Romance: Luther's Property (78 page)

Bradley was gone before Zoey woke up, and she tried her best
not to read too much into it. Instead, she went about her usual day, looking
for anything she could do around the house that would make his life a little
easier. The hours ticked by slowly, and by lunchtime Zoey ran out of things to
do. She’d even gone as far as cleaning the multitude of windows of the house
and scrubbing down the ovens. Around four she busied herself with making a
dinner for her and Bradley, deciding to make everything from scratch because
one, it took longer, and two, it would also be a way to appease her guilt for
going against Bradley’s advice and leaving with Zack.

By six-thirty she had a rack of lamb, rice pilaf, steamed
garlic broccoli, homemade bread, and an apple pie sitting on the table. Like
usual, Bradley walked through the door just as Zoey put the finishing touches
on the meal. He walked past Zoey without a word, and took his briefcase
upstairs. A few minutes later he came back down the stairs and began heaping
food onto his plate.

“Smells good,” he said, not making eye contact with Zoey as
he spooned the rice onto his plate. After sitting his plate down, he picked up
the bottle of red wine and popped the cork.

“Thanks,” she replied. She had thought she would feel better
when she saw him. But his impassiveness towards her only made it worse.
“Listen, Bradley. Can we talk?” She asked, taking her seat at the table beside
him.

Bradley shrugged his shoulders, still not looking her in the
eye. “Sure. I don’t care. What’s up?” He took a large gulp of his wine after
swallowing a mouthful of food. Yes, he liked Zoey’s cooking, but today he ate
like he was on a mission, as if he was trying to give his mouth a reason not to
talk.

“I owe you an apology. For last night. I should have
listened to you right away,” she began, reaching out to touch his arm. He
pulled it away and put his hand on his lap, denying her access. It was a move
that shocked and hurt her, but she continued on.

“You were right. Zack was only trying to make the lawsuit go
away. Actually he fell through with the whole romance thing pretty quickly.
Like as soon as we got to the diner, which was this horrible”-

“I was only trying to protect you,” Bradley interrupted,
finally looking up to her eyes. They held anger and hurt, and she knew that it
was all because of her actions. “That guy, he knows, I’m sure, that he could be
facing possible jail time for what he did to you, not to mention that he’ll be
practically black balled from the field.”

“I know that now,” Zoey insisted. “Really I do. But I had to
find out for myself. Please don’t be mad at me for that!”

Bradley raised his eyebrows at her request. “You think
that’s why I’m upset?” He asked, surprised.

Zoey didn’t understand. If that wasn’t why he was upset,
then what was wrong? “Please, if that’s not it, then tell me what it is so I
can fix it.”

The look on Bradley’s face was one of betrayal. “You chose
him.”

“What?” Zoey asked, confused.

“Over me. You chose him over me. You had a choice to go back
to him and listen to his bullshit, or you could start here new, with me. And
you chose him. This isn’t about the lawsuit, Zoey. It’s about you using my
heart like it was just a mere toy of yours. I rarely trust people. You know
this. It’s why I don’t have many friends. But I trusted you. I was falling in
love with you. And you stabbed me in the back.”

Zoey shook her head vehemently. “No, no that’s not true,”
she swore, reaching out to grab his shoulder. “I wanted to hear what he had to
say, yes, but I never for one second thought about ending what I had with you.”

She knew how bad it sounded as soon as she said it. “Wait,
that’s not what I meant, I”-

“It’s fine,” Bradley said, holding up his hand. He didn’t
need to hear anymore. “Really. I’m still going to handle your case. You
deserver justice. And you can still stay here until you win the lawsuit. But
this,
us-
we are done.”

Having no more to say, Bradley stood up from the table and
walked towards the doorway. He paused right before he was about to pass
through, and turned around. The way he looked at her was that of a client, not
a lover.

“Speaking of, the company has offered a settlement out of
court. They’re willing to pay you ten million to keep everything under the
table. In my professional opinion, you won’t get much better in the courtroom.
It’s entirely up to you on whether or not you want this to go public.”

“What do you think I should do?” Zoey asked, willing to talk
about anything that would keep him talking to her.

Bradley shrugged his shoulders and turned back around.
“That’s not my decision,” he called. “It’s yours.”

Zoey waited until she heard his office door close before she
burst into tears. She felt like such a fool for not listening to Bradley the
day before, and now she had lost him because of it. Unlike Zack, he was the
most honest man she had ever met, and now he was gone.

The days until the settlement hearing ticked away slowly.
Each day Zoey tried a new way to win back Bradley’s affection, but they all
failed. She had hurt him to the core, and she knew it. She couldn’t exactly
blame him either, for she would have followed the same line of thinking. It
didn’t stop her from trying though. She kept the house extra clean, left him
long letters on his pillows after she made his bed, and fixed his favorite
meals.

When he did talk to her, it was only about the upcoming
hearing and what she should and should not say. She was warned to avoid
outbursts and conversations that weren’t relevant to the topic. If asked about
her personal life, she was always to refer to Bradley before answering. Zoey
wasn’t sure what she hated more. The fact that she was forced to see Zack again
after their bullshit meeting, or that after tomorrow, she would probably never
see Bradley again.

The next morning, Zoey woke up earlier than usual and took
her time to dress and do her makeup. She chose a charcoal gray suit that was
conservative and not all that form fitting. There were a lot of stupid things
men could think up in defense to sexual harassment, Bradley had warned her, and
they didn’t want to hand them any.

At the breakfast table she toasted them bagels and spread
them thickly with cream cheese. After she poured their coffee, she sat down
alone. Though she made one for Bradley, she had gotten used to seeing his
portion of breakfast grow cold. He didn’t like seeing her in the mornings. Of
that she was certain.

The first bite of her bagel felt wrong in her mouth, but she
fought through it to swallow. It hit her stomach like soggy crackers, and she
fought the urge to vomit. Instead of eating, she began to tear the bagel into
small shreds. Her nerves were eating at her. Not about the case, but about
losing Bradley. A gentle hand on the back of her neck startled her, and she
looked up to see Bradley staring down at her.

It was the first time he had touched her ever since they’d
stopped talking, and his fingers still sent jolts of electricity running
through her veins. She missed him so much. If only he would believe her when
she said it over and over again.

“Don’t worry,” Bradley said softly, picking up the cup of
coffee she had poured for him. “We have the case in the bag. We just have to
avoid any nit picking and off the subject provocation, and you’ll be just fine.
Today by noon you’ll be walking away with ten million dollars. You’ll never
have to worry about finding a job again.”

He took a seat beside her like he used to, and took a bite
of his bagel. “Mmm, raisin with extra cream cheese. Thank you for this.”

His soft demeanor helped Zoey relax a little, and after
dipping the shredded bagel into her coffee cup, she was able to keep most of it
down. After breakfast they got into Bradley’s car and drove towards her old
office. The time had come for all of her present relationships to end.

~

Zoey saw the familiar faces gather around the conference
table, each of them looking grumpy and uncomfortable. Of course she couldn’t
blame them. A ten million dollar lawsuit would do that to a person.

Nathan, the head manager of the company cleared his throat
and stood up. “Let’s get this over with shall we? I’ve prepared an opening
statement in which I would like to read to Ms. France if that’s all right?” He
asked, looking over to the mediator. The man nodded his head, and Nathan took
out his cue cards.

“Ms. France, it is the wish of the company and myself that
we offer our deepest apologies for the injustices that have occurred here in
this office. We strive to provide a safe and healthy work place, but
unbeknownst to us, we let a horrible man into our trust. Upon receiving your
intent to sue, we quickly investigated the issue and demoted this man from his
Human Resources position.

I would like the record to show that Mr. Zack Smith is the
culprit in this situation and has gone illegally missing upon finding out that
he could face potential jail time for his crimes against women. We hope that
you will understand that if we were aware of these matters we would have
stopped them long ago. It is our privilege to offer the opportunity to come
work with our company as the Head of Human Resources at the salary of $100,000
per year, with the promise of a permanent position as long as the company
exists, provided that you lower your asking fee to 1.5 million dollars.”

A murmur went through the small congress as everyone heard
the offer. It was a tempting deal, one that neither of them was prepared for.
If she took the job as Human Resource manager, she would be able to make sure
that what had been done to her would never happen to another woman again. Zoey
looked over at Bradley, wondering what to do.

“It’s a pretty amazing deal,” Bradley whispered. “But the
decision is up to you. I’ll look over the paperwork of course, but assuming
there’s no loopholes then you would still have a very comfortable living.”

Zoey knew she wanted the new offer as soon as she heard it;
she just wanted Bradley’s nod approval before accepting it. She picked up her
pen and wrote the words
we’ll take it
on her notepad. Bradley gave her a wink and stood up.

“As Ms. France’s lawyer I will be ironing out the final
contract of this offer, but assuming that we can come to an agreement then
we’ll take the tenured job and the reward of 1.5 million,” Bradley told the
boardroom.

Stone faces turned into smiles as they heard the news, and
Nathan came around the large conference table to shake both Bradley and Zoey’s
hand. Thanks and congratulations were exchanged, and shortly after the meeting
was over Bradley disappeared to iron things out with Bobby and Nathan.

1 Month Later

Zoey walked a crying Katie out of her office and back to the
young woman’s desk. Since Zoey had started as the new human resources manager,
she had been affronted with way too many cases of sexual harassment by Zack.
Some, she found out sadly, even occurred while they were dating. Since the man
had practically vanished, there was nothing she could do to punish him. However,
after delivering a satisfyingly terrifying presentation on sexual harassment in
the work place, she was positive that if any thing happened, the employees
would come to her for help, and she would deliver justice.

After the hearing Bradley was able to renegotiate the
contract and get her a salary bump of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars,
along with four weeks of paid vacation a year. It was a nice little surprise,
and Zoey was already planning her first vacation to the Bahamas for her
Christmas present. Sadly, Bradley had remained true to his word, and after
getting her the final documents to sign, she hadn’t heard or seen him again.
Though she’d called and texted him many times, he never answered. It was something
she didn’t want to accept, but after two weeks of radio silence, she finally
backed down and stopped calling.

Once Zoey had Katie calmed down and ready to go back to
work, she walked back to her office to grab her purse. It was a nice autumn
day, and she had a reservation for one on the rooftop restaurant upstairs. She
greeted the hostess with the smile and gave her her name.

“Very well, Ms. France. And your guest just got here a few
minutes ago as well,” the young woman explained cheerfully. “He’s waiting for
you at your table.”

“Guest? What guest?” Zoey asked, confused.

“We received a call from your secretary asking that the
reservation be switched from one person to two,” the hostess explained.

Curious, Zoey followed her to the outdoor dining area. If it
was Zack she swore she would throw him over the roof. Through the crowd she saw
a familiar face, and her heart stopped.

“Is that my table?” Zoey asked, pointing towards Bradley.

“Yes ma’am.”

“Thank you, I’ll take it from here,” Zoey said, trying to
start her heart again. Her legs felt wobbly as she approached the table. She
had been sure that she wasn’t ever going to hear from him again, but here he
was. On the table she saw a bouquet of lilies, her favorite flowers, and her
eyes welled up with tears.

When he saw her Bradley stood up, his eyes full of
vulnerability. He looked just as unsure as she felt, and she immediately wanted
to comfort him. It felt like it took forever to make it to the table, but once
she did, she only had one question in mind.

“What are you doing here?” She whispered.

“Asking for forgiveness,” Bradley answered. “I overreacted,
I see that now, and I am so sorry that I did that, Zoey. But I was hurt. Please
understand.”

“Of course I understand,” she told him, rushing into his
arms. She didn’t want to play games, or pretend she had to think about it. She
wanted it over and in their past. Their lips met together in a passionate kiss
as they held each other tightly.

“Take me home,” she moaned.

~

Zoey’s hands ripped the shirt away from Bradley’s chest as
soon as they were in his house. She didn’t care where they made love, but she
wanted it to happen right then and there. Bradley smiled as he witnessed her
aggression, and matched it by unzipping her dress and dragging it to the floor.
She was never sexier in her black garter belt, stockings and matching brazier.

Groaning at the sight of her, Bradley pulled her into his
chest, lifting up at her bottom so that he could hitch her legs around his
waist. She went there obediently, and while she held herself at his shoulders
with one hand, her other one disappeared between their legs so that she could
unfasten his pants. They fell freely to the floor, and in one swift motion he
had her pinned to the wall and buried deep inside of her.

Zoey screamed in pleasure as Bradley filled her. It was a
pleasure she thought she’d never feel again, and as they made love aggressively
against the wall of the kitchen, her heart swelled with happiness. She never
wanted to let him go again, and she vowed right then and there to make sure it
didn’t happen.

“You’re mine,” Bradley moaned, picking up the pace of his
thrusts. “Do you understand?”

“Yes!” Zoey screamed, in love with the way he talked to her.
“I’m yours,” she panted, her orgasm quickly building. “Only yours.”

Bradley moaned in agreement and with one hand, freed her
breasts from her brazier. His mouth quickly went to her left nipple and pulled
the pink, turgid flesh between his teeth. The stimulation was just what Zoey
needed to be pushed over the edge, and in seconds she was gushing her orgasm
over Bradley.

Minutes later Bradley followed, his seed shooting hot and
hard into her. For several minutes they simply held each other, trembling
against the wall. It was only when Bradley’s arms began to give out that he
finally let her feet touch the ground.

“I missed you,” he confessed, kissing her lips.

“I missed you too,” Zoey replied, her arms still wrapped
around his neck.

With Bradley back in her life, and her job back in place,
Zoey smiled as she realized that she won her case.