her but did not release her. “Baby, I can’t let you go. Let’s talk about this. I can make it up to you. I’ll do whatever it takes, please, just please, don’t leave me.”

  George, Donna, Theo, and Peter looked on as two other secretaries walked in and were staring at the drama that was being played out. A tear trailed down one of their cheeks while listening to Mitch’s plea.

  George went to Mitch. Placing a hand on his shoulder, he spoke softly, “Mitch, you have to let her go.”

  “No!” He looked up at Sara. “Anything, honey, I’ll do anything.” Gut-wrenching sobs tore from his body. “I can’t live without you. How can I live without holding you, without seeing your smile? Your beautiful smile. How can I live without kissing you, without touching you? Baby, please, I’ll die without you. I’ll never be able to sleep again without you in my arms. Holding you against me. Baby, oh God. I need you so much. I can’t survive without you.”

  Theo came up behind him and stood next to George. “Mitch, we understand. Believe me, we understand more than you know. But she’s right. If you love her, you have to let her go.”

  Both men began pulling Mitch away from Sara. He struggled against them like a child who was being separated from his mother for the first time.

  When they finally restrained Mitch, Sara ran. She headed toward the elevator and waited for mere seconds before one opened, and she ran in. She clicked the button over and over again until the doors finally closed. The last thing she heard was Mitch scream her name. Unable to stand any longer, she dropped to the floor and sobbed.

  Sara was still. Numb with a heart that had shattered into a million pieces. She wanted to fall into his kiss as he begged for forgiveness. She wanted to grab onto his embrace. She wanted to believe every word he told her. But she’d already done that once. While she had been pushing him away, pleading with him to let her go, she was unable to control the incomprehensible pain that tore though her soul.

  Minutes later, she felt herself being carried. Mitch, she thought. It had been a horrible dream. He was taking her to bed.
They were going to make love. But wait, she could hear cars, and these didn’t feel like Mitch’s arms holding her. She opened her eyes to look up but her vision was blocked as she was placed in the passenger side of a car.

  She remembered something now. She had been in the elevator crying. She heard the bell chime. Someone had entered. They knew her. They kept saying her name and smoothing her hair over her head. She turned her head at the sound of the driver’s side door opening. Patrick.

  “Shh. Do you need to see a doctor?” He asked her.

  She must have shaken her head no.

  “Okay. Let me take you to my place where you can rest.” He put a finger to her lips when she started to talk. “You don’t have to say anything. Just let me take care of you.”

  * * * *

  Mitch finally broke free of George and Theo. He ran back to the war room. A wave of nausea hit him as he saw his clothes strewn all over the room. What had he done? He started dressing rapidly.

  “Mitch, what are you doing?” Peter asked.

  Mitch looked for his shirt. “I have to find her. I have to make her understand. I have to tell her how sorry I am.”

  “Mitch.” Peter shook him. “Will it change what you did? No, it won’t. You will suffer the loss of the only woman you’ve ever loved just like us,” Peter was shouting. “You don’t understand. Take the consequence now. If you don’t, that viper will take every part of your soul.”

  Mitch wasn’t so sure what he was talking about, but he responded anyway. “Sara is my soul.”

  “We know,” George said from the doorway. “She has ruined all of our lives.” He shook his head. “Sex is a game to her, and she doesn’t care who gets wiped out in the process.” George stopped when he heard someone come in the room.