Chapter 2
TWO
The roaring lightning and thunder that lit the sky after every few seconds, accompanied by precipitation that cascaded down my windows, were hardly notable in comparison to the boisterous knocks against my door downstairs.
Groaning as I wiped the sleep from my eyes, I gathered the towel that had unraveled beneath me.
The digital timekeeper at my bedside acknowledged the hour, helping me to quickly calculate the length of my slumber.
My long, precious bath had induced a three-hour long snooze that was intended to be uninterrupted and carried out through the night.
Unfortunately, that was impossible with the ramming of a fist on the matte paint of my front door.
The grogginess I suffered from was a clear sign that I was deep under while the inkling of a headache reminded me that wine – along with the Lavender Love bath soak I’d purchased – was a prime factor in the depth of my slumber.
“My GOD!” I yawned, growing frustrated with whatever was on the other side of my door, demanding my presence as if it wasn’t both inconsiderate and disrespectful to be there at two in the morning.
The dragging of my entire body commenced at the thought of ending the tirade of knocks at my door.
The first shirt that I saw was large and white, perfect for the task.
I pulled it over my body and grabbed a pair of cotton shorts that were in my top drawer.
My urge to find out who could possibly be interrupting my sleep along with the anxiety emergencies plagued me with, caused me to bolt down the lengthy set of stairs of my home.
“Who is it?” I shouted over the rain as my thumb pressured the callbox that reached the outside of my home.
I hated yelling. It wasn’t a preference of mine and reserved too much of my energy, which is why I got the system installed to begin with. It was difficult yelling through the thickness of my door.
After a year of living in my home, I realized I was either going to sprang a vocal cord or purchase a system that would allow me to calmly speak to whoever was outside of my door. Unfortunately, with the thunder and rain, that wasn’t an option.
Met with silence, I pondered with upturned lips and brows. It wasn’t until the very moment that I realized I’d made a mistake by not going with the camera doorbell that the clerk had suggested when I made the callbox purchase.
Frustration quickly overthrew my other emotions, forcing me from the door to the hall that led to my great room, where I shoved the perfectly positioned set of clothes covering my windows to see who was outside of my home.
The ash gray Bentley was obvious, even in the darkness of the night. A strike of lightning in the sky also helped me confirm the make and color of the luxurious car. Its presence intensified my confusion. The fact that I couldn’t see directly on my porch didn’t help much, either.
Figuring my best option was to open my door, I rushed into the kitchen for a sharp object, just in case protection was required. When I returned, the knocking ceased, again.
It had been going since I’d stepped from my window. With the sharp, shiny knife that I used to cut my fruits one piece at a time as I ate them tucked at my side, I removed the locks and slightly opened my front door.
The rain that had managed to stay outside came swooping in as the assaulting winds carried it across the earth.
My porch’s covering did much of nothing to stop the viciousness of the storm.
It was simply too intense. Much like the rain, my soul departed from my body and soiled my floor at the astonishing sight before me.
Tall like my favorite tree to climb.
Thick like the chocolate that I consumed on days that I was feeling naughty and needed a sweet fix after favoring my healthier choices for so long.
Dark like it, too.
And, handsome. Just like on the television screens.
“Kit,” he called me by my name with no intention of including my last name as if we’d been friends in this lifetime.
“Fo… Fohr.” I swallowed the bucket of air that had formed in my throat. “Fohr McClarren.”
Nodding, he confirmed his identity. I looked around as if I was waiting for a camera crew to jump from the bushes and deem this a joke. Or, for me to wake and realize it was just a dream. There was no way I could believe that Fohr McClarren was at my door.
It wasn’t his status that made me consider the event to be less likely, but it was the audacity and entitlement that struck me. It was two in the morning! Not only had I declined the invitation to his home once, but I’d done so several times over the duration of Olivia’s call.
His presence was as baffling as his beauty, and I wanted to punch myself in the gut for not being able to pull away from it.
Either. Him or his beauty. I found myself lost, trying to conjure the words I truly wanted to say and give him the tongue lashing that he needed for showing up to my place this way.
“Your shirt.” He nodded in my direction.
The rain bounced on his broad shoulders as he stood underneath it as if he was invincible.
A cold, the flu, or a sinus infection was sure to play a major role in his upcoming days.
I was sure of it. Upon further inspection of my surroundings, I noticed the woman, who I’d assumed was Olivia, standing near the tail of the car with a man beside her holding an umbrella over her head so that she didn’t get too wet.
Fohr’s sudden push forward drew me back to the moment at hand. I wasn’t sure how I’d ventured away, not with the boldness of his presence and the demand of it, either. As he stepped forward, I was forced backward. Instinctively.
Forced wasn’t exactly correct and partially unfair to him, but it seemed justified. My body fought against my mind, forcing me backward when I intended to stay planted.
“Do you feel threatened?”
His words consumed me, confusion deepening. “No.”
“So please put the knife away.”
“Why are you here?” I suddenly remembered the knife that I’d taken from my kitchen to protect myself if necessary.
“Because I need you.”
“As I told Olivia, there are many people that would love to service you during your time of need, but I’m not one of them.” I shrugged, placing the knife on the end table next to my door.
The slight movement caused me to recognize the familiar stickiness of fabric against my skin, clinging to my breast and the remainder of my upper chest. Upon examination, I noticed the, now, translucent shirt was unable to hide my erect, dark brown nipples.
Your shirt, I considered his words and the sudden push forward into my home.
Without another word, I twirled on the tips of my toes until I was facing the stairs I’d descended minutes before.
Faster than ever, I was up them and in my bedroom.
The stranger downstairs at my door was strangely the least of my concerns.
It was shame that haunted me like a thief in the night as I raked through my closet for my plush robe.
“You’re wet and on my couch,” I announced my presence after searching for my unwelcomed houseguest for a full minute downstairs before realizing he’d ventured further into my personal space.
“It’s fabric and it will dry,” he countered, breaking a piece of the banana that was in his hand and tossing it into his mouth.
“And, you’re eating my food.”
“That I have every intention of replacing. Ms. Delucca,” he started, rolling his tongue across his lips.
“I was very clear when I–” I countered, but was interrupted.
“You were. But, maybe she wasn’t clear enough, which is why I’m here.
I don’t see a single reason for you to stay home – obviously alone – during this madness when I have a perfectly readied house that can be a theatre, bar, bowling alley, fishing pond, swimming pool, fitness center, and whatever else you’ll need during this pandemic.
Might I add that I’m pretty good company, too? ”
“Yeah, I see,” I hissed, lowly, with a shake of my head.
“I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean, but I am, and I could use someone to teach me things in my time of need. Cooking was never my thing, and I’ve never sat still long enough to hire a chef. Cleaning, I can handle that part.”
“Oh, really?” I whispered, remembering the craziness I’d seen week after week coming to his home.
“So, it would bring me great relief knowing that someone I’ve entrusted in my home over the last few years is there to help.”
Licking the skin of my teeth as I chuckled, I shook my head. “Fohr McClarren, I appreciate the offer, but I’m going to decline… again.”
“I hope you’re well rested, because I’m not leaving until I can convince you to accept. I’ve got all night.” He tossed his free hand in the air as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
“It’s morning,” I stated as a matter of fact. He needed to understand the level of intrusion he’d reached.
“That, too.” He wasn’t fazed by my correction.
“People are outside waiting on you,” I tried reasoning.
“Then, let them wait.” He shrugged, pulling his jacket from his arms.
His eyes never left mine as a stare down commenced. Glued to one another like flies on fruit, I waited for contact to break, but it didn’t. Strong-willed and determined to make me crumble, Fohr glared at me with intent.
My entire body ached, feeling as if I’d been lowered into a pit of lava inch by inch. Engulfed in unbearable heat, I found myself struggling to even reap the benefits of the saliva that I swallowed back.
I was parched and needed relief. Needed him to remove the sword from my chest that he’d punctured my heart with. This man was Godly… and commanding. He had every ounce of my undivided attention, and for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why I was unable to pull away.
“The money has been wired, Kit.” As if we were familiar souls, he continued to call me by my first name, again, intentionally establishing a role that wasn’t reserved for him in my life.
Why is he doing this?