Chapter Five
Jennifer sighed as they stopped outside a small house. It wasn’t exactly what she had been expecting for Eric, but then nothing about him seemed to make sense to her.
The house was small and cute. The outside was a bit plain, but it seemed well cared for if only slightly overgrown in parts.
As they had been getting into the truck, she didn’t really know what to think of him. He’d fought to position himself in the middle seat and then promptly fell asleep against her. It made nearly no sense, and the best explanation she could think of was that it was posturing directed toward Patrick.
Jennifer shifted slightly in hopes that Eric would wake up on his own. His head dipped lower and came dangerously close to resting on her breast. Heart in her throat, she shifted again, just enough to knock him awake. His head came up, and he stared around the cab of the truck bleary eyed.
“This is my house,” he said, and looked over to her as if she had driven him there.
Jennifer nodded and looked over to Patrick, who shrugged. She hated to think it, but Jennifer was fairly certain this wasn’t the first time he had done this, and from the looks of it, it wouldn’t likely be the last.
But maybe it didn’t happen often. After all, Eric had been able to secure enough money to help buy a bar and a house. That had to mean he was at least somewhat responsible.
Slowly, she climbed out of the truck and stepped out of the way so Eric could step out behind her. With more ease than she would have expected, he leapt down and stood firmly on his feet. It wasn’t until he took a step that she could even see the effects of the alcohol still in his system. At least the sleep seemed to have helped some despite his residual swaying.
Jennifer rushed forward to help, but he gently pushed her aside.
“I’m fine,” Eric said tightly.
She ignored his efforts to do it on his own and slipped under his arm.
“I’m sure you are, but I’d like to make it home sometime tonight,” she mumbled.
She could feel the rumble in his chest as he laughed and was surprised by the sound. All night long he’d been innuendos and anger. Hearing him laugh was almost disturbing.
Patrick quietly followed behind. She didn’t really know quite what she was doing, but curiosity was getting the best of her. Everything in her wanted to know more about Eric. He was a mystery to her, and she was determined to see the inside of his house to know him better.
Eric swayed as they took the steps to the porch, and he grunted when she steadied him.
His face went hard again, and she could tell he hated that he needed to depend on her.
He jammed the key into the lock and turned. The inside was dark when they entered. Patrick seemed to know the way and walked farther into the dark room ahead of them. He clicked on the light, and she was finally able to see.
Eric slipped his arm from around her shoulders and stepped away as she made her way around the room.
It wasn’t what she was expecting. Jennifer moved farther into the room as Eric moved to the back of the house, where she suspected his bedroom was.
A cell phone cut through the silence.
“Sorry,” Patrick said. “I need to take this.”
Jennifer wondered who would call him this late. With the way he had been acting, she assumed that he didn’t have a girlfriend, but it was hard to tell. These men were very secretive about themselves.
She walked slowly around the room as she waited for Patrick to get back. No photos hung on the walls. Nothing. There was a small black loveseat that seemed out of place compared with the other piece of furniture. A TV and coffee table sat just in front. That was the living room in its entirety. There was an empty space to the right of her where she imagined a large dining table would normally sit.
It was a blank canvas, as if the person who lived here only barely existed. It chilled her, and she rubbed her arms to keep out the cold.
Jennifer took a breath and followed back where Eric had disappeared down the hall. It was darker there, and she wished they’d thought to turn on the lights, but then again, maybe she wasn’t supposed to follow them.
Jennifer came to a door and turned the handle. Maybe she could just use the restroom.
“Stay out of that room,” Eric said from behind her, and she nearly yelped.
She jumped away from the door. His voice was dark, and the anger was clear. She hadn’t meant to upset him.
“I…” She shifted slightly as he moved forward. “I was just looking for the bathroom.”
Eric stopped in front of her. The little light from the living room caught his eyes, and she held her breath at the coldness that filled them.
“Why are you here?” he asked quietly.
Jennifer let out the breath she had been holding and backed up against the wall behind her.
“Patrick brought me,” she said, and glanced around, somewhat hoping he might step out at any moment.
Eric leaned in more and placed his hand on the wall, just over her shoulder.
“This is wrong,” he said, and leaned his body into hers. His gaze shifted around her face, and she wondered if he was having a hard time focusing on her or if he was just messing with her.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered, and tried to move away, but the wall at her back was unyielding.
“You can’t be here.” His voice was strong, and she wondered what could be going through his head.
“I’ll go,” she said quietly, and tried to duck under his arm. The last thing she wanted was to force herself to be somewhere she wasn’t welcome.
His other arm reached out and gripped her by the elbow.
“I just don’t understand,” he said. His voice cracked at the end, and the pain behind it made a lump form in her throat.
“Eric,” she whispered, not quite sure what he wanted.
A tortured groan escaped his lips, and she wondered if maybe he’d hurt himself somehow. Before she could ask, his mouth was on hers. Unlike the earlier, almost frantic kiss, this one was slow. His hands found their way to the back of her head and threaded through her hair, drawing her in further.
He tipped her head to the side and slipped his tongue inside. Despite all her reservations about him, Jennifer gave herself over to the kiss.
It was warm and pulled her to a place she’d never been before. Eric drew out something in her she didn’t even know existed, and she liked the feeling. It was a power, a strength she’d never had. She could feel his need and knew that whatever it was, she was the one person able to take care of it.
One hand moved from the back of her head down the side of her arm. In its wake, Eric left a trail of goose bumps.
When he reached her waist, he pulled her against him hard. She gasped as he ground his hard cock against her, and she ached to wrap her legs around him. Her center burned with desire, and more than anything, she wanted him.
Patrick coughed, and Jennifer was once again standing cold and alone.
“Fuck,” Eric grunted.
She watched, slightly stunned as he scrubbed his hand over his face, her lips still swollen from his hungry kisses just seconds ago.
“I need another drink,” he said.
“The hell you do,” Patrick’s strong voice came from the room across the hall. “What you need to do is get your ass to bed and sleep this shit off.”
Eric looked to her. His eyes drooped, and he sighed. “If only it were that easy,” he mumbled.
Jennifer watched in shock as he stepped past Patrick into the bed room and closed the door.
“Let’s go,” Patrick said. His words were tight, and she wondered if she’d misread his intentions this whole time. Maybe it was her he was interested in.
She followed him down the hall but paused for a moment to pull out the wad of cash Eric had given her earlier. She placed it on the table. Outside the door, she was able to pull in deep breaths.
That had been close. Another few minutes and she might have followed Eric back to his room. Heaven knew her body certainly wanted her to do just that.
They hardly spoke as she gave directions to her apartment. The loud rumble of the motor was the only sound.
A few minutes into the ride, Jennifer opened her mouth to talk about anything but what he had just seen and immediately regretted it.
“You don’t seem to like Tommy much,” she said.
Patrick’s frown deepened. “No.”
“He was the waiter who helped me earlier,” she said quietly.
He let out a harsh laugh. “Why am I not surprised?” he said. “Always looking for his next conquest. I doubt he even noticed,” he spit out with venom.
Jennifer frowned. “Noticed what?”
“Nothing.”
The truck grew quiet. She sat silently as they drove the rest of the way. All night it had been as if she were given a puzzle but not all the pieces where there. It was hard to only know a piece of the conversation.
Jennifer shook her head. It didn’t matter. She just needed to keep her head down and hope she could redeem herself in the marketing world with this new job. The media would love a story about a small pub turning around its business.
The truck came to a halt.
Worry ate at Jennifer’s gut as she readied to leave. Was it really possible to be fired from two jobs in one day? That would certainly be something to tell her parents about.
“Are you still coming to work tomorrow?” Patrick said stiffly before she could even speak.
Jennifer sat with her mouth open for a moment. “What?”
Patrick sighed, and she could tell he was having a hard time getting out what he wanted.
“Look, I know Eric can be a prick, but he’s not bad,” he said, and glanced over to her. “He shouldn’t have done that back there. And I’ll understand if you don’t want to work near him.”
She swallowed. Maybe the problem was that she did want to work with him. Maybe a little too much.
“I want this job,” she said. Her words came out a bit more hurried than she intended, and she took a breath to steady herself. “I can do this. He’s not going to be a problem.”
Before Patrick could protest, she was out the door. When she turned back, it was clear he was surprised with her revelation.
“Thanks for the ride,” Jennifer said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Patrick nodded, and she turned back to her building. The rumble of the truck stayed behind her the whole time. She smiled. It was nice to know someone was looking out for her.
Jennifer punched in the access code and stepped inside. As soon as the door latched closed, she could hear the rumble of the truck as he drove away.
It had been a long day, and she was glad when she finally entered her apartment. Unlike Eric’s house, her apartment was filled with color and pictures. She walked past a shelf where a picture of her and Charles sat on the couch. Some had said it was too much, but she liked seeing all the faces of the people she loved. Charles and her parents had certainly made their thoughts known, but in the end, it was her space and she was doing what she wanted.
She sat down hard on her comfortable mint green couch and leaned back. Something beside her buzzed, and her eyes shot open. She groped in her purse and pulled out her phone.
Nothing but text messages and phone calls from both Charles and her parents. Jennifer tossed the phone on the couch. He hadn’t wasted any time recruiting help.
“No more,” she whispered.
Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes as she processed the day. From pain to excitement. She had experienced more in one day than she had in the last five years.
She opened her eyes and looked back over to the phone.
“Tomorrow,” she whispered, and forced herself to get off the couch. “I’ll deal with all this mess tomorrow.”
Jennifer made her way to the bedroom. There she yanked off the ratty dress from the day and tossed it into the trash bin beside the bed. New day, new dress.
She pulled out a nightgown from the drawer and slipped it on. All she needed now was sleep.
The mattress sank under her weight, and she sighed. As her mind drifted, she tried not to let it fall on Eric, but his searing kisses were the kind a person didn’t easily forget.
But it wasn’t his kiss that haunted her dreams. It was the tortured look he’d given her just before she left. It was like his very soul was wounded.