As the Uber I had to book this morning because my car finally chose to die pulls up to my bakery, my cheeks begin to burn with wrath as I observe many individuals taking photographs and measurements of my establishment.
“Please, don’t go anywhere. I have a feeling I am going to need you to take me somewhere else shortly.” I plead with the driver as I open the door and exit the vehicle, pulling the strap of my bag over my shoulder.
“What are you men doing outside my bakery this early in the morning without my consent?” I do my best to keep my voice level and fail miserably.
One of the contractors turns around to face me with a clipboard in his hand, “Ah, you must be, Keri. We are here at the request of Mr. Landry.”
“Tobias Landry has no business here.” I sneer. “This is still my bakery, and you are trespassing.”
“Well, technically we are still on council grounds.” The contractor replies in a smart arse tone that has one or two of his men giggling beside him.
I walk right up to the middle-aged man who reeks of cigarettes and cheap home-brewed coffee. “You know full well what you are doing, and this is classified as harassment.” I turn on my heel, heading back to the Uber that is surprisingly still waiting for me, as I ignore the slur of words that are being directed at me.“Oh, love, is everything okay?” Mrs. Brown walks up to me with a concerned look on her face.
I come to a halt and sigh, “I’m afraid not. The dashing young man you saw yesterday is anything but dashing, Mrs. Brown.” My voice quivers. “He is planning to take my bakery away from me. But, he is in for one hell of a fight if he thinks I am going to just lay down and let him walk all over me like a damn welcome mat.”
Mrs. Brown’s eyebrows furrow as her gaze shifts to the men outside my bakery. “You are going to see this man and give him a good piece of your mind, aren’t you, deary?” She asks as her gaze meets mine with an underlay of rage blazing in her irises.
“I am.”
“Good, you go take care of him and I will take care of these men here.” She says with determination as she reaches out with her hand and rubs my upper arm.
I shake my head, “Oh, Mrs. Brown, I cannot ask you to do that for me.” I reply, on the verge of breaking down in tears.
“Hush, child. I am not about to let these men take away the one reason that gets my old Kahoot out of bed this early every morning.”
I nod my head with a soft smile spreading across my face. “Thank you,” I say as I lean in and give her a quick but gentle hug.
>>>
After having to look up the address for Landry Enterprises, the Uber driver safely comes to a standstill outside the large building.
I thank him, promising to leave him a five-star review and a fifteen percent tip for being gracious to another shitty start to my morning.
As I enter the building through the revolving door, I quickly brush past the security guard, who is too busy eyeing up one of the female employees with long black hair that falls upon her back like a silk curtain.
I say a silent prayer of thanks to the Goddess for the distracting female being put in my path. The twin doors to an elevator begin to slide open, and I quickly step through them as a throng of people dressed in expensive suits and attire exit the car.
Looking down at myself, I pull my white sun dress down feeling a little self-conscious, knowing that I stick out like a sore thumb with my second-hand dress and cheap ballet shoes.
In my defense, I didn’t intend to come here, and I’m dressed comfortably as I am on my feet all day serving customers and baking. Lifting my chin, I stare straight ahead, ignoring the scornful looks I am receiving as people pile into the car after me.
“Can someone please press the button to Tobias Landry’s office?” I say out loud.
An employee with short blonde hair styled into a perfect bob turns her head to look at me, “And what business could someone like you have with Mr. Landry?” She asks me in a menacing tone.
“My business with Mr. Landry is just that, my business.”
“The level you are looking for is the top floor.” A male’s voice unexpectedly sweeps through the small car. “I do hope that you have made an appointment to see him, or you will be forced to leave the premises.”
“Hmm, maybe Mr. Landry should take a page out of his book and abide by it. If it’s okay for him to come to my place of business and-”
“And what business is this that you own dressed the way you are?” The blonde female with green eyes asks as she rudely cuts me off.
“The Appleton Bakery.”
“Thee, Appleton Bakery?” The male’s voice sweeps through the car once again with surprise.
“Yes, the one and only Appleton bakery on Queens Street,” I reply with pride and fulfillment.
The elevator car begins to slow down before the doors glide open, letting everyone off at the thirteenth level and revealing the male who so kindly told me what level to go to.
He is dressed in a blue pinstripe suit that screams expensive and way out of your league. He stands in the doorway with his hands spread wide open to stop the doors from closing on him as he looks at me with an unreadable expression on his face.
But his chocolate brown eyes tell a different story, as they are soft and inviting; filled with sin and excitement only to be experienced between the bedsheets.
I shake my head, gulping as the explicit thoughts of his large, strong hands exploring every inch of my naked flesh sends a surge of vibrating tingles through me.
As he kindly presses the button for me on the elevator control panel, his gaze is heavy on mine, “Your apple turnovers were a hit to the meeting I brought last week.”
I swallow with surprise, “That was you who ordered thirty apple turners to be made the day before you needed them?” I scoff finally being able to put a face to the name that had me staying back ultra late as I cursed every star under the sun for the large order.
“It was, and I’m glad I made the order where you were able to deliver without any theatrical behavior.” He reaches into the breast pocket of his suit jacket and offers me his business card. “My name’s Davis and if you ever wanna, I don’t know, grab a coffee sometime, you just dial the number on the back of my card and I'll make it happen.” He says, with one side of his mouth curling into a lopsided smirk.
I clear my throat, feeling my cheeks burn with fever, and I tuck the card into the front pocket of my bag. “I’ll keep that in mind, Davis.”
He nods his head, stepping out of the doorway as the door chimes and starts to close. He stands there, looking at me until the doors slide shut, and the car begins to ascend. I lift my hands and place them over my cheeks, feeling them burn with giddiness.
I have no intention of calling Davis, but the thought that I was able to catch his attention makes me feel good about myself even though I am dressed cheaply without an ounce of makeup on, too.
But then the smile instantly drops from my face as the realization of me catching the attention of a possible creep sinks in, and makes me feel sick to my stomach all over again.
As I exit the elevator car, I need to calm my nerves, and as I do so, I allow my eyes to roam the interior of Tobias's office floor. It is precisely how I pictured it, lavish and completely void of any actual thought from the interior designing company. But then again, Tobias has always been very persistent in coming forth with how he expects everything to be; pristine and simple. More like, dull and washed out. I walk towards the glass door that separates me from entering his domain. “Oh, my gods,” A soft feminine voice says over the intercom with surprise lacing her words. “It’s you, you are her?” I comb my fingers through my hair, “I’m sorry, have we met before?” I ask her with a quizzical look staining my face. She must be Melanie, the one that wrote and sent me that ridiculous: Intent To Purchase Property letter. “I, ah…” She quickly clears her throat and pushes the button on her desk to let me past the glass bulletproof doors. “No, I’m sorry, we haven’t. It’s just that-
I lick my lips, “And you are the same arrogant son of a bitch that turned our lives upside down!” My nostrils flare as I fight to keep my tears at bay and my voice even.Something dark flickers in his eyes as he straightens, he removes his suit jacket and tosses it on the leather sofa stationed against the glass wall. I watch him as he rolls his sleeves up, showcasing his strong forearms that are sprinkled with thin dark hair.“Have you come to say something worth my while, Keri, or did you truly travel all this way to tell me how much of an arsehole I am?” His endless blue eyes draw me in as they turn a gloomy shade of grey.I brush the loose strands of hair away from my face, “Yes.” I hiss, “I came all this way to tell you to stay the fuck away from my bakery, Landry. It is mine and until the ink dries on the paper stating otherwise, I don’t ever want to see you or your contractors hanging outside my establishment.”Tobias scoffs, rubbing the stubble along his jawline. “You are on
TOBIAS:With my hands clenched into fists, I stand by the wide glass window and gaze down onto the street, where Keri is standing in a white summer dress that flutters in the breeze. She wipes her face, looks at her watch, and mumbles something before turning around and sprinting across the street.“Run, spitfire. Run hard. Run Fierce. It only makes me hungrier to catch you, dragging out the inevitable that you will be mine.” I whisper possessively, loosening my hands at my sides.I knew stepping into the Appleton bakery was a bad idea yesterday. Every nerve and every muscle in my body screamed for me to stop in my tracks, and get back into my vehicle.But as usual, my brain defied my body, and now I fucking ache for her.I shouldn’t feel this way about Keri Appleton. She should be off limits, like a forbidden fruit that will be my demise.However, I cannot help myself. The desire to see her after all these years had grown intolerable; it had become my undoing.Yesterday’s encounter
I turn the shower off in the middle of washing my hair. I swear I heard my front door open. I reach out, grab a towel, pat my face dry, and then wrap it around my body as I open the glass door. I try to focus on the surrounding sounds by angling my head to the side. “Keri!” I jump with fright the second I recognize whom the voice belongs to. After stepping out of the shower, I make my way into the living room. “Chase!” I growl furiously. “Didn’t I tell you yesterday that I don’t want to see you again after learning about you and Ava?” I watch as he brushes a trembling hand over his face. “I made a mistake, Keri.” He swallows thickly, meeting my gaze with his misty eyes. “Forgive me, I-I-I…” Rage licks my wet flesh. How dare he show up reeking of alcohol and self-pity! “Get out!” I scream at the top of my lungs, pointing to the front door that he has left ajar. “It is over between us, and that’s because of you,” I state bitterly. “You slept with my sister and got her pregnant
Pain splinters across my head, in the back of my eyes, as it travels down my neck and disperses across my shoulders. The feeling of being crushed by Chase becomes overwhelming, and as I try to hit my head against the wall for the final time, he pushes my head back to stop me. “Tell me you still love me,” He demands with hope glinting in his eyes. “After today, I will never utter such words to you.” I sob, feeling defeated. “LIAR!” He roars. “You will love me until the very end, Keri.” Enraged, he releases my head from his grip and punches the wall beside my face. I jump, crying out with fright as shock and panic seep into my pores. Tears blur my vision as it becomes difficult for me to inhale a full breath of air into my starving lungs. A blurry figure steps through the door, it drops something on top of the coffee table as it rushes towards me too. I scream, struggling against Chase as terror fills me. Has this figure come into my home to rob me, will I be subjected to another
As I wait for the kettle to boil to make myself a cup of coffee, I look around my living room and make a mental note to find a local handyman to come through and fix the body-sized holes that currently decorate my living room walls. After Tobias had left last night, I sat in my living room stricken by shock for what seemed like a lifetime. I clung to the blanket wrapped around me like it was a lifeline while I tried to process everything that happened. My outlook on life has changed. I use to live by the quote: Live like someone is watching you dance as tomorrow is never promised. Now I think I’ll live by the quote: Some people will only like you if you fit into their box. Don’t be afraid to disappoint and say no to those that are too big for your box. As the kettle boils, I remember seeing Tobias throw something down on the coffee table, but as he left, he did not retrieve it. I push off the countertop with my hip and make my way to the coffee table. As I recalled, he did indee
“I wouldn’t hold my breath trying to figure it out,” I reply in a husky tone, swallowing thickly as my cheeks start to feel like they are on fire.Before I can predict his next move, Tobias's hand plunges into the scalp of my head, stopping me from pulling away from him, and tugs at the roots of my hair.“That’s the difference between you and me spitfire. I am willing to do the things you aren’t.”Licking the seams of my lips, my gaze drops to his mouth, and instantly I feel sick to my stomach. I hate that after all these years, he is still able to read me like an open book and stroke the desire that still yearns for him even after all this time and after everything that has happened between us.“I’m not in the mood for your bullshit, Landry.”I watch as his gaze drops to my lips too, “I can get you in the mood.”“I’m not interested.”Tobias releases me, standing to his full height, and I am forced to step away from him. He turns his back to me as he looks out of his office window.
As Tobias leans back in his chair and looks at me in a full of amusement, scrutinizing manner, that rubs me the wrong way. I open my mouth to tell him that if I agree to his proposal, he is to step away from Appleton Bakery and let me run my business how I see fit. But before I can utter a single word, my phone blares to life. Exhaling loudly out of my nose, I straighten while I extract my phone from my bag. My heart plummets into the pit of my stomach when I see who it is that is calling me. A coincidence maybe? Lifting a finger, I gesture to Tobias to hold that thought as I make my way to the far end of his office and answer the call. “Mr. Jameson, this is a surprise. Is everything okay?” I ask him in a hushed tone with my back facing Tobias. “Good morning, Keri. I’m afraid not, we need to talk urgently.” My accountant says in a grim tone, telling me shit’s about to hit the fan. I swallow thickly, “I’m all ears.” "I'm sorry, Keri, but the bakery simply isn't profitable enoug