Eden's Pleasure (Pulse Book 1) (9 page)

“The party you are calling is unavailable at this time. Please leave a message,” the computer generated voice demanded.

“Miss Fox? Sorry I keep missing you today. It’s Jessica, calling on behalf of Mr. Dean. He will be unable to make the meeting tomorrow due to a family emergency. He apologizes and will reschedule when he can. Thank you and have a nice evening.”

Eden sat, throwing her head back against the cushioned headrest with relief. Her mind was playing an extremely nasty trick on her.
It couldn’t have been him. He’d never find me here.
She shook her head, flustered with herself for behaving like a fool.

Pushing the button on the machine to repeat the message from Jessica, she listened, wondering what kind of a family emergency it could be. She decided to get her mind on her work, distracting herself from the images in the farmer’s market and images of Chase that took over her mind far too often these days.

She worked into the wee hours before finally giving in to sheer exhaustion, easing into bed and pulling her blankets up around her neck. She laid awake, alert to every sound for most of the night, scared to close her eyes in fear of his evil face coming to her dreams, like so many times before.

***

It had been over three weeks since she had seen Chase, each scheduled meeting being put off without explanation. Time schedules and deadlines moved farther and farther into the distance, causing valuable time to be lost and costs to increase in his absence.

They say it takes twenty-eight days to sober up, and then your craving would be conquered. Yet after all this time, her cravings only increased and an insatiable thirst for all things Chase was taking over her every thought.

Hitting the intercom button, Eden asked her secretary, Amanda, to contact Jessica for her. She had been waiting a few minutes when a buzz alerted her that the call was waiting.

“Hi Jessica, this is Eden Fox. I need to talk to Chase, if possible. There are issues that need his immediate attention.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Fox, but with the passing of his father, I’m not sure when he will be returning calls,” she explained.

Eden’s heart sank as she took in Jessica’s words. “Chase’s father died? When?” Eden asked, sounding a bit more shocked than she had intended.

There was a short silence before Jessica spoke. “On the twenty second. I sent an email Miss Fox.”

Eden looked at the calendar. “Nearly a week ago? When are the services, Jessica?”

She scribbled down the information on a notepad and ended the call, thanking her before disconnecting and opening her laptop to power it up.

“Amanda, will you clear my calendar for tomorrow? I have a funeral to attend.” She released the intercom button and searched her computer for the email Jessica had sent out.

There it was. How had she not noticed it? She was so self-involved these days that she had totally skipped it over somehow. She felt terrible. Chase had lost his dad, and she hadn’t known a thing. Some friend she was. He’d hate her for this, for neglecting him when he needed friends the most.

From: Dean Construction Enterprises

To: Miss Eden Fox

CC: McLean & Associates

Subject: Mr. Andrew Dean

Miss Fox,

This email is to inform you of the passing of Mr. Andrew Dean September 22
^nd
, 2012.

Services to be held September 28
^th
, 2012 at 2pm.

Boston Funeral Home

1649 Briggs Street

Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

The family requests donations to a charity in lieu of flowers.

The Dean Family & Friends.

She printed off a map and directions, folded them, and placed them in her purse. Gathering her papers, placing them in her briefcase to work on tonight at home, she quickly left the office.

***

The funeral home was practically bulging at the seams when she arrived. Eden kept to the back of the room, watching the family as they shook hands, hugged, and shared tears with the assembly of friends, family, and business associates.

She assumed that the two gentlemen standing on either side of Chase were his brothers since the resemblance was uncanny. If they all had beards it would have been difficult to tell them apart, besides the height difference. Chase towered over them all. They all had curly, raven hair and beautiful bright green eyes. Rheanna moved towards her brothers and Chase wrapped his arms around her. Placing a kiss on the top of her head, it was sweet to see him attending to her like the prodigal big brother.

As the crowd took their seats, Chase looked over the congregation and his eyes met hers. She stared into his eyes, not a word needed to be said. He looked so sad. His eyes were glassy, and dark circles under them gave proof that he had not slept in a very long time. He looked away and sat with an older woman, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. His mother, no doubt. Her raven hair, mixed with a touch of grey throughout, gave away her identity.

After the service ended, Eden made her way through the crowd to the outside. She was glad that Chase had at least known that she was in attendance, that she had not let the passing of his father go by without her condolences, from a distance anyway.

“Eden, wait!” Chase called out as she walked across the parking lot.

She turned and Chase pulled her into him, holding her tight to his chest. She wrapped her arms around his waist and allowed their embrace to linger on. He slowly released his hold on her and stepped back.

“I’m sorry for the emotional outburst. I just wanted to let you know how much it meant to me to see you here today.” He buried his hands into his pockets and stared into her eyes. Even through his sadness, she could see a whisper of want deep in his eyes. The last time she saw him, she had rejected him, and she felt bad for leaving it like that.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Chase. I didn’t have a chance to meet your father. I wish I had.” She wanted to hold him again until he smiled and his sadness left him. Her heart ached for him.

“Thank you. He was a great man and I’ll miss him. You would have liked him. I know he would have liked you and your rock solid
business only
ethics.” She looked at him, surprised by the sting of his comment. Was she being such a tyrant? Or was Chase just acting out because of his loss?

“Will you be coming back to the house?” His eyes didn’t plead and he didn’t beg. If he really wanted her there, his voice spoke otherwise.

“I don’t know that I should. Isn’t it just family or close friends that get together? It wouldn’t be very appropriate.” She felt uncomfortable and stepped from foot to foot, trying to nicely excuse herself without hurting his feelings.

“You’re my
friend
Eden, and you should be there.” He presented her with a funeral program and turned it over in her hand, showing her the address and directions printed on the reverse.

“I’ll be there…I promise,” she said.

“Give me an hour to say my goodbyes and I’ll meet you there.” Chase walked away, leaving her standing alone, watching him without so much as a hand shake. He was acting strange, nothing like the demonstrative man she shared a night of passion with.

She parked a fair way from the townhouse and killed time listening to the radio, drinking a coffee she purchased at a nearby drive-thru. Eden strolled along, admiring the picturesque neighborhood. She had designed kitchens, baths, and bedrooms for some of the residents in Beacon Hill, but she did not have friends that could afford to live there. As she walked up to the front of the Beacon Street townhouse, she saw Chase sitting on the steps, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clasped together, staring at the ground.

She would have given anything to be able to walk up to him, run her hands through his hair, and hold him, but she knew they had to keep things professional. She was here as his friend, and a friend was all she could be.

“Chase?” she spoke softly.

“You came. I wasn’t sure you would.” He continued to stare at the brick interlocked sidewalk. He seemed detached, continuing to take pleasure in the few weeds that grew between the cracks at his feet.

“I told you I would. Can I sit?” she asked.

“No,” he said, shockingly abrupt. “Come with me.” He stood and took her hand roughly in his. He walked swiftly to the rear of the house and she had to jog to keep up with him.

“Slow down.”

“Shhh…keep quiet.”

The back garden was beautifully landscaped with surrounding flower beds and flowering shrubs, a spectacle of bright, lush colors. Amid the floral splendor stood a large, ornate wooden gazebo that Chase quickly pulled her into before she had time to take in all her surroundings.

He pushed her carelessly against one of the columns and took her face in his hands, tilting her head back. His dark eyes melted into hers. She closed her eyes slowly as he placed his lips over hers, caressing them softly and gently with his, his hot sweet breath smoothed over her mouth. Intensely gentle and caring, it lasted forever before he pulled his lips from hers and she opened hers eyes.

“Chase…” she started.

“Shut up…don’t say a word.” He spoke with a nasty severity. She stood still and silent at his mandate. His kiss was a deceptive lure, created to entice her, make her feel needy with desire.

Chase’s hand reached under her skirt’s hem, up into the elastic of her panties, and shifted them aside as two of his fingers gained entry into her dampened opening. Eden grasped hold of his arm to stop him, surrendering instead to the touch she knew too well. His powerful arm held against her weak, effortless tugs, as his thumb caressed over her clit, sending exciting spasms through her body. Eden’s moans increased in volume, triggering Chase to cover her mouth with his free hand, whispering a shhh into her face. He watched her eyes intently as she reached orgasm and pushed her further into the post to stop her from collapsing to the ground until she stilled.

He took his hand from her mouth. She opened her mouth to speak, but he put his index finger to her lips to stop her. Chase pulled his fingers free, deliciously licking each one clean as she watched him fixedly, reveling in his roguish pleasure. He tugged her panties back into place and smoothed her skirt back down. She was so taken aback by his slow sexual appetite, that she closed her mouth tight in spite of herself.

“Not a word,” he commanded, and then took her hand in his, silently making his way to the rear door of the house. He opened the door and reminded her in an angry, harsh tone, “Not a fucking word.”

Inside the back kitchen, he took a glass from a tray and handed it to her with an insignificant smile. They walked hand in hand from room to room as he greeted people, introducing her tenaciously as his ‘
friend
’. She politely nodded her head and smiled nervously, making small talk only when she needed to.

She noticed Rheanna in the long hallway, staring them down with a look of hostility as they headed to the elevator. She was truly a number one bitch, even in grief. The elevator closed and Chase pushed the top brass button without a word. His eyes stared ahead and the scowl on his face scared her.

When the door opened, the view took her breath away. The deck overlooked a public park, and there was a never ending lap pool in the center of it all. They were alone, and this prompted her to take action, but she didn’t know whether to speak or run. But she needed to know what was going on in his head and to find out what the hell he had been thinking in the gazebo.

“I think we need to talk Chase,” she insisted. “If your treatment toward me is meant to hurt…I don’t understand.”

The scowl only intensified as he spoke. “Am I treating you badly sweetheart?” he asked with evil, sarcastic amusement.

Tears stung her eyes, unsure of what she had done to cause such hate from him. “If you don’t want me here, I can leave.” She rotated toward the elevator.

“No, stay.” He turned to look away. “People have been telling me for days that I need my friends around me at such a
terrible time
. You keep telling me we’re nothing more than friends, so you should be here,
friend
.”

Fully understanding now that he was acting like an ass because of her need to keep a distance and maintain a working friendship, she came back and stood behind him. He could feel her, and she could feel his acknowledgment of her close proximity.

Chase shifted away and took a seat on the deck, then watched her as she paced back and forth before him. She was in a fine state, and he was the cause of her unease. He found great pleasure in unraveling her and being disgusting, having someone else feel his pain. He wondered for a moment what she would have done if he had taken it one step further and screwed her in the gazebo.

“I know you enjoyed yourself, baby. I certainly did. I can still taste your sweet cream on my tongue. I wanted to…no, I knew I had to do that from the moment I set my eyes on you today.”

“You’re trying to break me Chase,” she said, more as a notification than a question.

“And you’re fucking with me. Playing a dangerous game with what little heart I have left. It’s just sex, Eden. You enjoy it, I enjoy it. We could be enjoying great sex together if you’d stop thinking about it so much. I swear you enjoy watching me make an ass of myself around you. Admit it. Does it turn you on? Make you all wet and horny? Do you get yourself off while you think of me making a fucking fool of myself?”

Eden bit back the hot tears that were welling up in her eyes. His words burned deep into her soul this time. He was hurting and she was his only target. She had taken as much as she could take and wiped away the lone tear that escaped. He didn’t notice, and if he did, he was so unconcerned with her, that it hurt twice as much.

She was frustrated with his attitude, but didn’t care to push the issue further. He was grieving, which explained his bad behavior, nothing else made any sense; she would have to forgive him and force herself to move past this, and hope he would come around.