Page 23 of Suddenly Desired
“That’s none of your business,” she snapped, wondering if he’d leave the flat if she picked up a knife and chased him out. But that’s the kind of thing Josh wanted her to do. That’s how he operated. He drove you insane, made you feel like you were losing your mind, then stepped in and told you he could make it all better. “Just eat and leave.”
“Relax.” He tapped the keys on his laptop. “I was just curious to see if you’d tell me.”
Ellie didn’t reply, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she leaned against the counter. But when Josh turned his laptop towards her, her stomach sank.
“I know where you’ve been,” he said smugly, tapping the trackpad.
A video started playing on-screen, so dark and so fuzzy that it took her a moment to recognise herself and Blake in the bar. She watched with a growing sense of panic as the barmaid threw the drink over Blake’s head, as he shot up in shock, as she defended him. Then it cut to black.
“Solid choice for a date,” Josh said, revelling in it. “You’ve got a real knack for public humiliation, haven’t you? Silly girl.”
Ellie was speechless. She felt terrible. This had all happened because of her. If she hadn’t gone for that interview then she never would have bumped into Blake. If she hadn’t dropped her notebook then he never would have had to bring it to her. If she hadn’t suggested the bar then Blake never would have been filmed. He was in enough trouble as it was. This could ruin him.
“Have you seen the comments?” Josh grinned. “People really do hate him. I’m surprised you don’t feel the same way, being a girl. In the latest bunch of posts on his page he claimed that girls shouldn’t be allowed to drive because they don’t have the coordination for it. Maybe he’s right, though. I mean, look at you. You were left to your own devices tonight and you picked the very worst person on the planet to go on a date with.”
Rage was boiling inside her skull and she stormed into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. There was nothing to lock it with, so she sat with her back to the door, planting her head in her hands.
Could Josh be right? Could Blake really have said those things? She pulled out her phone and opened up the browser,searching for Blake’s name. His Heartbook page had been taken down, but there were a million screenshots of what had been posted there. They really were vile and disgusting statements. She couldn’t understand how they could be made by the same person she had met tonight. These remarks were blunt and lazy and cruel. Blake had been talkative — he’d wittered more than her — and imaginative and kind. The posts were offensively demeaning to women, but Blake had spoken to her with care and consideration. Not once had she felt objectified or belittled.
No, it couldn’t have been him. Ellie had no idea what was happening, but she was certain that he was being set up. The thought made her feel like a territorial animal. It made her want to run to his side and fight for him. But even though Blake was one of the strongest men she’d ever met — even now she could picture the muscles straining against his hoodie — there was a vulnerability to him. Maybe he’d spent so long being in charge that he’d forgotten what it was like to be looked after.
But how was she supposed to look after him when he’d left without giving her his address, or even his phone number?
“I can hear you in there,” said Josh from the other side of the door. He was chewing loudly. “Come on, babe, come out and spend some time with me. It will make you feel better.”
She couldn’t think of anything that would make her feel worse. She stayed where she was, browsing through the search results until she found an article that wasn’t about the comments Blake had supposedly made. She opened up a business site, seeing a photo of a younger Blake with a woman who could only be his mother. She had silver hair, styled in a bob, and she was dressed in a sleek, powerful black suit, a string of pearls around her neck. Her face was kind, her eyes crinkled with laughter lines. She was holding on to Blake’s arm, his hand resting on hers. He was looking down at her with such love that it almost broke Ellie’s heart.
The headline read:Blake Fielding—Is Silicon Valley’s Most Secretive Entrepreneur Actually The Tech Industry’s Nicest Guy?
Was this the real Blake? How had his reputation sunk so quickly? Ellie wanted to copy this article and send it to everyone on the planet, but there was no way to do it. She brushed a finger down Blake’s cheek, then put the phone on the floor. Outside the door she heard Josh drop his dishes into the sink.
“Place could do with a clean,” he yelled. “You never know when the landlord is going to drop by.”
He left, closing the door behind him and whistling his way down the corridor. Ellie shot up, ran to the front door and slid the deadbolt across to stop him making any more unannounced visits. Even though he was the world’s biggest idiot, he was right, the apartment did look a little neglected. She’d been so busy at work and planning for her interview that she hadn’t hoovered in a while, and there were coffee mugs on practically every surface. It was too late to do anything about it now, but tomorrow she would blitz the place. In fact, she would blitz everything. It was time to get serious about her life. No more working in a café. No more letting Josh just walk through the door whenever he liked.
And no more daydreaming about Blake Fielding.
* * *
Ellie may have sworn off daydreaming about Blake, but apparently, her subconscious hadn’t got the memo. Her dreams last night had been so vivid, so electric, that when she woke up, her body pulsed with want. Stretching languidly beneath her covers, she could almost feel his warmth lingering beside her — his breath on her neck, his hands trailing lower.
For a moment, she lay there, blinking in the soft morning light streaming through the curtains, her fingers stroking her naked body. Her pulse was still racing, her skin humming asfragments of the dream flickered through her mind. They’d been in the bar, the same booth where they’d sat drinking coffee. Only this time, no one else was around. The lights were low, shadows dancing across the walls, and Blake had pulled her in to his lap, hands sliding beneath her top, his mouth hot and hungry on hers.
It had felt so real — so unbearably, heartbreakingly real — that waking up alone felt like a cruel joke.
Get it together, Ellie, she scolded herself, running a hand through her messy hair.You barely know the guy.
Still, her fingers curled into the duvet as her mind betrayed her again, flashing images of his dark, unruly curls, the way his fathomless blue eyes had locked on to hers like she was the only person in the room. And that body . . . carved from stone, his hoodie doing little to hide the sculpted strength beneath.
She groaned, flopping back against the pillows. “Nope. Not doing this,” she muttered aloud, throwing an arm over her eyes. “One day. That’s all I’m asking — just one day without thinking about Blake freaking Fielding.”
But as she lay there, the ghost of his smile teasing the edges of her memory, she knew she was already doomed.
She clambered out of bed, yawning. It wasn’t even seven yet so she put some coffee on and some bread in the toaster. Josh had spilled a load of coffee grounds on the counter and instead of clearing up the mess, he’d drawn a heart in them. She scrubbed it out with a dish cloth, pressing so hard she was in danger of leaving a mark on the Formica surface. She wished she could get rid of Josh as easily, and the thought of having to put up with him at work made her want to climb back into bed and stay there for the rest of the year.
No, she told herself. She wasn’t going to do it anymore. Last night she’d shared coffee with a billionaire — althoughadmittedly one hated by pretty much the whole world. She wasn’t going to let Josh push her around.
She wasn’t sure if she had the courage to say it to his face, though. He could be irritatingly persuasive. Instead, she took out her phone and texted Lissa, asking if she could come in later. Rob would be covering the morning shift as well and there was never enough for them all to do. Besides, even though yesterday had been a complete washout, it had given her renewed enthusiasm for LifeWrite. Blake had seemed genuinely interested, and even though he might not be in any position to work with her now, maybe somebody else was. She certainly wasn’t going to find success for her own business while serving coffees in a café. And besides, who was to say she wouldn’t have another chance to pitch her idea to Blake?
