His Possession(27)

“And you got rid of her.”

The woman tied up began screaming as her release rolled over her. In his eye, Cadeon saw Violet withering in pleasure. Would she let him tie her up?

Her hands would look so beautiful trapped above her head as he kissed her body. Clearing his throat, he turned away from the scene. Picturing his woman in any pose was threatening his mind. Being around her, touching her, was driving him to distraction. No time was ever enough with her. He hated sleeping because it took time away from the woman he loved.

“I’ve known Violet for a year, and my heart feels like it will burst every time I stare at her,” he said to Stephen. “The other night you had doubts about the possessive feeling a man can get with his woman.”

“What about it?”

“I feel it. Every time another man looks at her, I want to cut his eyes out. She walks past me, and I want to hold her in my arms and never let go. Violet Moore is twenty-one years old. She’s got her whole life ahead of her, and all I want is to give her the world. She smiles at me, not often but enough, and I feel alive.”

Stephen stared at him, silent.

“Possession is there, inside you. You’ve just got to wait for the right woman before it threatens to break loose.”

“Where are you going?” Stephen asked as Cadeon stood up.

“I’ve got a woman at home. Watching them together is fun, but I’d rather be with her.”

He shook his friend’s hand before leaving the club. Driving home, Cadeon thought about Violet. Watching her work in front of his desk had become the highlight of his life. He knew people at work were talking, and it would only be a matter of time until he had to pull her away.

For all of her timid responses so far, he knew she would put up a fight. Sometimes he saw the fire inside her, which she squashed. He wanted her to fight him, not agree to everything.

Pulling up outside his house, he noted no lights were visible from the front. The moment he entered, he smelled the baking.

Anne wouldn’t be home. The scent of cupcakes sent him right back to his childhood. His mother had loved to bake. Going to the kitchen, he found Violet bent over the oven, pulling out a tray of dark mounded cakes.

She hadn’t seen him. Her tongue touched her top lip as she concentrated on placing the hot buns on the cool rack. Flour covered a cheek. Her hair escaped the odd ponytail. Her hands were covered with cake mix. The kitchen looked like a bomb had blown up inside the room. With his hands folded, Cadeon observed her. She looked happy.

“I take it you’ve been busy,” he said as he took a seat at the counter opposite her.

“Cadeon? Hi.” She pulled away from the cupcakes as if she was doing something wrong.

“Don’t worry. They smell like the ones my mom used to make,” he said, picking one up and tearing the case off underneath.

“I found a recipe for them in here.” She picked up the book. He took a bite. The rich chocolate melted in his mouth. Glancing at the book, he knew it was his mother’s recipe. “That’s my mother’s recipe book. She loved going into the kitchen to bake. There should be some of her all time favourite recipes.” He took the book from her and flicked through. “This one, macaroni cheese, took her months to get right. I remember when she brought out the pot. It smelled good. My dad gave me a hopeful look. We’d tried so many bad versions of that dish. She got it right. The pasta tasted great, and the cheese was the right amount.” He thought about the way his mother looked when his dad tasted the food. She always looked so happy when she got it right.

“Tell me more,” Violet asked, moving to sit beside him.

Flicking through the pages, he told her about some of the recipes.

“The cupcakes were a treat for me on my birthday. She forgot to order a cake and decided to make it herself, but she didn’t follow the instructions properly. The cake pretty much exploded in the oven. When it looked like I wasn’t getting a cake, I watched her working, and these came out. The best cupcakes I’ve ever tasted.” Cadeon took a bite recalling his birthday so long ago.

“Your mother sounded nice.”

“She was amazing. My dad loved her.”

“What happened to them?”

“A car accident.”

She nodded her head. “I know it’s not much, but I’ve experienced loss, too. I mean, my mum died.”

Cadeon stared at her. “How did she die?”

Silent for a moment, she shook her head. “I’m not ready to tell you that.”

He nodded his head. She’d told him something, and that was a move in the right direction. “This dish, leek and potato soup. She burnt it and tried to cover it up by putting golden croutons on top. It tasted awful that first time. She never burnt it again.”