Take Me: Part 3 (Power Play #3)
Read Take Me: Part 3 (Power Play #3) Online
Authors: Kelly Harper
Take Me
Part 3
A
Power Play
Novella
by
Kelly Harper
TAKE ME: PART 3 copyright 2014 by Kelly Harper
TAKE ME: PART 3 is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental. All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite online retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Table of Contents
The world is closing in around me. It’s like everything has come to a standstill and I’m the only one left moving. I stare at Isaac, a cold feeling stretching into my fingertips. His mouth is moving, but the sounds coming out don’t make any sense. It’s like we’re underwater—the world is muffled and distorted.
“Why do you have pictures of me?” I ask, speaking over his sounds.
He’s still holding the beer he grabbed from the kitchen only moments earlier. He sets it on a shelf as he takes a step toward me, holding his hands up.
“Hannah, this is not what it looks like.”
I take a step back, keeping distance between us. My head is buzzing, making it nearly impossible for me to understand him.
“
Why the fuck do you have pictures of me from before we met?
”
He takes another step closer and I step back, again. I can’t be near him right now. I need distance. I need answers.
“Hannah, I promise I can explain.”
“Then why aren’t you explaining?”
He takes another step forward, reaching out to me, but I deflect his hands away. Isaac jerks back, giving me a wide-eyed look.
“Hannah, please, calm down.”
“I am calm.”
My voice is low, like a whispered threat. Isaac holds his hands up a bit higher when he hears my tone. I fix him with a hard stare, my mind racing with a million questions. But of those millions, there’s only one that I’m able to grasp and hold onto.
“There’s just one thing I want you to tell me,” I begin. His eyes look pained before he nods his agreement. “Did you know who I was before you met me?”
The creases at the corners of his eyes intensify. There’s a drawn out pause before he says anything.
“Hannah, you have to understand… I didn’t intend for any of this to happen.”
The anger is building inside of me.
“Didn’t intend for any of
what
to happen?” The silent threat is now gone. I’m practically yelling at him. “You didn’t intend to use me? To get me in bed and manipulate me?”
“No, of course not!”
“So you admit you knew exactly who I was when we met that night?”
I’m breathing hard, seeing nothing but red. The look on Isaac’s face is even more pained than it had been before. I don’t know why. He’s the one doing this to me. Why should he be the one that’s hurting?
“Bollocks, woman, it’s not the way it looks.”
I shake my head. Unbelievable.
“You’re a real piece of work.”
I need to get out of here. I need to get as far away as possible from Isaac Drake.
Throwing the pictures back onto the desk, I turn to push past Isaac and out of the room. His strong hand wraps around my arm, spinning me back to face him. I twist out of it, quickly.
“Don’t touch me!”
Isaac snaps both hands away again. He gives me a pleading look.
“Hannah, you can’t leave. Not like this. We need to talk about this.”
“There’s nothing we need to talk about ever again,” I say. “I can’t believe you’ve been lying to me this whole time. You’re disgusting.”
“I wanted to tell you, but there was never a good time.”
I shake my head.
“I knew this was a bad idea from the beginning. I should have stayed away from you as soon as I found out who you were.”
“Hannah, wait!”
He calls out to me as I run out to the living room and grab my clutch and heels. I don’t even bother putting them on before running out of the hotel suite. The last thing I hear is Isaac calling after me to stop. But I’m not going to stop. Not for him. Not ever again.
I’m done.
The next day I’m curled up on the couch, wearing my favorite gray sweat pants. The only thing I’ve done all day is flip through channels on the TV and eat half a tub of ice cream, and any other sweets I’m able to find stashed around the apartment. I’d never before realized how much of a sweet tooth my roommate has, and just how secretive she is about it. There are little stashes of sweets hidden away all throughout the place.
Isaac has been texting and calling all day, but I’ve been ignoring him. I’m not even bothering to read the text messages anymore—I just delete them. I don’t want to know what he has to say. I’ve already given him enough of myself, he doesn’t need anymore. I’d rather just sit here upset and pissed off at the world.
It isn’t until the late afternoon that Tawny gets back home. She’s practically dancing and singing when she comes through the door, still wearing the same dress she’d worn to the club the night before. She fixes me with a glowing smile as she twists herself into the living room.
“Well, hello there, roommate.” Her eyes seem to glow even more intensely as she bounces onto the couch next to me. “Ask me how my night went…”
I can’t help but smile at the obvious excitement in her voice.
“Considering you just did the Walk of Shame, I’m guessing you had a pretty good time.”
She rolls her eyes and waves a hand.
“Oh, please. Shame and I broke up a long time ago.”
I let out a little laugh.
“Sounds like you had a
really
good time, then.”
She flops back onto the couch, her eyes staring up at the ceiling while a goofy grin spreads across her face.
“Calvin is so…” She lets out a sigh as her voice trails off.
I stare at her for a long time, waiting for her to finish the thought. But she never does.
“He must really be something to make you go speechless like that.”
This seems to elicit a satisfied sigh and more dreamy looks. When her attention finally returns to the real world, she gives me a pained look.
“I’m sorry I ditched out on you, last night. He just kind of whisked me away…”
I wave a hand, dismissively.
“Don’t even worry about it. I kind of had my own stuff come up, anyways.”
Tawny bounces up on her knees, spinning around to give me an excited look.
“Did someone whisk you away, too?”
She’s giving me an eager look, as though she honestly thinks that I had any intention of hooking up with someone at the bar.
I grimace, shaking my head.
“Unfortunately, nothing nearly that exciting,” I groan.
“Uh oh. Something happened. Tell me everything.” Her voice is serious.
“Is it that obvious?”
“Come on, I know you better than that.” She gives me a look. “Now, spill…”
I let out a sigh, resigned to the fact that she won’t give up until I answer her, then I tell her everything. I start with how Declan showed up at the club and then took me to one of the private rooms so we could talk. And then I tell her about how I ran off to Isaac’s place, and how I discovered that he’d been lying to me the whole time I’ve known him. By the time I’m done telling her how I rushed out of his hotel room, her jaw is practically on the floor.
“That sonofabitch!”
I nod my agreement.
“So he knew all about you the whole time?
“Apparently.”
She lets out a sigh, shaking her head.
“And you found out all of this after Declan had already told you that your company was having problems?”
Another ripple of anxiety rolls through me at this reminder. I’ve been doing a good job of not thinking about it so far. It’s just another problem on top of everything else. No, not just another problem. It should be the big one, the
real
one. But for some reason it just doesn’t seem as important as everything going on with Isaac.
“I don’t even want to think about it.”
Tawny gives me a soft, comforting look as she squeezes my shoulder, gently. Her touch is a simple thing, but it’s comforting all the same. It’s funny how sometimes the smallest things can make us feel better. But there’s still a lingering sting from learning about Isaac’s betrayal.
Tawny sits with me for a little while before she finally has to get ready for her shift at the hospital. I still can’t bring myself to do anything but sit on the couch and flip through bad television. I have no motivation for anything else. Trying anything else means that I might start thinking about Isaac. And that’s the
last
thing I want to do.
Tawny turns to me before heading out the door, giving me one more look.
“You’re sure you’re going to be okay, right?”
I give her a quick nod.
“I’ll be fine. Really.”
I know I’m lying as soon as the words leave my mouth.
“Okay. Well, call me if you need anything.” She gives me another sweet smile as she disappears out the front door.
My head sinks back onto the couch as soon as I hear the door click shut. What am I doing with my life? Why did I have to be so distrusting of Declan? It’s obvious that he was only looking out for my best interests, just like he’d always done. Declan has been there to watch over me ever since I first met him. He didn’t deserve all of the distrust I’d shown him in the last week. If I’d only listened to his warnings about how dangerous the city could be then I might not have gotten into this mess in the first place.
Tawny isn’t gone for more than a minute before three loud knocks rattle the door. I sit up, startled, staring at the door as if I may have imagined the noise or something. Another burst of three knocks comes again, moments later. Tawny must have forgotten her purse and locked herself out or something. It sounds like she’s in a hurry.
As I crack the door open, I say, “Forget your keys or some…”
My voice dies in my throat when I see who’s standing in the doorway.
“Isaac. What are you doing here?”
Isaac’s wearing his black, leather jacket and his white riding helmet is tucked under his arm. His brown hair is tousled in just that right way—it drives me crazy even though I want nothing to do with him. There’s something different about his face, though. It’s tight, with lines of concern creasing the corners of his bright, gray eyes. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days even though it’s only been one night since I last saw him.
“What are you doing here?” I repeat, straightening myself under the weight of his weary stare.
His look hardens a little as he sizes me up. His stare is so intense I wonder if he’s trying to look straight through me. I hold myself firm, refusing to show any signs of weakness. How in the world did Tawny not see him in the hallway? Did he wait for her to leave before he came to the door?
“
Well
?” I repeat.
“May I come in?” His voice sounds just as weary as he looks.
For an instant, I almost open the door for him. It’s a subconscious reaction, but I’m quick to get it in check.
“Whatever you have to say can be said right there.”
“Come on, kitten. Can’t we talk like adults?”
My eyes flash.
“Do
not
call me that. I am
not
your
kitten
.”
His brow pinches a little lower as I glare at him. But that’s the only reaction he displays. His breathing is still soft and even. What in the world does it take to rattle this man? Doesn’t he know how pissed off I am? Why won’t he show some damned emotions?
“Fine, no kitten talk. But can we at least be civilized?”
“
Civilized
? Lying to my face…is that what you consider
civilized
?”
I’m practically shouting at him.
“Bloody hell woman, there’s no need to shout, I’m standing right in front of you.”
He gives a quick glance up and down the hall, as though concerned one of my neighbors will overhear me causing a scene.
“
Now
you’re worried that someone might notice us? Convenient how that didn’t occur to you when you decided to have your way with me out there a week ago, isn’t it?”
I shouldn’t have brought it up. My body lurches on the inside at the thought of what we did out in that hallway. It was still one of the craziest, hottest things I’ve ever done, and my body has been craving more of the same ever since.
