Chapter 30: Control

Kieran sat at his desk looking over a proposal Trevor's marketing team had submitted to him. He didn't like it. It wasn't up to the same standard that he had been receiving from them, and he figured they had begun to get complacent since they had been doing so well on the past few. Sighing, Kieran replied to the email with one simple word, No.

After sending it, he sat back in his chair. He had a few meetings and two conference calls, but he was in no mood for them. If he was honest with himself, he wasn't in the mood to even work, which was a first.

It didn't matter what he did; his mind constantly wandered to Alijah. He was losing sleep at night thinking about that night two weeks ago when she had walked out of the condo and out of his life. True to her word, she had emailed him her resignation the next day.

He had tried calling her, had done it nonstop for an entire week with no results. The work phone he had given her was never on, and every time he called her personal cell, it had sent him straight to voice mail. He had even attempted to find out where her friend Lawrence stayed, knowing that was more than likely where he was, but with no last name to go off, there wasn't much he could do.

Kieran had, however, had his image pulled from the elevator camera from the time he'd brought Alijah to the condo so Cruz could find him. That had been a week and a half ago, and still, he hadn't heard anything. Kieran had even informed the front desk to call him as soon as she walked through the door to retrieve her things. However, every day that he returned, they were still there.

He was losing his mind. He knew he had fucked up, and the chances of Alijah wanting anything to do with him were non-existent, but he didn't care. He wasn't one to give up on something he wanted, and he wanted...needed Alijah. He had known that. He just hadn't known how much until she had walked away from him.

Sleep was eluding him at night, but he was grateful for that. He was sure that her walking out on him would play on repeat like a never-ending nightmare. He had lived it once. Kieran didn't need his subconscious reminding him that he had pushed the most important person in his life away.

His accusations had all but packed her bags for her and thrown her out of the door. He wished he could blame it on someone else, put it on Rebecca and the conversation they'd had, but it was no one's fault but his. Plain and simple.

Kieran mildly wondered if he was scared of the way he felt for her because he wasn't sure if she felt the same way. He wondered if he needed a reason to push her away deep down but concluded that he wouldn't feel so broken without her if that had been the case.

The sound of the elevator dinging pulled him from his thoughts. Without Alijah, he worked with his office door open to see who was coming to see him. He waited, and a minute later, Trevor stepped up, knocking on the open door. Kieran motioned him in, and the younger man walked over and took a seat in front of his desk.

"What is it, Trevor?" Kieran questioned. He wasn't in the mood for what he had scheduled to do today. So, he definitely wasn't in the mood for any impromptu visits.

"I wanted to talk to you about the concept you said no to. Is there a particular reason you don't like it?"

"It isn't up to standard for the product, and it feels as if your team has become complacent in doing your jobs,” he told him.

Kieran watched as the younger man seemed to have a conversation with himself. He appeared to be indecisive about something, and Kieran intended to tell him to have his mental breakdown somewhere else. He was going through shit of his own and didn't have the patience, less so than usual, to deal with other people's problems.

"Do you know when Alijah will be back?" Trevor questioned just as Kieran was about to tell him to get out.

That made Kieran stiffen. He hadn't told anyone that Alijah had put in her resignation. Only a few people had asked, and he'd told them that she needed some time off. He knew he was lying to them and himself. He felt if he told people, that if he turned in her resignation, it would make it far too real for him.

"Why?" Kieran inquired.

Trevor sighed. "I'm not supposed to be telling you this because she didn't want any credit for it, but Alijah came up with the last three campaigns my team pitched to you. She even helped me sketch them all out and develop the taglines."

Kieran simply stared at him. He should have guessed as much, but he hadn't. It made sense now why they always seemed to be talking in secret or up to something. She had been helping Trevor with his projects and didn't want Kieran to know because she didn't want credit.

Alijah had not only been doing her duties as his assistant, which she went above and beyond for, but she had also been helping his marketing department come up with the best campaigns he had ever seen from them. She was indeed his better half, and he had fucked it entirely up.

"Just work on it, Trevor. Find a way to fix it. Alijah shouldn't have been doing your work for you. I'm hearing that you're incapable and shouldn't be employed here. So, go and prove me wrong." With that, Kieran turned his attention to his computer, dismissing him.

Once Trevor was gone, Kieran looked at the time before bringing up some documents he needed on his computer for a conference call in ten minutes. He wasn't looking forward to it and honestly would probably do what he had been doing with all of the others. Telling them, he would consider it after looking over their paperwork more thoroughly. Though he knew he might not have been doing it anytime soon.

Kieran hung the phone up and groaned. He had not meant to be on the call for two hours, but the other man had continually asked him questions, and he could admit that he hadn't even listened to half of the call. So, the fact that the man kept asking him questions pertaining to what was discussed had done nothing but irked him, especially when Kieran had told him that he needed to review the information more.

Leaning back in his chair, he seriously contemplated shutting everything down for the day and drowning his mind in the bottom of a bottle of scotch, but he had never been one to turn to liquor for comfort. That was how alcoholics were made, and he could flip and get angry by himself. He didn't need the added influence. He was about to say, " fuck it," when he heard the elevator ding.

Looking at the clock, he saw that he didn't have a meeting scheduled for that exact moment and wondered if it was Trevor coming back or one of his other employees. He didn't want to deal with any of them. He was about to start pushing them off on Remy.

However, the person that came into view at his door was Corey. Kieran furrowed his brow in confusion. He didn't have a meeting scheduled with Corey until next week.

"Hey, Kieran." The older man stated, coming in and taking a seat.

"Hey. Did I forget a meeting we had?" He questioned though he knew he hadn't.

"No," Corey responded, shaking his head. "I was in the neighborhood and thought I would stop in."

Kieran nodded slightly. "How's Gale?"

"She's good. We're expecting, but you already knew that."

Kieran didn't respond, but he realized that Corey was not just in the neighborhood. It seemed that Alijah had been talking to Gale. Kieran wasn't sure if his wife had forced him to come to speak to him or if he had come on his own accord.

"You made a mess of things, didn't you." It sounded like a question, but Kieran knew it wasn't and, therefore, it didn't require an answer. "I'm curious why you would think she would do that to you. I don't know her the way my wife seems to, but Alijah doesn't seem like that type of person. I'm also confused as to why you would be so angry if she had been pregnant since you love her."

Kieran was quiet for a moment. "How do you know I love her?" He didn't deny that he did.

Corey chuckled. "I knew you loved her before you did. Just by the way you looked at her at my yacht party. Your eyes couldn't stay away from her."

Kieran thought back to the yacht party, and he remembered the strange look Corey had given him and how he had seemed to have some conversation with himself. The other man had known that he had loved Alijah then, and as Kieran thought about it, he realized he had fallen in love with her even before that.

"You didn't answer my question."

"You didn't ask one." Kieran countered.

Corey smirked at him. "If she were pregnant, would it have mattered? Would you have left her, loved her any less?"

"No," Kieran answered without hesitation. He wouldn't have loved her less, and now that he thought about the possibility of her having his child, he didn't want that with anyone else.

"Then why the hell are you sitting here instead of going and fighting for your woman?"

"It's not like I haven't been trying. I call, but Alijah doesn't answer. I know she's probably staying with a friend, but I don't know where he lives, and I'm trying to find out. Unless..." Kieran trailed off, staring at Corey.

"She isn't staying with us." The older man stated, knowing what Kieran was getting at. "But, who knows, maybe you'll run into her in the next few hours," Corey told him, taking something from inside his suit jacket pocket and placing it on the desk as he stood. "Enjoy your Valentine's Day, Kieran."

Kieran watched as Corey left his office before looking down at the paper folded in thirds. Picking it up, he unfolded it and saw that it was a flier for Domestic Violence Prevention. Kieran read it over, seeing that it was an auction of sorts. He looked at the date and saw it was for that day.

Checking the time, Kieran saw that it would start at six that evening. He had a few hours until then. He wanted nothing more than to pack it up for the day, but he had pushed his next meeting back twice now and knew he couldn't afford to do that again. Even if he did, he would still have to wait, but he made a mental note to thank Corey.

Kieran's last meeting had run far longer than he wanted it to. He hadn't gotten out of his office until after five. Now he was stuck in traffic on the highway because there had been a wreck. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. It seemed that every force in the universe was out to get him and stand in the way, but he wasn't having that shit.

Finally, after almost an hour of being at a standstill, traffic began to move. Pulling his car up at the address that had been on the flier, he got out, tossing his keys to the valet and taking the ticket the young man handed him. Making his way inside, he followed the signs to the room holding the auction, ignoring the people standing outside talking or heading in other directions to other events presumably.

Walking into the room, he saw Alijah standing on the stage, and she was mesmerizing. She wore a long-sleeve black dress that stopped right above her knees. The dress hugged all of her curves. Her makeup was light, while her lips were a deep wine color matching her shoes. Her hair was in her usual curls, and Kieran wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms.

"Fifteen thousand!" Kieran heard called, and it pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Twenty thousand." Another voice called.

"Twenty-five." A different counter.

"Twenty-five thousand going once, twice..."

"Thirty thousand." Kieran heard a voice, which sounded like Corey's call.

Kieran was not about to let anyone else have Alijah, and he had been so caught up in her that someone else had almost gotten her, and he would have missed his opportunity. It looked like he had something else to thank Corey for.

"One hundred thousand dollars." He called, causing Alijah's eyes to snap to him as all the other people in the audience turned to look at him as he still stood in the back.

"Sold to Mr. Cayman!" The auctioneer stated, banging his gavel.

Kieran watched as Alijah quickly walked off the stage and to the back. He knew she was trying to get away from him, but he was not having it. Kieran followed and saw her go into a room. She was about to close the door when he stopped it with his hand.

"Go away,” she told him immediately. He ignored her and stepped inside, locking the door behind him. She would listen to him and if she still wanted nothing to do with him. Then, he was going to work harder to change her mind; because giving her up was not an option.

Alijah sat in the dressing room that Gale had led her to. She still had about two hours until she was due on stage. Gale had scheduled everything down to the minute. So, she had time to get ready while she was there.

At first, Alijah wasn't going to do it. She had no desire to go out on a date with anyone. She was still hurting from her split with Kieran, even if she acted like she wasn't, and was in no way in the mood to be in the company of any man at the moment. For all she cared, they could all disappear for a while. However, it was for charity, and Alijah pulled herself together. She had also told Gale she would help her, and she wouldn't back out.

Deciding that she would do something to her hair first, Alijah got down to work. She wasn't going to do anything significant to it. Merely try to tame her usually wild curls. She had thought about straightening it. Thinking a new look would get her out of her slump but knew it was just wishful thinking. She also honestly didn't have the energy it would take for her to accomplish that.

So instead, she decided to make sure her curls were tight and luscious. She used her shea and argon oil products. When she had gotten her hair the way she wanted it, she went about doing her makeup. She kept it light, deciding that she would play up her lips with a deep wine purple lipstick.

Once Alijah had finished, she unzipped the garment bag and pulled out the black bodycon dress she had purchased just for the event. She hadn't been back to the condo to get the rest of her belongings. She was afraid that she would run into Kieran or wouldn't want to leave. Even worse than that, have a breakdown.

Stepping into the dress, she pulled it up her body, sliding her arms in the sleeves. She smoothed it down before grabbing the wine-colored pumps she would wear with it. Pulling her necklace from inside the dress, she lay it flat against her chest.

She sat back down on the couch and waited for someone to come and tell her when it would be her turn. She picked up her phone and began to scroll through her text messages. She had forty-two unread ones from Kieran. While she wasn't going to open them, for some reason, she couldn't delete them; he had continually called her as well. She knew he was probably trying to apologize, but she didn't want to hear it. She was sure he felt as if he hadn't done anything wrong. It was the way he felt about just about everything else.

There was a knock on the door, and Alijah answered it. She had expected to find someone helping with the event on the other side, but instead, she found Corey. He smiled at her as she stepped aside to let him in.

"Well, don't you look beautiful." He complimented.

She gave him a small smile. "Thank you."

"Are you nervous?" He questioned. Alijah nodded.

She felt no reason to lie to him. She was indeed nervous. While Alijah was confident in herself, this was the first time she would willingly be putting herself on display for the satisfaction of men. They would, for the most part, be buying her body. While each woman had filled out a bio sheet, she knew the men wouldn't be listening to that. They would only be bidding according to the way the women looked.

"I've never done anything like this before,” she told him.

"I see. I'll be in the first row, right in the middle, where you'll be standing on the stage. Just keep your eyes on me, and everything will be fine,” he told her.

"Thank you, Corey."

"You're welcome,” he responded, heading towards the door. "Someone will be by to get you in a few minutes. I think there's one person left in front of you, and then it'll be your turn. Remember, when you get out there, eyes on me."

Alijah nodded before watching him leave and closing the door after himself. She sat back down on the couch and took in deep breaths. As Corey had said, a few minutes later, there was a knock at her door.

She found a smiling young girl there who asked her to follow her before leading her to where she would wait. She could see a little out into the crowd from that position, but not much. However, she could hear everything. The auctioneer had just finished reading the bio of the woman on stage and was opening for bids. They started at one thousand, and it got up to twenty thousand before the auctioneer declared her sold. Alijah could only hope she did that well.

Taking a deep breath, Alijah calmed her nerves as she heard her name announced. Walking onto the stage, she listened as he began to read her biography. Getting to the middle of the stage, her attention immediately turned to Corey. He smiled at her, and it helped her relax a bit. She waited for the auctioneer to finish reading her biography and interests.

"Alright. Let's start the bidding at one thousand dollars."

"Five thousand dollars!" She heard someone immediately call.

"Five thousand, do I hear six?"

"Six." A voice called.

"Six, do I hear seven?"

"Ten thousand." The first voice called again.

"Fifteen thousand." Another called.

"Twenty thousand." Some else called.

"Twenty-five thousand." The first voice called again.

"Twenty-five thousand going once, twice…."

"Thirty thousand." Alijah was surprised by that bid because it had come from Corey. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"One hundred thousand dollars."

Alijah's head snapped in the direction of the voice. She would know it anywhere. Sure enough, she found Kieran staring at her. Her heart began to beat fast, and she took deep breaths to calm herself.

"Sold to Mr. Cayman!" Auctioneer yelled, banging his gavel, and Alijah wanted to kick him in the neck with her heel.

Instead, she turned and exited the stage, quickly heading down the hall and back to the room she had been in. She'd just made it inside and was closing the door when it was stopped. She looked up and saw Kieran there.

"Go away,” she told him immediately. He ignored her and stepped inside, locking the door behind him.

Alijah backed away from him. She had to put some distance between them. She needed space. A continent may have been enough space, but she knew she couldn't I Dream of Genie herself somewhere else, though she was tempted to try for the hell of it.

This man had hurt her, and here he was now, with the audacity to buy her. She was offended. He had accused her of being with him for his money, and now he was throwing it at her as if she was a possession he could simply obtain, though it was for charity.

"You need to leave, Kieran, and retract your bid."

"I'm not going to do that,” he told her simply. Alijah's jaw clenched, and she wanted to slap the shit out of him for standing there so casually as if he hadn't taken a sledgehammer to her heart. "We need to talk."

"We have nothing to talk about," Alijah stated.

"We do."

"No, you would rather make assumptions than talk. So, you can turn around and-"

"I love you,” he stated, cutting her off. Say what? "I am in love with you, Alijah Douglas."

Shaking her head, Alijah took a step back, and he stepped toward her. He took another step, and she countered again, still shaking her head.

"I was wrong, baby. So wrong. I should have never accused you. I know that you would never do that to me. I wish I could make excuses and blame it on anybody else, but it was me. It was my insecurities. I'm not used to feeling this way. I've never loved any woman until I loved you, and it all felt so surreal that somewhere in me, I knew there had to be something wrong. Maybe I needed there to be because I didn't want to be hurt. I didn't want you to wake up one morning and realize that you could do better."

He'd continued toward her, and Alijah backed up until she was out of space and her back came into contact with the wall. She looked up at him as he cupped her cheek.

"You mean the world to me. I would give up everything for you if you asked me to. I would lay my life on the line if it meant you were happy. I know I fucked up, and I regret letting you walk out of that door. I regret not stopping you at the elevator, but most of all, I regret making such an idiotic assumption."

Alijah felt tears welling in her eyes as she looked into his soft hazel ones. She had never seen them in such a state before. Her eyes then widened in shock as he fell to her feet on his knees, his arms wrapping around her waist and his head on her stomach.

"I was foolish to think you would try to trap me. The truth is, you wouldn't have to. I've been trapped since the day you stepped foot into my office, and it was one I willingly walked into. Everything I am belongs to you. You own every piece of me. Mind, body, and soul. I can't live without you, Alijah, and I damn sure don't plan on doing it."

His arms tightened around her as Alijah allowed her tears to begin to fall silently.

"Come home, Alijah."

At that, she gasped. In the time that she had been with Kieran, he had never once called it home; she hadn't either, though, for that matter.

She placed her hand on his head and stroked his hair. This man, who was so strong, so intimidating to others, was bearing his soul as he essentially bowed before her. He looked up at her, and she saw it. Saw the vulnerability in his eyes. At that moment, she knew. This man that sent others scattering with a look had given his entire being over to her; he had given her complete control. She could break him if she wanted, but Alijah loved this man, and breaking him, would shatter her.

Cupping her hands on each side of his face, she leaned down and kissed his lips. It was a soft kiss, but it was all it took to lift the heaviness from her heart as her tears continued to fall. Their lips still connected, she felt him rise to his feet. She pulled away and watched as his eyes went to the necklace he'd bought her for Christmas. She had put it on that day and never taken it off. He reached up and touched it, and Alijah placed her hand over his.

"I love you,” she told him as he reached up with his other hand to caress her cheek, to wipe her tears. She leaned into it. "Take me home."

The ride home was silent except for the sound of the tires on the road. The entire way Kieran held her hand, he would bring it to his lips and kiss it. She would feel him staring at her at each stoplight, and Alijah didn't know why.

When they finally made it, he came around and opened her door for her. Picking her up when she got out of the car, they made their way onto the elevator and up to their condo. Where he stared at her the entire time, she unlocked the door for him, and he carried her in, closing the door with his foot.

"Welcome home, baby." He leaned down, whispering against her lips.

Alijah gave him a soft peck as she tightened her arms around his neck slightly before burying her face in his chest. It didn't take a Rocket Scientist to know that he was taking her to his...their bedroom when he began to walk. She felt herself being sat on the bed and removed her arms from around his neck.

She watched as he took both of her shoes off. He put them to the side before taking off her dress. Alijah lifted to help him, and he removed it from her, throwing it onto the floor and leaving her in her pink boy shorts and bra. The latter of which he unhooked and removed.

Alijah watched as he took off his clothes until he was down to only his boxers before going over to his dresser and pulling out one of his V-neck t-shirts. Walking back over, he dressed her in it before going to his side of the bed. He pulled her to him as he lay down.

"Tonight, I just need to hold you,” he informed her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

She shifted so that she was comfortable. It was only a few minutes before she could feel Kieran staring at her again. Looking up, sure enough, those hazel eyes were locked onto her. She pulled back from him slightly, not missing that he was reluctant to release his hold.

"Why do you keep staring at me?"

"Because I'm trying to figure out how I could have been so stupid as to almost lose my entire world because I don't plan on making that mistake again; because I can't seem to figure out what good thing I ever did in my life, to have been blessed with you. Because you're so fucking beautiful,” he told her, kissing her lips. "Because I'm amazed at how you make me feel, by the control you have over me, and I don't want it any other way."

Alijah leaned in and kissed him again as his sweet words sank into her heart. He wasn't alone, though. She knew he held some control over her too.