Page 17 of Under Your Scars

He sinks to the floor and crawls on top of me before I have a chance to move, using his entire body weight to hold me down. I can feel every part of him pressed against every part of me. Every hard, rigid muscle. He cradles my head in his hands as I take a trembling breath in.

“Here’s the thing, angel. I’m not going anywhere,” he whispers, running his thumbs against my scalp. “I’m going to stay right here where I belong.” His green eyes drink me in, committing every inch of my face to memory. “You’re beautiful. How did I get so lucky?”

I try to push him off me. “You’re not. I don’t owe you anything.”

“You’re right. You don’t, but I do. You’re not the only one that needs to show your appreciation.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means that I’m going to make you want me as bad as I want you. I’m going to make you fantasize about how it feels to have my fingers in your greedy little cunt. I’m going to make you beg for my tongue against your clit. I’m going to make you so wet and needy for me that you’ll do anything to get me to relieve that hot, achy feeling inside you. Once you admit you want me, that’s when I’ll show my appreciation. With every part of me. On every part of you.”

My breath shudders. My heart is beating so hard that I think the downstairs neighbors can hear the thud in their ceiling. The filth of his words gathers a primal reaction from me against my will. He leans down to whisper in my ear.

“Is that what you want? You want me to taste and feel every inch of you until you’re begging for my cock?” I stay quiet, willing myself not to react. He lets out a malicious laugh. “I promise angel, the next time you touch yourself, all you’re going to be thinking about is me.”

And then he lifts himself off me, throws me a wink, and crawls through my window and disappears into the shadows like nothing happened.

The first thing I do on Saturday is buy myself a new cell phone and call the police.

I’m put on hold for two hours before the line goes dead.

CHAPTER 5

THE ANGEL

I finally,finallyget Monday night off from the club. I plan to take full advantage of my freedom by going to bed as soon as I get home.

Neil Hayden’s position still hasn’t been filled, and since I washissecretary, I have absolutely nothing to do except play solitaire on my computer. While that sounds great, it got old after about three days.

I FaceTime my father on my lunch break as I do every Monday, but I don’t dare say anything about the past week. My dad wouldflipif he found out about those guys that cornered me in the alley, the Silencer, Christian Reeves, or my new job at the Hellfire Lounge. My father is extremely overprotective of me, and while I love him, he can be overbearing. He wasn’t even happy for me when I told him I got a job at the biggest, most successful company in the world. He’s been wanting me to move back to Texas for five years, literally since the day I moved to Meridian City. He can’t have a single conversation without trying to convince me to come home.

After I hang up with my father, I toss the remains of my frozen microwavable lasagna in the break room trash can, and just like last Monday, when I turn, I run face first into an expensive suit.

“I’m sorry!”

I can’t say I’m surprised to see Christian standing there looking down at me with a curious gaze. He leans against the doorframe and crosses his ankles, and because he’s so broad, he effectively blocks my way out. “Mr. Reeves,” I greet, clearing my throat.I try my best to not let my eyes trail down his body and drink him in, but what can I say? He’s hot, and I have eyes. And a vagina. The whole ‘master of the universe’ vibe that he gives off spreads heat through my whole body. He’s wearing a proper suit today, charcoal gray in color with a red silk tie.

He greets me back with a curt nod. “Elena. Just the person I was looking for. Though I think you’re running into me on purpose now.” He winks at me to indicate he’s only joking. He probably didn’t think twice about it, but the action sends my heart racing.

I swallow nervously. “Can I help you with something?”

“Yes, actually.”

He motions with his head for me to follow him. He leads me to the elevator and presses the button for his private office. I’ve never actually seen the CEO suite. It’s the entire top floor of the building, and you need special permission on your access card to get up there. My office and the rest of the legal department is the floor directly below his, so the elevator ride is, thankfully, short. The doors open and I can’t help the gasp that leaves my lips as I take it in.

His office is glass on three sides, overlooking the city. There’s a large, mahogany conference table directly in front of me, the rich wood a nice contrast to the perfectly shined marble floors. He takes a seat in his plush leather office chair and props his feet up on the glass top of his desk. His red bottom shoes stick out amongst all the neutral colors of the office.

I sit in the chair across from him at his desk and fold my hands politely in my lap. “What can I do for you, Mr. Reeves?”

“First of all, Elena, stop calling me that. I have a first name for a reason.”

I nod apprehensively. “Okay.”

He narrows his eyes for a second, but then softens them again. “Second, I could use some help arranging a…field trip of sorts, for some of the people in your department. The Thomas and Elizabeth Reeves Memorial Orphanage—you know of it?”

I breathe easier knowing he invited me in here to talk about somethingworkrelated. “Of course, I do.”

The orphanage he’s talking about is one of the most philanthropic things I’ve ever seen a rich person do. It opened five years ago, right around the time I moved here. Christian bought out the northern half of Meridian City that was mostly abandoned from crime and vandalism, stripped it, and turned it into a sanctuary for orphans, juvenile delinquents, and otherwise underprivileged kids.