I glanced down the aisle with the ridiculous amount of choices, I thought about how this would be the first time I could afford to buy whatever I wanted. That I didn’t have to make my way to the public health clinic and ask for free supplies for those few days during each month. I let myself smile at the thought and then quickly glared at the amount of choices again.
“Well, I’ll be damned. I figured you would never leave that hellhole of town.” A nasally woman's voice said next time. I glanced up at her and looked around, it was only her and I in the aisle. I looked at the perfectly manicured woman in front of me, there was nothing out of place about her. There was not a hint of familiarity about her.
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” I asked, I was certain she had the wrong person.
“Make everyone scarce” Derek ordered at Michael, as we stepped off the elevator.Michael hurried off without a word, as I furrowed my brow.“That was rude.” I told him.Derek shot me a glare and nodded toward the kitchen. “Sit.”Refraining from rolling my eyes, I sat down without argument. I watched him in silence as he grabbed food out the fridge, throwing it into the microwave. He leaned against the counter, crossing his arms as he stared back.“Explain.” He said, setting the food in front of me with a loud bang. The noise made me flinch slightly. My stomach growled at the food
When I woke up the next morning, I was eager to start the day. I quickly got dressed and made my way to the kitchen, in hopes of talking to Derek. My disappointment was short lived when Linda and Natalie lingered there instead, their laughter carrying down the hall. “Oooo here comes the jailbird.” Natalie teased as I sat down. She set food in front of me as if she knew I was coming beforehand. I groaned at her joke while my stomach growled. “Please don’t call me that” I said as I started stuffing my face with the food. Linda giggled now. “In all seriousness, I think only you could go to the store and be falsely accused and then
I worked through the remaining tasks Brianne had given me yesterday without a second thought. Impatiently waiting for Derek to get back from his trip. I spent the majority of the day lost in made-up scenarios of what might happen when he arrived and the rest flashback to our very lengthy phone call.My cheeks remained flushed, and I was thankful I was able to work alone. Disappointment was hard to hide when I got up to the penthouse and he still wasn’t home. Instead, Linda stood leaning against the wall across from the elevator as if she was waiting for me.“Need something?” I asked as I tried to make my way to my room, but she quickly stepped in front of me.“I have been instructed to get you glammed up for dinner” She replied, a faint smile on her lips. 
Pride. Disappointment. I don't know which one led me to avoid Derek the next day. I think it was a mixture of both. My effort was meaningless, considering it seemed like he was avoiding me as well. I dared a glance into the library as I walked by, and he wasn’t at his desk. I pursed my lips and made a quiet round around the penthouse and didn’t find him anymore. When I was done, I flinched at myself realizing how pathetic that seemed. I was actively seeking someone out for a mere glance. Someone who had left me for the night without any type of explanation. It didn’t stop me from smiling like an idiot when Linda came up to ask me about the date though. “Oh lord, please stop. I don’t want to hear about him like that.” She laughs, putting her hands on h
My back slammed against the door and I let out a gasp. I turned my face away and reached down to turn the handle for us. Derek moved his hands slowly up and I slid down the door to drop to my feet. As the door swung open, I stepped backward into his room, not dropping his stare. Derek matched my steps, unbuttoning his shirt as I unbuttoned mine. I shrugged mine off, leaving me in my bra as his gaze dropped to the black lace cups that pushed tightly against my body. His eyes went back to mine as he tossed his shirt onto the floor and reached for his buckle. I stepped in front of him, grabbing his hands and pushing them away. I pulled his belt off and threw it onto the bed near us, he glanced at it briefly before I kissed his chest, above his nipple and his attention was back on me. As I con
I felt his fingers tracing designs on my hip and I opened my eyes to lock with his.“Good morning, beautiful” He smiled, pressing a soft kiss on my lips.“You’re still here…” I breathed, cupping his face with one hand, my thumb traced his lower lip.Derek kissed my thumb, then grabbed my face bringing it forward for a harsher kiss.“Where else would I be?”I didn’t answer and we just laid staring at each other for awhile before my stomach rudely growled. He chuckled, moving his hand to rub it. The motion made me tense, uncomfortable with how intimate it felt. Brushing a small kiss on my stomach, Derek sighed and got off the bed.
“This is the budget, the list of everything you need to plan and order.” Linda dropped a giant black binder on the counter.I groaned, dropping my bagel onto the plate and shifting through a few pages. “What is this for again?”Natalie snickered behind us in the kitchen. She knew and I knew exactly what it was for because Linda has been stressing over it for the last week.“The Charity Ball” she replied, her tone full of ice. “He might allow you to slack off, but I'm drowning.”I sent a wicked smile to Natalie and turned back to Linda. “Of course. I’m sorry. I’m such a horrible assistant. How can I help you today?”Sh
“You look lost”I turned toward a woman leaning against the side of the lockers of the bus station. Her purple hair stood out against her pale skin, the dark jeans showed off her curves while the cream sweater and black leather jacket hid her upper body. She had an expression of boredom but her blue eyes held a hint of amusement.“The question is do you want to be found?”I stared at her for a few seconds and shook my head. I had found a taxi that was off duty and I slid in the back without question. When the old man turned around to yell at me, I bursted out in tears again. He was kind enough to take me to the nearest bus station. He was even kind enough to hand me a bag as my stomach lurched to empty its contents again. I’m sure my red puffy face
It’s easy to see the flashes from outside the tinted windows of the car. “Can they even see us?”“No.” Derek says, his hand intertwined with mine. “So they’re just taking photos of a car?”Derek sighs. “Yeah, they just rapidly shoot in hopes of getting the one perfect shot. You ready?” He glances at me wearily. No, not really. I nod anyway and he lets go to open the door and climbs out. The people surrounding the small sidewalk in front of the restaurant instantly start yelling for his attention. He holds out a hand for me to grab and I hesitate. I don’t know what I was thinking by wanting this. I’ve always hated attention and this is like being put under a microscope. Derek is watching me with a hint of sympathy and I take a deep breath, putting my hand in his. I’m thankful that there are men blocking the people with cameras flashing because I think without them they wouldn’t even allow us to walk in the restaurant
“Can’t… breathe..” I croak Natalie lets go of me and takes a step back, holding onto my shoulders. “You know I hit him with one of my pans.” My eyes widen and I look at Derek, who nods wiping his mouth to hide a smile. “Umm.. thank you?” I laugh softly. “Well he deserved it so no thanks needed.” She pushes my shoulders back and looks me up and down. “You been eating? You looking a bit skinner?” Linda is standing awkwardly to the side of us as we’re all gathered in the kitchen. She’s kept her gaze down and hasn’t spoken a word since we got in. “Yeah. I have been. The first couple of days were rough but I found a place to stay and she kept me fed.” “Where’d you go?” Natalie asks, giving Derek a hard stare. “I ended up in Arizona.” Derek kisses my temple and squeezes my forearm as he passes us. “I have a few calls to make. All your stuff was moved to our room.” I narrow my eyes at his statement as he chuckles and walks towards his office in t
“Are you insane!” I screech. “Get off the floor right now.”Derek smirks and it has me pausing the full panic meltdown that was about to ensure.“Why are you smirking? This isn’t funny. You don’t just propose to someone.”He laughs as he stands back up, but I could see the small black box he was fumbling with in his hands. I think he was serious about the proposal the longer I stared at it.“Because never did I think I was going to propose to someone and then they reject me, but to be honest I expected it somewhat.”“Somewhat? There was a part of you that thought I was
Grunting, I left up the full box napkins and held them on my hip and I backed through the door of the kitchen. I just needed to fill them up for the breakfast shift and I would be good to go for the night.As soon as I walked through the door, a prickling of my skin up my back made me hyper aware I wasn’t alone. I dropped the box on the floor with a loud thump and turned around, the knot in my stomach only tightening when it was who I expected. Or maybe hoped.He leaned against one of the booth tables, his arms crossed against his chest in a dark blue tailored suit. His eyes stared at me with a dark intensity that warmed my center. God I had started to forget how beautiful he was.“Your purple hair friend w
“Black as my soul.” I beamed at Mr. Johnson, setting the coffee cup in front of him. “Are you going to take a cinnamon cake or bagel this time?” The elderly man grunted. “Stop trying to fatten me up.” He shot a quick look at Ms.Gibson, who was bringing out a fresh tray of pastries from the kitchen behind us. I smiled, knowing she heard him as she tsked her tongue. “Stop harassing my help. You know I take in broken souls.” Mr. Johnson huffed and looked back to me, sipping his coffee slowly. “You ready to share your story yet. Gossip around town is pretty boring, boy problems.” He rolled his eyes. I shot a glare at the old lady next to me. “Thought you didn’t gossip? Locked up like a vault?” &nb
24 hours.That’s what it took for the first doubt to enter my mind.To ask myself if I made the right choice.Should I have stayed and waited for an explanation?48 hours.That’s what it took for me to remember who I am.Myself before him. Before friends. Before a meal three times a day. Before money.56 hours.That’s what it took for me to get off the bus..I hadn’t reached the beach of the west coast, but I was done feeling trapped in a steel box on wheels. Eating crappy gas station food, only stretching during re
“You look lost”I turned toward a woman leaning against the side of the lockers of the bus station. Her purple hair stood out against her pale skin, the dark jeans showed off her curves while the cream sweater and black leather jacket hid her upper body. She had an expression of boredom but her blue eyes held a hint of amusement.“The question is do you want to be found?”I stared at her for a few seconds and shook my head. I had found a taxi that was off duty and I slid in the back without question. When the old man turned around to yell at me, I bursted out in tears again. He was kind enough to take me to the nearest bus station. He was even kind enough to hand me a bag as my stomach lurched to empty its contents again. I’m sure my red puffy face
“This is the budget, the list of everything you need to plan and order.” Linda dropped a giant black binder on the counter.I groaned, dropping my bagel onto the plate and shifting through a few pages. “What is this for again?”Natalie snickered behind us in the kitchen. She knew and I knew exactly what it was for because Linda has been stressing over it for the last week.“The Charity Ball” she replied, her tone full of ice. “He might allow you to slack off, but I'm drowning.”I sent a wicked smile to Natalie and turned back to Linda. “Of course. I’m sorry. I’m such a horrible assistant. How can I help you today?”Sh
I felt his fingers tracing designs on my hip and I opened my eyes to lock with his.“Good morning, beautiful” He smiled, pressing a soft kiss on my lips.“You’re still here…” I breathed, cupping his face with one hand, my thumb traced his lower lip.Derek kissed my thumb, then grabbed my face bringing it forward for a harsher kiss.“Where else would I be?”I didn’t answer and we just laid staring at each other for awhile before my stomach rudely growled. He chuckled, moving his hand to rub it. The motion made me tense, uncomfortable with how intimate it felt. Brushing a small kiss on my stomach, Derek sighed and got off the bed.