Chapter 4 #2
He leaned forward, lessening the space between us. Though his hands were visible, still in front of me, he’d somehow wrapped them around my neck, restricting my oxygen.
“Are you okay, baby?”
Visions of my head shaking from side to the other while falling into his big chest while he folded his shoulders toward every part of me that showed signs of discomfort flashed behind my eyelids.
No. Josiah. I’m not okay. Since I encountered you, I’ve been wondering if I’ve ever been okay. If I’ve ever been alive. If I’ve ever breathed. Because, the air is different, now. And, the rhythm of my heart isn’t the same. You’ve altered me. Forever.
“Mr. Blackwood. This is about you. Not me.”
My stomach tightened as a snigger erupted. Sarcasm forced its premature end. Hadn’t I been playing close attention, again, I would’ve missed the greatest sound to ever grace my earlobes.
“It’ll always be about you, Sunshine. Always. This is your story. There’s only one main character. I’m a supporting character.”
“Mr. Black–”
“Are you okay?” He questioned with emphasis.
My eyes blinked rapidly as I fought to catch my breath.
He remained silent, waiting for me to answer his question. I understood that we wouldn’t move on until I did.
“Yes, Mr. Blackwood. I’m okay. Now, can we move on?”
He nodded. I released a shaky breath.
“Great.”
“You’re tired. You need rest, Range.”
“I can rest lat–”
“You’ll rest now. Today,” he demanded.
“Josia– Mr. Blackwood.”
He smiled, tilting his head again. My nostrils flared in embarrassment. Still, I didn’t lower my chin or my gaze. I matched his.
Silence.
“Mr. Blackwood.”
His body leaned forward. His lips neared my ear. I shuddered, destroying the thong underneath my skirt.
“82126 Hasting Street. 2266448.”
His lips lowered. The inches between his skin and mine vanished. He pressed up against me, sending me over the edge. Staying afloat was no longer an option. The current between my legs and the foreign waters took me under simultaneously.
“Get some rest, Sunshine, or you’ll force my hand.”
As quickly as he’d come, Josiah disappeared.
I closed my eyes, tightly, hating my lack of control over this situation.
It was the first of many. And, adjusting felt much like pulling my hair from the roots.
Simultaneously, I didn’t possess the urge to control every detail of our encounters.
The spontaneity was unfamiliar, but it was compelling.
I gathered myself as best I could, and exited the conference room. I was barely holding it together. Everything in me wanted to run. Run and never look back. But, more than anything, I wanted to stay.
Be with him.
Talk to him.
Listen to him.
Tell him about my day.
Tell him about my quirks.
Tell him about my clients.
Tell him my deepest desires.
Tell him my fears, though they were few.
Tell him everything he cared to know about me.
Somehow, I felt like it was everything. There would never be too much of me for his head and heart to handle. I wanted to unwind. To unravel. To undress. To reveal the sacred parts of me. To reveal the real parts of me. The good. The bad. The debatable.
Click.
Clack.
My feet didn’t stop moving until I was standing in front of my car. My eyes scanned my surroundings.
7:56a
Visitation hours had yet to begin. They wouldn’t start for another hour and a half. My car was alone in the lot. However, signs of human presence was obvious.
With furrowed brows, I observed the cracked windows of my Mercedes. I hadn’t left them down. Figuring there was no need to unlock my door, I pulled it open. I wasn’t surprised to gain access without the hindrance of my security system.
Red roses greeted me on the passenger seat. So did two orange bags. Flabbergasted, I covered my freshly glossed lips with my palm.
For a moment, I was unmoving. The gesture was my permission to pause for a second. To gather my bearings, finally. To relax. To recenter. To tell myself what Josiah had been trying to signal from the moment we met.
You’re okay.
I slid into the driver’s seat and was immediately dazzled by more roses. They filled my backseat. I placed my head between my hands and allowed my smile to spread across my face. There was absolutely nothing I could do to stop it. There was nothing I wanted to do, either.
Ahhhhhhhhhhh. I screamed inwardly.
I twisted my body for a better view of the roses covering my backseat. When my eyes returned to the front seat, I grabbed the smallest of the two bags.
I removed the first small box and was presented with a brown Hermès bracelet. It was accented in gold. The second bag revealed a cream bracelet. And, then a black one. And, lastly, an orange one.
In the large bag, I removed a large box. I untied the same bows I’d been untying since I was a young girl. Still, I was thrilled. The adrenaline sped the timeline by minutes at a time, leaving me staring in awe at a Croc Niloticus. The leather was stunning.
I ran my hand down the beautiful Birkin, quietly estimating it’s retail value. At minimum, seventy thousand dollars had come out of one of Josiah’s accounts. My fingertips grazed the hardware. There wasn’t a thread out of place.
“Mr. Blackwood, you’re a very generous contender.”
I unclasped the hardware and peeked inside of the stunning bag.
Waiting for me was a letter. Hastily, I removed it and laid the paper on the steering wheel to straighten it completely.
There was only one sheet. There were only a few words.
I was already dreading the end of them and was hungry for more.
He feeds me too little, leaving me starved. Leaving me parched.
Nevertheless, I trained my eyes to the sheet of thin paper, yellow in color with far too many lines to fill for him to have utilized only four of them.
Sunshine,
I wish we’d met under different circumstances, but I’ll never complain about the moment you walked through that door.
It was the greatest day of my existence.
I replay it in my head a hundred times a day.
Understand that cuffed wrists mean nothing when both my head and my bread are free.
Take yourself shopping. You deserve it. You deserve everything.
Siah
P.S. Made it even.
I double-checked the bag the box had come from. Beneath the gift paper was neatly stacked bills, held together by paper strips with $10,000 printed on each of them. There were six.
Made it even.
“How? How’d he–”
My brain was flipping as I tried better understanding Josiah. His attention to detail was awakening.
He’s too good. He’s too good to be true. He’s too good to be more than a figment of my imagination.
This man can’t be real.
I clutched my waist at the sound of movement. The lock box fell from my hands as I straightened my spine. On the other end of the porch, a squirrel stood tall in the bed of rocks. Sighing, I lifted the lock box, again.
2266448
Josiah’s voice lingered in my head. So did the numbers he’d called off. He woke me from my sleep at eight o’clock sharp. Taking his advice, I drove home and spent the first two hours burying my thoughts with my workout.
After a long shower, avocado toast and eggs, email scrolls, and thirty-two ounces of water, rest welcomed me with open arms. And, for six hours, I slept like a newborn on her father’s chest.
Urrrrrrrrn.
The lock turned, allowing me to push the small door upward, revealing a set of keys. I ran my fingers across the metal, unsure which one would help me gain access to the beautiful home that sat on eighty-three acres of land and was completely isolated from the rest of the community.
I tossed caution to the wind and shoved the first key inside and tried turning it.
Nope.
The second key slid in with ease. Still, I didn’t gain entry. It didn’t budge. Confusion plagued me. I pulled in a deep breath.
As I removed the second key, my hand grazed the large black rectangle above the lock, revealing a keypad. The numbers lit up at once.
2266448
The entire keypad glowed in a vivid, chastising red. My entry wasn’t accepted.
8446622
I raised my fingers, waiting to be scolded silently by the red numbers. However, I was greeted with a bright green.
Urrrrrrrrrn.
I was invited inside. I twisted the knob and stepped forward.
Vanilla filled my nostrils. The pleasant smell aligned with the beige walls and black accents, putting the final touch on the perfectly designed home.
The interior was stunning. High ceilings.
Large entryway. A winding staircase. A spacious foyer.
A single light illuminated the open floor plan as best it could. It shone over the waterfall island in the large kitchen. Underneath the center bulb, on the beautiful countertop, was something small and something black. I closed the gap between me and the item.
Upon inspection, I quickly identified the memory card. I removed it from the counter and headed toward the door I’d come into. In the study, there was a computer. I entered the room and took a seat behind the large oak desk. It was in pristine condition.
The computer screen lit up with the touch of a button on the sleek keyboard. I was prompted to enter a password.
2266448
The numbers were stuck in my head. I had no option but to assume they would grant my access to everything available to me in the home.
The home screen appeared, confirming my suspicions. I wasn’t wrong.
I entered the card into the reader plugged into the back of the computer. A blue light began blinking. I tapped the finder. The window appeared, but was completely empty of files, except for the external files provided by the card I’d entered.
I opened the first box titled Arbs*. Repulsed, I attempted to maintain my composure. My chest swelled with rage. Extensive research had led me to the beautiful family of Josiah, including his sister and niece.
Aubrey.