Control (20 page)

“Will you call me when you get there? Let me know he’s okay?”

“Of course.”
I love you,
I added silently. This was another element about Dion that was as different as night and day compared to Robert. He genuinely cared about my friends.

Traffic was unusually heavy for a Wednesday, and it took me almost thirty minutes to arrive at Spike’s town house in the north end of Charlotte. His car was in the driveway—both good and bad news. Good, because it
meant he was home. Bad because of what I might find inside.

I walked up the steps to the door. I pressed the doorbell incessantly, indicating the urgency of my visit.

A couple seconds later, I tried the knob. It was locked. I began to ring the doorbell again.

And then I heard a shuffling sound on the other side of the door.

“Spike?” I called. “Spike, is that you?”

“Damn it, doll-face, you shouldn’t be here.”

Relief flooded me. “Let me in,” I told him. “No matter what’s going on, we’re friends, right?”

A few seconds passed. Spike said nothing, and I wondered fleetingly if he was going to leave me standing on his doorstep. But then I heard the lock turn, and then the door was opening.

He looked okay. As if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, but otherwise, okay. He didn’t seem high or out of it.

I swept into his small foyer. “Spike, you gave me the scare of my life!”

“I’m sorry, doll-face.”

“Tell me what’s going on. Right after I call Dion to let him know you’re alive.”

“Oh, my word. You didn’t think—”

“I didn’t know what to think,” I pointed out. I dialed Dion’s cell.

“Is he all right?” Dion asked when he answered the call.

“Yeah, he’s fine. At least physically.”

“Good. That’s good.”

“I’ll call you when I’m on my way.”

Hanging up, I faced Spike again.

“I can’t believe you thought I’d done something to hurt myself,” he said.

“When you didn’t show up, I feared the worst. I figured Marcus probably broke your heart again.”

“He did,” Spike admitted.

“Oh, Spike.” I hugged him. “When?”

“Yesterday,” he answered, as we pulled apart.

“I knew it,” I said. “I knew he would hurt you again.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not.” I rubbed both Spike’s arms. “I figured as much, and I knew you would be hurting. And when people are hurting, sometimes…” I ended my statement with a shrug, knowing he could fill in the blank.

“They take a bottle of Tylenol?” he suggested. “I’m not the same person I was five years ago. Thanks in large part to you.”

I grasped his elbow and led him into the living room. “That’s good to hear. But I am worried. Your note…that wasn’t like you.” I stopped in front of the sofa. “Sit,” I instructed him. “Talk to me.”

Sighing, Spike sat. I sat beside him and took his hand in mine.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said.

“Yeah, right. Like that was possible.”

“I just want the best for you,” Spike told me. “I never want to stand in your way.”

“You could never stand in my way. I know my business wouldn’t be what it is without you. You and
me—we’re a team. In fact—and this is something I was already thinking about, so don’t think it’s about pity—I was figuring I could make you a partner if you want. If I can disentangle myself from Robert with the separation agreement and get control of the store, we can go into business together.”

“I meant it when I said I’m not coming back.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “You’re not quitting. I won’t let you.”

“I’ve made my decision,” Spike replied. “Effective immediately. Please, don’t ask me to change my mind.”

“Maxine bailed on me. You expect me to believe you’d leave me having to hire two new people at a time like this? I know you. You’d walk through fire for me. So whatever’s going on, I know it’s serious. Please tell me.”

He looked away.

“If you’re in some kind of trouble, you know you can trust me. I’ll help you in any way I can.”

“Exactly—I’m trying to help you,” Spike muttered, so softly I wasn’t sure I’d heard him correctly.

“What? What do you mean, you’re trying to help me?”

He gave me a resigned look, knowing I wasn’t going to drop the matter. “Doll-face, you have to promise not to say a word.”

“I won’t.”

“Because the only reason I was reluctant to tell you the truth is that I know you’ll want to confront Robert about it, and I—”

“Robert?” I asked, perplexed. “This has to do with Robert?”

“Yes, it has to do with Robert. But you can’t say a word to him. Don’t tell him we spoke. Promise me.”

“I promise.
He’s
the reason you didn’t show up today?”

Meeting my eyes, Spike nodded. “You know I’d never desert you. No matter how depressed I might be. Work is therapy for me. Just like it is for you.”

Of course Spike wouldn’t abandon me. I knew that. Which was why his letter had caused me so much concern. It was completely out of character. And now I knew why.

“What did he say?” I asked urgently. “What did he do?”

Spike’s eyes dropped downward. He was embarrassed.

No, I realized—he was afraid.

“You’re afraid.” My voice came out in a whisper.

Spike immediately met my eyes. “Not for me. This isn’t about me. I’m afraid for you.”

Spike’s tone made the hairs on the nape of my neck stand on end. “Tell me.”

“Robert showed up at my door last night, scared the shit out of me, I tell you. He said he needed to talk, that it was urgent. So I let him in.”

“And what did he say?”

“He knew about my nervous breakdown. He knew that I’d tried to kill myself.” Spike held my gaze for a moment.

“I never said a word. I swear…I wouldn’t betray your confidence.”

“I believe you. I know Robert is a powerful man. He has a lot of resources available to him.”

“Okay, so he found out about your past. How—”

“He wanted me gone. He made that
very
clear. I don’t know why. But he stressed it would be in your best interests—and mine—if I quit. That if I didn’t, he’d make it known to the hospice about my past.”

“That’s insane,” I said. “You’ve volunteered there for years, helped so many people. They wouldn’t judge you for a moment of weakness in your past.”

“Which is what I told Robert. I dared him to go ahead and tell them this
shocking
news about me. It wouldn’t matter one lick.”

“Good.” I was glad that Spike had stood up to him. But the next moment, I was back to being confused. “I don’t understand. You stood up to Robert. You told him it wouldn’t matter if he tried to badmouth you. So why didn’t you come in to work today?”

“Because,” he began, then sighed. “I got a really nasty vibe from Robert. And, Elsie, I mean
really
nasty. He didn’t like it when he realized he couldn’t threaten me. The look he gave me…it was pure evil. And then he said that if I cared about you, I would quit. That things would be easier for you if I did.”

“Meaning?”

“I don’t know, doll-face. He wouldn’t say. For him, it was all about the power of suggestion. But I got the feeling…” Spike’s voice trailed off.

“Feeling that what?”

Spike held my gaze a long moment before speaking. “I got the feeling that he would hurt you. And I mean physically.”

A chill slithered down my spine.
Would
Robert hurt me? Once he realized he could no longer control me, that I wouldn’t go back to him, would he do me physical harm?

No…I couldn’t see that. He would hate me, try to make my life hell as a way to punish me. But hurt me? That would be going too far.

“That’s the reason I can’t go back to work for you. If he sees that I haven’t quit and gets enraged and does something to physically harm you… Doll-face, I could never live with myself if that happened.
Never.
”

I was silent for several seconds, considering Spike’s words. “He must be pissed that I’ve managed to keep the store open,” I concluded. I rose slowly, and as I did, an idea came to me. I suddenly had to wonder about Maxine. I was certain there had been something she wanted to say the day she quit. Had Robert gotten to her? Perhaps cornered her while she was out at lunch, and threatened her? Lured her away with the promise of a better job? Maxine’s parting had been so sudden that now I had to wonder if she’d been influenced to quit.

“I think he expected that I would have run back to him by now so that he’d resolve my financial crisis,” I went on, thinking out loud, trying to determine Robert’s motives. I began to pace the floor. “I haven’t run back to him, so now he’s strong-arming my employees, knowing that without decent help I’ll be forced to shut
down. Maxine’s parting was inconvenient, but I can find temporary staff fairly easily. But you—he knows that you’ve been my most loyal employee for years. He knows that you know the business inside and out. Losing you would be a major blow to my store.”

Yes, that made sense. Robert was hoping to force my staff to quit, leaving me to run the store alone, something that would be an overwhelming task. It was yet another way he was trying to break me down—all in an effort to coerce me back into his life.

“Elsie, I just have this bad feeling. The feeling that this is the tip of the iceberg with Robert. The man is clearly unstable and determined to make your life miserable.”

“I have to stand up to him,” I insisted. “Sure, he gave me a great life, took me to fabulous places—but he micromanaged everything I did. Controlled me like I was his company. I can’t let him control me now, which is what he’s trying to do. Even if it means losing my store,” I added with determination.

“Don’t say that. Your lawyer is tough. She’ll help you get what you deserve. You did your time. You deserve not to be broke and homeless. But maybe you ought to close the shop temporarily until this all plays out in court.”

“If I let him bully me now, he wins,” I said, defiantly. “If I close the shop, it’s one more thing he was able to control. If you quit, it’s one more thing he was able to manipulate.” Spike’s eyes widened in protest, but I continued before he could speak. “But I don’t want you in the middle of the conflict with me and Robert. And I certainly don’t want you blaming yourself for anything
else he might do to make my life hell. And who knows how he might lash out at you if you come back to work despite his threat? Maybe it’s best to let him think he’s won this round.”

I sat beside Spike again and placed a hand on his arm. “So why don’t we do this—you take a leave of absence for now. When I’ve resolved things with Robert and we’re divorced and the shop is mine, you’ll come back. And I’ll make you a partner then, if you want.”

Spike gave me a warm smile. “I love you, doll-face.”

“Is that a deal?” I extended my hand.

He reached out and shook it. “Deal.”

I called Dion when I was back in my car.

“Hi, babe,” he answered. “Everything okay with Spike?”

“Yeah, he’s…he’s fine.”

“Then why don’t you sound okay?”

“It was Robert,” I said. “Robert forced Spike to quit. He threatened him.”

“Physically?” Dion asked doubtfully.

“No, not physically. Even if he were young enough, that’s not his style. He’s all about intimidation.” I gritted my teeth. “And I think he did the same with Maxine. Look, I’ll talk to you when I get home, okay?”

“See you soon.”

The moment I stepped in the door, Dion greeted me with a warm hug. I sagged against him, leaned into his strength.

“I poured you a glass of wine,” Dion said.

I drew back, stretched up on my toes and planted a kiss on his nose. “Thank you, baby.”

Releasing me, he took my hand. “Come on.”

It was the simple things I was savoring with Dion now. Simple things like holding his hand and feeling alive. Alive in a way I never had with Robert.

Dion excited me. One look at his strong arms, his naked back…one stroke of my fingers along his skin. These things sent a rush of heady excitement tingling through my body.

I knew now that the love I’d felt for Robert had been a comfortable kind. The kind of love you feel for a family member, or someone you admire greatly. I’d been in awe of him when I’d met him, and he’d romanced me as no one ever had. I fell in love with the idea of being in love with someone like Robert.

But Dion’s love was the kind that completed a person. Made you feel whole.

He released my hand to pick up the glass he’d already filled with red wine. I sank into the soft leather sofa, then accepted the wine he extended to me.

I took a long sip as he filled his own glass. He sat beside me and I leaned my head on his shoulder.

“So what did Spike say?” Dion asked.

“It’s crazy, Dion. Totally nuts.” I spent the next few minutes filling him in on what Robert had done. “He’s trying to make everything in my life difficult.”

“Because of me.”

It was a statement, not a question. I reached for Dion’s hand. “No. This is because I’ve left him.”

“You haven’t just left him—you’ve moved on with someone else.”

“What does it matter who I’m seeing?” I asked. “Robert wants to punish me, make me think I can’t survive on my own. Maybe I can’t…but I’m not going back.”

I watched Dion, knowing from the expression on his face that there was something else he wanted to say.

“What is it? What are you thinking?” I asked.

“I’m thinking that this whole thing with Robert is going to get worse before it gets better.”

“I know. But it will pass.”

“I hate this.”

“I can deal with it,” I assured him. I didn’t know how it would play out, but I
had
to deal with it. There was no going back now.

“You know I would never do anything to hurt you.”

That was an odd comment. “Yes, I do believe that.”

Dion nodded. “Good. Because I was thinking…maybe until this whole thing is over…maybe we should cool things down.”

Alarm shot through me, and my heart thundered painfully. “You’re breaking up with me?”

“No. No, that’s not what I’m doing.”

“Then explain what ‘cool things down’ means.”

“It means that if Robert is going to be a son of a bitch, use his power and lawyers to deny you a decent settlement—”

“I don’t care about that.”

“You say that now. But if you lose everything you’re entitled to because of me—”

“Dion, stop.” Leaning forward, I planted my finger on his lips. “I’m so sick of people telling me I should care about the money. I know firsthand that money is not what makes a person happy.”

“I’m just saying that with me in the picture, it’s obvious Robert is going to make this experience brutal. And you don’t deserve that.”

Myriad emotions were swirling inside of me. “So, what—you expect that for the next six months or a year I’m supposed to forget about you, not see you, just go on as if I’d never met you?”

“We can see each other—I’m not saying that. But I think it’s best if we don’t live together.”

“Oh, my God.” I shot to my feet and drank down the rest of the wine in my glass.

“Hey.”

I didn’t turn. “So now I’m supposed to lose you. Lose you when I’ve fallen in love with you?”

I felt Dion’s hands on my arms. “Hey.”

I swiveled to face him. And suddenly, I recalled Treasure’s words.
What do you really know about Dion? It seems to me you’re moving too fast.

Was Dion not who I thought he was?

“Are you coming up with an easy excuse to dump me?” I asked him.

“Jesus, no.”

“Maybe you said you loved me when you really didn’t,” I went on. “It’s easy to get a woman like me to believe anything—I’m so damn gullible.”

He put his hands on my shoulders, but I shrugged away. “Elsie—”

“Because if this has been a fun time but nothing more—”

“That’s bullshit.”

“—I won’t fall apart.”

“Gee, that’s nice. Way to make a guy feel special.”

“I’m not the one who wants to break up!” I exclaimed, moving away from him.

I stared at Dion, and he at me. I’d gone off. Lost it. That’s how much I cared about this man. I didn’t want to imagine being without him, not even temporarily.

Dion was the first one to speak. “I love you,” he said softly. “Like I told you, I think I fell in love with you the first time I saw you.”

“Then how can you suggest we slow things down?”

“It was just a suggestion. I thought maybe it would help.”

“It wouldn’t. It would make Robert win. And I’ll be damned if I let him control my life any more than he has.”

Dion took a step toward me. “Okay.”

“Is this just about fun?” I asked. “Fun while it lasts?”

“You’re not serious?”

I didn’t answer, just lifted my chin and held his gaze.

“If I wanted fun, there are a lot of women without rich, vindictive husbands I would get involved with instead.”

I looked down. Swallowed.

“You don’t believe I love you?” Dion asked.

“Maybe you just think you do.” I was experiencing a moment of insecurity—my past rearing its ugly head—but I couldn’t stop myself.

“Hey.” Dion wrapped his arms around me. “You know that’s not true. You know it in your heart.”

Warmth began to flow through my veins again.

“Why are we arguing?” he asked.

Why, indeed? The stress was getting to me. Robert’s games were getting to me. But the thought that I might lose Dion had gotten to me most of all.

“Because I don’t want to lose you. Not because of Robert.”

“You’re not going to lose me.” Dion kissed my lips softly, reassuringly.

I moaned, the sound carrying with it the weight of my fragile emotions. “Promise me,” I pleaded, snaking my arms around his neck. “Promise me that Robert won’t make me lose you.”

“I promise.”

Dion kissed me again, another soft kiss, but I pressed my fingertips into his shoulder blades, urging him closer, and opened my mouth beneath his. I kissed him hungrily, with unbridled passion. I sucked on the tip of his tongue, felt dizzying sensations begin to take control.

I broke the kiss briefly and whispered, “This isn’t about fun for me, Dion. I want a life with you. A family with you.”

I moved my lips over his again, but he pulled away from me. Disappointed, I opened my eyes and looked
up at him. I continued to dig my fingers into his flesh, a silent plea for us to keep going.

“What did you say?” he asked.

I inhaled a shuddery breath. “I’m in love with you.”

“No, what you said after that.”

“I want a life with you.”

“After that.”

“I want a family with you.”

I can’t explain the look that spread over his face. A smile of pure joy curved his lips. The kind of smile I’d seen on Javan’s face on his last birthday, when he’d gotten the remote control car he had been asking for.

“Say it again.”

Now I smiled. “I want a family with you.”

“Music to my ears, sweetheart.”

“It’s true. I want to make babies with you. Lots of them.”

Dion’s lips came down on mine. He kissed me until tingles of lust raced up and down my spine.

“I want the same thing.” The timbre of Dion’s voice was suddenly low, husky. The kind of tone that said he wanted to fuck. “That night, when you didn’t let me get a condom…I was kind of hoping…”

“So was I.” I stared up at him in amazement. How was it we were always not only on the same page, but the same sentence?

“You’re the only woman I’ve ever felt that way about.”

My heart pounded at the words. God, I was in love with this man. I was in the frying pan.

He pulled at the laces on the front of my shirt. They
had no practical purpose and were only for show. But the fact that he was starting to undress me had me already turned on.

“You want to hear something else?” he asked. He stared in confusion at my shirt.

“The laces are for show,” I explained.

“What good is that?”

“To tease you.”

“Torture is more like it.” He pulled the shirt over my head and tossed it onto the floor.

“What were you saying?” I prompted.

“Oh.” He covered my breasts with his palms. “Right.” Through my bra, he ran his thumbs over my nipples.

I closed my eyes. “You were saying…”

“My mother always told me this would happen. That I would meet the right woman and fall in love instantly.”

“Really?”

“Mmm-hmm. I want you to meet her.”

“I would love to meet her.”

Dion unsnapped my bra from behind. “I don’t want to talk about my mother anymore.”

“No?”

He tugged at my nipples. “No.”

I gripped his shoulders and eased my head back as his lips found the underside of my jaw. He ran his tongue from there to my earlobe, then suckled my sensitive flesh. My lips parted in a moan.

Dion pushed the mounds of my breasts together until my nipples were only an inch apart. He swiped his hot tongue over one nipple, trailing a path to the other.
Then he took both nipples into his mouth at once, and waves of pleasure rushed through me.

“I want your pussy,” Dion said, guiding me to the floor. “I want to eat you.” He pushed my skirt up and pulled my panties down. “I want to eat you until you come in my mouth.”

I whimpered at his words. “Not here,” I said. “Not on the floor.”

“The bedroom?” Dion asked.

“No. The armchair.” Standing, I made my way over to the chair. I sat on the edge, stretched one leg slowly over one arm, then the other leg over the other arm.

Dion growled as he stared at my exposed pussy.

“Right here,” I said—and stroked my clitoris. “Eat me right here.”

Dion got onto the floor in front of me. I thought he would begin to eat me right away, but he simply looked at me. I felt sexy and desirable and adored.

I felt like a complete woman.

He ran the tip of his finger along the length of my folds, then traced the same path with the tip of his tongue. Spreading me, he dipped his tongue into my opening.

I closed my eyes and played with my nipples.

“Oh, yeah,” Dion growled, lapping up my essence. “You’re so wet. You taste so good.”

He thrust a finger inside me, and I mewled. As he eased in another finger, he drew my clit into his mouth and suckled me.

Soon I was panting and coming. Coming hard, while
Dion sucked my clitoris so damn sweetly. “Oh, God!” I cried, gripping the armrests. “Oh, baby…”

And then he was fucking me with his tongue, pushing it in and out of my pussy as deep as he could. His thumb stroked my clit, relentlessly giving me pleasure. He didn’t let up. He continued to thrill me with his tongue and his fingers until another orgasm was swelling inside me.

This time I screamed as the force of my climax tore through me, perhaps the sweetest one I had ever experienced.

“I love you,” I said, whimpering. “I love you, Dion. I love you.”

And when he thrust his cock inside of me, nestling it deep, tears filled my eyes.

Happy tears.

Tears of love.