The anger that flashes in Sophia’s eyes is hotter than the surface of the sun. Sophia slowly rises and faces her head-on to rebuke Cheryl’s assessment of her.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Cheryl,” Sophia starts. “I started college at a very young age, but I worked my ass off in every class. I took the maximum amount of college hours every semester so that I could graduate early. Every summer, I worked as a college intern and I put in as many hours as the executives did, if not more. I learned everything I could from them and used that knowledge to get the project management positions I held before coming here.
“I may be young, but I worked damn hard to get where I am today. You have no right questioning my work history or my ability to take on responsibility. You haven’t even asked how well I do my job, so you’d be wise to stop making any assumptions. Any of you’re more than welcome to call my former employer, where I interned every summer during college, and ask them about my work ethics.”
Shadow intervenes and stops this from escalating further. “All of that is true. I checked that out for myself, so I do believe what you’re saying. My question is, Sophia, if you didn’t file the lawsuit, whose signature is on this paper?”
Shadow removes a single sheet of paper from a manila envelope he placed on my desk. When he hands it to Sophia, her shoulders slump as recognition of the handwriting registers on her face.
“That’s my signature. It’s my handwriting. Where did you get this?” she asks with sadness filling her voice.
“This is the signature page of the lawsuit, Sophia,” Shadow explains.
I watch with amazement as the various emotions play across her beautiful face. First, she’s confused as she tries to connect Shadow’s words with the paper in her hand. Second, the shock registers as she beings to formulate an idea in her mind of how this could’ve happened. Third, the pure, unadulterated anger as her eyes blaze with fury and indignation.
“That son of a bitch!” she shrieks, causing Cheryl to jump and Shadow smiles.
“Tell me,” Shadow prompts and I listen with rapt attention.
“That is not my signature on a lawsuit, Shadow,” Sophia grinds out thought her clenched teeth. “That is the signature on my submissive contract with Harrison Dictman.”
“How can you tell for sure that’s where the signature came from?” Shadow presses.
“There was something wrong with Harrison’s printer. Every page had a small dot right in the center of it. Right there,” she answered with her finger on the dot. “If you look through the rest of the lawsuit papers, you will probably find that same dot on every page.”
Chapter Seven
Sophia
“I am not your Dom,” he enunciates each word clearly and forcefully, leaving no room for doubt. The sobs wrack my body before I can even take the first step out of his home.
I sit straight up in bed and gasp for air. The tears flow freely down my cheeks and it takes a few minutes for me to calm down. That whole dream of Dominic felt so real–every last part of it, even when I would sit outside of his lake house and wait for him to come home. I felt his hands on me as he brought me such intense pleasure. I felt his breath on my neck and the warmth of his chest against my back. I also felt the crushing pain in my chest when he sent me away.
Swinging my feet off the side of the bed, I decide to get up early and get ready for work. I’m healed enough now to return to the office to work, and there’s still that lingering hope that I will see and talk to Dominic today. I know better than to jump up out of bed, but my dream-turned-nightmare about my Dom temporarily disoriented me, and now the morning sickness has me running for the bathroom.
It’s going to be a great fucking day.
The aromas of food wafting through the office make my stomach churn as I walk to my office. Even shutting my door doesn’t keep them at bay. They float in on the air and surround me. I try to focus on the work I have to do but after so long, I’m making another mad dash for the bathroom. My online searches said the morning sickness usually only lasts for the first trimester and I pray that holds true for me. I take a few minutes in the bathroom to collect myself and brush my teeth.
On my way back to my office, Dana stops me in the hallway.
“Dominic wants to see you in his office, Sophia. I tried to call a couple of times but you didn’t answer.” Her tone and face holds obvious concern for me. “Sophia, are you all right? You look so pale!”
“Yes, I’m fine, Dana. Thank you. Will you let Mr. Powers know I will be up right away? I just have to finish something on my desk first.”
Dana smiles and nods, “Come on up when you’re ready, Sophia.”
I’m shaking as I sit down at my desk. My hands are trembling and my legs feel like they’re made of wet noodles. My already queasy stomach churns again and I grab a saltine cracker out of my bag. The crackers and Sprite are all I can count on to help settle my nausea right now but I can’t very well carry them into his office. I nibble and sip for a minute before I attempt to move again.
Walking into Dom’s office suddenly feels like I’m walking straight into a trap. Cheryl, the corporate lawyer, and Shadow are both waiting with Dominic. When he asks if I want to resume reporting to him and working with him, I almost leap out of my chair in excitement. YES! Yes, I want that more than I can express. Even when Cheryl says our interactions will be recorded, I’m fine with that provision. I would agree to anything that gets me close to him again.
Unexpectedly, Shadow asks Cheryl and Dominic to excuse us and I know exactly why. He wants the answers that I’ve been trying to give to Cheryl for the last two months. True to Shadow’s nature, he gets right to the point with me.
“What have you been trying to tell Cheryl?”
“That I didn’t file a sexual harassment lawsuit against Dominic. I heard what was said the day the papers were delivered, just before Dominic shut the door in my face,” I recall and lower my eyes to the floor. “I was on my way to his office to tell him about my involvement with Harrison and that he was up to something new. But, I was too late.”
“So, you are Harrison’s sub?”
“I was–but I haven’t been for a while now,” I answer truthfully.
“But you were when you and Dominic first got together?”
“Yes,” I say shamefully. “Harrison said he was sharing me with Dominic but I was supposed to give Harrison information to hurt Dominic. Harrison always said that Dominic killed Carol Ann and he wanted to destroy him for it.
“After I got to know Dominic, and I saw how different he was from Harrison, I knew he couldn’t have killed her. So, I told Harrison that it was over between us, I was staying with Dominic, and I wouldn’t help him anymore. He threatened me, as usual, kept calling me, and acting more and more desperate. He threatened Dominic’s life if I didn’t answer the phone every Sunday night. Said he still owned me and I had signed my life away to him.
“I am guilty of helping Harrison in the beginning, when I first started working here. He wanted me to get close to Dominic and find out about Carol Ann’s death. But, I soon ended it between us and I was just trying to keep him away from Dominic. It got so out of hand so fast. I was on my way to confess everything that last day, when Harrison called me here, just before the lawsuit papers were delivered.”
“That certainly answers a lot of my questions,” Shadow says, but his voice doesn’t convey any emotion. I can’t tell if he’s mad, disgusted, or understanding of my predicament. “Do you mind answering a couple of questions in front of Dominic and Cheryl?”
“No, not at all. I’ve been trying to tell them,” I emphatically state.
Shadow nods and says, “One last question–who is your lawyer?”
“I don’t have a lawyer,” I look him square in the eye and respond.
“Good. I want you to be the one to tell Cheryl that when they come in,” Shadow instructs before he goes to the door and calls them back in.
My stomach is
rolling as I answer Shadow’s questions in front of Dom and Cheryl. Any lingering nausea is completely forgotten when Cheryl insults my abilities to do my job. I’ve worked hard to obtain the position I’m in now. The sacrifices I made during college and during my summers out of school paid off more than I would’ve ever imagined as far as my business acumen is concerned. Spending more time with my books than with people may not have been as beneficial to me, however.
When Shadow shows me the signature page of the lawsuit, my first reaction was shame. Did he just ask me all those questions to embarrass me in front of Cheryl and Dominic? This was clearly the signature page of my submissive contract. I would recognize it anywhere. When Shadow said it came from the lawsuit paperwork, I have a hard time reconciling the two separate things in my mind.
Then I realized that Harrison used that page to file a fictitious lawsuit against Dominic and I instantly became outraged. If he were right in front of me, I would enjoy inflicting as much bodily pain on him as humanly possible. After I showed them the dot that marred the pages from Harrison’s printer, Cheryl snatched the papers up and went through every single sheet.
“Cheryl, take those papers back to your office and call this number,” Shadow said as he handed her a business card. “The man who answers is on this case and will work with you on how we’re going to prove those fake papers came from Harrison.”
“Don’t I need his name?” Cheryl asks.
“Nope.”
After Cheryl leaves, Shadow pins me with his assessing eyes and says, “I think it’s about time the two of you talk and put all your cards on the table. But, I have two more questions for you first, Sophia.”
I swallow audibly and nod, dreading what’s coming next. Shadow is a former spy. He was a CIA operative for years before joining his friend’s security firm. The man knows too much and I’m afraid of what he and Tucker may have recently learned. Will he tell Dominic that I’m pregnant before I can?
He narrows his eyes at me, sensing my moment of weakness and panic. “Carol Ann’s death isn’t the only reason you helped Harrison, is it?”
He phrased it as a question, but it’s obvious he already knows the answer.
“No. It isn’t even the main reason I agreed to do it,” I answer honestly. My eyes gravitate toward Dominic’s and I see the hardness in them. The result of my betrayal, the loss of any trust, and the confirmation that I’ve done things I shouldn’t have echo back at me from his deep blue eyes. It takes my breath and causes my heart to skip a beat.
“What was the main reason, Sophia?” Dominic asks, his voice as hard as his eyes.
“My baby brother, Shawn. He’s in trouble, mixed up with wrong crowd. Harrison was threatening him–his life. Harrison has friends on the Austin police department who made the evidence of his crimes ‘disappear’ so that his case would be delayed by the state. That gave Harrison something to hold over my head.
“That’s why my mom kept calling me. She kept saying that I had to do what Harrison said in order to save Shawn from prison. I finally told my mom and my brother that I was finished covering for him, though. He had to face the charges that were waiting for him and that Harrison wouldn’t rule my life any longer.”
Dominic’s disgusted ‘humph’ as a reply is like a knife to my heart. No reason, excuse, or explanation will fix this. The realization that I’ve lost him forever truly hits me and it feels like a ton of bricks have been dumped on my chest. I fight the tears that threaten to spring to my eyes. My resolution to be strong kicks in and I swallow the hurt down.
Not acknowledging Dominic’s spiteful response, I look at Shadow and ask, “What is your second question?”
“Why did you go to Harrison’s house that night if you aren’t helping him any longer?”
Dominic leans forward after Shadow asks this question, intently listening, and ready to pounce on me after I answer. I can feel it coming–he’s going to call me a liar, possibly other things, and drive that knife further into my chest.
“I went because he said he has proof that Dominic killed Carol Ann and he plans to have him arrested with it.”
“BULLSHIT!” Dominic yells and I can’t help but jump at his outburst.
“She’s not lying, Dominic,” Shadow replies, his voice low and calm.
“What?” Dominic barks. “So she went to protect me?” he asks sardonically.
“That’s exactly why she went, Dominic,” Shadow replies to him, but keeps his eyes glued to mine. “She couldn’t take the risk that Harrison had something that incriminated you, no matter what the odds were against it being real.”
With every cell in my body, I hope that Shadow can feel the appreciation radiating from my eyes and from my heart. He has no reason to stand up for me, to be the least bit supportive, or to believe a word I say, but what he just did means so much to me. Dominic trusts and respects him, so he won’t question Shadow’s judgment. It’s a small victory, but I will take it.
“So what was this mythical proof?” Dominic asks as he turns his eyes to me again.
“I don’t know, Dominic. I didn’t get a chance to find out,” I tell him, keeping my voice soft but neutral. The memories of that night come flooding back to me and I have to mentally shake them away. Shadow sees it in me, though, as his eyes soften and he gives me a single nod of understanding.
“Leave that to me,” Shadow replies confidently.
“There is no proof! I didn’t kill her!” Dominic yells.
“I believe you, Dominic, but you don’t know what this prick has concocted against you,” Shadow replies. “Well, kids, I have a few calls to make to get the ball rolling on this. We’ve wasted two weeks of precious time since then. I will leave you two to finish this talk.”
The tension in the room after Shadow exits feels like a living, breathing dragon sitting in the middle of the room. What was once an easy-going connection has become a strained shell of a relationship. Recognizing that I’m wringing my hands in my lap, I straighten my fingers and place my hands on my lap. When I finally dare to look up, Dominic is intently watching me.
“If we’re going to work together again, we need to put this behind us somehow,” Dominic declares. “So, I’m just supposed to take it on your word that you didn’t file a sexual harassment lawsuit against me?”
“What would make you believe me?”
“Nothing. There’s nothing that can make me believe anything you say,” he spits out at me.
I nod while keeping my eyes lowered. My heart breaking all over again at the confirmation of what I knew was to come. “I see,” I say quietly. “In that case, I don’t see that we can work together anymore, Dominic.” Taking a deep breath, I raise my eyes to meet his. “You will have my resignation on your desk within the hour. I just need time to pack up a few personal things from my office.”
The shock registers on his face before he has a chance to hide his feelings. He wasn’t expecting that reply and, frankly, neither was I. After his declaration, I don’t see any other way of handling this. Leaving here is my only option because I can’t pretend that I don’t love him. Working here with him, living in his company’s executive condos, driving his company’s car – the reminders of what I had and lost are all too painful.
I can’t see him every day and have this pain multiplied every time I hear something new about him moving on without me. The fact that my waistline will soon be expanding to the point I won’t be able to hide it is also a huge factor to consider. I still don’t know how or when to tell him about that, but right now definitely isn’t it.
“You can leave it with Dana,” he replies coolly.
Not crying as I rise from the chair in front of him is one of the hardest things I’ve ever accomplished. I’m walking out of his life, in every way, and he says to leave my final statement with his secretary instead of with him.
Where is the loving, caring Dom I love?
You killed him and created this version of him.
Walking to his off
ice door, I can feel his eyes burning into my back. When I reach for the door handle, his smooth, sensual voice calls out, “Sophia.” One word from him and my whole body stills, suspends in motion, and waits for his next command.
The heat radiating from his body physically touches mine. The smell of his cologne envelops me and invades my nostrils. That scent has been gone from everything that reminds me of him and makes my heart ache even more to have it so close once again. He is standing behind me, close enough that if I simply leaned back, I could touch him. My hair lightly sways from the closeness of his breath. The only thing I want to do is turn and be taken into his arms.
“You don’t have to leave, Sophia,” his voice is low and the hateful edge is gone. “You’ve shown that you can effectively do your job and I’d like for you to stay on with the company. I would appreciate it if you would rescind your resignation.”
Letting go of the doorknob, I nod my head in agreement. Turning slowly to face him, his sharp inhale creates a hissing noise as he takes in my face from his up close vantage. His eyes flow over my face, taking in the light green remnants of the bruises around my eyes and on my cheekbones that are hidden by makeup from a distance. His hand involuntarily rises and strokes my face with such tenderness it instantly makes me hope for more. He cups my face with his hand and I lean into the warmth of his touch. My eyes close and I relish in the touch of his skin on mine.
“Did you really go to his house that night to protect me?”
My eyes flutter open, and although my heart wants nothing more than this, my mind knows I’m setting myself up for more pain. Pulling away from his touch, I fix my gaze on his and reply, “Yes, I did, Dominic.”
“Why would you do that?” his soft voice asks as his hand goes back to my face again.
He’s killing me. One touch at a time, he’s killing me.
There’s no point in lying about it. My whispered response is from the depths of my heart. “Because I love you, Dominic. I can’t tell you how sorry I am for hurting you, but it’s not all what you think. I’m not as terrible as you believe I am.”
Her Dom's Lesson (Dominic Powers Book 2) Page 7