The next couple of days passed without incident. Rachel continued to stay with Riley on his huge estate, and she found herself in awe daily at the new rooms, neat items, and absolutely exquisite food that was served up to her. She realized that going back to her apartment after this was going to be quite the shock. Living with a billionaire the past few days had been like a dream come true. And the sex—Rachel didn’t think she had ever had such mind blowing, hot, sensual sex in her life. She and Riley had quickly learned each other’s buttons, stroking, licking, kissing and tenderly pleasing one another for hours every night.
It was Thursday morning now, and Riley was getting ready to head to work. He reached down and tickled Rachel’s face with his beard as he pecked her on the cheek.
“I’ll be a bit late tonight. We have a long meeting planned for the new apartment complex in Shaw. Tom will be there for you at the usual time, though. Don’t wait up for me for dinner.”
Rachel nodded. “Sounds good, sexy. I’ll see you tonight.”
Riley worked as he was driven to his office, his mind buzzing with the project that had been eating up his whole week. As the car came to a stop, he thanked his driver, got out, and headed up toward his office. He greeted his employees as he walked through the entrance. While hundreds of people worked for him, Riley was a big believer in knowing and treating his entire staff with respect. He even knew the janitors that cleaned the building daily.
He stepped in the elevator and made his way up to his office suite on the top floor. The other employees stopped off at other floors, and when he finally reached fifteen he was the only one standing. He stepped out of the bright white elevator onto shined and buffed, glassy black tile. The hall was tall and wide. His office demonstrated his appreciation for open concept design, and he loved the huge glass windows that showed off the DC cityscape all around them. It was a blustery but sunny spring day, and the temperatures were finally starting to warm at a nice sixty degrees. He was looking forward to wrapping up his project this week and taking Rachel for a bike ride in some of the parks on the weekend.
Riley grabbed his security card and held it over the magnetic strip on the glass door to his office. The door beeped and he strolled inside. Windows encompassed almost the entire office, and his large, black desk sat on the back wall, his seat perched so he could enjoy the high rise view. A large painting of the Lincoln Memorial sat behind his desk, but only two pens sat on the desk next to his computer. Riley liked things clean and minimalistic.
As Riley approached his desk, the shuffle from below it made him start and stumble back. To his horror, Melissa stood up from her hiding spot. Riley recoiled, his face pulled in a sneer of anger, and he put as much distance as he could between himself and this delusional woman.
“Son of a bitch, Melissa! How the hell did you get in here?!” Riley’s eyes scanned the room in a panic.
He had a button under his desk for security. He also had a small transmitter in his coat that he would simply need to press, and his security would be there. But he realized this was going to keep happening, that this nightmare would never end unless she actually did something like try to assault him. He didn’t like the risk of putting himself within this woman’s reach, but he thought of Rachel. He needed this to end. He wanted to explore his future with Rachel, and this woman was a giant boulder that stood directly in their path. Riley had an idea.
He let himself visibly relax, but he kept his eyes trained on Melissa. She was standing behind the desk, her hands firmly placed on the shiny black surface. Her long, lean arms tensed as she stared at him with a menacing grin and wide red eyes. Riley realized she reminded him of the people on the street who were suffering from mental illness or addiction, and he felt pity for her in that moment. In all truth, she couldn’t help the monster she was.
“I snuck in this morning. Your security missed me because of this.”
She excitedly reached back under the desk and pulled out a black wig, a long overcoat, and business attire. She had changed into one of her more usual scantily clad outfits, a common go-to for her to try and seduce Riley. And that’s what she was doing now.
She slowly stalked out from behind the desk. She was in a red satin and lace nightgown. The piece was so short on her long legs, it barely covered her ass. Riley watched as she sent him a smoldering look and came around the desk. She leaned back against it and crossed her legs, the long black heels accenting her model-like physique. He realized he would need to play into this for his plan to work.
“Well, you’re clearly a very intelligent woman if you can trick them multiple times.” Riley took a cautious step forward, toward her.
She smiled in return. “I know. That’s why we’d be so perfect together.”
Riley realized this was his chance; he had to confuse and upset her to the point of going for him. He knew this was risky, but he had cameras all over the office, and this would put her away where she could get the help she needed. He warily took another step forward.
“I mean, you’re gorgeous and smart, Melissa, but I could never be with you.”
Her face dropped, and she glared at him. “Why not? You don’t need that bitch you’ve been seeing.”
Riley took another step forward, now only a few steps from her. He looked at her without emotion. He had to keep pressing her buttons, his hand cautiously placed in his pocket where he could hit the button when things began to escalate. He knew this was cruel, but at this point he felt he had no other choice.
“No Melissa, this isn’t about Rachel. This is about you. You’re just not good enough.”
The words hit her like arrows; her face reddened, and she looked at him with burning eyes.
“But… I am. I’m all you need. I’m a model. I can help you make so much more money. Our money. I already have it all planned out.” She spit out the words nervously, her eyes flicking around the room.
Riley took another step forward. “Melissa, you used to be a model. No one has hired you in years, and while you’re smart, you weren’t smart enough to keep your business. You lost it to your obsession with finding someone like me.”
Melissa’s face flushed, and she stood up and squared her shoulders, “I could still do all that. You just need to see that if you’re with me, we can be better. We’re best together!”
She pleaded and took a step forward, her hands outstretched toward him. Riley froze. She reached around his neck and leaned in to kiss him, but he raised his hands, grabbed her by the shoulders, and gently pressed her back. He needed to let this escalate to violence without him making any type of first move. His heart was racing, and he kept one hand over the button. It would take security at least three minutes to get up those stairs. He swallowed and hit the button. He now had less than three minutes to get her to attack him.
“No Melissa, you just can’t see it because you’re delusional and you’re sick. I could love you, but you’ll never be good enough.” The words visibly stung Melissa, and her eyes began to well with tears.
“YES! I AM GOOD ENOUGH! I JUST NEED TO MAKE YOU SEE IT!” she shrieked at the top of her lungs. The explosion of anger sent Riley reeling back, but this time she pursued him.
She came at him, swinging. Riley let his hand stay at his side as a punch swung up and locked with his cheek bones. It hurt, but Riley had taken far worse.
“This is how you show me, Melissa? You hurt me? You’ve only hurt yourself this whole time. No, I can never be with you,” Riley said coldly, as he reached up and touched the spot that was beginning to swell.
Melissa recoiled. That was all Riley needed, but he’d keep it going so security could testify to seeing an attack as well, just in case the camera hadn’t caught it.
She was crying now as she pleaded, “Riley, I’m so sorry! I just need you to see! Can’t you see we were meant to be?!”
She ran at him again and tried to kiss him. Once again, he firmly took her by the shoulders and held her back. His eyes darted to the hall; no security yet.
“No, it will never work, Melissa. You’re not good enough.”
“Stop saying that!” she sobbed, squirming and throwing her arms at him.
“You’re not good enough, Melissa.” He felt his words make her grow rigid and angry again, her unstable emotions twisting her body and contorting her face.
“YOU NEED ME RILEY! WHY CAN’T YOU SEE I’M GOOD ENOUGH!”
Riley looked over and saw the elevator doors opening down the hall. Five men in black suits stepped out and looked at him, then immediately hit a sprint as they saw the situation. He took a deep breath; it was time to let all hell loose.
“No Melissa, we’ll never be together. You’re not good enough.”
The same words that triggered her rang again, and he let go of her shoulders. She looked up at him, mascara streaming down her pale, gaunt face. Her lipstick was smeared as she looked up at him with a sneer, She recoiled her arm and slammed a fist square into his jaw. Riley staggered back as the pain rocked through his face, but he didn’t lose his footing. She came at him again. Another set of sharp knuckles collided with his left eye, and he felt the heat of the injury begin to swell. He didn’t dare raise a hand though; he needed this case to be as solid as it could be.
Her claw like fingers raked across his neck as he lifted his face away from the swinging hands. Another fist collided with his gut, making him groan and double over. When he looked up, security had just unlocked the door. In a matter of moments, three men were on her and pulling her off him.
“Mr. Harris, are you ok? Do we need to call an ambulance?” Richard, the lead building security guard, put a hand on his shoulder, and Riley straightened up as the pain faded.
“No, that won’t be necessary. We need the footage from the cameras and MPD officers now. I want this assault recorded and Melissa put away,” Riley told him, and he nodded in agreement,
“NO! YOU CAN’T DO THIS! WE’RE MEANT TO BE TOGETHER!” They had placed handcuffs on her, and she was being dragged down the hall as she screamed.
Riley stuck his head out the office door and instructed the security team, “Take her down the stairs, I don’t want my employees upset and distracted by this incident.”
They nodded and turned toward the stairwell.
Riley stepped back in and sighed. He ran a hand through his beard and watched as the door close behind them. Then he gave a small smile as he realized it might finally be over.
…
Melissa screamed and pulled as the three men guided her down the stairwell.
“You can’t do this! I am innocent! This is ridiculous! You will be hearing from my lawyer!”
The three men remained silent as their footsteps echoed in the stairwell, her yells and screams reverberating against the cold, white walls. She pulled at her cuffs and tried to swing a shoulder at them, but they held on tightly.
Melissa’s eyes scanned the stairwell. She had to get out of this. She had to make Riley realize they were meant for each other. She couldn’t go to prison—or worse, the institution. She wouldn’t be able to travel the world with him by her side, buying whatever she pleased and reveling in the sun of faraway places.
She watched their feet quickly eat up the concrete stairs. Her eyes sparkled as she realized she could get away, she could end this. It wouldn’t be the first time she had used stairs to her advantage. She grinned, her brow furrowing as her eyes glowed and her face sneered in contempt.
In a quick motion, she lurched forward in front of the one guard, and he toppled over her back and down the stairs. She reached out a leg as the other scrambled to grab her and he tripped, his body sent tumbling forward. The third grabbed her, and she thrashed. She just needed to get his feet out from under him. He held her and pulled her close to him, but she took her heeled foot and jabbed as hard as she could into his shin. Instinctively he recoiled and stumbled back into the stairs, losing his balance. He fell back, his head collided with the stairs, and he immediately fell unconscious.
Melissa kicked off her heels and slid her thin wrists out of the handcuffs, an art she had perfected, and began to run down the stairs. She moved quickly past a second unconscious guard. The third was holding his leg, hissing in pain. As she passed, he reached out and grabbed at her, but she leaped away and kept running. His wild laugh echoed through the stairwell as she heard him call for backup. With a swift motion, she pushed open the door for the fifth floor and headed for the janitor’s closet.
Melissa had spent hours agonizing over the layout of this place. She knew every closet, room, and escape route.
She ducked into the janitor’s closet, the scent of sulfur and bleach hitting her nostrils. She ran a hand over the lockers, grabbed each handle, and pulled them open. This was where the staff kept their day clothes, and she smiled widely as she reached a female employee’s locker, the contents full of clean clothes and a purse. She quickly pulled a shirt over her satin gown, then a jacket. She reached up and found a pair of jeans; they were a bit short for her long legs, but they would work. She looked down and saw a pair of sneakers. They were a half size too small, but she didn’t care.
She reached in the purse, found a hairband, and quickly pulled her long waves back in a bun. She grabbed a beanie that was in the purse and tugged it over her head to hide her iconic blonde mass of hair. Then she reached in the bag and pulled out a bag of makeup remover wipes. Taking one out, she cleaned the mess from her face. She then pulled the purse onto her shoulder, looked in the mirror, and gave herself a smirk. She could do this. She could get away and blend in; they’d never even see her.
She headed back to the door, cautiously turned the handle, and peered out. The hall was empty. She stepped out and gently closed it behind her, then started down the hall and turned the corner. A meeting was letting out of one of the main conference rooms, and she followed the crowd to the elevator. A security guard had just stepped out and started down the hall. Melissa giggled as he rushed right past her.
She stepped in with the crowd and pressed to go to the ground floor. The machine lurched into motion, and Melissa watched as each stop was made, noticing the security guards racing around each floor. Everyone was talking about their presence; most were unsure of what was going on, and Melissa could hear the fear in their voices.
“Has there been an attack? Does anyone know who they’re looking for?”
Melissa smiled to herself. She felt her heart swell at the feeling of the power she had. Riley had been dumb. He wanted to keep the peace, but had he told his employees about her, they could have identified her. But she knew he cared too much about his image. That’s how she knew she was good for him; had this been her problem, she could have resolved it. He needed her. This proved it.
The elevator stopped at the ground floor, and she stepped out with a group heading to lunch. She saw two guards by the door checking people but didn’t falter. Instead, she turned to the woman next to her and began asking her for restaurant suggestions.
The guards didn’t look twice at her as she excitedly told the woman she had just moved here and was looking for a really great Korean restaurant, as she was craving Bibimbap. The woman replied as they pushed through the circling glass door. Melissa thanked her and turned down the street with a brisk pace. No guards were outside. She began to head toward the subway, knowing she could end this—all she had to do was kill Rachel. That was it. Kill that bitch and she would be home free with Riley. It was that simple.
She had a plan, and she knew it would work this time. She was absolutely certain of it. She laughed to herself as she ducked into the Farragut West Station and boarded the metro. All she needed was a car. She continued to snicker. This would be so easy, and then Riley would be all hers.