NicoleI spend a good amount of time in bed contemplating whether to stand up or not. After leaving the Galaxy yesterday, I called to the chairman's office and requested to have the documents sent to my home. I spent the rest of the day with my mind in disarray, wondering what the future now holds for me. I stare up at the ceiling of my bedroom now, wondering if I've made the right decision. It doesn't matter now. The documents have been signed and I'm expected at work this morning. It's too late.I push up from the bed, glancing at the alarm clock. It's just almost 6:30. All night, I'd tossed and turned and the evidence of my sleep struggle lies proud and dark under my eyes. It's going to take a ton of effort to cover those eyebags. I take my time in the shower and when I come out, I take as much time blow drying and styling my hair. When I'm done putting on my makeup, I'm quite impressed by the good coverage the concealer gave my under eyes. I walk into my closet and glance around i
Nicole;It doesn't matter that I argue all the way to the car and even all the way to the store. Just when I thought I couldn't get more frustrated, Alex gets on the phone, forcing me to quiet down beside him. My lips tighten in distaste as I turn to the window. I've not had many jobs, but I doubt this beats anyone's worst first day at work. Within a minute or two, the car slows down and Alex immediately alights, compelling me to follow. I see that that we are standing in front of a Galaxy Couture shop, not so faraway from the headquarters where we had come from. We make our way in and every single staff we come across drops a quick bow to Alex while he barely acknowledges them with more than a glance. I have so many questions for the man he has become. I wonder if I'm ever going to get answers. We go inside the first female couture store downstairs and the attendants quickly rush forward, polite smiles on their faces."Good morning sir"."Good morning". Alex replies off handedly, hi
Nicole;The driver is waiting for me outside which makes me wonder which means Alex used to get to his meeting. But then again….this is Alex. He has his ways. We make our way back to the office quietly and when I get down, the driver informs me that the rest of the clothes will be sent to my address. I grudgingly tell him a thank you and make my way into the office building. The receptionist smiles at me widely as I make my way past her and I can't help wondering if she ever gets tired of looking welcoming and homely. I bet I would. I release a sigh of exhaustion as the elevator begins it's journey upstairs, taking in my appearance in it's reflective walls. The crisscross on the pants are located at the hips and give the look an overall, soft, womanly abandon. The silk shirt somehow manages to caress my skin ever so gently, amplifying the elegance of the look. I must admit, I look like a million bucks.With a small smile, I make my way out as the elevator dings. The second door on the
Nicole;I freeze in my position, my eyes transfixed on him standing at the door. He was probably making a call because he still has his phone in hand but his eyes are glued to me too, pure rage in them. Now that is peculiar. It's just an office. Why does he look so mad?"Welcome back, sir". Carina quickly says. Talk about being an ass kissing bitch."What's going on here?". His voice is low and menacing and for a slight moment, I actually do feel like a kid caught with my fingers down the cookie jar. "I only came in because I wanted to….."."She used the bell on me, sir and I came in here thinking you were the one. Was quite of a shocker when I saw her standing there instead of you". And now she's making it sound twice as bad as it actually is. I tear my eyes off the lecherous bitch and face Alex. His eyes are burning with actual rage, the heat of his anger seeming to fill up the space between us. In this moment, I see why he's very feared among his workers."It's not as bad as…..".
Nicole;The knock persists and I back against the back of the sofa, bringing my knees up to my chest and burying my head between them. I bring my hands up to cover my ears and close my eyes. No, this can't be happening to me now. The knock seems to be getting louder in my head and I whimper loudly and shut my eyes tighter. From the depth of my auditory canals, I hear the door scrape open and the tremors in my body increases till I can barely sit still anymore. "Please…..". I whisper, the tears threatening to spill frollm behind my closed eyes. "Please…..". I'm taken back to my childhood again. Perhaps if I close my eyes tight enough, I'll really be able to shut him out. Perhaps, if I can't see him, he won't see me. My breath comes out in huge gasps as I bury my head deeper against my legs. But my prayer doesn't get answered again, just like every other time. Because I feel his hand come to rest on my shoulder. I can't help it, I jump back and scream, my eyes still shut tightly. A sec
Nicole;I walk into the office the next day barely in the mood for smiles. Even when the receptionist flashes me her ever ready grin, I don't reciprocate, an action I instantly regret as the elevator doors close in front of me. But it's too late. I heave an exhausted sigh and eye myself warily in the elevator's mirrored walls. I spent the next thirty minutes after Alex left yesterday sitting on the floor with my back against the door, trying to get over the adrenaline high and reassure myself that everything will be fine. I was still in that position when I remembered that I hadn't gone through the manual and with much grudge, I'd pushed up to my feet and gone straight to my computer in my room, checking and double checking to ensure that all my windows and doors are fastened. As much as I told myself to stop being silly, I still found myself reaching for my kitchen knife, a weapon I kept within arm's reach through the night.It was with great effort that I finished the manual and str
Nicole;At the end of the meeting, I've made considerable progress in getting to know the employees of the Galaxy. Alex did a good job of ignoring me throughout the meeting, only talking to me when it was absolutely necessary. It's almost amusing considering I don't even know what he's brooding about. It's evident that his brother's visit has had some kind of effect on his mood and that's getting me even more curious. Why have I never heard of this Ray, even when we were together? And what's him and Alex's relationship like? That doesn't seem like the kind of information I can just ask anybody. My best bet would be Carina but…. that's definitely not possible. I'm going to have to rely on itty-bitty office gossip.I pack up my things and get ready to leave for the day. It's just a little past 6:30pm and a small smile spreads on my face as I realize that this has been my most productive day so far at the Galaxy. Something about productivity really gets me happy. There's a small knock on
Nicole;I smoothen down the front of my dress and glance at the mirror nervously. A dinner event he said, and now I'm stuck wondering if I might be just a tad over dressed or way too underdressed. After much deliberation, I had decided on a long sleeved, tight fitting black dress with a flattering thumb hook, paired with a pair of crystal clear heels and a silver purse. Much against my will, I find my mind drifting to thoughts of Alex often, wondering what he would think. I shouldn't care what he thinks, I'm not dressing up for him…..or am I? I shake the thought off and run my fingers through my sleek bob. The past week has been really intense for me and the evidence sits heavy under my eyes, now covered by concealer thankfully. I had been determined to work hard and I did just that, promptly meeting up with every deadline. As expected, not once had Alex commended me. I didn't even know a part of me had actually been waiting for his compliments till I didn't receive them. Instead, he
My heart thuds loudly in my chest. What the hell have I done? How do I convince a smart, grown man that he heard me wrong. Of all my truths, this was the one thing I wasn't ready to divulge. How did I get so into my feelings and give myself away like that? "Alex…. it's not what you think". I hate the way my voice comes out small. I have always been a bad liar so if my voice doesn't tell already that I'm lying right now, my face must. Either ways, I'm caught. "Nicole, then tell me what it's like". He still manages to exercise good control over his voice. I'm impressed. And I need to learn that at least from him. "Alex….". So fast, our roles have been switched. Suddenly, I'm the one who wants to slide closer and reach for his hand and make sure I'm holding him close to me so he doesn't go away. I resist all urges to do that as I wring my hands in my lap. "Alex….I have something to tell you". I look at him tentatively through my lashes. His face is impassive, just staring at me directl
When I open my eyes the next morning, it takes a little while before my brain processes my surroundings. For the past two weeks or so, I've been in one space, waking up in the same bed, to the same ceiling and to the same warm, reassuring hand wrapped tightly around my torso. Today, things are different. Much different.I roll over on the bed onto the side of my good arm and just….stare out the window emptily. Slowly, my brain does a reboot of everything that lhappened yesterday. This is it. As hard as it was, I finally managed to talk about the weight that's been holding me down, hanging over my head and shoulders. That alone brings a small smile to my face as I register the light feeling in my chest. It sure feels good to offload to someone. It seems like a thousand year's worth of weight has been lifted, I guess talking about all of it was good for me afterall. But now that I have….what now? What next for me? Are things really going to stay the same between Alex and I?My mind flas
Alex pulls the duvet up to my chin, tucking me in fully before coming to settle beside me. As he stares at my face, for some weird reason, I can't stop imagining what he sees. Does he just the red eyed, puffy faced me, or perhaps….is there a layer of disgust over it? Not that I'd blame him one bit. I hold my breath as he brings a hand up to caress my cheek lightly, his gaze burning fiercely into mine. And yet, he doesn't say anything. I suddenly feel the need to break the silence."I ran away when I was 15". I say, my voice hoarse. He sighs softly and just continues to stare straight at me. It's almost as if he's afraid to say something, scared to have the moment crumble away. I'll take that as my cue to continue. "One day when my mum went to work and Ace was in school, I snuck back home from school and took my things. I never looked back ever since that day. But perhaps that was a mistake because he found me in New York". One of Alex's eyebrows go up in surprise but he still doesn't
My heart thuds lightly in my chest as I follow Alex to the bedroom. This is the exact moment I've been avoiding all these days. All along, I knew Alex seemed to be fine with me but he's only human and I know a huge part of him probably still wants to know everything going on. Or rather, that went on. It's been nearly two weeks since the incident and so far, we've both done a good job of acting like something life changing didn't go on. As sick at it is, a part of me actually hoped he'd have forgotten. Like he could. I'm such a fool. I focus on the ripple of muscles on his back as we make out, racking my head actively for what to say, anything at all to lessen the tension."How was it at the hospital?". I ask quietly. What I really mean to ask is how is he? I'm a bit scared of that answer. Because I know I don't want him to be fine."He's….the same". Alex says, his voice neutral. I resist the urge to let out a sigh of relief. He's stitin the coma. Why the hell won't he just….die alread
I seek his lips desperately as we make our way upstairs. We crash through the door blindly and make our way to the bed. Despite the heat of the moment, Alex places me on the bed gently, taking time to ensure that my arm isn't a position that could potentially hurt it."Where did you say that zipper was again?". He asks, mocking resignation in his voice. I chuckle and reach for the little pink hook, sliding it open. Alex gladly takes over, opening it the rest of the way and parting the dress on either sides of my body. I'm well and truly naked in front of him now and I can't wait for feel his skin against mine. He positions between my legs. I firstly think he's going to part me wider and slide into me already but he seems to have other plans. He lowers his head and kisses my face tenderly. He doesn't stop there. He continues to trail the tiniest, more featherlight kisses down my cheek, neck and finally, my chest. I arch upwards, inviting him to take my nipple in his mouth but he has ot
My heart rate quickens as he claims my mouth again. Every single nerve in my body seems to be alert. He brings an arm forward to wrap around my waist, pulling me tightly against his frame, making me feel what I'm doing to him. The bulge in his pants is hard, proud and unflinching. He wants me to feel it, and that's exactly what I do. With my semi-good arm wrapped loosely around his waist, I reach down with my good arm and reach for his zipper fumbling around awkwardly for it. When I finally pull it apart, I feel that front of his briefs staining against the pressure of his cock. It wants free, and I'm here for that. Before I can reach for his waistband, I feel his hand snake under the hem of my short dress and reach upwards. The breath catches in my throat at the delicious sensation and my nails embed crescents into his back as I dig them into him. He takes his time, hiking his fingers up my inner thighs, leaving after him a delicious trail of heat that tingles my core. Subconsciousl
By the time my arms starts to heal, I'm damn well already tired of staying in bed. But Alex is strict about it, not letting me up for longer than necessary. When the bullet wound finally healed enough for me to move my arms, I was more than elated to let him know.I'm just in bed when Tori brings up a lovely bouquet of roses. I groan but inside of me, I'm screaming and melting. Ever since I got shot, Alex has pointedly given me the best of attentions. He brings me flowers every single day and makes sure the words are barely out of my mouth before my wishes are met. Tori has been a lovely help by his side and if anything, I was really glad to see her again at least. On the times Alex had to leave me to be present for work, she kept me good company and this little development got us even closer than ever. It's official, I genuinely like her and she seems to like me too. As she brings the flowers up, the smile on her face is unmatched."Here we go again. This man is going to overload thi
My mind regains consciousness first before my body does. As I come to, I take the deepest breath I can manage and the first thing I notice is the fact that the air smells of….flowers. Lavenders, roses….and something else. I can quite place a finger on it. It…. really can't be, can it? There's no way I made it to heaven. The Lord must have had a lot of mercy on my soul to have put me here. I must say though, the flowers smell way too earthy. I'd think the flowers in heaven would be different. And so slowly, I let my eyes drift open as I prepare to be bewildered.I take in the pearly white ceiling above me first. When it finally seems like I might have enough control over my body to swivel my neck, I turn at small angles to glance at either sides of me. My brows furrow in mild confusion as I take in all of my surroundings. It somehow looks…. familiar. I try to push up on my arms but a pain so sharp shoots up right into my arm's length. I wince loudly and plop back on to the pillow. That
I see his eyes widen as he rushes forward. I'm full on crying now, the tears streaming down my face and obscuring my vision. It feels like a miracle, perhaps this is the one miracle to make up for all the years of misfortune I've gone through. "Nicole!!!". Alex rushes forward and firstly reaches for my hands that are still taped behind me. "Are you okay? Fuck, what the hell is even going on?". His breaths are coming hard and fast as he works on freeing my hands. From the sitting room, I hear Ace's grunts as he probably tries to get on his feet. Alex's blows must have landed well. When I hear his grunts coming closer, I feel a sense of panic settle in my chest again but thankfully, the tape comes undone around my wrists and for a moment, my hands feel too good to be mine. The blood flows right in my arms again and it's the most delicious sensation ever. Ace walks in through the door right in that moment and I see that the lower half of his face and a good fraction of the front of his