CHAPTER 6: COUPLING

The day had passed as a mixture of confusion and panic for Ella. Blake’s words had been running through her mind over and over again. Unfortunately, nothing much changed because the facts were exactly the same. The lawyer’s visit had also cemented her resolve to recover her property when she assembled a file of Ella’s documents and a trail of her correspondence and money transfers between Ella and her half brother Kevin. At the end of the reflection, Ella had decided to accept Blake’s term. She consoled herself with the realisation that she did not have many friends or family members to visit. 

However, it was regrettable that Ella would not be able to pursue her career under the said conditions. She had brought up the issue with the lawyer, who had responded by explaining that Blake would give Ella a monthly allowance in addition to his legal assistance in acquisition of her property. Ella was wary about this situation because she was going to be at the mercy of a stranger for the foreseeable future. This was not the homecoming she had envisioned. 

On the other hand, the day had been going remarkably well for Jason. He had followed Ella around like a little puppy all day long. He had asked her all sorts of questions and told her uncoordinated stories, as he invited her to play with him. They had eaten, played, read and walked around together all day long. Jason had been upset for a brief period of time when Rose attempted to bath him and exclude Ella. The episode had ended with Ella coming into the room to calm down Jason. He had been a bit more clingy than before after his bath, and he had ended up cuddling with Ella for most of the evening. This was how Blake found them that evening. 

“How was his day?” Blake asked as soon as he walked in. Jason was fast asleep on Ella’s lap.

“He is ok now. He was upset earlier,” Ella said.

“What happened?” Blake asked. Before Ella could answer, Jason was awake. He smiled at his father but cuddled deeper into Ella’s arms.

“Say hi to daddy Jason,” Ella said to him gently. Jason stood slowly and hugged Blake before running back to Ella.

“Maybe we can talk later,” Ella said as Blake looked at Jason with worry.

“Good idea,” Blake said. The trio had an awkward dinner together in silence and then Ella put Jason to bed. Ella had just changed into her pyjamas when Blake knocked on the door. 

“Let’s talk,” he said as he gestured to Ella to step outside. 

“I don’t want any trouble with your girlfriend,” Ella said as Blake walked towards his bedroom.  

“I don’t have a girlfriend, and for your information, Jason and I are the only people you should answer to in this house,” Blake said as he held the door open. Ella walked into the bedroom with some apprehension. She knew she would have to sleep with Blake eventually but she was not ready yet. Blake walked to an arm chair and sat down. Ella followed his lead and sat down on the seat across from him. 

“Tell me how Jason’s day was,” Blake said. Ella went through everything in as much detail as possible. She had every intention to prolong this conversation in the hope that she could have one more night with her dignity intact.Blake nodded when she ran out of words to fill the conversation.

“Did you decide whether you want to activate the exit clause?” Blake asked.

“No. I think we can continue,” Ella said nervously.

“I”m guessing you showered already,” Blake said. The look in his eyes had changed, and it was obvious what he wanted.

“Yes but…,” Ella started. She didn’t get to finish her statement because Blake stood up and took her hand. This forced her to stand as well and they were soon facing each other. Blake gently caressed Ella’s cheek and ran his hand through her hair. Ella did not know how to react and she was frozen to the spot.

“I love your scent,” Blake said as he pulled her closer and kissed her. Ella’s first instinct was to push Blake away but she forced herself to kiss him back. The next hour passed faster than either of them noticed, and after, Ella walked back to Jason’s room and saw that he was still fast asleep. She then walked to her bedroom for a quick shower before she cried herself to sleep. She had no idea how she was going to live this way indefinitely.

^^^^^^^

“Why are you not taking my calls?” Amanda asked herself as she scrolled through her call log. Blake was not big on small talk but he always answered her calls fast. It was especially rare for him to ignore her at this time of the day because he encouraged conversation between Amanda and Jason. But it was different this time. Blake had asked her not to come to his house or to call him because he was going to be busy. However, she had been reliably informed that he was home already. He had ignored all her calls and she was now angry. Her next call was to Dora. Amanda’s agitation increased as Dora took her time before answering her call. Dora finally received the call after the second call back. 

“What do you want? I just got into bed,” Dora said.

“Where is Blake?” Amanda asked.

“In his bedroom,”  Dora said.

“And where is Rose?” Amanda asked. She had always suspected Rose, who was always sniffing around Blake. She also seemed too polished and intelligent to be a nanny.

 “She’s asleep too. She went ages ago because she was angry at the new girl. Jason won’t let anyone else near him,” Dora said.

“The new girl? What is her job description? Did you find out?” Amanda asked. She needed to know who was a threat to her position in Blake’s life. She was not about to look for a job while she was comfortable to have Blake financing her lifestyle. 

“Jason is all she does. She just spends time with him. I want to sleep. Don’t call me again,” Dora said then hung up.

Amanda looked at the phone in disbelief. She clicked and threw her phone on the bed. Dora was getting too big headed. It was time to clip her wings. But now, it was time to get back into Blake’s good books. Amanda changed into a provocative set of lingerie and then she took plenty of photos. She sent them to Blake in quick succession and then ended with a message requesting him to video call her. She sat watching her phone for a few minutes as she waited for Blake’s response. She soon got bored when nothing happened. Ten minutes later, Amanda’s messages had been seen but to her chagrin, there was no response. She tried to video call Blake but his phone was no longer online. Amanda got into bed with rage. Blake was going to pay for ignoring her.  

^^^^^^

Blake was lying in his bed reliving the time he had just spent with Ella. He could tell that this kind of arrangement was new to her, by the way she had been nervous and bordering on fright. He could still taste her lips on his as he remembered her petal soft kisses. He lay in bed and inhaled as smiled. The air in the room was heavy with the scent of Ella’s body. There was also a lingering characteristic smell of the spent passion of two adults making love. Despite the intense energy that Blake had just spent, he couldn’t bring himself to sleep.

There was one thing that was bothering Blake intensely.  He had thought that tonight would be a one time thing with Ella. His plan was to satisfy himself with her so that the wild desire that he had felt when he first saw her would pass. However, after making love to her for the first time, the opposite had happened.

“I should go check on Jason,” Ella had said as they lay in bed after making love. She was reaching for her pyjama pants and flannel shirt but he had different plans for her. He held her waist and pulled her back to him. “I haven’t had enough,” he said. 

She barely looked at him as he made love to her again. The second time had been extremely energetic for Blake, and he had fallen asleep soon after. He had woken up just in time to see Ella tip toe out of the room and close the door.

Ella had been everything he had wanted and more physically. Her curves were more defined than she appeared with her clothes on. She was also extremely beautiful up close. He still wasn’t sure what it was that drew him to her. He could see how hard tonight had been for her but he had no plan to change anything. Infact, he planned to elevate the restrictions on her. He could not imagine her pleasing another man the way she had pleased him. Blake could not explain the feeling he had felt when they were together. He was trying to wrap his head around his new found obsession when a string of alerts drew his attention to his cell phone. He glanced at his phone and ignored yet another call from Amanda. Afterwards, he unlocked his screen and took a look at the photos Amanda had sent. He exited from the photos and placed a call to his trusted communication aide. 

“Sir, it’s pretty late. Is everything alright?” the specialist asked.

“I’m sending you a number. I want to have details of all the conversations that take place. Include emails as well,” Blake said.

“Yes sir. Are you looking for anything in particular?” 

“No but I want to know everything about her. Especially check her social media handles,” Blake added. 

“As you please sir.”

Blake then locked his phone and slipped deeper into the beddings. Tomorrow, he would make sure that no one ever came close to Ella. She was his and only his now.