Insufferable Proximity (14 page)

“This is where Mr. King lives?” she asked Alice, who was suddenly standing next to her.

“Yes, it was one of his grandfather’s favorite houses and he left it to Mr. King after he passed away.”

“When did he die?” she asked, stalling, not prepared to go inside and start her jail term yet.

“About six years ago I think, but I’m not positive, Mr. King never speaks of his grandfather anymore.”

“Did you know him?”

“No, he died before I started working here,” she shrugged, “but the staff talks about him all the time. Most of them had worked for the old man before he died and they respected him very much. Dorothy the head cook was in love with him, she still is I think, she keeps a picture of him on her bed stand.” Heaven turned to see the lofty look of love in the chauffeur’s eyes and scoffed before she walked towards the door. “You’re going to like it here.” Alice said as she caught up with Heaven, opening the door for her.

“As much as I would enjoy licking active lava.” she frowned and stepped through the threshold with Alice a step behind her.

“Is that even possible?” Alice asked with a grin on her face and Heaven stopped to look at the girl, the faint trace of what could be considered amusement on her face.

“I think if you’re close enough to lick lava, you’ve got bigger problems.” Heaven answered with a straight face and Alice smiled ear to ear as she chuckled, she really liked this conservative chick with the caustic wit.

“He gave me instructions to take you to his office,” she stopped in front of the massive mahogany door, “this is it, the end of the road.”

“There are no ending roads in hell.” she whispered to herself as Alice knocked on the door.

When the wooden door opened, Charity, one of the house cleaners came out with a smile. Alice rolled her eyes at the trouble-making girl, and then led Heaven into one of the biggest offices she had ever seen.

Heaven stood back as she scanned his large office, it was like hauntingly medieval and looked like it belonged more in a castle or a horror film then a gorgeous upscale home. Julian, looking like an earthbound demon, sat behind a monstrously large, black stone desk with sharp angles that dominated the room. He looked like royalty, sitting in an intricately carved high back chair, which looked more like a throne. The large stone fireplace off to the left side of the room had a large black onyx gargoyle perched on the mantle, its wings scanning the length.

“Is there anything else you need Mr. King?” Alice asked as Julian walked over to the dark leather couch before the fireplace.

“No that will be all, thank you. He dismissed her, and Alice gave Heaven a quick wink before she left the room. The sound of the closing door echoed in Heaven’s ears, sealing her fate and enclosing her alone in the room with the man who would be her warden for the next month. She stood there, too stiff to move forward and her anxieties increasing under the deafening silence.

“Come here.” he said, his words breaking the stillness in the room forcing the reality of her situation to come crashing down on her.

Heaven was suddenly feeling like a bound kitty cat being sacrificed to a hungry pit bull, it was like walking a ship’s plank and being forced to willingly jump into the shark-infested water below. How was she expected to sacrifice herself so easily? It was taking everything inside of her to not just turn around and run out of this place, far away from this vindictive, revenge-seeking, maniacal pervert. How the hell was she going to get herself out of this mess? Her options were becoming very slim.

Julian sat on his black leather sofa, watching her walk towards him. He finally had her, that bitch Heaven Deville was his on a silver platter and he was overwhelmed with joy. He could not wait to pay her back for her foul mouth and her demeaning ways.

“How does it feel?” he asked.

“How does what feel?” she snapped back.

“Being enslaved to me, your nemesis?” he grinned so smugly she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs and rip his smug lips from his face.

“It sucks.” she said her voice low, trying her hardest to not let him see the weakness she was beginning to feel.

“Thank you Miss Deville.” he said with sincerity.

“For what?”

“For breaking into my office and stealing my file.” he grinned “and putting yourself right in my hands. I couldn’t have paid money for what I am going to do to you.”

“I seriously hate you.” was the only retort that came to her mind.

“You think you hate me now, but after the next 30 days you’re going to know what hate really is.”

“29 days.” she corrected him.

“No 30 days, the contract starts now.”

“But what about yesterday at the restaurant?”

“Yesterday didn’t count as a part of the agreement, you merely signed the contract.”

“Merely signed the contract? I took off my panties in a public restaurant and you forced me to lift my skirt, that should count for something!”

“It did, I was testing the merchandise.”

“Testing the merchandise?” she could feel her blood pressure skyrocket.

“If you didn’t lift your skirt how would I have known if I even wanted a contract with you.”

“If I could kill you and get away with it, I swear I would.” she raised her chin forcing herself not to slug him as he laughed at her.

“Trust me, the feeling is more than mutual, as you well know. I to would love to partake in your demise and watching you break is the first step.”

“You’re not going to break me.” she grinned at his words as she raised her chin, showcasing her arrogance.

“I will,” he smiled “I am going to break you down to the ground. I won’t stop until you’re  on your knees with no pride and no self-respect.” he grinned “I am going to do things to you that you will never recover from, things you will never be able to forget.”

“Good luck with that.” she continued smiling.

“But then again, since you hate me so much maybe the best revenge would be to make you fall in love with me.” he said and watched her face drain of all color. “Then you would have no one to hate but yourself, because you love me.”

“That would never happen. The only thing I will be doing with your heart is ripping from your lifeless body.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

“Get undressed.” He barked.

“Excuse me?”

“Take off your clothes Ms. Deville.” he demanded and she stood there unable to move, she felt like cement had just been poured down her spine and it had settled in the bottom of her feet.

“Look, I gave you back the file, I swear on my life I will never ever do anything stupid like that again.” she tried to convince him, “I’m really sorry Mr. King.”

“No, you tried to ruin my case and if I didn’t have security in my office, you would have.” he said with anger in his voice. Just the thought of him not being prepared or screwing up in front of his father and brother infuriated him. His father would be disappointed, his brother would gloat and then begin to lecture him. “Now I’m going to teach you a lesson about men like me.”

“I learned my lesson.”

“No you didn‘t, but you will. I am going to teach you a lesson you will never forget, and if at any point you object, you will go straight to jail. The price of that ring alone will keep you behind bars for a while, not to mention the computer,” he said although he would never turn her in.

“I didn’t steal that ring.”

“Why should I believe you?”

“Because I’m not a liar.”

“Then by our own admission, you’re just a thief,” he answered and Heaven suddenly thought of Jade’s advice about shedding a tear in front of him. Heaven tried everything in her power to cry, but her anger would not let the emotion seep through. “And who would ever trust a thief?”

“Why didn’t you turn me in?” she changed the subject, asking the question that had been plaguing her since he first busted her. “I know how much you hate me and you have the perfect opportunity to destroy me, so why didn‘t you.”

“Because I would rather make your life a living hell and I deserve the opportunity to fully punish you for your actions.” he said in a way that made the hair at the back of her neck stand straight up. “I am going to pay you back for every snide comment, every case you stole, every time you sent my secretary on a false errand, stole the ink from my printer, every little thing you’ve ever done is coming back to you. Now get undressed, or I will call the police, have you thrown in jail and then proceed to destroy your entire career.” he lied.

“You are such a sadistic prick!”

“I definitely can be.” he grinned again then held out his hand “now stand before me and get undressed.” she hesitated for a moment then took a tiny step towards him before she stopped. “closer.” he demanded and she scowled before she took another small step then stopped again. “closer.” he repeated and she hesitated before she stepped in front of him, his knees spread, he motioned her to come closer and again she hesitated before she took the steps forward to stand before his knees. “If I have to tell you again-”

“If I get any closer I’ll be standing on your lap.” she cut him off, each step she took closer to him filled her with frustration.

“So if you know what I want, then why are you stalling?” he asked, “Come on.” she took a deep breath then stood between his spread feet.

“That’s close enough.” she said, refusing to budge. He took a moment to look at her, wondering how a woman so hot could be so cold.

“I decide what’s close enough.”

“Fine.” she said and took a step so small she did not even move forward.

“Heaven Deville.” he rolled her name off his tongue, liking the way it sounded, she on the other hand was instantly enraged that he would dare call her by that name. “When I found out your name was Heaven, my first thought was that you should have been named Hell.” he smirked as she continued to frown.

“Well not everyone can be named to sooth their over inflated ego,
Mr. King
.” she frowned in disgust.

“
My
overly inflated ego?” he grinned, believing her ego was just as large as his was. “Bedsides, I think your last name is a better fit then mine, isn’t Deville French for devil?”

“And isn’t Julian a girl’s name?” she retorted then grinned when she realized she had hit a nerve. Julian had always hated his first name and preferred being called King, he had always felt he was excessively masculine for such an androgynous name.

“Get undressed!” he roared.

“Don’t get mad, Julie.” she snickered as she watched his anger contort his face.

“Call me that one more time and I will gag you, pull your panties to your knees, take you outside and finger fuck you in front of my gardeners.” he hissed. She felt her knees turn to gelatin and the air leave her lungs, she braced her body so she would not sway.

“You wouldn’t?” she gasped.

“Test me and find out.” he lifted his left brow then held out his hand. “Now give me your glasses.” she took off her glasses and handed them to him. He looked at the face that was always hidden behind the large, black frames. Her expressive eyes were void of any makeup and she was still utterly beautiful. “Do you have contacts?”

“No.”

“I will have contacts ordered for you first thing in the morning, I don’t want you putting these things back on your face.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so.” He dared her to object.

“Fine.” she exhaled, realizing the loss of her glasses would be the least of her worries.

“Now take down your hair.” he spoke, eager to really see her. She frowned as she reached back and removed the bobby pins holding the large bun in place, then slowly unraveled the bun before removing the rubber band and letting the thick mass of curls fall down past her shoulders. Julian watched in awe as she released a head full of thick long curls, his fingers itching to run through the strands. He had no idea she had that much hair, he was surprised she did not suffer from severe headaches keeping that silken mass pulled back so tight. He was impressed beyond words, he knew she was beautiful, but he had no idea the extent of that natural beauty.

“You know if the roles were reversed, I would have sent you to prison.” she frowned.

“I know. You should be happy that I want to fuck you more than I want to punish you, now take off that horrible suit.”

“You are so perverse.”

“I know.” he grinned arrogantly. She watched him, the man she despised ordering her around like some common house pet, he loved this and she wanted to scream. She felt her belly begin to do flip-flops as she slowly unbuttoned her blazer.

“I’ve never seen you so nervous,” his grin widened as he watched the blush spread across her face as she slowly slid the blazer off, “I like it.”

“I can‘t believe you’re making me do this.” she said, ready to cry, but forcing herself to stay strong, even if she had to bite the inside of her mouth hard enough to draw blood, she would not let him see the weakness that she felt.

“And I can’t believe you broke into my office,” he shook his head in disgust “that reeked of desperation. Take off the skirt.” he ordered her. She reached behind her and unzipped her skirt, taking a deep steadying breath before she slid it down to pool at her feet then stepped out of it. “Now the shirt.” She fidgeted with the top button of the extra-large, white, button up shirt she was wearing.