Chapter 21
CHAPTER 21
ANA
N ot much shocks me, but this is worse than I thought possible. I stare at James in horror and the fact he looks down in shame causes me to grasp his hand and say angrily, “This is not on you, James. Do you hear me? You were groomed, exploited, call it what you like, but it was not your fault!”
“But she still controls me, Ana. What the hell does that make me now? It’s been more than a decade and I still need the beating she gives me once a month. I am ruined and you should run and not look back.”
“No, James.”
I fix him with my fiercest expression. “This ends now and I’m not talking about us. We will break this cycle and do it together for no other reason than it’s the right thing to do.”
“This isn’t your fight, Ana.”
“Then call it payment for information. Call it anything you like because one thing’s for sure, that woman is going down and I will not stop until I push her over the edge myself.”
I am seething. The rage inside me is swirling like dark vengeance, and I couldn’t hate that woman more if I tried. My mind is racing as I plot her downfall and if I was Adele Kenricky right now, I would be very worried indeed.
“Leave it with me, James. Revenge is my speciality.” I say softly, and James shakes his head.
“Ana, no!” He smiles through a worried frown.
“It’s my battle, and one I should have addressed years ago. I’ll resign my position and tell her I’ve discovered anomalies and can no longer cover them up. I’ll step away and who knows, it may be the making of me.”
As I stare into his eyes, I know he’ll be okay. James is a strong man, despite what he’s been through, and with my help, he will soon find a position. My family owns many businesses and it won’t be difficult to find him a job, but I’m guessing James wants—no needs—more than that. He must make his own way and yet an idea is forming in my mind and curling around my black heart. Yes, I can help him, but he can help me too and between the two of us, we can wrap Adele and Charles Kenricky into one neat package and tie it up with one big black freaking bow.
I wake the next morning wrapped in James’s arms. It takes me a moment to remember what happened yesterday and as it all comes rushing back, I remember falling asleep in the early hours. We talked long into the night and ended up curling up in James’s bed to sleep, nothing more and yet I wouldn’t have changed a thing of what happened last night because it brought us closer together. Our demons have been released and they are desperate for revenge.
Just how I like it.
He stirs beside me and whispers, “This is a bad idea.”
“You think?”
He reaches up and strokes my face with a soft gleam in his eye and whispers, “I have a habit of making them.”
“Well, I don’t.”
I lean forward and kiss him softly on the lips and whisper, “This is the first time in my life that I have woken up beside a man.”
A slow grin spreads across his face and he pulls me closer and says huskily, “Perhaps we should celebrate that in a fitting way.”
His hard cock presses against my stomach and I reach down and curl my fingers around it and sigh. “If only we had the time. I must shower and get to work because my boss is a bastard and I can’t be late.”
He moves fast and spins me onto my back and before I can react, he pushes his cock deep inside me and growls, “I’ll deal with that bastard personally.”
My breath hitches as he fills the whole of me, touching places that I never realized existed could give me so much pleasure.
As he moves, he stares deeply into my eyes and holds my face, his expression almost loving, definitely intimate, and I return the favor. I can’t get enough of him—enough of this. For the first time in my life I’m not alone and I like it.
So many sensations are crashing through me right now and all it takes is one final thrust before I’m falling apart, riding an orgasm that is caused more by thoughts than feelings this time. I cling on tightly to the man responsible because when he opened his heart to me last night, he gave me the greatest gift possible.
James pulls out just in time, his release painting my body in the stickiest of paints, and he growls, “We should really address this problem.”
“It’s fine. I’m on birth control, anyway.”
He pulls away and raises his eyes, causing me to laugh. “I’m also clean, well, usually.”
His cum is making a mockery of that, and I sigh. “Well, I will be after I shower. Thanks though, I could get used to waking up this way.”
“So could I.” He kisses me softly on the lips and it’s as if the whole of me flutters inside. I’m not used to this level of intimacy and now I’ve found it, I’m kind of keen to hang onto it.
Despite everything that happened last night, our day is no different. Work takes over and I plow through the list of donors and delve into their lives. It’s become a fun game and builds up a picture of humanity I never cared to study before.
There are the genuine people who want to help. Law abiding, decent human beings who have a social conscience. Some are obviously doing it for bragging rights. Companies who like to see their name on a banner as heroes, which is merely good PR, and several boxes ticked.
Their personal lives are interesting, many living normal lives and then there are the ones I’m most interested in.
The powerful, the rich, and the greedy.
My colleagues work hard and we enjoy an easy atmosphere in the office that I never appreciated before. A camaraderie if you like and when Eric returns from a meeting with James, he stands at the door and says loudly, “Wake up bitches and hail your new boss.”
We glance up as Eric takes a bow and grins. “Yours truly has been promoted, so you better watch out.”
“Wow, congratulations!”
I swear not one person is unhappy about that because Eric is the most likeable guy on the planet and deserves this more than anyone and as we jump up to congratulate him, he appears visibly moved.
“I’m happy for you, Eric.” I say warmly as I hug him and he whispers, “I can’t believe it, Ana. Nothing like this has ever happened to me. I’m a little anxious, though. I mean, I’ve never been a manager before. What if I suck at it?”
“What if you don’t?”
I smile my encouragement. “Make it yours, Eric. Don’t try to be like David, or anyone, really. Just be yourself and your team will thrive. I believe in you.”
“Thanks, Ana, it means a lot.”
We are so busy we can only manage to send out for coffee by way of celebration, but decide to meet in the bar after work to celebrate properly. Then it’s back to work, which suits me just fine because that’s always where I’m at my most comfortable, anyway.