Chapter 15
15
JACKSON
M y nerves haven’t been this on edge since I started up my company and waited to see if the investors would come through. Yet here I am with sweaty palms and a racing heart in anticipation for seeing Zora again.
That brief taste I had of her a few days ago wasn’t enough. In fact, all it did was make me want her more. Make me think of her. Make me need her more than water and air.
She’s an obsession I can’t shake. Not that I want to because she was mine from the time I laid eyes on her. I wanted to claim her, fuck her…defile.
God I’m depraved.
I glance at my watch again, forcing myself not to pick up my phone to call her and find out where she is. I’m like a child lying in bed on Christmas Eve night in anticipation of all the gifts to come the next day.
I knew she would call me eventually. She’s stubborn but not stupid. But still, hearing her voice to confirm what we both knew was going to happen made everything I’d planned well worth it.
We agreed she’d meet me tonight when her father was in bed so that we could discuss terms. She was already ten minutes late and I briefly wonder if she’d changed her mind.
Thankfully this is just a fleeing thought because the buzzer rings to announce my visitor’s arrival. I hit the button on the speaker. “Zora.” I say without bothering to turn on the camera function on my phone to show me a video of the lobby.
“I’m here.”
I can’t see her face but her tone tells me so much. There’s a hint of fatigue and defeat in her voice an inevitability of what was going to happen all along.
It took her nearly five minutes to make it to my door. Five minutes too long.
She’s barely able to knock before I yank the door open.
I still, taking in her appearance. She’s dressed casually in a pair of jeans, an open black button up with a white tank top underneath it. Her hair is pulled back in a severe bun. Her only jewelry are a pair of silver hoop earrings and matching chain.
As far as I can tell, she’s not wearing much makeup if any other than a shiny gloss that coats her full lips that makes me think of how they’d look wrapped around my cock. I want to coat those lips with something else that glistens…
The blood rushes to my dick and presses against the inside of my pants. She’s dressed so casually, she could be shopping at a grocery store but all I can think about is peeling off every article of clothing and tasting what was beneath.
She raises a brow. “Are you going to let me in or are we going to stand here and have a staring contest?”
Her curt words cut into my silent daydreams.
I stand back and open the door just enough to let her in so that our bodies touch as she walks past me. I catch a faint whiff of peaches and cream, and I hold back a groan.
I prided myself on my self-control but I had none when it came to Zora. I doubted I’d get through the night without touching her. But then again, if things go as planned, I wouldn’t need to show restraint.
I close the door behind her and take a deep breath to get my body under control.
She looks around my living room. I haven’t really done much with this condo as far as decorations went. I’d only made sure that it was furnished in each room. The walls are bare save for the mounted television in the living room that I never watched. This is basically just a base I use for any trips back to this region.
“I never expected to see the inside of these condos when they started construction. This town had changed a lot in the last few years.”
“Yes, when that new office complex went up, it was bound to bring in an influx of new residents.”
“Yes, my old neighborhood is unrecognizable almost. At lot of my old neighbors have moved because the property taxes got too high. So many of the old houses on my dad’s street have been renovated to the point where they look like new builds. But yay for progress, right? As least we now have a fancy coffee shop on practically every street corner.”
“That’s usually how progress works.”
She rolls her eyes. “At the expense of the less fortunate but I don’t expect people like you to understand that. Look, I’m here now so we why don’t you tell me exactly what you want from me.”
I see no point in defending myself because I did live a privileged life and while I did understand how things worked in our word, she probably wasn’t receptive to hearing me say it.
I close the distance between us and caress her cheek with the back of my hand. “I thought I’d made it abundantly clear what I want. You.”
She flinches away from me and takes a step back. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what? Touch what’s mine?”
“Stop saying that. I’m yours.”
“That’s not what you said over the phone,” I challenge her.
“If you’re going to be like this, then I’m leaving.” She attempts to walk past me but I grab her by the arm and twirl her around with enough force to send her body crashing into mine.
I wrap my arms around her soft body and bury my face against her neck, inhaling deeply. “You smell, amazing.”
She pushes herself out of my hold. “Stop it, Jackson. I should have known better than to come here. I must really be out of my mind to think you’d actually help me.”
“I don’t say I’ll do something and not follow through, Zora. You maybe have me painted as some villain from your past but I assure you, I’m a man of my word.”
She releases a hollow belly laugh without a hint of humor. “Maybe I’m painting you as the villain because you were. But I’m not here to rehash the past nor am I going to stay to because you’re bored and want to amuse yourself at my expense.”
This isn’t going how I’d pictured it but then again, I didn’t expect her to jump into my arms either. I inhale deeply and slowly release the air from my lungs. “Zora, have a seat and we can talk about this.”
She shakes her head. “No, I think I’d rather stand.”
“Clearly, you’re not in need of my help then. What are you going to do when your father is out on the street?”
She stiffens. “You are such an asshole.”
I shrug. “I may be but I’m the asshole who’s in a position to help you. Now sit down, Zora.”
She glares at me for several mutinous seconds before perching herself on the edge of my sofa and then her shoulders sag and head droops. For the first time I notice the bags under her eyes. Her family’s situation has clearly taken its toll on her. I should feel guilty because I’m partly to blame for this but I tell myself that I didn’t make her brother a compulsive gambler and I didn’t force her father to put himself into debt for that idiot. But I could unload that burden for her.
I walk over to the couch and take the space next to her. She tries to scoot away from me but is blocked by the arm rest. I move closer so that our hips touch.
She holds herself rigid.
“Is being in my presence that difficult for you, Zora?”
She keeps her gaze averted from mine, focusing on some point in the room I can’t determine. “What do you think, Jackson? This whole situation confuses me? You treated me like shit in high school and now all of a sudden you want to sleep with me? And you’re willing to bail my family out in order to do it.”
“That’s an oversimplification. We’re going to do more than just sleeping together Zora. And yes, I’m willing to help you on the condition that you agree to my terms.”
She twists her lips and folds her arms across her breasts. “Typical of you to not acknowledge all the harm you’ve caused me back then.”
“You keep saying that but I have a different recollection of our high school experience.”
She shakes her head and sneers. “I guess you would say that. In my experience, bullies have a hard time apologizing for what they did or they pretend it didn’t happen because no one wants to be the bad guy. But in case you need your memory jogged, you were definitely the bad guy, Jackson.”
“I never claimed to be a good person, Zora and if you want to paint me as some monster so you can live out some tragic heroine fantasy, then so be it. All I said is that I remember things differently. But would my apology really change anything?”
“If I thought it was a sincere one, it might but I doubt someone like you is capable of it. People like you never show remorse.”
“It’s interesting you’d say that. Are you saying I have no redeeming qualities?”
“I’m sure some people think you do.”
“But not you?” I’m not sure why my chest feels tight all of a sudden. I know Zora doesn’t have the highest opinion of me. If I’m being honest, I didn’t make things easy for her back then, but I had my reason. Reasons, I could never confess to her.
“Jackson, I find the direction of this conversation pointless. Let’s get back on track. You already know I’m in a pretty desperate situation or I wouldn’t be here. So, tell me what your terms are.”
Her hands shake before she clasps them in her lap. The nervous tell, belies the bravado of her words. There are things I want to tell her, to let her know my desire for her is very real but I doubt she’s ready to hear that right now.”
“My terms are simple. You agree to be at my beck and call. If I need a companion for an event, if I just want your company to share a meal with, if I just want to see your face, I expect for you to be by my side. And most importantly, I get to have you in very possible way of the meaning.”
“So basically, I’m supposed to drop everything to be with you?”
“If you want to put it that way, yes.”
“But my father will need care, and I have a job. I have clients that I can still see remotely.”
“I’ll hire a caregiver for him for as many hours needed.”
“He’s not just going to let any stranger in his house.”
My patience is slowly wearing thin. “It’s either that or he loses his house.”
“You’re not being reasonable. My father is a proud man. He barely wants my help. He’s not going to readily accept help from a stranger. I assume you have to work, during the day so you can’t expect me to sit around waiting for you to snap your fingers so I can sit at your feet like a good dog.”
I take her face between my hands, forcing her to look me in the eyes. “None of this is negotiable, Zora. You think I’m helping you out of the goodness of my heart. You’ve already labeled me the bad guy so I guess I might as well play into the role you’ve shoved me in. If I want you to be my dog and come when I snap, you’d better. If I want you to go somewhere with me, I expect you to comply with no questions ask. When I tell you to strip and climb on my dick, you’d better ride me like you’re trying to win the Kentucky Derby. Do you understand?”
She tightens her lips without a sound.
“Do you understand me?” I roar.
“Yes! What choice do I have.” Her eyes are glistening with unshed tears but I don’t care. My mind and body are in shambles from being near her.
I stand, pulling her with me.
“Jackson what?—”
I don’t give her a chance to finish her question before I swing her into my arms and head towards my bedroom.
Some people would call me an asshole for what I’ve done. Some may even say I’m evil. But I just say I’m determined.