I was raised by my grandmother because I had no choice. My dad was a deadbeat father and left my mom and me when I was only nine. I can still remember that day like it was yesterday.
What hurt me more is that he promised me that he would come home later that night and bring me a doll; a doll that I had wanted for the longest. I guess he lied because I am now a twenty-five-year-old woman and I’m still waiting for that doll.
A year later, my mom died of chronic depression. She had stopped taking care of herself and even went days without eating. Of course, she made us believe that she was eating but we would always find her food in the trash the next day.
We took her to therapy but that lasted for only about a day. She threatened that if we made her go back there that she would hurt herself; so we listened. When she died, I felt so alone. She died in her room clutching onto a pillow that my dad had given her for their anniversary a year before.
After she was gone, I had to move to Seattle because that was where my granny lived. She was another mom to me. She made me smile again. She made me feel alive again. She gave me hope.
I now lived in my own apartment and my granny now lived at the Old Folks’ home. I made sure to visit her every Wednesday and Friday, no matter how busy I was. She was never busy for me so I was in no way going to be too busy for her.
Both my parents left me. They did not fight for me. They chose themselves over me, and that broke my heart.
Dad left his nine-year-old daughter without even looking back. I could never understand how he could do that to me.
Mom may have had a reason to be distant and maybe leave me, but she had a choice. She had a freaking choice. She could have chosen to rise above what dad did to her and be the best single mom ever to me, but she chose a different path.
She chose to be like dad and leave me. Except before she died and left me physically, she had abandoned me emotionally long before then.
So I made a promise to myself, that I would never run away from my problems or let them destroy my life like the way they destroyed my parents’. Because I knew that there would always be a solution to a problem even if the answer or solution was not pretty or obvious.
Bradley took me to a hotel not too far from the bar. We used his car, it took only three minutes to reach there. The ride there was quiet and he kept looking over at me to make sure that I was okay.
After Bradley checked us into our room, he led me upstairs and into a bedroom. It was nice but it was not somewhere I had imagined I would be. Not because of the physical location but mainly because of the fact that I did not ever think that my client would be the one taking care of me and not the other way around.
I was the one always looking after my client’s professional needs.
I closed the door and stared at the CEO as he removed his clothing. When his jacket fell on the ground, my mind assaulted me with the mental image of my fiance and my best friend together in our bed. It sickened me and it also brought me to tears.
“Are you okay?” The CEO approached me. He was now half-naked, only wearing his boxers. Why had he removed his clothes? His body was incredible and very tempting. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t wanna.”
Was he talking about having sex with him?
“I-,” I tried to speak but then my eyes landed on his growing bulge. I lifted my attention to his eyes and I saw that they were filled with lust and want.
Seeing that he wanted me turned me on. Plus he was way too hot for my senses at the moment. “We don’t have to speak of this moment ever again. It has been a stressful week for me and I need this. And from the sadness that I see in your eyes, I can tell that you need this too.”
“I caught my fiancee cheating on me not too long ago,” I confessed, and I felt a bit lighter, knowing that I had told someone. The CEO mumbled, “I’m sorry,” and then he proceeded to remove my clothing.
His touch was like magic, it shot bolts of pleasure in me, causing me to succumb to him. “He betrayed me. I trusted him with my heart and he lit it on fire.” A tear escaped my eye.
The CEO placed a soft kiss on my neck and then said, “I don’t know the guy, but what I do know is that he’s sh*t for letting someone as magnificent as you go.”
“Mhmm,” I replied with a softness in my voice. My pencil skirt was now on the floor and then my blouse came off next. With only my bra and panty clinging to my body, the CEO lifted me and carried me easily to the bed.
“But right now, this very moment is not about our problems or worries. It’s about us getting lost in a world of pleasure and being happy,” The CEO said as he removed his boxers hurriedly, his movements were run completely by passion.
“We deserve it,” He laid on top of me and I felt his manhood between my legs. I whimpered without my consent and my body shivered.
He began to kiss me passionately, causing Nora and what the bastard did to flee from my mind completely. I began to equally return the kiss and that caused the CEO to release a small growl. Our movements became sloppy and full of raw passion.
My body begged to be taken advantage of and the CEO was more than happy to do so. The bed shook under our weight as he buried himself in me. I gripped the bedsheets until my knuckles became white.
This was bliss, a euphoria that was way beyond my comprehension. This was above sex. This was an out-of-body experience.
The CEO's eyes were blazing with so much passion and his breaths were shaky and hot. His mouth found its way to my neck easily and he sucked onto my skin, causing me to moan loudly as he thrust into me.
He then placed his teeth on my skin and I felt pain. I should have told him to stop but the pain felt so good. I wanted more. It was like he could hear my thoughts. He sunk his teeth deep into my neck and I saw stars. I had never been so aroused sexually and mentally in my life!
We soon reached orgasms and the room was filled with screams and moans of pleasure until we fell right next to each other breathing heavily; satisfied more than ever. It didn’t take long for sleep to overcome me.
I slept like a baby for the first time in almost a year; not having to worry about being a perfect mediator for my boss or about Mark and Nora. I was at peace.
When morning came, I woke up feeling refreshed. It was like a heavy weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I felt like I could do anything!
I yawned and then I rolled to the other side of the bed, only to see that Bradley was gone. I did not think much of it because I knew that this was just a one-night stand; just a sinful act that I was never going to do again.
I hoped what had happened between the CEO and I would just stay between us and not affect our working relationship.
My phone suddenly began to ring and I reached for it somewhere on the floor. I inhaled sharply when I saw who was calling, my boss! The clock hanging on the wall told me that I had slept in and was now really late for work.
I was sure that my boss was calling to threaten to fire me or maybe even replace me with someone else to work with the CEO.
I answered the call tentatively and to my surprise, my boss did not yell. His voice was coated with pride and happiness. “Good morning, Lisa. How was your night?”
I could not believe that my boss who was always too busy was actually taking the time out of his day to check up on me. Or was this just the calm before the storm? Maybe he was fattening me up for the slaughter.
“Look, boss. I know I’m late to work, and I’m really sorry about that. So if you’re going to fire me or kick me off the project, I deserve it.”
He chuckled, “Fire you? Lisa, what I’m trying to do is congratulate you!”
“For what?” I bit my bottom lip in nervousness. I was starting to think that I was dreaming so I did some pinching but it hurt like hell, which let me know that I was wide awake. “I don’t follow.”
“Stop being so modest!” He laughed. “You got the CEO signed with us! He hired us to build the nightclub!”
“Oh,” I was starting to understand now. But I did not remember giving the news to my boss yet. I had planned to do that when I got to work today. “How did you find out?”
“Mr. Specter called this morning and gave us the news. But it’s not just that. He is going to give us all his current and future projects, Lisa! All of them!” A happy laugh erupted from my boss as I tried to process it all.
“That’s wonderful!” I exclaimed as I dragged my body off of the bed. I wrapped the bedsheet around me as I held the phone to my ear with my other hand.
“But it is all under one condition.” My boss's voice was now serious. “You have to be the only one who would work with him. You’d be the bridge between him and our company. This is the catch.”
I was taken aback by the condition. After last night I thought the CEO would be trying to erase me from his mind, but he wanted to spend more time with me. I would have to think about that but for now, my answer would be yes; only for the sake of sealing the deal.
“I’m sure I can make that work, sir,” I replied to him, and he chuckled.
“I knew that I could count on you, Lisa!”
The condition was not bad and I was sure that I could pretend that the CEO and I did not have mind-blowing sex though that would be one of the hardest things in the world.
‘Not the hardest’, The voice played in my mind and I blushed.
The CEO was respectful and responsible, so working with him would be smooth. I was sure of it. He was a man who was straightforward and hardworking.
“Always, Mr. Rogers.” I smiled.
“Okay, Lisa. Have a lovely day! And oh, take the day off. You’ve earned it.” He ended the call.
Holy crap! That just happened! That was something I never thought would happen anytime soon! It was a miracle! It was a win for me and the company! Even for the CEO because we would build him one hell of a nightclub.
I guess the one-night stand did pay off.
I should call Bradley. I should thank him. This was all happening because he finally decided to sign with us. But, since he was not here and had left, calling him, would seem more logical.
I adjusted the bedsheets around my body as I called the CEO’s number. Surprisingly, it began to ring and I could hear it in the hotel room. That meant either two things: maybe he had left and forgotten his cell phone, or he was still here.
I followed the loud ringtone of the phone until I came to the closed door of the bathroom. “Bradley? Are you in there?” I knocked lightly on the door.
No reply came and I knocked again. The ringtone was indeed coming from the bathroom. When no one replied, I proceeded to open the door. When I turned the knob, I realize that the door was unlocked.
I pushed the door slowly until it was wide open. What I saw next shook me to the core. “Oh my god,” I gasped and the phone dropped from my hand and landed on the floor with a thud.
One of my assumptions was right. The CEO had not left and was in the bathroom. But what he was doing caused my mouth to dry instantly and made my mind spin in fear.
My heart pounded so hard in my chest that it felt like I was about to blackout. My eyes widened and I watched the CEO in horror. A lady was in the bathroom with him and she was dressed in a uniform, which led me to believe that she was working for the hotel; maybe as a help.Bradley was sucking on the neck of the young lady so nonchalantly that if I wasn’t scared out of my mind right now, I would have thrown up. He removed his mouth from the girl’s neck and she dropped to the floor with a thud.“Please…please,” I began to sob, afraid that he was going to hurt me. The CEO made a move that caused me to scream so loud that my throat hurt. I tried to flee away but he was right behind me before I could even blink.“Lisa, I can explain.” He blocked the exit. “Give me a chance to explain, please.”I glanced at the girl on the floor and noticed that she was breathing. She was alive! But that still did not change the fact that I was caged in the bathroom with whatever Bradley was!“Please don’
“You’re not dreaming, Lisa. Make your choice.” Bradley’s voice was smooth and almost perfect. “To live, or to die?”I had to decide either to die or to be a vampire. I remembered that I swore to myself to never be like my parents and run away from my problems but to always find a solution because there always was even if that solution was not pretty. This was the solution. Choosing death would be the cowards’ way out. And I was not a coward. I was not like my parents!I exhaled shakily and then bravely walked to him slowly. When I reached him, I held his hand and he suddenly pulled me into his arms. My breath hitched and I strengthened my hold on his hand.Being so close to him filled me with fear. The image of him feeding on the girl that was now on the floor lingered in my mind. “Can we please get this over with?” “Gladly,” Bradley chuckled, and then he brought his wrist slowly to my mouth. I began to breathe faster and my thirst for blood was now unbearable, especially considerin
After spending almost the whole day in the hotel room eating ice cream, sobbing, and watching soap operas on the small flat-screen TV, I finally checked out of the hotel room and headed for the bar where I met the CEO the day before.My car was in good condition and nothing was missing from it. I unlocked it and got in. I was still new to this vampire thing and knew that I had to avoid sunlight for the time being. I did not care what Bradley said, I was not about to take my chance on being burned to ashes. Even if that was just overexaggerated gibberish that was played out in films. The sun had already set and I felt a weird increase in my senses. It felt like everything around me was louder and bolder.The colors I saw everywhere looked like they popped more. Normally, I had a terrible sense of smell, but now it was different. I could even smell the burger a guy across the road had in his hands as he ate it in his closed car.This seemed cool but also freaked me out. I just needed
Mark took the TV remote and turned the news off. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Lisa, I know you’re pissed at me and you have every right to be, but please…let’s think this through.”“Are you seriously going to let all those guests show up tomorrow and just stay home?” He asked me, and I folded my arms on my chest.“Well, you do have a point. Why let all those people suffer for your mistake? I know what we’re going to do.” I told him and he smiled, even though my heart ached. Just seeing Mark made me feel like I was drowning with no one to help me. I felt awful.“What do you suggest.” He gulped and then folded his hands on his lap as he stared at me. “We could push the wedding date until you and I work out our issues. What about that?” I stared at him incredulously. He seriously thought that he was going to screw my best friend and just say sorry to make it all go away? You can’t put a bandaid on a severed leg!I took my phone out of my bag and headed for the window
I stared at my boss, waiting for him to tell me he was joking but he did not. “You have to be kidding, I’m COO of Eternity Limited?” “Hell, yeah!” My boss laughed cheerily and I joined him. “How did that even happen? I don’t think I’m even qualified.” “Oh, shut up. You and I know that you are beyond qualified. To be honest, I had planned to give you that corner office as a gift but the CEO had different and better plans. So congratulations!” He smiled. A lot of the employees walked to me and congratulated me and after half an hour, I was up in my office packing my things up with the help of my boss.“You know you don’t have to help me do this, right?” I chuckled as I placed the small picture frames on my desk into the box. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Lisa, I have always admired you. You are hardworking, humble, and respectful. I confess that I don’t always speak to you all in the calmest manner here at work, but it’s all because I want you all to be better people.” My bo
My heart raced and my mouth dried in seconds. I was being held at gunpoint in my very own car. I could still see the CEO. He was now about to enter the building. Even if I had the chance to call him, he would not be able to hear me.“What do you want?” I gulped, and my voice was filled with fear. “My handbag is right there, it has some money in it, and it’s a really expensive bag.” “Shut up…” The person laughed, and pressed the gun harder behind my head, causing me to inhale sharply as I closed my eyes tightly. “Then what do you want?” My voice came out shaky, and hot tears escaped my eyes. I felt like I was going to die. I had never had a gun pressed to my head, nor had I even been so close to one in my life!The person laughed and then withdrew the gun from my head, helping me to be able to breathe properly once again. “I don’t want crap from you, Lisa.”I wanted really badly to look at the person but I was too afraid to. I did know that the person was a woman though, based on the
Mark asked me a very good question. Did I want to end what we had? I placed the coffee cup down and exhaled deeply. “No, Mark. I don’t want to end what we have.” My words caused hope to sparkle in his eyes. “But you will end it anyway, won’t you?” He looked away from me and stared at the coffee in his coffee mug. “I think posting the video should be enough to tell you that I am not willing to stay with you. Not after what you did, Mark. She’s my best friend. Do you know how messed up that is?” I felt my heart ache. “I would probably now have trust issues for the rest of my life,” I added, and he looked back at me. “Yeah,” His voice was breathy and filled with shame, guilt, and regret. “If I could take it all back, I swear to you that I would. But I can’t, and so all I can hope for is to become a better man for myself and for you.”“Mmhmm,” I mumbled, and then brought the cup to my lips. I drank the last of my coffee and I felt energized and almost full. “Thank you for being civil
I could tell that Bradley felt terrible for what happened to me but I needed him to tell me why. I needed to know why was I targeted for something that he did. I only knew him professionally, and I barely knew him personally.“Lisa, I’m sorry. You did deserve to go through what you did last night. And I totally take the blame, it was my fault. I’m sure it was one of my rivals trying to scare you into leaving the company or something.” He stood to his feet and walked towards me. I could feel tears building in my eyes. “Bradley, no offense but you may not have a family or anyone you love, but I do. I have someone that stuck by my side through thick and thin; someone that took me in when my parents left me.”The CEO sat on the desk and I saw his eyes soften when I spoke. He seemed moved. “Your parents left you? I didn’t know that.” He stared at his hands for a few seconds and looked back at me. “Yeah…my dad left me with my mom when I was nine. My mother died a year later from chronic d