Owned by Him Read online

  “You’re a fucking heartless bastard, Jonathan. I want this job, but you can get someone else to give me messages. After the way you treated me it’s the least you can do. It’s all I ask.”

  Ashley met his gaze, feeling nothing but contempt when she looked at him.

  “I’m sorry about what happened.”

  Standing up, she slammed her palms on the desk and shook her head. “No, you’re not going to fucking start that shit. Your time for apology was in high school. I can’t get that time back. Do this for me, and leave me the hell alone.”

  She left with her head held high.

  ****

  Jonathan watched her go. He felt sick to his stomach. When he’d learned of Ashley applying for a job, he should have nipped it in the bud. He couldn’t do it. Back in high school he’d been a total douche-bag to her even though he had feelings for her. The peer pressure had been too much for him. He was the captain of the football team, and he shouldn’t have been crushing on the curvy blonde in their year.

  Ashley was right. He was the one to pursue her. From the first look he’d fallen for her. A lot of the guys had found her attractive even though at the time they’d never admitted the truth.

  Staring down at his paperwork, he shook his head. He couldn’t focus anymore. When she’d quit last night he thought all hope was lost. Seeing her stood in the doorway, the hope to rectify his wrong had started to fill him. She’d crushed that hope the same way he’d crushed all feeling from her.

  Ashley may think this was the first time he’d seen or heard from her, but it wasn’t. Her name got around, and she’d built herself quite a reputation. Jonathan knew her reputation was entirely his fault. He’d been the one to drive her to become the woman she had, and he would live with that for the rest of his life.

  Chapter Seven

  By Friday Amber was on tenterhooks over her upcoming date. Dale had given her the afternoon off to get ready. He would be picking her up from her apartment at seven. She’d spent an hour going through her wardrobe before settling on a deep blue cocktail dress and black heeled shoes to match. The color wouldn’t contrast too much with her red hair.

  She laid out the clothes then started to pamper herself. Filling the tub with smelling salts, she took her time washing. Amber shaved her legs and under her arms before soaping her hair.

  In an instant the time was gone, and she applied a layer of lipstick to her lips. Smacking them together, she heard the door sound. Her heart galloped inside her chest. Walking to the door, she wiped her sweaty palms down her dress and opened it. Dale stood with a bunch of red roses.

  He wore a suit, black, that molded to all his hard muscles.

  “Good evening,” he said, gazing up and down her body. “You look absolutely beautiful.”

  Her cheeks heated at the compliment. “Erm, thank you. You look very handsome.”

  She smiled at him. This felt wrong. Amber belonged to Elijah.

  “These are for you.”

  Accepting the roses, she invited him into her apartment while she set about putting them into a measuring jug. She’d smashed the vases, aiming them at Elijah’s head and missing.

  “This is a nice place,” he said.

  He’s trying. This is my first date. Try!

  “I love this place. I’m hoping to get more pictures up someday of my friends and stuff. So far, I’ve been working.”

  She put the roses away and met him in the sitting room. He kept staring at her. “Are you ready to go?” he asked.

  “I’d love to.”

  He’d not told her where they were going. The less she knew the better. She found herself getting anxious, and knowing would give her more reason to cancel on him.

  They walked silently down to his car.

  Dale stopped as they hit the fresh air. “You’re nervous, and I don’t want you to be nervous.”

  “You’re my boss. It sort of goes hand in hand with nervous.”

  “Will you think of me as your boss when I do this?”

  His lips were on hers in the next second. She tensed up at the feel. His kiss was strange. Elijah’s lips were commanding whereas Dale’s kiss was passionate yet different. There was no underlying control or domination.

  Breaking from the kiss, she looked at him. “It helped a little,” she said, smiling.

  “Good. Come on.”

  She didn’t ask any questions, and when they got into the car the conversation started toward work, their only neutral ground.

  He pulled up outside of Wade’s place, and Amber’s heart leapt in her chest. “You’re taking me to Wade’s?”

  “You know this place?” he asked, parking up.

  “I know Wade, and I come here with my girlfriends regularly. It’s a great place.”

  “I love this place as well.”

  They headed inside, and she held onto his arm. Wade was serving up at the bar, and she saw her girlfriends in their booth. She gave them a wave, following Dale toward the bar.

  Dale was served by one of the part-time barmen.

  “Hey, Amber, I didn’t see you come in with the others,” Wade said, flagging her down.

  She stopped with her drink in hand. “I’m on a date, Wade.”

  He looked at Dale then at her. “It’s nice to meet you, man.” Wade shook his hand.

  Rolling her eyes, she tugged Dale away from the bar.

  “What was that all about?” he asked.

  “I knew Wade in high school. He’s being protective, and he has the biggest crush on one of my friends.”

  They found a seat away from the dancing. So far she hadn’t seen Elijah, which she was thankful for.

  Once they were seated, Dale reached across the table to grip her hand. “I’ve wanted to ask you out on a date for some time.”

  “I’m here now.”

  “We are.” He raised his glass, and she joined in.

  “Can I be honest with you?” she asked, feeling the awkwardness of the moment.

  “Sure.”

  “This is my first date. I’ve not really been on a date before.”

  His eyes widened as he looked at her.

  “No, I’m not a virgin, but the guy I was with, he’s not really into dating or anything apart from the obvious.” She groaned, mortified by what she was revealing. “Why don’t you tell me to shut up?” she said.

  Dale laughed. “It’s refreshing being with a girl who speaks her mind. I’m relieved you’re not a virgin.”

  “Good, that’s good.”

  Looking down at her glass, she waited for the conversation to pick up.

  “You’ve never been on a date at all, have you?”

  “I just said I hadn’t.”

  Again, he laughed. “Okay, I’ll start everything off. Do you have any family?”

  “I have family. I’ve not been in contact with them in a long time. We’re not close.” She stared at her glass.

  “Any siblings?”

  “No, just me.” She was silent again. “Erm, what about you? Do you have any family or siblings?”

  Sipping from her drink she waited for him to speak.

  “I’ve got a Mom and Dad and a step-dad. Also, I’ve got two older brothers and three sisters. It was mad growing up.”

  “Did you always want to be a lawyer?” she asked, focusing all the attention on him.

  “No, I wanted to be a doctor, but then I couldn’t stand the sight of blood.”

  Amber listened to him talk. She drowned out the rest of the room, but when Elijah entered the club, she felt it. It was the strangest feeling in the world. Tingles went up and down her arms. Glancing past Dale’s shoulder, she saw him stood, watching her. His gaze reminded her of a hawk stalking its prey.

  She excused herself to go to the bathroom. Her date was not going great. They had nothing in common, and the few bits they were talking about didn’t give her a thrill.

  Elijah followed her into the toilet. It was empty, which was a surprise. Was fate or destiny trying to tell
them something?

  “You’re bored, and you’ve got nothing to talk with him about.”

  “My date is none of your business.”

  He took a step toward her. “Does he make your pussy wet? Do you ache for him to touch you?”

  She bit on her lip, stopping herself from attacking him. The instant she’d sensed Elijah, she’d grown warm from the inside out.

  “I bet if I was to feel your pussy you’d be soaking wet for me and me alone.”

  Amber backed up against the wall. Elijah followed her path until she was trapped against the wall and his hard body. There was nowhere else for her to go and staring up into his large brown eyes, she didn’t want to.

  ****

  Seeing her date had set him on edge. He needed to stake his claim before he lost control. She shouldn’t be out with anyone but him. For the last couple of days he’d kept his distance, giving her time to get over the pain he’d caused her.

  “Why are you doing this to me?” she asked.

  “I told you I wasn’t backing away.” He pressed his palms to either side of her head, surrounding her. “If you tell me to back off and you want the dude in the suit, then tell me, Amber.”

  She stayed silent as she looked at him.

  “Will you back away?” She gazed over his shoulder.

  “No.”

  “No matter what I say?”

  “I’m not going anywhere. From the night of Heather’s eighteenth, you’ve been mine. You’ll continue to be mine.” He cupped her cheek, tilting her head back to look at him.

  The door to the bathroom opened. He turned to see Ashley stood, glaring at him.

  “Amber, your date is waiting. This is your chance to experience something new. Go, now.”

  His woman ducked under his arm and left the bathroom. Elijah turned to Ashley. The other woman was glaring at him.

  “She told you about us?” he asked.

  Ashley entered the room, letting the door swing closed. She folded her arms and stared at him. “She told me everything.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “Then you’re a jerk, Sir.”

  He gasped, staring at Ashley.

  “We may not share everything, but we get there in the end. There are parts of ourselves we keep silent about. Not everyone needs to know the sordid truth of our past.”

  She stepped closer. The anger radiated off her, startling him.

  “She loves me, and I love her.”

  “I have no doubt, but what you’ve done to Amber is not acceptable to me. When she was supposed to be dating, she wasn’t. My girl has been hung up on you.”

  “I’m going to make it right by her,” he said.

  “I’m not some dumb innocent you can blind with your words, Elijah. I’ve been out in the world, and I know it’s cold, harsh and downright fucking painful but you get through it. Amber has been getting through her life, and I don’t think it’s fair for her. She deserves to be loved, and you’re not the right man for the job.”

  They were stood toe to toe. Her eyes were blazing with accusation. His earlier assessment of the four friends was not entirely accurate. They kept secrets from each other, but no matter what the secret, each of them had the others’ backs regardless.

  “I love her. You’re not going to stop me from loving her.”

  “It’s not my intention of stopping you. I’m telling you right here and now, you either do right by her, or you’ll be answering to me and I don’t play nice at all.”

  She turned on her heel and walked out of the ladies’ room. Ashley was quite terrifying. He’d never seen her look so dangerous. She looked ready to castrate him. The idea was not a fun one at all.

  Leaving the ladies’ room, he walked toward the bar. He searched the whole bar looking for his woman. Elijah spotted her on the dance floor. Her date had his arms wrapped around her waist.

  “Hey, butt-head,” Heather said, coming up beside him.

  “Are you ever going to call me by my given name? I believe our parents took forever to name both of us.”

  “No can do.” Heather flicked the hair of her neck, bouncing to the beat. “What are you going to do about Amber?” she asked, taking him completely by surprise.

  “What?”

  His sister snorted at him. “I wasn’t born yesterday. I see the way you look at her, and I also saw your boxers in her laundry. I’ve seen her naked, so unless she’s got a male underwear fetish then they’re yours.”

  “You’re far more observant than I thought you were.”

  “Also taught you a lesson. I made sure you could hear me that day.” Heather leaned against the bar with a hand on her hip. “We’re not perfect, but we’re the best of friends.”

  “I love her, Heather. She means everything to me.”

  “I don’t know how long this is going on, and to be honest, I don’t really care. If you have feelings for her and care about your, erm, stuff, you’ll do right by her.” She nodded at Wade, and the barman started walking toward them.

  “You’re giving me your blessing?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I’m giving you my blessing within reason. Treat her right, Elijah. She deserves a man who’ll love her for her.”

  His gaze found hers. The song had changed to a slow number, and Amber’s date had his arms wrapped around her.

  Amber was staring at him as she danced with another man. Pain shot through him at the sight of his woman in another man’s arms. Amber was getting from her date what he’d not been able to give her. He’d never dated her, and he’d never even tried to get to know her outside of the club and the sex they shared. Not only did he not want to date, but Amber insisted on keeping their relationship secret. He couldn’t force her to date him when she didn’t want Heather to know about them.

  Heather grabbed her drink and left him alone with his thoughts.

  He spent the entire time watching Amber on her date. When it was time for them to leave, he turned into a stalker. Elijah followed her home and even took the stairs, hiding behind a large planter to watch the scene unfold.

  “I had a nice time tonight,” Amber said, getting her key and turning her back to the guy. “You really didn’t need to bring me up to my room.”

  Her door was opened, and her date circled a hand around her waist. Elijah destroyed a branch of the plant he was hiding behind. He tightened his fist and forced himself to be rooted to the spot.

  She was turned and pressed against the wall. The door to her apartment was partially open.

  Her date kissed her. Elijah didn’t know how he managed to stay seated during the whole episode, but he watched without giving himself away.

  The date pulled away. “You don’t want me, do you?” he asked.

  “I’m really sorry, Dale. It has been someone else for a long time.”

  “Call me if things go badly.” Dale stroked her cheek and then turned away.

  Amber let out a sigh before going inside her apartment and closing the door.

  Elijah left the building seconds later. His hands were shaking as he took out his cell phone. Amber had turned him into a stalker. He opened up a new message and sent Amber a text.

  Elijah: Give me a chance. Meet me @ the café across the street tomorrow.

  He hated text talk. Walking down the street he waited for his cell phone to go off.

  Amber: Y?

  Elijah: I can make it worth your while.

  Amber: Y shud I trust u?

  Elijah: I’m putting up with your bad text spelling. Meet me there or I’ll come and get you.

  Minutes passed, and Elijah stared down at his phone.

  Amber: Fine!

  Pocketing his cell, Elijah started to make some plans. There was no way he was sitting through another one of Amber’s dates. It was not going to happen again.

  Chapter Eight

  Amber made her way through the crowds to get to the café where Elijah wanted to meet. Her date last night had been interesting, but she knew she was never going to d
ate Dale again. He was fun to be around, but there was no chemistry between them. The kiss they shared was nice, but again, it was nothing exciting or exhilarating. Every second she spent with Elijah was exhilarating, frustrating, and annoying. Together they possessed heaps of emotions and chemistry.

  Even from his text she’d been aching for him.

  She found Elijah sat, reading a paper as she walked into the café.

  He put the paper down the instant she approached the table.

  “You’re right on time,” he said.

  Taking a seat, she watched Elijah signal the waitress over. They both made an order for some coffee. She wasn’t hungry for food and declined the offer.

  “Why did you want to meet here?” she asked, flicking her hair off her shoulder.

  “This is our first date.”

  He reached across the table taking her hand.

  “It’s the morning.” She glanced around at the empty café.

  “In a few hours this place would be heaving. I wanted to get a good seat and have some time together before the chaos starts up.”

  Amber laughed. “You call this a date?”

  “We’re together. I never thought you wanted to date.”

  She stared at him. “You didn’t want to date me.”

  “I’ve never really dated anyone, Amber.”

  The waitress bought their coffee and left without a word.

  “Have you, erm, have there been a lot of women after me?” she asked.

  In all the years they’d been together she’d never once thought to ask him about his other commitments with other women.

  “No. Since the moment we were first together there hasn’t been any other woman. You’re the only one I’ve been with. Erika, the blonde, wasn’t anything. I never spoke to her after that moment. Please, don’t think about her.”

  Amber nodded, not wanting to think about the blonde. She was happy with the news about his lack of other women. For the first time she felt awkward in his company.

  “This is why I don’t like to date. There is always a lot of pressure to make everything perfect. When we’re together, I feel the world moving, and I never want that feeling to end.”

  “Then why do you always walk away?” she asked.