-"I'll wait outside. Okay," I say. I head out of the room in long strides, without even looking back. Leaving the hallway, I see Ethan focused on his Macbook, barely blinking. I approach, avoiding eye contact. He spent a long time sitting in the waiting room working. Poor fifty, he's working double time away from GEH. -"Hi," I greet him, looking at my intertwined fingers.-"Hi." He closes his MAC and places it on the chair next to him. -"Come here." Ethan extends a hand to me, and I accept. I sit on Ethan's lap, with my legs on the chair opposite his MAC. He forces a look at me, but I look away. -"You're avoiding my gaze. Look at me." I move on his lap and look at his face. I feel my cheeks red. -"I love you, even more blushing," he says lovingly. I smile and blush even more. He kisses me fervently, and just when I'm getting used to his insistent tongue in my mouth, his BlackBerry rings. Fuck! Ethan lets go of me to look at the caller ID. -"Donneli," he says with a subtle tone.
-"Thank you. You're being perfect for Angelic," she says, looking at Ethan with a twinkle in her eye. He smiles his rarest smile, shyly. Who on Earth makes this unscrupulous man shy? -"I couldn't do it any other way," Ethan answers, looking at me. I wouldn't have been able to cope without him, my life definitely depends on this man's presence. -"Young people in love are beautiful. They remind me of roses, birds singing at dawn, and, of course...sex," Mom says, whispering the last word only to Ray. Ethan bites his lower lip to stifle a laugh. Sex is a word that we, as young people in love, are quite familiar with. -"For God's sake, Mom!" I murmur. -"Angelic, don't hide your private life from your mother." Carla points her index finger at me, as a way of reprimanding. What does she expect? That I tell her in detail what happens when we're alone? -"I'd rather you hide it, yes," Ray says, throwing his hands forward and making a face. -"Can I join in on the family moment?" We all tur
I try to get used to his gifts and all the money Ethan spends, but I fail. I close the box again and place it on the floor at the foot of the bed. Gail said my bridesmaid dress would be in the closet, so these must be the shoes that go with the dress. Either way, unnecessary. What do I do with you, Ethan? I walk over to the closet to look at the dress. Well, now my closet space has gained new pieces from Savannah! Who's to say my husband doesn't go overboard with every measure? I see the dress on the first hanger, wrapped in a dark cover. Gail did well to put it here. She is efficient at what she does, not just at her job. Well, the truth is that I also see her as a loyal and kind friend. I will try on the dress later, along with the expensive shoes. I go back to the room and find Ethan sitting on the bed, leaning over, untying the laces of his sneakers. -"Another expensive gift?" I ask softly to get his attention. -"Did you like it?" He returns the question, without looking aw
-"Angelic," he scolds, but without moving to let go of me. His whole body is tense inside my embrace. I hold him tighter and kiss his back below the shoulder. -"What are you doing?" He asks. I remain silent, hoping he understands my objective. -"I have to go to work," he murmurs sweetly, but I know he's still angry. I release his body and he leaves the closet before even looking at me. Damn it, Ethan! Why is everything so complicated with you? Anyway, any effort will be in vain. I hope he'll be more accessible during breakfast. It's still early for my day to start, however, Ethan will be leaving in a few minutes. I head out of the room. He's probably in the kitchen. He buttons up his shirt, which reaches a good part of his thighs, as I walk to the kitchen. From the living room, I see that Ethan isn't at the counter. I get to the kitchen and lean over the counter. Gail is making what looks like scrambled eggs in the pan, and hasn't noticed me. "Hi..." I mumble. "Mrs. Donneli, g
Before opening the bedroom door, I hear Gail calling me: -"Mrs. Donneli" -"Yes" I answer. I can't have any more bad news. My day has been bad enough! -"Can we have a moment, ma'am?" Gail says. -"Sure, Gail" She's always helpful and subtle, why would I do anything different? -"Taylor and I, as you know, have been together for a few years..." she begins. Well, I didn't know they were together for years, but I'm happy. They're a beautiful couple. -"And we've decided to get married" she informs embarrassed. Good God! I see great news in my shitty day. -"Gail..." I mumble in surprise. I then pull her into a hug. -"I'm very happy" I say. Gail hugs me too, weaker than I would like. -"Will you continue with us?" I ask. My joy is immense, I like Gail as much as Taylor. Seeing them married and happy would be excellent. -"Of course, Mrs. Donneli. I thought I should let you know." She can barely hide her smile. I release her from the hug and congratulate her. Ethan will be very happy, b
-"I was sunbathing and I saw you, I decided to give you a greeting" she murmurs smiling. We are in the same private club, coincidentally? I doubt a bitch's luck is that great! -"After the greeting, I need to go" I say as harshly as possible. -"How is our Ethan?" I ask. What the fuck did she say? Our Ethan? Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. -"Leave us alone, Elena" I beg. I try to sound firm, but in truth, I'm crumbling. -"You will not have peace. I will personally make sure of your misfortune" she says in the same tone as me. -"Look into my eyes, and see if there's any trace of fear, damn it!" I whisper. She clenches her jaw, a typical sign of annoyance. You looked, Lincoln, and I'm afraid you found it! -"Have a good day, Donneli." She tosses her beautiful platinum hair, now shoulder-length, back. -"Likewise, Lincoln." With that, Elena strides off to one of the seven hells she came from, without another word. My day was going well, until recently, all
-"Mia, please," Ethan asks. -"I want to know what holds up this magnitude," she extends her hands to me, emphasizing my body. -"Okay," I agree. I lift the hem of my dress to reveal the shoes Ethan gave me. They're sophisticated, white, thin heels, immaculate crystals on the back of the heel. Mia's mouth drops open, as if the heels are the best image of her life. She knows how to be over the top, just like her brother. "Leon Verres?" Mia frowns, trying to identify the designer. I suppose she's good at it. "Yes," Ethan says. I confess, I don't know who made the shoes I'm wearing. "You have a degree in spending your money well," she claps her hands, truly amazed. From the comment, I'm afraid to ask either of them how much they cost. "These shoes..." Mia points to my feet. "You'll draw more attention than Kate," she jokes. I hate being the center of attention, but just having Ethan by my side makes me quite the observer. "Oh, I hope not," I say smiling. "Oh! I almost forgot. I n
-"Yes, let's go" Ethan smiles apologetically. Anyway, we'll make up for it later. As if changing his mind, he advances on me, ready to kiss me again. However, before he can, I'm called by a female voice: -"Angelic" Damn! Just now? -"Sex officially canceled" I whisper, making my husband laugh. I look at the woman who called me, it's Gwendolyn, Kate's godmother who was at the atelier to try on the dress. Her dress is the same as mine, too, but I think it fits her curves better. -"You're missing" she warns. Now, she knows the reason for my delay. God, my face is burning like flames! Her eyes don't take their eyes off Ethan, it's ridiculous to see all the women lusting after him. Am I like that? Silly and clumsy with him? -"Okay. Let's go" I affirm. I reach out to him, also to show this woman that our rings prove that we belong together. So call out my name Call out my name when I kiss you so gently I want you to stay I want you to stay even though you don't want me The fiv
You fucking psychotic son of a bitch!I think about staying still so I don't give him what he wants. My obedience and submission. I turn my face when he's close enough to kiss me.I just chose the hard way.No, I can't allow Jack to touch me and do everything he plans without a fight. He's a maniac! I'd say I gave him what he asked for, at the very least! Not to mention the disgust I would feel for my own body when I remembered his hands on me and me... me allowing it.Fuck it! Let him hurt me, but he won't do it easily.-"This isn't going to end well, Jack. Let me go, please," I beg, in one last attempt. My face still tilted to the right. Blood dripping directly onto the floor. Our breaths are fast and heavy.He opens his mouth to mutter a response, but is stopped by the noise, now truly impossible to ignore. I wasn't hallucinating!Along with the noise, the door of the house is knocked to the ground. With the recent scare, Jack lets go of me and I fall, unable to stay standing on my
-"The current location?" I dare ask. I'm not surprised he needed pressure to get the woman to talk.-"Yes, sir. Hyde and Mrs. Lincoln are in a Parksville car cemetery on I-5, twenty miles away from the Cruze that was used for the kidnapping." The last word sends a shiver through my body, sending my soul to hell for a few seconds.-"Does Welch know?"-"He and Barney are doing the course analysis, sir."-"contact Detective Clark before sending any men to the address. It could be a setup."-"Yes, sir. We'll be ready for that, too," Taylor states in a way that only he could do to give me confidence.-"Excellent"-"I'd like to do this my way, before I contact Clark. I know types like Hyde in a way he'd never understand." His tone doesn't disguise the hint of emotion, finally free to act on his own terms.-"Okay, Taylor. Call me when you're ready to act," I command. The feeling of control is back in me, and I'm the fucking master of this ship.-"I will, Mr. Donneli. Welch is doing the plann
Feel you here forever You and me together, nothing gets better.(When I lay with you I could stay there, close my eyes Feel you here forever You and me together, nothing is better)**CHRISTIAN POVMy cell phone vibrates on the table in recognition of a call. I answer, knowing it's Welch with some information I don't yet have.-"Donneli" I say when I answer.-"Mr. Donneli, I've been in touch with the guys I know, well, in the counterfeiting business." He seems hesitant, perhaps because he's confessing to his boss that he has access to this type of person.I don't give a fucking shit.-"And…" I encourage.-"Did any of them recognize the car?" I continue asking.-"Yeah, a crooked mechanic from California. Los Angeles, to be specific. Denney Cooper recognized the plate, and admitted to having it made for some strange guy. Almost six feet tall, dark hair, military build, and an unmistakable tattoo. Something about a bow and arrow on his arm." I listen carefully and take in the man's f
Upon entering his wife's office, to his sudden surprise, Ethan found it empty. Taylor accompanied him, to make sure that events were occurring correctly, as usual. The man became desperate, and the worst thoughts about Jack haunted his mind. His inability to say or do anything was obvious, because somewhere, his wife was with a maniac.-"Gather your men and search for her in every possible place in the city," he growled at Taylor, who immediately fished his BlackBerry out of his pocket to begin his mission. It was a matter of necessity for both of them. He walked away from his boss as he started a call, barking orders and commands, as he knew he should.At that moment, Ethan swore to himself that he would kill Jack if he caused harm to Angelic.'Doesn't the son of a bitch get tired of tormenting us?' He thought to himself, at the height of his anguish.Taylor, after his call, walked towards the furiously possessed man to inform him of the recent news.-"They're checking the building's
- "Now, let's go to your office," she asks politely, as if I had any other alternative. I turn to the exit, and, just in case, she puts her gun back up. Maybe the possibility of another failure in the plan could screw up a lot of things. I walk out of the meeting room in calm steps, followed by Beatrice. The only sound made is our shoes hitting the floor. My heels make louder sounds, due to my apprehension, which becomes worse considering the emptiness on the third floor. Hanna is also not at her desk, and, before shit happened, I missed her in the meeting room. When I reach my office, I open the door so we can go in. The lights are purposely off. I turn on the light, pretending not to be scared by Beatrice's presence. She comes in behind me, and, seeing that there is no need to keep cocking her gun, she puts away the gun. - "Do you want money?" I ask. Mrs. Ethan Donnelly would be a gold mine for any lunatic son of a bitch! Why else would I have a woman with a gun in my office? -"i
Angelic POV●●SIP After finishing the call with Ethan, I throw my BlackBerry on the table, which, by the way, is full of papers. How could I go home when I have tons of manuscripts? I look at the Macbook, which is on, open to the electronic page of my daily agenda. Today, I have a meeting about finances, which is completely unavoidable! I open the first drawer of my desk and put my personal objectives, such as a bag, glasses and cell phone, in it. The meeting will start in twenty minutes, but I know that the senior editors have their clocks ahead, and at that moment, they should be in the room. I am, ironically, twenty minutes late! I get up from the table and leave the office. Before that, I check my wristwatch, which shows 6:30 pm. I will do my best to keep the meeting short. I close the door to my office to avoid any unforeseen events later. Hanna is not at her desk, so I assume she is in the kitchen making some coffee, the only shit that keeps people confined for hours in a ro
-"You showed competence and responsibility as director of fiction at SIP" he comments. I don't know where this conversation is headed, but I don't think I'll be able to make an obscene insinuation. "I have a demanding boss," I joke. Ethan wets his lips with his tongue, carrying a lascivious smile. I had an example of his demandingness two minutes ago! "It's good that he is. But I would really like you to be CEO of SIP." His words scare me. Me as CEO of SIP? I don't know if that's the best choice. What could I do that he doesn't? "Ethan, I'm not qualified," I murmur in astonishment. I can't deny my happiness at knowing that he trusts me with such a responsibility. "You're more than qualified, Angelic, and you'll have help initially, then you'll be able to manage it entirely on your own," he suggests. "What if I bankrupt SIP?" I ask. It's not smart to put fifty people's jobs in my hands! "As long as you're interested in your job, I'll keep it." He frowns, as if it were obvious. We
-"You said you have a brother, of whom you have no memories," I murmur, seeking divine enlightenment. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Breathe, Donneli! -"yes, I did." -"this brother must be twenty-eight?" I ask. Oh shit, why the fuck is this so hard? -"what do you mean? Did you have any information about him? Yes, yes, he would be that age." She can barely get the words out of her mouth. -"understanding," Angelic reminds her. Emily closes her eyes, and begins a rhythmic process of inhaling and exhaling. -"I might have some news about your brother," I say. A small smile forms on my lips, and Emily notices. She's a smart girl. -"I thought he was dead, because, well...my mother is dead," she murmurs. -"unless..." She takes a second to process it, perhaps putting the story in order for herself. -"oh no, no, no! You? You're...you?" She points at me, and brings her hand back to cover her mouth. -"Fuck! You're my brother" her eyes widen and fill with tears
-"I'm not going anywhere. I love you, and you need me, I'll be here" he states with love, passion and reverence in his eyes. How I love Angelic, only she can awaken in me the desire to live, to live for and with her. - "I love you, Mrs. Donneli" I say smiling. My best gift was this woman. What did I do to deserve this goddess sent by God?I call Welch, if anyone can do a thorough investigation, it's him. Angelic in the shower is an opportune time to call. -"Welch" I say in an even tone. My mood is 'post-fuck', and that means a good thing. -"Yes, Mr. Donneli" he answers yawning. What's wrong with my team? Have I not been letting them get enough sleep? -"I need you to locate that son of a bitch Hyde" I say in a tone only he can hear. As much as I'm in the room, and Angelic in the bathroom, this is one part of the story that I don't need his knowledge of. -"Locate Jack Hyde? I could do it tomorrow..." Welch begins, but I interrupt him abruptly. -"I want it today, you'll have... two