Chapter 10

I had also made a plan that I would just need to do that one job, 24k would be more than enough to set me back up on my feet, especially now I was working and had money coming in. At least that was the plan, Jake had been acting more and more odd lately, he even came into the filling room after I had finished my call something he has never done before.

‘Stephanie is this where you have been hiding, get back to your desk,’ he orders as he storms in and out of the filling room, making me leap out of my skin.

Ever since then I feel like he knows something, whenever I look up, I catch him looking at me or he averts his gaze as soon as I do. Did he hear the phone call with Carter? I feel even more on edge now feeling as if I’ve been found out before I have even done anything wrong.

He also hasn’t let me out of his sight, as soon as I returned to my desk he called me into his office, where I have been buried in paperwork ever since over his ever-watchful eye. I don’t think he has ever paid this much attention to me.

‘Where are you going?’ he demands as I try to leave the room to go to the bathroom.

‘I need to use the facilities,’ he arches a brow before nodding his head.

‘Hurry back,’ is his dismissal as I swiftly leave the room.

I was just washing my hands about the grab a paper towel to dry them when the door burst open again, Jakes broad

shoulders filling up the space as he looms over me.

‘Jake you can’t be in here,’ I stutter out, shocked that this is the 2nd time today he has entered the lady’s bathroom.

‘What did you say?’ he demands his eyes glinting with an emotion I can’t read, I hesitate before I respond not too sure what he has an issue with, he begins to tap his foot still filling the door.

‘I said you can’t be in here,’ I whisper as he arches a brow at

me.

‘Before that,’ his voice cold once more. I rack my brain trying to think, it suddenly occurs to me.

Jake … I’m sorry… Mr. Summers is what I meant to say sir,’ he takes an intake of breath before he looks at me, he moves the tiniest amount and gestures for me to leave, I look at him politely to make a little more room. I may be small but I’m going to be pressed up against him if I try to get by.

Sighing I head to the door trying to squeeze past, his

seductive masculine scent fills my noise, Go d why does he smell so good. My back is fully pressed up against his chest my a s s grazing his package which make my heart race, he’s not even hard and I can feel it against me.

Before I’m even halfway out the door he whispers in my ear.

‘Don’t let it happen again,’ his fingers brush my hair back tucking it behind me ear I nod and slid out from the door frame he’s encased me in.

As soon as his body is no longer pressed up against mine, I feel like I can breathe again.

Even in his suit I could feel his defined muscles through his clothes, and if his package is anything to go by, he has an impressive di ck, no wonder he is such an as s hole, he’s rich, powerful, s**y and packing. A blush coats my cheeks. Steph you don’t have time to think about this.

He storms off back to his office clenching his fists, back to his arrogant angry self it seems, why I can’t go to the bathroom for 5 minutes is ridiculous. He summons me back to the office oblivious that my a s s was not pressed up

against him 2 seconds ago. Should I speak to HR or someone about his odd behavior. What if he knows what I’m up to though, that will only make things worse for me.

I start rereading one of the witness statements, their story is so similar to mine …

(Flashback to the night of the accident)

‘You son of a bit ch, with my best friend do you have to be so cliché Connor!’ I yell at him as I give him another hard slap, he clutches his face feeling the burn.

‘It wasn’t on purpose, we hit a rough patch and one night we had been drinking and she kissed me, one thing led to another, and I can’t hide it anymore, the guilt is killing me,’ his voice breaks and that guilty sorrowful look on his face. stares at me.

‘It’s killing you, why didn’t you tell her no! rough patch or not. why did you do it!’ I throw a book at him from the bedside table, our room that we had once shared together. It was heavily raining with thunder and lighting flashing in the background, it helped fuel my anger.

‘I don’t know … I … I always found her s**y, and she basically threw herself at me … I’m only human … I loved you Steph I

I really did … it’s just’ he rushes out as he shields himself from me throwing more things at him, tears soak my skin.

‘Loved?’ ouch!’ I scream and he frowns dropping his arms by his side.

‘I’m sorry Steph so sorry, but I love Amber and I want to be with her …’ he looks up at me but all I see is the guilty look on his face, if I hadn’t seen the mark on her neck and found the texts from her to him, I may never have known. I feel so betrayed by the two people I cared about most. My blood rushes through my body and I’m so angry.

My phone rings cutting off Connor’s speech, I glare at him. refusing to answer it’s probably my so-called best friend and I don’t want to even see her name flash up on my phone or I think I might lose it. The phone cuts off only to start ringing again, then again and again.

‘Aren’t you going to answer it,’ he gestures to my phone as it rings on the bedside table his voice soft. I shake my head balling my fists.

‘This isn’t over!’ I yell pointing at him, he nods and sits on the bed waiting for me.

‘What! I don’t recognize the number but I’m still raging from our argument. I hear another voice, but it takes me a while to register what they are saying. My emotions are already heightened and now I struggle to breathe. I drop to the floor the phone falling out my hand as my world stops. Crushing pain rips through my chest and I clutch it tight screaming.

Connor comes over panicking reaching over to me, I swat his hands away I don’t need his pity comfort, I don’t want anything from him.

‘Don’t touch me,’ I scream as the tears flow down my face, my so bs come up jagged as I hyperventilate struggling to breath.

‘Miss bridges…’ I hear the voice from my phone in the distance. My whole body is shaking my whole world has come crashing down in the blink of an eye, I feel so alone I have no one to turn to, I look at Connors face, his worry clear as he looks at me, he sits opposite me but makes no move to touch me again.

‘Get out,’ I whisper my voice horse and I frown crosses his handsome face.

‘Steph, tell me what’s wrong?’ I can’t respond as another wave of tears wracks my body, his hand reaches for my phone, but I knock it out the way.

‘I SAID GET OUT!’ I scream at him, he looks conflicted before picking up his bag of stuff, he says something to me that I don’t hear and leaves the room, leaving me broken on the floor.

My mind was racing processing through what had happened both my parents were dead and my sister was in a critical condition. They suspected a drunk driver lost control of the wheel on the bend of a country lane as he was going to fast with all the rain pouring down. The doctor had said more but I couldn’t hear anything else. They had died, both my parents were now gone.

I don’t know how long I lay there for before I see Sabrina come through the door of my bedroom and she pulls me into her arms comforting me.

‘Steph what is it?’ her soft voice sooths me but I can’t speak.

(End of Flashback)

‘Stephanie!’ Jakes voice snaps me out of the memory, I’m gripping the statement so tightly it might rip, I feel tears on my cheeks, Jakes thumb wipes them away and it’s only now I realize that he is sat neck to me. His long muscular thigh is pressed up against mine his eyes filled with concern that makes me nervous.

I swallow fighting back the tears as he looks at me like I’m so fragile and needs to be handled with care. I can’t understand his look makes me want to just lean into his arms and cry, but I can’t do it, I can’t. He watches me closely as I try to pull myself together, I can see he wants to say something, but I stop him by sliding away from him. He scraps a hand down his face looking frustrated before my phone rings breaking the silence and tension that has formed between us.

‘Tell me what’s wrong,’ his voice is firm and calm, but I shake my head turning to glance at my phone. It’s still ringing, Mean down to grab it and his warm large hand comes down on my thigh stopping me from grabbing it, I look at him shocked as tingles rush through my body at his touch, he looks at me expectantly, but I can’t think what to say his thumb brushes up and down the inside of my thigh and I lose all thoughts solely focusing on his touch.

I can feel my core flutter and the need to press my legs. together consumes me. I need to get laid. I can’t be having this type of reaction from such a small thing. I shake my head.

‘It’s nothing… I just remembered something that’s all,’ I reason trying to slip my leg out from his grasp. He squeezes it tightly stopping me from moving and only sending that need to be touched by him more through my body.

‘Didn’t look like nothing,’ his voice and face are cold once again although his thumb dances up my bare thigh making it hard to concentrate.

‘It’s nothing I promise,’ my phone rings again this time he releases me leg allowing me to reach out to my phone, I can see I’ve had several missed calls both from Karen and the rehab center. Before I can answer the call from Karen Jake speaks once more.

‘No personal calls during work time,’ he states as he walks over back to his desk giving me a good view of his a s s. I put the phone back in my bag switching it to silent as I took a breath trying to focus on the now. Karen never rang me and whatever that was about was nothing good.