It’s Sunday, and I’m beginning to wonder if Natalie is ever going to talk to me as I wait to see if she’ll answer my knock on her door. She opens the door. “Come in.”
I follow her in and find her dining table covered in paper and her laptop open. For the usually compulsively tidy Natalie, it’s jarring. “What’s going on?”
“I applied at several places Thursday night since you won’t. I’ve heard back from a few already. I’m looking at my options and flights to England while still waiting on a few.”
“England? Are you serious?”
“Yes, England, and yes I’m very fucking serious. I asked you to quit, since you won’t, I’m getting as far away from Leo as I can before he finds out. There’s no guarantee he won’t come after me even after I’ve left but I can hope. Even though England isn’t beyond his sphere of influence, I’m hoping it’s far enough away he won’t bother with me.”
“You’re really doing this?”
“I always wanted to live abroad and travel. Not many positions compare to working for Exousia, but I’m not going to stay in the firing line. You really don’t seem to get it, and I can’t make you. When this all blows up in your face, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Her condescending tone gets to me. All the anger and resentment I’ve kept bottled up comes out. “Fuck you, Natalie. I was the one who warned you when you suggested it. You said don’t worry. You laughed at me when I asked what if I managed to meet someone and might want to be with them. You laughed as if it wasn’t even a possibility. Well, it fucking happened. I get it, but I’m not running from Leandros and what I got myself into. Leo might want to fuck me but not enough to upset his precious peace. I’ll be gone before he knows the truth. If you want to go, go, but don’t put this on me.”
When I walk away, I’m sure I’ll never see her again. And I don’t.
13
Monday
Alexa
I blink, trying to stay awake. I take another sip of my espresso and exhale with pleasure at the taste and feel of it going down. I’m now seriously addicted to these. Over the last few weeks as sleep became harder to get I’ve gone from a casual drinker of coffee to drinking two cups every day, of the same drink I make for Leo.
Just thinking about sleep makes me crave it even more. As bad as the days are, seeing Leo, having him close enough to touch but not able to, nights are a different kind of torture. The nights are endless hours of craving, dreaming of him, and waking up feeling hollow, empty.
I’ve also gone through more batteries than I care to admit for my vibrator. Years ago, when I gave up on meeting someone I turned to the vibrator and casual use, it was never anything more than a way to relieve stress. The last few weeks though I’ve used it more than I have in an entire year and I hate it. It helped take the edge off, but afterward, I just felt worse that I wasn’t with Leo.
An alert pops up. I can hardly believe it. I’ve been here for an entire thirty days, crazy how it feels like a fucking eternity. Yeah, I’m saying fuck now too because crap just wasn’t strong enough for how fast and how much Leo could piss me off.
The elevator dings and Leo steps out. Every time, every damn Monday morning my breath catches in relief to see him because two whole days without seeing him was too long. His suit is a dark blue pinstripe, his shirt light blue and his tie a pretty deep sapphire blue with a silky sheen I noticed he wears often. Our eyes meet the way they do every time the doors open. And like every time a jolt of electricity strums through me.
He’s angry, it feels like he comes in that way four days out of five. He tosses the newspaper on my desk. “Make plans, we fly out tomorrow morning at five in the morning. Call and have my jet prepared. There was a report on them created last year in May, pull it up and update the figures and holdings.”
The article is tiny, almost buried. It’s about a small boutique hotel group. The hotels were former castles all over Ireland, England, Scotland, and France. Five in the morning, the man is cruel. I shrug as I pick up the phone.
***
Leo
After reading through the report I know I want the company, the only thing to decide will be how much it’s worth. The matter settled, I check my messages and see a message from Alexa letting me know she went out for her hour long lunch break. It’s rare for her to leave her desk for lunch. I don’t begrudge her the time away from her desk I’m simply curious why.
I’m almost done with my own lunch when I get the call. My phone beeps, Jenny who has become friendly with Alexa and managed to overcome her fear of me enough to assist and sit for Alexa often, comes through. “Sir, it’s Gertrude Holtzer. Are you av
ailable?”
“Yes.” I pick up.
“Hello Leo, I have Alexa here in my dressing room again. I wanted to make sure your patronage, in regards to the lovely young woman, was still in place.”
Gertrude never fails to make me smile. “Yes. Although I appreciate the call, where Alexa Clark is concerned, there is no need to call.”
“Excellent, I thought as much. However, I take nothing for granted, as does Alexa. She’s the sweetest thing, as excited as she is to be shopping with what she calls a little extra in her pocket she’s having the hardest time picking over a set in black lace and tulle and a black sheer with silk edging. I think I’ll have a sale for the poor dear to take the edge off her inhibitions. What do you think, Leo?”
I think all my fucking blood is in my cock and Gertrude is a witch. “Do it.” I croak out of my dry mouth before hanging up.
***