The Proposal (Forever Bound Book 2) (6 page)

Ana squealed with glee.  “Awesome!”

Charity giggled.  They left the apartment and went down to the office.  Once inside, they told the woman the good news.  She eagerly started gathering papers for them to sign and Charity reached into her wallet and pulled out her credit card.  It was maxing the card out, but she had no other option.  They paid, signed the papers, and were informed they could immediately start moving in.  It didn’t come a moment too soon as Charity had to be out of her place in just a few days. 

They left the apartment complex and headed back to Charity’s car.  On the way, Charity spotted the black van.  It wasn’t the first time she’d seen the van that afternoon.  In fact, it showed up a couple times since they left Ana’s parents’ place to apartment hunt.  The windows were tinted so she couldn’t see if anyone was inside and she tried to push the notion out of her mind as she got in on the driver’s side. 

Ana seemed to notice her jittery attitude because she quickly questioned it.  “What’s wrong, Charity?”

Charity shook her head, quickly diverting the obvious.  “Nothing!”  She put on a smile.  “I can’t believe we lucked out in this place.”  She pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the parent’s house.  “We’ll start moving tomorrow if that works for you?” Charity replied calmly, despite seeing the van in her rearview mirror.  It kept a distance from her, but it was clearly there.

“Works for me,” Ana replied, yawning.  “I’m beat,” Ana mumbled in the seat next to her.

Charity nodded in agreement, but still saw the van behind her.  She sped up a little, hoping not to alarm Ana.  She kept her eyes on her rearview mirror while continuing to maneuver through the streets until Ana’s voice broke into her thoughts. 

“You’re going a little fast, aren’t you?”

Charity glanced at Ana, then slowed down a tad.  “Sorry,” she mumbled.

Ana laughed.  “No need to apologize, but I don’t think either one of us wants to add a speeding ticket to our total bill.”

Charity smirked.  “Right!”  She looked in the rearview mirror and noticed the van was gone.  She sighed with relief, glad she got him off her tail.  She continued to their destination, turning down several roads until they reached the house.  She pulled into the driveway, and Ana invited her in.  She quickly denied the request and said she wanted to get back to her place and start packing some boxes.  Ana waved goodbye and headed to the front door.  Charity watched her enter the house, before starting to back out of the driveway.  Her cell phone dinged with a text, and she looked at it before getting on the road.

Damian:  Hey, Babe…I’m home, horny, and dying to have my way with you.  Free?

Instead of turning right out of the driveway, she turned left.  Even thought she wanted to start packing, she wanted a much-needed stress reliever.  While at a stoplight, she typed in her reply. 

Charity:  I’m on my way.

She headed towards Damian’s house and didn’t worry anymore about the black van and who was once following her.  She needed to be back in Damian’s arm and forget about the other worries in her life.  When she got to Damian’s place, he first asked her if she wanted him to fix her something for supper.  She laughed it off and told him that wasn’t what she was hungry for.  She threw herself into his arms, and he carried her to his bed. 

As she laid there naked and he pulled away from her to get a condom, she cringed.  She didn’t want him to stop and yet he had to so he could put on a condom.  It was all because of her stupidity and not wanting to get on birth control.  The minute she quit her job, she would no longer have that insurance that just went into effect, so she knew what she had to do.  She had to make an appointment at the emergency clinic the next day and get on birth control, or else she would change her mind.  Damian started kissing her, breaking off her thoughts and thrusting his cock into her.  She growled against his lips and started rocking her hips hard against his.  That was exactly what she wanted to do.

Damian didn’t want Charity to leave that night, as he begged her to stay, but Charity chose to go back to her place and spend the night.  She didn’t have much time to get out of the apartment, and she needed to start packing up.  Then when she woke up on Saturday morning and called the after-hours clinic.  She asked them if they would be able to see her to prescribe birth control pills and they agreed.

That’s why she was in the office to get the prescription.  When she left the parking lot, with the prescription in hand, she felt relief.  However, she was also scared of the notion.  She went to the nearest pharmacy and got the prescription filled.  She dropped it down in her purse and left, feeling a sense of excitement well up inside of her.  Then immediately the excitement would be replaced with an overwhelming sense of dread.  She couldn’t figure it out.  She looked in her rearview mirror to make sure she could back out when she spotted the van. 

“Is it the same one?” she mumbled to herself.  She slowly backed up and pulled out of the parking lot.  To her dismay, the van followed.  “Well the hell?” she hollered into the vehicle.  Being by herself, she picked up speed and weaved her way through the town, cutting corners so fast that it would make a person’s head spin. 

When she turned down Damian’s driveway, she was set to not pull into his driveway until she was certain the van was gone.  She looked in her mirror and saw that only a white Camaro followed her.  She slowed down and breathed a sigh of relief.  She pulled into his driveway, put her car in park, and shut it off.  She grabbed her purse and got out of the car.  She hurried up to the door and found it was unlocked.  She opened it up, then peeked out the window when she had shut the door.

The van wasn’t there.  “Hey, Babe…everything alright?”

She jumped when she heard Damian’s voice.  She turned to look at him and was surely showing a face of someone that was caught.  “Um…everything’s perfect.”  She walked over to him and gave him a kiss.

He smiled, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to him.  His tongue slid across hers, and she moaned softly.  “What do you want to do today on my day off?” he asked, gently caressing her lips with his thumb while staring into her eyes.

She smiled back.  She wanted to jump back in bed, but the reality was she needed to spend every waking moment packing.  “Actually, I thought we should spend some time packing today.”

She laughed, pulling back from his embrace.  He frowned.  “Packing?  For what?”

She hadn’t gotten around to telling him that she was moving, but she didn’t think it was really any life-shattering news.  “I’m moving in with Ana.  We got a place together.  Didn’t I tell you?”

He shook his head.  “No.” He opened his mouth like he wanted to argue with her and tell her she shouldn’t keep things from him, then realized that she had no reason to tell him.  They weren’t in a committed relationship, so he closed his mouth.  “That’s good news.” He then furrowed his eyebrows.  “Isn’t Ana the one that just recently moved in with her boyfriend?”

She nodded, again realizing there was so much he didn’t know about her life.  “Things didn’t work out like she hoped,” she quietly stated, shrugging nonchalantly.  “So…does that mean you’ll help pack?”

He laughed.  “Somehow I have a hard time believing I really have a choice.”

“There’s always a choice.  I can’t force you to do anything you don’t want to.  You’re not my boyfriend or anything.”

He smiled, almost gleaming.  “So, if I was your boyfriend then you could
force
me to do it?”

She shrugged.  “I wouldn’t go that far, but let’s just say this…” she moved in closer to him and brushed a soft kiss against the corner of his mouth.  “I’d be forever grateful if you helped me pack and move.”  Her lips went to his, and she pushed her tongue through.  He groaned, bringing his hands down to her ass and squeezing hard. 

“You drive a hard bargain,” he moaned against her lips.

“That’s not the only hard thing,” she teased. She reached her hand down and cupped Damian’s crotch.  He groaned, and she snickered.  “We’ll be back before you know it.”  She dropped her hand and turned away from him, despite his obvious plea for her to change her mind.  He slowly followed her, and they made their way out of his house and to both of their cars.  She didn’t have a lot to transport, but anything they could get done would make things that much easier.  Then they could make it back to his place and continue finding ways to please one another.

***

Calvin called Derek on Saturday afternoon after he finished his lunch.  When he saw his number, he quickly answered the call.  “This is Derek.”

“Hey, Derek, it’s Cal.  So, I don’t know how to tell you this, but I’ve lost her.”  He hesitated, before continuing, “not once, but twice,” he confessed.

Derek let out a slow breath.  “Alright.  Tell me what you do know.”

“Well, yesterday I followed her from her apartment to Ana’s parents’ place.  Then they went to several apartment complexes.”  That made sense, especially since he knew she was running out of time to find a new place to stay.  He wondered if maybe Ana and Charity were teaming up together in the search…perhaps even moving in together.  Calvin continued.  “About halfway through their adventure, I got the impression Charity suspected they were being followed.”

“Why do you say that?” Derek asked.

“Well, a couple of times I spotted her staring at my van.  I don’t think she could see in, because of the tinted windows, but then at one point she sped ahead and even though I dodged up and down streets and thought I was keeping up…I lost her.  I went to Ana’s place and waited around, but as it started getting dark, I realized she wasn’t coming back there and most likely had already dropped Ana off.  So, I went back to her apartment, and her vehicle was there.  I spent the night in the parking lot and woke up early the next morning.  I followed her to a doctor’s office this morning.”

“A doctor’s office?” Derek quickly interjected.  “What was she doing at a doctor’s office?”

Calvin chuckled on the other end.  “Well, I don’t know.  Even if I had gone inside, I wouldn’t have been able to find out.  They don’t provide that information to everyone you know.”

“I know,” Derek quietly replied.  “Then what?” he asked.

“Well, I waited until she came out of the doctor’s office.  I followed her to the pharmacy and again waited.  However, when she came out of the pharmacy I got the impression that she realized she was being followed again, and we started another high-speed chase through town.  I couldn’t keep up, and I didn’t want her or myself to get a ticket…so I slowed down and let her out of sight.  I went to Ana’s parents’ and her apartment complex, but haven’t seen her since.”

“Well, she’s safe, and that’s what matters,” Derek quietly replied.  Although he wished, he knew why she had to go to the doctor’s office.  “If you wouldn’t mind following her the next couple days, I would appreciate it. Then, let me know Monday if you discovered anything else.”

“Not a problem,” Calvin replied. 

They said their goodbyes and Derek hung up.  He wanted to believe Ana would continue to try to convince Charity that he wasn’t the bad guy, but there was no guarantee with what she did or didn’t say about him.  He would allow Calvin to do his job and then take over if he needed to.  He wasn’t going to give up without a fighting chance to win her back, and he’d find a way.

***

Charity was able to finish packing and moving all her things to the new apartment by the end of the weekend.  Ana had left most of her things at Jesse’s place, so originally she only had to move some clothes and a few pieces of furniture she kept.  Charity tried to convince her to go pick her things back up, but Ana wouldn’t budge.  She denied that she wanted anything that was at his place.

When they finished bringing in the last of Charity’s things and sat it down in the living room, Charity turned to Damian.  “Thank you so much for helping me move this weekend.”

He grinned, moving closer to her.  “Baby, you know I’d do anything for you as long as you’re willing to pay up.  He moved in for a kiss, but it was interrupted before their lips even touched.  Ana walked through the door, carrying her own pile.

“This is awesome!” she replied.

Charity laughed, seeing the irritated look on Damian’s face.  She turned to Ana.  “What’s awesome?”

“This floor is filled with male college students.  I bet I walked past seven of them coming up here.”

Charity frowned at her, before laughing.  When she looked back at Damian’s expression, she nearly choked.  He was shooting a look at her that was filled with jealousy and anger.  She looked away from him and caught Ana’s expression.  “You don’t know they live in this apartment.  Maybe there’s a party going on.”

She shrugged.  “All the better.  Maybe we’ll get invited.”  She wiggled her eyebrows and Charity couldn’t believe how easy the conversation was flowing out of Ana, when a man, whom she only met a day earlier, was staring at her. 

Charity had to break the awkwardness so she turned back to Damian.  Ana had carried her load into her bedroom, giving her room to talk to him.  “I probably should start unpacking.”

He scrunched up his nose.  “I thought perhaps we could christen your bedroom.”  He wiggled his eyes and she playfully slapped.

“As much as I would like that,” she whispered.  “Ana would question things, and I’m not willing to go there…not yet.”

He nodded in his knowing way.  “Then I guess we’ll see each other later.”

“Guess so,” she stated.  She quickly kissed Damian, before he left her apartment.  When he was gone, she heard Ana behind her.

“So…who is he again?”

Charity turned around and saw Ana staring at her.  Charity closed the door, before replying.  “No one.  He’s just a friend.”

Ana smirked.  “A friend?  So when did you meet this friend?  Where did you meet this friend?”

Charity shrugged.  “I met him around.  Why does it matter?”

Ana smiled.  “He seemed more than a friend.  Is it a friend with benefits?”

Charity opened her mouth to deny it but then stopped herself.  “Why does it matter?  He gives me things I need, and I help him out, too.”

Ana nodded, knowingly.  “So, it is.  He’s hot and any guy that would be willing to spend his weekend moving is a keeper.”  Ana turned around and carried another box into her bedroom. 

Charity glanced at the closed door and then put that thought from her mind.  Damian and her were nothing but friends that were satisfying a need they both had.  That was it, and she didn’t need Ana to try to convince her otherwise.  She grabbed a box and carried it to her own room.  She unloaded it, and when she got back to the living room, Ana was already there. 

“What do you say we order some pizza?” Ana replied.

“Works for me!”  Charity answered back.  Ana dialed up the pizza place that was stored in her phone and placed an order, which would be delivered.  When she hung up the call, Charity continued the conversation but left out Damian.  “What about you, Ana?”

Ana frowned.  “What do you mean?”

“You were talking about those college boys on this floor.  Are you over, Jesse, or are you using that as a tactic so people don’t think you care?”

Anger shone in Ana’s eyes.  “How dare you think that I would use someone for my own gain.”

Charity sighed.  “I’m not saying that.  I’m simply asking if you’re truly over, Jesse?  You seemed all eager about the guys, and it seemed like maybe there was something you were hiding.”

“You don’t just get over some guy you once loved.  Are you over, Joe?” Ana asked, tossing Charity’s fiancé back in her face.

“Those are two different things.  The love you shared with Jesse was a hell of a lot stronger than the love I shared for Joe.”

Ana laughed.  “You were going to marry Joe.”

Charity nodded, laughing lightly.  “Precisely.  I was about to marry a guy that I barely knew.  You were attached to Jesse, and that just doesn’t evaporate.  So, you still love him, right?”

“Of course!” Ana replied softly.  Her eyes dipped down to the floor, and she didn’t look up until she asked her own hard question.  “You care about Derek, don’t you?”

Charity fidgeted uneasily in the living room.  “It would never work out between us,” Charity stated.

Ana nodded.  “That’s the same with Jesse and myself.  We would never work out if the relationship started out with lies.”  She grabbed a suitcase and carried it into her bedroom. 

That was exactly how she felt about Derek, and only Ana would understand that.  They were very similar in that aspect.  Yet, something deep down told her that she was to blame for Ana’s negative response about Jesse; she just wasn’t ready to fully give in to that question.

****

Monday morning, Derek decided that he needed to do his best to put Charity behind him, at least for a minute, and go back to his busy day at work.  At the Monday morning meeting, he ignored the empty seat where Charity would normally sit.  He discussed how the plans were in full swing to start the project, and they would be breaking ground in the next couple days.  There was a lot of eager chatter, but no one had any questions to add to the discussion.