Bella's Choice (6 page)

Aldrich was struggling with these thoughts while staring out his office window, when there was a knock on his door. He called for whoever it was to enter, and the senior partner’s young PA walked into his office, clearing her voice, drawing his attention back to work.

“Yes, Chaney?” He lifted a dark brow, already annoyed.

“Mr. Dorflinger wants to see you immediately, Aldrich,” she said in a seductive voice.

“You could have buzzed me,” he replied with irritation, rising to his feet.

“I like to come to your office.” She giggled.

This woman was really starting to get on his nerves. Ever since she’d started working at the firm, she’d made her intentions known to him. And although at first he’d been flattered, he quickly learned his mistake; she was not his type. He had told her as much, but still she persisted in coming on to him.

“This is an office, not a dating service, Chaney.”

“That’s not what you said when you kissed me,” she purred, batting her eyelashes.

Aldrich’s second mistake. She thought that because of one kiss, he belonged to her. Anabella’s image came to mind, which made him miss her even more. He could still feel her next to him; her well-formed, tanned body still alive in his mind’s eye, and those legs! He’d dreamed about them a few times. Long, shapely legs that seemed to go on forever.

Chaney touched his arm, bringing him out of his reverie. “When are we going on a date again?”

“Not going to happen.” He brushed her away, and then walked to the wall to retrieve his jacket from the hook next to the door.

“Why, didn’t you have fun with me?” she whined with a pout, her blue eyes looking up at him innocently. By now, he knew that that was far from the truth. He was familiar with her advances toward every man on the floor.

“It was good for one night, nothing more,” he replied, and stepped out of his office.

She followed him in her high heels, saying softly, “That hurts, you know.”

He looked down at her, not missing the seductive look behind the hurtful stare, and smirked. Without responding, he stepped past her and into Mr. Dorflinger’s office, closing the door behind him.

“You wanted to see me,” he announced.

“Aldrich, yes, come in.” The man waved him closer, and he walked to the large, mahogany desk in the middle of the office. The thin man looked dwarfed behind his desk, but his powerful presence let everyone know he wasn’t to be taken lightly. In the courtroom, he was known for his cunning wit, and for being a worthy opponent.

“I’d like you to meet Ms. Giselle Etsibeth.”

Aldrich saw a beautiful woman rise. She greeted him in a soft voice, so delicate it was soothing to the ear. Her short, red hair was cut in the latest style, and her smoldering green eyes looked at him with coyness and arrogance.

He stretched out his hand, taking her proffered hand as he introduced himself.

“Ms. Etsibeth has come to see us about a delicate matter, and as you are the best in the field, I have recommended you to the case.”

Aldrich acknowledged the praise with a lopsided grin and sat down in the chair directly in front of him.

“What seems to be the problem?” he asked, and Mr. Dorflinger continued to discuss the case. Ms. Etsibeth’s close proximity caused him to not give his full attention to what Mr. Dorflinger was saying.

She was a stunner, but the way she observed him openly and with interest made him uneasy. He’d never felt uneasy with a woman before. He listened, making notes, and every so often when she wanted to draw his attention, she would touch his arm or leg. He would look down into the green pools. The look he saw blatantly told him she wanted him, and not as her lawyer. This put him on guard, which made his body tense.

When they stepped out of Dorflinger’s office after an hour long debriefing, Tim came to his rescue since the woman had attached herself to his arm the moment they’d stood and walked out. Reluctantly, she let him go after Tim assured her it was a matter of life and death. The devilish smile on his friend’s face told him that he knew the woman was a pest. The clinging sort, one he disliked with fervor.

Both Aldrich and Tim left the office building after he’d said goodbye to the woman.

“Thanks, pal,” Aldrich said the moment they sat down in the restaurant, “you saved me. I owe you one.”

“You know it, friend. Who was she anyway?”

“New client, a Ms. Giselle Etsibeth.”

Tim raised an eyebrow. “You know who she is right?”

“No, not really.”

“She is the sole heir to her daddy’s textile business in the city,” he shared, and paused for effect, declaring, “Tex Style Industries.”

“Oh...” Aldrich replied, recognizing the name immediately.

“And she is one of your clients!” Tim announced excitedly, looking at him, grinning. “You really have it bad for the young Anabella, don’t you?”

This made Aldrich grin.

“I mean, that woman is beautiful and seemed to cling to you, yet you still managed to think about Anabella.”

This time, Aldrich blushed. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d blushed with embarrassment. Tim just chuckled as he placed his order with the waiter.

Monica phoned him that morning, informing him of the nightmares Anabella had struggled with the previous night. Upon hearing this, all he had wanted to do was be with her.

On previous occasions when he made it to the pool, his heart had ached for the tired and sad lines evident on her face from all the sleepless nights. He would watch her dive into the pool, relentlessly keeping up the pace, and when she was done practicing she would come out of the water as her sparkling self.

This was what he loved most, her ability to bounce back refreshed, as if nothing was wrong in her world. He wished he knew the whole story, but what he did know was that she didn’t want him anywhere close to her house. Not that she was ashamed of him. He didn’t get that vibe at all. Period.

He’d once mentioned it to Monica, but all she had said was that Anabella would have to tell him herself, as she wasn’t allowed to go near her house, either. She never shared anything further, although he had the distinct impression that she knew more than she let on. Monica was a fine and protective friend, and he knew she had her reasons for not telling him the story.

Many times, he wanted to call her just to hear her beautiful voice, tell her how much he missed her, even how much he desired her. He wanted to go over and press her against his body, just to feel her body next to his. He wanted to comfort her, tell how much he cared about her, but he knew it wasn’t the right time to do so. He sensed that there were things she was fighting against. Her mind was obviously occupied with troubled images, which made her act differently than the innocent she really was.

“You need to eat, lunch time is almost over, and,” Tim said, bringing him back to the present, “did Monica phone you?”

“I spoke to her this morning, but she did call again and left a message. I haven’t called her back yet. Why, what’s up?”

“She is organizing a birthday party for Anabella on Saturday. You know she is leaving on Monday?”

“I know she is leaving, yes. I’ll be there.”

“Same time, same place,” Tim said, wiping his mouth clean, while he waited for Aldrich to finish his drink.

One more weekend, then she would be leaving for three months with her coach and the team in order to practice and compete, all in preparation for the Olympics in three year’s time. He would not miss the opportunity to see her one last time; the chance to touch her, hold her, and hear her laughter. He was besotted with her, but he needed to step back as everything within him wanted to rush the relationship, impatient with the slow progress. He wanted to feel her under him as she gave herself over to him completely. He wanted to drink from her lips and taste her sweetness until she came, screaming his name in ecstasy.

More than that, he wanted to protect her and spend his days with her. She was a very intelligent young woman, one with diverse interests, and not only in sports, which made her an excellent companion.

Over the past few months, he’d examined himself and noticed that she was constantly on his mind. He wanted to share her life, not merely as a spectator anymore, but rather as a team player. He was very proud of her and her accomplishments. She was driven with purpose, and had become a sportswoman younger people admired, and sport magazines wrote about. Anabella had become an ambassador for swimming, and she fulfilled the role with grace and dignity.

Aldrich’s firm was exceptionally enthusiastic on her progress, because the senior partner had been a good swimmer back in his day and still loved the sport, something he still followed passionately.

Aldrich was pleased when he’d heard about the announcement of her acceptance into the Olympic team. He’d been at his father’s house that night when the announcement came over the speaker, accompanied by her picture. He turned to his father and said, “That will be your new daughter-in-law one day, if she will have me.” Excitement and admiration tangible in his voice.

Later, when the realization hit him regarding his open confession to his father, he reflected long and hard upon it. He loved her. When he’d fallen in love with Pauline, the reaction had been the same; instant. His heart, his mind and body had all worked together to let him know that she was the woman for him. But that had been different, they were the same age, both had careers and both shared the same interests.

With Anabella, it was the complete opposite; they had nothing in common except this uncomely attraction they shared. There was also the age difference, and her innocence. The things she struggled with still stood between them, which kept her at arm’s length. Her career―one that was only now blossoming―meant she would be away from home for long periods of time.
How was this ever going to work out for them?

He would defin
itely be at her birthday party, anything for a chance to hold her again, even if all they did was dance. Aldrich looked forward to the party, which was taking place within the next two days.

Chapter Four

T
he Saturday afternoon―the day of her birthday party―Anabella drove to her house from the gym after a hard training session. When she looked at her watch she saw that she had enough time to rest, wash her hair, and shower. She was tired and really not in a good mood, and as soon as she pulled into the driveway leading up to her house, she sighed.

Back to normal! Don’t these people ever get enough,
she asked herself.

The moment she walked in and closed the front door, noises greeted her, noises that she was
dreadfully familiar with. She passed the living room where people were parading around half naked, some already on the stairs on their way to the master bedroom. The small group were intertwined with each other, noticing nothing, only aware of their own little world of pleasure.

Disgusted, she looked on. No one noticed her, not even once. “Oh please, get a room!” she muttered. It was always a shock to see the older people in that way. She blushed as she rushed up the stairs and past the couples who were at the top by now, pressed past them and with disgust, closed the door behind her as they shuffled by her door and into her parents’ room right next door. It only took her seconds to decide what to do next. With her mind made up, she grabbed all the stuff she would need to finish preparing for the party in order to get out of there as fast as possible. If they noticed her, it would only spell trouble. And in their state, reasoning was out of the question; one could not reason with animals. She didn’t see her brothers anywhere. If anything ever happened, they usually came to her rescue, and if they were not around she needed to get out, immediately.

Once outside her room, she noticed that the hallway was thankfully empty, although she could hear the two couples in her parents’ room. The door was closed.
At least some of them have modesty.

When she walked downstairs, a big, hairy man who was only wearing a shirt, stood at the bottom of the staircase in full view, rubbing himself. His eyes focused on someone in the living room.

She had to get past him, as well as make her away around him, but knew it would be futile since he left no room for her to do just that. She clutched her bag tightly against her body, her clothes draped over her arm, holding it all between them in order to obscure her view. She really didn’t want to see.

The moment he noticed her, he grabbed her arm with his free hand and pulled her to him with a grin. His breath reeked of smoke and brandy, and his voice was husky with lust. “Come here, doll,” he drawled.

Anabella wanted to shrink in total horror. With her bag, she pushed him away to set herself free, but he managed to grab her breast, ripping two buttons from her shirt. Desperately, she fought hard, not letting go of the bag in her hands. But her clothes fell around her feet, almost tripping her in her haste to get away. By now, she knew she was in trouble. She dug her car keys into his hand, and he released immediately. She managed to pull herself free, running to the front door; her only hope of escape and safety, the bag still clutched in her hand.

“Who was that?” The hairy guy asked gruffly to no one in particular.

“Who was who, honey?” Sandra asked in a saccharine voice as she walked up to him, her curvy body swaying with every move.

“The young brunette. She’s pretty,” he replied as he rubbed his hand with an angry looking scar on top.

“I believe that would be my daughter,” purred Sandra, pressing into him.

“Well, I want that hellcat!”

“How much?”

“Ten thousand rand.”

“Deal, it is time for Miss Tight-Ass to be introduced to the family business,” she said. In a low voice, she looked up at him and asked, “How about we go to her room? I can give you some pleasure.”

“You are a real piece of work, Sandra,” he muttered into her neck, and she giggled.

“That is what you love about me.” She held out her hand, and together they went up the stairs and disappeared into Anabella’s room.

Anabella sat in her car for a while in order to calm down; her body shaking with fear and the sudden rush of adrenaline. Her breast still sensitive from the brute’s grab. She tried to cover herself as best she could, but the shirt had been torn at the buttonholes, the material stretched. When she’d calmed down, she wiped the wetness from her cheeks and started the car, driving out of the parking area, totally unaware of the plans her mother had made on her behalf.

She decided to book into a hotel in order to finish getting ready for her party. With trembling hands she continued on her way, every movement almost robotic.

As she pulled up to the hotel, she gave her watch a final glance. After parking her car, she made her way inside and booked herself in. Once in her room, she sat on the bed as tears poured down her face. She felt unclean, and was desperate to rid herself of it all. She started searching for the clothes she’d selected, only to realize they were still on the stairs where she’d dropped them. All she had was what she was wearing; jeans and her torn shirt, which was covered by a denim jacket. She stripped off the offending clothing, as if the clothes were at fault, and stood under the shower for a while, crying into the hot rain that cascaded down her face. She rubbed every part of her body vigorously, allowing for no trace of the brute’s invasion. When she was done, she stood with the same clothes in her hands, wishing she had something else to wear. But since there wasn’t, she put them on, without a final glance in the tall mirror.

Putting on a fake smile, she walked out of the hotel
and past customers
without making eye contact. Her silver Clio
was parked right out front, but when she reached it, she couldn't get in. She turned back and hurried inside again, only to sit for a few moments to still her quickened heart.
 
When she calmed down, she once again went through the motions, but this time managed to climb into her car and drive away.

As Anabella rushed up the driveway, Monica immediately knew something was wrong. The moment she heard the engine of the familiar vehicle, she walked to the door and opened it.

Still trembling after her ordeal, she slapped a smile on her face as she made her way past all the parked cars. She was late for her own party, but she knew her friend would understand. Due to what had taken place at her parents’ house, she hadn't been able to finish getting ready. The incident kept playing over and over in her mind as tears continued to flow steadily down her face.

Aldrich had been watching the driveway when she pulled in, and noticed the fake smile and the slumped shoulders the moment she stepped out of her car, as if she were in pain. He had been standing at the window, waiting since he arrived to get the first look. Immediately seeing something was wrong, he walked to the door, pushed Monica out of the way and took Anabella in his arms.

Monica said nothing.

Aldrich picked Anabella up like a little girl and held her close to him; he could feel her tears soaking his shirt. She was tense and shaking, and his heart clenched in pain for her.

Soft kisses rained over her cheek as he tried to comfort her with encouraging words. “You are safe, Bella, you are safe,” he assured her softly.
What has upset her so much for her to be in this state,
he couldn’t help wondering.

They went inside and walked to the living room, away from the curious partygoers. The music overwhelmed the air with a steady beat. Monica stood very close to them, speaking to Anabella in a soft voice.

Aldrich could hear everything.

“Are your parents busy again?”

Anabella moved her head in agreement on his shoulder. Aldrich’s mind raced, while his eyes held questions as he searched Monica’s own blue eyes for understanding. But she looked away. Frustrated, he continued to hold Anabella, rubbing her back to relax her.

Later, after the crying had stopped, Monica motioned for him to put her down. He reluctantly let go, but was flabbergasted over h
er reaction to the situation.

Who hurt her so much?
Aldrich was stumped. She looked stressed, fragile and upset, which in turn made him upset.

Monica took her upstairs to freshen up, and silence fell throughout the house, the music was turned down and everyone wanted to know what was going on; the guests speaking softly between each other.

Tim made his way over to Aldrich where he sat bent over, arms resting on his thighs, hands formed into fists. With sorrowful eyes, he looked up at Tim and pleaded, “I don’t understand, will someone please tell me what is going on?”

Tim crouched down before his best friend and spoke softly, “When Anabella is ready, she will tell you, but steel yourself as it is not a pretty story. I don’t know everything, but the little I do know is that her parents are bastards.”

Aldrich’s eyes became slits; weary, angry and agitated with these parents he didn’t know.

“Meanwhile, you need to be tolerant. She needs a lot of understanding and patience. You are doing a great job, which tells me you are the right man and that you care about her.”

“Still, this is upsetting. I mean look at her. In two days, she is leaving for America. I can’t let her go if she looks like that.”

“Maybe this is perfect timing for her,” Tim reasoned, “as she will have the chance to be herself again, and be safe. Anywhere away from her house is safe at this point.”

“Okay, Tim. If you say so, I have no choice but to believe you.” He sighed.

What have I
become involved in?

Mr. Richter managed to inject life back into the party after he’d discussed it with Anabella, who’d assured him that they must
n’t stop. The music vibrated throughout the house once again and a little later, Monica and Anabella came down and chatted; her beautiful face radiant with a bright smile.

Anabella looked stunning in a sleeveless, rich-cream dress that hit just above the knees, and black sandals, which showed off her tan. She was slenderly built, something that confused her competitors who underestimated the strength in that body. Overall, she created a beautiful picture.

Everyone greeted her the moment she joined them; the Anabella they knew and liked. Although they were curious, they kept their questions at bay, and for that she was grateful. She searched through the crowd for one particular man, and when she finally found him, she sparkled. A blush spread over her face; ashamed of the state he had found her in, but when Aldrich opened his arms there was no judgment.