Elijah: The Boss's Gift (3 page)

“What the hell am I doing?” he asked, staring at her
picture.

He expected a phone call from his security detail that
Cherry had run off. Ten minutes passed and still nothing.

“Dad?”
Mindy asked, knocking on the door.

“Yes.”

The door opened, and she peeked around the corner.
“Can I show Cherry to a room? She says she’s staying here.”

“Sure.”

“Dad?”

“Yeah.”
He rubbed at his temples, looking toward her.

“I like her. She’d be great for you.”

“Mindy, don’t start.”

“What? I’m just saying. She’s really pretty.”

“Go, show her to her room.” He waved his hand out for
Mindy to leave.

“Love you, Dad.”

“Love you, too, honey.”

His door closed and he heard Mindy talking. He should
just let the girl go, but if Marcel wanted, he’d find her. Picking up his
phone, he dialed Caleb
Cassell
, one of the few men he
actually trusted with his life.

“Hello,” Caleb asked. “This better be good.”

“I need some information on a woman.”

“Fuck, Elijah, it’s Friday night.”

“So?”

“I’m with my woman and you want to talk business.
Couldn’t it wait until tomorrow?” He heard Caleb moving away from the sound of
Donna laughing.

“No, it couldn’t wait.”

“Fine, I’m in my office. What couldn’t wait?”

“I need information on a woman. She goes by the name
Cherry Morgan. I don’t think it’s a fake name. It was on all of the identification
with her.”

“Okay, you want a thorough detail on her?”

“Yes, everything you can get your hands on, I want it
all.”

Caleb was silent, and he imagined his friend was
writing everything down. Elijah rubbed at his eyes.

“Anything else?”

“No, that’s it.”

“Do I want to know why you want to know?” Caleb asked.

“Let’s just say she was a gift.” He liked working with
Caleb and Henry. Both men were known as being the Deadly Duet, two fierce men
that rivaled his own reputation. They were good friends and did a lot of
business together.

“Wow, you’re taking living gifts now.”

“I didn’t have much of a choice.”

“She’s staying with you?”

“Again, not much
of a choice.”
Elijah stared at Bethan’s picture. She smiled back at
him, pressing both hands to her swollen stomach.

“Seeing as you called, Donna’s pregnant again. You’re
invited to dinner Sunday. Henry’s coming and bringing Lydia. She’s pregnant
also. You can bring Mindy and your new friend.”

He didn’t think he’d be bringing Cherry anywhere.

“I’ll be there. I’ve got to go.”

“Wow, rude, you call me up and now you’re trying to
get rid of me,” Caleb said.

“Since you’ve gotten married and settled down, you’ve
become way too fucking happy.”

Caleb laughed. “You’re just jealous. There’s nothing
like waking up every morning to the woman you love.”

Rolling his eyes, Elijah snorted. “I’ve got to go.”

“You’re the one who invaded my time, not the other way
around.”

They said their goodbyes and hung up.

Staring at Bethan, Elijah ran a finger over his lip.
“What do I do, Bethan?”

His life hadn’t killed her. An undiagnosed medical
condition killed his wife. She’d been the love of his life, his soul.

“I don’t know what to do.”

Reaching out, he took hold of her photo. He didn’t get
any answers, but staring at her calmed the beast inside him. The need to hurt
someone was strong, but he ignored it. Whenever he thought about the unfairness
of Bethan’s life, he wanted to hurt someone. She should be here talking to his
daughter about her menstrual cycle, boys, warning her against sex. He’d hired a
doctor to talk with Mindy about her periods.

“I’m fucking this up.”

Running a hand down his face, he put her picture away.
He couldn’t hide away in his office for too long. There was so much work that
needed to be done. Fridays were not his night. They belonged to his daughter,
and he left his office, going straight to the movie room. When he couldn’t find
Mindy, he walked up to her room only to find it empty.

Going past each room, he opened the door. He went to
the end of the hall to the bedroom next to his. The door was open, and when he
looked inside he saw Mindy drying Cherry’s hair. She wore a bathrobe, and most
of her hair was damp.

Leaning against the doorframe he watched them for a
couple of seconds. His gaze riveted to Cherry. The bathrobe she wore gaped at
the front showing off a great deal of her cleavage. His cock responded to the
sight, and he wanted to run his finger along the curve of her breast.

Would her body be as soft as he imagined?

The urge to send Mindy away, bend Cherry over the bed,
and fuck her hard was strong. He’d never been interested in younger women.
Cherry wasn’t innocent, and he’d seen the understanding in her eyes. She hadn’t
lived an easy life. Shit had happened to her making her a survivor. What had
she survived? Who was she? What was she doing with her life? Why wasn’t she
finding any means of escaping? He wanted answers to all of his questions. Most
of all, he wanted his body to stop craving her. He’d known her a couple of
hours, and he shouldn’t be this easily taken by her.

****

“Your hair is so beautiful,” Mindy said.

Cherry smiled. Her hair was a pain in the ass. When
she was growing up the men her mom brought home would try to get her to do
things to them. They loved running their fingers through the blonde tresses.
She didn’t like them touching her, but her mother made her. One day when her
mother was getting high she found a pair of scissors and chopped it all off.
Once her mother came down from her high, Cherry got the beating of a lifetime.
There were some sick men out there.

Mindy hadn’t been through any of that crap. She still
held the beauty of the world within her eyes. It was refreshing being around
her, calming almost. For tiny moments Cherry could forget that she was here
because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“I love the color. I wish my hair could be this color.
I’m dull, mousy brown.”

“Your hair is beautiful and glossy. You never need to
change yourself for anyone, Mindy.” She smiled at the girl in the mirror.

They were interrupted by Elijah clearing his throat.

“Hey, Dad,” Mindy said.

“I’m ready for movie night.”

“Damn. I’m doing Cherry’s hair.”

“I don’t mind,” Cherry said.

“Do you want to watch a movie? You can sit between my
legs, and I’ll finish off your hair. You can do mine after,” Mindy said.

The younger girl was hopeful. Her gaze twinkled as she
stared back.

“If it’s okay
with your father.”
Cherry glanced at Elijah in the mirror. His gaze was
on her chest in the mirror. Looking down, she saw the robe had opened up,
showing off a great deal of her breasts.

Closing the robe, she kept her gaze on his.

“You can come down.”

Heat filled her pussy at his stare. What the hell was
wrong with her? He was older than she was, and there’s no way she should want
anything from him.

He threatened to kill me.

Mindy squealed.

Getting to her feet, she watched Mindy grab the hair
stuff and head out of the room. Elijah hadn’t moved, and she ended up standing close
to him.

“Oh, Dad, we need to get Cherry some clothes. She
doesn’t have anything here.”

“I’ll deal with it.”

Neither of them moved. She stared right back at him as
Elijah did the same. Something happened between them. The air seemed charged as
they looked at one another. Her nipples tightened, and her pussy grew slick
with cream. She gasped at the arousal spreading through her body. This was the
first time she’d ever experienced anything like this. The other men had forced
her, and she’d never felt any desire for anyone.

He’s old.

Elijah
was
older than she was, but he was handsome. His dark hair was flecked with hints
of grey showing his maturity and age. There were wrinkles around his eyes, and
she saw he did at least laugh a little, even if he hadn’t with her.

“You don’t have to be afraid around me.”

She smiled. “You’ve threatened to kill me.”

“I’ll only kill you if you force my hand.” He reached
out, cupping her cheek. She didn’t flinch. His hands were warm where he held
her. They were nice, and all thought of arguing or panicking left her. What
would it be like to have his hands on other parts of her body? “Don’t make me
kill you.”

“I won’t.”

He withdrew his touch, stepping away. Had she been the
only one affected by him? Following him out of the room, she cursed her body
for reacting to him. She shouldn’t be reacting to him. He was a killer. She’d
not seen him kill but knew he must be deadly to have been with the men who held
her.

Elijah took a seat on the sofa, and Cherry sat between
Mindy’s legs. The large screen lit up as the movie started to play.

“I pick the movie. It’s my deal.” Mindy continued to
play with her hair while the movie played. Every now and then, Cherry was sure
Elijah was staring at her. She didn’t dare look his way.

The first hour of the movie was spent with Mindy
fixing up her hair. By the time she finished, her hair was curled and bumped
up, styled around her face. Her hair was long.

They changed places, and Cherry allowed herself a
glance in his direction. He was staring at her. She didn’t know when but he’d
removed his jacket and tie. The top three buttons were open on his shirt,
revealing an expanse of his chest. Forcing her gaze away from him, she focused
on Mindy.

Cherry removed the clip that held the girl’s brown
tresses. Her hands were shaking as she started to work. It took her several
attempts to get her body under some kind of control. Every time she looked
Elijah’s way, he was staring back at her.

Mindy was oblivious to them. Cherry was careful as she
worked with the younger girl’s hair. She brushed out the length, seeing she had
hair that fell to her shoulders. Blowing out a breath, she forgot about Elijah
watching her, and focused on playing with Mindy’s hair. The girl before her
seemed to be desperate for female company. She had a wonderful life, lived in a
luxurious house, and yet she was missing something.

Cherry didn’t know what she’d do if she ever got to
live in such a beautiful house.

You’re living in one now.

This wasn’t by choice. She wasn’t a welcomed guest,
unless she counted Mindy’s welcoming gestures.

When the credits rolled, Cherry finished the last curl
of Mindy’s hair.

She watched the girl look into the mirror, squealing
at the style. “I love it. I love it.” She wrapped her arms around Cherry.

“This is so awesome. Tomorrow I think we need to shop.
Dad, can I take Cherry shopping?”

“I’ll think about it,” Elijah said.

“Okay, I’ll beg tomorrow. I’m going to head to bed. It
was great to meet you, Cherry. I know we’re going to be really good friends.”
Mindy gave her another hug then took the hair stuff with her.

Within seconds they were alone and Cherry was aware of
her almost naked state. She wasn’t wearing any clothes underneath the robe.
Mindy had offered to lend her a night shirt, but one look at the girl let
Cherry know there was no way she’d fit. Her curves were designed for a size
sixteen, not anything less.

“You’re good with Mindy,” he said.

“She’s charming.” She stood and made to walk toward
the door. Elijah stopped her from going when he reached out to grab her hand.
The electric struck her hard from his grasp. His touch sent yearning coursing
through her. Licking her dry lips, she stared down into his darker eyes.

“I want to make a deal with you.”

“What kind of deal?”

“Until further notice you become Mindy’s friend.”

“You don’t need to make a deal with me to be her
friend. She’s a great kid.”

“I don’t want to be worrying about threatening you.
You’ll stay here until further notice. When I know it’s going to be safe, you
go without any worries.”

Cherry frowned. “You’re making a deal with me and then
I’m free to go?”

“Yes. Mindy doesn’t have a mother, and I don’t allow
her to bring friends here. It’s hard for her, and I didn’t realize how much
until I saw her with you. Be her friend, be what she needs, and when all of it
is over, I’ll let you go. I’ll pay you weekly.”