Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Madison
I t felt so weird calling him Sir. After all, the man had seen me in ways that even I hadn’t seen myself. It felt now as though we were playing a game that only the two of us were aware of. It was exhilarating, to say the least, but it also made me feel so nervous. And then there was the way he touched me. I didn’t even think he realized it, but when he spoke to me now, I noticed how he touched me. So intimately, so carefully. It truly made breathing difficult. And he stared into my eyes like he was trying to figure me out, to understand all that he could about me. Maybe I was the one reading too much into it, as always, but it was the way I felt.
Generally, I was happy about how things were progressing, about how we were relating to each other. It was much more than I had imagined things would be between us, ever, but I also deeply suspected that things were going so well because we were not in the city, which meant that I had a very short period of time to enjoy all of this, and none of that made me feel good in the slightest. Still, as I followed behind them, ready for whatever he needed, I admonished myself to forget about the past and future and to simply just live in the present.
Just then, however, Mr. Felix fell into step beside me, and just like that, my mood plummeted into the depths of hell.
“How are you doing on this fine day, Miss…?” he began, his tone falsely pleasant.
I glanced at him and managed a polite smile. He was important to this project, and no matter how I felt about him, I couldn’t be outrightly rude. The events of that night replayed nearly verbatim in my mind, from the exchange at the entrance to our restaurant room to Hunter coming to my rescue. So, I was well aware that he had purposely forced me to drink, and equally aware that it had been with bad intentions, which he would have probably not hesitated to carry out if Hunter hadn’t been available.
However, I found that I wasn't as angry at him as I should have been, because his malicious intentions had led to something that I could have never even dreamed could happen. So, in a way, I was supposed to be hating him, but he didn't need to know this. What he needed to know was that he needed to stay as far away from me as possible, and I truly wished that he would respect this and comply.
“What's your last name?” he asked, interrupting my thoughts.
I sighed, “Parish. My last name is Parish.”
“Incredible name,” he replied smoothly. “I’ve been trying to speak to you, but things have been a bit hectic, right? I hope you’ll have some time for me today?”
He was no lackey. He was a very successful businessman, and although he was much older and less rich than Hunter, I was sure that he was very aware that I had been avoiding him and sometimes even downright ignoring him.
I truly couldn’t help pretending, but this entire vacation and our time in Thailand was only just beginning, and I didn’t want to have to bear his advances for the rest of it.
“I mean no disrespect by this, Sir, but I really hope that we can keep things strictly professional between us,” I said, trying to be firm. “I know that you’re working in collaboration with my boss, and I respect that and you, but I am not really comfortable with anything else beyond that.”
At my words, he came to an immediate halt, and I had no choice but to stop as well.
“Aren’t you being a little too cold?” he asked, his voice taking on a slightly offended tone.
“I mean, I watched the way you are with your boss, and you can’t honestly tell me that things between you two are strictly professional. No one over the age of ten years is that naive, and as we can both clearly see, I am not under ten years of age.”
He laughed at this joke, so satisfied with himself, and I wanted to punch him in the throat.
“Yes, Sir,” I replied, my voice tinged with frustration. “I can very clearly see that you are not under ten years of age, and neither am I. So, I am aware of what happened that night and the intentions you had towards me.”
At my words, his expression instantly soured. “Is that what your boss told you? That I had bad intentions towards you?”
Before I could respond, he continued speaking. “You believe him? You have to know that he wants you for himself, so why wouldn’t he say the most heinous thing ever to you about me?”
I stared at him and wondered why I was even wasting my time conversing with him.
“Understood, Sir, but from now on, and in order to prevent any future misunderstandings, please let’s limit all communication solely between you and Mr. Swift.”
I walked faster to get ahead, but he grabbed my arm, and I was immediately alarmed, as was the rest of our party ahead, because my bag dropped to the floor.
“Oh, my God!” I gasped in horror, realizing my laptop and tablet were in there. These were my only means of contact with the office, and I couldn't let this asshole cause me to break them. He had no choice but to let me go at my reaction, and I hurriedly picked up the bag.
“Is everything alright, Madison?” I heard Hunter call out.
My attention went towards the golf course, and I sent a loud bellow in reply. “Everything’s fine, Sir,” I replied, although I didn’t need to, as I knew that he didn’t believe me. And he wasn’t particularly happy with Mr. Felix being with me.
“I’ll go on ahead,” Mr. Felix finally said. “But I'm sure there are some misunderstandings between us, and I look forward to clarifying them in the future.”
I absolutely did not look forward to clarifying anything in the future, but once again, I had to hold back for Hunter and his company's sake and for this deal. He didn’t really focus on it, but I had heard stories throughout the office about their interest in expanding into this area. He, however, had never been on board, so I was incredibly happy now that he was exploring it. Therefore, I had to be as patient and as tolerant as possible to ensure that the rest of the week and meetings with partners went extremely smoothly.
Soon, I was on a golf cart along with two people I didn’t know, whom I assumed were the assistants and staff of the other men present. We followed the golfing parties across the course as they got ready to start their nine-hole game. For a while, I paid attention to what they were saying as well and couldn't help but be amused.
They called it a friendly game, but each of the men present was playing to win. There was no money involved since there were government officials present, but I could see the excitement, dedication, and focus in all their eyes as they started swinging and hollering. They were all vastly different ages, with Hunter the youngest, and yet they all got along through their common spirit of competition and achievement. I shook my head because I was enjoying the drama, but through it all, there was one man that I couldn’t look away from.
To me, the concept of being infatuated with anyone had always seemed somewhat laughable. But that was until I started working for Hunter. He was strict and a workaholic, insatiably ambitious, and he was all I'd ever wanted.
It brought to mind now, as I watched him excel even in a sport he didn't particularly like, what Emma had once said to me. “You know these kinds of men won’t give you the traditional kind of love you want, right?”
By that, she had meant he would spend nights in the office rather than with me, and sometimes he'd be gone on trips for long stretches of time. I'd told her that if I even got the chance with him, I'd understand because I didn't want to stay at home either. I'd be busy as well, or perhaps we could even be busy together, just like now. I was in contact with New York, ensuring that everything stayed afloat so that he could concentrate on these moments fully, and it made me incredibly happy to support him.
Given that I had never quite been as magnanimous with my well wishes or time for anyone else, it was confirmation of just how deeply I felt for him. Another of Emma's digs, however, came to mind, and it was the fact that I felt all of this and more because of how well he paid me. She could always be trusted to turn even the sweetest of circumstances bitter, but back then, I had been inclined to agree with her mostly because what was the point in disagreeing when I knew he could never be with me?
It wasn’t because I felt I wasn’t good enough, but it was because of how I was forced to dress and present myself in those dreary clothes and unattractive appearance. How was he even to notice that I was a woman, much less be attractive?
Now, however, I had never felt more free with him, and I was no longer covering up and hiding my allure. But it made me think of New York even further, and as a result, it made me dread ever returning there.