**Olivia POV"You… what?" I asked. Had Ellis really just asked me to be his girlfriend. When I told him I wanted to give him a gift, that wasn't what I'd had in mind. I thought I could get him a rare bottle of wine or cigars or something. Could I really date Ellis? Could I publicly be with him and have that kind of attention? Being his girlfriend meant the world would find out about us. It was more than that, though. Carl would find out about us. I had no lingering feelings for Carl, but I doubted it would make life easier once he found out I was involved with his dad. Ellis had been good to me. He'd helped me out, protected me, lavished me with fine things. Through it all, I'd had my own insecurities. He was good at flashing money around to get what he wanted and now I was what he wanted. How long would that last, though? His track record with women said that he got bored easily. Not to mention, Ellis frequented auctions where he was willing to spend money on women for his 'dung
**Olivia POVWhen my classes were done for the day, I was half expecting Ellis to show up again. He wasn't outside the university. He wasn't at my apartment either, and there were no new gifts. I was a little disappointed. Had he given up already? I really thought Ellis would have put more effort into winning me over and proving himself. He never backed down from a challenge, as far as I could tell. It wasn't until the next day at lunch time that he showed up again. I had made it through my morning classes, obsessively checking my phone to see if he was calling or texting. He wasn't. When I left my last class for the morning, I wanted to get myself a quick snack before studying at the library. I wanted to ensure that my studies weren't falling behind because of the drama with Carl, Bethany, and especially, Ellis. But, just as I was about to right my negligence, there Ellis was, leaning casually against an iron lamp post. He was dressed in a slick, black suit with a white button d
Ellis started bringing me lunch every day. The nice weather was holding, so we got to eat outside on the campus picnic tables. Every day, his meals got a little better. I was almost able to actually enjoy them. Of course, he'd always bring something from a restaurant too, something that I could really eat and enjoy after giving his unpredictable cooking a try. I was surprised Ellis never got frustrated or upset with my reactions to his culinary skills, or lack thereof. At least, he was noticeably getting better with consistency."Okay, what do you think of the filet mignon?" he asked as I carved another tender, juicy slice off the cut of meat. "Well, this is definitely the best meal yet," I admitted. I popped the meat in my mouth and let the juices seep out, over my tongue. It wasn't the best filet I'd ever had, but I was able to appreciate it for what it was. "You didn't buy this and repackage it?" I asked playfully.He seemed slightly offended. "I'm just teasing," I assured him.
"Excuse me?" Ellis growled. He grabbed my arm and gently tugged me from the door. The woman laughed, pulling our attention back. She was tall, slim, and had legs that went on for miles. She had the aesthetics of a supermodel, even though she was clearly closer to Ellis' age than I was. "Of course, you know who I am," she said. "How couldn't you remember, dear?"Dear?! What was going on here? Who was she?Her insistence bothered me and I looked at Ellis, expecting him to jump in with an explanation any time soon. He just shook his head, his hand still firmly around my elbow. "Look, I don't know who you are. Now, will you please get off my property," Ellis demanded, glaring at the woman. I looked back and forth between them. Either he really didn't know who she was or he was desperate to cover up their past. "Now you're just playing hard to get," the woman spat. "It wasn't THAT long ago when we met up so I could see our son on holiday...." She beamed with a smile and batted her eyel
Waves pounded over my head as I dove deeper into the sea. I surfaced and looked around for that purple silk. "Olivia!" I shouted, my voice hardly making a sound over the waves. Taking a deep breath, I dove back under. My fingers caught on something stringy and loose. Hair. I opened my eyes under the water and saw Olivia suspended there. Wrapping my arms around her, I hauled her above the surface. "Come on, breathe!" I demanded, shaking her as I treaded water. Her head flopped to the side; eyes closed. She was unconscious. "Hang on, princess," I muttered. "I'm here."I kicked my legs out, propelling both of us to the shore. My back hit the sand, and I dragged Olivia from the water. I laid her flat on the sand and patted her cheek. She was so pale, her lips discolored. How long had she been under the water?"Come on," I urged, patting her cheek harder. I started CPR, pressing the heels of my hands hard into her chest. One, two, three, four, I pressed and pressed into her. "Come o
"Olivia," Ellis called my name. "I'm here," I assured him. I placed another cool cloth on his forehead. He mumbled something incoherent and tossed and turned in his delirium. I'd been watching over him all night, but his condition hadn't changed."Olivia," he called again. He lifted his hand like he wanted to reach for me. "Ellis," I replied. I grabbed his hand and squeezed. "I'm not leaving you."Just as the sun was rising over the ocean, bathing the room in bright, golden light, Ellis stopped mumbling and calling my name. It was like he finally settled into a peaceful sleep. I pulled the cloth from his head and checked his temperature. His fever was definitely coming down, but he wasn't back to normal yet. As I got a fresh cloth, I heard the doorbell ring. "Who could that be?" I wondered aloud. I put the fresh cloth on Ellis's forehead and I tucked the covers in around him so he was snug and comfortable. I didn't want to leave him, but the doorbell rang again and it didn't see
I swallowed hard, his tone nothing short of being a direct order. I got on my hands and knees, arms still shaking from my intense climax. Ellis got off the bed and searched the floor. He returned with a belt. "Let me see your hands," he ordered clearly and firmly. "Yes Master," I obeyed.I sat back, lifting my arms up obediently. He wrapped the belt around my wrists, securing it in a tight figure eight. Then he looped the strap around the headboard and buckled it in place. I had to support my weight on my knees as my arms were suspended from the leather binding on my wrist. "Much better," Ellis growled. I looked over my shoulder as he removed his clothes. My cheeks burned as he looked at me. He was standing at the end of the bed with a full view of my a*s. I was completely vulnerable and exposed, which was embarrassing and exciting all at the same time. Ellis crawled onto the bed on his knees. I could see his long, hardened shaft jutting straight out from his hips and
When Ellis had first brought me to the beachside estate, things between us had felt strained and awkward. Now, in the car driving back to the city, and reality, the air between us felt lighter. I felt much better about our future.Ellis reached across the seat, taking my hand, and raised his lips to it, kissing the back of it. I blushed and looked at my lap. "You know, while I was sick with the fever, I had the strangest dream," he announced. "Did you?" I asked. I glanced sideways at him and raised an eyebrow. "Yes. I distinctly remember someone promising that if I woke up, they'd be my girlfriend and stop keeping me at a distance," he said confidently."Uh… oh… well, that sounds like an interesting dream," I dismissed, thinking fast. I looked out the car window and slowly pulled my hand from his. Ellis chuckled, brushing my leg quickly before putting both hands back on the steering wheel. I watched out of the corner of my eye, keeping my head angled towards the window.
Ellis POVI sat in the executive chair in the office, getting work done as well as I could under the circumstances. Even with the new legal troubles, some things never changed. “And tell them if they don’t they will have to answer to me,” I said. “Got it,” my project manager, William, said, looking a little shaken. Handling contractors came with the job, and was mostly a matter of patience, and being commanding. Much the same as handling a child having a tantrum. I relaxed a little as the call went away, taking more of the immediate problems with it. There were other problems hanging over my head that I didn’t like to think about. A little annoyed and very tired I loosen my tie, which had come to feel like a noose. After the house arrest, theoretical as it might have been, I hardly wore one anymore.I felt Olivia’s absence in my chest, like a weight. One I tried to lighten with another drink. Sipping lightly from the tumbler of rum, careful not to get drunk. I wanted to be alert
**Olivia POVI woke up still groggy, the world going from a dark blur to a light blur. Everything that had happened slowly rearranged itself in my mind.Pain came back along with the memories, if in a reduced form. With a wince, my head turned just right, and I saw Ellis seated by the bed, where he’d always been before getting arrested and would always be if I had anything to say about it.Ellis looked troubled, something I rarely saw. He was always so capable and in control of himself if not the situation. I reached out to him instinctively, and Ellis took it tenderly.“Can you be here?”“Of course,” he said.“No, I mean your house arrest.”“That is taken care of. Even if it wasn’t, I think this counts as compassionate grounds.”I relaxed a little, letting out a breath. Then I remembered what happened with the baby.“How is she?” I asked.He squeezed my hand, letting me know something was wrong, no matter what he might say.“She will be fine,” he said, “I’ll take you to the NICU to se
**Olivia POVI’d always heard bad things about hospital food. Fortunately, this proved not to be true. Everything Amber brought was great. I started to feel stronger just from the diet alone.If it wasn’t for hospital policy, I probably could have walked on our twice daily outings onto the hospital grounds. The baby seemed better too, moving even more than before.I started to suspect Nurse Anderson might have cooked the meals at home and smuggled them onto the hospital plates.I was near the end of my bacon and eggs, when a familiar face peeked in through the door.“Mom!?” I asked, more delighted to see her than I had words to say.“Hey, baby.”Mom came over and gave me a kiss on the cheek, like she used to do when I was little and feeling sick.“Me or her?” I asked, patting my belly.“Both of you, really,” mom said with a rare smile.Mom put her hand on my belly and felt it as the baby moved again.“Hello, little one, it’s Grandma.”I was surprised to hear her use the term. Something
**Ellis POVI paced the hallway, resisting the urge to hit something. The control I showed in most situations was carefully built up over years. There were times I worried about Ken and his potential impulse control. Then again his mother was so patient and gentle, except when truly riled, it could be her genetics that might win out. I went to the door again, just to see if I could hear what was being said. The wood was too thick and all I could hear was muffled hums. “You know you could just go in right? You’re on the list.”Spinning on my heel, resisting the urge to yell in fright, I saw Nurse Anderson with a food tray. “I can’t actually.”“Why? Is the door locked?” she asked, testing the knob. “Yes, but that is not the biggest problem.” “Oh, how so?” Nurse Anderson asked. “It was locked from the inside,” I said.“Yes, that is how it works.” “By someone else, on purpose I mean.” “Who?” “Some Fed, I think he said his name was Smiley.” “Agent Smiley?” Nurse An
**Olivia POV Ken came out of nowhere. The only warning of his arrival, an excited shout echoed down the hall. He still hadn’t got the hang of his ‘inside voice.’ Like a shot he was in the room, shattering the quiet solitude. I couldn’t have been happier. Kevin was more subtle, coming in behind and waiting to be beckoned before coming forward. There was something about hospitals that made him less than comfortable. “Mommy,” Ken cried, up on the bed like a shot. “Hey, baby,” I said, as he took me in a near-choking hug. “Hi,” Kevin said, quietly, keeping his wheelchair near the door.. “Get over here,” I said. Kevin came up beside the bed, not needing to be told twice. From my bed I hugged Ken and held Kevin’s hand tightly, tears started to roll with little choice. “Mommy?” Ken asked. “Happy tears, baby,” I said. “Oh.” The room felt smaller all of the sudden and all I wanted to do was go outside with my boys. Pressing the button to page her, Amber appeared in no
**Olivia POV Day came again even as I was sitting on the plane back to New York. It had been a dream, and Ellis was still there, looking deeply worried. “How are you doing?” he asked with a smile that once melted me. “Fine and only getting better. As soon as the doctor gives me the all clear I’m going home with Ken.” “Ken is at home,” Ellis said. “Not your home, my home,” I said. I could see the words cut deep, and almost felt sorry for him. Second thoughts were just coming up when the doctor came in, his expression grim.I instinctively reached for Ellis’s hand. Bad news no doubt on the horizon. “It can’t be that bad,” Ellis and I blurted at once. “It can actually,” the doctor said, looking at the chart. “How so?” Ellis butted in. It didn’t really concern him anymore, but he was the sort to think he needed to be the center of attention in any situation. He must have been a joy at funerals. “You are severely dehydrated, Mrs. Peterson. The amniotic fluid is mu
**Ellis POVI held her hand in the back of the ambulance, never letting her go again if I had anything to do about it. I had gotten far too close to losing her. “We’ll be there soon,” I said, minding the volume. She flinched at the smallest noise if it was unexpected. God only knew what the sick f*cks had done to her, and it was best not to think about it. Anytime I did, the urge to kill them rose. I didn't want to kill Carl, no matter how much of a f*ck up he was.No matter what he did he was still my son. People like us had other ways to deal with our kids when they got off the track. Military service was one popular option, as well as “career opportunities” in another country. Olivia stayed silent, her head lolling to the left before she closed her eyes. “Everyone is excited to see you again,’ I tried, “especially Ken and Kevin.”Olivia winched at the mention of their names. It was probably a touchy subject, after she’d been away for so long, not sure if she’d ever get ba
**Olivia POV“How are you doing, honey?” I asked, rubbing my belly. The baby didn’t move, but she could have been asleep. Apparently, they did that a lot. Resting up for the rest of their life. Bethany and Carl were down there for a few hours. Mostly quiet but with the occasional argument. Things shifted and I heard steps coming towards the attic. I held my breath hoping everything would be okay. I wasn’t sure I’d done the lock up right, and hoped they wouldn’t notice if they came back. It would be an obvious sign of what I’d done, and the punishment could be awful. There was no telling what Bethany might do. She could be merciful and just break my ankles. Or my wrists, to stop me from getting the lock picked again. It would make Ellis really mad, but it didn’t sound like they were planning to stay around, after everything. The clock clicked open, making me flinch and the baby move. I nearly cried to feel her again but had to hold it together. If we were going to get out of
**Olivia POVI felt a thrilling chill run over my body and the baby moved in response, celebrating in my womb. The door was open and we were close to freedom. I rubbed my belly, calming her down. I would need all my focus for the next part. Carl and Bethany could have been back at any time, and I had to be gone before then if there was going to be any chance of getting back to the boys and Ellis tonight. I cracked the door open slowly and I listened to the deafening silence. All was dark but I could just make out the staircase below the door. There was no light from below, so I had to try to get down blind. A little at a time, always sure to hold something, down I climbed. Getting one foot down on the stairs and then the other. Holding the sides of the steps in a death-grip, I finally reached solid ground. The floorboards down below creaking like the ones up above. There was another door at the base of the steps and my heart sank to think that I might have to work to pick another l