Chapter Twelve
Oscar
Just like the first time she came over, this time too I didn’t expect her to turn up. But she did. It was eight in the evening by the time I heard the door bell ring. I opened the door, swung it wide but she remained standing before me. I could see that she had been crying. I wanted to hold her, to stroke her hair, to make her feel safe and to trust me. But she was holding her head high and glaring into my eyes.
This wasn’t the Kayla Edwards whose body I wanted to ravish when I first met her. This Kayla was different. She was in a pair of jeans and an old oversized t-shirt that nearly reached her knees. Her hair was left loose, but un-styled. She had no makeup on.
This was the Kayla I wanted to hold in my arms. This was the woman who I wanted to go to sleep with.
“I didn’t expect you to come,” I said, breaking the silence.
“I shouldn’t have,” she said, pushing her hands into the pockets of her jeans.
“I’m glad you did. You should come in,” I said and I saw her eyes fall on my bruised knuckles. A look of concern washed over her face but she was quick to hide it.
“What happened to your hand?” she asked, making her voice sound as casual as possible. I could see she didn’t want to cross the line. How could I tell her that I wanted to cross it? How could I tell her how happy I was to see her?
“Jonathan’s nose,” I said, holding it up for her to see. She didn’t come closer to me or look particularly interested.
“You punched your brother?” she asked and I nodded.
“It felt good. He deserved it, after what he said to you,” I said and she looked at me in silence. Then she brushed past me and walked into the house. I closed the door and followed her to the living room.
“Drink?” I asked as she walked over to the window. It made me happy to realize that she really did like the view.
“I’m not here for refreshments, Oscar. I’m here to put a stop to this,” she said, turning to me, and looking at me from under her heavy long lashes. I licked my lips and nodded. I’d prepared a speech for her, I had it in my head, what I wanted to say, but it was all lost on me. I couldn’t remember what those words were, I was drawing a blank.
“I understand and I agree,” I said quietly and noticed the look of slight surprise on her face. She wasn’t expecting me to agree to this so easily. Did she think she would have to put up a fight?
“Good,” she said and leaned with her back against the wall.
“I’m sorry for all the embarrassment that you’ve had to go through. I wish you didn’t. I wish it was as smooth sailing as I imagined it would be,” I said, maintaining a few feet of distance between us. I didn’t want her to get the wrong impression of my intentions.
“It’s not your fault. It was a contract, after all, it was good while it lasted,” she said, tucking in loose strands of her hair behind her ears. She had never looked more beautiful, of that I was sure.
“It was good while it lasted indeed,” I said and she looked away from me and there was silence in the room again.
“I’m quitting my job,” I said and she jerked her head to look at me.
“You don’t have to do that. It’s your family business. I’ve decided to quit anyway,” she said. I smiled and shook my head.
“Remember the rule you came up with? That you’d maintain your position after this ends,” I said and a soft smile graced Kayla’s lips at the memory. So much had changed since then.
“I was being stupidly naive,” she said and I shook my head again.
“You can stay, Kayla. I’m holding on to my end of the contract, you get to keep your position,” I said and she stared at me in silence.
“I can’t work there anymore,” she replied.
“I can talk to father and make sure you’re transferred to our California offices if you don’t mind moving. You don’t have to work with these people anymore.” I could see that she was thinking as she stared at me with her large chocolate colored eyes.
“I know you’ve worked hard at your job Kayla, and you’re a prized possession at the company. You don’t deserve to leave all this behind. Especially since it’ll suit me better to quit anyway,” I said and she licked her lips and sighed.
“I’ll think about it,” she said, holding her head high. That was the Kayla who was so good at her job: confident, professional and never backing away from a good deal. I smiled at her, but she only tried. I could see she was still hurting, but she was too proud to say it. As was I. I didn’t know if I was prepared to lay my heart out in the open like that, for another woman to come and trample all over.
We were quiet for a few minutes.
“So aren’t you going to ask me for a last time?” she asked, her voice dropping and growing softer.
“Ask you for what?” I asked, and I saw her jaws clenching.
“Sex,” she replied.
“No. I won’t,” I said and her eyes widened. “It’s over. That is over. I would rather have you first, as someone real, to talk to, and then your body.” For the first time she really looked at me, straight into my eyes and my arms shook in fear of what she was going to say.