Chapter 3
“We havea meeting in the boardroom in twenty.”
I made a face at my phone. “Thanks.”
I knew there was a meeting, and I couldn’t get out of it this time. I’d been lucky enough to not be noticed the first few times these jokers had come in. Having to avoid the last two meetings altogether had been hard. I may be Rudy’s girlfriend, but I still had a job to do. I was his assistant first, after all.
If I could only be woman enough to tell him Byron was my ex-husband…
“Jesus, Loki, Hecate, anyone, give me strength.”
I grabbed the folders and made my way down the hall to the conference room. No one was inside, so I took a moment to grab a tray and pull water bottles from the mini fridge behind the desk where I sat. I was pushing it onto the table when I heard voices coming into the room. I hurried to stand and move back toward the desk. If I were out of their line of sight, maybe I could avoid them.
“Now that’s a view I could get used to.”
“Her ass is a little big for my liking.”
I rolled my eyes. Byron and his friends were dense on a good day, but this… They were those men who whistled and cat-called pretty women as they walked by on the street. They’d heckle anyone they thought was beneath them as well. Equal opportunity jerks. In the flesh, ladies and gents. They needed to have a brick smack them in the face every time they did it.
They were here today to try and convince Rudy that their newest business venture was a good idea. I wondered how this meeting would turn out. The last two ‘great ideas’ had been dropped like hot potatoes; I was sure this one would be too.
“Ella,” Rudy’s voice calmed my racing heart. “Could you check with May and see if she is on her way down?”
“Yes, sir, no problem.”
I lifted the desk phone and pressed her extension. “Hey, May, it’s Ella. Are you and Mr. Ferguson on the way down? The conference room is ready.”
“We will be there in five, maybe ten minutes; he’s still on a long distance call.”
“Thank you, I’ll let Rudy know.” I ended the call and looked up to find him in the room.
“Gisabell?” My stomach dropped at the sound of his voice. He pronounced my name as ‘Jizabell.’ It hadn’t been funny or appreciated the first million times he’d done it, and it wasn’t now.
I had to take a second to hold onto my composure. If he saw how upset he made me, it would set him off. I couldn’t. Not here. Not now.
Ignoring Byron, I met Rudy’s gaze and said, “May said Mr. Ferguson’s on a long distance call. It may be about ten minutes.”
“Gisabell, don’t ignore me.”
I’d much rather not have to deal with you at all, you pompous idiot!
I’d never hated someone in my life until Byron. I was pretty sure I’d love to hug a cactus more. One of those extra thorny ones with the fruit on them.
“My assistant’s name is Gisella, but you may call her Ms. Edwards.”
Good God, not that either!
“Oh, I called her that for two years. The worst years of my life. She’s as useless as chaps on a giraffe.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me, man.”
“How do you know?—”
“I’ll just go check on May.”
“Don’t run away, Gisabell. Why don’t you tell your boss who I am?”
Was he proud that he was an ex? He did know that wasn’t something to brag about, right?
“Ella?”
“He’s—”
“Her husband.”
“Ex! Ex-husband,” I ground out, my voice trembling. “Or as I like to say, the worst two years of my fucking life.”
I hadn’t realized Byron had moved so close to me until he was in my face.
“Is that so? Seems I was the miserable one.”
“You still are,” I seethed.
The sting of his hand hitting my cheek had tears pricking my eyes. I stumbled back, my ankle twisting as I went down on my butt. Hard. Before I could react further, Rudy was there, his hand going around Byron’s throat.
“Donne touch her. Ever.”
Rudy outweighed him by at least fifty pounds of sheer, toned muscle. Not to mention, he stood at 6’3” and Byron was, at most, 5’8”. He was lacking in other ways too, but that was neither here nor there.
“Ella, call security.”
I stayed there on the floor, in shock, palm pressed against my now burning, aching cheek. The metallic taste filling my mouth made me gag. I’d had so many busted lips in the time we were married. Every time it happened, of course it was my fault. I wasn’t good enough. I didn’t do things right. None of it was ever his fault.
“Ella, love, call security.”
“What’s going on here?”
“This sh—call security. He struck Ella. I want him out of here now.”
“Ella, sweetheart, are you okay?”
I got to my feet, my ankle screaming at me as I put pressure on it. At May’s warm touch against my arm, I dissolved into sobs. I’d done so much to avoid ever seeing this man again, and now, I was transported back to the times he’d come home and taken his frustrations out on me.
The last time being the final straw. I knew if I didn’t get out, he’d kill me.
“Why is it that everyone else can come home to a clean house, food on the table, and I get a boxed pizza, Gisella! Why do you do this to me?”
“I just got off work. I had to catch the last bus. I got us a hot meal.”
“You expect me to eat this? Where is the money I give you to get groceries? Did you spend it on yourself? You giving my hard-earned money to someone else?”
He grabbed my hair, slamming me back against the wall.
“Where is my hot, home-cooked meal, Gisella? Huh?”
“I just got off of work. What do you want from me? If I stay home, you say I’m lazy and useless. If I get a job, to help pay off your bills, you get mad that dinner?—”
He slammed my head into the wall so hard, my eyes went dark. Pain radiated through my head as his grip tightened around my throat.
“You’re useless. I should put you out on the street with the rest of the trash.”
That night he’d done just that, after he beat me so bad, I couldn’t think straight.
I crawled to the alleyway and got myself to my feet. From there I walked the fifteen blocks to my mom’s house. She found me hours later laying on the stairs leading to her front door. I was rushed to the hospital where I spent four days.
May’s embrace helped me pull myself out of that memory. That day, I became a new woman, one that was a lot smarter than the previous. I brushed the tears from my face, hissing at the pain in my left cheek. I wasn’t sure it was real or phantom, a memory I could never get rid of.
I heard Rudy and his father talking. Arguing, but I couldn’t focus past my own thoughts right now. May’s arms tugged me tighter against her chest, allowing me the time I needed to get myself back under control.
“It’s okay, sweetheart, I’ve got you. You’re okay.” Her kind words and gentle hug was doing what I needed. Calming, my heart started to slow its frantic pace.
We made our way to the chairs against the wall. I sat there, holding onto her hand as if it were a lifeline. In a way, it was. I needed to be grounded to the here and now.
Even with what had happened, I was safe here. I had people who would not let anyone do this to me again.
When May’s hand released mine, I pulled back. The room once again came into focus. It was chaotic. There was a security guard, Phil, two patrol officers, and a few others in the room. My mortification rose. Who else would know what happened here? Who would know that I had a jaded past?
Tears started rolling down my cheeks again.
“Ella, love.” Rudy pulled me into his strong arms. The warmth of his body, his gentle touch, made the tears fall harder. “It’s all right, love. I’m here.” He pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Do ye want to press charges?”
“Yes,” I hiccupped the single word out. It held all of the emotions I had to spare at the moment.
“Gis—”
“Don’t ye speak her name again!” Rudy was shaking with anger. I clutched his suit jacket tighter.
This would be over soon.
“She’s my useless wife. Don’t coddle her. She?—”
Rudy lunged for him; I stumbled, once again twisting my ankle, again. My shout of pain had him scooping me up into his arms. I once again dissolved into a mess of tears.
A few hours later, after talking to cops and a trip to the ER for my ankle, we were in my run-down apartment, waiting for Mom to get back from the store. She insisted that she was going to get me some comfort food for tonight. I didn’t want her to do anything special. I planned to go to bed and never leave it again.
Rudy wouldn’t leave until he knew she was back and able to help me if needed.
I had a tendon tear and—man, let me just tell you—I am ninety percent sure this hurts worse than the time I broke my foot.
Injury aside, I wasn’t sure how this was going to play out. I was sitting across from Rudy, Cameron, and May. I had my ankle propped up on the coffee table, looking anywhere but at them. The pain in my ankle, the throbbing in my cheek, it was all keeping me in place. I wanted nothing more than to run and hide. Like the coward I was.
“Can ye tell me about this man?” Cameron asked, his eyes meeting mine. I read nothing but concern in them.
Spilling my guts about my past hadn’t been in my cards this morning. It was something I knew I couldn’t hide forever, but I’d wanted to. To be a failure at anything, even if it was a dead end, crappy relationship—it hurt. Probably for all the wrong reasons, but I owed it to them and myself to get it all out on the table. The good, the bad, and everything in between.
“I wasn’t good enough, and he took every advantage, every little tiny morsel of good that I had and crushed it.” I wiped angrily at the tears rolling down my cheeks. “He wasn’t always this bad. He had a shitty personality, but that didn’t show up until—You know, I don’t even know. He had me wound so tight for so long, it just became normal.” I had to look away from them. The pity on May’s face…I just couldn’t.
“I believed him, you know. I really thought I was useless. A waste of space. He warped my mind to the point that I had started to believe everything. Then my mom came to visit. Her intervention caused us to lose time together. I was in denial…I didn’t want to believe her at first. I’ve spent the last two years working on myself, trying to undo everything that he’s done to me.”
“What a disgusting waste of human skin.” May made a face.
“Yeah. I know none of it’s my fault, yet?—”
“I get it. My first two husbands were awful. Finally, the third time was a charm.”
“And loaded,” Cameron said, chuckling.
“His money has nothing to do with it, and you know it. I swear, you’re asking for me to spike your cognac with something that puts you out of your misery.”
I couldn’t help it; I hid my face in my hands and laughed. It was the distraction I needed. I relaxed when Rudy’s arms came around me as he sat on the arm of the chair beside me.
“Ignore them,” he snickered.
“I do. I mean, it’s a daily threat now. If she meant it, he’d have been gone long ago.”
He leaned in and kissed me softly. “Exactly.” He ran his finger over my sore cheek. “No matter what’s in yer past, I want to know it. I don’t see ye any differently. Well, I now know just how strong and determined ye are. To survive as much as ye have—ye never have to worry about anything like that happening again.”
“I won’t allow anything like that to happen to me again. I’m worth more than that.”
“Can you say that again, a little louder?” May requested. “I’m not sure I heard you.”
I did. Much louder. So loud, it probably drew the neighbors’ attention.
Rudy leaned back down, and once again, his lips brushed mine. The kiss didn’t last as long as I wished it had, but it was just what I needed. He gave me another reason to take care of myself, to be the best me I could be. The ‘me’ that fell in love with him sometime between “grab your pad and pencil” and “can I buy you dinner?”
This man was going to be the best part of the new life I was making for myself.