Tiffany’s called me the next morning to inform me that Ellery’s ring was ready. I threw my bag in the limo, and Denny drove me to pick it up. As I put the box in my pocket and headed back to the limo, my phone rang.
“Valerie, what’s up?” I answered.
“Mr. Black, you need to come to the office. There’s a problem with the Chicago building, and Phil needs you here right away for a meeting.”
I sighed heavily into the phone. “Tell Phil I’ll be there as soon as I can.” I hung up and told Denny that we needed to stop by Black Enterprises first. I called my pilot and told him that I’d be delaying the flight for a couple of hours.
I walked through the doors of Black Enterprises and headed straight to my office. “Tell Phil I’m here, and let’s get things moving,” I said to Valerie.
I looked at Phil as he walked through my office door. “What the hell is going on?”
“The Chicago building caught on fire and burnt to the ground last night. I just got the call. Connor, everything’s destroyed.”
“Shit, are you kidding me, Phil? Do they know what started it?”
“The firefighters are saying that it was arson,” he said.
I shook my head and ran my hand through my hair as I dialed my pilot. “Change of plans, we’re flying to Chicago first and then California,” I told him. “Let’s go and see how many millions of dollars I just lost.”
We flew to Chicago and met with the local police and the firefighters. They said it was definitely arson, and they’d be working hard to try and find the person who did it. They asked me and Phil a number of questions about employees, friends, and various people we know. I couldn’t think of a single person who would purposely do this to me. I looked at my watch, and I needed to get on that plane to California. I told Phil to stay in Chicago for the night, and I’d send the plane back for him first thing in the morning. He needed to stay behind and fill out a bunch of paper work anyway.
The flight to California seemed unusually long. I got out of my seat to use the bathroom, and when I came back, I noticed I had a missed call from Ellery. I was arriving in California in less than an hour, so I decided that I’d call her when I landed. Upon arrival, I got into a cab and headed to her apartment. I tried to call her, but she didn’t answer. I arrived at her place, and I knocked on the door. I was feeling nervous to see her again. I didn’t know what to expect from her. When she didn’t answer, I went downstairs to Mason and Landon’s apartment. Landon came to the door, and he didn’t look very well.
“Hey, Connor; it’s good to see you, buddy,” he sniffled.
“Hi, Landon; are you sick or something?”
“Yeah, I caught some kind of virus. What brings you here?”
“I’m looking for Ellery, but she’s not answering her door.”
“Her and Mason went to Club 99 for an evening out. You can find them there.”
“Thanks, man, and feel better,” I said as I left.
I hailed a cab, and he dropped me off in front of the club. The line to get in was long, so I pulled a hundred-dollar bill out of my pocket and handed it to the bouncer. He smiled at me and lifted up the rope. I walked inside as the music was blaring, and the floor was thumping. There was no way I was going to find her in this crowd. I decided to hit the bar for a drink before I started looking for her. As I was almost there, I saw Ellery and Mason standing there doing shots of Tequila. I stopped and stared at her from behind. The little black skirt she was wearing barely covered her ass, and she had on high black boots that came to her knees. I felt like I didn’t know that girl standing there. She looked like a slut to be exact.
I decided to stay back and watch her. She downed six shots of tequila, grabbed Mason’s hand, and went to the dance floor. I didn’t know how much she had to drink before I got there. I followed her to the dance floor while keeping some distance. I saw a guy approach her and they started talking. My blood was boiling, and I could feel the anger rising up. They started dancing together as Ellery was grinding and moving her body up and down his. I was ready to kill. I went up and tapped the guy on the shoulder. I slipped him a fifty-dollar bill to leave and indicated that she was mine. Mason saw me across the crowd, and his eyes widened. I shook my head at him not to let Ellery know it was me standing behind her. She moved her body up and down me. She brought her hands to my arms. I tightened my grip on her hips. This girl was in big trouble with me. She turned around and shock overtook her expression as she looked at me.
“Let’s go now!” I ordered.
“What the hell are you doing here, Connor?” she asked as she jerked her arm from me.
“Why don’t you tell me first, Ellery?!” I yelled.
“I’m having fun,” she slurred.
“You look like a total slut on this dance floor, and thank god I was here or who knows what that asshole would have done to you.”
She looked away from me and headed towards the bar. I weaved in and out of the crowd, trying to catch up with her. She’d already downed one shot by time I caught up with her and picked up the next glass as I grabbed it out of her hand. “You’re drunk, and we’re leaving; let’s go.” I demanded. I threw some money on the bar and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the bar with Mason following behind us. She tried to get out of my grip as she was screaming at me to let her go. She was so drunk, and it killed me to see her behave this way. She stopped dead in her tracks and wouldn’t move, so I picked her up in the middle of the club and threw her over my shoulder. She started kicking and screaming for me to put her down.
“Ellery, knock it off or so help me.”
“So help you what, Connor?!” she yelled as I put her in the cab and climbed next to her. She looked at me as I stared straight ahead. I couldn’t look at her at that moment. I was too pissed off.
“You have no right!” she spat.
My angered eyes turned and looked at her. “I have no right? What the hell do you think you were doing in there? Were you trying to get yourself raped? Look at you, and the way you’re dressed, you’re just asking for it.”
She flipped out and started hitting me in the chest. “Fuck you, Connor!” she screamed as she proceeded to beat on me.
Mason grabbed her arms as I grabbed her wrists, trying to calm her down. The cab pulled up to the apartment building. Mason and I got out, and Ellery sat there with her arms folded.
“Get out of the cab now!” I yelled. She glared at me and then flipped me off.
“Real mature, Ellery,” I said as I leaned into the cab, grabbed her arm, and pulled her out. I threw her over my shoulder and carried her straight to the bedroom, throwing her on the bed. I paced back and forth across the room while running my hands through my hair, trying to calm down.
“I can’t believe you, Ellery. I came here tonight to surprise you, and I find you dry humping some guy in a club, drunk off your ass. What the hell were you thinking?”
“I was having fun instead of being cooped up in this apartment, crying over you every damn day!” she screamed.
I stopped and looked at her. I could see the affliction in her eyes, and it hurt. “Do you think this has been easy for me?” I asked calmly.
She put her hand over her mouth and ran to the bathroom. She leaned over the toilet, and I heard her vomiting. I walked in behind her and held her hair back with one hand while I softly rubbed her back with other. As she began to cry, I walked to the sink and ran a cloth under the warm water. When she was finished, I wiped her mouth with it and helped her off the floor.
“Let’s get you in your pajamas and into bed. You have your treatment tomorrow,” I said as I took her nightshirt out of her drawer. I walked over to her, and she grabbed it out of my hands.
“Let me help you,” I calmly said.
“I don’t need your help; I can do it myself!” she yelled and undressed as I watched her. She climbed into bed and pointed at the door for me to leave her room. I rolled my eyes and sighed as I grabbed a pillow and laid myself on the couch. I turned on the TV, but it was playing a DVD. The woman on the screen looked just like Ellery. I restarted it from the beginning and watched as Ellery’s mother spoke to her. No wonder she went to the club and drank like that. Between watching this video and me, the girl was a wreck. I felt horrible, and I should’ve been here for her while she watched it. I wanted nothing more than to climb into bed next to her and hold her tight. I wanted to tell her how much I love her and that I’m here for her, but it’s the last thing she wanted, so I respected her wishes and slept on the couch.
***
I woke up early the next morning and put on a pot of strong coffee. Ellery was going to need it because she was going to have one hell of a hangover. I leaned up against the counter, waiting for the coffee to brew as she emerged from the bedroom.
“Good morning; you look like shit,” I smiled, trying to be funny and lighten the moment.
“Yeah, well, we all can’t look as perfect as you,” she frowned.
I smiled as I handed her a cup of coffee. “Do I get a hug?” I asked as I held my arms out.
“Sluts don’t give hugs,” she snarled as she grabbed her cup and walked away.
Obviously she’s still pissed about the ‘slut’ remark. I was hoping she wouldn’t remember that. I took my coffee, sat at the table, and waited for her to get ready. After 20 minutes, she was finally ready and she went to the cabinet to grab a bottle of Motrin. She was having trouble opening the bottle, so I walked over to her and tried to take it from her hands to help her. She wouldn’t let go and told me to go away.
***
We arrived at the hospital in silence. She walked a few feet ahead of me through the parking lot. I tried to hold her hand, but she just jerked it away. “I don’t understand why you’re so mad,” I finally said.
“You called me a slut, Connor.”
“I said you looked like a slut, Elle.”
She shook her head, “Same thing, you idiot.”
When we reached the office, the nurse took us promptly to the room. Ellery changed into the thin gown and sat on the bed, waiting for Dr. Murphy. She wouldn’t even look at me.
“Are you even going to look at me?” I asked.
“I’m so mad at you, Connor Black, I could scream.”
I walked over to her and tried to take her hand, but she pulled away. “If you think I’m going to apologize, then you’re in for a surprise because I’m not. What you did last night was unacceptable and immature,” I said.
“At least I didn’t take the guy home and fuck him like you did with random strangers!” she spat while staring me straight in the eyes.
“Why did I even bother coming here?” I asked.
“I don’t know, Connor; why the hell did you?”
Dr. Murphy walked in and looked at us. She could feel the tension in the room. “Hello, Ellery, Mr. Black,” she smiled.
Ellery laid herself down on her side, and I sat on the edge of the bed, facing her. She looked at me and pointed to the chair. “You; go sit over there,” she growled. I sighed and shook my head as I got up and sat across the room. She wouldn’t even look at me when the first injection went in. She whimpered like before until the second injection pierced her skin, and Ellery let out a scream. She held out her hand to me, and I was by her side in a second. She clutched my shirt in her fists as I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her on the head. “You are the most stubborn person that I’ve ever met,” I whispered. She cried as Dr. Murphy gave her the last injection. I climbed on the bed while still holding her and laid myself next to her. It felt so good to have her in my arms again. I kept kissing the top of her head as she tried to sleep for the next couple of hours.
When Ellery woke up and we got the ok from Dr. Murphy, I took her home, and she laid herself on the couch. “Are you going to be comfortable there?” I asked her, but she ignored me. I knelt down in front of her; my eyes staring into hers. “Would it be ok if I gave you a kiss? I’ve really missed those lips.”
I laughed as she clamped her mouth shut. I ran my finger softly over her mouth and up her cheek. I leaned into her and softly brushed my lips against hers. It didn’t take long before she gave in, and her lips joined mine. She parted her lips so my tongue had access to her whole mouth. The kiss was light and soft. I broke our kiss and looked at her. I didn’t say anything at first. I just stared at her, taking in her beauty and thinking about how much I love her.
“I’ve never loved anyone like I love you, Ellery, and no matter what we’ve been through, or are going to go through, nothing will ever change the way I feel,” I said.
Tears began to swell in her eyes as she cupped my face in her hands. “I love you too, and I’m sorry, again,” she started to cry.
“I think we’re going to spend our whole lives apologizing to each other,” I lightly laughed.
She sat up so I could sit next to her. I pulled her onto me so her head was resting in my lap. I started to gently stroke her hair as she fell asleep. I pulled my phone out and sent a text message to Denny.
“I need you to be in California the day after tomorrow. That’s when I’m proposing to Ellery. Make the arrangements for the rental of the beach, the dinner, and tent. It has to be perfect.”
“Don’t worry, Connor; I have Valerie and Claire helping. Everything will be perfect. I’ll see you in a couple of days. Now, calm down.”
I carefully lifted Ellery’s head and scooted off the couch. I covered her with a blanket and went into the bedroom to call Phil. He told me that the cops were holding someone in custody that fit the description of someone lurking around the building the night of the fire. He told me not to worry and that he’ll take care of things while I’m gone. Just as I hung up, Ellery came walking into the bedroom.
“I hope I didn’t wake you,” I said as she wrapped her arms around me.
“No, I woke up on my own,” she smiled. “Who were you talking to?”
“I was talking to Phil about something that happened before I came out here.”
“What happened?” she asked with concern.
I pushed her hair away from her face. “It’s nothing for you to worry about. It’s just business,” I said as I kissed her lips. Her hands traveled down my back as she firmly grabbed my ass. I broke our kiss and smiled at her. “What do you think you’re doing?” I asked.
“Just feeling that tight ass of yours, Mr. Black,” she smiled. Ellery moved her hands around to the front and felt my hard cock through my jeans. “Well, we sure can’t let that hard on go to waste,” she said as she unbuttoned my pants and slowly pulled them down. I looked at her with a smile as she caught me off guard and went down on me. Her mouth was amazing. I closed my eyes and threw my head back as she licked every inch of my erection with her soft warm tongue. She rolled her tongue around the tip like she was eating an ice cream cone before gently wrapping her mouth around me and sliding the head against the roof of her mouth. I was already on the verge of exploding. After she had taken me in her mouth, she began slow even bobs. I started to thrust my hips back and forth and fist her hair as her sucking increased. She took her hand and gently stroked my balls. I groaned as my breathing became rapid, and I was ready to come. “Ellery, I’m going to come,” I warned her in case she didn’t want me to explode in her mouth. She didn’t stop, and I yelled her name as I released myself. That was the best I’ve ever had because it came from the woman I love. Once I was done, she released her mouth and looked up at me. I knelt down and cupped her face as I kissed her passionately. We spent the rest of the night in bed having sex, discussing plans for Christmas, and drinking wine. Everything was perfect and just as it should be.