His Secret Desire (10 page)

He untied the blindfold and we laid there on the bed. I ran my hands through his hair and breathed in the scent of him. He smelled wonderful. Breathing him in, sleep enveloped me and I welcomed its embrace.

Chapter Nine

I woke up in Alex’s bed. He was gone. I looked over to the clock and panicked when I saw the time. I was already two hours late! I began to get up frantically when I saw a note on the bedside table with my name on it. I read the letter and relaxed.

Samantha,

Take the day off. You’ve done an excellent job, much better than even I could have done. Enjoy the day and use it relax.

-Alex

I got out of bed, still naked from the previous night and walked into the bathroom. I showered with Alex’s amazing shower and felt refreshed. I dressed and moved quietly down into the kitchen. There was fresh coffee in the pot and I helped myself, drinking two full cups and feeling energized. I grabbed a few pieces of fruit and a muffin from a basket on the counter and let myself out.

Downstairs in the garage, I didn’t see a limousine. Rather than call Alex for one or try to hail a cab, I decided to use the subway. I walked out of the garage and from there I was in much larger, more public garage. I walked out onto the street and it was a bright, warm day. The sun felt great against my skin. I felt alive.

I checked my cell phone. Emily had called me a dozen or so times. I figured it was time to call her back. She deserved to be caught up on everything that had happened. I thought for a moment and came to the conclusion that if not for her, I wouldn’t even be where I was right now. If not for Emily, I would not be Alexander Strauss’s personal assistant. I would treat her to the fanciest lunch she’s ever had on my new salary and then take her out for a glorious spa date. I would pamper the hell out of that girl. I had so much money now that I could spread a little of it over to my best friend. She deserved it.

I walked in a daze. I was still amazed by the newness of everything. I was making a ton of money. I was having amazing sex with the most attractive guy I had ever seen. I was important now, making international deals. Life couldn’t be any better.

I thought of hailing and cab and decided to stick to my original idea of taking the subway. I liked the subway. It was always filled with people and I liked the experience, even though I was now wealthy enough to take cabs or limousines anywhere I wanted to go in the city. But it would feel good to sit on the subway car and reflect on my thoughts as just another anonymous commuter.

I swiped my card and walked onto the subway platform. My train was coming soon and I was actually excited to get back to my place. I knew I wasn’t going to stay there much longer, not on my salary, but getting back to my place would reinforce that this whole experience had been real and I was not just delusional.

Then I noticed the man following me.

It looked like he had been reading a book, but his hood was pulled over his head. It was impossible to tell what age he was or what race he even was. Everything around him was dark. It was as though he was a shadow. A pang of fear struck my heart. He glanced over my way every minute or so. I looked at him carefully out of the corner of my eye and thought I saw a camera.

I looked harder. It was definitely a camera. This man was taking pictures of me while pretending to read a book. The train arrived and I walked down to the last car to get away from him. He followed me. I got on the train and was relieved to see it filled with several other passengers. It gave me a sense of safety for the moment. He got on and sat the furthest away from me he could. I looked over to him and noticed him looking at me directly.

I was panicking now. I had to get away from this man. It was my stop. I wasn’t going to get off just yet though. I was trying to think quickly. In one stop the train would connect to another train. Maybe I could lose him if I moved quickly. Luckily, I was wearing shoes I could run in.

The doors opened and I fled. I sprinted down the subway terminal and when I looked over my shoulder, the man was running after me. Now I was filled with terror. He was running after me! Dread filled me as I thought of what he would do if he caught me. I had become aware of him following me. What if he had to cover his tracks now? I fought back tears and ran, acid filling my veins and my muscles cramping.

I saw the connecting train. Its doors were closing. I wasn’t going to make it. Dismay wracked me and I almost gave up running. Everyone had boarded the train and now there was just me and the man who was running after me for god knows what purpose. I did not want to find out, so I kept running.

I reached the train doors just as they closed and I beat my hands against the glass, crying out loudly. Then they popped open! Someone must have pried them open trying to get in further down the train-car. I squeezed myself in and the doors closed quickly behind me. I turned to face the man running and me and I saw him slam against the glass. He tried to pry the doors open but the train was already moving. I couldn’t see his face but I hear him loudly swear as the train left him behind.

I stared out the window at him and saw him turn and run. Oh no! I thought. He must be trying to meet me at the next station! It was possible he would make it too if he ran. It was only two avenues away and the train wasn’t moving very fast. I was breathing so fast that I thought I might pass out.

Keep your cool. You can get off the train and run.

An eternity passed before we reached the next stop. I pushed out of the car and ran again. I jumped through the exit and climbed the stairs three at a time. When I reached the street, I looked around frantically, but I didn’t see him. Then a figure was running through a crowd.

“No, no, no!” I yelled.

I turned and ran, hoping that he hadn’t seen me. I reached the street and a cab nearly ran me over. I jumped in the back seat and it was empty. The cab driver was yelling at me but I didn’t even hear him.

“Fucking drive!” I screamed, throwing a hundred dollar bill on the front seat.

The cab peeled out and I lay down in the back, hiding myself from view. After a few minutes I sat up and looked around. No one was following us anymore. I struggled against tears as I steadied my breath. The danger that Alex had told me about had just chased me through the subway. I felt stupid for trying to take public transportation. But I hadn’t expected anything like this. And I thought quietly to myself, just what had I expected?

And just what exactly had I gotten myself into?

Chapter Ten

I fumbled for my keys by my building’s front door. It was though I could feel every set of eyes on me as I tried to flee into safety. I had completely lost track of time, yet I was sure it was at least a half hour since I had fled in the taxicab. I burst into my building and ran up to my floor without even bothering to wait for the elevator or check my mailbox. My legs burned when I reached my door and every breath was a laborious task where there was not even oxygen in the air to refill my empty lungs.

Calm down, I told myself. When I was running away, I had been positive the man was set on hurting me in some way. Why else would he have chased me? You were in public, it’d be foolish to attack you there. Yet through that thought I could recognize that I had already accepted the fact that I was a target, despite my doubts about being attacked in public. Sitting down on my couch, my heart began pounding again. I was scared.

I held my phone in my hands for what seemed like days before I punched in Alex’s number. It rang twice before he picked up.

“Samantha, hello,” Alex said. The sound of his voice immediately soothed me and I could feel my heartbeat return to normal. It was so good to hear that voice, calm and level.

“Alex, I was chased through the subway,” I said. I waited a moment before continuing, letting the gravity of it set in. “He had a camera. I’m scared Alex.”

“Lock your doors, now. I’m sending a car over to get you immediately. Until they get there, do not let anyone in or answer the door.”

I got up and checked the deadbolt. I had forgotten to lock it in my panicked state. I fastened it and sat back down on the couch, my hands shaking.

“Now, tell me every detail. Please.” His voice was assertive, yet I could hear a warmth in it that made me want to tell him every single detail of my entire life, not just the subway chase.

“I left your place, and I didn’t see the limousine or the car around. And while I was walking I decided to take the subway instead of a taxi. I know, it was stupid, especially since you know that I can afford to take any kind of transportation I’d like. But I actually kind of like the subway sometimes, and so I took it to get back to my place. That was when I noticed a man watching me.” I paused, the horror of the previous events coming back to me raised my heartbeat again and I could feel panic rising in my chest.

“At first, I didn’t really think anything of it. But then I tried to walk away from him and he followed me when I boarded the subway train. He sat in the car and I saw him looking right at me! I waited past my stop and I ran off the train when it reached a station I could connect on another train with. Alex, he ran after me. I thought he was going to have to kill me if he caught me, you know, to cover his tracks.”

“It must have been very scary for you Samantha. I’m sorry this happened, but I must know, what happened next?”

“When I got to the subway car, the doors closed on me. Luckily someone must have jammed themselves in between one of them because they reopened and I flung myself in. When I turned around the man had tried to pry the doors open but it was too late. When I got to the next station I ran out and jumped in a taxi as quickly as I could, but not before I saw him running through a crowd, looking for me. I got home after changing taxis two more times and taking really weird ways, just to make sure I wasn’t followed.”

“That was smart Samantha. I understand why you took the subway, but do you understand now how dangerous things are?” asked Alex.

I was well-aware how dangerous things had turned now. I had never been chased before. I was scared, but I felt something else too. Something that made me feel energized, invigorated. It was like I had drank two dozen cups of strong coffee and I was ready to run a marathon. I felt alive.

“Your apartment isn’t safe. You won’t be staying there anymore Samantha,” Alex said. “I’ll arrange for a new apartment for you.”

“No,” I answered flatly.

“Why?” asked Alex, his voice sounding puzzled.

“I won’t be scared out of my apartment like this. I’m going to leave on my own terms. I appreciate your offer Alex, and I may ask you to help me with a new apartment at some point, but it will be me who asks you. I don’t want to be forced out of my life by anyone. You understand, right?”

Alex paused for a minute. It felt like hours as I worried that I had offended him.

“Yes, I understand perfectly. I respect your position and I won’t push you to leave your apartment. But I am assigning you a car with a driver that I can trust with your protection. Please don’t refuse it Samantha, it really is for your safety. Even a taxi is too dangerous now and I don’t even trust a limousine service. I want my own people on this.”

I thought about this for a moment. A driver that Alex trusted sounded perfect to me. I was in no hurry to be put in any more danger and a car to drive me around put me at ease. Invigorated or not at the excitement and peril of the earlier situation, I valued my safety over any amount of excitement.

“Of course Alex, thank you.”

“The driver should be there any minute to get you, he’ll knock four times and say ‘You’re expected promptly at the office, Miss Dubois,’ that way you’ll know it’s safe. I’ll see you soon Samantha.”

We hung up. I drank a tall glass of water and waited.

When I heard four knocks I nearly jumped out of my shoes. Then I heard the phrase Alex had told me and I eased up, opening the door to a large man in a suit with a goatee and a bald head. He shook my hand and introduced himself as Mr. Booth.

Chapter Eleven

We pulled into Alex’s private garage and Mr. Booth opened the door for me. I boarded the private elevator and swiped my keycard and waited. The elevator glided up noiselessly and I could hardly stand still at my excitement over seeing Alex again after feeling so scared and alone earlier. It felt as though I had come through a terrible trial to get here today, even though I had only been gone for a few hours at best.

The elevator doors opened. I walked into Alexander Strauss’s enormous apartment and looked around for any signs of Alex. Music began playing from his bedroom and I listened without moving. It was a classical piece that I couldn’t identify, but it sounded sweet, yet strangely sad. I walked up the stairs towards the bedroom and Alex stood there, his back to the stairs.

I moved toward him, about to open my mouth to speak when he turned around and I saw his eyes, full of life. They burned into mine and I tried to remember just how blue they had been before. His eyes radiated blue in a way that I had never seen any color do before and any words that had been on the tip of my tongue fell into the ether, gone from my thoughts.

Alex grabbed me by the arms and pulled me towards him forcefully. His mouth pounced onto mine and his tongue worked into my mouth furiously. It greedily slid around my tongue and his breath warmed my skin. Every exhale of his was deep and long, as though he had been holding his breath since the moment he heard I was in trouble. I felt dizzy and realized that I actually had been holding my breath. I pushed away from his lips for an agonizing second and gasped for air before plunging back into his embrace.

He pushed his hips against me. I could feel his cock push against my stomach, hard as stone. It teased me as I sucked on his tongue, working up and down on it with my mouth. I let his tongue go, softly licking the edges of his lips, still breathing heavily. His hands worked in and out of my hair, pulling softly before his grip fastened on my hair, forming a ponytail that he used to pull my head back. Alex’s tongue shot out and he ran it down the edge of my chin to just above my collarbone, stopping to breathe in my skin.