Page 59 of A Kiss at Midnight

“What do you get out of this, Blake?”

The smile forming on his lips is my first sign I’m not going to like his next words any more than I’ve liked anything he’s had to say so far. I’ll probably like them less. The confidence emanating from him intensifies the sick feeling in my stomach.

“We’ve gone over this ground before. I get everything I want, don’t I, Jewel?”

“No, Blake. No one getseverythingthey want,” I tell him. “I’m not arguing with you. I’m simply speaking the truth.”

He throws me another smile, one making it clear that my words haven’t put him out one little bit. It seems nothing I do or say will throw him off his high horse. When he stands, I wait for his next assault, but instead of coming toward me, he’s heading away.

“What are you doing now?” I ask.

“I’m done for the night. We’ll discuss this more tomorrow,” he says and keeps walking away. Before I’m able to say another word, the front door opens and closes. He’s gone just like that.

I slowly walk to my bedroom. I sag into bed, not bothering to change clothes, and not bothering to open my eyes once they drift shut.

Blake Astor has reappeared in my life with a hurricane-like force, disrupting everything in his path. But unlike a hurricane, he isn’t going to grow weaker as he continues on his journey, much less drift out to wherever he came from. No. There will be no calm after the storm. That isn’t his style. He’ll return again and again until he gets what he wants. And there’s nothing I can do to stop him.

Chapter Review

Chapter Thirty-Three

Jewel

I hang up my phoneand have to fight tears while I wait outside the office. I can’t walk into this building with tears streaming down my cheeks... not with the number of cameras everywhere. I don’t want Blake to see how upset I am.

My call with Justin’s caseworker didn’t go well. What in the hell do these people want? Do I need to join the circus and walk the high wire to prove myself? Should I rush into a burning building and rescue kittens? I’ve done everything they’ve asked: gotten a job, an apartment, and even said I’m dating a reliable, successful businessman. Still, they’re telling me this process can take months. I hate the system, and despise that they’re keeping me apart from my brother who desperately needs his sister.

I take in some deep breaths, then finally walk back inside the building. I paste a fake smile on as I pass the guards, then move to the elevators. I’m about ten minutes early. I was going to grab a sandwich, but the phone call ruined my appetite. My stomach’s churning too much for me to eat. I’m not at my desk long when McKenzie comes by.

“Hello, Jewel, how are you?”

I give her a fake smile. “Great. Love working here.”

She chuckles. “This is a wonderful place to work, but that smile looks about as fake as it gets.”

“Nope, I’m good,” I say. We both know I’m lying.

“Well, things might go better or worse in a second,” she says, taking a notch away from my smile. “Mr. Astor would like you to report to his office.”

“Which Mr. Astor?” I question, though I’m well aware of which one.

“Blake. He said to come up right away.” She doesn’t look like she sees anything wrong with the request. I can refuse, but I can’t afford to lose my job. However my irritation level grows a few notches. McKenzie walks away, and I figure I’d better get this over with.

What in the heck will I do about my brother? I make my way to the top floor. Blake’s secretary isn’t at her desk, so I move around it and go to his closed door. Should I knock? I stand for a minute, staring at his door. The longer I remain, the more my fury brews. I’m so mad right now, mad at the world, mad at how horrific the justice system is, and mad at life itself.

Will I come across as stark raving mad? Probably. Maybe he’ll call the authorities and have me hauled off to a mental hospital... which I might need. At least then I can say I’ve done all I could for my brother, and it’s out of my hands.

I shake my head as I have this thought. No. I won’t do anything that will cause that to happen. I’m not one to give up, not without one hell of a fight. All I know right now is that I’m ticked with the world, and the person I currently want to take out my anger on is Blake Astor.

When I hear my own knock on his door, I jump. What is wrong with me? Maybe a person really can snap. One too many kicks backward on the path of life and you simply can’t take it anymore.

When I see Blake in front of me, I freeze. He stands before me in all his beautiful glory, wearing custom-made pants, a button-up shirt with the top buttons undone, and a confident smirk that intensifies my rage. I hate how breathtaking he is, hate how he makes my heart skip a beat even though I consider him the enemy.

Without saying a word, he beckons me into his office with the crook of his finger. All I can think of is the line,Will you walk into my parlor, said the spider to the fly.Not good. Still, amid the oppressive silence, my feet move, being drawn into his web.

“Have you adjusted yet?”

All of the agony of the past six months of losing my mother, losing Justin, and becoming Blake’s slave comes to a head, and because he’s the person standing before me, he’s about to be the one to feel my wrath. A sound unlike anything I’ve ever heard escape my mouth, and I rush toward him with a yell, not knowing what I’m going to do. But I never get the chance to unload on him.

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