Chapter Ten
Oscar
My knuckles hurt from the punch. It caught Jonathan right on the nose and I watched him grab his face, his eyes widened and a loud shriek escaping his lips. He buckled to the floor and when I saw the blood dripping down his nose, I was glad Kayla was gone. I couldn’t imagine that she would have been impressed to see me punch my own brother. Even though he deserved it, even though I did it for her.
I jerked my hand up and down to try and numb the pain in my knuckles, then stepped over Jonathan and started walking down the office floor.
“Call my brother an ambulance,” I said to a man at his desk who had caught my eye. Everyone else was trying to avoid my gaze. Not that I cared. I didn’t care what anyone else thought, whether they liked Jonathan more than me, or any of that. All I cared about was finding Kayla.
But she was gone. She had vanished into thin air by the time I reached the ground floor. I had no idea where she lived. I could very easily find out from HR, that is if they were willing to give me that information. But I didn’t want to add to any office gossip that might hurt her. Plus, she probably needed some time away from me. Me, who had just destroyed her career.
Instead, I got into my car and drove to my parents’ home.
When the housekeeper led me to the parlor I found mother sitting on a couch, her hands clutching the pearls at her neck when she saw me enter.
“Oscar! What did you do?” she asked, her eyes wide and voice shrill. I walked towards the bar instead of her.
“It’s barely twelve, Oscar. You can’t start drinking now.” She turned in her seat to look at me.
“I need a drink mother, let me be,” I said, pouring myself a stiff bourbon.
“Oscar, you hit your brother. What is going on?” she asked. I looked at her and shook my head.
“Jonathan is an asshole and you know it,” I said and knocked back the bourbon in one go, the liquid burning my throat as it coursed through.
“I don’t believe that. He’s my son. You can’t talk about your own brother like that.” Mother had stood up now and was walking towards me. I clenched my jaw and looked away from her. She had always only seen the best in both of us.
“He has been jeopardizing me constantly. And he insulted me, and my PA, this morning.” I said, without looking at her.
“You mean Kayla Edwards?” she asked coming closer to me.
“Yes, mother.”
“You shouldn’t be fighting with your brother over a girl, son,” she said, placing a hand on my arm. I looked at her and ran my fingers through my hair. She was right. What was happening to me? This had never happened before, even with Sandra…I had never punched Jonathan.
“I’m not fighting over a girl, mother. She’s my PA and he insulted her.”
“But there must be a civil way to talk about it.” Mother pressed her hand on my arm and I looked into her eyes. Could she see how I felt about Kayla?
“I’ve tried. He treats me like a child and I’ve had enough. I came here to talk to father. I can’t work with Jonathan and I’ve decided to quit.” I tugged my arm away from her and walked back to the bar.
“That’s enough Oscar, no more alcohol at this hour,” I heard father’s voice boom and whipped around to find him standing at the door of the parlor.
“Richard, your son needs to talk to you,” mother said to her husband, despair in her voice. She couldn’t bear the thought of her sons not getting along.
“I heard what he said. Janet, it’s his life, he is free to do as he chooses.” Father walked towards me, and I straightened my back. I desperately needed another drink but I held back, I wouldn’t dare disobey father.
“Thank you, father. I’m sure Jonathan will be able to handle the company,” I said. There was a small faint smile on my father’s face.
“No, he won’t. But he wants to be here, and you don’t,” he replied, locking his hands behind his back.
“It’s not that I don’t want to be here, father. I just can’t work with Jonathan.” I heard my mother starting to cry.
“But why not? I’m sure whatever the trouble is, you’ll be able to sort it out. You shouldn’t quit over such a small matter,” my mother said, coming up to me and holding my arm.
“Janet, this is obviously important to him. If he says he can’t work with Jonathan, he can’t. We can’t force it on them,” father said and mother turned away from me, upset with us both.
“Besides, he has to find himself first. If he can’t do that, he can’t run a company like ours,” father said and walked over to mother. I had never seen a couple so in love, even after thirty-five years of marriage. Mother’s eyes softened as he walked towards her.
“I don’t know what you mean by that father,” I said, genuinely curious to know what he meant by finding myself. What other self-discovery did I have remaining?
“I mean, that you need to come to terms with your feelings for Kayla Edwards. You’re too distracted now to concentrate on your work,” he said and I hung my head, embarrassed.
“She’s my PA, nothing more.”
“Stop lying to your family, and yourself,” he snapped and I looked up at him.
“What do you want me to say?”
“I want you to say it to yourself, the truth. If she is nothing more than your PA, a play thing, then admit it to yourself. If she is more than that, admit that to yourself. Whichever one she is, choose. I will not have my son flitting around like a bird who can’t make up his mind.” Father had worked himself up to a frenzy as he spoke to me, and only mother’s gentle patting on his arm seemed to calm him.
“How does this have anything to do with my work here?” I asked, annoyed that he would bring my personal life into this.
“I won’t accept your resignation till you’ve thought things over with a cool head. You are free to leave, it’s your life. But I want your decision to be based on the right reasons. So sort out your personal problems, and then get back to me,” he said.
I sighed. Maybe he was right. All I wanted right now is to get to my car and drive away. I started crossing the floor of the room.
“Oscar, take care of that hand darling,” mother called out to me and I nodded.
“And son,” father stopped me in my tracks again. “Nobody can bring us out of this financial crisis, except you. No matter what Jonathan tells you. I know you’re not experienced, but you’re smart and you have an unparalleled instinct for doing business. You’ve got what it takes, more than any of us. I brought you back for a reason.” We looked at each other. He needed me, he believed in me, but he loved both his sons. I could see it in both my parents’ eyes. I said nothing, turned on my heels and walked out of the house.
Father was right, I needed to come to terms with my personal decisions.
I got back into the car and started driving, in no particular direction. Thoughts of Kayla filled my head.
She was just a girl I had a contract with and yet I was protective of her. I punched my brother because he insulted her when I could have calmly told him how to behave with my employees. So she wasn’t just a regular employee. That was evident from the start. She was more than that, more than even just a sexual favor.
I could have any woman I wanted, and yet for the past two weeks, all I wanted was her. I could have called it off anytime, but my lust for her was insatiable. The more I got her, the more I wanted her.
I wasn’t thinking about where I was driving, I just wanted to keep thinking about Kayla. I was getting there, I was arriving at the root of this, I just needed to push my brain harder.
Why had I proposed this contract to her? Because I wanted her body, from when I walked into the gym that first day. I wanted her in my hands, I wanted to touch that skin and kiss those lips and part those legs. But why did I still want her? Now that I had her already, why did the urgency with which I wanted her grow more and more every day?
Sandra. She was still a problem. I was so afraid of being hurt again by a girl, that I always made sure that I was the first to pull the plug. That way, no girl would ever have the chance to break my heart. It was always a race to the finish line. How quickly could I get a girl into bed and how quickly could I get her out?
That was what I thought Kayla was as well, a game. But I was unwilling to let go. I wanted to touch her, but I also wanted to hear her voice, look into her eyes, tell her everything.
I wanted to tell her everything. I wanted every little secret to come out, come tumbling out so that she knew me inside out. A part of me felt like she knew me better than anybody else already.
I needed to see her again. But I didn’t know where she was. I wasn’t sure if I should call the office, so soon after I had just punched the CEO of the company. What orders had Jonathan left them? To not let me into the building?
But how else was I supposed to find her? Would she be back in the office the next morning? Should I stake out the building and lie in wait for her?
I had no idea where I was, nothing around me looked familiar. I slipped out my phone and dialed her number. She didn’t answer. I tried again but by the third time I realized that she had switched her phone off.
I was going to lose Kayla forever. I had to do something now, or I might never see her again. I stopped the car at the side of the road and turned off the engine.
What could I possibly do to see her again? I had to think this through, where would Kayla Edwards go? What would make her see me again? I couldn’t claim that I knew her. In fact, I knew nothing about her. So how on Earth could I possibly know what would make her come to me?
I was tapping the steering wheel with my fingers. My head was swimming…till an idea struck me. I had to give it a shot.
I reversed my car, turned on the GPS and suppressed a smile as I drove the long way home. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but I was just glad that there was still a chance. Something told me that I knew Kayla Edwards better than I gave myself credit for.
I had to hurry home, though. I had to figure out the right way to do this. Father was right, nothing had ever felt as good as finally finding myself.