Chapter 16 Chapter 16
“Mr. Rhyland, Mrs. Rhyland is here.” Ben said, "Great." I grabbed the file and pushed it into the drawer just as the door opened.
“Mother, what brings you here?” i asked, hiding the suspiciousness from my voice. She took a seat and looked at me.
“Your engagement to Clarissa is set for next week,” she said in that tone that left no room for argument.
“Okay,” I replied, knowing there was no way out of it.
“I have a condition,” I said, which made her look at me.
“Fine, name it,” she said.
“The girl. The one Clarissa told you about. The girl was raped mother and she is running for her life. She works for Bryce as a caretaker. She was covered in blood. So I offered my place so she could clean up before she went to see her patient. Was that wrong?” I asked, looking at her.
“I don’t see how. Clarissa mentioned she was coming out of the room.” She spoke, and I nodded.
“Because she had just washed away the blood. Clarissa is to leave the girl alone.” I said, making it clear that Tessa was off limits.
“I hope this is out of kindness and nothing else,” she asked.
“There is nothing, Mother,” I replied.
“Good,” she replied as she stood up. “I will make it clear to Clarissa. Your father and I expect you to be at home tomorrow for dinner.” she said.
“I’ll be there,” I replied.
The minute she left, I breathed out a sigh of relief. I needed to find a way to stop this engagement.
Tessa
The last three days have been hell. I've been looking over my shoulder constantly, the Psycho was watching me. I called the detective and told him what happened; he had an officer watching me. He said Alex disappeared, and they were still looking for him. But I felt a bit better knowing a police officer was watching me.
I haven’t run into Rhyland in three days, which was a small win for me. I punched in the code and the gate opened, and walked to the elevator. The minute I stepped up to the elevator, he appeared. The urge to groan was strong, but I kept my mouth shut.
When the doors opened I stepped in and he followed suit. The minute the doors closed, he walked into me, pinning me against the wall. I looked up at him, and he was just staring down at me.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“I have a proposition for you,” he said. I raised my hands to push him away, and he grabbed my hands, pinning them to the side.
“One million dollars,” he said, and my eyes went wide.
“Step away from me and then talk,” I said, and he pulled away; the doors opened, and he stepped out.
“Let me know when you’re free. We’ll talk,” he said, walking to his door and walking into his apartment. I was left standing there in shock. Around eleven, when Christine was asleep, I opened the door and walked over to his door and knocked. The door was thrown open immediately, and he was standing there naked from the waist up.
Fuck, I couldn't deny he was hot as hell. His tattoos stood out on his muscular body, his hair damp and tossed carelessly. His eyes guarded but dangerously acessing. He tried reaching for me, and I jumped back.
“No, we’ll talk out here.” I said making it clear. He didn't answer, but he stepped out into the hallway. “Carlo,” he said.
“Yes, boss,” Carlo replied, pressing the elevator button, and when the doors opened, he and the other guy stepped in. We were alone in the hallway.
“I need you to do something for me. I need to get out of something, and the only way to do that is to cause a scandal. You already know who I am.” He said
“Yes, I know. But I don't want to get mixed up in your drama or life. Plus, I… Well… I have… Someone won’t be happy.”
“Your face won’t be visible. I just need some pictures with you that would cause everything to stop.” He said
“Why should I help you ?” I asked. He didn’t reply; he walked into me. Backing me into the wall. He leaned down so we were face to face, his eyes staring into mine. He smiled, and for a second my heart skipped a beat.
“Because I helped you.” His voice was barely a whisper.
“Zaiel, please move,” my voice shaky.
“So you can say my name?” He asked in that same quiet tone, and it shot through me. I heard the barely audible “fuck.”
“Zaiel, plese move.” my voice trembling now.
“And what if I don’t want to?” He asked, leaning in closer, his face inches away from mine.
“Will you help me?”
“Okay,” I whispered, and he pulled away and stood looking at me. “Let’s go,” he said, grabbing my hand.
“Wait, Christine,” I said looking back at the open apartment door. The elevator opened, and Carlo stepped out with the other guy and another man.
“Let’s go, Joe. Carlo, make sure Christine is fine,” he said before dragging me into his apartment and into his room.
He let go of my hand and walked over to what looked like a closet and came back with a dress. “Wear this, the wig too. I’ll wait outside” he said walking out the door. I stood looking at the dress. I can't believe I was actually doing this shit. I hurriedly changed and wore the dress and wore the wig; it was a blonde wig. Guess he had a thing for blondes. When I stepped out of the room, he was standing there in a suit and tie; he grabbed my hand as if it was the most natural thing and led me out of the apartment to the elevator. The same man was behind us.
“Remember Joe, it should be blurry, just my face visible,” he said to the man.
“Understood, Mr. Rhyland.”
He walked into the elevator and leaned against the back wall and pulled me into him; this man was unbelievable. He grabbed my hands, wrapping them around his neck as he wrapped his arms around my waist, burying his face into my neck. “Go with it,” he whispered, and I leaned back, looking up at him. “Fuck it,” I said, pulling his face down towards mine and kissing him. His hands moved, grabbing the back of my head and returning the kiss.
This shit backfired fast. When his hands tightened in my hair and his tongue invaded my mouth, my body shook.
“Got it, Mr. Rhyland,” the man said, but he still didn’t let go of me. He leaned forward, moving me with him. I heard the sound and knew the elevator door was closing. When he grabbed me, picking me up off the floor, my legs wrapped around him. My back was against the wall as his mouth devoured me.
He leaned down and licked my neck. “Zaiel, stop.”