Page 8 of Free Fall

After class, having promised Avery I’d take him myself, we headed to my dad’s offices. Avery’s parents were having their house renovated by Dad and Luca’s company, and Avery’s curiosity, mixed with decision FOMO, had him wanting to tag along. He’d bugged me for weeks to take him, show him around, give him the inside scoop. I had no real reason not to, so caved after his puppy dog eyes and an ice latte thrust into my hands won me over.

He was studying architecture, and though it wasn’t quite what my dad did, it was close enough for Avery to want to poke around. They had all sorts of divisions in their company now, and Avery was bouncing in the passenger seat beside me as we pulled up to the parking lot.

My muscles ached something delicious after the work out class had given me. It had also riled me up, turned me on, and I was about to walk into Luca’s place of work. It made me wary, but I’d promised my friend.

We’d done a good job avoiding each other, or at least I had, making a concerted effort to dodge anywhere he could be until last weekend. I was in desperate need of deep unconsciousness, but I wasn’t sure I could ever trust my sleeping pills again. For sure not at my parents where not even the locked front door would stop Luca.

Needed a lock on my bedroom door. Or ten fucking bolts and an alarm.

“Afternoon, Zelda,” Kara, the receptionist, said with a painted on smile. She was in her mid-fifties, I guessed, had worked for Summers & Diaz Construction since I was a baby. The lobby was a decent size, with a waiting area, floor to ceiling windows and miniature models of their biggest works on display. Avery grinned as he studied the closest one, an apartment block renovation.

“Hey, Kara,” I threw back. “You know if Dad’s ready?”

“He has the Thomas' in.” She returned her focus to her computer, her brow furrowed, so Avery and I dipped away.

Avery was all smiles as he looked at the timeline of S&D Construction displayed on the walls, from the first house they’d renovated while they had young families, to now, with the thirty story residential building they were working on in the city. It all went over my head, and I had zero interest in joining the company. That was Jules’ job, based on the fact she had the actual ability to hold her eyes open when it was being discussed.

But still, these halls felt like home. Memories of my dad as he’d aged, and Luca too, were everywhere. They were proud of all they’d achieved together.

We reached the corridor with the head of the company’s offices and apprehension heated my gut.

“Zelda,” a voice that sent a shiver down my spine called from the office next to Dad’s. Luca came to a rest against his doorframe, arms crossed as he studied both me and Avery. “What are you doing here?” He sounded casual, relaxed. No signs of the man who’d snuck into my bedroom, who’d ruined my body. It was unnerving. Was this really the same person? I flinched when our gazes flittered together for a moment.

“Uh,” I stuttered. “Showing my friend around. Going to… to Dad. Dad!” I stumbled over my words and yelled, leaping across the hall to knock on his door. Avery stared at me like I was nuts, his mouth hanging open in the shock of it. I wasn’t the most put together person ever, but I could hold my own under pressure. Avery only ever saw me like this when I was three sheets to the wind at 4am on a Sunday. He propped me up then, and I could see him moving over to do so now.

“Zelda’s friend,” Luca said, not even looking at Avery, his eyes only on me. I was floundering, my mouth gaping open and shut like a dying fish as I clawed at Avery’s arm, trying to direct him away and use him as a shield. I’d know Luca would be here, of course I did, but that was different to actually being confronted with the man. He watched me with cool curiosity, almost as if he was enjoying the show. His mouth ticked up on one side, his head tilted a fraction. “Give us a moment, would you?”

“Um.” Avery looked at me. “No.”

Thank god for him.

Luca’s lips pursed, his jaw feathered with tension. “Henry’s busy.”

“Withhisparents.” I pushed Dad’s office door open and practically fucking fell through in my hurry to get away. I had to work on that. Christ, it was like I had a flashing sign over my head. My heart was pounding, my cheeks flushed, and my pussy? My traitorous bitch of a pussy who liked it when my brain was full of fear? Yeah, she was squeezing around nothing, begging to be filled.

I didn’t even care about the three faces looking at me in a mixture of shock and worry. I just patted my hot cheeks and smiled with a sigh. “Sorry we’re a little late.”

“You good?” my dad asked, frowning as Avery stepped in behind me and shut the door with a soft snick.

I nodded. “Yuh huh.”

Avery’s hand landed on my lower back and I jolted away from him, my skin tingling with fire. Shit. I needed a cold shower. To get out of Luca’s vicinity. Even being in the same building as him was messing me up.

He’d ruined everything. Pushed me, fucked me, took from me while staring me in the face. He made sure I knew what he was doing, demanded my consent, body and mind.

“Zel?” Dad asked again, looking like he was about to get up.

“No,” I said with a shake of my head. “I’m good. Just need a drink.” I looked at Avery and gave a wobbly smile. “I’ll be right back.”

Dad and Avery glanced at each other in either concern or confusion, I couldn’t tell. But I was out of there to fluster in peace.

There had to be a solution to this. Had to be a way of continuing on as normal, separating the Uncle Luca from the deviant one who’d made his home between my thighs.

Five

Luca

Aftershefledandstumbled into her father’s office, I stepped back into mine, shutting the door and ignoring the commotion I caused. Her friend had looked at me with open confusion, his expression one of dislike, but let it go, following Zelda into Henry’s room.

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