CHAPTER
The drive to my grandmother’s continues on in awkward. Why doesn’t he say anything? What is he waiting on to blast me with how much he is going to sue me for abandoning my contract? Perhaps he has a summons for me to appear in court for assaulting his security guard.
I glance surreptitiously at him from the corner of my eye. He seems quite unperturbed, very sure of himself and it scares me because I can’t read his mind. I don’t have a clue what he is thinking or what he will do when we get to our destination.
“Why are—” I try to ask him what he is doing here but the look he gives me, has me swallowing my words. So this is how it’s going to be. The ball is in his court and I’ll have to go ahead with his leave.
Even though he isn’t at the office, he is dressed in dark blue trousers and a dress shirt. I am not sure this man ever dresses down. I couldn’t quite picture him wearing a simple pair of jeans and T-shirt. At least he doesn’t have a tie on and had left his jacket. Unfortunately for me, the close-fitting shirt reminds me of how well-defined his chest is and plunge me into the memory of the morning I’d tried to hand in my resignation letter.
I am appalled that the memory is causing me to get wet. I am confused about why this man who I feel threatened by can have such a profound effect on me and my senses. The smell of him, that same woodsy, earthy smell flood my nostrils until I feel I am cloaked in his essence. It is quite disturbing.
When my grandmother’s house looms in front of us, I am relieved we are here. Now the show can begin. He would either leave me alone or say what he has to say and leave me alone. Because one thing I am certain of. This man isn’t going to bully me into returning to work for him. Not I would not be tempted. Not by his wealth and not by the deep desire I have to turn to him, unbutton his shirt and run my palms over his chest.
Good Lord, isn’t an AC in this car? I am burning up. The car comes to a stop outside and I realize my grandmother’s car is in the half-opened garage. Drat! If only I had waited and allowed my grandmother to get the groceries instead. But what would that have changed? Nothing. One way or another Axel would have found me. If he had travelled all this way to Birmingham, nothing would have prevented him from finding me.
I push the car door open as soon as the car comes to a stop at the porch. The trunk is popped and I go to retrieve my groceries. Axel is there ahead of me, already having most of the bags.
“I can manage,” I tell him. “You can go back to where you’re coming from.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
He finally speaks! He walks ahead of me towards the house bold as you please. I trail after him with the two bags clutched in my hands. I peer at the two men sitting at the front of the car. Are they just going to sit there and wait? That means Axel couldn’t be planning on staying, is he? Foolish girl why would he be staying? The man is here only for you to squirm a bit. He cares nothing about you or are you forgetting the way he treats you?
“Wait!” I call after Axel but he waltzes through the front door of the house as if he owns the place. Really! The man’s conceit has to be legendary. I hurry after him, not wanting him to scare my grandmother with his unexpected presence.
“Axel, you can’t just walk into my home,” I begin to chide him but then my grandmother walks in from the back door and my heart sinks.
“Mr. Ash, you’ve found her,” she says with a smile. “I was afraid you might miss her.”
“Wait a minute,” I respond to her. “You knew he was coming and told him where I was?”
She walks into the kitchen after Axel and I have to do the same. What in the world is going on?
“Of course I didn’t know he was coming,” Gram replies. “As soon as you left Mr. Ash shows up and introduces himself. He’s such a nice man.”
“Nice?” I exclaim, looking from a smirking Axel to her contented face. Doesn’t she see that smirk that he is wearing.
“Yes, he’s a very nice man,” Gram continues, then scolds me. “While you’ve been very rude dear. I can’t believe you ran out on your job like that without even two weeks’ notice. That’s not very professional of you, Joyce. And when he’s just taken over the company too and needs someone familiar to work with him.”
My mouth falls open in astonishment and I would have dropped the grocery bags, hadn’t Axel reach out and take them from me. Just what lies has he been feeding my grandmother for her to be taking his side instead of mine?
“He and I cannot see eye to eye,” I tell her. “It’s in both our interest for me to quit.”
“But the way you did it dear,” she insists.
“Did he tell you—”
“Joyce, don’t bore your grandmother with unnecessary details,” Axel interrupts me. “I’m sure whatever problem you have working for me, all we need to do is to sit and talk it out and you’ll realize I’m not such an unreasonable man after all.”
“There’s nothing for us to talk about,” I respond in a waspish tone.
“Joyce!” Gram continues her scolding. “Now that’s no way to talk to your boss. It would do you well to be grateful he’s still trying to let you keep your job given the way you are acting all insubordinate. This is your boss!”
“Gram, you don’t know him!” I protest for all the good it is doing me. The man has weaved some sort of spell over her and she refuses to listen to a word I am saying.
“I forgot to put some items on that list,” Gram remarks. “I’ll run on down to Walmart and pick them up. Also give you two some time to talk.”
I begin to panic, wanting to ask her not to leave me here with him but that’s rather childish.
“Thanks for being so understanding, Gram.” Axel smiles fondly at her.
Gram? Gram? How dares he call my grandmother gram? I fume silently as my grandmother beam and starts out of the kitchen.
“Joyce, don’t forget what we talked about this morning,” she comments before walking out.
What we talked about this morning? How does that relate to Axel? We had spoken about relationships and the only relationship I want with Axel Ash is the one where he is my ex-employer. Nothing more.
The front door closes, announcing gram’s departure. My whole body is rigid, ready to flee as I become conscious that I am now alone with Axel. I want to run after gram, jump into her car with her and drive away. Away from Axel and the confusing things he makes me feel for him. Even at this minute, I am furious at him but can’t help feeling a little excited at the thought that could gram be right?
Is Axel attracted to me and I am not reading his mixed signals right? I couldn’t believe that. I sense nothing from this man but contempt for me. Why make the life of someone you are attracted to a living hell?
“You ran out on me,” he says in a steely voice. “You thought I wouldn’t know what you were up to?”
“I didn’t run out on you,” I refute his claim. “I resigned. You have my resignation letter on your desk to prove it.”
“You’re forgetting something Joyce. I didn’t approve your resignation letter.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass if you do. Threaten me all you want, I won’t let you intimidate me.”
With one long stride he has me cornered, the imposing wall of his chest to my front and the kitchen sink to my back. I think about running to the left or right but he places his hands firmly on the counter top either side of me, trapping me within the imposing box of his masculinity.
“You’ve not begun to see intimidation yet, baby,” he hisses at me and my belly bottom drops at the term of endearment. But the way he says it, is unflattering. “I get you not showing up for work but why leave your apartment? Why leave your city and run halfway across the country? Are we playing Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf?”
He does seem like the Big Bad Wold right this minute the way he is staring at me like he is going to snap my head off my body.
“I- I wanted to see my grandmother,” I respond, licking my lip nervously. He is too close and I am not sure how much longer I could manage breathing with him so close to me. We are almost chest to chest.
“You’re lying. Honesty isn’t your strong suit, is it Joyce?”
I confirm his prognosis by blushing bright red.
“By the way you should know Joyce, anywhere you go I’ll find you,” he threatens in a quiet voice. “It might not be as quickly as I found you today because you were dumb enough to leave your computer screen up with your flight information on it. But even if it takes me a whole damn year, if you run to the ends of the earth, I’ll find you and bring you back.”
Fear runs through me and I shudder. I would think he is joking but the look in his eyes says he is dead serious. His face is hard and unreadable.
I snap and push hard against his chest. “You’re insane. Please go away.”
He takes both my hands in his and holds them to his chest. “Be honest with yourself Joyce. You don’t really want me to go away do you? There was a part of you waiting for me to find you, wasn’t there? Weren’t you disappointed for the last couple of days when I didn’t call you and demand you return to your job?”
I swallow hard and try to pull my hands out of his but he isn’t about to let that happen. Suddenly he lets go and I feel disappointed but before I could register why I feel that way, he takes my face between his hands and his lips claim mine.
The touch of his lips against mine is unlike anything I’ve ever felt. His lips are softer than they seem when you look at them. They cling to mine, sucking on my bottom lip, teasing my mouth open. On a gasp, I involuntarily part my lips and he plunge his tongue into my mouth. Waves of ecstasy roil around in my belly. I feel myself falling so I grab hold of his shoulders as he deepen the kiss.
Axel crushes me to his chest while pressing me back into the kitchen counter. He cups my round bottom, lifting me slightly, fitting our pelvis together and his arousal presses between the V of my legs. Breathless, I dig my fingers into the hard muscles of his shoulders and tentatively insert my tongue into his mouth. He sucks on the tip of my tongue and each tugging motion pulls at my womb.
I run my hands down his chest, gasping at the rigid muscles I come in contact with. Oh God, what is this man doing to me? I can’t think. My brain scrambles from the myriad of sensation he is creating inside me. I want to feel him more intimately against me. My breasts ache and the nipples are hard, seeking for attention.
“Axel,” I moan into his mouth.
He wrenches himself away from me so suddenly, I almost fall from the loss of contact. I clutch at the counter behind my back to support the weakness in my knees. He looks unperturbed while I am quite shattered by the kiss we just share.
“I’ll be back tomorrow at ten,” he announces. “Be ready for us to leave for Detroit. And Joyce, don’t think about running. Next time, I’ll not be so understanding.”
He walks out of the house and I sag against the counter, my hand going to my kiss-swollen lips. Axel kissed me. And I kissed him right back. The ache between my legs and in my breasts remind me of his body press up against mine. I plunge trembling fingers through my hair, my body shaking.
Just what have I gotten myself into?