26. Jackson
26
JACKSON
W ith my hands clasped behind my back, I spend the last few minutes of my working day in a calm reverie. The sun hangs low, clinging to the towering buildings around me, yet Kelley is all I can think about as my eyes drift toward Long Island Sound.
I can just imagine her. Her long, thin legs swishing the dark waters of my pool. One of my button-down shirts seconds from being ripped away from her body. I could just see the look on her face at the very moment before she held her breath to dive in deep.
“Is that all for today, Mr. Corel?” One of my assistants asks, her face peeking through my door, interrupting me in this most sanctimonious moment.
“Yes, that’s all,” I say, without the heart to add anything more. “I've got some things I want to look over before I head out.”
I don't even turn to look, but the click of the door tells me I have my space again, and the time I need to ponder what’s happened to me since Kelley came into my life. I was supposed to be her captor. So who am I now? Her prisoner? Her pet?
Maybe both.
I turn away from the glass, my gaze falling on a photo of the club's founders, including Vince and Benny. A sigh escapes me as the weight of my impending decision presses down—let Kelley go and protect the club, or keep her close and risk more than just my control.
Kelley has gotten under my skin more than I care to admit. The fire in her spirit calls to my own, even as her continued defiance grates. I crave the thrill of conquering her, body and mind. But the longer I indulge this dangerous obsession, the more complications arise.
What started as a game of cat and mouse has shifted beneath my feet. I find myself constantly maneuvering to keep the upper hand when I should be the one in undisputed command. She's a distraction I can ill afford.
As much as it pains me, perhaps the time has come to cut her loose. For both our sakes. I've kept her caged long enough to serve my purposes. Her memories of this place will fade in time. No lasting harm done.
I try to ignore the hollow ache in my chest at the thought of her absence. With a resolute nod, I decide on a compromise: spend the weekend together, gauge her loyalty, and ensure her safety before I make my final choice.
A few more days to sate this thirst, then I can let her go with no regrets, knowing I took all she had to give. I will withdraw from her slowly, lessening her hold on me by degrees. Wean myself off her dangerously addictive presence.
My path forward is clear at last, and I feel the burden lifting. Soon I will be free of her bewitching sway, master of my domain once more.
But as I stride for the door, an insidious thought snakes through my mind—what if I cannot actually give her up, even after promising myself I would? What lengths will I go to then, to keep Kelley as my captive prize?
The possibilities unnerve me. I force them roughly aside. I am in control. I will remain in control.
When I make it home, I pause in the courtyard, struck by the ethereal vision before me. Kelley sits poolside, bathed in moonlight that sends a glow across her skin. Her hair peeks behind her ears as she wraps herself tighter in a large white towel. Desire spikes through me, hot and immediate, seeing droplets of water pooling at her feet.
I approach slowly, savoring the view. "Couldn't sleep?"
She turns, hazel eyes widening briefly. "I needed some air."
“And some water?” I joke, watching her face closely.
“The water's perfect tonight," she says calmly. Her eyes darken looking at me. “Join me?”
My pulse leaps under my dress shirt, her eyes glued to my fingers as I loosen the buttons one by one. I keep my eyes locked with hers as I rise and pull my shirt over my head. When I extend a hand in invitation, she takes it.
The night feels charged with only the weight of water between us. And as much as I long to pull her into me, and make her helpless in my arms, tonight her face has a pensive look. It’s strange when I see her like this, the fire that usually possesses her seems somewhere else, feeding a flame I can't touch or see.
“You’re quiet tonight,” I observe, noting the slight chill around her isn't just from the evening air.
“Then say something,” she retorts, wrapping her arms over the pool's edge. “Tell me something about you.”
Once I get started, it's hard to stop.
We sit at the pool's edge, legs dipped in the water, side by side in the moonlight. I find myself opening up to Kelley about my past in ways I never have before.
"When I was 17, I hotwired a cherry red Mustang on a dare," I begin. "Too cocky and drunk to think about the consequences. The owner caught me two blocks later and dragged me out by my collar, ready to beat my face in."
I pause, the memories vivid. "I don't know what made him stop - maybe he saw something in my eyes. But instead of punishing me, he gave me a job at his auto shop. Taught me mechanics. Put me on a better path."
I glance at Kelley. "If not for his mercy, I don't know where I'd have ended up."
She nods slowly, her eyes filled with understanding.
“It’s the same thing for me, with Marcy. After my mom died I fell in with a rough crowd, and street fighting seemed like a good way to deal with my rage. Marcy was the only person who didn't give up on me, no matter what.”
Softly she continues, telling me of the years she spent homeless after her mother passed, the hunger and danger she faced daily, surviving through sheer will.
My respect for her fortitude grows. We sit in silence as the waters gently lap our legs, two scarred souls finding solace in each other’s imperfections. The past fades away and all that matters is this shared moment of intimacy.
While the light from the pool shines a soft light on her face, I see how life has hardened her. Maybe that's what I like about her best, the way the rough parts of my past don't shake her. She doesn't scare easily, and it shows right down to the lines on her face.
Every angle of her sings a resounding truth, this girl has been through hell and somehow came through it forged into something unbreakable.
“So naturally, she’s my best friend. My ride or die,” she says, looking away.
Bathed in moonlight, Kelley is ethereal. Her smooth skin glows against the night, pixie-cut hair framing her exquisite face. Fiery hazel eyes shine up at me, luminous pools filled with spirited intensity. Her beauty enthralls me, sensual and elegant yet with an untamable fire that quickens my pulse and steals my breath.
When she finishes, I nod slowly, my expression showing respect for their connection. Silence lingers between us, and I'm struck by the realization that Kelley and I aren't so different after all.
Underneath the defiance and fire, she's just a woman searching for meaning, same as me. Maybe that's the real reason I'm so fascinated by her - she's likely the only one who could truly understand me.
The force of this epiphany leaves me reeling. I break eye contact, rubbing the back of my neck. Suddenly the intimacy of this moonlit encounter feels too intense.
I get out of the water abruptly, as if running from my own swirling emotions that are becoming impossible to ignore. Kelley watches me with those piercing hazel eyes that seem to see right through to my core.
"I should let you get some rest," I muttered lamely.
She simply nods, her expression unreadable. I walk away stiffly before I do something reckless, like spill my damn heart out to this captivating woman.
The revelation haunts me - I'm in much deeper than I ever planned to be. And I don't know if I can find my way out again.