Page 11 of Good Intentions, Vol. 3

Chapter Six

Heather

“I’m so sorry, Heather,” Sue yells behind the man standing at the open door to my office. The door he opened so forcefully, it banged against the wall. “He wouldn’t wait.”

I don’t take my eyes from the blue ones that are staring daggers at me and say, “It’s fine, Sue. Luke was just saying goodbye.”

I raise my eyebrow at Nick, daring him to say something. Anything that will expose him for what he is. A complete jerk. I woke up this morning to two emails from him, demanding to meet and talk things through and in the second one, he described the first time he saw me naked, reminding me of what we did and told me what he wished had happened. It’s not like I will ever be able to forget it, or how close I came to becoming just like my mother, but to write it in an email? The only thing that angers me more is my reaction to it. It was the most erotic thing I ever read in my entire life. Instead of being horrified, I was so turned on, I could hardly breathe. Seeing him write those words only made me want to run to him and demand to do what he fantasized about. The fact that things between Luke and I didn’t get any better, is not helping the situation. When Nick says nothing, just keeps standing there, breathing heavily, I glide my hand over Luke’s arm and go up on my toes. I know I’m playing with fire. I just can’t help myself. I want to rattle him. I want him to see he doesn’t control me. He can’t just suddenly show up and expect I'll fall down on my knees and wait for him to give me his attention. But most of all, I want to hurt him.

“See you in a few days, beautiful,” Luke whispers as he turns my head back to him and leans down to kiss me lightly. It’s a goodbye kiss and the sadness in it makes me forget Nick for just a second.

Last night he told me he had to leave for a week because his company got a job out of town. He works as a foreman for a construction company and he has to go up and see what they need and to set up the area. I could tell he felt relieved that we wouldn’t be together, wouldn’t bump into each other in the hallway of our building for the whole seven days and neither of us would be forced to act like everything is alright.

“See you, honey,” I whisper and I watch Luke flinch. I wish his kiss would bring even a little more than a spark for me. But just as last night, it goes nothing like the flame that Nick elicits in me simply by being near. “Have a safe trip.”

“Will do,” his thumb caresses my cheek while he looks at me as if he’s trying to store my image in his brain. “Talk when I get back?”

“Yes,” I say as he steps back, turns and looks at Nick.

Luke’s whole demeanor changes at one glance at him. His stance becomes threatening and the hard look he gives Nick is scary. I shiver in fear and want to go and hide in the corner. I look at Nick to see his reaction, scared that he would do something stupid, but he only glances at Luke with a bored expression on his face, before he looks back at me. At the look Nick gives me I shiver again but not from fear. No, this one has me wanting to strip naked and fall down at his feet to beg him to relieve the sweet pain he’s causing between my thighs. Seeing the look on Nick’s face, Luke starts to turn back but stops and after taking a big breath, he fists his hands and starts walking to the door. He doesn’t stop and wait for Nick to step away. Instead, he pushes past him, catching Nick with his shoulder and grunting. The last vision I have of Luke is one where he shakes his head, opens and closes his fists. His back muscles are visibly taut before he turns left and walks away. I should go after him, offer him some kind of explanation, but being in the presence of Nick has me not thinking clearly. I just stand in the spot he left me, looking at the last place I saw Luke.

“Who was he?” Nick asks. I almost forgot he’s here.

He casually almost fluidly closes the door in Sue’s stunned face. It seems that every time we’re together or talking, we’re near a door. I wonder if it’s the universe's way of telling us to make up our damned minds and decide. Are we going out and ending this game once and for all? Or are we staying in behind the firmly closed door and live with the consequences of our choices? I don’t give him the answer he wants. Nick or the universe.

Instead, I ask “What are you doing here?”

“Who was he?”

“It’s none of your business.” I say full of false bravado. I can’t believe him. How dare he come here and demand to know anything about my life? He had his chance and he lied to me. “What are you doing here?”

“I came because I need to tell you something,” he puts his hands in his pockets. This casual stance won’t fool me. He’s up to something. “But, let’s get this thing out of the way first, shall we? Answer my question, Heather, who is he?”

“My boyfriend.” I raise my chin and wait for his reaction. He only nods his head.

“You’re going to break up with him,” he says in an even tone.

“Oh, am I?”

“Yes,” he continues as if I didn’t say anything. “You’re going to leave him.”

Okay, I’ll play.

“And why would I do that?”

“Because you’re mine.”

“I’m yours?”

“Yes, you are.”

“You’re delusional.”

He doesn’t say anything to that, just tilts his head and looks at me for a moment. I can see his thoughts running through his mind, slowly changing the color of his eyes from ice blue to warm, until they heat.

“Did you get my emails?”

I raise my eyebrow at him, “You mean the ones where you demanded me to come at your call or the one where you described your fantasies?”