That's when I see her turn around to go out the back way. Is she actually afraid of me? Does she really think I'm a stalker? Was she serious about the background check? Oh, Jules. I'm not the one you need to fear.
I can't go through the building. That will really freak her out, but I think she's probably safe in there. There's plenty of security inside. My concern is out of this place, so I hightail it around the building, hoping I can beat her to the parking garage. I don't even know what kind of car she drives, but I do know what floor that exit comes out on, so I'll be waiting on her when she comes out there.
Now, I do sound like a fucking stalker. Dammit. That's criminal. This is brewing into a hell of a shit storm, and it just feels like I'm getting in deeper and deeper. Like I'm sinking in quick sand.
She comes through the door, and I hear wheels squealing. That's no fucking coincidence given what I heard in the bathroom. She reaches in her purse and grabs her key fob like she's going to put her finger over a panic button. She's glancing around nervously. Probably worried about me. If she only knew.
Once she's at the right position, and I have the chance, I slide behind her, covering her mouth before she has the chance to scream. I pull her back against my chest, dragging us behind a huge concrete column. She's no longer breathing. "Shh," I say. I don't want her to scream. But I do need her to breathe. And I need her to trust me. "Breathe, Jules, but quietly."
She doesn't move. She doesn't breathe. The engine of the car becomes but a distant roar until the only thing I can hear is the buzzing of the lights overhead and the steadiness of my breath bouncing off her olive skin.
I squeeze her tightly against me for just a minute longer than I probably need to for the hell of it to savor the way it feels to have her molded perfectly against me. I'm wondering if she can feel the effect she's having on me, if she understands how much constraint it's taking me to keep from turning her around and pushing her against this column. Does she know how fucking badly I want to press my lips to hers, to taste her, to throw all sense to the wind and explore every crevice of her body? It doesn't even matter that we'd be in the middle of the parking garage. That turns me on even more.
Something jabs into my stomach, then all my breath leaves me and as pain radiates to my dick. I almost lose control of her, but I grab her before she can get away. "I don't think so. Not so fast, agapemèni."
"Let go of me." She strains against my wrist, and it twists my stomach because I don't want to hurt her. I don't want her fighting me unless we're playing around.
"Shh … " I pull her against me, pinning her against the column. Not exactly the way I had imagined doing this. "I don't wanna hurt you. I'm not gonna hurt you." Her head turns like she's interested, but her eyes narrow. "You're going to call Charlie and tell him you can't make your date." Her mouth gapes open, but I use a finger to cover it, and damn if I don't want to stick it all the way inside her mouth and let her suck on it. From the way the hair rises on her skin, I'm wondering if she may be having the same thoughts as me, but it could also be that she's afraid I'm about to kill her. That makes me kind of chuckle. "You're going to tell the fucker you're meeting a new prospective client." I widen my eyes. "A huge fucking client." She glares at me. I guess she didn't like my pun. "And then you're going to come to dinner with me, and I'm going to explain some things to you."
She laughs rather haughtily. I smirk, rather amused. Does she forget I have her pinned against a concrete wall, completely at my mercy? I mean, kidnapping isn't really my thing, but apparently I'm turning into a criminal. I'm not above snatching her up and taking her back to my apartment and doing all kinds of wrong things to her. Gamó. Stop, Theo. "Go fuck yourself." She hisses.
"I already did that. Upstairs in the bathroom. While I was thinking about you." I look her up and down. "Picturing you wearing this little red dress."
Her eyes nearly bulge out of her head. She squirms beneath me, and I push into her harder. Never taking my eyes off hers, I reach into her purse. "Call Charlie. Now. And if you say anything to tip him off, you're going to regret it." Where the fuck did that come from? And that sounded so fucking creepy. She's never going to want to screw me now. But any chance I likely had probably ended when I grabbed her like a serial killer.
She nods. "Okay."
"I need you to trust me."
She bursts out laughing. "Probably not the best way to get girls to trust you. You know, being a creepy stalker, then grabbing them in the parking garage, then forcing them into doing things. Even if you are sexy as hell."
I shrug, not even attempting to hold back the grin I know is spreading all over my face. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. But let's just say I'm the least of your concerns."
"Please." She dials a number, then puts the phone up to her ear. "Hey. I'm not going to be able to make it tonight." She stares at me the entire time. "I know, I know. Charlie. Charlie." She rolls her eyes. "I can't help it." She waits another minute. The stupid fucker won't shut up and let her get a word in edgewise. I can hear him yelling, but can't make out what he's saying. "I can't help it. There's a huge fucking prospective client. I need to meet him right now." Her lips quirk up in a devious smile while her eyes become slits. Atta girl. I slide my tongue over my teeth. Shit. My cock is so hard. I want to fuck her against this wall. Get him off the phone. I mouth for her to hang up. "I have to go." But of course, he keeps going on, and on, and fucking on. Rolling my eyes, I shake my head. I want to take the phone from her hands and just hang up on him, but we can't have any red flags. No more than we already have. "Charlie. I've gotta go. I'm going to be late to meet this guy, and it's a potentially huge account." Damn straight it's huge. "And from the paperwork I've been pouring over tonight, we need it." That shuts him up. "Love you too."
Fucking gag me. I look away and grimace.
She hangs up. "Done. Do you think you can let go of me now?"
"You realize you could have kicked me in the balls again anytime during the time we've been standing here and gotten away if you really wanted to?"
She glances away. "You're a fucking asshole."
I smirk. "I don't want this to be a kidnapping. Would you like to drive your car? Would you like to voluntarily ride with me? How would you like to get to the restaurant?"
Sarcastic laughter bellows out of her. "Are you fucking serious?"
"Dead," I say, my face straight. "Don't even think about not showing up if you're going to drive.
She shakes her head. "You can drive."
"Ah. I was hoping you'd say that. I'll have far less anxiety if you're with me." Nodding to the direction of my car, I take a step back. "Let's get out of here."
He points to the elevator in the parking garage. "I'm a few floors up."
I narrow my eyes. "What were you doing here then?" Why did he go out the front door and not the back door? None of this makes sense.
His lips are full and pouty, and each time I see it, it affects me more and more. Heat radiates from my core throughout my entire body. He shrugs. "I don't know. I forgot where I parked. You distracted me."
"Ha!" I toss my head back. "I find that difficult to believe." He tucks his head down, but doesn't reply, which surprises me.
He's right, though. I could have kicked him again if I wanted to escape him, and I could run now if I wanted to. Although, I'm sure with his long legs, it'd only take him a few strides to catch up with me and have me in his arms. My whole body freaking betrays me and shudders. Okay, I'm intrigued. Obviously. I have been since the moment the elevator doors opened. There's something about him that is drawing me in, pulling me closer like a magnetic field as cliché as I admit that is.
There are at least a million red warning signs blaring in my brain that this is an awful idea, but all I see are glimmering amber eyes dancing in front of me, waiting for an answer. What kind of criminal, kidnapper, rapist, killer, or whatever the hell he is would give me a choice about transportation to dinner? There's something more here, and I have to find out what it is. And I can't ignore the fact it almost seemed like he may have saved my life. Of course, that would be contingent on me believing in melodramatic moments in parking garages where some crazy ass hit person tries to kill me in a hit and run and this guy just happens to jump out of nowhere to save the day.
No.
This shithead is playing fucking games. He has been since the moment he saw me, maybe even before. What the hell was the comment about fucking his hand? That was creepy as hell. Yet, it made me squirm. Charlie has never said anything like that to me. In fifteen minutes, Theo has made me feel like a sexy minx. But it wouldn't surprise me if he didn't stage the whole drive by thing to try to get me right where he wants me, to try to scare me into going with him.
He expected me to want me to drive my own car. That would be what any other girl would do. That's probably what I should have done, but something told me he's not going to hurt me. I want to know what he's up to, and how he knows Charlie. Why he seems to hate him so much. And if he is a huge fucking client as he says he is, we can't afford to lose him.