Taking His Woman (6 page)
Authors: Sam Crescent
“Did I say you could speak?”
Erica shook her head. The golden strands were
highlighted from the sunlight shining in his office. Chris wanted to reach out
and touch the strands. The silky smooth feel of her hair as it glided through
his fingers was still clear to him.
“I’ve decided it’s not working out. You’re
going back down to handling the mail and delivering drinks to people. You
clearly haven’t got what it takes to be working so high up the ranks. This will
be effective immediately.” Chris knew he had to get her away from him. He
wasn’t ready to give himself to any woman.
“What? I don’t understand?” She looked confused
and heartbroken.
“You’re not working here anymore. Go back
downstairs. Helen is waiting with your old badge. Your file has already been
updated with your demotion.” He placed the file in the tray, sitting at his
desk. In his mind she had been dismissed.
When she made no move to leave, Chris looked
up. Her arms were wrapped around her stomach. Her tears were spilling down her
cheeks.
“Was I not good? I thought this weekend.” She
stopped, turning to look at the wall.
“Honey, this weekend was great, but did you
really think anything would come of it? We had fun.”
“That was more than fun.”
Chris gripped the edge of his desk. He knew he
was about to hurt her. “You’ve got a lot to learn about men, baby. This weekend
was a bit of fun. I wanted to see what you’d look like with your legs wrapped
around me as I sank into your cunt. I got what I wanted, and now I’m done. Deal
with it. I’m sure it won’t be the last time you’re used for pleasure.”
****
Chris came
out of his nightmare, gasping for breath. He recalled the words he’d spoken,
the way he’d treated her after spending the best weekend of his life. Chris sat
up in bed, checking the time. It was only four-thirty. The same nightmare had
plagued him ever since he’d spoken the words to her.
Erica had
become his whole world, and at the same time, she ceased to exist. He’d not
taken any other woman to bed. For the tabloids he’d escorted beautiful models
and actresses, but none of them went to bed with him. For the past three years
the only loving relationship he’d had was with his hand.
He walked
into his bathroom. Turning on the light, he glanced at his reflection. He
looked like shit. The grey at his temples appeared more pronounced. Aging
didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would. Being alone and old bothered
him. He wanted a family with Erica. Splashing water onto his face, Chris
cleared the last of his nightmare away. It was hard to do as he knew it was the
reality of his life as well as the remnants of a dream. Pushing his thoughts
back, he climbed back into bed. Thoughts of Erica and the picnic he had planned
helped him to drift off to sleep.
Chapter Six
The
following morning, Chris walked downstairs and saw his father burning something
on the stove.
Cassie were nowhere in sight.
“Where are
the others?” he asked, grabbing an orange and sitting down at the table.
“David is
attempting to cook mum breakfast. If she eats anything this morning I’ve got
the ambulance on speed-dial,” John, his youngest brother, said.
“How many
times have I told you to call me ‘dad’?”
Chris
watched as John shrugged his shoulders, Luke smirked, and his father went red
in the face. Molly walked into the kitchen several minutes later.
“What is
that smell?” she said. A hand went under her nose.
“Your breakfast, mum.”
shade of green.
She walked over to her husband. “Let me do
that.” Chris watched her reach out, and her father scowled at her.
“I can cook some bloody breakfast without your
interference,” David yelled.
The damage was done. Molly went paler, and
Chris cursed. Luke and John stormed out of the kitchen, frowning at their
father.
“Fine.
go out for breakfast?” Molly picked up her bag, walking away from David.
“I’m making you breakfast, woman,” David said.
Chris shook his head. His phone in his pants
vibrated.
“No. You’re making a mess and nothing edible.
I’d rather get my own breakfast, thank you.” She walked out of the kitchen with
her head held high.
It was a message from Cassie, letting him know the picnic was set up and in the
fridge.
He grabbed the wooden basket, checking the
contents when David threw all the breakfast things into the sink. The sound of
broken glass echoed ‘round the kitchen.
“I give up.”
“Shouting at her when she was trying to help
wasn’t your smartest move,” Chris said.
“Don’t talk back to me, Chris. Not now.”
Chris shrugged at him, lifting the picnic hamper
onto his shoulder. “You’re not going to win her back like that. Maybe you
really want to be alone.”
He left the house, getting into his car and
driving off. He didn’t want to deal with family drama. Erica sat out on the
front porch when he drove up. Ben was with her. Chris counted to ten before
getting out. She wore a beautiful pale blue dress, the thin straps exposing her
arms and the top part of her chest. The dress fell to her ankles. Her blonde
hair was tucked into a clip at the back. She looked like a vision of purity.
“Hi. I didn’t think you’d show,” she said. The
damage he’d done to her had caused this doubt. He would never give her a chance
to doubt him again.
“I overslept, and then there was a family
disaster.” The closeness between them was missing. He scowled at Ben.
“Why don’t you go and get your stuff, Erica?
I’ll keep him company.”
Erica nodded, leaving him alone with the jerk.
Ben closed the gap, standing close to him. Chris was a few inches taller, which
added to his threat.
“You’ve hurt her before.” Ben snapped the words
at him.
“Back off. I may be forty years old, but I can
take your fucking ass and make you look like a baby,” Chris said. Growing up in
a houseful of brothers had kept him at the peak of fitness.
“I don’t think you’ve got it in you.”
Chris saw Erica coming back out. “Let’s get
something straight. I love Erica. I always have, but I was too stupid to say
anything. I’m never going to hurt her. This is my last chance with her. Back
the fuck off. I may be a businessman, but I’m a fucking mean ass fighter when I
need to be.”
Ben stared up at him. Erica was putting on her
sandals.
“She likes looking at flower and water gardens.
Treat her right, or I’ll take you out.” Ben turned, embraced Erica, and left.
Chris watched him go before taking Erica and
helping her into the car. “What was that all about?” she asked.
“I think your friend was protecting you. He
promised to kick my ass if I didn’t treat you right.”
She chuckled. “That is so like Ben.”
“I thought you were dating him?” He got into
his side of the car, starting up the engine.
“We were. Things didn’t turn out as we planned
them. I thought we were going to the beach. We can walk from here.”
He smiled. “We’re going to a secluded part of
the beach.”
“Yeah?
What makes
it secluded?”
“It’s Sinclair territory.” He pulled the car
onto the road.
“How was your night?” she asked.
Chris thought about his nightmare. He knew he
needed to talk to her about it. “It wasn’t good.
You?”
“I slept fine. Why didn’t you?”
He overtook a van then pressed on the gas. “I
dreamt about Monday morning three years ago.” She let out a gasp. The tension
in the car built. “I know I shouldn’t bring it up.”
“Do you dream about it often?” she asked.
“Enough to lose sleep over.”
They drove in silence until he parked the car.
He turned off the engine before turning to her. “If I could change what I said
and did back then I would.”
“I know.” Her words were a mere whisper, and he
struggled to hear them. He knew she didn’t believe him.
“I know you don’t want to talk about the past
because it hurts. However, I need you to understand some things.”
He stared at her face and saw she’d gone pale
from his words.
“I don’t want to relive the past, Chris. It
hurt too much to live it then.”
“And while it is between us we can never get
past it. Please, hear me out. Once I’ve explained some things if you want to go
home, I’ll understand.”
Chris waited for her to nod her head. “I come
from a fucked up family.”
“Who doesn’t?” He went on regardless of her interruption.
“My father, David Sinclair, is under the
impression that we only love one woman. He married my mother when he was very
young. She gave birth to Blaze, then to me, and during her third and final
birth,
she died bringing
the pain of learning his mother was dead and the happiness of having a baby
brother. “
anymore. Anyway, years went by, and then my father met Molly.”
He paused to make sure Erica was up to speed.
All the names of his family and the circumstances could be confusing, even to
him.
“She was younger than my dad. She took care of
us, and before we knew what was happening, my dad had married Molly.”
“This story isn’t that bad, Chris.”
“My dad has spent the last twenty-five years of
his life with Molly treating her like she was second-best. Everything she does
is not as good as his first wife. My dad died when my mum did. Molly has spent
a great deal of time loving a man who refuses to love her back.” He stopped,
licking his lips. “Four years ago, a blonde haired woman, with a sweet smile
and wonderful laugh, walked into the Sinclair building looking for a job. Three
years ago, a very stupid man broke her heart because he was too afraid to give
himself over to love. I don’t want to make excuses, Erica. Watching my parents
and Molly and seeing what love did to them, I saw it as nothing but
poison,
an excuse people used to hurt others. I’m not
excusing what I did or said to you. What I’m saying is, now I’m wiser, and I
swear I’ll never do anything cowardly again.”
Chris got out of the car, grabbed the picnic
and shut the door. He leaned in the open window. “I understand if you don’t
want to come. I’ll give you a few minutes, and if you want me to drive you
home, come and tell me.”
****
Erica stared at his retreating back. His story
was sad, but everyone had a fucked up family. She knew she couldn’t stand being
near her relatives. What she needed to remember was that everyone was affected
by their families’ events differently. Chris had been affected because of what
he’d seen. She needed to respect that.
Rubbing her hands down her legs, she thought
about the happiness she’d felt with him when she was with him. When they were
alone, he had become a man she had grown to love. She still loved him. Her
feelings would never change. Part of living life was putting your heart on the
line. Sighing, she unbuckled her seat belt. If she went to him and asked to be
taken home, she’d turn out like her mother. A bitter woman with nothing left of
her other than a shell that she plied with drink. Opening the door, Erica knew
she was determined not to turn out like her mother. She followed the path he’d
taken. He sat on the blanket he’d laid out. Items from his basket were spread
out around him. He was looking out at the ocean giving her time to gaze at him.
She sat down next to him on the blanket. Her
leg rubbed against his. For several moments neither of them spoke. No one
needed to say any words. They lay together, side by side, with the beach and
ocean in front of them. No one was around to ruin the moment for them.
His hand went around her back, resting on her
hip. The heat of his touch felt like he was touching naked skin.
“I want us to try,” she said, turning to him.
“Then we’ll try. I want you to meet my family.”
Erica laughed. “We’ll try, meaning taking
things slowly, and you want me to meet your family, which is the complete
opposite.”
“I love it when you prove the statement about
blondes.” She knew he was teasing, and she slapped him on the chest.