Page 32 of Sold to the Highest Bidder
Nazalie shifted and pressed her mouth in a brief salutation to his damp brow. ‘That was an unforgettable experience...’ she whispered, panting.
Unforgettable for him as well, Joshua acknowledged in a daze. Even though their intimacy had begun on a melancholic note, he had brought her to a climax twice. Joshua was blissfully relaxed and adrift on a fluffy cloud of well-being. He squashed the thoughts that were trying to infiltrate his mind. Would coping be more manageable when she was gone? There would be no one waiting for him when he got home. He would dissolve back to his lonely existence.
Joshua shook off his thoughts. He wasn’t going to turn all needy and clingy in the aftermath, he assured himself with determination. She had surpassed his expectations, but all they had shared was their bodies, nothing more. Nobody fancied themselves in love, nobody needed to get hurt, least of all, him. Joshua sighed, assuring himself that he was in full control of his emotions.
Joshua rolled back from her and studied her with frowning deep blue eyes the colour of a stormy sea.
Nazalie and Joshua woke up early the next morning. They were supposed to catch their flight by nine. Joshua and Nazalie packed their luggage silently. The drive from the hotel to the airport was also silent. Not that Joshua was complaining. He didn’t know what to say. He was sure that she didn't either. Even as they boarded the plane, Joshua held Nazalie's hand silently.
For the first time, the silence was uncomfortable. Both Joshua and Nazalie were aware that when the plane landed, they would haveto go their separate ways.
Joshua stared at Nazalie several times during the flight. He wanted to say something to her, but he had no idea how.
Ten
Nazalie
Joshua was driving her straight to the bakery. Since they boarded the plane back to Canada, they had both been stuck in awkward silence.
Another of Joshua's assistants dropped the car off this time. According to the guy, Shane was off somewhere doing something.
Nazalie was glad to be back, but she was sad because she knew that it meant that she might never see Joshua again. She knew his house, but it would be weird to pop up there one day. They couldn't be friends. They had too much history and passion together.
Nazalie expected the bakery to be open. She expected it to be packed with customers.
There were people gathered there, but they weren’t customers. The construction crew that was there three months ago was measuring and taking notes.
A man was sitting in a wrecking ball machine. It was all jaw-dropping.
"What's going on?" Nazalie asked, dread seeping into her voice. “I thought you stopped the demolition. Why are they here."
Nazalie was already rushing out of the car. Joshua hadn't even fully parked yet.
"I did. I stopped it. I don't know what's going on. Same as you," Joshua called, catching up to Nazalie. "But I'm going to stop it. Wait here, be careful. Don't do anything rash."
She was, in fact, thinking of chaining herself to the bakery. From what she could see, Joshua was shouting up to the man in the wrecking ball machine. He couldn't hear Joshua over the sound of the engine.
Nazalie's heart was beating at a dangerous speed. The wrecking ball had been released and was going directly for the bakery. Everything seemed like it happened in slow-motion. It was like an out of body experience.
Nazalie felt like she was watching it happen from above. She heard a shriek as the ball crashed into one of the walls. It sounded like a banshee's shriek. It was her; she was the one making the banshee noises.
You know things are bad when your brain doesn't even register the sounds you make.
Someone was honking loudly behind her. It was Joshua trying to get the construction worker's attention. It worked. He stopped the machine. And when he did, Shane came out from the back and started screaming at the man, asking him why he wasn't doing his job.
Joshua rushed out of his car. What was happening? Was Joshua behind all this?
"Shane, did you do this?"
"Yes, sir. I wanted it to be ready for construction by the time you returned."
"Nobody asked you to do this! It's not even your job."
"Sir, I was thinking about the time limit we had. If we want the building to be completed by the end of the year, we have to commence construction now."
Joshua ran his hands through his hair. He didn't even look angry anymore … he seemed tired.
"You're fired," Joshua whispered, massaging the sides of his head.
