Violet Chain (6 page)

I did it again. I caved in to my lust for Chain. What was wrong with me?  Chain Alexander was a danger to me. He was like that piece of chocolate that you had a hard time resisting when you were dieting, that last piece of pie that you knew you shouldn’t eat because it went straight to your thighs.

This was turning into a very emotional and trying week. Thank God it was Friday, I needed the weekend to regain my strength and get my head back together. Between the breakup with Harrison and the hook-up, I mean hook-ups, with Chain I was mentally and physically done in.

On top of that we were deep into the campaign for Larsen’s Electronics and it was going to take two months to finish. My main objective today was to finish all of the reports my father had requested.

I was finishing up the last of the reports when the clearing of someone’s throat caught my attention. I tilted my eyes up and saw Harrison leaning against the front of my desk. I was really not in the mood for Harrison. What could he possibly want?

“What is it, Harrison?” I asked blandly.

“I was seeing if you might want to have a little dinner with me,” he responded tentatively. I had absolutely no interest in or intention of going anywhere with him.

“No,” I said flatly as I looked back down at my report.

“Violet, it’s not a date or anything, I just wanted to see if we could maybe spend a little time together as friends, that’s all.” He smiled coolly. Friends? Was this guy delusional? I had no problem being cordial to Harrison; it was the right thing to do, since we worked together. But I had no desire to maintain a relationship past that and I most definitely didn’t want to be his friend. Friendships and relationships to me required the same thing, trust, something Harrison was not capable of. I shook my head hard.

“Come on, Violet, I really want to try to work things out, you know, start as friends and see where it goes from there?” There was no working out anything. What was wrong with Harrison, what did he not understand about ‘I don’t want you!’ How much clearer did I have to be? I was really starting to grow tired of this man and his failure to acknowledge that our relationship was done.  He really needed to move on.

“Look, Harrison, I don’t mind working with you, I’m fine with that, but past that, I have no desire to be involved with you.”

“You don’t mean that, Violet,” he continued.

“Oh yes she does,” Vince said as he walked into the room. He pressed his finger against Harrison’s chest. “I’m going to tell you this just one time: leave my sister alone or you’re going to find yourself out on your ass…you understand?” Vince threatened. Harrison pushed Vince’s finger away.

“Violet is old enough to make her own decisions, Vince, so stay out of it,” Harrison retorted. Harrison might be a small man but he was not afraid of my brothers or anyone else.

Vince moved until he was nose to nose with Harrison and I knew if I didn’t do something soon, this was going to get ugly. I stood up and walked over to where they were, sliding in between them.

“Come on, guys, this isn’t the place,” I murmured to them. I turned to face Harrison. “Harrison, you need to leave me alone. If you don’t I will go to my father. Now if you don’t mind, I would like you to leave.” He grunted then turned and stormed out of the office.

“That guy just doesn’t get it, does he?” Vince asked me.

“Vince, he is right. I am old enough to make my own decisions, I don’t need my brother coming to my rescue all the time,” I told him. I loved my brother and I knew he was only being protective, but I was tired of him interfering in my life.

“I’m just looking out for you, that’s all, sis.”

“I appreciate it, but it’s not necessary, I really can take care of myself.”

“Sorry, I keep forgetting that my little sister is a grown woman,” he responded with a smile. I was touched by his words.

I grinned. “I still need you, you know that.”

“I know. And I need you too.”

A voice floated in from the hall, calling Vince.

“I got to go, that’s Jackie.” Jackie was his secretary and the way they acted towards each other sometimes made me strongly suspect she was also his part-time lover.

“Okay, I’ll see you later,” I responded. Vince nodded and then left. I sat back at my desk and continued looking over my report.

***

The work day ended and I was happy when I was able to lounge on my couch and watch old movies. I’d had my television for three years and I believed this was the first time I had ever really used it. Harrison didn’t like television, he believed that the stations sent hidden encrypted messages through their commercials, trying to hypnotize you into buying things they were selling. At the time, it made sense, but I realized now he was just paranoid. It was funny how much I was starting to realize about Harrison.

I was beginning to doze off when my cell ringing woke me.

“Hello,” I said groggily as I placed it to my ear.

“Violet, it’s Callie, what are you doing?”

“Lying around.”

“You want to hang out with us? We were going to get some dinner and maybe go to a club after or something.”

“Who is we?”

“Me, David and his friend Phillip.” It was apparent to me immediately that Callie was trying to set me up with one of David’s friends and to be honest if it was a man named Chain Alexander, I might have been up for it, but Phillip, I didn’t think so.

“Callie, I’m really tired.”

“Come on, Vi, it will be fun. We will be there in twenty.” I went to respond but heard a dial tone, indicating she had already hung up. I loved Callie, but she sure could be pushy and no was not an answer she comprehended. I was really in no mood to go out but I dragged myself off the couch and to the bathroom to get ready anyways.

I chose a simple blue tank-style mesh dress with matching flat sandals. I quickly ran a brush through my hair and touched up my makeup, and as I walked out to the living room, my doorbell rang.

I flung the door open and standing there were Callie, David and Phillip. Phillip was a good-looking man, about 5’11”, with a thin stature, dark hair and navy eyes. Callie introduced us quickly and with my purse in my hand we left.

We hit a local French restaurant/bar. Phillip politely slid out a chair for me and I sat down, then he sat next to me.

“So David tells me that you’re in the advertising business,” Phillip said as he broke off a piece of bread and began chewing with his mouth open. It was very disgusting seeing the wet bread flickering around on his tongue. I knew right away this man had no manners.

“Yes, I am. What do you do?” I honestly didn’t really care, I was just being polite.

“I am like you, I work for my family’s business,” Phillip answered.

“Bullshit, Phillip, you work on your sleep, that’s all you work on,” David blurted out. Phillip scowled at him and David seemed to cower down, then Phillip turned back to me with a big smile on his face. “Like I said, I work for my family’s business,” he continued as he broke off another piece of bread and popped it in his mouth. 

“Oh, that’s good,” I mumbled.

Trust fund child was the first thing that came to my mind. He had all the makings: manicured nails, groomed hair, pressed suit and a large gold ring on his finger. A college ring I believe, most men of privilege wore them. It made me even more uninterested in this man than before. Trust fund children were lazy and unmotivated, they had no ambition to accomplish anything because they didn’t have to—they had their parents’ money!

I could have easily been a trust fund child; my father was very wealthy and had the means to support me without me working a day of my life. But my father wanted me to have a sense of accomplishment, to strive towards success and I was happy he had guided me towards that path, because no matter what happened in my life, I knew I could always take care of myself.

After a few drinks, Callie and David abandoned me as they made their way to the dance floor, leaving me alone with Phillip. He was not interested in dancing, so we sat and talked. His hand slid down my thigh as he told me about his last girlfriend. I immediately brushed it away.

“She was a prude, you know, she never wanted to have sex, all she wanted to do was lie around and watch TV!” Phillip said, exasperated. What was wrong with watching television?

“Maybe you should have taken her out more often?” I suggested.

“Nah, she wasn’t the club type,” he answered.

“I wasn’t talking about the club; I was talking about dinner and maybe a movie. There are a lot more things to do than go to clubs, Phillip,” I countered. He ignored my words and scooted his chair closer.

“You are sexy, you know that,” he said as his hand brushed across my side.

“Please don’t touch me,” I said to him. But he ignored my plea and brushed the back of his hand against my arm.

“Why don’t you and I get out of here and go back to my place?” he asked, wriggling his eyebrows. Ugh! I wanted to vomit right on the spot. The last thing I wanted to do was be alone with him!

“I don’t think so,” I retorted. He leaned his hand across my chair.

“You don’t have casual sex, do you?” he asked me. What kind of question was that?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I really didn’t.

“You know, just two people having sex, no strings attached.” Oh that! Yep, guilty!

“I don’t have sex with men I don’t know. I don’t know if that is what you’re asking.” I was lying through my teeth. I had sex with Chain only hours after meeting him, but then again he was cute and well hung and this guy wasn’t. Did that just sound as superficial and slutty as I thought it did? Of course it did, but I didn’t care, I didn’t regret being with Chain. Now Phillip on the other hand didn’t have a chance in hell of being with me.

“You know I would rock your world!” he exclaimed. Who said a thing like that? This man was really starting to yank at every single nerve I had in my body and not in a good way.

“I’m sure you would, but really I’m not interested.”

“You’re missing a great opportunity! I don’t normally sleep around with women I don’t know, but for you I would make an exception,” he continued. I found that hard to believe. Phillip came off as a desperate man who would sleep with any woman who was willing. Unfortunately, this was not his night, because he would have a better chance at hitting on the bar stool and getting laid than with me. I stood up.

“I’m hot, I’m going out to get some air,” I told him. Before he could answer I walked away.

I leaned against the building and exhaled. What a night.

“Violet,” Phillip said as he sauntered over to me. Did this man not understand the reason I walked outside was to get away from him? He placed his hand over my head, trapping me.

“You are very beautiful and you have the sexiest body I have ever seen,” he mumbled. Ugh! Coming from his lips it sounded like a curse. I turned my face away from him.

“I think we should go back in, Callie will be worried,” I told him. He shook his head and leaned his body against mine.

“Stop, Phillip,” I cried out. But he wasn’t listening to one word. He slid his hand to the hem of my dress, bunching it up to my waist, and he began to rub my behind.

“Your skin is so amazing.” I tried to wiggle out of his hold but he used his body to keep me in place. I attempted to lift my knee, but he must have sensed what I was going to do, because he blocked it. Either that or he did this to women more often than he should and was just quick about reacting. He pressed his legs on each side of mine, stilling them as he raised my arms in the air, securing my wrists to the building with one hand.

I screamed out loud and his hand cupped my mouth immediately.

“Don’t scream!” he sneered. His lips claimed mine and his hand slid inside of my panties. I was helpless to stop him. My wrists were bound by his hand, my legs were secured by his legs and my body was trapped against his. His hand cupped me hard and I was terrified. The only thought in my mind was he was going to rape me, take me against my will. Tears began to flood my eyes and just as I had given up all hope of getting away from him, I felt his body being ripped from mine.He grabbed onto my panties at the last minute, shredding them from my body.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” David asked Phillip as he pushed him backwards.

Callie rushed up to me and wrapped her arms around me tightly. “Are you okay?” I nodded.

Phillip smirked. “She wanted it.” David scowled before clenching his fist and punching Phillip in the face, knocking him to the ground.

David hovered above Phillip. “You useless piece of shit,” David said as he spat on him, then, leaving him on the ground, he walked over to us.

He placed his hands on my shoulders and I could see a mixture of anxiety and humiliation in his eyes. “Shit, Violet, I didn’t know that Phillip would do something like that. If I had known, I would never have left him alone with you, I’m so sorry.”

I smiled at David. “It’s not your fault, David.”

It was as if my words brought some relief to him. He draped his arm around me.  “Let’s get out of here.” I nodded and we left.