Page 17 of Coming Home

I never want to let her go. But she ran away from me. That is something that has never happened to me before. Women usually throw themselves at me, not run from me. I have never been rejected before. Women know I have money, and that I am single, and I can’t go one day with female attention–even at work. I have never had to work so hard to impress a woman, and damn if that is not one of the most attractive qualities of Scarlett. This woman, she is something like I have never experienced before.

And she just ran away from me.

I am in shock as I watch her go. She was startled by the sound of smashing glass, something I am used to in the club business, it happens nearly every minute. She runs down the stairs and through the club like it's on fire. But she was into the kiss. I felt her need, her desire, she kissed me back and wanted it too. There is chemistry between us, that much is clear.

She is a strong mix of sexy confidence and scared little bunny, which explains my need to want to both protect her and to curl up in bed with her. Before she runs out of the venue, I call the front door immediately to let them know to expect her and to ensure she gets to her car safely. I heard her on the phone earlier, so I know she still has her driver here and probably multiple security people with her. For what reason, I still wasn’t sure.

I rub my face in my hands. I’m so fucked. I have to have her, but I have no idea how to make that happen. She runs from me at every opportunity. Each time we have met, she leaves. How am I going to get her to stay?

It’s been a long day, and I am running on only a few hours’ sleep. I need to get out of here, I need to get away from her smell and the image I have of her here, grinding into me like we both need nothing else in life except each other.

Damn, I want her. She has me so riled up, I could have bent her over the chesterfield and fucked her hard, but there is something about her that I want to savor. A quick fuck, she is not.

I will get her, though, that I am sure of. I get everything I want, and I want her now more than anything I have wanted before. It is not the thrill of the chase, either. This woman is under my skin, and I know I want to make her mine. I walk down the stairs to make my way out the back of the club to go home. I need a cold shower and some time to think.

I head out the back door and climb into my waiting car. While my penthouse is closer, I opt to go to my private mansion in the hills. It is my little hideaway, where I do my best thinking, and is a great escape for me. Not great during the week due to the traffic to get to the office, but on weekends, when I can, I prefer to hide away out here. No one comes here except for Marco and my mother. I have staff and people that scurry around to manage the place, but I never entertain, never bring any friends or colleagues over, and have never brought a woman back here. I have my city penthouse for all that. This place really is my sanctuary.

I am still worked up from my time with Scarlett, and I need a release. Once home, I walk straight to the master bedroom and strip off my suit. I push through my bathroom door and hit the shower–steam rising in the room immediately. My thoughts go to Scarlett. I knew when I first saw her that she was beautiful, but damn, now that I know her a little more, I realize she is fucking sexy and smart, and I want her—bad. Picturing her long hair and tanned skin, my dick is getting harder by the second. I am remembering her perfect lips on mine and the feeling of her body rubbing against me as I pump my cock in my hands and then picture her body underneath mine. I find my release, and I roar her name as I feel the tension leave my body in the shower.

Turning off the shower and dressing in my grey sweatpants, I head to my study and grab a glass and pour three fingers of the finest whiskey I own. As one of the city's most successful businessmen, I know how to strategize to get what I want whether that is a new acquisition or an international business deal.

So, that is what I will do with Scarlett.

I want her and now I need to think of a strategy to get her.

22

Scarlett

It is Sunday, traditionally a day of rest. Well, it certainly was for me after the whirlwind that was last night at Shaun’s club. I am curled up on the couch at Uncle Ray’s with Katie and Tony, eating junk food and watching The Notebook. They asked me twenty questions as soon as they saw me this morning, and I filled them in on everything.

“I can’t believe you kissed Shaun Marshall,” Katie kept repeating. I roll my eyes and grab another piece of chocolate.

As much as I want him, I still can’t believe I let my shield down and kissed him. After everything I have been through, trusting people has been hard, but there is something about Shaun that has me removing my walls, and it makes me nervous. I trust him, but I am not sure why. It is just a gut instinct I have. If he wasn’t a good man, he wouldn’t have come to my rescue like he did. He is so good looking that every time I close my eyes, I can see him. My heart races now just thinking of him.

“Watching this movie makes me want to find the love of my life,” sighs Katie as she curls up on the couch next to me.

“I have found my love, and I can’t wait to grow old with him.” Tony is mindlessly scrolling through his phone, looking at the latest news and gossip and then his voice goes stone cold. “What the absolute…” he started.

Katie and I both pick up our heads and look in his direction like a couple of meerkats. Tony turns his phone to face us, and I see a photo of Shaun in the arms of the same woman from the gala. They look to be in an embrace, and she is smiling.

My heart drops and the contents in my stomach curl. “I was such a fool,” I whisper, feeling deep, gut-wrenching jealousy.

The caption of the photo mentions it was taken over a month ago at a business function. “Looks like he is just a player, after all,” I say looking at Tony and Katie who look at me with sympathetic gazes. We all know he is a player, but seeing it makes it harder to swallow.

“Pass me the ice cream, I need to eat my feelings away.” I scowl at Katie to pass the tub of Ben and Jerry’s Netflix and Chill flavored ice cream. My favorite since moving to Boston.

“But he was your knight in shining armor, you said he kissed you and held you,” Katie comments.

I am so confused. I mean, I am not even his girlfriend. We have never even been on a date, so who am I to get upset that he is tangled in a woman’s arms, especially since it happened before I even lived in Boston.

As all good friends do, we continue to dissect the images for the next 30 minutes before I announce that we were dropping the subject and we refocus back to our movie. I am getting a headache and wish I was curled up with Shaun, knowing now how well our bodies fit together. If he truly was with this woman, then the universe would not keep bringing him back to me. Besides, I have a million other things I need to concentrate on. I need to get my life in order before I start going crazy over a man I barely know.

We finish the movie, and Katie and Tony leave, fussing over me as they walk out the door. It is great having friends around me again, but I am not used to the attention. People watching me, yes. People telling me what to do, and where to be, and being forced to stay in one place for only a week at a time. Yes. But this fussing is going to take some getting used to.

I decide to bury myself into a bit of work that Stephen has passed along to me. Looking over finances and numbers always settles me. Numbers are not Stephen’s strong point; his strengths were more sales and marketing, so he is happy to pass along a few files to me, and I am grateful for the work. It’s crazy, for most people they might have wine or a long hot bath. I like those things too, but if I really need to destress, I need numbers, and given the businesses Uncle Ray owns, there is a lot of paperwork to go through to keep me busy for a while.

I am not sure how long I have been working, but it is now dark outside, and my shoulders are tight having been sitting in the same position, hunched over the computer for hours. My phone vibrates next to me, and I look at the text message that comes up on the screen.

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