"Well, well, Miss Richardson, it is good to see you again," Ellis purred when our eyes met. My stomach fluttered and I wanted to look anywhere else, but I couldn't pull away. He had me glued to the spot with his gaze. "Mr. Peterson," I said with a respectful nod. I kept my tone flat and indifferent. Ellis raised an eyebrow at me. "Is that all I get from you?" he asked, his lips tightening. "Is there something else you were expecting?" I asked back. I put my free hand on my hip, still holding tight to Ken's hand. Ellis chuckled and rose from the piano bench. He faced me directly, his eyes dark and dangerous. My heart pounded in my chest and in my ears. I glanced to the door. There was no way I could run in the heels I was wearing. "Don't we find ourselves in an interesting situation, then," he said, motioning to Ken. "I don't know what you're talking about," I said. I cast my eyes aside. Who was I kidding? Ellis already knew the truth. "Do you think it is fair to
After my mom went to bed, I checked on Ken and then headed to my own bedroom. Ellis was standing by the window, looking out at the city. I took a deep breath and closed the door behind me, wondering what he expected to happen. I could see how deep his eyes were as they looked out the window, the firm set of his jaw and his strong fingers as they gripped the curtains framing the window. My mind spun suddenly with all the memories of the nights we'd spent together. How nimble and quick his fingers had been in removing my clothing, and all the toys he had at his fingertips to bring me to higher levels of pleasure. Everything had been so sweet and perfect, until Ellis had ruined it with his betrayal, with his secret love for Nancy. I shuddered and looped my arms around my waist. That was the last thing I needed to be thinking of while we were sharing a room for the night. "Just to be clear, you're staying in here because it makes my mom happy and she needs some uplifting," I
When I woke up, Ken wasn't in bed with me anymore. I grabbed at the empty space beside me and then sat up in a flurry of sheets. I looked around and noticed that Ellis wasn't on the couch either. My heart hammered in my chest. Pushing back my worries, I grabbed my robe and slippers and raced from my room, not caring that my hair was a mess and my shirt was rumpled. "Mom?" I ran to her room. The door was open and her bed was made. She was probably back at the hospital with my dad. What if Ellis had taken Ken while I was asleep? He had been intent on being in Ken's life. Would he go so far as to steal him?My slippers padded heavily on the floor as I raced through the big townhouse, looking for my son. "Ken?" I called, every time I popped my head into a room. He wasn't anywhere! I found some of his toys on the floor and a maid who was cleaning just shrugged and shook her head, telling me she hadn't seen him. Real panic filled me now. I was about ready to call the police
Ken was still eating his snack, so as soon as Ellis was gone, I grabbed my phone and shut myself in my bedroom, calling Jenny. "Hey, hey," Jenny said happily, sounding the exact opposite of how I felt. "Jenny, we have a problem," I said urgently. "Oh, um, what is going on?" Jenny asked, her voice shifting to serious. I sighed and sat at the end of my bed, hanging my head in my free hand as I held onto my phone with the other. I quickly filled her in on what was going on with Ellis, how he'd spent the night and how he was with Ken. "Wow, that's… a lot," Jenny said. I could tell she didn't know what else to say. "That's not even the biggest problem," I said, rubbing my temple. "Jenny, if things keep going like this, I won't be able to keep pushing him away. Every time I'm around him, I feel like I can't think straight.""You still care about him a lot," Jenny said. "I can't help it. I know what he did to me but seeing him with Ken… and Ken really likes him. He want
While Bennett was in town, he organized a piano concert for me to play. It was a debut for his orchestra in New York and my name as the headlining pianist. Ken waited with the stage hands, like he usually did, and they showed him the ropes that moved the curtains. I stood side stage, wearing a floor length, red, satin ball gown with a round train that pooled on the floor behind me. I had fresh flowers pinned up in my hair. I gripped the edge of the red velvet curtain while the New York Orchestra conductor announced me to the audience. I took a deep, shaking breath. Bennett came up behind me, resting his hand on the small of my back, his fingers grazing my skin where the low cut of my dress didn't cover me. "You're going to do fine, Olivia. You've done this dozens of times before," Bennett said softly. He pressed a kiss to my cheek. "I've never played in front of this many people that I know," I reminded him. My parents' friends, friends from school, people I'd known for yea
**Ellis POVI texted my driver to meet me at the curb in front of the theater. There was no reason to stick around if Olivia and Bennett were playing their game. It was a game, and they were going to try and make a fool out of me. I wouldn't play. Just as I was getting into the back seat of my car, a small voice called out to me. "Daddy Ellis!" I stood up and closed the car door, seeing Ken run toward me from the theater. "Ken, what are you doing here?" I asked. I looked behind him but he was alone. If Olivia saw him out by himself, she'd throw a fit. He was too good at slipping away from the people that were supposed to be watching him. "We need to talk," Ken said with a sharp nod. I chuckled and opened the car door. "Step into my office," I said. Ken slid into the back seat and I followed, closing the door. "Where to?" my driver asked. "Can you excuse us for a moment? We're just going to talk," I said. My driver nodded and left the car idling on the curb.
**Olivia POVSince I wasn't planning on going back to Vienna until things with my father were resolved, however that went, I decided to enroll Ken in school in New York. I wanted him to get socialized and start getting an education. While I was packing Ken's backpack, my phone rang. I smiled when I saw that it was Bennett's number on the screen. "Hey there," I said, pinning the phone between my shoulder and ear as I kept packing his lunch into a brown paper bag. "Is Ken excited to start school today?" Bennett asked. "He is. He's around here somewhere while I pack his bag," I said, chuckling. I'd told Ken that he could pick out a few small toys to bring to school with him. "This is a big day for Ken. I was wondering if I could drive him to school with you," Bennett offered. "Ken's been talking about this for days. I want him to have the day he's imagining, so let me ask him," I said. "Alright, I'll wait," Bennett said kindly. He was always so patient. I smiled
I walked out of the school, my heart still tingling with Ellis' kind gesture. Just before I got to my car, I heard a car horn honk down the street. I started and looked over. Ellis' limo was still parked there. He was standing at the driver's door and waving to me. I hesitated but I decided I should thank him for what he did for me and Ken. I walked down the sidewalk. Ellis opened the back door of the limo and held his hand out. "Let's talk," he purred, smirking. "Just talk?" I asked, eyeing his outstretched hand. "Of course," he said, nodding his head. After another moment's hesitation, I took his hand and allowed him to help me into the back of the limo. It was a very intimate setting, alone in the back seat of a luxurious vehicle. Ellis was a gentleman. He wouldn't try anything. "I wanted to thank you for helping out with Ken's tuition and school transportation," I said as Ellis slid into the limo behind me and closed the door. The windows were tinted so it felt